November 1, 2021

Editor's note: This series of Unscripted guest blogs highlights the pandemic's impact on campus community members.

The pandemic’s impacts on our campus research ecosystem are many and varied. In his guest blog, Kevin Trewartha (CLS) shares how the halt in face-to-face interactions compelled his team to find alternatives with applications far beyond current challenges.

"In the Aging, Cognition, and Action Lab, we investigate the relationship between age-related changes in cognitive and motor function and the neurophysiological basis for those changes," writes Trewartha. "Like so many others who study human behavior and physiology, our research relies on volunteers to perform tasks in the laboratory while we record their performance.

"The pandemic caused a sudden and unexpected end to all face-to-face data collection, and an astounding pause in the research methods I have relied on for almost two decades. Yet, as is often opined, great challenges bring great opportunities."

Read Trewartha's guest blog on Unscripted, the University research blog.

2022 Open Enrollment will begin on Nov. 15 and will run until 5 p.m. Nov. 29. Open enrollment is your opportunity to assess your individual and family needs and elect the benefit package that is right for you.

Benefit Services will be hosting two Benefit Forums for employees to learn about their 2022 benefit options. Release time will be provided to attend the Benefit Forums.

Benefit Open Enrollment Forums:

• Wednesday, Nov. 10 — 9:30 a.m. in MUB Ballrooms B1 and B2
• Wednesday, Nov. 17 — 2:30 p.m. in MUB Ballroom A2

Benefit Changes for 2022:
The University’s basic life insurance coverage will increase from the current $5,000 to a $50,000 flat benefit with a voluntary option to enhance up to four times the employee’s salary.

Additionally, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to increase their matching retirement, in accordance with the announcement made in July. Michigan Tech will enhance its dollar-for-dollar matching program over the next two years. Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, the retirement matching will increase from 7.5% to 7.75%, with an additional increase in 2023 to 8.5%.

Passive Enrollment Option:
Open enrollment for 2022 is NOT mandatory. The passive enrollment allows employees to roll over most of their benefits from the previous year without making updates in the system.

Flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health savings accounts (HSA) will not automatically roll over. It’s important if you would like to elect these to do so during open enrollment. While open enrollment is optional, it is recommended that all employees complete open enrollment, regardless of if you are making changes to your benefit elections or not.

During open enrollment, you will have the opportunity to: 

• Enroll or change medical, dental, or vision coverage for next year.
• Contribute to or change contributions to an HSA or a health care FSA or dependent care account. HSA and FSA elections from the previous year will not roll over to 2022.
• Enroll or change your optional employee life insurance, spouse and/or dependent life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, long-term disability buy-up coverage, or enroll in critical illness or accident coverage.
• Contribute to or change contributions to retirement accounts.
• Earn Husky Health points for completing open enrollment via MyMichiganTech.

To find more information on open enrollment, please visit our Open Enrollment website to get the most updated details on benefits for 2022.

The Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture (IPEC) now has a small grant application program for IPEC members. Institute members may submit grant applications for projects that promote significant research in policy, ethics and culture.

Small grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until the allocated funds are disbursed. Proposals may be denied if they are not appropriate for IPEC or are over budget. Partial support may also be granted where appropriate.

IPEC members may apply for three types of small grants:

• Small Research Grants — These grants may be awarded to conduct preliminary research that will lead to a larger grant proposal or IPEC-related project; or to organize participants in a conference or symposium that will lead to a larger grant proposal or IPEC-related project.
• Matching Grants — These grants may be awarded to match grant support or multigroup support for IPEC-related research or projects.
• Author Publishing Charge Grants — These grants may be awarded for publications of IPEC-related research in reputable publications.

Read more about IPEC’s member small grant program.

Find out more about IPEC membership and apply using our affiliation form.

On Nov. 15, we will be holding in-person Campus Master Plan town hall meetings in the MUB Alumni Lounge.

Sessions will be held at noon, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. that day to solicit feedback from the campus community on planning options. We would value your participation in one — or all! — of the meetings.

A production system maintenance window is scheduled for Nov. 14 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The following production services will be unavailable during this time:

Banner
Banweb
MyMichiganTech
Aspire
Confluence
Course Tools
Cumulus
Fischer/mylogin.mtu.edu
Go.Data
Housing Apartments Wait List
mtu.edu/tips
OAP Rental System
Oracle Reports
Papercut Printing
Perceptive Content (Imagenow)
Pinnacle
Sunapsis
UC4/Appworx
Virtual Cashiering
WebFocus

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

ChemStores will have reduced hours Nov. 22-26 during Thanksgiving week:

• Monday, Nov. 22 — 1-3 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 23 — 1-3 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 24 — 1-3 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 25 — Closed
• Friday, Nov. 26 — Closed

Please contact us at chemstores@mtu.edu if you need to pick up your items outside of these times, or if you have any other questions.

American Archives Month has come to a close, and the Michigan Tech Archives saved something very special for closing the celebrations.

The Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections are pleased to announce one of our latest acquisitions, a rare book collection and display case donated in memory of the late Professor John Flynn, who taught in the Department of Humanities at Michigan Tech from 1979-1999. The materials were given to the Van Pelt and Opie Library by Flynn’s wife, Elizabeth (HU), and his daughter, Katherine. Elizabeth is a professor emerita of reading and composition in the Department of Humanities. Katherine is the senior manager for strategic communications at the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C.

The collection includes 63 special volumes (41 titles) which were originally owned by Lt. Col. Henry A.C. De Rubio, a career cavalryman who served in the U.S. Army in World War I. The provenance of the books and the journey they made to the Copper Country tell a powerful story of the importance of a good book, good mentors and good preservation.

These books are meant to be shared through a rotating exhibit at the library and will be available for research, classes and general interest. The materials may also be viewed under current archives visitor guidelines. A full title list for interested patrons may be obtained by contacting University Archivist Lindsay Hiltunen at lehalkol@mtu.edu.

By sharing and preserving the collection, we hope to honor Flynn's memory — he passed on Sept. 7, 2000, from a rare form of cancer. 

Flynn made considerable contributions to the University’s undergraduate offerings in the humanities. He taught courses such as the philosophy of technology and a survey course on the history of the humanities as well as writing and literature. He also taught writing and speech in the Department of Chemical Engineering and, once, a course on Western civilization for the Department of Social Sciences at what was to become Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College. He always included diverse offerings in his courses: texts by women, African Americans, Indigenous peoples and other underrepresented groups. He was an excellent teacher, receiving enthusiastic commendations from his students and former students, including while he was in hospice and after his death.

Beth and Kate have shown enduring love and boundless joy in bringing this gift of books to the library. They would like to thank Hiltunen, librarian Nora Allred, former departmental coordinator Mia Kemppainen and former librarian Katie Edson, who assisted in the initial physical review of the materials. They would also like to thank Faith Morrison and Steve Walton of the Friends of the Michigan Tech Library for their encouragement early on in the process of the donation.

The annual 41 North Film Festival begins this Thursday (Nov. 4) and runs through Sunday (Nov. 7) at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. The festival once again offers an exceptional opportunity for people to gather and watch thought-provoking, entertaining and award-winning films from around the world that explore a range of issues, ideas and personalities. Along with over 30 films in the program this year (both features and shorts), there will be music in the lobby, along with other special events and guests.

This year’s program has something for everyone, from films that examine the effects and opportunities of new media technologies to scientific explorers, domino topplers and octogenarian undercover agents.

Highlights from this year’s program include:

• Thursday (Nov. 4) at 7 p.m. — "All Light, Everywhere" (Anthony, 2021), winner of the Sundance U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Nonfiction Experimentation. 
  
  
• Friday (Nov. 5) at 7:30 p.m. — "Storm Lake" (Risius/Levison, 2021), a story about a family-owned and -operated small-town newspaper that recently won a Pulitzer Prize. Storm Lake Times editor Art Cullen and filmmaker Beth Levison will join for a virtual Q&A following the film.
  
  
• Saturday (Nov. 6) — The festival will present two films that examine our relationship with nature:
  • At noon: "The Lake at the Bottom of the World" (Kasic, 2021) about scientists in the Antarctic.
  • At 7:30 p.m.: "The Velvet Queen" (Amiguet, 2021), which follows acclaimed wildlife photographer Vincent Munier‘s Tibetan trek in search of the elusive snow leopard.
    
    
• Sunday (Nov. 7) — The festival offers a family-friendly biopic and closes with a story from history:
  • At 2:30 p.m.: "Lily Topples the World," the story of young domino artist Lily Hevesh, whose incredible domino creations have earned her over 3 million YouTube followers.
  • At 7 p.m.: "Summer of Soul," the remarkable story (that was almost lost) of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.

See the full lineup of films and events at 41northfilmfest.org. The festival is free and open to the public. Students will need to bring their HuskyCard. Tickets for everyone else can be reserved at tickets.mtu.edu or by calling 906-487-2073, and will also be available in the Rozsa lobby prior to each film.

Major sponsorship for the festival is provided by the Department of Humanities, the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, the College of Sciences and Arts, and the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

A Battery Materials Technology Symposium is planned for Nov. 10 at 11 a.m.

Join KLA Instruments for this virtual event, which will feature a live presentation of the latest research in battery materials technology from the heart of the American automotive industry.

For additional event information and a registration link, visit the University Events Calendar. 

Not sure if your news is fake? Not even sure what that means anymore? Join us to talk through some lateral reading strategies that can be helpful when evaluating your sources. This workshop will feature discussion and hands-on exploration of real-life examples!

The workshop will take place tomorrow (Nov. 2) at 3 p.m. in the library, Room 244.

Register to attend.

Individuals are bombarded daily by a mass of information curated just for them. Join librarians and other experts from Michigan Tech’s campus for an interactive discussion called "Popping the Filter Bubble" as part of the Bad Info Project on Wednesday (Nov. 3) from 5-7 p.m. in the Van Pelt and Opie Library’s East Reading Room.

Discussion facilitators, including faculty, lecturers and staff from a range of departments on campus, will each present relevant research to help participants better understand the role of algorithms and information filtering, and strategies to work around them. They will then lead small-group discussions on each topic so participants can actively engage with and manage the flow of information around them.

Library events are open to all faculty, staff, students and community members.

This event is made possible in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and by funding from the Department of Humanities at Michigan Tech.

Job Postings for Monday, Nov. 1, 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. 

Postdoctoral Scholar, Chemical Engineering. Apply online. 

Intramural Sports and Sports Camps Coordinator, Athletics and Recreation. Apply online. 

Events Planner and Site Manager, Memorial Union. Apply online. 

Food Service Helper (nine months/ 40 hours/ first shift) #21284 and #21285, Dining Services (AFSCME posting Nov. 1 to Nov. 5, 2021 — internal AFSCME applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal AFSCME posting dates). 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.

Iosif Pinelis (Math) is the author of a paper accepted for publication in The American Mathematical Monthly.

The paper is titled "Large Deviations Of Sums Mainly Due To Just One Summand."

A preprint version of the paper is available for download.

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 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. 

*****

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. There is no cost to be tested, and no appointment is needed. 

This week, testing will be available only on Thursday (Nov. 4) from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The regular testing days (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) will resume next week on Monday (Nov. 8).

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

*****

41 North Film Festival Returns

The 41 North Film Festival will be held Thursday-Sunday (Nov. 4-7), featuring four days of award-winning independent film at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

The festival is sponsored by the departments of Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts; the Rozsa Center; and the College of Sciences and Arts. It is free and open to the public. MTU staff, faculty and students from other schools can reserve a ticket (only one needed for entire festival) by visiting our online ticket office or calling the SDC Ticketing Office at 906-487-2073.

Learn more about the festival program and highlights on the Humanities blog. 

And be a part of the action — volunteer with 41 North Film Festival.

*****

Applications Sought: Sustainability Education Innovations

The Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience (ISR) invites applications for educational innovation projects that increase student exposure to sustainability and resilience in formal coursework. The ISR seeks to incentivize the creation of new sustainability curricula through new and existing coursework so more students across Michigan Tech learn about sustainability, resilience and the connection of each to their domain expertise.

Applications for Educational Innovation support will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Proposals submitted before Dec. 1 will be reviewed no later than Dec. 10. We anticipate offering another opportunity in the spring of 2022, contingent on funding availability.

Proposals may include support for hourly student work, summer salary or materials/supplies to develop new courses, revamp existing courses or host workshops for educating faculty and staff on sustainability education. Proposals may also include funds to support or incentivize participation from students, faculty and staff, and/or materials or supplies for coursework innovation.

Faculty, graduate students and staff are all eligible to apply. Applications can be submitted by individuals or teams; graduate students are encouraged to collaborate with a faculty member to submit an application.

Individual awards will be made for up to $5,000. We anticipate that most awards will be in the range of $3,000-$5,000 but encourage budgets that meet the project needs. Potential applicants are encouraged to reach out with questions about their potential budget.

Submitted proposals should be no more than two pages. Each proposal should include:

• A narrative description of the proposed educational innovation. This description should include at least one stand-alone paragraph that clearly describes how this educational innovation aligns with the broader goal of ensuring all students at Michigan Tech are exposed to sustainability and resilience through the curricula, including how many students are likely to be impacted by this innovation and how this innovation will be maintained in the curriculum.
• A detailed budget and a proposed project timeline. Project work should take place no later than fall 2022. The implementation timeline is flexible but should be described in the proposal.
• Identified deliverables to be provided to ISR at the end of the project period, such as a completed syllabus, a new course proposal prepared for submission, a workshop report, etc., to be determined and described by the applicant.

The ISR Working Group will review applications and contact applicants regarding decisions.

If you have any questions about a potential project proposal, please reach out to ask! For questions and to submit your application, please email Chelsea Schelly at cschelly@mtu.edu.

*****

Joint EPSSI-Environmental Engineering Seminar

Julie Maldonado, associate director for the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN) at the University of California-Santa Barbara, will present a virtual seminar today (Nov. 1) at 4 p.m. via Zoom.

Maldonado’s presentation is titled "Climate disruption, community displacement and adaptation: Bending the challenges and opportunities towards justice." This virtual seminar is sponsored by the Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute (EPSSI) and the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE).

Read the abstract at the University Events Calendar.

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

*****

Innovators in Industry: The Computing Revolution

The second session in the kickoff series for Innovators in Industry will take place tonight (Nov. 1) at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Titled "The Computing Revolution," the session will be hosted by the College of Computing. Featured alumni will make short presentations with time for Q&A from the audience.

Innovators in Industry aims to give students direct access to industry experts, leaders and influencers to help shape their paths. The following Michigan Tech alumni will participate in tonight's session:

• Christine Roberts, senior vice president and general manager, software and services solutions, at Poly.
• Austin J. Noronha, managing director, Sony Innovation Fund.
• Stuart Pann, senior vice president at Intel Corporation.
• Dianne Marsh, director of device and content security at Netflix.

Innovators in Industry had its inaugural session Oct. 25 with “The Future of Autonomous Vehicles & Mobility” hosted by the College of Engineering. The third and final session in the kickoff series will be next Monday (Nov. 8) when the College of Business presents “Entrepreneurship: Startups & Venture Capital.”

Innovators in Industry virtual sessions are open to all Michigan Tech students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Join Monday's session via Zoom.

*****

Academic Integrity Annual Report

The Office of Academic and Community Conduct is pleased to announce that the 2020-2021 Academic Integrity Annual Report is now available.

This is the first year for the report, which covers the various initiatives set forth to actively promote and support a culture of academic integrity within the University. The report also lists the accomplishments that were made in the past academic year. Finally, the report provides data on reported cases of academic misconduct.

*****

PhD Defense: Xiang Zhou, ME-EM

Doctoral candidate Xiang Zhou (ME-EM) will present their Ph.D. defense
tomorrow (Nov. 2) at 8 a.m. This virtual defense will be held online only. Attendance is invited via Zoom. 

Zhou's defense is titled "Electrical Power Take-off System Design and Performance Assessment for Point Absorber Wave Energy Converter."

*****

Payroll Deadline Updates and Other Information

Effective Oct. 11, the new submission deadline for paper timesheets and revised timesheets is noon on Tuesday of payroll weeks. The Deadlines Affecting Payroll Processes PDF and the HR blog have been updated.

Human Resources would like to ensure that any and all timesheets submitted by the department are accurately processed. In order to do this, we need your help. The following are some important reminders for departments and timekeepers. Receiving timesheets with incomplete information will only delay payroll for those employees.

In addition to the change in paper timesheets and revised timesheets deadline, Payroll Services would like to remind everyone completing these timesheets to fill them out accurately so they are able to be processed.

Common errors that will cause a timesheet to be returned and an employee to possibly miss a paycheck are:

• missing position numbers,
• two positions numbers on the same timesheet,
• incomplete timesheets,
• employee signatures missing,
• supervisor signatures missing,
• employee signatures being signed by supervisors, and/or
• someone else signing in both employee and supervisor line.

In order to process the timesheet, it must be submitted with all the correct information and all the appropriate signatures by noon on Tuesday of payroll weeks. Timesheets received after noon on Tuesdays will be processed the next pay period. Timesheets returned for correction will need to be run on the off cycle at the cost of the department.

Next, make sure all approvers have set up a proxy to approve time in their absence. Having a proxy is a great way to cover for any regular timesheet approvers who may go on vacation, may be unexpectedly on leave or unable to get to a computer and approve time. As a reminder, should the regular or primary approver leave the department or University, the proxy will NOT automatically become the new approver. The department will need to submit an EPAF for a new primary approver.

Reallocation form reminder: The department is responsible for getting reallocation forms requiring Sponsored Programs Accounting (SPA) signatures to SPA for index override approval. (See the form for the list of indexes needing SPA approval.) Once SPA approves the index overrides, the reallocations forms are then ready to submit to Payroll Services. Make sure to have SPA approve reallocations first before submitting to Payroll Services. Reallocation forms requiring SPA approval that are missing SPA signatures will be returned to the department.

In order to help remind time approvers and provide the best customer service possible, Payroll Services will send one email reminder to approvers after 2 p.m. on Mondays and will make one phone call reminder on Tuesday mornings.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Payroll Services at 906-487-2130.

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

Hyperconnection: A New Series by Tiffany Lange

Monday, November 1, 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...

New Husky Orientation

Monday, November 1, 8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Lakeshore-comm-rm123

The Misinformation Edition Exhibition

Monday, November 1, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library

Glass Room: Misinformation Edition explores how social media and the web have changed the way we read information and react to it. It exposes new types of influencers, the new...

EPSSI Seminar: Julie Maldonado, Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN)

Monday, November 1, 4 p.m.–5 p.m.

A Joint EPSSI/Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar Climate disruption, community displacement and adaptation: Bending the challenges and opportunities towards justice ...

Strength Training and High Intensity Interval Training ("HIIT")

Monday, November 1, 5:30 p.m.–6:15 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

Monday, November 1, 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...

The Sustainability Demonstration House

Monday, November 1, 6 p.m.

Husky Bites presents Special Guest Richelle Winkler Professor of Sociology and Demography, Social Sciences Michigan Technological University Topic Beekeeping. Toothbrush...

Innovators in Industry: The Computing Revolution

Monday, November 1, 7 p.m.

The Michigan Tech College of Computing will host an Innovators in Industry event on Monday, November 1, 2021, at 7:00 p.m., via Zoom. Featured alumni will make short...