July 26, 2022

The 2022 Upper Peninsula Medical Conference (UPMedCon) will bring together medical practitioners, researchers and students for a weekend of learning about health issues impacting rural communities.

Hosted by Michigan Tech's Health Research Institute, UPMedCon will be held Aug. 26-28 at the Memorial Union Building. Health practitioners from around the Upper Peninsula and northern Great Lakes region are invited to attend.

Read the press release at Michigan Tech News.

After 43 years of distinguished service to Michigan Tech as a staff member, student, professor and leader, Larry Sutter, associate dean of research and external relations in the College of Engineering (CoE) and professor of materials science and engineering, officially retired from the University as of June 30.

Sutter first came to Michigan Tech in 1979 to work in the former Department of Metallurgical Engineering, operating and maintaining their powerful electron microscopes. He had previously earned an associate degree in electronics at DeVry University in Ohio and worked for an instrument vendor for three years. Taking advantage of Tech’s tuition benefit while working full-time, he took a few undergraduate courses, and then a few more — eventually earning a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering. He didn’t stop there. Sutter went on to earn an M.S. in Environmental Engineering and finally a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering — all at Michigan Tech.

In 2007, Sutter became director of the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI), which serves as a link between University researchers and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and other state DOTS, as well as the Federal Highway Administration.

He also served as director of the U.S. Department of Transportation-sponsored UTC-MiSTI (University Transportation Center for Materials in Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure).

Sutter joined Michigan Tech’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 2013 as a full professor. Over the years, his research focus honed in on various recycled and secondary materials for sustainable concrete. “My professional goal now is to be a contributor to making the cement and concrete industry carbon neutral by 2035,” he said. “It is a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal), but I feel strongly it can be done.”

In 2019, Sutter was named Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and serves as chair of the board of the newly formed ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete (NEU).

Sutter made his mark outside the world of concrete and Michigan Tech as well. After enjoying hockey as a spectator all of his life, at the age of 37, he got the opportunity to get on the ice and enjoy the game as a participant. This happened because he casually commented to his graduate school office mate, John Sandell (now a faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering), that he would love to play hockey — but only if he could play goalie. “John assured me that if I wanted to play goalie, I could play seven days a week — because no one else wanted to do it!” said Sutter.

Sutter has played hockey ever since and even founded the Tuesday Night Hockey League, which involves the game (of course) but also a veritable locker room feast that Sutter prepares himself each week for his teammates.

Read the full story on the College of Engineering Blog.

Today (July 26) marks the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. Today, we celebrate this important civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. 

The ADA has expanded opportunities for individuals with disabilities by reducing barriers and changing perceptions, and increasing full participation in community life. However, the full promise of the ADA will only be reached if everyone remains committed to continuing efforts to fully implement the ADA.

Celebrate the ADA's anniversary to recognize the progress that has been made, reaffirm the principles of equity and inclusion, and recommit to efforts for ADA compliance. #ADA32 #ThanksToTheADA

On Aug. 3 and 4, from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., AppsAnywhere software will be unavailable while we perform system maintenance. This will not affect locally installed software (CORE, COMSOL, aspen One, and Labview).

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

A Michigan Tech Enterprise team, Built World Enterprise, earned third place in the 2021-22 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs.

The team's four student members are Clark Fadoir, Mary Ollis, Greg Porcaro and Drew Vega. Audra Morse (CEGE) served as faculty adviser.

The students are all from the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE), and placed in the Runway Safety/ Runway Incursions/ Runway Excursions Including Aprons, Ramps, and Taxiways category. Their design is titled "Thermal Detection System for Mitigating Runway Incursions at Non-Towered Airports."

The prestigious competition encourages students to design innovative solutions to airport challenges. The competition requires students to work with a faculty adviser and reach out to airport operators and industry experts for advice and to assess their proposed solutions. The Virginia Space Grant Consortium of Hampton, Virginia, manages the competition on behalf of the ACRP. Funding for the competition is provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Volunteer panels of airport industry and academic practitioners, as well as FAA representatives, selected the winning submissions from among the proposals submitted by 21 student teams. Winning teams received $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, $1,000 for third place and $500 for honorable mentions.

The names of all winners and copies of designs receiving place awards are available at the ACRP Design Competition website.

New guidelines for the 2022-23 competition will be posted on the competition website by early August 2022.

The ACRP is an industry-driven, applied research program that develops near-term, practical solutions to airport challenges. The program is managed by the TRB, which is a program unit of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology and medicine. The National Academies operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.

The summer hiatus is nearly over for Michigan Tech football. The Huskies host Wisconsin Platteville at Kearly Stadium in just 37 days and were selected to finish third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coaches' Poll at Media Day in Detroit.

The Huskies received 24 votes.

Season tickets for Michigan Tech football are on sale at the SDC Central Ticket Office or online at BuyHuskiesTickets.com. The Early Bird deadline for all sports is Aug. 15.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Tuesday, July 26, 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.

Assistant, Associate or Full Professor, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. Apply online.

Mi-STAR Education Sales Specialist, Provost's Office. Apply online.

Research Engineer/Scientist I - Computational Scientist, MTRI. 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.

Stephen Techtmann (BioSci) was mentioned by chemeurope.com in a story about the winner of this year’s €1 million Future Insight prize. 

Techtmann and Ting Lu from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign won the 2021 prize for their joint research on the conversion of plastic waste into edible foods.

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Mirage News and India EducationDiary.com picked up a University of Michigan News story featuring Brad King (ME-EM) and his company, Orbion Space Technology.

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Recycling Today and Construction & Demolition Recycling mentioned Michigan Tech and road paving projects designed by Zhanping You (CEGE) that laid stronger, longer-lasting road pavement incorporating recycled tire rubber.

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Happy Eco News referenced CleanTechnica’s story on pumped underground storage hydropower research at Michigan Tech and its potential to power a fully renewable energy grid in the U.S.

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The Daily Mining Gazette and WLUC TV6 ran stories about Michigan Tech Summer Youth Programs’ popular aviation and aerospace exploration.

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In Ohio, the Tiffin-based Adviser-Tribune and Bowling Green’s Sentinel-Tribune mentioned a Zoom discussion to be given by M.S. student Emma Shedd (forest ecology and management) about her study of oak trees in Wood County, Ohio, and across their Midwestern range, and what it might reveal in terms of a changing climate.

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The Sun Times News referenced Michigan Tech in a story about where to find great sweet corn. 

The story said that, according to Tech, the Great Lakes were still completely covered by glacial ice 10,000 years ago when corn was first cultivated in Latin America.

Parking Lot 3 Partial Closure

The west half of Parking Lot 3 will be closed today (July 26) due to construction.

Lot 3 will be fully reopened tomorrow (July 27). Thank you for your patience.

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

PhD Defense: Nabhajit Goswami

Tuesday, July 26, 1 p.m.–2 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 875

Civil Engineering Advisor: Stephen Morse Estimation of Flaw Parameters Using MLE to Design Glass Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/83951560174

PhD Defense: Steven Whitaker

Tuesday, July 26, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.

Electrical Engineering Co-advisors: Timothy Havens and Andrew Barnard On-Ice Detection, Classification, Localization and Tracking of Anthropogenic Sources with Machine...

Adult Huskies Swim Training Summer 2022 Session 3 (Individual Medley/Speed Focus)

Tuesday, July 26, 5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

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...