August 16, 2022

The Johnny Mac was buzzing on the first Saturday night in August. The Alumni Reunion hockey game always draws a crowd, but this was an extra-special occasion: Blizzard T. Husky’s 50th birthday party.

Blizzard is not yet 50, technically, but carries on the spirit of Tech’s first mascots, who debuted 50 years ago. So it was fitting that the VIPs who came to celebrate this milestone included the original mascots, 1971 graduates Bill and Kathy Wassberg (mechanical engineering and humanities, respectively) and mascot program supporters Dave ’68 ’71 (civil engineering) and Sharron Paris (former registrar).

Get more mascot history and see photos of the celebration at Michigan Tech News.

It’s an exciting time! We are finalizing our preparations for students to return to campus. Over two days, we will welcome our first-year students, who will experience a huge milestone moment as they move into their residence halls, meet new roommates, say goodbye to parents and get their first taste of college life.

Move-In will take place Friday (Aug.19) from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday (Aug. 20) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Splitting the traditional one-day event into two allows us to reduce congestion and provide a more relaxed atmosphere for our new Huskies.

Because Friday is a business day, we need your assistance and ask that if your regular parking lot is closed, or you wish to avoid the Move-In traffic, you park in an alternative location (see below). This would be a huge help to the students and would also ensure you are able to leave campus more easily at the end of the day.

Parking Lots Closed for Friday:

• Lot 27 (Admin visitor lot)
• Lot 11 (Admin black permit lot)

Recommended Staff Parking for Friday:

• Lot 2 (north of AOB)
• Lot 8 (north of Walker and the Rozsa)
• Lot 10 (commuter lot east of the Rozsa)
• Lot 12 (south of the MUB and Library)
• Lot 14 (east of CDI)
• Lot 33 (west of Meese — strongly recommended for those looking to avoid traffic)
• Lot 1, west side only (will be a high-traffic area for Move-In)

Parking for Saturday:

• Lot 10 (commuter lot east of the Rozsa)
• Lot 33 (west of Meese)
• All other lots will be closed

Cliff Drive Traffic Changes:

• One-way operation heading eastbound

The Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success and Residence Education and Housing Services appreciate your support as we make these changes to improve the process of welcoming new students to campus, ensuring a great start to their Husky experience.

Update: The Q&A hours have changed. Originally, they were 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Rachelle McCarthy from Aon will be on campus next week to talk to anyone who has questions about the new United Healthcare (UHC) student insurance plan.

McCarthy will be available Monday (Aug. 22) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in MUB Alumni Lounge A.

Are you interested in taking your idea, technology or process commercial? Entrepreneurially minded faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, alumni and local community teams are invited to attend the Great Lakes Region Hub National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Program offered through Husky Innovate at Michigan Tech.

Course Description
The NSF I-Corps lean startup program spans six weeks. Using the scientific process, customer discovery and the business model canvas, teams will work to validate key business hypotheses and develop a business model.

Course Benefits
Upon completion of the workshop and the customer discovery interviews (30), you or your team may be eligible for a mini grant of up to $1,000. Funds may be reimbursed for prototyping expenses and customer discovery.

Teams who complete the program may become eligible for the NSF I-Corps National Teams program and a $50,000 grant.

Participation in the workshop can lead to qualification for research and other funding from several granting agencies, including Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and various state and regional programs.

Past participants have reported that they saved time and money by better understanding potential applications of their technology, experienced improved engagement with teams and improved their ability to receive add-on funding.

Our fall cohort will meet online via Zoom on the following dates:

• Monday, Aug. 29 — 4-7 p.m.
• Monday, Sept. 12 — 4-6 p.m.
• Monday, Sept. 26 — 4-6 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 3 — 4-7 p.m.

To participate, please register online by Aug. 27. After registration, a Zoom link will be sent via a Google Calendar invite.

Career Services is excited to announce our fall 2022 event and programming schedule. We currently have 291 employers registered for our fair.

On Sept. 6, we will kick off the fall recruiting season with our first of five CareerFEST days. These in-person recruiting and networking opportunities allow employers to meet with students in an informal setting across campus — employers often bring swag, gadgets, their company's latest technology or product, etc., to encourage students to come to their tents/table to chat. No resumes, no business suits — just casual conversation.

The fall Career Fair will be held Sept. 21 from 2-7 p.m. in the SDC Multipurpose Room and the Wood Gym.

For a comprehensive list of our events, please visit the Career Services website.

Learn how to lose weight and improve your health while eating the foods you love with Wondr Health.

Employee Wellness is offering active, benefits-eligible employees an opportunity to lose weight with the Wondr Health program, previously called Naturally Slim. Registration is currently open through Aug. 28 and space is limited.

The Wondr Health program has the secret to lasting weight loss and it doesn’t include starving, counting calories or eating diet food. It’s a 10-week online program with yearlong support that helps you learn how to eat to reduce your chance of getting a serious disease, like diabetes or heart disease, and increase your chances at living a longer, healthier life — for free. Lose weight, plus improve your overall health — all while eating the foods you love!

Wondr Health offers an evidence-based curriculum with the latest behavioral science and is grounded in the principles of the most effective behavioral weight loss programs. To register, please visit Michigan Tech's Wondr Health website.

Wondr Health counts toward Option 3 on your Husky Health Checklist.

Please join us for the dissertation proposal of Ph.D. in Integrative Physiology candidate Isaac Wedig on Monday, Aug. 22, from 3-4 p.m.

Wedig's dissertation is titled "Physical Activity as Medicine during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond."

This proposal will take place in person in ATDC 101 and virtually via Zoom. Please contact the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP) at kip@mtu.edu for the Zoom meeting details.

Job Postings for Tuesday, Aug. 16, 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.

Academic Advisor and Outreach Specialist, Electrical and Computer 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.

Rod Chimner (CFRES/ESC) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $465,000 research and development grant from the U.S. Forest Service.

The project is titled "Peatland Ecology and Restoration Education in South America."

This is a potential five-year project.

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Bo Chen (CS/ICC) is the PI on a project that has received a $598,416 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is titled "SaTC: CORE: Small: Hardware-assisted Self-repairing in Decentralized Cloud Storage against Malicious Attacks."

Zhenlin Wang (CS/ICC) is the co-PI on this potential three-year project.

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Dukka KC (CS/ICC) is the PI on a project that has received a $154,925 research and development grant from the North Carolina AT&T State University.

The project is titled "Deep learning based approaches for protein post-translational modification site prediction."

Adam Wellstead (SS) is a co-author of an article published in Review of Policy Research.

The article is titled "Policy capacity and rise of data‐based policy innovation labs."

Sojeong Kim and Tanya Heikkila, both of the University of Colorado - Denver, are also co-authors.

Bridge Michigan quoted Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) in a story asking how much Michigan colleges should be worrying about monkeypox with the fall semester around the corner.

The virus’s lipid envelope makes it vulnerable to household cleaners, disinfecting wipes, and alcohol-based hand sanitizers, according to Heldt, who also gave advice on how to handle possibly contaminated towels and linens.

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WJMN Local 3 and Lansing’s WLNS-TV covered the Safety in the Straits ceremony hosted by Michigan Tech and the Great Lakes Observing System in St. Ignace on Aug. 12. 

The event commissioned a high-frequency radar system in the Straits of Mackinac. 

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Guy Meadows (GLRC) was quoted by Wisconsin Watch in a story on the effect Concordia University’s $12 million bluff fortification and seawall project has had on neighboring properties. 

A similar story was published earlier this month by The Guardian. 

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Roman Sidortsov and Timothy Scarlett (SS) were quoted by Highways Today in a shortened version of a Michigan Tech News story on pumped underground hydroelectric storage, or PUSH. 

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Ph.D. in Forest Science candidate Ryne Rutherford’s discovery of eastern prickly pear cacti growing in the Upper Peninsula was mentioned by Grand Rapids’ Mix 95.7 WLHT-FM.

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

PhD Defense: Masoud Kasraie

Tuesday, August 16, 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Materials Science and Engineering Advisor: Parisa Pour Shahid Saeed Abadi Additive Manufacturing of Functional Polymer Composites Attend Virtually:...

Women's Club Championship

Tuesday, August 16, 3 p.m. | Portage Lake Golf Course

Women's Club Championship *Some events and times may change