May 17, 2022

This year, Richard and Cathy Podkul honored their late son Zachary Podkul ’18 (mechanical engineering technology) with a memorial scholarship design contest incorporating his passions for cooking and machine design.

The 2022 Zachary Richard Podkul MET Memorial Scholarship Challenge asked Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET) students to design and manufacture a cookie cutter the department can send out to prospective students, employers and alumni.

See the winning cookie cutter designs, read about the annual memorial scholarship challenge and learn about the Husky who inspired it at Michigan Tech Unscripted.

Don Beck, Michigan Tech professor emeritus in Physics, passed away on May 11.

Beck joined the Tech physics department in 1980 as part of an initiative to develop the research and Ph.D. programs in the department. His previous appointments included the University of Illinois, the National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens, Yeshiva University and Yale.

Much of Beck's work at Tech centered on computational atomic physics applied to transition and rare-earth metal ions. He was passionate about his research and pursued it with persistence. He was an MTU research awardee in 1999 and named a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2001 in recognition of his seminal work on relativistic correlation methodologies in electronic structure theory.

Beck retired in 2016 having published over 150 scientific papers. He received funding from many sources, most notably for his ongoing work on Lanthanide ions, which received continuous NSF funding for over 30 years. He always played an active role in the department, College of Sciences and Arts, and University. Most notably, he helped develop and provide leadership for the graduate programs in the department. As a principal advisor, he graduated 10 Ph.D. and six M.S. students. At the University level, he was particularly active as an advocate for the Van Pelt and Opie Library and improved faculty benefits.

He was a friend, colleague and mentor to many in the department.

Applications for fall 2022 Portage Health Foundation (PHF) Graduate Assistantships are being accepted and are due no later than 4 p.m. June 28 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 longstanding 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 healthcare 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.

The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) congratulates Noel Urban for being named the Best Journal of Great Lakes Research Associate Editor for 2021.

The Journal of Great Lakes Research is the official journal of the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR). Urban is a member of its editorial board, which includes many associate editors with a wide range of expertise.

Michigan Tech track and field student-athletes Clayton Sayen, Jesse Jacobusse, Michelle Bollini and Kyle Samluk participated in the Carius/Gregory Invitational at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, hosted by North Central College on Friday (May 13).

Sayen topped another school record at the invitational, this time in the 800 meters. Having already locked up a qualifier spot to the NCAA Division II Championships in the 1,500 meters, Sayen showed his versatility with the new provisional mark (1:49.27). 

Jacobusse took first place in the 800 meters and set a new personal best (2:10.54). Michelle Bollini finished first in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:11.58. Kyle Samluk placed fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:38.62, bookending a strong season in the event for the Huskies.

Read more about the Huskies' performances at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Tuesday, May 17, 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.

Associate Director – Partnerships and External Relations, Enterprise Program. Apply online.
• Contact: Rick Berkey

Business Operations Analyst, Michigan Tech Research Institute. Apply online.
• Contact: Lisa Phillips

Research Engineer/Scientist I – Water Resources Engineer, Michigan Tech Research Institute. Apply online.
• Contact: Lisa Phillips

Assistant Research Scientist – Environmental Analyst, Michigan Tech Research Institute. Apply online.
• Contact: Lisa Phillips

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.

Sigrid Resh (CFRES/ESC) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $15,500 other sponsored activities contract from the National Park Service, Isle Royale National Park.

The project is titled "AIS outreach and portable boat wash support for KISMA."

The Iron Mountain Daily News picked up a Michigan Tech News story on the lasting friendship and shared milestones of newly minted Husky alumni A.J. Alexa ’22 (chemical engineering) and Cody Slagle ’22 (engineering management).

The pair grew up in the Iron Mountain area and began their friendship in first grade at the North Dickinson County School.

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The Mining Journal picked up a Michigan Tech News story about an endowment recently received by the University's A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum. 

The endowment provides perpetual support for a museum curator. It was a gift to the museum from John “Jack” and Phyllis Seaman in celebration of Jack’s 103rd birthday, and was accompanied by a support fund for students involved with the museum.

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The History of Education Society Newsletter for Spring 2022 included a blurb about "Performing Math: A History of Communication and Anxiety in the American Mathematics Classroom" by Andrew Fiss (HU).

Spiritual Conversation Workshops

Interested in finding ways to more naturally integrate your faith into everyday conversations? InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is hosting a series of workshops for faculty, staff and grad students from today to Thursday (May 17-19).

Series events include:

• The Five Thresholds — A tool to help understand our faith journeys.
  • Tuesday, May 17, 12-1 p.m. in GLRC 202.
  • Lunch provided.
    
    
• Rethinking Evangelism — Often Christians think of evangelism as something we should do, but it doesn’t feel natural. InterVarsity evangelist Rick Mattson shares a model for a better way to think about sharing our faith.
  
  • Tuesday, May 17, 6-7:30 p.m at Evangel Community Church.
  • Childcare provided.
    
    
• Conversation Skills — How to naturally bring up spiritual topics in conversation.
  • Wednesday, May 18, 12-1 p.m. in GLRC 202.
  • Lunch provided.
    
    
• Telling Your Story — A three-part model to communicate our faith story to others.
  • Thursday, May 19, 12-1 p.m. in GLRC 202
  • Lunch provided.

This workshop series is organized by Michigan Tech's chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Email Hans Nyberg at hans.nyberg@intervarsity.org to RSVP for one or more of the workshops.

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PhD Defense: Upendra Yadav, ME-EM

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics candidate Upendra Yadav will present their doctoral defense at 10 a.m. today (May 17) in person in MEEM 1021 and virtually via Zoom. 

Yadav's defense is titled "Atomistic-Continuum Membrane and Machine Learning Models for Two-Dimensional Materials."

Yadav is advised by Susanta Ghosh.

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Dow Water Outage Tomorrow

As part of the H-STEM construction project, a water outage spanning several hours is scheduled today (May 17) for the Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building.

The water outage will begin at 6 a.m. If all goes as planned, the water should be back on by midafternoon.

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

PhD Defense: Upendra Yadav

Tuesday, May 17, 10–11 a.m. | R. L. Smith Building (MEEM), 1021

Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Advisor: Susanta Ghosh Atomistic-Continuum Membrane and Machine Learning Models for Two-Dimensional Materials Attend...