January 14, 2022

George Butvilas, who had a long track record of service to Michigan Tech and the Copper Country, died suddenly Dec. 21. He was 76.

Butvilas was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Michigan Tech Fund for 21 years, including time as its chair. In 2005, he received the Michigan Tech Honorary Alumni Award. He was inducted into the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Honor Academy in 2003 and was a former chair of that College’s advisory board.

Involvement with the College of Business included work as an adjunct professor and as chair of the College’s Applied Portfolio Management Program, Tech’s student investment initiative. He was later inducted into the College of Business Honor Academy.

Other ties to the University included a stint on the Michigan Tech Golf Course Advisory Board and time as chair of the Houghton/Hancock Local Development Authority, which established the Michigan Tech Enterprise SmartZone. In 2009, Butvilas was the featured speaker at Tech’s Midyear Commencement ceremony. Later, he stepped in as interim director of Facilities Management from 2012-14.

“George was always the first to help and the last to take credit, which speaks to his unequivocal passion for the University and his desire to give back to Michigan Tech and his community,” said Rick Koubek, president. “He will be greatly missed, but his legacy lives on through his work with the Michigan Tech Fund and the University.”

Professionally, Butvilas served as president and CEO of Quincy Hill Advisors, providing financial institution consulting services to the banking community and the FDIC. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors of Citizens Republic Bancorp Inc., as vice chair and director of Republic Bancorp and as president and chief executive officer of D&N Bank from 1990-99. Prior to coming to the Keweenaw, he spent 17 years in banking in the Chicago metro area.

In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed him to the Board of Directors of the Veterans Corporation in Washington, D.C., where he served as chair and director.

Longtime Michigan Tech Fund board member Dale Elliott ‘79 served alongside Butvilas. “I had the pleasure to work with George for over 20 years in support of Michigan Tech," said Elliott. "During that time he was a catalyst for positive change that provided the foundation for the Michigan Tech Fund and University to succeed in the future. His knowledge, leadership and love for Michigan Tech will be missed, but the positive impact of his efforts will continue far into the future.“

Read Butvilas's full obituary.

On Jan. 23 from 8 a.m. to noon, password resets will be unavailable while Michigan Tech IT performs maintenance on mylogin.mtu.edu.

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

The Martin Luther King Jr. 33rd Celebration will be Monday (Jan. 17) at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Celebrate King's life and legacy with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI), including a keynote address from dentist and Michigan Tech alumna Dr. Tsitsi Hungwe ’12.

Hungwe graduated from Michigan Tech with her bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology.

In addition to the celebration, check out the weeklong "I Have a Dream" exhibit in the Van Pelt and Opie Library, featuring artwork from MTU students. The exhibit will open following the conclusion of the celebration on Monday.

Register for the virtual celebration.

As we work to diversify our student body, we need to reflect and adapt how we operate to be inclusive of the needs of students from different backgrounds.

Today’s Roundup features a study of stresses related to self-beliefs, ethnic identity and cultural congruency experienced by Native American undergraduates and how we might adapt to better support these students. Among the changes suggested to better support Native American students are increased access to advising, mentoring by older students and encouragement to join clubs and other social groups. In the classroom, we can support these students by creating improved cultural understanding, a collaborative learning environment and a communal rather than competitive environment in which students are evaluated on information mastery rather than relative grading dependent upon peer performance. This shift to more of a “learning community” benefits all students and reduces feelings of isolation and stress, which leads to better outcomes for everyone.

Today’s feature was shared with us by ADVANCE PI Team. If you have an article you think we should feature, please email it to advance-mtu@mtu.edu and we will consider adding it to the ADVANCE Weekly Roundup.

The ADVANCE Weekly Roundup is brought to you by ADVANCE at Michigan Tech, an NSF-funded initiative dedicated to improving faculty career success, retention, diversity, equity and inclusion. Past articles are available on the ADVANCE Newsblog.

To learn more about our featured topic, our mission, programming efforts, and to check out our growing collection of resources, contact us or visit our website.

This week, the Film Board presents “No Time to Die,” rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, brief strong language and some suggestive material.

Showings:

• Friday, Jan. 14 — 5:30 p.m.*, 8:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Jan. 15* — 5:30 p.m.*, 8:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.

* 5:30 p.m. showtimes will be shown with subtitles! 

Located on Michigan Tech's campus in Fisher Hall, Room 135.

Tickets are $3 and concessions are $1. We hope to see you at the movie this weekend — and have a great day.

Learn how to lose weight and improve your health while eating the foods you love with Wondr Health.

Employee Wellness is offering active, benefits-eligible employees an opportunity to lose weight with the Wondr Health program, previously Naturally Slim. Registration is currently open through Jan. 23 and space is limited.

The Wondr Health program has the secret to lasting weight loss and it doesn’t include starving, counting calories or eating diet food. It’s a 10-week online program with yearlong support that helps you learn how to eat to reduce your chance of getting a serious disease, like diabetes or heart disease, and increase your chances at living a longer, healthier life — for free. Lose weight, plus improve your overall health — all while eating the foods you love!

Wondr Health offers an evidence-based curriculum with the latest behavioral science and is grounded in the principles of the most effective behavioral weight loss programs. To register, please visit Michigan Tech's Wondr Health site.

Wondr Health counts toward Option 3 on your Husky Health Checklist.

Melanie Watkins, research assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE), has been selected for this spring’s Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Watkins will be recognized at an end-of-term luncheon with other spring showcase members, and is a candidate for this summer's CTL Instructional Award Series.

“This nomination highlights a faculty member who is incorporating Fourth Industrial Revolution concepts into the curriculum so that our graduates will be leaders in their future jobs,” states College of Engineering Dean Janet Callahan. “Dr. Watkins is integrating new concepts and skills into course learning outcomes and also developing new courses as industry aligns with digital and computing competencies.”

Watkins models the importance of lifelong learning. Her industrial experiences taught her to master new approaches and modeling tools to maintain a competitive advantage against other engineering consulting firms. Now in academia, she has completed multiple computing and data science courses, and remains thirsty to learn more.

Watkins used the skills she gained to design a new course first offered in spring 2021: CEE 4610/5610 Water Resources System Modeling and Design.

The course incorporates 2D hydraulic modeling with lidar data, Linux scripting, and OpenFOAM computational fluid dynamics. Additionally, Watkins included 2D modeling using lidar and computer programming in CEE 4620 River and Floodplain Hydraulics to extend student preparedness.

Watkins' teaching approach ties the knowledge and skills students need to be successful into project-based instruction. In fall 2021's CEE 4620, Watkins had students model and design a culvert for U.S. Highway 41 at Peepsock Creek, west of Pilgrim River, after the Michigan Department of Transportation gave a guest presentation overviewing the damage from the Father’s Day Flood. 

Former student Jenna Koenig says the Hydraulic Engineering Center's River Analysis System and Aquaveo materials she encountered in Watkins' class are giving her an edge.

“I have been in a unique position at my current job because I have quite a bit of experience in these areas where many of my colleagues don’t," Koenig says. “Dr. Watkins did an amazing job with these courses and with Senior Design. I’m very prepared to tackle almost anything on any project I’ve been put on; it is a great feeling! The first couple of months have been a pretty steep learning curve, but it’s been a great experience so far. I’m thankful for her help in preparing me in a great way!”

Watkins' efforts to keep pace with the changes in industry also make her a strong graduate student recruiter. “Melanie provides a positive impression on our junior and senior students, and she is a convincing salesperson," says Audra Morse, chair of CEGE. "Our students want to keep their Michigan Tech connection after they complete their undergraduate degree.”

“The Water Resources Modeling Certificate, which Melanie led, is one of our most popular online certificates,” Morse adds.

“Dr. Watkins’ passion for learning permeates everything she does, and I commend her for her work in support of integrating the Fourth Industrial Revolution into the undergraduate curriculum,” concludes Callahan.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is sponsoring a seminar titled "Color Signal Processing" presented by ECE alumnus Michael Vrhel '87 next Friday (Jan. 21) at 3:30 p.m. in the Electrical Energy Resources Center (EERC), Room 501.

In this seminar, Vrhel will provide an overview of the areas in which color is of concern for engineers and computer scientists. He will provide an in-depth look at his recent work on improving the colorimetry of consumer digital cameras.

Please RSVP to ECE@mtu.edu if you would like to attend in person. You may also attend via Zoom.

From the abstract:
Color imaging and reproduction and the processing of color signals bring together several scientific and engineering fields, including signal processing, computer science, computer visualization, human physiology, neuroscience, and mathematics. The applications for color processing and design are numerous, such as telemedicine, printing, art archival, image/video coding, data representation, textile design, and document rendering. In addition, there are color issues to consider in the design of cameras, scanners, printers, displays, inks, halftone algorithms, and illumination. Computationally, dealing with color image data can be expensive, especially for embedded systems. It is thus important to take advantage of the properties of the human visual system when developing algorithms to process color data.

Trenton Bliss, Brian Halonen and Blake Pietila from the Michigan Tech hockey team are candidates for the 2022 Hobey Baker Award, given annually to college hockey's top player.

The Hobey Baker's tremendously popular fan voting will run from now until March 6.

Follow the prompts to make your selection from this year's outstanding crop of 77 college hockey players representing 42 NCAA Division I schools. Please spend some additional time to check out the players' detailed bios.

Job Postings for Friday, Jan. 14, 2022

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 Director, Center for Diversity and Inclusion. Apply online. 

Plumber (12 months/ 40 hours/ first shift) #22008, Facilities (AFSCME posting Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, 2022 — internal AFSCME applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal AFSCME posting dates). Apply online.

Electrician (12 months/ 40 hours/ first shift) #22009, Facilities (AFSCME posting Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, 2022 — internal AFSCME applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal AFSCME posting dates). Apply online.

Programmer/Analyst, Information Technology. Apply online.

Senior Systems Administrator, Information Technology. 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.

Valoree Gagnon (CFRES/GLRC) was quoted in a Washington Post Magazine story about forever chemicals in Lake Superior and their effect on local Indigenous communities.

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Sarah Green (Chem) was quoted in a Mashable Climate 101 series installment about recent reports from NASA and NOAA documenting 2021 as one of the hottest years recorded on Earth.

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 make choices to protect themselves, such as getting vaccinated, wearing high-filtration face coverings, and practicing enhanced sanitation and physical distancing where possible — especially in light of the increased transmissibility of the COVID-19 omicron 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 spring 2022 semester.

Testing is available every week in the Rozsa Center basement Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is no cost to be tested, and no appointment is needed. 

The consent form is now online and can be completed anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the day of your visit.

More COVID-19 Testing Information for the Michigan Tech community is available on the MTU Flex website.

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Minimum Wage Increased Jan. 1

Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the minimum wage has increased from $9.65 to $9.87 per hour. All employees who fell below this new hourly rate will see an automatic increase. Department-generated EPAFs will not be needed.

For jobs starting after Jan. 1, please be sure to use the minimum wage of $9.87 per hour. This change will have an impact on departments that pay students and temporary employees less than this amount.

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Innovation Week 2022 Events

Started by Michigan Tech’s University Innovation Fellows in 2015, Innovation Week is a celebration of innovation within our Tech Community.

This year, from Jan. 24-28, Husky Innovate and the Center for Educational Outreach will be hosting innovation-themed talks, student activities, the Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition and a reverse pitch competition led by the Office of Innovation and Commercialization.

Learn about innovative applied research that has the potential to spin off into startup businesses, listen to compelling business model pitches, glean insights that could lead to educational innovation and hear from successful entrepreneurs.

Join us for one event or several. Connect with alumni, students and faculty. Pre-registration is required for each event. More details for each event are available on the University Events Calendar.

• Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Panel Discussion
  Monday, Jan. 24 — noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom.
  Register to attend by Jan. 20.
  
  
• Unboxed Treasure Hunt
  Tuesday, Jan. 25 — 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Wadsworth Hall, Room G42W.
  Register to participate by Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. 
  
  
• Developing the Cross - I System for Inspecting Railgrade Crossings
  Wednesday, Jan. 26 — noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom.
  Register to attend by Jan. 22. 
  
  
• Reverse Pitch Event with the Office of Innovation and Commercialization
  Wednesday, Jan. 26 — 4-5 p.m. on Zoom.
  Register to attend by Jan. 22. 
  
  
• Generation Zoom Talk with Cassy Tefft de Munoz
  Thursday, Jan. 27 — 12:15-1:15 p.m. in MUB Ballroom A or on Zoom.
  Register to attend by Jan. 24. 
  
  
• Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition
  Thursday, Jan. 27 — 5-7 p.m. in MUB Ballroom A or on Zoom.
  (Pre-event mixer — 4-5 p.m.)
  Register to attend. 
  Register as a contestant by Jan. 21. 
  
  
• Husky Innovate Talk with Dave Shull, founding member of Handshake
  Friday, Jan. 28 — noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom.
  Register to attend by Jan. 25.

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

7 Days of MUB!

Friday, January 14, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. | Online

Welcome back to the Spring semester, MUB Board is ready to start things off with a bang! Join us for a variety of events, both in-person and online, to learn about what MUB...

Hockey vs Lake Superior State Game Viewing Event - Appleton, WI

Friday, January 14, 5:15 p.m.–8:30 p.m. | Appleton Beer Factory

Cheer on MTU Hockey in a Matchup with Lake Superior State Join your fellow Michigan Tech alumni, friends, and family from the Appleton, WI area for a game viewing party and...

Middle School Volleyball Development League

Friday, January 14, 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multipurpose Room

A four-week developmental program for middle school girls in grades 7 & 8 to learn and improve their skills in preparation for the upcoming interscholastic season. This...

(Men's Ice Hockey) Michigan Tech at Lake Superior State

Friday, January 14, 7:07 p.m.–10:07 p.m.

Men's Ice Hockey: Michigan Tech at Lake Superior State