April 25, 2022

Michigan Tech invites campus and local community members to join us in celebrating the start of construction on our new H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex.

The H-STEM Complex will support industry-relevant educational and research programs in health and human-centered engineering with a science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM-focused, approach. The groundbreaking ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Friday (April 29) on campus near the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building. If the weather is inclement, the ceremony will be held indoors in the Memorial Union Building.

“The new H-STEM building will play a pivotal role in supporting health-related research and outcomes not only for the Upper Peninsula, but for our state and country,” said Rick Koubek, Michigan Tech president. “This building would not be possible without the tremendous support of our governor, Legislature and the many Michigan Tech faculty and staff members who have worked diligently throughout the planning process.”

Read more in the Michigan Tech press release.

US-41 Road Project construction is scheduled to resume next Monday (May 2). Work being done this summer will not impact traffic flow on the Michigan Tech main campus, but rerouting will impact the normal traffic flow of College Avenue and could affect those coming to and leaving campus.

Facilities Management will share pertinent project announcements and traffic rerouting information on the US-41 Road Project webpage.

Drivers and pedestrians are reminded to stay alert while in and around construction zones, and to follow all appropriate directions and be aware of changing traffic patterns.

Volunteers are needed to help develop a mathematical equation to better prescribe exercise for healthy and clinical populations.

Participation entails:

• One (1) lab visit lasting two (2) hours at the Exercise Physiology Lab located in the SDC.
  
  • During this visit, we will assess your blood pressure, leg size and leg strength.

You may be eligible to participate in this research study at Michigan Tech if you:

• Are between the ages of 18-44.
• Have a BMI less than or equal to 30.
• Do not use products that contain tobacco.
• Do not have diabetes.
• Have no cardiopulmonary disorders, including but not limited to hypertension.
• Have not experienced a recent lower-body injury or surgery.
• Have no history of ACL injury or surgery.
• Do not have any implanted devices such as a pacemaker or pain pump.
• Have no skin or dermatological disorders.
• Do not have any neurological disorders.
• Are not a female using contraceptive pills.

Please contact Isaac Wedig at ijwedig@mtu.edu or 906-458-2778 with any questions or to participate.

The family of Karen Hall will host a tree dedication ceremony to celebrate her life at noon Friday (April 29). Hall, the former director of Student Affairs Information Systems (SAIS) at Michigan Tech, passed away in November 2020 following a battle with cancer. 

The dedication will take place in front of the Academic Office Building. All are invited to attend, and campus community members will be invited to make remarks during the dedication.

Please contact Bryant Weathers at weathers@mtu.edu or 906-370-9149 if you have any questions.

The Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC invite you to the Spring 2022 Commissioning Ceremony on Saturday (April 30) at 7:30 a.m. at the Rozsa Center.

This semester we have four Army cadets and 15 Air Force cadets commissioning!

Those commissioning are from the following programs:

Civil Engineering | Environmental Engineering | Engineering Fundamentals | Construction Management | Chemistry | Mechanical Engineering | Physics | Computer Science | Applied Ecology and Environmental Science | Exercise Science | Mathematics | Engineering Management

We will also be streaming the ceremony if you prefer to watch it live on YouTube.

The Michigan Tech volleyball team has announced its 2022 schedule.

The Huskies will play 29 matches in the fall with 18 GLIAC contests and nine games at the SDC Gym. 

Tech begins the season at the Cal State Monterey Bay Tournament at the end of August.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Monday, April 25, 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.

Lecturer in German, Humanities. Apply online.

Lecturer in Geography, Social Sciences. Apply online.

Information Systems Security Engineer, Michigan Tech Research Institute. Apply online.

Photography Specialist, University Marketing and Communications. 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.

Research Talk: Aviation and Military History of the Great Lakes

Wayne Lusardi, state maritime archaeologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will present the research talk "Aviation Maritime Archaeology in Michigan" at 10 a.m. tomorrow (April 26) in GLRC 202.

The talk will highlight collaborative research opportunities to study underwater and shoreline archaeological and natural systems research.

Over 1,100 aircraft have crashed in the waters of the Great Lakes beginning in the late 19th century. Although many wrecks were recovered immediately following the accidents, many hundreds are still missing in the lakes. Balloons, biplanes, helicopters, fixed wing monoplanes, jet aircraft, even rockets and satellites, represent historically unique aircraft and provide students opportunities to document and study the material culture of our aviation heritage.

In addition to Lusardi's role as state maritime archaeologist, he is an artifact conservator with the DNR. For over 30 years he has participated in the documentation of hundreds of shipwrecks located across the United States and Caribbean. He also investigates historic aircraft wreck sites, both on land and underwater. He has led multiple expeditions to lower Lake Huron, where a Bell P39 Airacobra flown by Tuskegee Airman Lt. Frank H. Moody crashed during World War II.

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Annual Steam Shutdown

Weather permitting, Michigan Tech's annual steam shutdown will take place during the week following Spring Commencement, from May 1 to May 6.

This outage is required to provide maintenance and service of the boilers and steam distribution system on campus. This planned maintenance improves the reliability of our system and reduces the likelihood of an unplanned failure during the winter heating season.

Please note: There will not be heat or hot water in the affected buildings during the steam shutdown. There will be no distilled water available from the steam-driven stills. Steam-driven autoclaves/sterilizers will not be operational.

The annual steam shutdown:

• Begins: Sunday, May 1, at noon.
• Ends: Friday, May 6, at noon.

Buildings affected are:
Administration Building
Annex
Academic Office Building (AOB)
Chemical Sciences
Central Heating Plant
Douglass Houghton Hall
Dillman
DOW
Electrical Energy Resources Center (EERC)
Facilities
Fisher
Forestry
Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC)
Hillside Place
Library
McNair Hall
Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM)
Memorial Union Building (MUB)
Minerals and Materials Engineering (M&M)
Rekhi
ROTC
Rozsa
Student Development Complex (SDC)
Wadsworth Hall
Walker

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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Keweenaw Native Plant Symposium

Biologist, pollinator conservationist and award-winning author Heather Holm will be the featured speaker Saturday (April 30) at the fifth annual Keweenaw Native Plant Symposium, co-sponsored by the Sustainability Demonstration House. Holm will be joined by two regional experts on Michigan’s native plants.

This free symposium will be hosted on Zoom from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information and to register, visit the Wild Ones Keweenaw Chapter website.

In her talk, “The Pollination of Native Plants,” Holm showcases the development of different flower types and the presentation of floral resources to pollinators. Exploring the types of insect pollinators, their foraging behavior and the floral features that attract pollinators, she will provide many examples of how native plants are pollinated and what pollinator is most effective and why.

Holm's expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Her first book, "Pollinators of Native Plants," was published in 2014. Her second book, "Bees," published in 2017, has won six book awards, including the 2018 American Horticultural Society Book Award. Her latest book, "Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants," has won five book awards.

Also on the program is Carolyn Miller, botanist and plant recorder at Michigan State University, who will speak on “Michigan Native Plants: From their Habitat to My Home.” Her presentation includes a photographic tour of Michigan plants, from prairies, to bogs, to cedar swamps. Miller is the president of the Wildflower Association of Michigan.

Additionally, Michelle Wietek-Stephens of Marquette, owner of Designs by Nature—Upper Peninsula Native Plants, will present “A Watched Seed Never Sprouts: Adventures in Starting a Native Plant Nursery in the U.P.”

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Mental Health First Aid Training

Faculty and staff are invited to an upcoming mental health first aid (MHFA) training opportunity. 

Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. Friends, family members, peers or mentors may find it hard to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not receive care until it is too late.

Just as CPR helps even those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack, MHFA prepares participants to interact with a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Participants will learn a five-step action plan to guide them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support.

This training follows a hybrid model, with two hours of pre-work (must be completed at least 48 hours in advance of in-person training) and about 6.5 hours of in-person training. The in-person portion of the training will take place May 4 and 5 from 8-11:30 a.m. each day. You must attend both portions of the course in their entirety to receive MHFA certification.

The cost per participant is $24 and covers all materials. Participants are responsible for the cost.

For more information and to sign up, use please see the sign-up form.

Please contact Sarah Dowd at sedowd@mtu.edu with any questions.

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PhD Defense: Karrar Takleef Alofari, ME-EM

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics candidate Karrar Takleef Alofari will defend their doctoral dissertation at 2 p.m. today (April 25) in person in MEEM 1021 and virtually via Zoom.

Takleef Alofari's defense is titled "Permeability, Structural Changes, Flow Regime Transition and Trapped Saturation in Porous Media with Application to Fuel Cell Catalyst Layer."

Takleef Alofari is advised by Jeff Allen and Ezequiel Medici.

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Songer Research Awards Deadline Extended

The deadline for applications for the Songer Research Awards in Human Health has been extended to May 6.

These awards provide support for undergraduates ($4,000) or graduate students ($6,000) in the College of Sciences and Arts to pursue research projects related to human health.

Find more information on the College of Sciences and Arts Newsblog.

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

Teal Ribbons

Monday, April 25, 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...

PhD Defense: Karrar Takleef Alofari

Monday, April 25, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building (MEEM), 1021

Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Co-advisors: Jeffrey Allen and Ezequiel Medici Permeability, Structural Changes, Flow Regime Transition and Trapped Saturation...