September 10, 2021

Nominations are open for the Spring 2022 Michigan Tech Research Forum (MTRF) Distinguished Lecture. A faculty member's selection to give the MTRF Distinguished Lecture honors the faculty member for their research impact.

Faculty are selected for their ability to increase the knowledge of our community by connecting their research with societal and community concerns. Topics are broad, spanning all colleges at Michigan Tech.

The Distinguished Lecture will be given at the April 2022 Research Forum event. Nominate a colleague or yourself by completing the online form by Nov. 1.

Contact Shari Stockero at stockero@mtu.edu with any questions.

Next week all active students will receive the Healthy Minds Survey via their Michigan Tech email.

The Healthy Minds Survey is done by the University of Michigan. It looks to better understand the areas of student mental health and well-being, sources of support and other mental and emotional help topics. This will be the second and final time that the Healthy Minds Survey will be distributed on Michigan Tech’s campus, as Michigan Tech looks at completing the last few steps toward becoming a JED Healthy Campus.

The survey will launch on Monday (Sept. 13) and will be open through 5 p.m. on Oct. 15. The survey will be done online and responses will be collected via the Qualtrics software. The survey takes approximately 25 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Whitney Boroski at wmborosk@mtu.edu.

The Parade of Nations will follow a different parade route this year. Due to construction on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, the parade will not start in Hancock and cross the bridge as it usually does.

Instead, the parade will start at 11 a.m. Sept. 18 at Franklin Square in Houghton. It will go through downtown Houghton to Quincy Street (at The Ambassador restaurant), turn right toward the waterfront, and then turn left on Lakeshore Drive, finishing at Kestner Park.

There are many ways to participate:

• Walk in the parade (representing your club, organization or cultural heritage).
• Build a float. Register your group if you want to build a float.
  • Float funding is available. You or your organization may be eligible to receive a grant of up to $100 to help you build a float. Apply for a float grant. The float grant application deadline is Sunday (Sept. 12).
• Represent any nation of your choice. Request a flag for the nation you want to represent.
• Participate in the Scavenger Hunt. This will be a fun, interactive event with a chance to win exciting prizes. Register to participate (and view the rules and regulations).

For more information, go to the Parade of Nations web page. You can contact the Parade of Nations at paradeofnations@mtu.edu or 906-487-2160.

Did you know that more than 61 million Americans have disabilities? Although legislative actions and conversations about the impact of living with disabilities are increasingly common in workplaces and social places, a 2021 study by Iezzoni et al. has identified that physicians’ perceptions of people with disabilities contribute to health care disparities.

In a small national study, 82% of physicians perceive a worse quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Only 40.7% were “very confident about their ability to provide the same quality of care to patients with disability.” The educational foundations for equitable inclusion begin in our classrooms. This research reveals the importance of including diverse cultural competencies within STEM education.

Today’s feature was shared with us by the Advocates and Allies Advisory Board. If you have an article you think we should feature, please email it to advance-mtu@mtu.edu and we will consider adding it to the ADVANCE Weekly Roundup.

The ADVANCE Weekly Roundup is brought to you by ADVANCE at Michigan Tech, an NSF-funded initiative dedicated to improving faculty career success, retention, diversity, equity and inclusion. Past articles are available on the ADVANCE Newsblog.

To learn more about our featured topic, our mission, programming efforts, and to check out our growing collection of resources, contact us or visit our website.

Grab a bite on Zoom with Husky Bites' latest guests: Michigan Tech hockey coach Joe Shawhan and NHL All-Star MVP and Michigan Tech alum John Scott ’10 (ME).

Shawhan and Scott will co-host "Husky Bites: Hockey in the Copper Country" with Dean of the College of Engineering Janet Callahan on Monday (Sept. 13) at 6 p.m.

Shawhan grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan — aka Hockey Town USA, training site for the Detroit Red Wings. Back then, hockey was a neighborhood sport and every kid in his class got in on the game. During Husky Bites, he'll share stories about how he first arrived in Houghton and his brief relationship with former head coach John MacInnes; what it was like coaching against Scott in junior hockey as a member of the Chicago Freeze; and his thoughts on the upcoming season.

Husky Bites are free 20-minute Interactive Zoom Webinars from the College of Engineering at Michigan Tech.

Register for the event.

Xiaochu Ding (Chem) will present a graduate seminar next Friday (Sept. 17) from 3-5 p.m. in the Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), Room U115.

Ding's presentation is titled "Polymeric Biomaterials for Protein Therapy and Bioresorbable Synthetic Grafts."

Read the presentation abstract on the University Events Calendar.

TIAA is offering virtual or telephone retirement counseling sessions on the following days:

• Wednesday, Sept. 15
• Thursday, Sept. 23
• Tuesday, Sept. 28

If you'd like to schedule an appointment with TIAA, call 800-732-8353 or book an appointment online.

The Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences will host speaker Cindy Miller (staff engineer, Harley-Davidson Motor Company) at the next Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors (ACSHF) forum.

The presentation, titled "Human Factors in Aviation, Healthcare and Motorcycles,” will be held from 2-3 p.m. Monday (Sept. 13) via Zoom.

Miller will present a summary of human factors engineering projects in aviation, health care, and motorcycles. She will discuss some of the tools, methodology, and design processes used for these projects, as well as provide a short review of her career path.

Jaehong Kim, the Henry P. Becton senior professor of engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale University, will present a virtual seminar on Monday (Sept. 13) at 4 p.m. via Zoom.

Kim's presentation is titled "Toward Single Atom Catalysis for Environmental Application."

This virtual seminar is sponsored by the Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute (EPSSI). Read the abstract at the University Events Calendar.

Register in advance for the Zoom seminar. Please register early!

The next Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar will take place at 4 p.m. on Thursday (Sept. 16) in the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), Room 202.

Joel Ducoste, professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University, will present.

Ducoste's presentation is titled "Characterizing the Generation of Elevated Temperature Landfills through Finite Element Modeling."

All are welcome.

The Huskies have hit the road for the first time this season with a trip to the state of Minnesota.

Michigan Tech will match up with Bemidji State today (Sept. 10) at 8 p.m.  The Huskies will conclude the two-game road trip versus Minnesota Crookston on Sunday (Sept. 12) at 2 p.m. 

Read more on the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

The Huskies will be tested Saturday when they host the University of St. Thomas Tommies, who just made the jump from NCAA Division III directly to NCAA Division I beginning this fall.

Before the Tommies compete in the Pioneer Football League, they must first survive a trip to the Copper Country. It is the first game of the season for St. Thomas after a cancelation in week one.

Read more on the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech hockey coach Joe Shawhan is participating in the College Hockey Inc. Virtual Coaching Clinic from Oct. 4-8.

The clinic is a weeklong chance for college hockey coaches to share their knowledge with their fellows. It celebrates the start of the men's and women's college hockey season with 15 presentations over the course of five days. Topics range from X's and O's to team building, and include technical presentations, panel discussions and interviews.

Read more on the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Posting for Friday, Sept. 10, 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. 

Social Media Manager, University Marketing and Communications. 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.

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. Please be aware that if you are exposed to COVID-19, quarantine guidelines vary depending on 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. 

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On-Demand COVID-19 Testing Available on Campus

Walk-in, on-demand COVID-19 testing is available to Michigan Tech students and employees during the fall 2021 semester.

Testing is located in the Datolite Room at the MUB on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. There is no cost to be tested, and no appointment is needed. 

Read more COVID-19 Testing Information on the MTU Flex website.

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Math Colloquium

The Department of Mathematical Sciences' first Math Colloquium is today (Sept. 10) at 1 p.m. on Zoom. Our speaker is Ruihao (Ray) Huang from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Huang's presentation is titled "Mathematical Modelling in Drug Development." All are invited to attend.

Join via Zoom using this meeting ID and passcode:

Meeting ID: 834 5189 7738
Passcode: 0910

From the abstract:
This talk will start with introductions of clinical trial in drug development. Then Model-Informed Drug Development (MIDD) which uses a variety of quantitative methods to help balance the risks and benefits of drug products is introduced. We will dissect the MIDD approaches into various mathematical tools based on known mechanism and model complex. Very popular mathematical tools in drug development, i.e., Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP), Population pharmacokinetics (popPK), Machine Learning (ML), will be covered in this talk.

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K-Day is Today!

After a year away, K-Day is returning to Chassell Centennial Park!

Michigan Tech's annual K-Day (Keweenaw Day) is today (Sept. 10). Classes will release at noon. In addition to food, music and inflatable games, more than 190 registered student organizations will have booths for the 3,500 to 4,000 students who regularly attend K-Day.

While students are welcome to drive to K-Day or carpool with friends, Student Leadership and Involvement offers large buses that will be shuttling students back and forth from the Rozsa parking lot on campus to the park starting at noon. Buses will depart about every 15 minutes and will run until all students have been picked up from the park and returned to campus.

Students planning to drive themselves, please note: There is no parking inside the park. Parking on the street is available but limited.

K-Day is a student organization fair, but staff and faculty are also welcome at the event. You can see what our students are interested in, enjoy the free food and music, and maybe even find a student organization to advise.

K-Day is sponsored by Fraternity and Sorority Life and Student Leadership and Involvement, with additional support from Athletics, Facilities and Homestead Graphics. Members of Michigan Tech's 20 fraternities and sororities volunteer in order to make this event possible each year.

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WebFOCUS System Maintenance on Sunday

This Sunday (Sept. 12) from 7 a.m. to 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.

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

Friday, September 10, 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...

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Workshop 2: Crafting your statements: Content and organization

Friday, September 10, 10:00–11:30 a.m.

The Graduate School is offering support services to assist graduate students in applying for the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program, including...

(Women's Volleyball) Michigan Tech vs. McKendree

Friday, September 10, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Women's Volleyball: Michigan Tech vs. McKendree, Parkside Tournament

K-Day Event by ISA at MTU

Friday, September 10, 12 p.m.–4 p.m. | Location: Chassell Centennial Park

Indian Students Association (ISA) at MTU participates every year in K-Day. This year K-Day will be on September 10, 2021 at Chassell Centennial Park. Come out and join us at...

Keweenaw Day 2021: Camp K-Day!

Friday, September 10, 12 p.m.–4 p.m. | Chassell Centennial Park

K-Day, short for Keweenaw Day, is an annual tradition at Michigan Tech held on the Friday of the week of Labor Day. It is a registered student organization fair with around...

TKE K-Day

Friday, September 10, 12 p.m.–4 p.m. | Chassell Centennial Park

Join the brothers of Tau Kappa Epsilon for this awesome event. Stop by to learn more about how we can help you create lifelong relationships that enhance educational,...

Mathematical Modeling in Drug Development

Friday, September 10, 1 p.m.–2 p.m.

Mathematical Sciences is having their first Math Colloquium (via Zoom) Friday, Sepetember 10, 2021 at 1:00pm-2:00pm. Our speaker is Dr. Ruihao (Ray) Huang from the Food and...

Master's Defense: Natalia Parra Alvarez

Friday, September 10, 2 p.m.–3 p.m.

Chemical Engineering Advisor: Surendra Kawatra Specifically Adsorbed Ions in Hematite Flotation Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/83055889297

(Women's Volleyball) Michigan Tech vs. NW Missouri State

Friday, September 10, 5 p.m.–8 p.m.

Women's Volleyball: Michigan Tech vs. NW Missouri State

Fruit Ninja

Friday, September 10, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Phi Kappa Tau

Hello Gentleman! This Friday after K-Day we will be doing a real life rendition of Fruit Ninja. We will be smashing fruit, a lot of it. For obvious reasons swords will be...

TKE - Car Smash

Friday, September 10, 5 p.m.–8 p.m. | TKE House

Join the brothers of Tau Kappa Epsilon for this awesome event. Stop by to learn more about how we can help you create lifelong relationships that enhance educational,...

(Women's Soccer) Michigan Tech at Bemidji State

September 10, all day

Women's Soccer: Michigan Tech at Bemidji State, BSU Soccer Complex

Wayne State Warrior Challenge - Hosted by Wayne State

September 10, all day

Wayne State Warrior Challenge - Hosted by Wayne State, TBA