December 1, 2021

Researchers at Michigan Tech have developed a machine learning model for detecting breast cancer from histopathology images — tissues and cells examined under microscope. The model can classify benign and malignant tumors from these images — and it can also evaluate the uncertainty in its predictions.

In their paper recently published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, graduate students Ponkrshnan Thiagarajan and Pushkar Khairnar and Susanta Ghosh (ME-EM) outline their novel probabilistic machine learning model, which outperforms similar models.

Read the full story at mtu.edu/news.

The MTU Alpine Ski Club presents a new movie from Matchstick Productions: "The Stomping Grounds."

The movie will be shown Dec. 11 in the MUB. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 (cash only).

There will be door prizes and swag for attendees!

The holidays are quickly approaching and it's once again time for the Michigan Tech Campus Store and University Images Customer Appreciation Sale.

Visit us in person or at our website on Friday (Dec. 3). All Michigan Tech branded apparel and souvenirs will be 25% off, as well as our local and regional items.

Curbside pickup is available at University Images. When ordering online, choose in-store pickup at checkout, and we’ll contact you when your order is ready!

The Campus Store and University Images are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Stop in Friday for the Campus Store and University Images Customer Appreciation Sale. We'll see you soon!

Students in Introduction to Sociology are hosting virtual film discussions focusing on health and society. We welcome the MTU and broader community to participate! Watch the film on your own, then come to the Zoom discussion. Find links and descriptions at the Health & Society Film Festival web page.

Remaining films and discussion dates include: 

• "How to Survive a Plague" | 110 minutes | 2012 | Documentary. Covers social activism, AIDS epidemic. Discussion is tomorrow (Dec. 2) at 7 p.m.
  
  
• "The Good Death" | 82 minutes | 2018 | Documentary. Covers end-of-life, terminal diagnosis, physician-assisted suicide. Discussion is Saturday (Dec 4) at 5 p.m.
  
  
• "Requiem for a Dream" | 101 minutes | 2000 | Psychological drama. Covers drug addiction and treatment. Discussion is Saturday (Dec. 4) at  5 p.m.
  
  
• "For Colored Girls" | 134 minutes | 2010 | Drama. Covers experiences of women of color, racism, sexism. Discussion is Monday (Dec. 6) at 7 p.m.

M.S. candidate Isaac Bigcraft (BioSci) will present his master's defense at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Dec. 2). This virtual defense will be held online only. Virtual attendance is invited via Zoom. 

Bigcraft's defense is titled "From Thermal Springs to Subway Benches: Exploring the Diversity of Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenases Through Metagenomes, Phylogenetics, and Machine Learning."

From the abstract:
Carbon monoxide is well known as a toxic gas but can also be an important input and intermediary for microbial metabolisms. Carbon monoxide dehydrogenases (CODHs) serve as key enzyme complexes for a variety of microbial carbon monoxide (CO) utilization pathways. Despite the flexibility of CODH enzymes, the use of carbon monoxide is generally believed to be a fringe metabolism. In this study we expanded the known diversity, distribution, and phylogeny of CODH catalytic subunit proteins by searching an expansive dataset of over 50,000 metagenome assembled genomes. We additionally constructed a machine learning model to extract functional predictions and information using a sequence-only approach.

The Institute of Computing and Cybersystems' (ICC's) Joint Center for Biocomputing and Digital Health will host a lecture on Monday (Dec. 6) from noon to 1 p.m. in Kanwal and Ann Rehki Hall (Rekhi), Room 214.

The lecture can also be attended virtually via Zoom.

Sangyoon Han (BioMed) will present "Traction force microscopy for cells on a high-refractive-index gel with finite elasticity."

Read more on the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems Blog.

The next Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar will be held at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Dec. 2) in Fisher Hall, Room 135.

Hoda Hatoum (BioMed) will present “Future Valve Designs to Mitigate Valve Thrombosis: Lessons from flow dynamics.”

Hatoum's research focuses on structural heart biomechanics, patient-specific cardiovascular model development and in-vitro testing, prosthetic heart valve engineering, structure function relationships of the heart in health and disease at the pediatric and adult stages, and turbulence in blood flow in relation to blood damage.

Hatoum obtained her B.S. in mechanical engineering from the American University of Beirut and her Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

The campus community is invited to hear Junhong "Jun" Min (COB) and Matthew Monte, president of Monte Consulting, present "Strategic Use of the Inconsistency between Online Ratings and Reviews: An Application of Sentimental Analysis in Marketing" as part of the College of Business Brown Bag Research Seminar Series, from noon to 1 p.m. next Wednesday (Dec. 8) in the Academic Office Building, Room 101.

From the abstract:
Online ratings and reviews provide marketing managers with the quality indicator that makes it possible to capture consumers' attitudes and behavioral information and thus to create customer value in the age of digitalization. However, the authors argue that customer insights developed only based on online ratings could result in a conundrum, particularly if inconsistency between online ratings and reviews is discounted. This research aims to tackle the problem by first offering a theoretical explanation of why consumers' ratings and reviews are not necessarily consistent. Later, using the 12,500 ratings and reviews collected from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com), the authors identified the factors causing the inconsistency between online ratings and reviews.

The next Mathematical Sciences Weekly Colloquium will take place at 1 p.m. Friday (Dec. 3) via Zoom (the passcode is 957178).

Our guest speaker will be Enkeleida Lushi, assistant professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Her presentation is titled "Micro-swimmers moving in complex confinement."

The next Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar will be a virtual event held jointly with the Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute (EPSSI).

The seminar will take place at 3 p.m. Monday (Dec. 6) on Zoom (the passcode is 432131).

Weihong Wang, associate professor in the Department of Earth Science, Utah Valley University, will present "Building a Nutrient Mass Balance Model for Utah Lake."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

All are welcome.

Michigan Tech hockey's Tristan Ashbrook has been named the CCHA Forward of the Week.

Ashbrook scored four goals in the Huskies' CCHA sweep of Ferris State over the weekend at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The native of Manistique, Michigan, had a pair of goals each night.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Rupali Datta (BioSci/GLRC) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $699,916 research and development co-op joint agreement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The project is titled "Lowering the Bioavailability of Lead in Residential Soils of Variable Physico-Chemical Properties using Sustainable In-Situ Treatment Methods."

Smitha Rao (BioMed/GLRC) is a co-PI on this potential three-year project.

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. Regular testing hours are 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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Facilitators Sought: Graduate School Online Training

The Graduate School is seeking facilitators for our Orientation to Graduate Studies and Research online training. This training fulfills the basic Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training required for all graduate students by the America Competes Acts.

Facilitators will interact online with a group of graduate students beginning Jan. 7 and ending approximately Jan. 14. These students have been accepted into research-based graduate programs, so this is an excellent opportunity for faculty to meet their new students or for senior Ph.D. students to welcome them into the program.

We will hold a Zoom orientation to highlight your responsibilities on Jan. 5 from 2-3 p.m. Please register online to participate. Please direct any questions you may have to Debra Charlesworth at ddc@mtu.edu.

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Modern Languages Holiday Celebration Tomorrow

Join Michigan Tech modern languages faculty and students tomorrow (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.

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Free Holiday Pies

The President's Office and Staff Council would like to offer a free pie to our faculty and staff members as a small token of our appreciation for your hard work over the past year.

To reserve your pie, please submit our form by 5 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 3).

Pies can be picked up at the MUB from noon to 3 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17. If you have any questions email Laurie Stark at ldstark@mtu.edu.

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MS Defense: Noah Squires, ME-EM

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering candidate Noah Squires (ME-EM) will present his master's defense at 2 p.m. today (Dec. 1) in the R. L. Smith Building (MEEM), Room 1021. Virtual attendance is also invited via Zoom.

Squires' defense is titled "Design and Implementation of an Oxidation Catalyst for a Spark Ignited Two Stroke Engine."

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Global YEAH Youth Summit on Glasgow COP26

Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek will be a featured panelist at the Global Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH) Youth Summit on Glasgow COP26 today (Dec. 1) from 4-8 p.m.

This summit will support and enable youth in higher education across the world to:

1. Engage with leaders in government, industry and research;
2. Understand and discuss the outcomes of COP26 via global dialogue; and
3. Present their own research and co-developed briefings on climate action to global leaders and peers, to create momentum for change. 

Climate leaders from the Michigan Tech delegation to COP26 will participate, along with other student members of YEAH from Colorado State University, Monash University, Vanderbilt University and others.

Other featured panelists include:

• Scott Ferraro, Net Zero director, Monash University
• Diana H. Wall, director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University
• Brandon Jones, program director, Geosciences and Education Divisions, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Jeanne Beacham, president and CEO of Delphon Industries
• Terence Jeyaretnam, partner at EY, Climate Change and Sustainability Services Australia
• U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Lafayette), 2nd Congressional District of Colorado

Please register to receive the Zoom link.

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

Master's Defense: Chaitanya Satish Inamdar

Wednesday, December 1, 9–10 a.m. | R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building (MEEM), 405

Electrical & Computer Engineer Advisor: Wayne Weaver Dynamic Characteristics of DC-DC Converters with Coupled and Nonlinear Magnetics Attend Virtually:...

UP & Moving Lunchtime High Noon Activity Break

Wednesday, December 1, 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...

UP & Moving Lunchtime Noon-Thirty Activity Break

Wednesday, December 1, 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...

Master's Defense: Noah Squires

Wednesday, December 1, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building (MEEM), 1021

Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Scott Miers Design and Implementation of an Oxidation Catalyst for a Spark Ignited Two Stroke Engine Attend Virtually:...

Take Your Job Search Home for the Holidays

Wednesday, December 1, 4 p.m.–5 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.

Open Rock Climbing

Wednesday, December 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...