February 17, 2022

From the deep forest to data mines, a new virtual speaker series offers campus and community fresh approaches and possible solutions to move forward toward a better tomorrow. The Lives in Transition series presented by Michigan Technological University’s Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture (IPEC) runs Tuesday (Feb. 22) through March 17. Offered at 7 p.m. twice weekly, topics range from the heights of the cosmos to land stewardship. 

The free open-to-the-public series, part of IPEC’s fourth season of events, is a collaborative effort that includes the Michigan Tech Vice President’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Portage Lake District Library and Michigan Humanities. You can sign up in advance for Lives in Transition events. Pick up books by series authors at Portage Lake District Library (PLDL) — they’re yours to keep or pass along to the next reader.

Learn more about the series speakers and faculty discussants on Michigan Tech News.

Huskies are in demand, and employers across the United States (and Sweden!) are pushing for Michigan Tech talent. The spring 2022 CareerFEST and Virtual Career Fair comprised the largest spring student recruitment events in Michigan Tech history, with 255 companies actively participating over the course of four hybrid events and hosting nearly 4,000 one-on-one student appointments. The previous spring record was 220 companies in 2014. More interviews for internships, co-ops, and full-time positions are scheduled for the weeks to come, and we wish all of our Huskies luck on their career endeavors.

Thank you to all across campus who offered support to make this year’s events a resounding success. Preparation is already underway for the fall 2022 Career Fair, tentatively slated for September 21, 2022 with additional recruiting events throughout the month. For more information and updates visit the Career Services website. 

Students from all majors and departments are encouraged to submit research posters for the Computing[MTU] Showcase happening April 4-6. The poster walk/session takes place April 5. Prizes will be awarded in undergraduate and graduate categories. 

Students do not need to be present at the event to enter a poster. Posters do not need to be unique to this event — those that have appeared or will appear elsewhere are welcome. Titles and abstracts are due Thursday, March 10. Please visit the computing showcase website for more information or contact Amanda Stump, ajstump@mtu.edu.

The Society of Women Engineers is hosting a snowshoe fundraiser for the Keweenaw Spay and Neuter Assistance Group (KSNAG). Come have fun outdoors at the Tech Trails and help support a great cause! The event takes place from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26. Tickets are $15 for the general public or $10 for MTU students and season pass holders. There will also be free hot cocoa and stickers! Register to attend.

Gradescope is an online assessment tool designed to streamline the amount of time it takes an instructor to grade and provide consistent feedback on homework problems and exams. Join the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for a workshop from 2-3 p.m. next Thursday (Feb. 24) where we will demonstrate how to set up and grade an exam using Gradescope.

Register to attend this CTL technical workshop and learn more about Gradescope Exams.

Career Navigation for Scientists Panel is Feb. 23

The Professional Development Committee at the Graduate Student Government and MTU Career Services are collaborating to bring you a three-part seminar dedicated to navigating careers for scientists. Panels are composed of professionals across academia and industry from different departments and disciplines. Panels will feature brief speaker introductions, questions about their backgrounds, public Q&A and breakout rooms for discipline-specific questions.

The second seminar panel, at 6 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 23), features MTU graduates from the departments of forestry, biology, geology and mining, and chemistry. Our prestigious panelists include:

Adam Coble earned his Ph.D. in forest science and is now manager of forest health and monitoring for the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Kelsey Carter earned her Ph.D. in forest science and is now a post-doctoral associate at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the U.S. Department of Energy.

Rapsa Basu earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular Biology and is now lead scientist in precision immunotherapy at Humane Genomics.

Aparupa Sengupta earned her master's in molecular genetics and biotechnology and her Ph.D. in biological sciences, worked as a biosafety officer at Rutgers University and is now a biosafety officer at U of C-MERCED.

Matthew Songer earned a bachelor's in biological sciences from MTU and an MD from University of Illinois, Chicago and is now an orthopedic spine surgeon and entrepreneur. He also earned a master of business administration from Northwestern University and taught at MTU and MSU.

Elisa Piispa earned a Ph.D. in geophysics from MTU, was an assistant professor at Yachay Tech University and is now research specialist and lab manager at the Paleomagnetism Laboratory of Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland.

Chet Hopp earned a master's in geophysics from MTU, a Ph.D. in Geophysics from Victoria University of Wellington and is now a post-doctoral scholar at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the Energy Geoscience Division.

Bhaskar Halami earned his Ph.D. in chemistry, worked as a senior scientist at PPD in Thermo Fisher Scientific and is now a senior scientist at Sirnaomics, Inc.

Chelsea Nikula earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from MTU and now works as a higher research scientist in the U.K.'s National Physical Laboratory.

Don’t miss this opportunity to discuss careers with these knowledgeable people! Register for the event.

*****

Chemistry Seminar Series presents Philip Yangyuoru

Philip Yangyuoru, assistant professor of practice at Northern Michigan University, presents “The Mechanism of action of the G-quadruplex Resolvase DHX36 on Nucleic Acid Structures” at 3 p.m. Friday (Feb. 18). You can join the seminar via Zoom.

*****

Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar

The next Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar will take place at 3 p.m. on Monday (Feb. 21) in the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) Room 202.

U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist Ted Stets will present "USGS Studies on Water Availability: Trends and Integrated Assessments."

Light refreshments will be served.

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

*****

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker

The next Graduate Seminar Speaker is at 4 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 17) via Zoom.

Ramakrishna Tipireddy, a research scientist in the Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will present “Uncertainty quantification, dimension reduction and domain decomposition for high dimensional stochastic partial differential equations.”

*****

Bad Info Workshop: Search Like a Fact Checker

Not sure if your news is fake? Not even sure what that means anymore? Join us from 2-3 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 17) in Library 244 to talk through some lateral reading strategies that can be helpful when evaluating your sources. This workshop, part of the ongoing Bad Info Project, will feature discussion and hands-on exploration of real-life examples. 

Register for the workshop online.

*****

Biological Sciences Seminar Series: Alexander B. Michaud

Alex B. Michaud discusses "The tundra is rusting: Quantifying the distribution and role of iron cycling in the Arctic," from 3-4 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 17) as part of the biological sciences seminar series. Please join the seminar via Zoom to learn more about the iron cycle and its importance in the Arctic tundra ecosystem.

*****

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Seminar

The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) will have a seminar at 12:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 17) via Zoom with speaker Maria Strack on “Peatland restoration: From digging and planting to natural climate solutions.” Strack, professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Waterloo, Canada, investigates the interactions between ecology, hydrology biogeochemistry and soil properties in wetland ecosystems. In particular, her research focuses on feedbacks between wetlands and climate by investigating controls on peatland greenhouse gas exchange in natural, disturbed and restored ecosystems. 

Michigan Tech volleyball coach Matt Jennings announced that four student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to join the program. Setter Olivia Heidel, and outside hitters Brooke Dzwik, Meaghan Raabe, and Makena Wesol will continue their education and playing careers at Tech beginning in 2021-22.

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 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.

*****

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.

*****

New Research Security and International Collaborations Policy

The Vice President for Research Office announces its Research Security and International Collaboration policy in support of the University’s research security principles and our researcher’s international collaborations and partnerships. The policy describes the responsibilities of the University and its researchers in the identification and management of interactions and engagements with restricted and high-risk entities and individuals.

The U.S. government continues to express serious concern regarding violations, and the threat of potential violations, of federal law and/or funding agency policies as a result of activities conducted by federally funded researchers and/or their relationships with some foreign entities and individuals. Collaborations and relationships with high-risk entities or individuals, including some foreign governments, may even violate the principles of national security or scientific integrity.

Michigan Tech and the U.S. government recognize that international collaborations are valuable and a necessary component of the national and University research enterprises, and U.S. federal agencies continue to develop and synchronize policies and procedures in response to real and potential threats regarding research security. The National Science and Technology Council recently issued guidance to all U.S. federal research and development sponsoring agencies to develop and implement policies and procedures for disclosure of international collaborations. Consistent with this guidance and in response to U.S. government concerns about threats to national security and scientific integrity, it is also important that the University adjust our policies accordingly. The University’s new Research Security and International Collaboration policy is designed to help researchers navigate this terrain.

Frequently asked questions are in development and will be published on the policy page. Please direct questions or concerns regarding this policy to Gina LeMay at gllemay@mtu.edu in the Sponsored Operations Office.

*****

Sustainability Film Discussion: 'Fauci'

The 2022 Sustainability Film Series continues with a discussion of the film "Fauci" from 7-8 p.m. tonight (Feb. 17). Participation is free and open to all faculty, staff, students and community members. A suggested donation of $5 per film to support the film series is appreciated. Make your donation online.

Participants need to register to receive links to the film and Zoom discussion. The film is 104 minutes long and will be available for one week prior to the discussion. Contact Joan Chadde at jchadde@mtu.edu with questions.

Film Description
The National Geographic documentary "Fauci" chronicles the life of Dr. Anthony Fauci, world-renowned infectious disease specialist and the longest-serving public health leader in Washington, D.C. Fauci was appointed director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 1984. He oversees an extensive portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat established infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as emerging diseases such as ebola and zika. NIAID also supports research on transplantation and immune-related illnesses, including autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies. The NIAID budget for fiscal year 2021 was an estimated $6.1 billion. Fauci has overseen the U.S. response to 50 years of outbreaks from HIV/AIDS, to SARS and Ebola, and advised seven presidents on domestic and global health issues.

Discussion Facilitator
Dr. Terry Kinzel specializes in geriatrics and internal medicine. Kinzel graduated from University of Michigan Medical School in 1975.

Film Series
The Sustainability Film Series and Facilitated Discussions are cosponsored by MTU's Sustainability Demonstration House, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Department of Social Sciences Sustainability Sciences Program, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, Students for Sustainability, and Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience. Cosponsors outside MTU include the Friends of the Land of Keweenaw, Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, Keweenaw Land Trust, Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and Refill U.P.

See the film schedule for February and March 2022.

*****

Nominations Open: Bhakta Rath Award and Michigan Tech Research Award

The Vice President for Research Office is accepting nominations for the Bhakta Rath Research Award. The award offers an opportunity to promote and reward excellence in scientific and engineering research in the fields of physical and natural sciences and engineering. For complete submission guidelines, see our Bhakta Rath Research Award page.

The Vice President for Research Office is also accepting nominations for the Michigan Tech Research Award, which offers an opportunity for an individual to be recognized for outstanding achievements in research. For complete submission guidelines, see our Michigan Tech Research Award page.

Nominations for both must be submitted electronically in PDF format, per the guidelines, no later than 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 3.

All nominations must be sent to Natasha Chopp at nichopp@mtu.edu. 

*****

Request for Proposals: Research Excellence Fund

Proposals are being solicited for the Research Excellence Fund (REF) program, an internal award of the Vice President for Research Office.

Proposals are due no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, March 3 and must be submitted electronically per the guidelines.

Please note that the program has changed in a number of respects; download the current documents and review the current guidance carefully. Those scholars, creators and researchers who started with Tech or moved into a new research role after Dec. 1, 2020, must have completed the Responsible Conduct of Research course for new researchers that took place in fall 2021 in order to be eligible to submit an REF proposal.

For additional information, see the Research Excellence Fund web page. Questions can be directed to REF-l@mtu.edu.

*****

C-Cubed Luncheon Menu for Today

• Chicken Korma (Gluten Free)
• Vegetable Korma (Vegetarian)
• Basmati Rice (Gluten Free, Vegan)
• Masala Cauliflower (Gluten Free, Vegan)
• Cabbage Raita (Gluten Free)
• Warm Flat Bread (Vegetarian)
• Vegetable Salad (Vegan)

Dining Services presents this week's C-Cubed Luncheon being held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today (Feb. 17) in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MUB 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. 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, MUB 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.

*****

Physics Colloquium: Grad Student Presentations

Three Physics graduate students will be presenting their research progress at this week's Physics Colloquium:

• Amin Hashemi (advised by Ramy El-Ganainy)
• Dezhi Huang (advised by Petra Huentemeyer)
• Shreya Joshi (advised by Claudio Mazzoleni)

This will be a hybrid event — the students will give their talks at 4 p.m. today (Feb. 17) in Fisher 139. Please join in person or by Zoom.

Please register in advance to attend virtually. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.

Event details, along with the students' presentation titles and abstracts, can be found on the University Events Calendar.

Dyreson Co-Author on 2030 MSD Vision Report

Ana Dyreson (MEEM) is co-author on the 2030 Vision Report published by the MultiSector Dynamics Research Community (MSD), a multi-disciplinary collective of researchers from universities and labs across the U.S. The report, Scientific Challenges and a Research Vision for 2030, clarifies core definitions, shares research questions, highlights scientific opportunities and identifies the importance of capacity building to meet these challenges. A vision report and community building webinar is offered from 1-3 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 22).

*****

CFRES graduate student work published

Laura Burmann, recent CFRES MS graduate, recently published work based on her MS thesis in a collaborative paper published in Society and Natural Resources: Laura L. Burmann, Matthew C. Kelly, Chelsea Schelly, and Tara L. Bal, Formative Interests and Pathways to Natural Resources Careers among Historically Underrepresented People. Read

Job Posting for Thursday, February 17, 2022

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available in Human Resources or online. For more information regarding staff positions, call 487-2280 or email mtujobs@mtu.edu. For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.

Postdoctoral Scholar
Great Lakes Research Center
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.

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

Building Career Confidence

Thursday, February 17, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

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

Search Like a Fact Checker Workshop

Thursday, February 17, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, Library 244

Not sure if your news is fake? Not even sure what that means anymore? Join us to talk through some lateral reading strategies that can be helpful when evaluating your sources....

Michigan Tech Research Forum: Dr. Robert J. Nemiroff

Thursday, February 17, 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom A

Faster than Light: What Can Do It and What Can’t Einstein would agree that some things really can move faster than light. What are they? How do they do it? And is there...

Physics Colloquium - Graduate Student Presentations

Thursday, February 17, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 139

Thursday, February 17th @ 4pm – Fisher Hall 139 & Zoom Hybrid-Mode: The students will give their talks in Fisher Hall 139. Please join in-person or by zoom. Amin...

Stress Less

Thursday, February 17, 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 and...

Uncertainty Quantification, Dimension Reduction and Domain Decomposition for High Dimensional Stochastic Partial Differential Equations

Thursday, February 17, 4 p.m.

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Ramakrishna Tipireddy, PhD Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Abstract This talk will present a brief...

Youth Indoor Rock Climbing Spring 2022 Session 2

Thursday, February 17, 4:00 p.m.–4:50 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Climbing Wall

Is your child looking for a new challenge? Sign up now for the OAP Youth Indoor Rock Climbing Class and let them climb our wall! We try to meet each participant at their level...

(Women's Basketball) Saginaw Valley State vs. Michigan Tech

Thursday, February 17, 5:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Wood Gym

Women's Basketball: Saginaw Valley State vs. Michigan Tech, SDC Gymnasium - Houghton, Mich.

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons Spring 2022 Session 2

Thursday, February 17, 5:30 p.m.–6:20 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons provides aquatic education for the beginner to the intermediate swimmer who is looking to become more comfortable in the water and learn the...

Adult Huskies Swim Training Spring 2022 Session 2

Thursday, February 17, 5:30 p.m.–6:20 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Training provides additional attention and competitive guidance to swimmers ages 18 and older who are looking to improve their swimming skills and fitness...

Husky Happy Hour - Appleton, WI

Thursday, February 17, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | Appleton Beer Factory

Enjoy an informal evening out and network with fellow Michigan Tech alumni and friends in the Appleton, WI area! The event will be held at the Appleton Beer Factory on...

Monthly General Meeting _ Spring 2022

Thursday, February 17, 6 p.m.–7 p.m. | Chem Sci. 211

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...

Open Rock Climbing

Thursday, February 17, 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...

Sustainability Film Discussion: Fauci

Thursday, February 17, 7 p.m.–8 p.m.

2022 Sustainability Film Series and Facilitated Discussion Virtual ZOOM facilitated discussion for MTU faculty, staff, students, and alumni, and community members. 3rd...

(Men's Basketball) Saginaw Valley State vs. Michigan Tech

Thursday, February 17, 7:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Wood Gym

Men's Basketball: Saginaw Valley State vs. Michigan Tech, SDC Gymnasium - Houghton, Mich.

An Evening of 1 Acts: Show A

Thursday, February 17, 7:30 p.m. | McArdle Theatre

Buckle in for an evening of one-act plays written by female writers and dealing with the diverse elements of female identity. This inter-collegiate will include original plays...

OAP Kayak Safety Clinic

Thursday, February 17, 8:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Lap Pool

It might still be a little early to get you out on the open water, but we can help you work on your skills in the pool! Sign up now for the OAP Kayak Safety Sessions and...

Cricket Tournament Spring 2022

Thursday, February 17, 10–12 a.m. | SDC Multipurpose Room

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

Searching Sideways Week

February 17, all day | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library

At the VPOL our aim is to help make you efficient and effective searchers so we are dedicating the week to sharing tools and methods that will elevate how you find...