March 30, 2022

Computing is for everyone — and so is the inaugural Computing[MTU] Showcase, being hosted jointly by the College of Computing and Institute of Computing and Cybersystems from Monday to Wednesday (April 4-6).

The showcase features workshops, panels, demonstrations and talks by computing visionaries — including alumna Dianne Marsh ’86 ’92 (director of device and security content at Netflix) and Philip Bourne (founding dean of the University of Virginia School of Data Science).

The event is intended to be a connection-maker on many levels. It’s for prospective students considering computing or data science careers. Current undergraduate and graduate students are bringing their most exciting innovations and research presentations to competitions and demonstrations, and faculty research will also be in the spotlight.

Get more details at Michigan Tech News.

The MTU Society of Medical Laboratory Scientists (SMLS) will be hosting a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Friday (April 1) in the Douglass Houghton Hall Ballroom.

All donated blood stays in the Upper Peninsula and you can save up to three lives with one donation! Students, staff and community members are welcome.

Sign up for a time slot. Walk-ins are also encouraged if your availability does not match up with an open slot!

Any questions? Email Victoria at vlchenie@mtu.edu. 

Heroes come in all types… come help SMLS save lives!

Two scholarships are available to the children of Local 5000 members in good standing. $500 will be awarded to a child attending or who will be attending Michigan Tech and $500 to a child attending or who will be attending another college, university or certificate program.

Please download the application form to apply or see the email sent to uaw-l@mtu.edu on March 24. The application deadline is May 13.

Contact mnormand@mtu.edu or amanda@mtu.edu for more information.

Canterbury House Student Organization will have The Walk for Ukraine every Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. Meet at the Houghton side of the bridge. Some flags and signs are available.

We will also have a demonstration in support of Ukraine on Thursday (March 31) at 2 p.m. at the Husky Statue.

See resources on how to support Ukraine at SupportUkraineNow.org and  RazomForUkraine.org. 

Also see the Yoopers for Ukraine Facebook group.

Through an estate gift from Albert J. and Rosella J. Mickus, Michigan Technological University has created the Mickus Endowed Faculty Fellow in Business Impact. The Mickus Faculty Fellow was created in order to attract, reward and retain highly talented faculty in the area of societal impact as it relates to business.

Sonia Goltz (COB) is the inaugural Mickus Faculty Fellow. Goltz is a perfect match for this endowed position. She has served as co-PI of Michigan Tech’s ADVANCE grant, which promotes faculty career development and gender equity in STEM. She is also a recipient of Michigan Tech’s Diversity Award and was an active advocate, based on research data, in creating Michigan Tech’s Diversity Literacy Program.

"Dr. Goltz Sonia has been a diligent faculty member who effectively blends her research, teaching and service contributions for positive societal impact," said Dean Johnson, dean of the College of Business. "Since her promotion to full professor, she has accelerated her research productivity. It is long past due to recognize her. I thank the Mickus family for providing this wonderful vehicle to do so."

University Archivist Lindsay Hiltunen (Library) has been elected to the Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) as a member of Council in the recent election. She will serve a three-year term in this appointment.

The recent election was seeking professionals to lead MAC through the next few years and especially through organizational changes relating to race, equity, inclusion and the perspectives of underrepresented and marginalized communities. Council will be an important body leading, researching and recommending said transitions.

MAC is one of the nation's largest regional professional associations for archivists. Founded in 1972, MAC now has more than 800 individual members. MAC's institutional members include a variety of corporate, government, religious and university archives, as well as historical societies and other manuscripts repositories and special collections.

Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering candidate Ariana Smies will defend her doctoral dissertation at 3 p.m. Tuesday (April 5). This event can be attended in person in M&M 610 or virtually via Zoom.

Smies' dissertation is titled "An Antimicrobial Polydopamine Surface Coating to Reduce Biofouling on Telemetry Tags Used in Marine Conservation Practices."

She is advised by Sean Kirkpatrick and Rupak Rajachar.

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering candidate Akhil Kurup will present their doctoral dissertation at 4 p.m. April 13 in Fisher 126 and via Zoom.

Kurup's dissertation is titled "Autonomous Perception in Unstructured Environments."

Kurup is advised by Jeremy Bos.

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering candidate Mehdi Malekrah will present their doctoral dissertation at 4 p.m. April 11 via Zoom.

Malekrah's dissertation is titled "Process Development, Physical, and Electrical Characterization of Langmuir Blodgett Trough Deposited Polyaniline."

Malekrah is advised by Paul Bergstrom.

M.S. in Electrical Engineering candidate Dhruv Dahiya will present their master's defense at 10 a.m. April 14 in EERC 508 and via Zoom.

Dahiya's defense is titled "Comparative Study of low-range LiDAR, mid-range LiDAR, and Depth Camera for Autonomous Rut Depth Measurement."

Dahiya is advised by Jeremy Bos.

Master of Science candidate Zayne Knuth (BioSci) will defend their master's thesis at 3 p.m. on Thursday (March 31) in Dow 734 and via Zoom.

Knuth's thesis is titled "Comparative transcriptomic analysis of cancer testis genes in ovarian cancer."

From the abstract:
Cancer testis genes are common targets for the development of immunotherapy for cancer treatment. Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women cancer patients. Cancer testis genes play a role in tumorigenesis, but it is not clear how these genes are activated. This study utilized differential expression analysis between The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) ovarian cancer data, Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) noncancerous ovary and testis data, and cell line data to identify a list of cancer testis genes that have a novel expression profile.

Joshua Mueller, research and development engineer with the Dynamic-Structure Design and Engineering Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, will present at a Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Seminar at 10 a.m. Friday (April 1) in M&M 610 and via Zoom.

Mueller's presentation is titled "Phase Transformations and Mn Partitioning for Austenite Retention in Duplex Steels."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

The next Mathematical Sciences (Math) Weekly Colloquium will take place Friday (April 1) from 1-2 p.m. via Zoom (use passcode 038185).

Our guest speaker will be Guosheng Fu of the University of Notre Dame.

Fu's presentation is titled "Robust Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for Incompressible Fluid Flows."

Michigan Tech Football encourages all who are able to consider donating to 42 Strong, a mentorship program created in memory of Tate Myre, one of four students killed in the school shooting that occurred Nov. 30, 2021, in Oxford, Michigan. Its mission is to create a better future by helping students develop a greater sense of purpose, community and resilience. 

"Not only was Tate an incredible athlete, he was kindhearted, had a passion for helping others and was looked up to by many," said first-year Michigan Tech student Austin Schlicht, Oxford football alumnus and Myre family friend. "He was one of the most hardworking and dedicated individuals I have ever known and was a true leader on and off the field. From our Michigan Tech football family to yours, please consider donating to 42 Strong, to let his legacy live on forever."

Read more and find out how to donate at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech hockey defenseman Colin Swoyer has signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Swoyer was signed as an undrafted free agent, according to an announcement by Penguins general manager Ron Hextall. His contract will begin with the 2022-23 season, and he will report to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League for the remainder of the 2021-22 season on an amateur tryout agreement.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Thursday (March 31)
• Rocket League A NACE vs. Michigan, 6 p.m.
• Smash vs. Oakland, 7 p.m.
• Apex Legends vs. TBD, 7:15 p.m.
• Rocket League A Gametime vs. Waterloo, 7:50 p.m.
• Overwatch vs. Marian, 8:30 p.m.

Friday (April 1)
• CSGO vs Michigan State, 7 p.m.

Saturday (April 2)
• Rocket League A vs. Mizzou, 3 p.m. (contingent on win Thursday)

Sunday (April 3)
• CSGO vs. Purdue, 3 p.m. (contingent on win Friday)
• Smash vs. Michigan State, 3 p.m. (contingent on win Thursday)

Sunil Mehendale (MMET) has co-authored an article accepted for publication in the Journal of Heat Transfer Research.

The article is titled “Visual Study of the Freezing Process of a Water Droplet on a Horizontal Copper Plate.”

In this study, based on the droplet shape analyzer, the freezing process of droplets has been studied experimentally. The effects of the substrate temperature, ambient relative humidity, and volume of droplets on the freezing process were analyzed. The ambient relative humidity and substrate temperature influenced the degree of supercooling. With decreasing substrate temperature, a critical value of supercooling was found to exist. The effect of droplet volume on supercooling time was found to be non-monotonic. With increasing droplet volume, the supercooling time first decreased first and then increased.

This research has potential applications to ice control and mitigation, and de-icing technologies.

Michigan Tech’s Building Adults Skills In Computing (BASIC) program was the subject of a feature story on WLUC TV6. The program held its first in-person session in two years on Saturday (March 25).

Chuck Wallace (CS), Kelly Steelman (CLS), and undergraduate Mitchell Eckstrand were quoted in the story.

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WLUC TV6 ran a story on the sled hockey clinic held at the SDC. The clinic had more than 80 participants.

MTRF Distinguished Lecture

Stephen Techtmann (BioSci) will give the 2022 Michigan Tech Research Forum (MTRF) Distinguished Lecture next Wednesday (April 6). The event will be held in MUB Ballroom A. The lecture will begin at 4:30 p.m., with 30 minutes before and after the lecture for in-person attendees to network.

Techtmann’s presentation is titled "Trash to Treasure: Using Microbial Communities to Convert Plastic into Food." Additional details can be found on the MTRF website.

The MTRF is presented by the Office of the Provost with support from the Office of the Vice President for Research. The forum showcases and celebrates the work of Michigan Tech researchers and aims to strengthen discussions in our community. All are welcome, including the general public.

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Fall HRI Fellow Presentations

Please join us at 11 a.m. today (March 30) via Zoom to learn about the work of Fall HRI Fellows Jessica Bruning (KIP) and Nikhil Mittal (BioMed).

For more information on the HRI Fellowship Program and other HRI student resources, please visit the Student Resources page on the HRI website.

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MSE Seminar

Alexandra Glover, research and development engineer with Sigma Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, will present at a Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Seminar at 10 a.m. tomorrow (March 31) in M&M 610 and via Zoom.

Glover's presentation is titled "Exploring Structure-Property Relationships in Double Soaked Medium Mn Steels by Multi-Scale, in-situ and ex-situ Characterization."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

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Today: Graduate Research Colloquium

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) is pleased to invite you to our annual Graduate Research Colloquium, continuing today (March 30).

The virtual Oral Session goes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and our Awards Banquet will be held at the MUB Ballroom from 5-7 p.m.

Come join us, listen to graduate students presenting on their research and enjoy some refreshments. 

Check out the full schedule.

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

Finding the Source of the Problem: Root Cause Analysis and Decision-Making Tools (Virtual) Workshop

Wednesday, March 30, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

When solving a problem, we must first gain a deep understanding of the current situation and set a goal condition. Then we perform a root cause analysis on the gap between how...

Stress Less

Wednesday, March 30, 10–11 a.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...

Fall Health Research Institute Fellow Presentations

Wednesday, March 30, 11 a.m.

Please join us to learn about the work of the Fall HRI Fellows. Jessica Bruning Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Nikhil Mittal Biomedical Engineering For more...

Youth Indoor Rock Climbing Spring 2022 Session 3

Wednesday, March 30, 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...

GSG Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC) Awards Banquet

Wednesday, March 30, 5 p.m.–7 p.m. | MUB Ballroom

Registration for Graduate Research Colloquium 2022 is now Officially open!! GSG is thrilled to announce this year’s Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC). It is going to be held...

Michigan Tech Night with the Detroit Redwings

Wednesday, March 30, 5:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. | Little Caesars Arena, Tickets in 100 and 200 Sections

Michigan Tech Night with the Red Wings Come out and cheer on your Red Wings for our Michigan Tech Night on Wednesday, March 30, 2022! It will be a classic matchup of Red...

Monthly General Meeting _ Spring 2022

Wednesday, March 30, 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

Wednesday, March 30, 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...

USG Weekly Meeting

Wednesday, March 30, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. | MUB Superior Room - B001

This meeting includes weekly updates from all representatives, liaison positions, and committees. Official business carried out by USG is conducted throughout old and new...

Cricket Tournament Spring 2022

Wednesday, March 30, 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,...