August 30, 2021

Preparing for the evacuation of a building is an important component of being an instructor. Students, even in the University setting, will look to instructors for guidance during an emergency. Michigan Tech requires faculty and instructors to take a few minutes at the beginning of each semester to familiarize themselves and students with basic evacuation routes and emergency procedures.

What specifically should instructors do?

• Familiarize themselves with the building, floor and classroom they will be teaching in. Classrooms are equipped with emergency evacuation postings; use these to orient yourself to exit locations.
• Communicate evacuation routes and assembly areas outside of buildings to students in case of an emergency.
• Remind students that if they need assistance exiting a building during an emergency, it is up to them to self-identify (in private if desired).
• In the event of an emergency, provide leadership and follow established procedures for all building alarms and emergencies.

The University Safety Manual provides additional information regarding emergency action and fire prevention plans.

Please email ehs-help@mtu.edu if you would like your classroom evacuation maps in PDF format.

The Michigan Tech Archives will continue to operate on a by-appointment basis during the fall 2021 semester (Aug. 30 to Dec. 17) with expanded hours to include appointments on Mondays.

Appointments may be scheduled from 1-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Requests for appointments must be confirmed by staff at least one business day prior to the desired time and are subject to availability.

Special accommodations for faculty seeking an on-site instruction session for their academic courses outside of the regular appointment period can be made — please contact the department for more information.

On-site research appointments in the Michigan Tech Archives can be scheduled via email at copper@mtu.edu, by phone at 906-487-2505, or by submitting a request through the online form.

Remote research services will remain uninterrupted during this time, and questions may be directed to the contact information above. Online collections are always available on the web or through the library’s online catalog.

The Michigan Tech Archives is currently adhering to campus health and safety protocols. Please see the MTU Flex site for the latest COVID-19 related information and procedures.

Fall building hours for the Student Development Complex (SDC) and surrounding facilities began today (Aug. 30) and run through Dec. 16.

Please visit individual facility pages for updated information.

On Sept. 12 from 7-11 a.m., WebFOCUS will be unavailable due to production system maintenance.

If you have any questions or concerns, we can help. Contact us at it-help@mtu.edu or call 906-487-1111.

Welcome back, all Michigan Tech students! Admission to the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum is waived with your Tech ID.

Also, through Sept. 4, you can mention this post and show your Tech ID to receive 10% off your whole purchase in our gift shop! (This deal cannot be combined with other discounts.)

Dining Services presents this week's C-Cubed luncheon, being held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 2) in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge. All faculty and staff, along with their guests, are invited.

The C-Cubed lunch buffet menus are created by executive chef Eric Karvonen and prepared by Karvonen and his culinary team. As the name suggests, the meals are meant to foster conversation, community and collegiality. Attendees may bring their lunch instead of purchasing the buffet. Fruit-infused water, coffee, tea, cookies and fruit are available free to all attendees.

The buffet lunch is $12 per person. Cash, credit cards and gift cards are accepted. You can submit C-Cubed feedback using this Google form. To join the C-Cubed Google group and receive weekly menus, email reservations-l@mtu.edu.

Menu for Thursday (Sept. 2):

Cucumber Vegetable Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Warm Flat Bread (Vegetarian)
Chicken Korma (Gluten Free)
Vegetable Korma (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Boondi Raita (Gluten Free, Vegetarian)
Basmati Rice (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
Masala Roasted Cauliflower (Vegan, Gluten Free)

The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) Student Chapter at Michigan Tech has been selected as the 2021 AIPG Student Chapter of the Year. This is the second year in a row the chapter has earned this recognition.

Each year, AIPG recognizes the most outstanding student chapter for its activities, achievements and contributions to the Institute. The award letter states: “The Student Chapter at Michigan Tech stood out among the AIPG Student Chapters in the nation this past year, and are highly deserving of this distinction and honor.”

The officers during the year of the award were Elana Barth (president, geology), Breeanne Huesdens (vice president, geological engineering), Emilie Pray (treasurer, geology) and Makala O'Donnell (secretary, geological engineering).

In the current year, Barth and Pray continue to hold their positions. Olivia Salvaggio (geophysics) is the chapter's current vice president and Nolan Gamet (geology) is its current secretary.

The chapter, which has over 50 members, is advised by Chad Deering (GMES/EPSSI) and David Adler, a Mannik Smith Group certified professional geologist who earned his B.S. in Geology from Tech in 1982.

The Michigan Tech Aerospace Enterprise is one of three winners of the University Nanosatellite Program, a three-year design competition funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), along with teams from the University of Minnesota and Texas A&M.

Ten Michigan Tech Aerospace Enterprise team members, all undergraduates, were present at the culminating event of the competition Aug. 13-15 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The three teams will now move to Phase B of the program, where they each have AFRL funding for a multiyear development program to bring the spacecraft to flight maturity — and a guaranteed launch opportunity from the U.S. Department of Defense. According to the team's advisor, Brad King (ME-EM), no launch date is set yet, but it could happen as soon as 2024.

With Auris, the student-run Aerospace Enterprise at Michigan Tech has three prize-winning satellites. One of the team's satellites (Oculus) is now in orbit; their second small satellite (Stratus) is due to launch in March 2023. Auris will be their third to launch.

Once completed and launched, Auris (Latin for "the ear") will listen to the signals broadcast from communications satellites as it flies through their transmission beams. It will also be able to map the spatial extent and shape of the transmission beams and determine the location of the transmitting satellite.

 Auris is a small satellite, a 12U cubesat. It is just 20 by 20 by 30 centimeters in size, and its mass is 20 kilograms (about 44 pounds).

“It’s hard to say, but a conservative estimate is that at least 250 students have worked on the Auris mission since its inception,” said Michigan Tech electrical and computer engineering student Matthew Sietsema, the team’s chief engineer and student lead.

Read the full story on the College of Engineering Newsblog.

The Graduate School is offering support services to graduate students applying for the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP), including workshops and one-on-one writing support.

Fellowship recipients earn an annual stipend of $34,000. To be eligible, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident; have never previously applied to GRFP while enrolled in a graduate degree program; and have never earned a master’s or professional degree in any field or completed more than one academic year in a graduate degree-granting program.

Applications are due Oct. 18-22. See the NSF GRFP website for more information and full benefits and eligibility details. 

Application support being offered includes:

• Workshop 1: Overview and Tips from a Former NSF Program Manager and Reviewer
  Friday, Sept. 3 — 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 
  Presented by Pushpalatha Murthy (former NSF program manager) and co-hosted by Debra Charlesworth (former NSF GRFP reviewer) and Sarah Isaacson (NSF GRFP support coordinator).
  Join Workshop 1 via Zoom.
  Sign in with your MTU account before joining the meeting to be admitted.
  
  
• Workshop 2: Crafting Your Statements: Content and Organization
  Friday, Sept. 10 — 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
  Presented by Sarah Isaacson (NSF GRFP support coordinator). 
  Join Workshop 2 via Zoom.
  Sign in with your MTU account before joining the meeting to be admitted.
  
  
• Personalized Writing Support
  In addition to an NSF GRFP Canvas course, applicants will receive individual writing support on application drafts from qualified staff members.

Questions? Contact Sarah Isaacson, NSF GRFP support coordinator, at sisaacso@mtu.edu. 

Job Posting for Monday, Aug. 30, 2021

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 906-487-2280 or email mtujobs@mtu.edu.

For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted. 

Audience Manager, Visual and Performing Arts. Apply online.

Michigan Technological University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Accommodations are available. If you require any auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations to apply for employment, or for an interview, at Michigan Technological University, please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or mtujobs@mtu.edu.

Face Coverings Required Indoors on Campus

While Michigan Tech is at Health and Safety Level Two, face coverings must be worn indoors. This applies to all students, employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.

In Level Two, students and employees are not required to monitor their symptoms daily prior to coming to campus. But, individuals should be mindful of their own symptoms. A useful monitoring tool is available from the CDC. 

Michigan Tech strongly recommends that all employees and students receive the COVID-19 vaccine and continue with handwashing and hand-sanitizing practices, especially in light of the virulence of the COVID-19 delta variant.

During all Health and Safety Levels, no one with COVID-19 symptoms is allowed on campus. 

*****

Today: Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar

The first Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar of fall 2021 will take place at 3 p.m. today (Aug. 30) in the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), Room 202.

Environmental and water resource engineering faculty from the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering at Michigan Tech will present on their teaching and research interests. All are welcome.

*****

Diversity Literacy Workshop 2021-22 Open for Registration

Diversity Literacy training for the 2021-2022 academic year is open for registration. This year we have changed the registration process to an online registration form.

The Diversity Literacy Online Workshop (DLOW) is part of Michigan Tech's ongoing commitment to faculty diversity in building a supportive campus climate. Successful completion of the DLOW is required to serve on faculty hiring and tenure promotion committees. The full workshop is organized as a three-week asynchronous online course in Canvas (with two to three hours of work per week) building literacy in recognizing unconscious bias, and culminates with a one-week seminar on the legal aspects of diversity-centered hiring practices.

For those who have already taken the full three-week diversity literacy course, a one-week refresher course is required every four years. See the Diversity Training Status page for more information and a list of current training status for all faculty.

The workshop dates are listed below and can also be found on the training website. Please note that legal aspects training will immediately follow the diversity literacy training, and faculty will be registered for them both at the same time. If your certification is expiring but you don't need it for immediate service, we would appreciate if you register for a spring workshop instead. The Fall Refresher 1 course is full, but there are some seats left in the Fall Refresher 2 course for anyone who will be serving on search and TPR committees that start work this fall.

If you have any questions about the DLOW and training, contact workshop administrator Amy Marcarelli at ammarcar@mtu.edu.

Full course and refresher dates for academic year 2021-22:

Fall Refresher 1: NO SEATS REMAINING
Sept. 13-17 — Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop
Sept. 20-24 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

Fall Full Course: 
Oct. 4–22 — Diversity Literacy Full Course
Oct. 25-29 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

Fall Refresher 2: 
Nov. 8-12 — Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop
Nov. 15-19 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

Spring Refresher 1: 
Jan. 17–21 — Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop
Jan. 24-28 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

Spring Full Course: 
Feb. 7-25 — Diversity Literacy Full Course
Feb. 28-March 4 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

Spring Refresher 2: 
March 21-25 — Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop
March 28-April 1 — Legal Aspects of Hiring – Online Course

To have your event automatically appear, please submit them to the University Events Calendar.

The Spirit of the Hunt: Ecological Art Exhibit & Public Wolf Discussion

Monday, August 30, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | U. J. Noblet Forestry Building, Atrium and G002

Art Exhibit: August 30-October 15 Monday-Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm Noblet Atrium, Michigan Tech College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Opening...

Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Faculty Introductions

Monday, August 30, 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), 202

Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar Faculty in the areas of environmental and water resources engineering from the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial...

Summer 2021 Michigan Tech I-Corps Site Program

Monday, August 30, 4 p.m.–6 p.m.

Are you interested in taking your innovative idea, technology, or processes commercial? Husky Innovate is hosting the summer 2021 I-Corps NSF workshop series designed to help...

Open Rock Climbing

Monday, August 30, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multipurpose Room Climbing Wall

All ages (we can allow all ages to climb as long as we have the proper fitting equipment). No need to sign up, just stop by the Climbing Wall between 6 and 8 pm Monday through...