February 22, 2022

This week, we’re celebrating National Engineers Week (Feb. 20-26). Everyone’s invited to special events on campus sponsored by Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society student chapter at Michigan Tech.

Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, Eweek is celebrated each February around the time of George Washington’s birthday (Feb. 22) because Washington is considered by many to be the first U.S. engineer.

Please feel free to stop by and check out Eweek events as your schedule allows:

• Tuesday, Feb. 22 — Try your hand at the Egg Drop Design Challenge in the Alley Makerspace in the MUB basement from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
  
  
• Wednesday, Feb. 23 — Be sure to grab a slice of Eweek cake courtesy of the Department of Engineering Fundamentals, in Dillman 112 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Later, build a spaghetti tower with the Built World Enterprise team in Fisher 129 from 5-6 p.m.
  
  
• Friday, Feb. 25 — Join Mind Trekkers for an Eweek Escape Room event extraordinaire in MUB Ballroom A2 from 4-7 p.m.

Read the full details on the College of Engineering Blog.

The Vice President for Research Office offers a reminder on the 1.17 Foreign Visitor Policy:

Policy Statement
Hosting of foreign visitors on campus is valuable and important to the University's mission. In order to ensure compliance with relevant federal regulations and University policies, all invitations for foreign visitors to campus require prior approval by the responsible University officer listed on this policy.

Foreign Visitor Procedure
The University host will complete the Foreign Visitor Request Form and the draft invitation. The responsible office will review the request and either approve or deny the request. On a case-by-case basis, where a visitor would be involved with academic programs, the responsible office may delegate visitor approval to the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Once a visitor has been approved by the responsible office, an official invitation will be sent along with a description of the visit (including duration, allowed activities and any safety or training requirements) and a general agreement (covering aspects that apply to all foreign visitors, such as liability, intellectual property and other concerns). Official invitations are to be sent by either the vice president of the responsible office or the Michigan Tech general counsel's office on behalf of the University. Visitors must agree to the terms outlined in the letter and agreement prior to arriving on campus.

Exceptions
If a foreign visitor is coming to campus for a conference, seminar, short-term collaboration (a week or less) or a job interview, and is NOT going to have access to any controlled or proprietary information (or controlled location/lab), it is not necessary to request approval and have the visitor sign a visitor agreement.

The request for approval and visitor agreement also do not need to be completed for hired Michigan Tech faculty/staff (if the visitor is being placed on payroll because they are supported under a grant, receiving a stipend, etc., then they are considered an employee) or enrolled foreign students.

Foreign Visitor Approval Process
For more information on requesting a foreign visitor to campus, visit the Foreign Visitor Approval Process webpage.

Two production system maintenance windows will take place on March 5 and 6.

During the first maintenance window, scheduled for March 5 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., the following production services will be unavailable:

Banner
Banweb
MyMichiganTech
Aspire
Course Tools
Housing Apartments Wait List
OAP Rental System
Oracle Reports
Papercut Printing
Perceptive Content (Imagenow)
UC4/Appworx
Virtual Cashiering
WebFocus

During the second maintenance window, scheduled for March 6 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., the following production services will be unavailable:

Banner
Banweb
MyMichiganTech
ASPIRE
Course Tools
Housing Apartments Wait List
OAP Rental System
Oracle Reports
UC4/Appworx
Virtual Cashiering
WebFocus

If you have any questions or concerns, we can help. Contact us at it-help@mtu.edu or call 7-1111.

Join us Thursday (Feb. 24) from 7-8 p.m. for the COVID-19 Community Town Hall. Town Hall moderators Steven Elmer and Kelly Kamm (HRI/KIP) will provide information on mental health and well-being during the pandemic and beyond.

Organized by the Health Research Institute at Michigan Tech, the 60-minute town hall broadcast can be heard live at 7 p.m. on local radio stations 97.7 The Wolf (WOLV-FM) and Q107 (WMQT-FM) or viewed through a Zoom webinar and Facebook Live. The town hall can also be viewed on ABC 10 on Sunday (Feb. 27) at noon.

For more information, past broadcasts and webinar links, visit the COVID-19 Town Hall Series website.

Menu for Thursday (Feb. 24):

• Deconstructed Greek Salad with Lamb Burgers
• Fresh Toppings: Tzatziki Sauce, Feta Spread, Garlic Aioli

Dining Services presents this week's C-Cubed Luncheon being held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 24) 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.

Melissa McKinney, Canada research chair (Tier 2) in ecological change and environmental stressors and assistant professor at McGill University, will present a seminar from 3-4 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 24) via Zoom.

McKinney's presentation is titled "Climate change effects on contaminants in Arctic biota."

From the abstract:
Climate change is disproportionately impacting Arctic species, both through physical changes to the environment and through changing interactions between species. Altered predator-prey interactions are thought to be particularly important and may also have downstream impacts for exposure to other environmental stressors, such as contaminants. A series of studies will be presented that highlight climate-driven species redistributions in the Arctic, as documented by monitoring predator diets via chemical tracers, and that illustrate a range of subsequent consequences for contaminant accumulation in Arctic marine mammals. Findings underscore the need to consider multiple interacting stressors facing wildlife in a changing polar environment.

The Educational Technology Organization of Michigan (ETOM) will offer the live Zoom webinar "Building Community in the Online Classroom (Part Two)" to its member institutions Thursday (Feb. 24) from 12-12:45 p.m.

Michigan Tech is a member of ETOM and the MTU community is invited to attend.

Research shows that a student’s sense of belonging is a key factor in educational success. In this second session, ETOM will continue the conversation on how to cultivate student belonging by establishing and promoting classroom community, and examine how to help students build relationships that support one another.

Read more about the series and register for the part two webinar on the ETOM website.

Michigan Tech's Laura De Marchi and Hayden Huttula have been named recipients of the 2021 Fall GLIAC Commissioner's Award.

The awards are presented after the fall, winter and spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes who excel both in the classroom and in competition.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech women's tennis fell 6-1 in their season opener against Lewiston and lost narrowly to Illinois-Springfield over the weekend.

The Huskies lost 6-1 against the Flyers on Friday (Feb. 18) at Five Star Tennis center in nonconference play. 

"It was a tough start to the season," said head coach Kristin Yep. "We don't have a fully healthy roster, which made it extra challenging. The team still gave everything they had to try and win today but we just came up short." 

On Saturday (Feb. 19), playing a singles player short for the second straight match, the Huskies fell 4-3 to the Prairie Stars at Springfield Racquet and Fitness Center.

"We left it all out there today," said Yep. "Missing some key players at the top of the lineup is tough, but we still almost overcame it. I was proud of how we played."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech hockey scored an overtime win and came from behind to tie on the road against Ferris State.

On Friday (Feb. 18), Michael Karow scored 84 seconds into overtime to lift the Huskies to a 3-2 win.

"It was a big two points for us," Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. "They're a tough team play — especially in this building. We had chances tonight and some guys are feeling a little snakebit. We're fortunate that we're good enough to still come out of here with a couple of points."

Saturday (Feb. 19), the Huskies were behind two goals in the third period, but came back to earn a 5-5 tie — and then won the shootout after overtime for the extra CCHA point. 

"I think we needed that," Shawhan said. "We needed to have our backs against the wall and turn it up and tie the game. We looked a little bit more like ourselves as the game went on. We gave up more than we wanted, but it was nice to score some goals.

"The effort was certainly there and we found the execution. This is something to build on tonight."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech women's basketball went wire-to-wire with Wayne State on Saturday (Feb. 19) and came out on top 72-69 in overtime at SDC Gymnasium.

Ellie Mackay got hot in the second half and scored a team-high 20 points, while Sara Dax contributed 19 points off the bench. Mackay also grabbed 10 defensive rebounds for her second double-double this season.

"I think ultimately it came down to willpower and heart," said head coach Sam Clayton. "Both teams were pretty tired by the time we made it to overtime but we just needed to bear down and get some stops on defense. That was an area of our games I thought we were pretty sharp throughout the game. We made them make some tough shots and got 17 turnovers so that was a big key."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech men's basketball picked up their ninth straight victory Saturday (Feb. 19), dominating Wayne State 82-57 on senior day at SDC Gymnasium. 

Owen White posted a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Huskies shot an efficient 57.1% overall, including 47% (11-for-23) from beyond the arc. Trent Bell went 4-for-6 from the 3-point arc and totaled 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

"I thought we did a nice job coming out focused," said head coach Josh Buettner. "We moved the ball, made shots, and took care of the glass right away, which gave us a chance to lead by 30 points in the first half. It's a good win. We've given ourselves a chance to finish the season in a good position on the final road trip of the year next week."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech men's tennis fell 6-1 Saturday (Feb. 19) to Illinois-Springfield at Springfield Racquet and Fitness Center.

Adam Fenjiro picked up his first victory at No. 1 singles, but the Huskies combined to take just three games in doubles. The Prairie Stars seized the doubles point, then rolled to straight-set wins at singles three through six.

"We fought hard today, but credit to Illinois-Springfield who played us tough on their home courts," said head coach Kristin Yep. "At the end of the day, we were outplayed. We gained some insight into what we need to work on in the weeks to come."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

The Michigan Tech Nordic ski teams combined to win the NCAA Central Region Ski Championship on Sunday (Feb. 20) at the Grand Avenue Nordic Center.

The women's team placed first, the men second, and the Huskies tied Northern Michigan for the combined team title. The Huskies had a pair of regional champions and 15 all-region performances with Top 10 results.

"Both teams really came out to ski today, and it was inspirational," Tech coach Tom Monahan Smith said. "It was a historic result for the program and an insanely awesome comeback for the team after trailing NMU by seven points to begin the day."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Tuesday (Feb. 22)
• Women's Basketball at Saginaw Valley State, 6 p.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ

Thursday (Feb. 24)
• Women's Basketball at Ferris State, 5:30 p.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ
• Men's Basketball at Ferris State, 7:30 p.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ

Friday (Feb. 25)
• Blue Line Club Luncheon, noon
• Hockey vs. Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m. at MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Mix 93 WKMJ

Saturday (Feb. 26)
• Women's Basketball at Lake Superior State, 1 p.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ
• Men's Basketball at Lake Superior State, 3 p.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ
• Hockey vs. Minnesota State, 6:07 p.m. at MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Mix 93 WKMJ

The Michigan Tech Blue Line Club is hosting its final luncheon of the season on Friday (Feb. 25) at noon in the "old" Blue Line Room outside University Images.

Tech head coach Joe Shawhan and Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings will be on hand to talk about the final series of the regular season.

The event is open to the public and costs $10 per person. Lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m. Chicken salad on a ciabatta roll, chips, cookies, coffee, lemonade and water will be served.

Tickets need to be purchased by noon tomorrow (Feb. 23) to guarantee lunch and can be purchased online, by calling the Central Ticket Office at 906-487-2073 or by visiting in person today or tomorrow (Feb. 22 or 23) from 8 a.m. to noon. Payment will not be accepted after Wednesday at noon.

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.

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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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Applications Open: Summer 2022 PHF Graduate Assistantships

Applications for Summer 2022 Portage Health Foundation (PHF) Graduate Assistantships are being accepted and are due no later than 4 p.m. next Tuesday (March 1) to the Graduate School. Instructions on the application and evaluation process are found online. Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:

1. Must be a Ph.D. student conducting a research or outreach project that will promote and/or improve the overall health of Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga and Ontonagon communities.
2. Must be a Ph.D. candidate at the time of application.
3. Must be two years after starting the graduate program at the time of application.
4. Must not be a prior recipient of a PHF Graduate Assistantship.
5. Preference will be given to applicants with long-standing local connections to Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga or Ontonagon county.

Priority will be given to students originally from Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga or Ontonagon counties. Nonresident students and international students are encouraged to apply if their health research is applicable to health needs and job shortages of our local community (obesity research, rural health, medical informatics, drug delivery and lab testing, physical therapy, etc.).

These assistantships are available through the generosity of the Portage Health Foundation. They are intended to recognize outstanding Ph.D. talent in health-oriented research areas. Applicants should be a catalyst for promoting and improving the overall health of Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga and Ontonagon communities through one of the following:

• Health research and technology development
• Health education or preventive and wellness initiatives
• Rural health care access, informatics and assessment of care

Students who receive full support through a PHF Graduate Assistantship may not accept any other employment. For example, students cannot be fully supported by a PHF Graduate Assistantship and accept support as a GTA or GRA.

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Nominations Sought: KCP Future Faculty Fellowships

Applications are being accepted for the King-Chávez-Parks (KCP) Future Faculty Fellowship, a program funded by the state of Michigan. The purpose of the KCP Future Faculty Fellowship program is to increase the pool of academically and economically disadvantaged candidates pursuing faculty teaching careers in postsecondary education.

Funding may begin in summer or fall of 2022. Complete applications received by 4 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 24) will receive priority for consideration. Pending availability of funds, applications received through 4 p.m. April 12 will be considered on a rolling basis.

Applicants will complete the following steps:

• Review the eligibility criteria to ensure eligibility (see step 1)
• Gather the materials needed for an application (see step 2)
• Create an account on the MiLogin for Citizens portal (see step 3)
• Submit an application on the MiLogin portal (see step 4)

Changes for this cycle of competition are as follows:

• Michigan Tech is requiring use of a standardized budget template for the budget summary requested in the application.
• As proof of U.S. citizenship at the time of application, one of the following must be provided to the Graduate School prior to an award being made:
• U.S. passport, birth certificate, consular report of birth abroad of a citizen of the U.S., certification of report of birth, or certificate of citizenship issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

KCP fellowships provide students up to $20,000 (M.S. students) or $35,000 (Ph.D. students) to pursue their degrees. Funds may be used to support students, including faculty and staff, pursuing degrees at Michigan Tech. For Michigan Tech students, the Graduate School and nominating department must also contribute matching funds to help support the student.

Complete information about eligibility criteria and materials needed for an application is available on our webpage. Please note that applications will be submitted through the MILogin for Citizens Portal. Questions about eligibility or the application procedure can be directed to Debra Charlesworth at ddc@mtu.edu.

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CTL Technical Workshop: Gradescope Exams

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. 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.

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Café Français

Please join us for an hour of laid-back Francophone setting with French natives and other Francophiles. All levels welcome.

Café Français meets from 5-6 p.m. today (Feb. 22) in Walker 120C. 

Future dates (every second Tuesday): March 15 and April 12.

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2021 Flexible Spending Account Claims Deadline is March 31

The deadline for employees to submit claims for their 2021 Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is March 31. Health care and dependent care claims during the 2021 calendar year are eligible if the date of service was in 2021. Any money remaining in the account after this date is forfeited per IRS regulations.

Dependent care claims require an invoice or receipt from the provider. All medical, dental and optical claims should be processed through your insurance plans before submitting them to your health care reimbursement account.

Attach the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or a claim summary from your insurance plan to the claim form when submitting a claim. For expenses not processed through insurance, submit the itemized receipt.

More information and the FSA claim form and can be found online on the Human Resources Flex Spending webpage.

For questions, contact Benefit Services at benefits@mtu.edu or call 7-2517.

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

MSD Community Building Webinar

Tuesday, February 22, 1 p.m.–3 p.m.

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...

CTL Technical Workshop- New Canvas Quizzes

Tuesday, February 22, 2 p.m.–3 p.m.

CTL Technical Workshop: New Canvas Quizzes https://mtu.libcal.com/event/8862860

Eweek Egg Drop Design Challenge

Tuesday, February 22, 3:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. | The Alley Makerspace, MUB Basement

Join us to celebrate National Engineers Week with an Egg Drop Challenge...now some of you may remember this activity from your own past. No matter. Experts and novices alike...

Youth Indoor Rock Climbing Spring 2022 Session 2

Tuesday, February 22, 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...

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons Spring 2022 Session 2

Tuesday, February 22, 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

Tuesday, February 22, 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...

Monthly General Meeting _ Spring 2022

Tuesday, February 22, 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

Tuesday, February 22, 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...

Mechanical Engineering Hangout

Tuesday, February 22, 7 p.m.–8 p.m.

Michigan Tech's Department of Mechanical Engineering is excited to meet you! Join us (virtually) to hear faculty share more about the department, the major, and answer any...

Suzanne Simard "Finding the Mother Tree"

Tuesday, February 22, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

The Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture, partnered with the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, the Michigan Tech Vice President’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion,...

Open Log Rolling

Tuesday, February 22, 8:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Looking for something new for you or your child to stay active? Sign up now for the OAP Open Log Rolling and test your skills on the log! We try to meet each participant at...

Cricket Tournament Spring 2022

Tuesday, February 22, 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,...