Gabriel Jesus Escobedo Hired as CDI Director

by Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion

The Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion (OVPDI) is pleased to announce that Gabriel Jesus Escobedo has accepted the position of director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI). He will begin his new role effective Dec. 13.

Escobedo will work closely with Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Wayne Gersie to cultivate student success through programming and outreach. His role includes directing, supervising and coaching CDI staff and, in collaboration with OVPDI leadership, setting the strategic vision and direction of the CDI.

A Texas native, Escobedo will be joining the Husky family from Alma College in Alma, Michigan. He brings 11 years of experience working with diverse populations in higher education, from positions in college admissions to campus programming. He has served on various boards and committees focused on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in Texas and in Michigan. His goal is to foster a sense of belonging for students from diverse backgrounds to help make higher education a more welcoming place for all.

Escobedo is currently finishing his Ph.D. in Anthropology of Performing Arts and Latinx Studies. His dissertation focuses on how Latinx youth use forms of dance to create and navigate a sense of self within the United States.

Gersie thanks the search committee, CDI staff, students and other members of the University community and applicants for contributions that led to the selection of a new director. “We are thrilled to have Gabriel join us," said Gersie. "His contributions to students and the entire Michigan Tech community will be critical to moving forward on our goals regarding diversity, equity, inclusion and sense of belonging. We ask everyone to give Gabriel a big Husky welcome as he joins us.”

Biological Seminar Series

by Biological Sciences

The next speaker in the Biological Seminar Series will be Laura Schaerer, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences at Michigan Tech.

The seminar is today (Nov. 18) from 3-4 p.m. and will be held virtually via Zoom. 

Schaerer's presentation is titled "Microbial Upcycling: How Plastic Waste Can Help Us Feed the World."

From the abstract:
Every year, over 350 million tons of synthetic plastic is produced, and over 70% of plastic waste is likely to accumulate in either landfills or oceans. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most popular plastics, primarily because it is inexpensive and durable. PET is a popular material for packaging, disposable water bottles, and synthetic fabrics. The current methods for plastic recycling are expensive and time consuming. At the same time, the world is facing another crisis: we must find a way to produce food for a growing population while arable land is being lost to climate change. We believe that bacteria could help us address both problems by utilizing naturally existing microbial metabolisms to convert plastic waste into microbial biomass which can be utilized as a nutritious protein powder.

Mathematical Sciences Colloquium Series

by Mathematical Sciences

The next Mathematical Sciences Weekly Colloquium will take place at 1 p.m. tomorrow (Nov. 19) via Zoom (meeting ID is 824 2500 6551; passcode is 284746).

Our guest speaker will be Heyrim Cho, associate professor at the University of California Riverside.

Cho's presentation is titled "Mathematical Approaches to Deal with Limited Temporal Data in Clinical Applications."

Reminders

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: Diego Andres Aponte Roa, ECE

Ph.D. candidate Diego Andres Aponte Roa (ECE) will defend their doctoral dissertation tomorrow (Nov. 19) at 9 a.m. This virtual defense will be held online only. Attendance is invited via Zoom.

The title of Roa's dissertation is "Decision Support Tool for Service Restoration."

Roa is advised by Wayne Weaver.

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MS Defense: Tonie Johnson, BioMed

M.S. candidate Tonie Johnson (BioMed) will present his master's defense tomorrow (Nov. 19) at 1 p.m. in the Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), Room 610. The defense will also be accessible virtually  via Zoom.

Johnson's defense is titled "Investigation into the Hemodynamics of Aortic
Abnormalities Through Computational Fluid Dynamics.”

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PhD Defense: Steven Stelly, KIP

Doctoral candidate Steven Stelly (KIP) will defend his Ph.D. dissertation today (Nov. 18) at 3 p.m. This virtual defense will be held online only. All are welcome to attend via Zoom.

Stelly's dissertation is titled "The Impact of Food Deprivation on Cardiovascular Physiology."

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2021 3MT Competition Winners and Closing Remarks

This year’s Three Minute Thesis competition organized by the Graduate Student Government (GSG) of Michigan Tech had great participation both in person at The Orpheum Theater and virtually over Facebook Live. Twenty-eight participants competed at the MUB Ballroom for a place in the finals, held at The Orpheum Theater on Nov. 4.

After a very close competition, Priyanka Kadav, a Ph.D. student from the Department of Chemistry, won first place. Kadav's presentation was titled “Capture and Release (CaRe): A novel protein purification technique.” She will go on to represent Michigan Tech at the regional levels of the competition.

The runner-up was Emily Shaw, a Ph.D. student from the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, with a presentation titled “Toxicity in Fish Tissue: Redefining our Understandings by Quantifying Mixture Toxicity.”

Yue (Emily) Kang from the Department of Mathematical Sciences department won the People's Choice award with her presentation, titled “Robust numerical solvers for flows in fractured porous media.”

Other finalists were:

  • Jessica Bruning, Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
  • Sunit Girdhar, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Rob Tunison, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
  • Arman Tatar, Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering
  • Laura Schaerer, Biological Sciences
  • Michael Maurer, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Each presentation was scored by a panel of judges from diverse academic backgrounds. The judges for the finals were:

  • Wallace Southerland III, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
  • Jim Baker, associate vice president for research administration
  • Marie Cleveland, a Michigan Tech alumna who was awarded the Alumni Association Outstanding Service Award in 2014

This year's finals were also streamed live on GSG’s Facebook page and can be watched online.

GSG would also like to thank all the volunteers and The Orpheum Theater for making this event possible.

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Physics Colloquium

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 today (Nov. 18) at 4 p.m. in Fisher Hall, Room 139.

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Today's C-Cubed Luncheon Menu

“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. today (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.

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ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker

The next Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar will be held at 4 p.m. today (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.

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Donated Window Films Making Michigan Tech More Bird-Friendly

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.

Today's Campus Events

by University Events Calendar

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

The Misinformation Edition Exhibition

Thursday, November 18, 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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UP & Moving Aerobic Exercise, Agility, and Balance Workout

Thursday, November 18, 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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Creating Career Confidence Series Week 4 of 4

Thursday, November 18, 10–11 a.m.

Wishing you had a little more confidence for your job search, interviews, future work relationships and more? This workshop will focus on building confidence, self-care during...

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Biological Science Seminar/PhD Defense - Laura Schaerer

Thursday, November 18, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.

Laura Schaerer PhD Candidate Biological Sciences Michigan Technological University Microbial Upcycling: How Plastic Waste Can Help Us Feed the World. Abstract: Every...

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Master's Defense: Kate Nelson

Thursday, November 18, 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 633

Geophysics Advisor: Chad Deering Origin and Distribution of Diffuse Soil CO2 Gas Emissions Across Turrialba and Irazú Volcanoes, Costa Rica Attend Virtually:...

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PhD Defense: Robin Clark

Thursday, November 18, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.

Forest Science Advisor: Rodney Chimner Giizhik Communities in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/83840509396

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PhD Defense: Steven Stelly

Thursday, November 18, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.

Integrative Physiology Co-advisors: William Cooke and Zhiying Shan The Impact of Food Deprivation on Cardiovascular Physiology Attend Virtually:...

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Master's Defense: Tauseef Ibne Mamun

Thursday, November 18, 4 p.m.–5 p.m.

Applied Cognitive Science & Human Factors Advisor: Shane Mueller Investigating the Impact of Online Human Collaboration in Explanation of AI Systems Attend Virtually:...

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Physics Colloquium - Dr. Ramy El-Ganainy

Thursday, November 18, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 139

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

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Stress Less Workshop

Thursday, November 18, 4 p.m.–5 p.m.

Ready to lower anxiety and depression? Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) practices, this 4-week structured workshop will teach you skills to grow mindfulness. ...

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The Poker-Chip Experiments of Gent and Lindley (1959) Explained

Thursday, November 18, 4 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 135

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Oscar Lopez-Pamies, PhD University of Illinois Abstract Despite being commonly credited with initiating the field...

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Open Rock Climbing

Thursday, November 18, 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, November 18, 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.

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TKE- Air Force Football

Thursday, November 18, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. | SDC Multipurpose Courts

Join the brothers of Tau Kappa Epsilon for this awesome event. Stop by to learn more about how we can help you create lifelong relationships that enhance educational,...

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The Arsonists

Thursday, November 18, 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...

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Playing With Power

Thursday, November 18, 8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts

The Video Game Jazz Ensemble presents over an hour of jazz, funk, rock, and other sub-genres – featuring music from series such as Mario, Pokémon, Sonic the Hedgehog,...