Updates from International Programs and Services

As you may know, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) temporary rule changes for F-1 nonimmigrant students. It is important to note that these rule changes only apply to nonimmigrant students who were actively enrolled at a U.S. school on March 9, 2020, and are otherwise complying with the terms of their nonimmigrant status. Therefore, students who began their studies after this date are subject to standard USCIS rules and regulations.

Graduate students must enroll in 9 credits, and 6 of these credits must be in traditional, on-campus courses. F-1 students can count 3 online credits toward their full-time enrollment requirements during fall and spring semesters.

Undergraduate students must enroll in 12 credits, and 9 of these credits must be in traditional on-campus courses. F-1 students can count 3 online credits toward their full-time enrollment requirements during fall and spring semesters.

International students must enroll in the proper CO-OP course during their CPT semester to meet the full-time enrollment requirement from USCIS. IPS staff highly recommend that students do not take additional online courses during CPT. Students should consult with the IPS staff before making this decision. All guidelines for maintaining immigration status while studying at Michigan Tech can be found on the IPS website. Please encourage students to visit this page for more information.

The IPS staff are dedicated to helping international students and scholars understand and comply with government requirements during their time at Michigan Tech and beyond. If you have questions or concerns about working with international students, contact IPS staff at ips@mtu.edu or by calling 906-487-2160.

Beekeeping 101 Classes

The MTU Sustainability Demonstration House is excited to be offering Beekeeping 101 classes this summer! If you are curious about backyard beekeeping and want to learn more about what it takes to set up a hive, then this is the class for you!

Classes will be held on July 19, 20 and 21 from 6-8 p.m. at the MTU Sustainability Demonstration House at 21680 Woodland Rd., Houghton. Classes are free ($10 suggested donation to help the SDH project) and will comprehensively cover the basics of beekeeping for a beginner.

Sign up for Beekeeping 101.

Please note: Signing up does not guarantee a spot in the class. Space is limited and spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Email sdh@mtu.edu with any questions.

PhD Defense: Prathamesh Deshpande, ME-EM

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics candidate Prathamesh Deshpande will present their doctoral defense at 9 a.m. tomorrow (July 12) in person in MEEM 1021 and virtually via Zoom.

Deshpande's defense is titled "Molecular Modeling of High-Performance Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composites for Aerospace Applications."

Deshpande is advised by Greg Odegard and Susanta Ghosh.

Two-Day Training: Facilitating Restorative Conferences

What would justice look like if the primary concern was the needs of those most affected?

Facilitating Restorative Conferences Training will be offered Aug. 3 and 4 at the Great Lakes Research Center. Participants will be trained as restorative justice (RJ) conference facilitators.

In an RJ conference, harmed parties have the opportunity to tell those responsible how they have been affected. Those responsible can gain empathy and understanding — not only for those directly affected, but for family, friends, co-workers and others. Then, the responsible parties have a chance to make amends and shed the "offender" label, hopefully breaking the cycle of violence, misbehavior and/or disruption. For more information about restorative practices, please visit the International Institute for Restorative Practices website.

There is no cost for this two-day training, which will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 3 and 4 in GLRC 202. Participants will have a lunch break on their own from 12:30-1:30 p.m. each day.

Training participants will:

  • Learn how to prepare for and facilitate an RJ conference through experiential learning.
  • Receive the "Restorative Justice Conferencing: Real Justice & The Conferencing Handbook," which includes:
    • A step-by-step guide to setting up and conducting conferences.
    • Stories demonstrating how RJ conferences are being used around the world in schools, criminal justice systems, workplaces and elsewhere.
  • Receive a certificate of completion (must complete both days).
  • Enjoy snacks/refreshments and great conversations.

Register now. Applications are due no later than Aug. 1. Seats are limited to the first 12 participants!

All inquiries may be addressed to Director of Academic Conduct Rob Bishop at rmbishop@mtu.edu or 906-487-1964.

Clayton Sayen Receives GLIAC Commissioner's Award

Michigan Tech's Clayton Sayen has been awarded the 2022 Spring 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 in both the classroom and competition.

Sayen was honored for the first time in his career after completing an outstanding junior season for the Huskies in outdoor track and field (spring) and cross country (fall). On May 31, Sayen was named a USTFCCCA Division II All-American for track and field after placing 11th in the men's 1,500 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Michigan.

Sayen became the 12th Michigan Tech men's track and field athlete to make an NCAA appearance and was the first to make the final 12 in the 1,500 meters.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

In the News

Crain’s Detroit Business credited Michigan Tech’s “research and development might” as a driver behind a small-business boom in the Upper Peninsula.

Four of the five small businesses highlighted by Crain’s feature a Husky connection: SightLine, with founder Ashley Kern ’15 ’17 (B.S., statistics; M.S., data science) and COO Erin Thompson ’02 (B.S., cognitive and learning sciences); Orbion Space Technology, co-founded by CEO Brad King (ME-EM) and CTO Jason Sommerville ’09 (Ph.D., mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics); ZiTechnologies, founded by Stas Zinchick (ME-EM); and SwimSmart, founded by Jacob Soter ’19 ’20 (B.S., electrical and computer engineering; MBA).

Orbion’s origins were highlighted in MTU’s 2022 Research Magazine. SwimSmart was the subject of a 2021 Michigan Tech News story.

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Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Water Resource District Manager Jay Parent mentioned Michigan Tech in an ABC 10 story about the upcoming meeting of the Buffalo Reef Task Force.

Parent described one of Tech’s contributions to the ongoing project, saying MTU found that aquatic communities in the reef have been impacted significantly by stamp sands.

The task force will meet at 6 p.m. tomorrow (July 12) at Lake Linden-Hubbell High School. The meeting is open to the public.

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Michigan Capitol Confidential published a story on Michigan Tech’s top rating for free speech by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). 

MTU is the only college in Michigan and one of 58 nationally to earn FIRE’s green-light rating for its free speech policies.

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The Pueblo Chieftain mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the new Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology located at Southern Colorado University Pueblo.

The story named Michigan Tech as one of eight research institutions in international technology company ENSCO's Center for Surface Transportation Testing and Academic Research (CS-TTAR), a national consortium addressing surface transportation challenges.

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the July 6 Hancock City Council meeting. 

The council approved a letter of support for an MTU grant application at the meeting. The University is seeking grant funds for refined battery materials for the U.S. electric vehicle battery supply chain, according to the story.

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Michigan Tech’s 100th Winter Carnival was listed by the California Sun as one of the “coolest winter ice castles and sculptures in America.”

In Print

Mark Rhodes (SS) is the author of an article published in Fennia, the open-access flagship journal of the Geographical Society of Finland.

The article is titled "Cardiff and the contentious landscapes of postindustrial, urban, and transnational memory work."

As a brief synopsis of several years of landscape research in the Welsh capital city and its urban redevelopments, the paper presents an extension to typical geographical analyses of urban and heritage research. Because of the city's quest for regional and international competitiveness, most everything, from the city's infrastructure to its heritage institutions, now excludes anyone perceived as not "contributing" to their economic aspirations.

Reminders

PhD Defense: Menghan Zhao, ME-EM

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics candidate Menghan Zhao will present their doctoral defense at 8:30 a.m. today (July 11) in person in MEEM 1021 and virtually via Zoom.

Zhao's defense is titled "Study of Droplets Interactions on Solid Surface for Manufacturing Applications."

Zhao is advised by Kazuya Tajiri.

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Pharmaceutical Initiative Series Seminar

Ulrich Hansmann from the University of Oklahoma will present a Pharmaceutical Initiative Series seminar from 2-3 p.m. today (July 11) in Chem Sci 101.

The seminar is titled "In Silico studies of amyloid formation and propagation."

From the abstract:
A detailed knowledge of the processes by that proteins fold, change their structure and function, or self-assemble and aggregate, is crucial for an understanding of disease pathways and the working of drugs at the level of cells. As these fundamental processes are difficult to trace, there is a need for reliable computational tools that can complement experiments. In this talk, I will describe some of the methods that are transforming computer simulations into virtual microscopes. These techniques will be discussed in the context of the formation and propagation of protein aggregates that are associated with various diseases. We will focus on examples where these processes may be mediated by viruses and other pathogens.

Presenter Bio
Hansmann received his M.A. in Philosophy and Ph.D. in Physics from the Freie Universität Berlin at Berlin, Germany. He started his career as an independent researcher in 1998 in the Department of Physics at Michigan Tech before moving in 2011 to the University of Oklahoma, where he is now a professor in the Department of Chemistry.

Hansmann leads an active research program in areas of development of advanced simulation techniques and the modeling of biomolecular systems. His work is supported by both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (USA). He has authored and co-authored more than 240 publications, which receive 200-300 annual citations. His H-index is 35 (Google Scholar: 46). In nonpandemic years, he has organized a series of annual workshops titled “From Computational Biophysics to Systems Biology” since 2006. 

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Nama-Stay Outside: Free Yoga Event

Join Student Leadership and Involvement for an opportunity to wind down and stretch out! Brigitte Morin (BioSci), co-owner of Fresh Coast Yoga, will lead a lunchtime yoga session at noon tomorrow (July 12) on Walker Lawn for the campus community.

All levels are welcome. Participants are encouraged to bring their own water bottle and yoga mat, but we will have some extras on hand if you need one. We hope to see you there!

In the event of inclement weather, this event will be moved to the MUB Alumni Lounge.

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Jin W. Choi Appointed Chair of ECE

Jin W. Choi is the new chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan Tech, taking up the position July 1.

Choi comes to Michigan Tech from Louisiana State University, where he served as the Mark and Carolyn Guidry Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. At LSU, Choi led the graduate program in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and was director of the BioMEMS and Bioelectronics Laboratory.

Choi earned his B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea, and his Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati. His work as a faculty member at Louisiana State University received numerous recognitions for excellence in teaching and mentoring, scholarship, and innovation in engineering research.

Choi's research interests include MEMS and BioMEMS, biomedical and bioelectronic devices, microfluidic devices and systems, lab-on-a-chip systems, and various sensors and sensor systems. He holds eight U.S. patents, including one he and collaborators recently received for a wireless implantable neural stimulator designed to help patients with neurodegenerative diseases control pain and improve quality of life.

Janet Callahan, dean of the College of Engineering, said Choi brings a wealth of experience and perspective to Tech.

“Dr. Choi’s entrepreneurial approach to research and teaching strongly equips him to carry out the department’s mission of teaching the next generation of electrical, computer and robotics engineers,” said Callahan. “At Michigan Tech, he will creatively facilitate the development of technological innovations across a wide field of areas.”

One of Choi’s primary goals is to promote collaboration within the University and beyond.

“The horizon of electrical and computer engineering stretches from power engineering to modern and future electronics, space technology, communication and connectivity, computing devices, healthcare, robotics, automobiles and much more,” Choi said. “Electrical and computer engineering undoubtedly provides backbone technologies to our modern society as we undergo the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Michigan Tech is patently where a better tomorrow begins.”

Read the full story on the College of Engineering Blog.

Today's Campus Events

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UPGA Junior Tournament

UPGA Junior Tournament *Some events and times may change

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PhD Defense: Menghan Zhao

Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Advisor: Kazuya Tajiri Study of Droplets Interactions on Solid Surface for Manufacturing Applications Attend Virtually:...

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Adult Huskies Swim Training Summer 2022 Session 2 (Breaststroke/Butterfly Focus)

Adult Huskies Swim Training provides additional attention and competitive guidance to swimmers ages 18 and older who are looking to improve their swimming skills and fitness...