April 1, 2022

April is Autism Acceptance Month. This celebration of autistic individuals focuses on fostering inclusive and welcoming spaces in society for those on the spectrum and offers opportunity to advocate for equality for all individuals, regardless of neurodivergent status.

“My parents suspected something was different about me as I grew up,” writes Tucker Nielsen, senior English major. “I was initially nonverbal for my first four years and had difficulty socializing.”

Read more about Nielsen's journey through growth and acceptance on the Diversity and Inclusion Newsblog.

Join us in recognizing the four recipients of the inaugural Michigan Tech Sustainability and Resilience Campus Leadership Awards. The informal program will provide a celebration of the award winners and their accomplishments, a brief update on sustainability work at Michigan Tech and some time to enjoy snacks and interact with your peers.

• When: Tuesday, April 19 — noon to 1 p.m.
• Where: Alumni Lounge in the MUB

Light snacks will be provided — feel free to bring your lunch.

The Sustainable and Resilient Communities Social Network and Research Collaborative (SRC-Squared) invites you to join our April meeting from 10-11 a.m. Wednesday (April 6).

At this meeting, Director of Sustainability and Resilience Alan Turnquist will give a brief update on sustainability strategic planning and lead a discussion on needs and opportunities for developing curricula and research.

We will meet in person in Dow 875 and livestream the meeting via Zoom.

Bala Chaudhary is an assistant professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College. She was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to study microbial dispersal and ways to promote racial equity in the environmental sciences.

Labs are our scientific homes — the frontlines of where inclusion and belonging are fostered, or where exclusion, marginalization and discrimination occur. As scientists are increasingly acknowledging the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in science, there is a need for clear direction on how to take antiracist action.

In this Strategies for Antiracist Action in STEM webinar, Chaudhary will present guidelines for developing antiracist policies and action along with discussion in an effort to promote racial and ethnic diversity, equity and inclusion.

Join us from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday (April 6) for this webinar presentation and Q&A. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

A recent article in Science magazine, “Michigan’s Surprising Path to Diversity,” highlights the success of the applied physics Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan in recruiting and graduating underrepresented students. As much as one-third of the program’s entering cohort are Black, Latino or Native American students, compared with 5% nationally, and women comprise one-third of the typical graduating class.

Success starts by removing barriers, such as reconceptualizing the vision of the ideal graduate student among faculty, empowering staff to serve, and creating a family-like climate. Roy Clark, founding program director, states: “We make it clear that we expect people who come here to succeed,” and the program promotes excellent teaching among research faculty. The interdisciplinary program also helps connect multiple areas of study, which appeals to underrepresented students. For example, the Imes-Moore Bridge Program helps recruit, prepare and sustain cohorts of underrepresented students to the program. Model programs such as this one can inspire new ways of structuring our own Ph.D. programs for student success.

Today’s feature was shared with us by 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.

Enjoy featured reads selected by the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) all this month at the Van Pelt and Opie Library. The main floor display shares and showcases the many voices that make the API community what it is!

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (API) have played vital roles in shaping the nation — from building the Transcontinental Railroad to advocating for labor law changes to fighting in multiple wars. They made these contributions while also facing persistent discrimination and violence throughout U.S. history. It is important that we hear API voices to better understand each other's unique experiences. 

Check out additional API resources and follow SASE on Instagram for more content.

This week, the Film Board presents "Megamind," rated PG for some language and sequences of action/violence.

Summary: Though he is the most brilliant supervillain the world has known, Megamind (Will Ferrell) is the least successful. Thwarted time and again by heroic Metro Man (Brad Pitt), Megamind is more surprised than anyone when he actually manages to defeat his longtime enemy. But without Metro Man, Megamind has no purpose in life, so he creates a new opponent, who quickly decides that it's more fun to be a bad guy than a hero. 

Showings:

• Friday, April 1 — 5:30 p.m.*, 8:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 2 — 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 135.

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

College of Sciences and Arts Dean David Hemmer and Department of Chemistry Chair Sarah Green have selected computational chemist Loredana Valenzano-Slough for the Deans' Teaching Showcase.

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

Valenzano-Slough was selected for her work in large class teaching. She teaches Physical Chemistry, known as one of the most challenging courses in the chemistry curriculum. Students typically take P-Chem 1 in the fall of their third year, just as they transition to the higher demands of upper division courses. P-Chem 1 combines mathematical rigor with unfamiliar and non-intuitive concepts, and class sizes are typically 60-70 students because the course is required for both chemistry and chemical engineering students. (Valenzano-Slough also teaches P-Chem 2 to a smaller cohort of 10-15 chemistry majors.)

In spite of these challenges, Valenzano-Slough has received consistently excellent student evaluations in her P-Chem sections. Informal feedback from students shows they appreciate her efforts to make P-Chem accessible. Valenzano-Slough maintains outstanding Canvas course pages. They are a model of excellent organization and carefully curated resources. Even pre-pandemic, she made hours of videos available through Canvas, including many examples of problem-solving.

In response to persistent difficulties some students have with applying mathematical concepts to P-Chem, Valenzano-Slough developed a 1-credit standalone online course that reviews the fundamentals needed for success in the course. Her ability to inspire students is evident in the constant stream of undergraduate researchers who enter her lab after completing her courses.

Hemmer has his own memories of P-Chem, which influenced his decision. In his words: “I can still remember from my own college days how P-Chem was feared by all, both for the challenging chemistry and difficult mathematics. Loredana goes way above and beyond to help our students succeed in this crucial course, and in particular to strengthen their mathematical backgrounds in preparation for the course. She is a great addition to the Deans’ Teaching Showcase!”

Ultimately, both Hemmer and Green attribute Valenzano-Slough’s success to an intense dedication to student learning, sustained efforts to produce and update resources and an ability to inspire students to achieve her high standards. As Green summarizes: “The chemistry department and Michigan Tech, and especially our students, are lucky to have such an inspiring educator in a core part of our curriculum.”

The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) would like to invite you to attend a presentation by lecturer in applied forestry candidate Paul Doruska at 11 a.m. Monday (April 4) in Noblet 108.

Doruska's presentation is titled "Teaching Seminar: Natural Resource Management Lecturer and Capstone and Teaching Philosophy." 

Department of Computer Science (CS) faculty candidate Lotfi ben Othmane, Iowa State University, will present a virtual lecture at 3 p.m. today (April 1).

ben Othmane's research focuses on software security for cyber-physical systems. The title of his talk is "Detecting Intrusion in Connected Vehicles."

Join the virtual lecture.

Read more on the Computing News Blog.

The Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences will host applied cognitive science and human factors (ACSHF) Ph.D. student Shruti Amre at the next ACSHF forum.

Amre's presentation, titled “Keep Your Hands on the Wheel: The Effect of Driver Engagement Strategies on Change Detection, Mind Wandering, and Gaze Behavior,” will be held from 2-3 p.m. Monday (April 4) in Meese 109.

From the abstract:
Advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) have revolutionized traditional driving by enabling drivers to relinquish operational control of the vehicle to automation for part of the total drive. These features only work under certain pre-defined conditions and require drivers to be attentive to their surroundings. While the features are engaged, there is an increased risk associated with drivers losing awareness of their environment. Popular manufacturers like Tesla requires drivers to have their hands-on-the-wheel while Cadillac’s ADAS requires drivers to keep their eyes-on-the road. We utilized a low-fidelity simulation and eye-tracking to examine the effects of hands-on-the-wheel and eyes-on-the-road driver engagement strategies on change detection, mind wandering, and gaze behavior in a semi-autonomous driving task.

Michigan Tech hockey forward Trenton Bliss has signed an American Hockey League contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins — the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

The deal is a standard player's contract for the remainder of this season and the 2022-23 campaign.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech hockey defenseman Michael Karow has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Texas Stars — the primary affiliate of the Dallas Stars.

Karow skated in 37 games with the Huskies after transferring to MTU in the offseason from Boston College.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech men's basketball has announced five team award winners for the 2021-22 season.

• Owen White was selected for the Ken Hamar Award given to the team's most valuable player.
• Adam Hobson is this year's Billy Gappy Most Improved Player. 
• Carter Johnston received the Harold Meese Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season.
• Kyle Clow was honored with Tech's Scholastic Achievement Award. 
• Dawson Nordgaard earned the Bob Olson Award for Outstanding Newcomer this season.

Read more about the award winners at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

The Michigan Tech Nordic ski teams had 12 Huskies named to the National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team. 

To make the team, skiers must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA, matching the highest GPA requirement of any coaches association academic team nationally, and skiers must participate at one of the three regional championships. A total of 361 collegiate skiers were honored nationally.

See who earned recognition at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Head coach Steve Olson and the Michigan Tech football program are pleased to announce the 2022 regular season schedule.

The Huskies will play 11 contests, including Division I St. Thomas for the second straight season. Tech will also play five home games at Kearly Stadium this fall.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville will be the Huskies' first nonconference opponent — Tech hosts the Pioneers on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.

See the full schedule at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Friday, April 1, 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.

Manager of Benefits and Wellness, Human Resources. Apply online.

Lecturer – Natural Resource Analysis, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (internal only posting). 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.

Annual Power Outage

Michigan Tech's annual power outage will be conducted in two stages across three days: May 4, 5 and 6. Times and buildings affected are listed below.

Facilities Management has developed a five-year rotating plan to service the 12,470-volt switchgear and associated breakers on campus. Our campus electrical distribution system depends on this gear being in good working condition. 

This work requires a two-night power outage that affects the least number of buildings possible. Please note that in most cases, elevators, fume hoods, exhaust fans, ventilation equipment, normal lighting, plug-in appliances and plug-in equipment will not operate during the outage.

Only items connected to the building emergency generator will have power during the outage; the building emergency generators and battery systems that supply power to emergency/egress lighting and special equipment should function as normal.

If you are unsure if your equipment connects to the building emergency generator, please contact the Facilities Management building mechanic for your building.

Information Technology will be turning off all network equipment in the affected buildings for these outages starting at 5 p.m. You should plan to save any work, shut down your computer systems and exit the buildings before the outages. Additionally, some buildings with power will be without phone or internet service.

Only the buildings listed will have their power shut off during the scheduled outages.

There will be two power outages:

• Power Outage One — 
  • Begins: Wednesday, May 4, at 6 p.m.
  • Ends: Thursday, May 5, at 6 a.m.
    
    
• Power Outage Two —
  • Begins: Thursday, May 5, at 6 p.m.
  • Ends: Friday, May 6, at 6 a.m.

Buildings affected:
Academic Office Building
Alumni House
Annex
Center for Diversity and Inclusion (Hamar House)
Dillman
Fisher
Forestry
M&M
M&M - Undergrad
ME-EM
Rekhi
ROTC

Buildings with power but no phone or internet:
EMS/SLS Garage
Gates Tennis Center
Little Huskies
U.S. Forest Service Labs

You can find more details and updates on the Facilities Management website. If you have questions or concerns with this plan, contact Energy Management or Facilities Management at 7-2303.

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Downtime for Password Resets on Sunday

On Sunday (April 3) from 8 a.m. to noon, mylogin.mtu.edu will be unavailable while Michigan Tech IT performs its quarterly maintenance. Password resets will be unavailable during this time.

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

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Office Cleaning and Trash Removal

Personal office spaces are routinely inspected by Custodial and Maintenance staff to ensure building systems are functioning properly. Regular system checks include making sure that lighting, heat, water and similar infrastructure are in good condition.

During these inspections, Custodial and Maintenance staff will sweep and mop or vacuum the office floors. Surfaces within the office space such as desks, window sills and bookshelves are not cleaned or sanitized. In addition, curtains, blinds and similar fixtures are also left undisturbed. Cleaning of these surfaces and fixtures are the responsibility of the office occupant. The current cycle for office inspection and maintenance is approximately two weeks.

Office occupants are also responsible for the management of day-to-day wastes in these spaces. Each office space should have a trash and recycling receptacle. Accumulated wastes in offices should be transferred by the office occupant to a central waste collection area within their building at the end of each day. Centralized waste accumulation areas may be located on a different floor of the building. Designated waste consolidation areas in your building are listed online.

Office occupants can obtain trash bags from their department. It’s recommended that trash, specifically food waste, be managed on a daily basis to minimize the occurrence of pests like ants and mice. Paper, glass and plastic recyclable materials should be clean and free of contaminants for similar reasons.

Recyclable items may be commingled and placed in a single recycling receptacle. Please submit a Facilities work order if your office space does not have waste or recycling receptacles and one will be provided.

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Math Colloquium

The next Mathematical Sciences (Math) Weekly Colloquium will take place today (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."

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MSE Seminar

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. today (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.

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CFRES Lecturer Candidate Seminar

The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) would like to invite you to attend a presentation by lecturer in applied forestry candidate James Schmierer at 11 a.m. today (April 1) in Noblet 108.

Schmierer's presentation is titled "Teaching Seminar: Natural Resource Management Lecturer and Capstone and Teaching Philosophy." 

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Pathways of Women in STEM Symposium

Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate in Pathways of Women in STEM: Resiliency, Advocacy, and Inclusive Success, a hybrid in-person/Zoom symposium being held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday (April 5) in Alumni Lounge A-C. This symposium was originally held at the fall 2021 national meeting of the American Chemical Society, and is being re-created at Michigan Tech.

Following a welcome and introduction from 11:45 a.m. until noon, four distinguished speakers will present remotely for 30 minutes each, followed by a Q&A session from 2-2:30 p.m. A Middle Eastern buffet-style lunch will be served starting at 11:30 a.m. So you can come and go as you wish, Alumni Lounges A and B will be arranged for lunch seating and Alumni Lounge C for row seating. To provide us with estimates of how many people to expect for lunch, virtually only, and in total, please register in advance.

Thank you to these sponsoring units: ADVANCE, Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Graduate School, College of Engineering, College of Sciences and Arts, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, and Departments of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering; Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics; Biological Sciences; Mathematical Sciences; and Chemistry.

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

Teal Ribbons

Friday, April 1, 12:00 a.m.–11:45 p.m. | Campus!

Have you seen teal ribbons? Help raise awareness for Sexual Assault Awareness Month by scanning the QR code and participating in SAVE and Title IX's Octopi project and get the...

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Conventional and 3D-printed Microenvironments for Bioanalysis

Friday, April 1, 10 a.m. | Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building, 201

Chemical Engineering Research Seminar Alexandra Ros Faculty member of the Center for Applied Structural Discovery (CASD) at the Biodesign Institute at ArizonaState...

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Friends of the Michigan Tech Library Book Sale

Friday, April 1, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom

Come visit our annual book sale! For 2022 it will be held: 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 31, 2022 for students (free) and members ($20 memberships sold at the door)10 a.m....

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Phase Transformations and Mn Partitioning for Austenite Retention in Duplex Steels

Friday, April 1, 10 a.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), 610

Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Dr. Joshua Mueller Research and Development Engineer Dynamic-Structure Design and Engineering Group, Los Alamos National...

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Robust Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for Incompressible Fluid Flows

Friday, April 1, 1 p.m.–2 p.m.

Abstract: We present our recent work on discontinuous Galerkin scheme for incompressible flow problems, including global divergence-free DG schemes for incompressible...

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PhD Defense: Andrew Puyleart

Friday, April 1, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 127

Applied Physics Advisor: Brian Fick Searching for Anomalous Air Showers Using the Pierre Auger Observatory Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/84250534856

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CS Faculty Candidate Lecture: Lotfi ben Othmane

Friday, April 1, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.

Department of Computer Science faculty candidate Dr. Lotfi ben Othmane, Iowa State University, will present a virtual lecture Friday, April 1, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. His research...

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The Walk for Ukraine

Friday, April 1, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Portage Lake Lift Bridge

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...

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Monthly General Meeting _ Spring 2022

Friday, April 1, 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...

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The Thanksgiving Play by Wolf's Head Theatre Co

Friday, April 1, 7 p.m. |

ROZSA PRESENTING SERIES The Thanksgiving Play By Larissa Fasthorse Directed by Jaime Weeder Performed by Wolf's Head Theatre Company Dinner at 6:45 p.m.

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Cricket Tournament Spring 2022

Friday, April 1, 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,...

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Cricket Tournament Spring 2022

Friday, April 1, 10:00 p.m.–11:59 p.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,...

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

April 1, all day | Gates Tennis Center

Women's Tennis: Saginaw Valley State vs. Michigan Tech

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Spartan Invitational

April 1, all day

Spartan Invitational, Michigan State - East Lansing, Mich., Two Days

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The "Octopi Project"

April 1, all day | Administration and Student Services Building, 310

SAVE and Title IX are hosting “The Octopi Project” to encourage campus-wide engagement during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Octopi can be found all across campus. The...