November 16, 2021

Bias is a funny thing. You can’t see it until you acknowledge it. Brigitte Morin (BioSci) challenges students to shine a light on the cognitive elephant in the room.

In the latest Michigan Tech Unscripted blog, the award-winning senior lecturer shares her teaching approach — and lessons personally learned — about the science of bias and how the ingrained belief systems we all bring to the table historically and currently affect vaccination conversations.

Read the full guest blog at mtu.edu/unscripted.

The Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience (ISR) invites applications from Michigan Tech faculty and staff for the Sustainable and Resilient Communities Early Career Award or New Research Directions Award. 

ISR expects to award two to four awards for faculty and staff who aim to make significant contributions to research addressing sustainability and resilience. This is potentially a one-time opportunity for researchers to grow their engagement with sustainability and resilience in new ways! 

Early Career Award
For early career researchers on campus (assistant professors or research staff in their first five years). For early career faculty and staff who have already used their startup funding or who have limited access to startup funds, preliminary work in sustainability and resilience research can contribute to future research leadership.

New Directions Research Award
For established researchers on campus (tenured faculty or research staff who have worked at Michigan Tech for five-plus years) who are pursuing new ideas or topics in their work. For more established faculty and staff, starting a new research direction to contribute to sustainability and resilience research can be challenging, and this award provides an opportunity to develop new research directions.

Funding
Awards are expected to provide $5,000-$7,000, and ISR could support up to four proposals at this funding level. In exceptional circumstances, one to two awards up to $15,000 may be considered. Awards expenditures should be planned for February 2022 to December 2022.

Before You Submit a Proposal
Full details of the awards and the submission process are available on the Sustainability Blog. Given the flexible nature of this award, potential submitters are encouraged to reach out with questions or to pitch ideas before developing a proposal. ISR looks forward to receiving your inquiries! 

Proposal narratives, potential mentors, budgets and budget justifications should be submitted as a single document via email to Chelsea Schelly at cschelly@mtu.edu. 

Deadline
Submissions via email are due no later than Jan. 10. A second round of awards may be available in spring 2022, pending funding availability. 

Menu for Thursday (Nov. 18):

“Justin’s Dish” Protein Bowl 

Chicken or Tofu (Gluten Free, Vegan)
Roasted Garbanzo Beans
Roasted Zucchini
Red Bell Peppers
Red Onion
Sweet Potato
Guacamole
Yellow Squash
Portabella Mushrooms

Brown Rice
Jasmine Rice
Quinoa
Thai Chili Sauce (Gluten Free, Vegan)

Dining Services presents this week's C-Cubed Luncheon, being held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 18) 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. This week’s luncheon has been created by Karvonen and Justin Desloover, who is doing his internship at Michigan Tech. This is part of his competency for his internship. 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.

M.S. in Electrical Engineering candidate Vasishtha Sohani (ECE) will present their master's defense on Friday (Nov. 19) at 10 a.m. in the R. L. Smith Building (MEEM), Room 809, and virtually via Zoom.

The title of their defense is "A Research on Cooperative Collision Avoidance for Mobile Robots with an Overview of Current Path-Planning Techniques."

Sohani is advised by Jung Yun Bae and John Pakkala.

Ramy El-Ganainy, associate professor in physics at Michigan Tech, will give a talk on "Non-Hermitian Photonics: Alice in the Wonderland of Complex Numbers" at the next Physics Colloquium.

Please join the presentation on Thursday (Nov. 18) at 4 p.m. in Fisher Hall, Room 139.

Tuesday (Nov. 16)
• Huskies Drive Time, 7:30-8 a.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ

Wednesday (Nov. 17)
• Volleyball vs. Northwood, 6 p.m. at SDC Gym on Mix 93 WKMJ

Friday (Nov. 19)
• Women's Basketball vs. Minnesota Crookston, 5:30 p.m. at SDC Gym on Mix 93 WKMJ
• Hockey at Bemidji State, 8:07 p.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ

Saturday (Nov. 20)
• Cross Country at NCAA Championship in Saint Leo, Florida, 9:45 a.m.
• Volleyball vs. TBA in GLIAC Tournament Semifinal, 2:30 p.m. at SDC Gym on Mix 93 WKMJ
• Men's Basketball at Minnesota Crookston, 3 p.m. on 920 AM and 107.3 FM WMPL
• Women's Basketball vs. Minnesota Duluth, 5:30 p.m. at SDC Gym on Mix 93 WKMJ
• Hockey at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ

Sunday (Nov. 21)
• Volleyball vs. TBA in GLIAC Championship, 2:30 p.m. at SDC Gym on Mix 93 WKMJ

The Michigan Tech soccer team had five players earn Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference recognition:

Grace Shaw, Stephanie Yeager, Erika Gabriel and Molly Bolang were all named All-GLIAC Second Team. Alicia Shatrau earned Honorable Mention.

Read more about the recognized players at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech men's basketball split a weekend of games at the Lewis Tournament at Neil Carey Arena to open regular season nonconference play. 

McKendree College pulled away from Michigan Tech 74-59 Friday (Nov. 12). The Huskies played from behind for all but 24 seconds of the first half in their Lewis Tournament and season debut.

"We came out flat today," said head coach Josh Buettner. "McKendree out-executed us and outworked us. Jalen (Carer) gave us a spark but we couldn't put together any stops. Tomorrow will be a huge character game for us. We will be better."

On Saturday (Nov. 13), Eric Carl and Owen White tallied 22 points apiece as the Huskies slid past Lewis University 64-56.

Tech trailed 30-28 at halftime but shot 48% overall to draw second-half separation and pull away. The Huskies nabbed 34 rebounds in the victory.

"We bounced back and looked like ourselves doing things the Tech way," said Buettner. "Even when shots weren't falling in the first half, we didn't let that affect other parts of the game."

Read more about the contests at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech hockey split a weekend series against Northern Michigan.

The Huskies fell 3-2 in overtime Friday (Nov. 12) at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. Tech tied it up with 66 seconds left in regulation, but the Wildcats scored 1:24 into the extra session to hand the Huskies their third overtime loss of the season.

"It was a good hockey game," Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. "We generated a lot of offense and good scoring chances. I give our guys a ton of credit. We fought hard for that CCHA point with that late goal."

Saturday (Nov. 13), MTU earned the CCHA series split with a 5-2 victory. The Huskies defeated the Wildcats at the Berry Events Center for the ninth straight time.

"I thought our goaltender was outstanding and we got those two huge power-play goals in the second," Shawhan said. "I thought our guys battled hard all night and again I thought Blake (Pietila) was incredible."

Read more and see game highlights at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

The No. 21-ranked Michigan Tech volleyball team earned its second straight GLIAC regular season championship Friday (Nov. 12) with a 3-0 sweep at Saginaw Valley State. The Huskies defeated the Cardinals 25-18, 25-14 and 25-17 at Hamilton Gym.

Northern Michigan defeated Wayne State 3-2 Friday after Tech's match was over to give the Huskies their first outright championship and first back-to-back regular-season championship in program history. Tech also clinched the No. 1 seed in the GLIAC Tournament for a second straight season with its 21-5 overall record and 13-1 GLIAC mark.

"What a great night to be a Husky," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "We played together and for one another out there and it really showed. We were having a lot of fun as a group, playing with a ton of energy and getting behind each other on the bench."

MTU then wrapped up the regular season with a 3-0 sweep at Wayne State Saturday (Nov. 13). The Huskies won 25-23, 25-17, and 25-22 to improve to 22-5 overall and 14-1 in the GLIAC, winning their final 14 conference matches.

Tech went 44-4 in sets during the GLIAC regular season and finished with the highest conference winning percentage in program history at 93%.

"It wasn't our prettiest win, but like we've been saying all season, good teams find a way to get it done, and that's what we did here today," Jennings said.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Jordan Janssen, Hunter Richards and Jared Smith scored touchdowns and the defense forced a turnover on downs to ice a 21-20 Michigan Tech victory on Senior Day over Saginaw Valley State on Saturday (Nov. 13) at chilly Kearly Stadium.

The win snapped the Cardinals' five-game win streak and secured third place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for MTU. The Huskies ended their regular season with a 5-2 record (6-4 overall) and broke a team record for sacks in a season (30.0 set in 2019), and 18 seniors made their final appearance in a black and gold uniform.

"It felt great," said senior nose tackle Nate LaJoie. "It was a picture-perfect ending for us. It almost felt like a movie. We battled through so much adversity this last year, came all the way through COVID-19 in 2020, and then finally got the chance to have a winning season. I couldn't have asked for a better group of guys to do it with."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech women's basketball picked up a 75-71 victory over Lewis University on Saturday (Nov. 13) at the Berry Events Center in the NMU Tournament.

In the Huskies' first nonconference regular-season game, Tech jumped out to a 16-3 early lead and carried the momentum behind Ellie Mackay's 18 points and nine rebounds. Daisy Ansel also contributed with 14 points, four rebounds, and Alex Rondorf managed 13 points, eight rebounds.

"I thought it was a hard-fought win today," said head coach Sam Clayton. "Lewis is a really good team and forced us to rush our offense a bit. We got good shots when we took care of the ball. We still have to get better defensively but we did just enough today and I was proud of our effort and ability to finish late in the game. Our backcourt of Ellie, Daisy and Alex did a good job staying poised under pressure and made some big plays for us throughout the game."

Sunday (Nov. 14), Sara Dax posted 17 points and shot 7-for-9 to help Michigan Tech to a 75-49 win over William Jewell. The Huskies dominated the Cardinals 23-12 in the second quarter and caused 20 turnovers to prevail in their second and final NMU Tournament game. 

"We played well today and a lot of people contributed," said Clayton. "Sara was excellent for us in the low post and we got a lot of help from the bench as well. Clara (Johnson) created a lot in the first half and Isabella (Lenz) made a couple of threes as well. I thought our defensive effort was better than yesterday and it was nice to get a win against a quality opponent."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Tuesday, Nov. 16, 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. 

Custodian (12 months/ 40 hours/ second shift) #21237RP, Facilities (AFSCME posting Nov. 16 to Nov. 22, 2021 — internal AFSCME applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal AFSCME posting dates). Apply online.

Custodian (12 months/ 40 hours/ third shift) #21219RP and #21256RP, Facilities (AFSCME posting Nov. 16 to Nov. 22, 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.

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. 

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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. 

Please note: Testing will not be offered Nov. 22, 23 or 25 during the week of Michigan Tech's Thanksgiving recess.

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

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Submit Your Proof of Vaccination or Receive an Exception by Jan. 4

Full-time, part-time, temporary and student employees of Michigan Tech are affected by the federal contractor vaccination/exception mandate, which goes into effect at Michigan Tech on Jan. 4.

Information on where to get vaccinated in the local area is available on the COVID-19 Vaccine page on the MTU Flex website.

For employees who are fully vaccinated, submitting proof of vaccination is a secure and confidential process and can be done in person or online.

Information on how to apply for a medical or religious exception to the federal mandate is posted on the Vaccination for Federal Contractors page on the MTU Flex website.

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Well-Being Speaker Steve Whitby Coming to MTU

Please join us in welcoming Steve Whitby, a speaker from the Catalyst agency who excels in helping develop leaders in uncertain times. 

Whitby will present a talk at Michigan Tech tomorrow (Nov. 17) at 7 p.m. in MUB Ballroom A. 

During his presentation, Whitby takes a deep dive into understanding reality and urges the audience to examine assumptions in their life — and what they are willing to do to create change for the better.

Whitby is an experienced educator with a demonstrated history of applying creative services to leadership development, well-being and problem-solving. He is skilled in design thinking, coaching, risk management, conflict resolution and team building.

This event will contain information about how to improve overall well-being. It will also touch on specific topics like suicide prevention and alcohol and other drug use and prevention. This event is open to all members of the Michigan Tech community.

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Health & Society Film Festival

Students in Richelle Winkler's Introduction to Sociology class are hosting a virtual Health & Society Film Festival, and invite the public to participate.

The students have selected 11 films ranging from documentaries to comedy and drama. Films address mental health, pandemics, social movements in response to AIDS, birth control, substance abuse, pharmaceuticals, stress, racism, eugenics, maternal mortality and death/dying. The films are all widely available and we ask folks to watch them on their own first, then to participate in Zoom discussions about them and what we can learn from them about health and society.

Discussions will be held between today (Nov. 16) and Dec. 6, depending on the film. See our website for film descriptions, where to watch, discussion dates/times and links to join the discussion. 

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Commencement Team Seeking Volunteers

The Commencement Team is seeking volunteers for the Midyear Commencement ceremony. We need volunteers to serve as greeters, coordinate graduate check-in, collect tickets at the door and assist guests with special seating accommodations.

The ceremony is Dec. 18. Volunteers are asked to arrive by 8 a.m. and stay until the end of the ceremony, which ends at approximately 12:30 p.m. More information regarding the ceremony may be found on the commencement website. An optional volunteer training will be scheduled during the week of commencement.

Please sign up by Dec. 10 if you would like to volunteer. Contact Chad Arney at caarney@mtu.edu if you have any questions.

This special weekend cannot happen without the help of our amazing Michigan Tech community!

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FacultyWatch Course Material Survey

This is a final reminder: Michigan Tech has been invited to participate in FacultyWatch, an important course material industry survey conducted by OnCampus Research (IndiCo) and published by the National Association of College Stores.

Michigan Tech is participating along with other higher-ed institutions across the nation. The survey is open until Sunday (Nov. 21).

Check your email for the survey link. One participant from our campus will win a $50 Visa gift card!

To better serve our campus community, we ask for your participation in a short survey about course materials. This is an opportunity to make our voices heard, maximize learning outcomes and be the driving force for making changes to course materials.

This industry-wide survey investigates faculty members' attitudes toward course materials, their value, preferred formats, the adoption process, open educational resources (OER) and the role of the campus store. Participation in the survey is voluntary and confidential.

Results will only be reported in the aggregate; results from individual stores will not be published. No survey participant will be contacted for promotional or sales purposes. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Judy Zei or Shane "Sully" Sullivan at the Campus Bookstore at 906-487-2410.

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'The Arsonists' Closes Friday

Tomorrow through Friday (Nov. 17-19), you are invited to the closing week of Michigan Tech's first play in 18 months:

• The Arsonists — Nov. 17-19 at 7:30 p.m.
  McArdle Theatre in Walker Arts and Humanities Center
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  Firebugs have been setting homes aflame. Will businessman Biedermann be prepared for the cunning arsonists at his door? This dark political satire, written in the 1950s about the spread of communism, is reimagined in modern times by director Kristy Dodson.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for youth. Michigan Tech 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 Box Office will also be open outside of McArdle for ticket purchases prior to performances.

Masks are required for this production. View all Rozsa COVID-19 Policies.

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VPR Research Series: Meet the Local National Parks

Join us tomorrow (Nov. 17) from noon to 1 p.m. for a special virtual session of the VPR Research Series: "Meet the Local National Parks."

Learn more about the parks from Denice Swanke, superintendent of Isle Royale National Park and Wyndeth Davis, superintendent of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, while exploring opportunities for collaboration.

Join this virtual session via Zoom.

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PhD Defense: Shreyas Kolapkar, ME-EM

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics candidate Shreyas Kolapkar (ME-EM) will defend their doctoral dissertation today (Nov. 16) at noon. This virtual defense will be held online only. Attendance is invited via Zoom.

Kolapkar's dissertation is titled "Integrated Torrefaction - Extrusion System for Conversion of Fiber - Plastic Wastes into Solid Fuels."

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Virtual Discussion with 'Coded Bias' Filmmaker

ADVANCE at Michigan Tech is hosting a live virtual discussion with the director of "Coded Bias," a film about the discovery of bias in the algorithms governing facial recognition and the push for legislation that followed.

We invite you to watch the film and then join us today (Nov. 16) at 7 p.m. for a live virtual discussion with filmmaker Shalini Kantayya.

Please RSVP to participate. You will receive an invitation to screen the film, which is one hour and 25 minutes in length (the link will remain active through today). You will receive a second link to the virtual discussion.

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

The Misinformation Edition Exhibition

Tuesday, November 16, 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...

PhD Defense: Shreyas Sunil Kolapkar

Tuesday, November 16, 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Advisor: Ezra Bar Ziv Integrated Torrefaction - Extrusion System for Conversion of Fiber - Plastic Wastes into Solid Fuels ...

PhD Defense: Nicholas Newberry

Tuesday, November 16, 2 p.m.–3 p.m.

Chemistry Advisor: Rudy Luck Cobalt, Molybdenum, and Nickel Complexes, Natural Zeolites, Epoxidation, and Free Radical Reactions Attend Virtually:...

PhD Defense: Zhihao Zhao

Tuesday, November 16, 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building (MEEM), 1021

Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Advisor: Seong-Young Lee High Injection Pressure Impinging Diesel Spray Characteristics and Subsequent Soot Formation in...

HuskyLead: Campus Resources You Are NOT Using

Tuesday, November 16, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | MUB Ballroom A1

Tuesday, November 16 - "Campus Resources You Are NOT Using" - Are you struggling to plan events? Do you know where to go to rent a vehicle on campus? Do you know how to...

Open Rock Climbing

Tuesday, November 16, 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...

Coded Bias: There is no Algorithm for Truth

Tuesday, November 16, 7 p.m.–9 p.m.

Coded Bias explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini ́s startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces and women accurately,...