February 11, 2022

For the fourth year in a row, you'll need to head over to Phi Kappa Tau in Hancock to see the winning monthlong Winter Carnival statue. The organization extended its winning streak to four years in a row with their entry “100 Years They Come and Go, But Still We Say LET IT SNOW!” in keeping with the event theme: “Come One, Come All To Our 100th Carnival.”

In second place overall is Tau Kappa Epsilon’s “Carnival Fun Galore, a Tech Tradition We Adore.” Alpha Sigma Tau’s “Come One, Come All!” placed third.

Of the 44 overall All-Nighter entries, St. Al's claimed the top spot while MTU Aquarium Society took second place and Climate Action Triad placed third.

Read more about statue results and weekend events in the latest story on Michigan Tech News.

In a special Winter Carnival Q&A, twin alumnae share Husky pride, Blue Key memories, student-athlete highlights — and how Michigan Tech changed them.

Twins Jennifer (Jung) Lucas ’09 and Christa (Jung) Cooper ’09 talk about their differences, including academic majors, positions played and accolades received on the Michigan Tech volleyball team, and how they served on Blue Key Honor Society, the campus organization in charge of organizing and staging Winter Carnival.

Find out what they’re up to today at Michigan Tech News.

The Tech Forward Initiative for Sustainability and Resilience (ISR) is excited to announce that we are seeking nominations for three new campus awards!

Self-nominations are welcome; nominations from others are encouraged. Please submit nominations via our submission form by Feb. 25. Award recipients will be informed by March 4 and recognized at an Earth Week lunch event April 19.

• The Sustainability and Resilience Campus Leadership Faculty Award will recognize a faculty member on campus who has made significant contributions to advancing sustainability and resilience through their research, teaching or service. Nominations should detail the faculty member’s leadership in sustainability and resilience through research, teaching or service.
  
  
• The Sustainability and Resilience Campus Leadership Staff Award will recognize a staff member on campus who has made significant contributions to advancing sustainability and resilience on campus. Nominations should detail the staff member’s leadership in sustainability and resilience on campus.
  
  
• The Sustainability and Resilience Campus Leadership Student Award will recognize a student (graduate or undergraduate) who has made significant contributions to advancing sustainability and resilience on campus. Nominations should detail the student’s leadership in sustainability and resilience on campus. 

Many young people are introduced to professions like chemistry in high school and textbooks play a major role in informing students about the discipline and the people who work within it. An article in Chemistry World shines a light on what happens when textbooks are biased in their representation. A study of four widely used chemistry texts in the U.K. and Ireland found that of 105 historic figures named in the books, only four were women — all Nobel Prize winners. Men mentioned in the books include non-scientists such as Julius Caesar, Barack Obama, Kofi Annan and artist David Hockney. Two of the four textbooks did not mention a single woman. Of 131 images, only 16 were of women alone. Only one of those was a known woman, Dorothy Hodgkin — one of the Nobel winners, compared with 52 identifiable men. The textbooks included many images of women doing domestic work such as shopping or laundry.

This study reinforces a pattern observed in a study of U.S. college chemistry textbooks which found that male names appeared every four pages while female names appeared every 250 pages. As college educators, we can redress this in part by being particularly mindful of avoiding books with these kinds of inequities when we choose college textbooks for our classes. As lead researcher on the U.K. study Claire Murphy stated: “The biases we have observed are not unique to a single publisher, textbook or curriculum. They are also not unique to chemistry.”

Today’s feature was shared with us by David Flaspohler, chair of the Advocates 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.

February is Children's Dental Health month! Please join dynamic and entertaining speaker Dr. Darin Ward of UPWard Orthodonics at noon Tuesday (Feb. 15) in MUB Ballroom B1 as he discusses preventative orthodontics.

Ward will explore why so many kids (and adults) today are told that they need braces. He will present his thoughts on the causes of crooked teeth and less-than-ideal jaw/facial growth and what you can do about it. It is a lot simpler than you think — and unfortunately, like most simple things, it’s hard to do!

Whether you are an adult considering orthodontics or the parent of a child whose smile needs attention, this presentation and discussion is a must-attend.

Please email benefits@mtu.edu to reserve your seat today!

This Lunch and Learn counts toward Option 2 in your Husky Health checklist. Follow Michigan Tech Wellness on Facebook for upcoming health and wellness initiatives supported by the Benefits Office which may count toward your 2022 Husky Health checklist.

College of Sciences and Arts Dean David Hemmer has selected Yoke Khin Yap, a Michigan Tech distinguished professor of physics, as the fifth Deans' Teaching Showcase member.

Yap will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other showcase members, and is also a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

Yap is enthusiastic about teaching and research and treats the two as inseparable. His performance is exceptional in both: He is a recipient of Michigan Tech's Research Award and has made research contributions of widely recognized significance in the field of nanotechnology.

Simultaneously, he has been an excellent instructor in the classroom and led the Department of Physics in making research opportunities available for a wide cross-section of students. For example, he has reached out to high school students via annual workshops in nanotechnology, which started with an introductory seminar (with animated videos), followed by hands-on sessions in which students constructed carbon nanostructures using the ball-and-stick models.

Yap has been a major driving force in improving the undergraduate and graduate physics curriculum. He initiated a redesign of the undergraduate optics laboratory encouraging cooperative learning between students. Later, he led efforts in designing and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in nanotechnology, which combine lectures, invited seminars and laboratory demonstrations/tours.

Physics chair Ravi Pandey provided special commendation for Yap’s supplemental instructions to his students. “Dr. Yap took the time to plan and carry out his classes in a way that led students to an understanding of state-of-the-art laboratory techniques to characterize materials at the nanoscale," says Pandey. "Recently, he has integrated the course into the online mode, using his recorded video lectures.”

Currently, Yap teaches Introductory Physics (PH2200) with 380-plus students. He uses a combination of traditional and contemporary pedagogies to provide a learning opportunity to first-year students. His tools include clickers, online homework and tutorials, extensive online student resources and, most popularly, pedagogically effective demonstrations.

Faculty must be extremely organized, personable, highly motivated and energetic to carry students through introductory physics courses. “Clearly," Pandey emphasizes, "Dr. Yap brings these attributes through his initiative and commitment, making him a scholar-teacher faculty at Michigan Tech who believes in the unity of teaching and research, mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students, and critical thought.”

Dean Hemmer concurs. “Our large introductory science courses are critical for retention and student success,“ he says. “It is wonderful to see one of Michigan Tech's top scholars play such a critical role in ensuring the quality of our introductory physics course, and it is great for students to be exposed early in their studies to one of our very best researchers!"

The Department of Humanities announces a Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture (RTC) Colloquium featuring two talks  in the Rozsa Center lobby from 4-5:30 p.m. on Monday (Feb. 14).

The colloquium is sponsored by BAD Info: Exploring How Mis/Disinformation Works and Why it Matters.

• Talk 1 — "Debugging misinformation on climate change: a study of UNESCO hashtags" presented by Ayodele James Akinola.
  
  From the abstract:
  Disinformation, a deliberate (often orchestrated) attempt to confuse or manipulate people through delivering dishonest information, has been one of the major threats to the 21st century's innovation in digital communication leading to misinformation. ... In this study, I examine the use of hashtags that originated from one of world’s most prominent organizations, the United Nations Education, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO) as a reflection of their engagement with world citizens through the mechanism of social media. I focus on the subject of climate change using #ClimateChange, #SavethePlanet, and #SayNoToDistortion in order to identify how these hashtags are (being) engaged by “Twitterians”, Twitter users. 
  
  
• Talk 2 — "Fact-checking in a Developing Country: Reflections from a Ghanaian fact-checker" presented by Eugene Agyei.
  
  From the abstract:
  The past few years have witnessed the rise of mis/disinformation and fake news in Ghana. This in part is due to the advancement of digital media technologies and also a very youthful population in an aggressive political ecosystem. Social media users, influencers and blogs contribute to a large amount of mis/disinformation and fake news in the country. In extreme cases, these people are able to manipulate newsrooms whose journalists lack essential fact checking skills. Until recently, there were no established fact-checking newsrooms that were dedicated to verifying information regularly. ... The work of these organizations has been crucial in the fight against misinformation and fake news in the country which is, in turn, safeguarding democracy.

No. 14 Michigan Tech hosts Bowling Green this weekend for the annual Winter Carnival series. 

The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. tonight (Feb. 11) and 5:07 p.m. tomorrow (Feb. 12) at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

This is the only meeting between the teams this season.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Posting for Friday, Feb. 11, 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. 

Administrative Aide 7 (12 months/ 40 hours/ first shift) #22037, Sponsored Programs Accounting (UAW posting Feb. 11 to Feb. 17, 2022 — internal UAW applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal UAW posting dates). 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.

Adam Wellstead (SS) is the lead author of a study published in Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability.

The paper, titled “Finding the sweet spot in climate policy: balancing stakeholder engagement with bureaucratic autonomy,” discusses the role of bureaucratic autonomy and stakeholder engagement in the climate change policy process and the “sweet spot” between both — which differs from country to country depending on administrative tradition and policy style.

Robbert Biesbroek of Wageningen University in The Netherlands is a co-author of the paper.

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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Celebrate Winter Carnival at the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum

Welcome to Winter Carnival 2022! Winter Carnival celebrations began in 1922, making this year the 100th anniversary!

In honor of this wonderful annual tradition, the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum is offering 15% off all items in the Gift Shop all throughout Winter Carnival, from now until Saturday (Feb. 12).

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Husky Health Incentive Payout Distribution

This payday (today, Feb. 11), Husky Health FSA and HSA distributions will be distributed for current employees who completed their Husky Health checklists for 2021 by the deadline. Additionally, letters for incentives earned toward health memberships or community health/fitness centers will also be distributed today.

Employees who started an HSA for the first time with this Husky Health incentive will see a distribution on their Feb. 25 payday. Retirees can also expect to see their Husky Health incentives in late February.

Follow Michigan Tech's Wellness Facebook page for upcoming health and wellness initiatives supported by the Benefits Office, which may count toward your 2022 Husky Health checklist.

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

Nominations for USG E-board and At-Large Representatives

Friday, February 11, 8–8 a.m.

Do you or someone you know want to run as an At-Large representative or a member of USG's executive board? Nominations are now open for the election which begins February...

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Characterizing Yeast Inhibitors from Drought-stressed Switchgrass

Friday, February 11, 10–11 a.m.

Chemical Engineering Seminar proudly presents Sarvada Chipkar PhD Candidate Abstract Developing economically viable and greener pathways to synthesize renewable energy...

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Tug-o-War

Friday, February 11, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations. Pre-registration required to participate; spectators welcome. Teams of eight (8) will compete at the SDC...

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Horse-Drawn Sleigh Rides

Friday, February 11, 12 p.m.–4 p.m.

Enjoy a ride around campus looking at the statues. Sponsored by Blue Key.

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Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding

Friday, February 11, 12:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations. Pre-registration required to participate; spectators welcome. Skiing Teams with a maximum of five participants...

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Cross-Country Skiing

Friday, February 11, 1 p.m.–3 p.m.

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations. Pre-registration required to participate; spectators welcome. Organizations will provide two or 3 member teams...

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Human Dog Sled Race

Friday, February 11, 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations. Pre-registration required to participate; spectators welcome. Race to the finish line in this 100 yard snowy...

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Meet the College of Engineering Dean, Janet Callahan

Friday, February 11, 1 p.m.–4 p.m.

Stop by the College of Engineering Dean's office for hot cocoa and cookies and meet Dean Janet Callahan! The College of Engineering is located in the M&M Research Building,...

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Two Time-Parallel Algorithms for the Numerical Solution of Optimal Control Problems Under PDE Constraints

Friday, February 11, 1 p.m.–2 p.m.

Biosketch: Felix Kwok is an assistant professor at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Université Laval. He was previously a senior researcher at the University...

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Dog Sled Rides

Friday, February 11, 2 p.m.–5 p.m.

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Ice Mass

Friday, February 11, 5:30 p.m.

Join us for mass during Winter Carnival. There will be chili served after each service.

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Monthly General Meeting _ Spring 2022

Friday, February 11, 6 p.m.–7 p.m.

Hi folks, This mail serves to notify us that we will be having our monthly general meeting on the last Wednesday of the month 6 - 7 PM at Chem Sci. 211 or via Zoom. Feel...

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Keweenaw Alumni Chapter Winter Carnival Hockey Skybox Social

Friday, February 11, 6:45 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

KAC Scholarship Winter Carnival Skybox Social The Keweenaw Alumni Chapter invites you to join alumni and friends for a scholarship social and skybox seating at John MacInnes...

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(Men's Ice Hockey) Bowling Green vs. Michigan Tech

Friday, February 11, 7:07 p.m.–10:07 p.m.

Men's Ice Hockey: Bowling Green vs. Michigan Tech, Winter Carnival

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Winter Carnival Comedian - Drew Lynch

Friday, February 11, 9 p.m.–10 p.m.

Come one, come all and help us welcome comedian, Drew Lynch! MUB Board, Blue Key, and Late Night Programming are hosting the hilarious stand-up comedian during Winter...

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Cricket Tournament Spring 2022

Friday, February 11, 10–12 a.m.

Cricket Club MTU in partnership with Indian Students Association (ISA) has organized Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament for boys. DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: Sunday January 30,...

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Winter Carnival

February 11, all day

Organized by Blue Key National Honor Society since 1934, Winter Carnival started in 1922 and has grown to become one of the largest annual winter festivals in the nation....