April 8, 2022

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) of Michigan Tech has formed an ad hoc committee to assess accessibility on our campus and find areas where we can improve. This is a joint committee consisting of undergraduate students, graduate students and staff members.

The committee's goal is to perform a physical evaluation/survey of our campus buildings and evaluate how accessible the area is. To this end, the committee has put together a plan to evaluate the external entrances to buildings on campus, any internal or fire doors that restrict movement through the buildings, elevators and bathrooms. The committee is seeking volunteers to assist with this evaluation.

The goal will be to have the evaluation process begin Thursday (April 14) and finish by April 23. Volunteers will need to attend a brief training session to learn how to properly do the evaluation; this should take no more than 15 minutes. They will be given the tools needed to perform the evaluation.

Time committed to evaluations is up to the individual. Surveying an individual location should take no more than five minutes, and you can commit as much or as little time as you would like. If you have any questions about volunteering responsibilities or about the work of the committee in general, please reach out to Nathan Ford at gsg-president@mtu.edu.

If you would like to volunteer, please sign up using our volunteer form. If you would like, you may track your volunteer hours in GivePulse.

We are all aware of various accommodations that our campuses have made to respond to the needs of those with disabilities, such as ramps into our buildings, signage in Braille in the elevators, wheelchair sections in our classrooms and accessibility requirements for webpages and learning management systems. Still, students, staff and faculty with more visible and less visible disabilities frequently encounter ableism, which refers to beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with disabilities.

Recently, Nature has featured the experiences of several scientists who face specific challenges in navigating academia, including a lip-reading ecologist, a graduate student with PTSD, and a nuclear physicist on crutches. They offer advice for how colleagues can be allies, such as making small changes in communication methods when needed and not dismissing their requests for accommodations. Additional guidance is offered in an Inside Higher Ed post about how to write reference letters for colleagues and students with disabilities, including not outing someone’s disability without their permission, not discussing how accommodations “fix” the disability, and not creating “inspiration porn” about the person with the disability. Taken together, these articles prompt us to update our assumptions, professional practices and campus facilities to normalize and support accommodations for people with disabilities.

Today’s feature was shared with us by the ADVANCE 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.

The Graduate Research Colloquium 2022 was held March 29 and 30. Graduate Student Government (GSG) would like to thank everyone who made the event possible. Over the two days, we had 50 poster presentations and 49 oral presentations.

The winners are as follows:

Poster Presentations

• Third Place: Mohanish Chandurkar, “Shear stress sensing on endothelial cells using traction force microscopy (TFM)”
• Second Place (tie): Laura Schaerer, “Division of Labor in Polyethylene Terephthalate Degrading Microbial Consortia”
• Second Place (tie): Brennan Vogl, “Effect of aortic curvature on bioprosthetic aortic valve performance”
• First Place: Arslan Amer, “Selenoprotein Sepp1 Determines Cysteine Dependence in Pancreatic Cancer”

Oral Presentations
Due to an unlikely four-way tie, we have decided to present the awards to our top four presenters in no particular order:

• Arslan Amer, "Selenium and Cysteine in Pancreatic Cancer Therapy"
• Fatemeh Razaviamri, "Moisture-Activated Antiviral Coating based on Mussel Adhesive Chemistry"
• Rishi Babu, "Study of a source rich region to understand the origin of PeVatrons"
• Isaac Wedig, "A Practical Application of Blood Flow Restriction Exercise"

A hearty congratulations to all the winners at this year’s colloquium. GSG would like to thank everyone — presenters, judges, volunteers and GSG supporters — for making this a great event!

GSG would also like to hear ways in which this event could be improved next year using our feedback form.

Pictures of the event can be found online.

Audra Morse (CEGE) has been appointed to a one-year term as a member of the Executive Committee of the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC).

As a member of ExCom, Morse will support the activities of the Commission during the 2022-23 accreditation cycle.

Dean Janet Callahan has selected David M. Labyak, assistant professor in the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET), for this spring’s Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Labyak will be recognized at an end-of-term luncheon with other spring showcase members, and is a candidate for this summer's CTL Instructional Award Series.

Labyak brings his 23 years of professional industry experience to life in the classroom. He relates engineering project examples from General Motors in manufacturing and process engineering; Copper Range Company and Raytheon Missile Systems in project engineering; and Great Lakes Sound and Vibration in simulation analysis. All offer students an endless supply of practical applications to help understand engineering theory.

Labyak first developed new assignments and restructured machine design courses MET 3242 and MET 3451. Then, he developed new graduate courses: MET 5800 and MET 5801 for the mechatronics M.S. and online course MFGE 5200 for the manufacturing engineering graduate certificate.

In these courses, Labyak relates course theory to industrial applications of sheet metal design and fabrication, mining facility maintenance, and missile assembly processes. In addition, he uses examples from his family-owned farm in Ontonagon, where he maintains tractors and farm equipment. Vibrations, reliability and fatigue in mechanical components such as bearings, gears, drive systems, clutches and brakes provide examples students can easily grasp.

Labyak’s ability to explain where and how students will utilize the course content in their careers also makes him a great recruiter and advisor. “David often volunteers to meet with prospective students and their families,” says John Irwin, chair of MMET. “His industry knowledge in terms of engineering needs provides insight to guide MET students throughout their career paths.”

MET alum Mickala Kohtz ’21 explains how Labyak was effective in teaching MET 4660 CAE and FEA Methods. “He took the time to understand the way that I learned best and would walk me through difficult concepts. Dave was always willing to help his students, whether it was after class, the weekends, and even to lend a listening ear about job offers or Senior Design help.”

Likewise, former student Joshua Olusola says Labyak is very friendly and open to students anytime you find him available, even on Saturdays. “He gave sufficient in-class practice questions to ensure that the concept was understood before he assigned homework.” MET 5801 was Olusola’s first encounter with the Simulink software, but he transitioned smoothly using instructional labs prior to lab assignments. “I would say almost every student who had a course with Dave always jumped at an opportunity to take another with him due to his exceptional teaching technique and friendly personality. These traits indeed made students more open to learning.”

Dean Callahan recognizes Labyak’s ability to connect with students. “The personal relationships that Dave is able to develop with his students demonstrates the best parts of the high-tech, high-touch education that is Michigan Tech’s trademark. He is an inspiration to us all.”

The Department of Chemistry would like to give a big shout-out to Ph.D. candidate Parya Siahcheshm, who presented two papers on carbon dots during her first attendance at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring Conference held in San Diego from March 20-24.

Siahcheshm's first paper, titled “High quantum yield carbon dots that give selective detection of Fe2+/Fe3+ ions prepared with Tween® 80,” was presented March 21 at 5 p.m.

Her second, titled “Comparison of linear, cyclic, and aromatic reagents in nitrogen-doped carbon dots,” was presented March 23 at 3 p.m.

Siahcheshm's doctoral advisor, Patricia Heiden (Chem) is a co-author on both papers.

Well done, Parya and Dr. Heiden! Way to represent!

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) recognized Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) alumna Amy Trahey '94 (civil engineering) at its 57th annual Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards Gala held March 19.

Trahey was presented with the ACEC/M Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award to honor her outstanding leadership roles in ACEC and several community organizations.

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering candidate Carter Paprocki will present their master's defense at 1 p.m. Monday (April 11) in person in MEEM 208 and virtually via Zoom.

Paprocki's defense is titled "Characterization of Hydraulic Flow Noise Induced by Spool Valves."

Paprocki is advised by Sriram Malladi.

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering candidate Emily Zeitunian will present their master's defense at 3 p.m. Monday (April 11). This virtual defense will be held online only. Attendance is invited via Zoom.

Zeitunian's defense is titled "Microscale Transverse Compression Modeling: A Comparative Study of the Analytical MAC/GMC Methods to Experimental Results."

Zeitunian is advised by Greg Odegard.

Hongyu An (ECE) and Kevin Trewartha (CLS) will present lectures at 3 p.m. next Friday (April 15) in Rekhi G005. The lectures can also be attended virtually via Zoom.

An’s research interests include neuromorphic engineering/computing, energy-efficient neuromorphic electronic circuit design for artificial intelligence, emerging nanoscale device design and spiking neural networks. Trewartha specializes in cognitive neuroscience of aging with a focus on the cognitive mechanisms of motor behavior.

The lectures are sponsored by the Department of Computer Science (CS).

Read the post on the Computing News Blog.

Please note: The date of this talk has been changed from today (April 8) to next Friday (April 15).

Editor's note: As of April 14, this event has been canceled and is expected to be rescheduled at a later date.

Next Friday (April 15), Ruben Carbonell of North Carolina State University will give a talk titled "Scaling Up Your Research from Single PI Grants to Multi-Institution Centers." The talk will be given from 2-3 p.m. in GLRC 202. Refreshments will be provided.

Earlier the same day, Carbonell will give another talk for the Chemical Engineering Research Seminar Series at 10 a.m. in Chem Sci 201.

Ruben Carbonell
Carbonell is the Frank Hawkins Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NC State, which he joined in 1984 after 10 years at the University of California, Davis. As executive director of the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) from 2008-17, he led the establishment of its highly regarded academic, professional development, and bioprocess and analytical services programs and now holds the title of BTEC Distinguished Fellow.

Carbonell is currently serving as senior technology strategist for the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). He was instrumental in launching NIIMBL and served as chief technology officer from 2017-20. Since 1999, he has also held the position of director of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science, which supports innovative research, educational, entrepreneurial and public policy programs.

The first candidate for the chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) will give a presentation at 2 p.m. Tuesday (April 12) in person in EERC 501 and virtually via Zoom.

The presentation will cover highlights of the candidate’s career and their thoughts about the future of education and research in electrical and computer engineering. The event is open to the Michigan Tech community. 

Information on the candidate and the Zoom meeting link can be found in a Google Drive folder shared with all those with an @mtu.edu email address. You will need to log in to your Michigan Tech Google Drive to view the information.

A reception will be held for the candidate in EERC 515 following the presentation.

Michigan Tech hockey goaltender Mark Sinclair has signed a standard player contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Sinclair was with the team in Canada for their game against Trois-Riviéres on Wednesday (April 6).

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech men's basketball's Owen White has been named a recipient of the 2021-22 Winter 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.

Job Postings for Friday, April 8, 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.

Engineering Academic Advisor I, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. Apply online.

Director – Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering. Apply online.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Mathematical Sciences. Apply online.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Biomedical Engineering. 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.

Hongmei Lu ’20 (Ph.D., environmental and energy policy) and Shan Zhou (SS) have published a co-authored paper in the Journal of Asian Public Policy.

The paper is titled "Using policy goal ambiguity to manage policy goal conflicts: Sponge-City Program implementation in old neighborhoods."

The paper uses a case study to understand how local policy implementers take advantages of policy goal ambiguity to maximize the policy outcomes of urban stormwater management program in China, given constrained resources and budget.

Required for All Employees: Sexual Misconduct Training Coming in April

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the time of year to complete your required annual employee training related to Title IX and sexual misconduct.

In early April, you will receive an email with the subject “Michigan Technological University has assigned you training.” This email will contain a link to access the training within Everfi, our training platform. Employees will be given ample time (60 days) to complete the training, which takes about one hour. Topics include responsibilities of Title IX personnel, bystander intervention strategies, appropriate responses to dating and domestic violence, confidentiality, supporting survivors, confidential resources, and referring survivors to our Title IX office.

This harassment and discrimination training joins safety training and IT security training as required campuswide training for all employees.

Be on the lookout for additional programming during April! For more information on Title IX, visit our website.

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Banner-Related Services Unavailable Sunday

A production system maintenance window is scheduled for Sunday (April 10) from 7-11 a.m. The following production services will be unavailable during that time:

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.

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MS Defense: Kurush Kasad, CS

M.S. in Computer Science candidate Kurush Kasad will present their master's defense from 2-3 p.m. today (April 8) in Rekhi 101 and virtually via Zoom.

Kasad's defense is titled “Eager Scheduling of Dependent Instructions.”

Kasad is advised by Soner Onder.

Read the post on the Computing News Blog.

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MS Defense: Jacob Colling, ME-EM

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering candidate Jacob Colling will present their master's defense at 3 p.m. today (April 8) in person in MEEM 1021 and virtually via Zoom.

Colling's defense is titled "Development and Validation of a Force Measuring Device for a Laboratory Wave Tank."

Colling is advised by Gordon Parker.

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Film Board Presenting 'Sing 2'

This weekend, the Film Board will present "Sing 2," rated PG for some rude material and mild peril/violence.

Summary: Buster Moon and his friends must persuade reclusive rock star Clay Calloway to join them for the opening of a new show.

Showings:

• Saturday, April 9 — 5:30 p.m.*, 8:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.
• Sunday, April 10 — 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 8:30 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.

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Chemistry Seminar Series

The next speaker in the Chemistry Seminar Series will present a talk at 3 p.m. today (April 8) in Chem Sci 101.

Parisa Abadi (ME-EM) will present "3D Printing of Conductive Nanocomposites and Their Biomedical Applications."

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

Teal Ribbons

Friday, April 8, 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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Tech Arts Festival

Friday, April 8, 12:00 a.m.–11:45 p.m. | Memorial Union Buliding

Tech Arts Fest - A Day in the Keweenaw – Join us in celebrating the beauty of our snowy home with the Michigan Tech Arts Festival, from Monday, April 4 to Saturday, April...

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Overcoming Cellulose Recalcitrance by Understanding Interfacial Enzyme Hydrolysis Kinetics

Friday, April 8, 10–11 a.m. | Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building, 201

Chemical Engineering Research Seminar Tina Jeoh Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California Davis Abstract Cellulose is a remarkable...

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Master's Defense: Spencer Snider

Friday, April 8, 1 p.m.–2 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 743

Biological Sciences Advisor: Paul Goetsch Evolutionary Conservation of the DREAM Subcomplex MuvB Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/84466610429

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PhD Defense: Erin Eberhard

Friday, April 8, 1 p.m.–2 p.m. | Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), 202

Biological Sciences Advisor: Amy Marcarelli Spatial Heterogeneity of Nitrogen Cycling in Stream and Wetland Ecosystems Attend Virtually:...

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PhD Defense: Yunxiang Ma

Friday, April 8, 1 p.m.–2 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 804

Civil Engineering Advisor: Qingli Dai Properties of Cross-Laminated Timber Panel with Low-Value Lumber and Performance of Cross-Laminated Timber Wall System Subjected to...

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Regularization of the Factorization Method with Applications

Friday, April 8, 1 p.m.–2 p.m.

Abstract: In this talk, we discuss a new regularized version of the Factorization Method. The Factorization Method uses Picard's Criteria to define an indicator function to...

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Master's Defense: Sean Westley

Friday, April 8, 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), U113

Applied Ecology Advisor: Rodney Chimner Forested Wetland Mitigation: Developing Techniques to Restore Northern White Cedar on Clay Settling Areas in Northern Michigan ...

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Master's Defense: Bailey Papes

Friday, April 8, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 875

Environmental Engineering Advisor: Jennifer Becker Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Mitigation from Contaminated Groundwater Using Halophyte and Cow Bone Biochars Attend...

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Master's Defense: Kurush Kasad

Friday, April 8, 2:00 p.m.–3:20 p.m. | Rekhi Hall, Room 101

Kurush Kasad, Computer Science, will present their M.S. defense on April 8, 2002, from 2:00 to 3:20 p.m., in Rekhi Hall Room 101 and virtually. The title of the talk is,...

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Master's Defense: Kurush Sayras Kasad

Friday, April 8, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | Rekhi Hall, 101

Computer Science Advisor: Soner Onder Eager Scheduling of Dependent Instructions Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/83359265443

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Master's Defense: Jacob Colling

Friday, April 8, 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building (MEEM), 1021

Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Gordon Parker Development and Validation of a Force Measuring Device for a Laboratory Wave Tank Attend Virtually:...

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Monthly General Meeting _ Spring 2022

Friday, April 8, 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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Painting With a Twist

Friday, April 8, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | MUB Ballroom

Tickets are ON SALE NOW! Grab a few friends and join us for a night of follow-along painting with some tasty charcuterie boards and beverages!Check out our instagram for more...

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The Thanksgiving Play by Wolf's Head Theatre Co

Friday, April 8, 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 8, 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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(Men's Tennis) Michigan Tech at Northwood

April 8, all day

Men's Tennis: Michigan Tech at Northwood

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(Women's Tennis) Michigan Tech at Northwood

April 8, all day

Women's Tennis: Michigan Tech at Northwood