September 22, 2021

The Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience is offering sponsorships to a limited number of students, faculty and staff for this year's Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education. The conference is 100% virtual, and will be held Oct. 12-14.

Registration includes access to all virtual sessions, including the ability to access all content on demand until Dec. 31. You will also be able to participate in networking sessions, visit the virtual exhibit hall, chat with your peers during the sessions and more.

Please fill out this brief form by Oct. 1 if you are interested in attending. You will receive a confirmation by Oct. 4 at the latest. Send your questions to sustainability@mtu.edu. 

The next Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar will be a joint seminar with the Chemistry Department. It will take place at 3 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 27) in the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), Room 202.

Jiehong Guo of the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, will give a presentation titled "Fate and Transport of Emerging Organic Contaminants in the Great Lakes Environment and the Identification of Biomarkers of Carcinogens Associated with Tobacco Exposure."

All are welcome.

Please join us Friday (Sept. 24) for a seminar given by distinguished guest speaker Chi-Wang Shu as part of the Department of Mathematical Sciences Distinguished Lecture Series. The talk will be held from 1-2 p.m. in Fisher Hall, Room 327B.

The topic is "Stability of time discretizations for semi-discrete high order schemes for time-dependent PDEs."

Shu is the Theodore B. Stowell university professor of applied mathematics and director of graduate studies at Brown University.

Do you have questions about graduate school? Join Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) faculty and graduate students, as well as the MTU Graduate School, for Grad Info Night on Tuesday (Sept. 28) at 6 p.m. in the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), Room 202 — or virtually through Zoom (please register for Zoom in advance).

Learn about the reasons to consider graduate school, the accelerated and online M.S. programs, application process, financial aid and much more.

This event is sponsored by Chi Epsilon, CEGE, and the MTU Graduate School.

Heather Allen, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Ohio State University, will present a virtual seminar on Monday (Sept. 27) at 4 p.m. via Zoom.

Allen’s presentation is titled "Hydration, Ions, Lipid Binding, and Inherent Electric Fields at the Air/Water Interface: Ocean and Aerosol Surfaces?"

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 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) will be on campus for individual retirement counseling sessions on the following days:

• Monday, Oct. 4 — MUB Alumni Lounge A
• Tuesday, Oct. 5 — MUB Alumni Lounge A
• Wednesday, Oct. 6 — Lakeshore Center, 220H
• Thursday, Oct. 7 — MUB Superior Room, B001

To schedule an appointment, call 800-732-8353 or book online.

Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) coaches picked Michigan Tech to finish third this season in the CCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced Sept. 20.

They also selected senior defenseman Colin Swoyer for the Preseason All-CCHA Team. Senior forward Trenton Bliss also received votes for the squad.

Minnesota State was the top pick in the poll after garnering 67 points and five first-place votes. Bemidji State was second with 63 points and one first-place vote. The Huskies had a pair of votes and 55 points. Northern Michigan (54), Bowling Green State (46), Lake Superior State (45), Ferris State (32), and St. Thomas (30) rounded out the poll.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech women's tennis player Nicole Ballach notched two wins and reached the round of 16 in singles competition at the ITA Midwest Region Tournament before being defeated by a tough opponent.

Ballach and Lauren Opalewski represented the Huskies in singles and doubles at the tournament, which was held over the weekend at Center Grove High School. In singles, Opalewski fell in the first round. 

"The ITA draws this year were competitive with many great players," said Michigan Tech head coach Kristin Yep. "Heat was a factor this weekend with matches singles and doubles. Lauren had a tough first round against a seeded player. Nicole did well in winning her first two rounds against quality opponents and represented us well. She was outplayed in the round of 16 against an excellent player who made it to the championship." 

As a doubles pair, Opalewski and Ballach were defeated in their first match.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Doctoral student Sodiq Waheed, postdoctoral researcher Rajeev Ramanan and Christo Christov (Chem) have published an article in Chemistry—A European Journal, and it has been selected for a front cover and a cover profile.

The article is titled “What Is the Catalytic Mechanism of Enzymatic Histone N-Methyl Arginine Demethylation and Can It Be Influenced by an External Electric Field?” 

Chris Schofield of the University of Oxford is also a collaborator.

Applying combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods, the study reveals how histone demethylase KDM4A, in particular, demethylates arginine residues in histones in comparison to lysine residues.

Face Coverings Required in Classrooms, Labs, Library

Michigan Tech remains at Health and Safety Level Two. Face coverings are required in certain locations — classrooms and laboratories during classes and lab courses, and in the library — and may also be required during instructors' office hours. In all other settings, face coverings are encouraged but not required. 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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Participants Still Needed for Cycling and Memory Study

You’ve heard that people are bad at multitasking, but have you thought about how well you process and remember information while exercising? Or how a heavy cognitive load impacts your workout performance?

Researchers from the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences (CLS) are looking to explore these questions. The experiment will take 60-90 minutes to complete, with a total of 15 minutes of effortful cycling (three five-minute intervals with rest in between) and various memory tasks. Participants will be compensated for their time.

Please consider participating if you meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Age 18-40
• Currently perform at least 60 minutes of vigorous exercise per week
• Fluent in English with no hearing impairments
• Have experience cycling or spinning for exercise
• Willing to wear a chest-strap heart rate monitor
• Do not smoke, vape or use other forms of nicotine or recreational drugs
• Have never suffered a heart attack or stroke
• Do not have any cardiopulmonary disorders (e.g., high blood pressure)
• Free from injuries and health conditions that would impair your ability to safely participate in strenuous aerobic exercise
• Can refrain from vigorous exercise for 24 hours prior to participating
• Can refrain from alcohol for 12 hours prior to participating
• Can refrain from caffeine for three hours prior to participating

Please note: Because the study takes place in an indoor lab, you do have to wear a face covering while cycling.

For more information about the study or participation, contact Samantha Smith at slsmith1@mtu.edu.

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Homecoming Door Decorating Competition

Campus departments are invited down the rabbit hole to get involved with Homecoming festivities!

New this year, we have added a door decorating competition for the departments on campus. Help us reclaim our Husky community spirit and turn campus into a mini Wonderland for Homecoming week. Not only will it be fun, but your department also has a chance to win a prize (cupcakes made by Jessie Stapleton and/or Homecoming swag!).

The Homecoming theme is "Blizzard in Wonderland." Doors will be judged by our Homecoming Court and on social media. Make sure you read the rulebook and register your department by 5 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 24). Doors need to be decorated by 5 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 27).

In the words of Lewis Carroll, "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Start thinking of those impossible things to make your door festive!

Please send questions to Rochelle Spencer at raspence@mtu.edu. 

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Celebrate Fall at the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum

Celebrate the first day of fall at the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum! All fall-colored minerals (orange, red and yellow) will be 15% off today (Sept. 22).

Admission to the museum is waived for all MTU students, staff and faculty with their Tech ID.

We are open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Valid only on Sept. 22. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

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

Hyperconnection: A New Series by Tiffany Lange

Wednesday, September 22, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Gallery: A-Space

Tiffany Lange’s newest series “Hyperconnection”, examines overstimulation and anxiousness through abstraction. After a year of increased screen time during quarantine and...

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

Wednesday, September 22, 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...

Health Research Institute Research Talk - Richard Neubig, M.D., Ph.D.

Wednesday, September 22, 10–11 a.m.

“Academic Drug Discovery: Why do it?” Abstract: Most drug discovery used to be done in large pharmaceutical companies. There was a focus on “proven” drug targets and...

UP & Moving Lunchtime High Noon Activity Break

Wednesday, September 22, 12:00 p.m.–12:20 p.m.

We are a group of Michigan Tech graduate students who are focused on improving the health of our community. We are contributing to the COVID-19 response by providing health...

UP & Moving Lunchtime Noon-Thirty Activity Break

Wednesday, September 22, 12:30 p.m.–12:50 p.m.

We are a group of Michigan Tech graduate students who are focused on improving the health of our community. We are contributing to the COVID-19 response by providing health...

Open Rock Climbing

Wednesday, September 22, 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...