November 29, 2021

“If Michigan Tech has taught me anything about myself, it’s about being true to my passions,“ writes Tucker Nielsen, an English major minoring in computer science. ”It’s about figuring out if you can push through the menial tasks in your field, so you can enjoy the fun parts and the skills that call to your strengths. It’s about finding a profession that’s interesting and worth growing in.”

Meet Nielsen, who is an AFOL — adult fan of LEGO — and find out about all the other things he builds and rebuilds in the latest post on the Humans of Michigan Tech blog.

Volunteers are still needed for the Midyear Commencement ceremony. The Commencement Team needs 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 can 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!

Michigan Tech continues to validate COVID vaccinations and has a secure and confidential process for fully vaccinated employees to show proof of vaccination in compliance with the federal vaccination/exception mandate.

The mandate affects all University employees who work in the United States, even if they work remotely. At Michigan Tech, this mandate will go into effect Jan. 4, 2022. It will apply to full-time, part-time, temporary and student employees.

Fully vaccinated employees may submit proof using one of the following methods:

• In Person — MUB Alumni Lounge A
  You may submit your proof of vaccination in person. Human Resources will verify vaccination at the MUB Alumni Lounge A at the times listed below. Please note: You will need to provide identification in addition to the proof of vaccination.
  
  
  • Tuesday, Nov. 30 — 3-5 p.m.
  • Monday, Dec. 6 — 2-4 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Dec. 15 — 1-3 p.m.
  • Monday, Dec. 20 — noon to 2 p.m.
    
    
• Online — MTU Flex Portal
  You may submit a picture of your vaccination card or other valid proof of vaccination using the vaccination upload form. The form is available on the MTU Flex Portal. Please follow the upload instructions.
  
  
• In Person — Human Resources Office
  Employees are also welcome to stop in at the Human Resources Office on the second floor of the Lakeshore Center, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to show identification and proof of vaccination. Please bring a photo ID and the original vaccination document.

If you intend to apply for a medical or religious exception, please refer to the Vaccination for Federal Contractors page on the MTU Flex website for information on how to do so. Applications for exceptions will not be collected through the MTU Flex Portal, MUB Alumni Lounge or the Human Resources Office.

The Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience (ISR) is happy to announce the selection of two Sustainable and Resilient Communities Faculty Research Fellows!

Judith Perlinger is a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) and an established scholar working in the realm of sustainability and resilience.

Ana Dyreson is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) who works in the realm of energy systems transitions and the energy-water-climate nexus.

Perlinger and Dyreson will both be relieved of one course for the fall 2022 semester in order to focus on developing and submitting research funding proposals that will enhance Michigan Tech’s leadership in impactful sustainability and resilience research.

Perlinger will be working on new proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Coastlines and People (CoPe) program, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Dyreson will be working on proposal submissions for NSF programs, including the NSF CAREER award program, and for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

With this fellowship program, ISR aims to support researchers in developing new collaborations and opportunities to grow research activities that address contemporary research challenges in sustainability and resilience. This program will propel research leaders at Michigan Tech to pursue new opportunities and increase impactful research activities. ISR is delighted to support these dedicated scholars through the Faculty Research Fellows program.

For more information or with any questions, please contact Chelsea Schelly at cschelly@mtu.edu. 

Many donors make year-end gifts to the University to benefit from a tax deduction for the current year. As soon as possible after you receive a contribution intended for credit in 2021, please forward it to the Michigan Tech Fund and include the envelope and supporting documents.

Credit card donations and gifts of cash or checks will be accepted at the Michigan Tech Fund Office (Lakeshore Center, Suite 200) until 5 p.m. on Dec. 29. Credit card contributions can be made online until 11:55 p.m. on Dec. 31.

The University relies on the goodwill of donors, and processing their gifts in an efficient and timely manner is crucial to nurture that goodwill.

Please submit check requests to the Michigan Tech Fund no later than Dec. 10 for processing in 2021.

No payables will be run during the week of Dec. 20 or Dec. 27.

On Dec. 12 from 7-11 a.m., Perceptive Content will be unavailable due to maintenance.

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

Green Campus Enterprise, Consumer Product Manufacturing (CPM) Enterprise and Dining Services are partnering to bring Sussex IM’s Mr. Lid products to North Coast Grill and Deli.

How the program works:

1. Pay the one-time $5 program fee (and get a 10% discount on purchases!).
2. When you purchase food, request your food in a Mr. Lid.
3. Once finished with your food, return your Mr. Lid to the cash register.
4. Repeat steps two and three, and enjoy!

The purposes of the Mr. Lid program are: environmental impact (sustainability), economization and turning passion into action.

The annual museum Holiday Sale begins today (Nov. 29) and will continue through Dec. 22.

The gift shop is offering 15% off on minerals, home décor, books and select jewelry.*

The museum gallery and gift shop are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The gift shop offers beautiful and unique gifts: mineral décor, such as lapis lazuli, amethyst, malachite; locally handmade gemstone jewelry; gifts small to large, from mineral-themed playing cards and carved animals to mineral dishware and lamps — and more.

*Cannot be combined with other discounts.

The rest of the semester is filled with holiday joy at the Rozsa! Put these celebrations of the most wonderful time of the year on your calendar:

• "The Nutcracker" — Dec. 3-5
  Embrace the timeless holiday magic of "The Nutcracker" with your whole family this holiday season. Set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, the tale of Clara and her Nutcracker prince is filled with mischievous mice, twirling treats, and shimmering snowflakes. The Minnesota Ballet's new production of "The Nutcracker" ballet with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra promises special Christmas memories and features local dancers from the Superior School of Dance.
  • Seating: Reserved seating will be utilized for all performances. The Rozsa tier and all wheelchair-accessible seats will be socially distanced, pod-style seating.
  • Tickets: $28 for adults and $12 for youth. Michigan Tech students can attend for free and bring a friend with the Experience Tech Fee. 
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• I Have Had Singing — Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.
  A concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Michigan Tech Concert Choir and the legacy of choral singing at Michigan Tech. Performances by the conScience: Michigan Tech Chamber Singers and the Michigan Tech Concert Choir under the direction of Jared Anderson. Can't physically make it to the performance? Watch it stream live on YouTube.
  • Seating: General admission.
  • Tickets: $15 for adults and $5 for youth. Michigan Tech students can attend for free and bring a friend with the Experience Tech Fee.
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• Kaleidoscope — Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m.
  Conductor Joel Neves leads the Superior Wind Symphony in a kaleidoscopic program of colorful band favorites. Can't physically make it to the performance? Watch it stream live on YouTube.
  • Seating: General admission.
  • Tickets: $15 for adults and $5 for youth. Michigan Tech students can attend for free and bring a friend with the Experience Tech Fee. 

Tickets for these events are available by phone at 906-487-2858 or online. The Rozsa Box Office will also be open for ticket purchases prior to performances. 

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

Michigan Tech's NCAA volleyball matchup against Wayne State has been set for a noon first serve at Ferris State's Jim Wink Arena on Thursday (Dec. 2).

Tickets are now available at FerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for children grades K-12 and $3 for college students of the competing teams with valid ID.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Megan Utlak became Michigan Tech's all-time leader in career digs on Nov. 21 in the GLIAC championship, and Anna Jonynas and Laura De Marchi were named to the GLIAC All-Tournament Team. 

After tallying 53 digs in the GLIAC Tournament, and 31 in the finale, Utlak eclipsed Jacqueline Aird's record of 1,882. The 31 digs were one short of a career-high for Utlak. She tallied 242 digs as a freshman, 511 in 2018, 543 in 2019, 279 in the spring and 310 this season.

Jonynas averaged 4.33 kills per set and 3.25 digs per set in the three matches of the tournament. She also added five block assists and a pair of service aces. Jonynas tallied 14 kills in the quarterfinal, 21 kills and 10 digs in the semifinal, and 17 kills and 22 digs in the final.

De Marchi set the offense for the Huskies with 11.25 assists per set in the tournament. She also was critical on the defensive side with 4.42 digs per set. De Marchi added three block assists, a solo block and four service aces. She tallied 37 assists in the quarterfinal, 45 assists and 22 digs in the semifinal, and 53 assists and a career-high 23 digs in the final.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

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. 

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

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2022 Benefits Open Enrollment Ends Today

The 2022 Benefits Open Enrollment ends today (Nov. 29) at 5 p.m.

Open Enrollment is your opportunity to assess your individual and family needs and elect the benefit package that is right for you.

If you were unable to attend the Open Enrollment Benefits Forums in person, the Benefits website has a link to the recording of the 2022 Open Enrollment Forum.

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.

To find more information on open enrollment, please see our previous post in Tech Today, or visit our Open Enrollment website to get the most up-to-date details on benefits for 2022.

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Nominations Open: 2022 MAGS Excellence in Teaching Awards

Nominations are now open for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Awards.

Michigan Tech may nominate one student at the M.S. and Ph.D. level, and each graduate program may nominate one student at the M.S. and Ph.D. level. Nominations are due to the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2022.

Eligible students:

• Will have been enrolled at Michigan Tech during the 2021 calendar year and have a teaching appointment.
• Will have earned the Michigan Tech Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award.
• Will have an excellent teaching portfolio and student evaluations.

See the application page for complete details on what is required for a nomination.

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Michigan Tech Research Forum

Distinguished Professor Zhanping You (CEGE) will be featured at the next Michigan Tech Research Forum (MTRF) tomorrow (Nov. 30).

The forum will take place in the Memorial Union Ballroom A. The lecture will begin at 4:30 p.m., with 30 minutes before and after the lecture for networking.

You's presentation is titled "Engineering Waste Tires to Better Roads." Additional details can be found on the MTRF website.

The MTRF is presented by the Office of the Provost with support from the Office of the Vice President for Research. The forum showcases and celebrates the work of Michigan Tech researchers and aims to strengthen discussions in our community. All are welcome, including the general public. Complimentary snacks will be provided.

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Grammarly@EDU Available Until Dec. 24

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.

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PhD Defense: Shane Oberloier, ECE

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering candidate Shane Oberloier will defend his doctoral dissertation today (Nov. 29) at 10 a.m. in the Electrical Energy Resources Center (EERC), Room 508, and virtually via Zoom. 

The title of his dissertation is "Open-Source TIG-Based Metal 3D-Printing."

Oberloier is advised by Glen Archer and Joshua Pearce.

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DEI Leadership Seminar

Candy McCorkle, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Western Michigan University, will be presenting a virtual seminar on Dec. 3 from 1-2 p.m.

The seminar will teach participants to identify, describe and implement the five basic skills needed to begin leading their teams in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work.

From the abstract:
Following the summer of 2020 many colleges and universities have begun to focus on the diversity, equity and inclusion. Although this is an admirable focus it is shortsighted because most faculty, staff, administrators and students are not trained in how to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion into their work. ... It is the objective that upon the conclusion of this presentation individuals will be able to identify, describe and implement the five basic skills to begin leading their team in diversity, equity and inclusion work.

McCorkle will also have very limited 15 minute one-on-one sessions after the seminar. Sign up for a one-on-one session.

An additional resource in the form of a guidebook is also available.

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Joint EPSSI/Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar

The next Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar will be joint with the Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute (EPSSI).

The seminar will take place at 3 p.m. today (Nov. 29) in the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), Room 202.

Emily Shaw, Ph.D. candidate in environmental engineering, will present "Toxicity in Fish Tissue: Redefining our Understandings by Quantifying Mixture Toxicity."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

All are welcome.

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Biocomputing and Digital Health Lecture

The Institute of Computing and Cybersystems' (ICC's) Joint Center for Biocomputing and Digital Health will host a lecture today (Nov. 29) from noon to 1 p.m. in Kanwal and Ann Rehki Hall (Rekhi), Room 214.

Zhou He, M.S., will present "Knowledge discovery on the integrative analysis of mechanical and electrical dyssynchrony to improve cardiac resynchronization therapy."

Read more on the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems Blog.

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Lunch and Learn: Holiday Health Hacks

Join Anna Mooi, dietician from Aspirus Hospital, as she discusses holiday health hacks. This Lunch and Learn workshop will be held tomorrow (Nov. 30) from noon to 1 p.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge, Room 107C.

In the midst of an overindulgent holiday season, do you dread going into the new year with an overwhelming need to diet and exercise? Break free from that cycle and enjoy the best of the holidays nourishing the body and soul! Guilt Free! Mooi will teach you how to approach holiday feasting in a balanced way with tips and tricks to navigate a happier, healthier holiday season.

This workshop can be counted under Option No. 2 for your Husky Health checklist.

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

New Husky Orientation

Monday, November 29, 8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Lakeshore-comm-rm123

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PhD Defense: Shane Oberloier

Monday, November 29, 10–11 a.m. | Electrical Energy Resources Center (EERC), 508

Electrical Engineering Co-advisors: Glen Archer and Joshua Pearce Open-Source TIG-Based Metal 3D-Printing Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/86416061411

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Biocomputing and Digital Health Lecture Series: Zhou He, MS

Monday, November 29, 12 p.m.–1 p.m. | Rekhi Hall, 214

The ICC's Joint Center for Biocomputing and Digital Health will host a lecture on Monday, November 29, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., in Rehki Hall, Room 214. Zhou He, MS, will present,...

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Take Your Job Search Home for the Holidays

Monday, November 29, 12 p.m.–1 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Attend this presentation to learn what you can do to enhance your career explorations while you're away from classes.

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Toxicity in Fish Tissue: Redefining our Understandings by Quantifying Mixture Toxicity

Monday, November 29, 3 p.m. | Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), 202

A Joint EPSSI/Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar Emily Shaw, PhD Candidate, Environmental Engineering, Michigan Tech Biosketch Emily Shaw is settler scholar living...

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

Monday, November 29, 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...

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Open Rock Climbing

Monday, November 29, 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...