September 30, 2021

Michigan Tech Recreation would like to share the following fall updates on the Tech Trails, including the Outdoor Adventure Program (OAP) and the Tech Trails dog policy.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please email trailsinfo@mtu.edu with any questions, concerns or comments. We hope everyone is able to enjoy our trails system responsibly!

Trail Passes
The Tech Trails are a great resource to our campus and the greater community. Please support them by purchasing an annual membership or day pass. Your support helps ensure that our trails are well-groomed, maintained and updated.

Trail usage is one of the benefits of the Experience Tech Fee and currently enrolled Michigan Tech students may use the Tech Trails at no charge. A trails membership or day pass is required for all other users. Children age 12 and younger are eligible for a free youth trails membership available at the SDC Ticket Office.

Trails members get access to locker room 110 in the Student Development Complex (SDC). Locker rentals are reserved for SDC members.

OAP Rental Center
As the summer season winds down and fall approaches, the OAP will be preparing for winter gear rentals.

The shoulder season provides OAP an opportunity to reset and repair equipment to provide users with the best possible experience. Half of the Nordic skis and snowshoes will be replaced this year and new kids equipment will be added. That’s right, no need to buy skis for your kids — just purchase an OAP membership and the kids can try skiing for less, making the equipment season pass an even better deal!  

Equipment passes for Nordic skis grant the member access to the OAP skis to use on the Michigan Tech Trails during open hours. Users will still need a Tech Trails pass, which can be purchased at the OAP as well. 

The OAP will take care of the maintenance and upkeep and you just get to ski! Snowshoes are also available for a season pass, and can be used off site as well. More details can be found at the Michigan Tech Recreation website. 

Dogs
As a friendly reminder from the Tech Trails staff, dogs should be under the control of the owner and on a leash while utilizing the dog-approved trails. 

The official Tech Trails policy regarding dogs, which is supplemental to the Michigan Tech Board of Trustees Policy, states:

Dogs must be leashed and under owners' control at all times and are restricted to the Tolkien, Nara, Isle Royale and Superior trails via the following access points — softball fields, Nara and Tolkien. No dogs at the main trailhead. 

Over the summer, trail maintenance staff enhanced our signage and dog waste dispensers at dog-approved use trails. We ask that all Tech Trails users with dogs be considerate and respectful of the Michigan Tech policies and all users of our wonderful trail system. At the end of the day, we all want to enjoy our trails in a safe and secure environment.

For reference, here are some tips on proper dog etiquette from the Animal Humane Society:

• Scoop your poop. Bring several bags on your walks to be sure you have enough.
• Prevent barking.
• Only let your dog greet a stranger if they ask.
• Always leash your dog on walks.
• Don't play while on leash.
• Be aware of other people's feelings (not everyone is a dog-lover).

Tech Today will present a special edition on Saturday (Oct. 2) featuring new faculty who joined Michigan Tech at the start of the fall 2021 semester.

This special edition will be available on the Tech Today web page Saturday, and an email will be sent to subscribers. It should arrive at 6 a.m. as it does on normal weekdays.

Vote for Your Favorite Homecoming Door
The 2021 Door Decorating Competition is live on our Facebook page! Vote by liking the picture of the door you think is the best. Voting ends tomorrow (Oct. 1), so be sure to get your vote in!

Cardboard Boat Races are Tomorrow
Come watch teams paddle it out on the Canal tomorrow (Oct. 1)! Races start at 4 p.m., but we'll see how strong these boats really are...

Need a ride to the Cardboard Boat Races? We've got buses shuttling from the MUB and Lot 24 to Kestner Waterfront Park starting at 3 p.m.

Homecoming Tailgate on Saturday
Hang out Saturday (Oct. 2) before the game and grab a bite to eat. The fun starts at 11 a.m. in Lot 24. You can even check out the student cornhole tournament next door!

Keep up to date with all the Homecoming activities on Student Leadership and Involvement's Homecoming page!

The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning will present its next coffee chat at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 14.

The subject will be: "Planning for Regular and Substantive Interaction in All Classes."  

As we pivoted to remote teaching, many of us completed courses in online teaching. The U.S. Department of Education requires that all online courses using federal financial aid "ensure that there is regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors." But now that most of us are back to in-person teaching, it's worth asking: What if we applied the same standard to face-to-face courses?

In this workshop, we'll dig into these definitions and try to answer that question. We'll also explore ways to initiate regular and substantive interactions with all of your students, regardless of the course size or instructional mode.

Please register in advance to attend. Participants who wish to attend remotely should indicate this in the comments of their registration.

Michigan Tech senior Anna Jonynas has been named the GLIAC Volleyball North Division Player of the Week, the league announced on Sept. 27.

This is the second time Jonynas has earned the award this season and the third time in her career.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech junior Clayton Sayen has been named the GLIAC Men's Cross-Country Player of the Week, the conference office announced Sept. 28.

Sayen led Michigan Tech cross-country with a first-place individual finish at the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 24.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

The Huskies soccer team will take on Purdue Northwest on Friday (Oct. 1) at 5 p.m. at Kearly Stadium. 

Michigan Tech will then host Upper Peninsula rival Northern Michigan on Sunday (Oct. 3) at noon — and, for the first time in MTU soccer program history, the game will be on TV. The Huskies and Wildcats will be aired across the U.P. on FOX-UP and WLUC TV6.

The Huskies are 4-3 overall and 1-2 in GLIAC play.

Read more and find ways to tune in at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has launched a new online merchandise store, ShopCCHA.com. 

Available CCHA apparel and merchandise includes polos, hats, hooded sweatshirts, collectibles, accessories and more. 

The CCHA is offering fans a 25% discount on T-shirts until Oct. 31.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Thursday, Sept. 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. 

Office Assistant 5,* Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (UAW posting Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, 2021 — internal UAW applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal UAW posting dates). Apply online.
* Two positions are available.

Environmental Engineering Laboratory and Instrumentation Manager, 
Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering. 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.

Professor emerita Mary Durfee (SS) gave a paper, titled "To Whom Is This Addressed," on U.S.-Canada treaties at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association-West.

The partially virtual conference was held Sept. 23-25 in Pasadena, California.

Thomas Oommen (GMES/MTTI) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $188,433 research and development contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration.

The project is titled "An Integrated Automated Decision Support System for Ground Hazard Risk Mitigation for Railway using Remote Sensing and Traditional Condition Monitoring Data."

Pasi Lautala and Melanie Kueber Watkins (CEE/MTTI) and Colin Brooks (MTRI/MTTI) are co-PIs on this potential three-year project.

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Andrew Barnard (ME-EM/GLRC) is the PI on a project that has received a $60,000 research and development grant from the University of Michigan, Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research.

The project is titled "Lake Superior Environmental Monitoring Systems."

John Lenters and Jamey Anderson (GLRC) are co-PIs on this project.

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Michael Sayers (MTRI) is the PI on a project that received a $300,000 research and development cooperative agreement from the University of Michigan.

The project is titled "Remote Sensing Products to Support GLNPO Great Lakes Monitoring."

Robert Shuchman (MTRI) is a co-PI on this project.

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Will Cantrell (Physics/EPSSI) is the PI of a project that has received a $578,610 research and development grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Atmospheric System Research (ASR).

The project is titled "Laboratory Investigations of Aerosol-Cloud Interactions in an Entraining, Turbulent Environment."

Raymond Shaw (Physics/EPSSI) is a co-PI on this potential three-year project.

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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MSGC Funding Opportunities

The Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) aims to foster awareness of, education in and research on space and Earth-related science and technology in Michigan.

Funding opportunities are available in the following categories:

Undergraduate fellowship, graduate fellowship, pre-college education, public outreach, teacher training, and research seed grants.

Deadlines:

• Oct. 20 at noon — Internal deadline for pre-college education, public outreach, teacher training and research seed grant proposals.
• Nov. 3 at noon — Internal deadline for undergraduate and graduate fellowship proposals.
• Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. — Final materials, after review and approval by SPO, must be uploaded to MSGC by the applicant.

Proposals exceeding stated page limits or submitted without prior review by Michigan Tech will not be considered for funding. Women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply to all MSGC funding opportunities. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply for fellowship grants.

For instructions detailing proposal submission procedures and requirements, visit the Resources for the Michigan Space Grant Consortium web page.

For more information, contact Shannon Vairo in the Graduate School at ssvairo@mtu.edu or call 906-487-2326.

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Call for Proposals: ETOM Fall 2021 Virtual Conference

ETOM, the Educational Technology Organization of Michigan, has their Fall 2021 Virtual Conference coming up Nov. 5. Michigan Tech is a member institution.

The focus of the fall conference is on faculty — what they need to hear and what they have to say! The theme this year is "Charting a New Path Forward." What can we adopt that went well? What can we leave behind that didn't contribute to student success? What should we be prepared for in the future?

Faculty and staff are encouraged to submit a proposal for ETOM's Fall Conference. The deadline for proposals is Tuesday (Oct. 5). You will be informed if your proposal is accepted soon after that.

You can contact Thom Freeman at tfreeman@mtu.edu with questions.

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COVID-19 Town Hall Tonight

Join us tonight (Sept. 30) from 7-8 p.m. for the COVID-19 Community Town Hall. Moderators Steven Elmer and Kelly Kamm (HRI/KIP) will be joined by several guests to discuss “Lessons Learned during the Pandemic.”

Organized by the Health Research Institute at Michigan Tech, the 60-minute town hall broadcast can be heard live at 7 p.m. on local radio station 97.7 The Wolf (WOLV-FM) and viewed through a Zoom webinar and Facebook Live. The town hall can also be viewed on ABC 10 on Sunday (Oct. 3) at noon.

For more information, past broadcasts and webinar links, visit the COVID-19 Town Hall Series website.

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PhD Defense: Sara Potter, HU

Doctoral candidate Sara Potter (HU) will present her Ph.D. defense at 10 a.m. today (Sept. 30). This will be an online defense. Virtual attendance is invited via Zoom.

Potter's defense is titled "When Darkness Descends: A Narrative Analysis of Maternal Resilience Following Hurricane Maria."

From the abstract:
Within the last 40 years, academic research on disasters has focused on resilience as applied to individual adaptive capacities, community planning and rebuilding, resources, and policy-driven solutions. Further, while there has been an increased awareness of the many gendered dimensions of post-disaster recovery, women’s and mother’s agency in such situations is still largely ignored. A promising interpretive alternative to other models of resilience is Buzzanell’s (2010) Communication Resilience Framework which identifies five communicative processes enacting resilience. Additionally, by turning to feminist critiques of mothering practices and mothering as a cultural and social institution I attended to the contextualizing forces of cultural histories, social expectations, patriarchal legacies, and neoliberal notions of mothering. This “matricentric” feminist theoretical approach offers a critical perspective for rethinking the resilience of mothers in post-disaster scenarios. Thus, this dissertation adopts a maternal focus, arguing that mothers are not merely vulnerable subjects but critical agents of post-disaster recovery for families, communities, and social systems more generally.

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Biological Sciences Seminar Series

Julie Maresca, associate professor civil and environmental engineering and co-director of the microbiology graduate program at the University of Delaware, is the next presenter in the Biological Sciences Seminar Series.

The seminar will be held from 3-4 p.m. today (Sept. 30) via Zoom.

Maresca's presentation is titled "Hard Microbiology: Microbial communities in concrete." 

From the abstract:
Concrete is the most used building material in the world, making it a very common potential habitat for microbes. However, it is hard, dry, salty, and alkaline, making it a difficult environment to survive in. As concrete structures degrade over time, the conditions inside the concrete change, and we hypothesized that degraded concrete would host different microbes than intact concrete. If this is the case, it might be possible to identify microbes that could be used as bioindicators for structural health monitoring. We used 16S analysis of a 2.5-year time series to show that the small but dynamic microbial community in concrete is seeded from the components of concrete, changes over time, and changes in response to both seasonal variation and the alkali-silica reaction, a common abiotic reaction that degrades concrete. We also used metagenomic analysis of samples collected from roads, bridges, and foundations to show that older concrete hosts diverse halotolerant and halophilic microbes, including a substantial population of haloarchaea.

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Physics Colloquium

Lokanath Patra, postdoctoral fellow at Michigan Tech, will give a talk titled "Stability and Mechanical Response of 2D Materials" at the next Physics Colloquium. Please join the presentation today (Sept. 30) at 4 p.m. in Fisher Hall, Room 139.

Read more about Patra's background on the University Events Calendar.

From the abstract:
Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have attracted much attention due to their unique properties, e.g., high electrical conductivity, carrier mobility, and flexibility compared to their bulk counterparts. However, only a few of them are stable in the air. Moreover, their mechanical strength is another essential factor in designing ultralight, high strength, and flexible devices. We will address these two factors in this talk, discussing the structural stability and mechanical response of 2D materials, including elemental monolayers of the group IV in the periodic table, graphene-based heterostructures, and the ultrathin films of tungsten nitride. The structural stability will be investigated using density functional theory1, and the mechanical response will be determined using the molecular dynamics method simulating the nanoindentation experimental setup for these 2D materials.

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ME-EM Graduate Seminar

The next Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar will be held at 4 p.m. today (Sept. 30) in Fisher Hall, Room 135.

At this session, speaker Christian Peco will present “A Phase-field Approach to Biological Network Modeling.”

Peco is an assistant professor in engineering science and mechanics at Pennsylvania State University and holds appointments with Penn State’s Institute for Computational and Data Sciences.

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This Week's C-Cubed Luncheon Menu

Dining Services presents this week's C-Cubed Luncheon, being held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today (Sept. 30) in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge, Room 107. 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. Gift cards can be purchased in the Memorial Union office, Room 101. You can submit C-Cubed feedback using this Google form. To join the C-Cubed Google group and receive weekly menus, email business-support@mtu.edu. 

Menu for Thursday (Sept. 30):

BBQ St. Louis Ribs with KC BBQ Sauce (Gluten Free)
Quinoa Black Bean Steak with KC BBQ Glaze (Vegan)
BBQ Fries (Gluten Free, Vegan)
Fresh Salad Bar

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Country Singer Erik Koskinen

Tomorrow (Oct. 1), you're invited celebrate the return of live events at the Rozsa with Erik Koskinen and special guest Steve Jones!

One of the Copper Country's own returning home, Erik Koskinen and his top-shelf band are coming in from the Twin Cities for a one-night-only concert. His sound combines country, rock, bluegrass and folk. He is considered “the best country songwriter in Minnesota” by The Star Tribune of Minneapolis. Listen to Erik Koskinen on Spotify.

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. in the James A. and Margaret C. Black Performance Hall at the Rozsa Center.

Tickets are on sale for $20 for adults and $10 for youth. Michigan Tech Students students can attend for free and bring a friend with the Experience Tech Fee. Tickets are available by phone at 906-487-2073, online and in person at the Central Ticketing Office in the Student Development Complex. The Rozsa Box Office will also be open for ticket purchases for two hours prior to the performance.

Face coverings are required for volunteers, staff and audience members at this event. Please visit the Rozsa COVID-19 Policies for the most up-to-date information. 

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Sustainability Demonstration House Tour

Join us for a Sustainability Demonstration House tour on Saturday (Oct. 2) from 3-6 p.m.!

The house, located at 21680 Woodland Rd., was built in 1953 for the prominent Gundlach family. In 1992, it was donated to Michigan Tech and officially dedicated as the President’s Residence. In 2016, MTU’s Alternative Energy Enterprise proposed to spend the next five years retrofitting the house into a net-zero energy house. Today, we continue to implement new systems and educate the community on sustainable living!

At the open house, you will have the opportunity to learn about various ways to compost, renewable energy, and beekeeping! You will also have a chance to see the aquaponics and hydroponics systems.

Come see our house projects and learn how to live sustainably!

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TIAA On-Campus Retirement Counseling Sessions

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.

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

Hyperconnection: A New Series by Tiffany Lange

Thursday, September 30, 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...

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

Thursday, September 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...

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UP & Moving Aerobic Exercise, Agility, and Balance Workout

Thursday, September 30, 9:30–10:15 a.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...

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PhD Defense: Sara Potter

Thursday, September 30, 10–11 a.m.

Rhetoric, Theory and Culture Advisor: Patricia Sotirin When Darkness Descends: A Narrative Analysis of Maternal Resilience after Hurricane Maria Attend Virtually:...

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Biological Science Seminar Series - Dr. Julia Maresca

Thursday, September 30, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.

Dr. Julia Maresca Associate Professor Civil and Environmental Engineering Co-Director Microbiology Graduate Program University of Delaware Hard Microbiology: Microbial...

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Negotiation skills

Thursday, September 30, 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Attend this presentation to learn how to negotiate job offers.

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A Phase-field Approach to Biological Network Modeling

Thursday, September 30, 4 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 135

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Christian Peco, PhD Pennsylvania State University Abstract Modeling how infections spread within the body of...

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NSF CyberCorps Scholarship Info Session

Thursday, September 30, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Rekhi 113

The Michigan Tech CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program is accepting CyberApplications for the 2022-23 cohort from December 1, 2021, to February 1, 2022. An Information...

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Physics Colloquium - Dr. Lokanath Patra

Thursday, September 30, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 139

Dr. Lokanath Patra, postdoctoral fellow at Michigan Tech University, will give a talk on "Stability and Mechanical Response of 2D Materials" at the next Physics Colloquium. ...

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Poetry Reading and Conversation with Moheb Soliman

Thursday, September 30, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, East Reading Room

Presenting his debut collection, "HOMES," about nature, modernity, identity, and belonging in the Great Lakes bioregion/borderland, Moheb Soliman will be joined by Michigan...

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The Lode - General Meeting

Thursday, September 30, 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. | Fisher 126

Join the Lode (Michigan Tech's student newspaper) for our weekly general meeting! This is a great way to see if the Lode is a good fit for you. We are always looking for...

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Guest Speaker: Nancy Barr

Thursday, September 30, 6 p.m.–7 p.m. | Fisher 126

Dr. Nancy Barr is the director of the Engineering Communications program and professor of practice at the ME-EM. She is also a three-time published mystery author and former...

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Open Rock Climbing

Thursday, September 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...

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Range Day

Thursday, September 30, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. | SDC Shooting Range

Students are allowed to come down to the range to either use their own firearms or the firearms provided by the club.