November 17, 2021

Transportation Services has tested and is ready to roll out non-expiring permits for employees who choose the payroll deduction option. This new permit will no longer hang from your rearview mirror. A non-expiring window cling has been designed to be placed on the inside of your windshield and can be removed and moved to your other registered vehicles as needed.

Our testing reveals that permits can be rinsed with soap and water and left to dry. Once the permit dries, the patented film becomes sticky again. This even works for permits dropped into the dirt or on the floor of your vehicle.

The new permits will be barcoded for fair and consistent enforcement, allowing staff to check the license plates that are associated with your permit. It will be very important to update your license plate or vehicle information if it changes. Please remember that only one vehicle per permit is allowed on campus at a time.

Permits will go on sale through the Michigan Tech Parking Portal in December and will be ready for pickup at the Transportation Services office beginning the week of Dec. 27.

Transportation Services is proud to be doing our part to support sustainable practices. This new permitting process will reduce the amount of trash going to the landfill, save on printing costs and reduce administrative handling as we phase out the expiring hang tags, which required replacement every two years.

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) is pleased to announce the official launch of the 60-day pilot program for the premium EDU membership of the cross-platform cloud-based writing assistant application Grammarly.

Michigan Tech students, faculty and staff can use Grammarly EDU via the grammarly.mtu.edu website. Once you log in with your SSO credentials, you will be able to utilize the full features of the Grammarly EDU subscription till Dec. 24.

Based on your preference, you can use Grammarly on your browser, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Mac/Desktop or on your tablet. Overleaf users can use Overleaf textarea to convert LaTex into plain text to use with Grammarly.

We encourage you to use this service in your day-to-day life as much as possible and share your thoughts and feedback with us. As Grammarly will check for punctuation, grammar and spelling errors, you can now focus more on the intellectual content of your writing. You can find more information on the premium features of Grammarly at gsg.mtu.edu/grammarly.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please feel free to reach out to Ranit Karmakar at gsg-vp@mtu.edu.

One of the Student Affairs division values states, “We inspire the leadership needed for all individuals to boldly push everyday boundaries while serving others.” For over 25 years, Michigan Tech has hosted the LeaderShape Institute as a way to do just that — and this year, LeaderShape is back!

LeaderShape Institute 2022 will be held Jan. 4-7 at the Ford Center in Alberta, Michigan, just prior to the start of the spring semester.

LeaderShape Institute is a four-day retreat that helps students identify their values and gain confidence in their leadership skills through self-assessment, intensive small-group discussions, team-building challenges and more. By leading with passion, integrity and a healthy disregard for the impossible, participants explore who they are and the impact they want to have on their communities.

Do you know a student who is involved across campus? How about one who isn’t, but has shown you their passion for a specific cause or concern? How about someone who is still figuring out the direction they hope to pursue in life? We know leaders have a wide variety of experiences and don’t need to hold a position or a title to impact their community. No matter who they are, how they are involved on campus or what their future goals are — this program could benefit a student you’re connected with.

Are you already thinking of someone? Invite them to apply! Applications can be submitted online today through Saturday (Nov. 17-20).

Birds flying into windows is one of the main causes of bird mortality in urban areas. Window strikes by birds are primarily due to trees and shrubs being mirrored in the windows. Birds perceive they can fly right through, just like they do through the woods.

How many birds die from window strikes at Michigan Tech each year? In a 10-week daily survey of windows at 11 buildings on campus conducted by a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship student in 2015, 150 dead birds were found. This number is likely an undercount, since a follow-up study using game cameras found that predators such as cats, raccoons, skunks, crows and gulls regularly check below windows to snatch dead birds before they can be counted.

Copper Country Audubon has been working with Michigan Tech to reduce windows strikes on some campus buildings where they occur most frequently. The project was started several years ago at the Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building (Dow) and U. J. Noblet Forestry Building (Noblet).

Copper Country Audubon is donating Bird’s Eye View window films to be placed on the windows. The six-inch square films are designed to reflect UV light, which birds avoid, in a larger area than the actual film itself. The films go on with water and do not permanently alter the windows. 

This summer, the films were installed on the lower east windows of the J. R. Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, which face a courtyard with a lot of trees and shrubs. Places like that are the worst for bird window strikes. Films have also been placed on susceptible windows at the Dow, Noblet and the Sustainability Demonstration House, which has large windows and is close to the woods.

Thanks to all from the campus community who were involved: students from across campus and the Sustainability Demonstration House, building attendants and custodial staff, faculty and all others who gave their support to the window films being installed. These efforts will make Michigan Tech a more bird-friendly campus.

Join Michigan Tech modern languages faculty and students on Dec. 2 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), Room 201, for a celebration of holiday traditions from around the world.

Enjoy holiday karaoke in French, German and Spanish, as well as games and holiday treats from different cultures. We will also be recognizing graduating seniors earning minors in French, German and Spanish.

No prior language experience is required. Families and other community participants are welcome.

Parenting All Rainbow Kids (PARK) is meeting today (Nov. 17) via Zoom. Everyone is welcome.

PARK is a faculty/staff-led group for the parents/guardians of LGBTQIA* youth. PARK aims to offer group members a confidential, supportive community where we can learn and grow as parents/guardians together. Community members are welcome.

During fall 2021, meetings will be held from 12:30-1:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month.

For questions, concerns or Zoom info, contact Michelle Jarvie-Eggart at mejarvie@mtu.edu or Amber Kemppainen at amber@mtu.edu.

Congrats to these students, who presented posters to the judges and External Advisory Board (EAB) members on Oct. 22 in the following categories:

Undergrad Research:

• First Place — Lauren Spahn and Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela, advised by Rebecca Ong
• Second Place — Ethan Burghardt and Seth Kriz, advised by Caryn Heldt

Student Organization:

• First Place — "ChemE Car" by Sarah Foyer, Emily Leverance and Axel Valeri, advised by Jeana Collins
• Second Place — "CPM/Commercial Keg Cleaner" by Autumn Cole, Mike Johnson, Cael Hansen,  James Staley and Frank Bruck, advised by Tony Rogers

Graduate Research:

• First Place — Natalie Nold, Seth Kriz, Sheridan Waldack, Alexis Pohkrel and Pratik Joshi, advised by Caryn Heldt
• Second Place — Tinuade Folayan, advised by Lei Pan

Special thanks to the EAB members and judges, and to all the participants!

M.S. in Electrical Engineering candidate Chaitanya Inamdar (ECE) will present their master's defense Dec. 1 at 9 a.m. in the R. L. Smith Building (MEEM), Room 405.

The title of Inamdar's defense is "Dynamic Characteristics of DC-DC Converters With Coupled and Nonlinear Magnetics."

Inamdar is advised by Wayne Weaver and Michael Roggemann.

The next Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar will be held at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Nov. 18) in Fisher Hall, Room 135.

This session's speaker is Oscar Lopez-Pamies, who will present “The Poker-Chip Experiments of Gent and Lindley (1959) Explained.”

Lopez-Pamies' research focuses on the development of mathematical theories and associated numerical methods to describe, explain and predict the behavior, stability and failure of highly deformable heterogeneous solids.

Michigan Tech junior Carissa Beyer has been named the GLIAC Volleyball North Division Player of the Week.

Beyer tallied 37 digs last weekend in a pair of sweeps downstate. She averaged 6.2 digs per set, tallying 21 digs in the Huskies' three-set sweep at Wayne State, along with five service aces and no serving errors. She passed a 2.24 on 49 attempts (out of 108 total for the team).

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Four student-athletes have signed a national letter of intent to join the Michigan Tech men's basketball team for the 2022-23 academic year.

The recruits include Drew Barrie of Midland, Michigan; Peyton LaCombe of Ludington, Michigan; Josh Terrian of Pewaukee, Wisconsin; and Marcus Tomashek of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

"These four future Huskies are extremely skilled and versatile," head coach Josh Buettner said. "They can all score the basketball and guard multiple positions. Not only are they great basketball players, they are even better people. We are excited to welcome them to the Husky family."

Read more about these incoming Huskies at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Wednesday, Nov. 17, 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. 

Assistant, Associate or Full Professor – Rhetoric and Composition, Humanities. Apply online.

Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Principal Lecturer or Professor of Practice, Electrical and Computer Engineering. Apply online.

Assistant, Associate or Full Professor, Electrical and Computer 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.

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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PhD Defense: Emma Lozon, HU

Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture candidate Emma Lozon (HU) will defend her doctoral dissertation today (Nov. 17) at 9 a.m. This virtual defense will be held online only. Attendance is invited via Zoom.

Lozon's dissertation is titled "Food as medicine and pleasure: Ecological and feminist critiques of healthy eating rhetoric on social media."

From the abstract:
This dissertation explores healthy eating messages circulated on social media, considering the role of rhetoric in shaping possibilities for healthy food access. Assembling tactical technical communication with ecological and feminist rhetorical frameworks, the analysis considers the interplay of institutional and user-produced healthy eating texts with a view toward ideologies and rhetorical strategies shaping access to diet. 

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CFRES In-Person Seminar

CFRES is very excited to host an in-person seminar tomorrow (Nov. 18) by Thomas Martin, senior scientist at the Montana Cooperative U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Montana.

Martin has pioneered the fields of evolutionary ecology and life history theory through experimental and observational studies across hemispheres. His research often focuses on how environmental change (climate and predator communities) drives the evolution of variable physiological and behavioral outcomes in birds across the world’s temperate and tropical forests. His work is regularly featured in Science, Nature and Ecology Letters, among many other leading journals. Please find details about his seminar below, and I look forward to seeing you at the seminar!

The seminar will be held tomorrow (Nov. 18) from 2-3 p.m. in the U. J. Noblet Forestry Building (Noblet), Room G002.

Martin's presentation is titled "Adult and Offspring Mortality in the Evolution of Life History Strategies Based on Field Studies of Songbirds on 4 Continents."

From the abstract:
Mortality is a strong source of selection for the evolution of traits and strategies, but variation across species in different parts of the world has not been well studied. I will explore consequences for standard life history traits like brood size, development rates, parental care behaviors, and also consequences for some traits less studied, like fledgling timing and performance, parental energy expenditure based on doubly-labeled water, and even phenology of timing of breeding.

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'The Arsonists' Closes Friday

Today 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.

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

The Misinformation Edition Exhibition

Wednesday, November 17, 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...

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Master's Defense: Somnath Mondal

Wednesday, November 17, 8:30–9:30 a.m.

Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Bo Chen Development of Autonomous Vehicle Motion Planning and Control Algorithm with D* Planner and Model Predictive Control in a Dynamic...

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PhD Defense: Emma Lozon

Wednesday, November 17, 9–10 a.m.

Rhetoric, Theory and Culture Advisor: Marika Seigel Food as Medicine and Pleasure: Ecological and Feminist Critiques of Healthy Eating Rhetoric on Social Media Attend...

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UP & Moving Lunchtime High Noon Activity Break

Wednesday, November 17, 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...

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VPR Research Series: Meet the Local National Parks

Wednesday, November 17, 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Join us for a special session of the VPR Research Series as we "Meet the Local National Parks." Learn more about the parks from Denice Swanke, Superintendent of Isle Royale...

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UP & Moving Lunchtime Noon-Thirty Activity Break

Wednesday, November 17, 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...

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2022 Open Enrollment Forum

Wednesday, November 17, 2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom A2

2022 Open Enrollment will begin on Nov. 15 and will run until 5PM on Nov. 29. Benefit Services will be hosting two Benefit Forums for employees to learn about their 2022...

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2022 Open Enrollment Forum

Wednesday, November 17, 2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (Ballroom A2), 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI 49931, USA

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PhD Defense: Abu Sayeed Md Shawon

Wednesday, November 17, 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 133

Applied Physics Advisor: Will Cantrell Activation Scavenging of Aerosol: Effect of Turbulence and Aerosol-Composition Attend Virtually:...

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PhD Defense: Meijia Li

Wednesday, November 17, 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.

Materials Science and Engineering Advisor: Yun Hang Hu Highly Efficient and Stable Ni-Based Catalysts for Dry Reforming of Methane Attend Virtually:...

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Design Your Career Lab Week 3 of 3

Wednesday, November 17, 5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. | Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building, 211

You have a unique opportunity to conceive, design, prototype, try out, change, and forge your career. Although you've worked hard for your degree, it isn't required to define...

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Open Rock Climbing

Wednesday, November 17, 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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Suicide Prevention & Substance Use Education

Wednesday, November 17, 7 p.m.–8 p.m. | MUB Ballroom A

Please join the Center for Student Mental Health & Well-being and Student Leadership & Involvement for a presentation on "Suicide Prevention & Substance Use Education", as a...

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The Arsonists

Wednesday, November 17, 7:30 p.m. | McArdle Theatre

View Digitally Published Program. Firebugs have been setting homes aflame. Will businessman Biedermann be prepared for the cunning arsonists at his door? Director Kristy...