October 12, 2022

Adrienne Minerick’s work at the forefront of culture change in engineering education has been recognized with the 2022 Michigan Technological University Diversity Award.

Minerick (ChE) is currently president of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and serves as director and principal investigator of the ADVANCE Initiative at Michigan Tech.

“When you look at what Dr. Minerick has been able to contribute, not just to Michigan Tech but to the effort to bring diversity, equity, inclusion and a sense of belonging specifically to the STEM fields, she has truly paved the way for many,” said Wayne Gersie, vice president for diversity and inclusion.

Read more about Minerick's efforts as an ally, advocate and mentor on the national and local levels in a Q&A on Michigan Tech News.

The 2023 Open Enrollment period for Michigan Tech benefits takes place Nov. 14 to Nov. 30, 2022. Some important changes are happening during this Open Enrollment period and we strongly encourage you to participate. Whether you are electing Michigan Tech benefits for the first time, making changes to your elections, or not making any changes at all, Open Enrollment is the perfect time to ensure your information is up to date and correct.

The past four years have seen significant industry increases to employee health insurance premiums. The University projects an approximately $600,000 increase in health care costs for the 2023 plan year. While we will not always be able to do so, the University will absorb these medical care cost increases for the upcoming year. In addition, there are relatively minor changes in costs for available dental and vision plans.

To better serve our employees, the Benefits Advisory Committee has recommended, and the University has approved, important changes to our health care structure. As a result, 95% of employees will see a decrease or no change to the overall cost of their health care benefits. A subset of employees who elect to take the HDHP 2 plan will see a slight reduction in the amount of money they receive each pay period for making that election. Michigan Tech health, dental and vision plans will be changing to a tiered system, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Monthly premium information can be found on the comparison charts on Human Resources’ Benefits website. 

Additionally, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to increase their retirement matching plan percentage in accordance with the announcement we made in July 2021. Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, the retirement matching maximum will increase from 7.75% to 8.5%.

University leadership would like to thank the Benefits Advisory Committee members for their recommendations and their continued work on our long-term benefits strategies.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Michigan Tech is proud to be a Cybersecurity Awareness partner with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA). This year’s campaign theme is “See Yourself in Cyber.”

Cybersecurity may seem like a complex subject, but ultimately, it’s all about people. This month we’ll share tips and information to help you make smart decisions about cybersecurity at work, home and school.

How strong is your password? This week we talk about the importance of password strength and ways to protect and manage the many passwords we use in our daily lives. Visit our Cybersecurity Awareness page to learn more.

If you have questions about cybersecurity, we can help. Visit the Security and Compliance website, email it-help@mtu.edu or call 7-1111.

Registration/abstract submission for the eighth annual American Chemical Society (ACS) Upper Peninsula Student Research Symposium has been extended until Monday (Oct. 17). We welcome poster presentations from any departments that relate to chemistry!

The student research symposium will be held at Northern Michigan University in Marquette on Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Presenters — Submit your abstract! Be sure to request travel support using the separate form on the same page.
• Judges — Register and let us know we can count on you!
• Visitors — Register to make a lunch selection.

Event details can be found at the ACS Upper Peninsula Local Section's Student Research Symposium webpage. Contact Momoko Tajiri at mtajiri@mtu.edu with any questions.

Looking forward to seeing you all at Marquette!

Please join the student organization SAVE (Sexual Assault and Violence Education) in a donation drive for the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home during the month of October.

SAVE is hosting this event in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) and in support of community organizations. Donation bins are located in the Help Desk area of the Van Pelt and Opie Library, in the front lobby of the Administration Building, in the front lobby of the Memorial Union Building and in the front entrance of the ROTC Building.

The wish list includes:

• New bed pillows
• Hair conditioner
• Women’s underwear and pajamas (all sizes)
• Dryer sheets
• Hairbrushes and nail clippers
• Plastic shower caddies
• Disposable hot/cold cups, paper towels, paper plates and napkins
• Toilet paper and Kleenex
• Storage bags (sandwich, quart, and gallon sizes)
• Trash bags
• Notebooks and two-pocket folders
• Postage stamps
• Econo Foods receipts

MTU students and SDC Access Pass holders (minimum one month): Come make a splash with our new inflatable pool obstacle course called the WIBIT!

Events will be held this fall for current MTU students and SDC access pass holders (minimum one month). You can test your individual skills on the course or challenge your friend to a race across the obstacles. The course is set up in the deep water and requires users to be able to pass our swim test. (Please see the WIBIT rules and swim test requirements at our website.)

The WIBIT has many different pieces and each event will have a featured combination. Potential featured pieces include:

• The Step — This piece allows users to climb up onto the course.
• The Base — Users must make their way across a horizontal surface. Be careful how fast you move, as it can get slippery!
• The Cliff — Users must navigate either side of a slope using the handles and their balancing skills.
• V-Connect — Users must use limited footing space to navigate across the horizontal structure.
• The Bridge — Users must navigate up and over an arched structure without falling through.
• The Slope — Users must climb up a six-foot wall that leads to a slide into the pool water below!

Dates, Times and Featured Combinations:

• Saturday, Oct. 22 — Noon to 4 p.m.
  WIBIT Combo: Step/V-Connect/Cliff/Slope
  
  
• Saturday, Dec. 10 — Noon to 4 p.m.
  WIBIT Combo: Step/Bridge/Cliff/Slope

Come visit us at the pool to try out your skills! For more information, visit Michigan Tech Recreation's WIBIT webpage.

So you or students you work with have registered to vote — now what? Head to the library for help researching ballots!

From confusing language in ballot proposals to finding out what various candidates believe and who supports them, making final decisions as you prepare to vote in the upcoming midterm elections can be more challenging than expected. Fortunately, the library can help!

In support of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Michigan Tech's hard work on democratic engagement, the library is offering assistance as you choose who to support. Simply reach out to our "Ask Us" service with any questions you have related to researching ballot issues, navigating potential election related misinformation and evaluating candidates.

Visit in person on the first floor of the library, email us at reflib@mtu.edu, call 906-487-2507, send us a text at 906-379-9579, or chat with us at mtu.edu/library.

Tomorrow (Oct. 13) at 5 p.m. in the Academic Office Building Commons (AOB 209), we will hold our first info session for the Mexico Spring Break Trip.

At this session, we will go over some of the basics of the program and, most importantly, answer any and all questions you may have. 

Bring a friend and stop by to chat and enjoy some Mexican snacks!

Join us Friday (Oct. 14) in ATDC 101 from 3-4:30 p.m. for the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology's (KIP's) October Seminar.

The seminar will include a symposium focused on “Improving Community Health and Wellness.” It will also continue to support our "Promoting Women in Health Science, Medicine, and Physiology" semester theme.

Find details about the speakers on the KIP Newsblog.

Michigan Tech football quarterback Will Ark has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Ark threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday (Oct. 8) to help Michigan Tech defeat Wayne State on Homecoming, 35-34.

Ark assembled a 10-play, 64-yard final offensive drive and rushed into the endzone from the one-yard line. He totaled 30 yards on the ground on four attempts. Ark's longest touchdown pass of the afternoon went for 79 yards to Darius Willis in the fourth quarter.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech volleyball's Carissa Beyer has been named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Beyer helped lead Michigan Tech to a weekend sweep at the SDC Gym. Beyer tallied 59 digs, averaging 8.43 per set. She had a career-high 35 digs in a 3-1 win over Saginaw Valley State on Friday (Oct. 7) and added 24 in a sweep of Wayne State on Saturday (Oct. 8).

Beyer currently ranks third in the GLIAC with 4.56 digs per set.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Wayne Gersie (OVPDI) is the PI on a project that has received a $261,888 other sponsored activities grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The project is titled "Ronald E McNair PostBaccalaureate Achievement Program."

Gabriel Escobedo (CDI) is a co-PI on this potential five-year project.

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Shan Zhou (SS) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $146,920 research and development grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The project is titled "Design Innovative Policy Instruments to Promote Equitable and Effective Low-carbon Energy Infrastructure Investment in Rural Communities."

This is a potential two-year project.

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Roman Sidortsov (SS/GLRC) is the PI on a project that has received a $79,998 other sponsored activities grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is titled "Collaborative Research: NNA Incubator: Sustainable Transitions through Arctic Redevelopment (STAR)."

Tim Scarlett (SS/GLRC) and Ana Dyreson (ME-EM/GLRC) are co-PIs on this potential two-year project.

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Qingli Dai (CEGE/MTTI) is the PI on a project that has received a $76,659 research and development contract from the City of Muskegon.

The project is titled "Build Sustainable and Durable Rubber-Modified Concrete Pavement."

Zhanping You, Dongdong Ge and Dongzhao Jin (CEGE/MTTI) are co-PIs on this project.

Shelly Galliah (Global Campus) is the author of an article published in Popular Culture Review.

The article is titled "Satirical Comedy Does COVID-19: John Oliver as Science Journalist."

John Jaszczak (Physics/Mineral Museum) delivered an invited lecture titled "120 Years of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum" during the 77th Greater Detroit Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show on Oct. 7, sponsored by the Michigan Mineralogical Society.

The museum also brought two displays to the show. The first, "Seldom-Seen Minerals from the Collection of A. E. Seaman," featured 13 specimens from Seaman's personal collection, along with two photographs of the museum's founder and a specimen of seamanite donated to the museum by Wyllys A. Seaman, his son and the museum's third curator. The second exhibit featured several large "copper skulls," which are unique to Michigan's copper-bearing conglomerate lodes.

Junior Kyrra Morin (environmental engineering) was quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in coverage of the sixth annual Women’s March held in Houghton.

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Michigan Tech football quarterback Will Ark was mentioned by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in a press release announcing the football players of the week.

Ark was named the Offensive Player of the Week after orchestrating a late touchdown that nabbed a one-point Homecoming victory for the Huskies on Oct. 8.

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Michigan History Magazine published a piece on Michigan Tech’s Keweenaw Time Traveler Project in its November/December 2022 issue. The story highlighted the major upgrades made to the Time Traveler this year, including the new user interface and the addition of 14 million new variables about the people and places in the region. 

Don Lafreniere and Sarah Scarlett (SS), Dan Trepal (GLRC), Robert Pastel (CS) and Karla Kitalong (HU) collaborated on the Time Traveler’s revitalization.

The new features were announced by Michigan Tech News in May.

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The Mining Journal picked up a Daily Mining Gazette story about the approval of Michigan Tech’s new campus plan by the University’s Board of Trustees on Oct. 7.

Spring 2023 Finishing Fellowship Nominations Open

Applications for Spring 2023 Finishing Fellowships are being accepted and are due no later than 4 p.m. next Wednesday (Oct. 19) to the Graduate School. Please email applications to gradschool@mtu.edu.

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.
2. Must expect to finish during the semester supported as a Finishing Fellow.
3. Must have submitted no more than one previous application for a Finishing Fellowship.
4. Must be eligible for candidacy (tuition charged at Research Mode rate) at the time of application.
5. Must not hold a final oral examination ("defense") prior to the start of the award semester.

Finishing Fellowships provide support to Ph.D. candidates who are close to completing their degrees. These fellowships are available through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University. They are intended to recognize outstanding Ph.D. candidates who are in need of financial support to finish their degrees and are also contributing to the attainment of goals outlined in the Michigan Tech Strategic Plan.

The Graduate School anticipates funding up to 10 fellowships, with support ranging from $2,000 to full support (stipend plus tuition). Students who receive full support through a Finishing Fellowship may not accept any other employment. For example, students cannot be fully supported by a Finishing Fellowship and accept support as a GTA or GRA.

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October Is Mental Health Awareness Month

Hello! The staff at the Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being are super excited about sharing programming for the month of October with the campus community. As we are all aware, October can be a tough time for our students. Additionally, World Mental Health Day was observed Oct. 10, and the first week of October was recognized as Mental Illness Awareness week. This year, we’d like to increase the awareness of mental health on our campus to help support our students' mental health and overall well-being.

During the month of October, our staff will be promoting "It's OK to not be OK" to help destigmatize mental illness and encourage students to reach out for help and to support others. Each week, we will be promoting events and resources corresponding to one of our four Be-Well aspects. Some of the events will be in person, while others will be self-help-type resources and information posted on our social media sites. As a reminder, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Check out the full Mental Health Awareness Month schedule. If you could please share the information regarding our events and resources throughout the month with the students you're working with, we’d appreciate it!

Thank you and happy fall,
The Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being

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ROBOT101 Event: 'Cybernetics Lineages and Cultural Legacies'

Tomorrow (Oct. 13) at noon in the Van Pelt and Opie Library, Heather Love of the University of Waterloo will discuss the interplay between robot literature and robot technology in a talk titled, “R.U.R.’s Robot Rebellion: Cybernetics Lineages and Cultural Legacies.”

Love explores the legacy of an imagined narrative within contemporary media and tech culture, tracing a lineage from the robot rebellion in Karel Čapek’s cautionary 1921 play R.U.R. to the cybernetic machines developed during WWII.

This lecture is partially funded and sponsored by the Michigan Tech Visiting Professor Program, which is funded by a grant to the Office of the Provost from the State of Michigan's King-Chávez-Parks Initiative.

Most ROBOT101 events are held both in person and via Zoom webinar. Find more information and register for the webinars at the ROBOT101 website.

ROBOT101 events are supported by:

Institute of Computing and Cybersystems | College of Computing | College of Sciences and Arts | College of Engineering | College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science | Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences | Department of Computer Science | Department of Engineering Fundamentals | Department of Humanities | Department of Social Sciences | Department of Visual and Performing Arts | 41 North Film Festival | Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture | Pavlis Honors College

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ChE Seminar: 'Life ... finds a way'

Kevin Solomon will be on campus Friday (Oct. 14) to present as part of the ChE Seminar Series.

At 10 a.m. in person in Chem Sci 211 or virtually via Zoom, Solomon will present “Life ... finds a way: Degrading and Upcycling Recalcitrant Polymers via Microbial Systems."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

Solomon is an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware. His research focuses on lignocellulosic bioenergy and plastic utilization (microbial communities), biotemplated nanomaterial synthesis (VLPs) and whole cell biosensors.

This seminar is partially funded/sponsored by the Visiting Professor Program, which is funded by a grant to the Office of the Provost from the State of Michigan’s King-Chávez-Parks Initiative.

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Copper Country Math Circle Returns

The College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) dean’s office is partnering with the Copper Country ISD to host the Copper Country Math Circle. Students in grades 2-5 who are excited about mathematics are invited to attend.

The math circle's first meeting is tomorrow (Oct. 13) from 6:30-8 p.m. in Michigan Tech's Van Pelt and Opie Library, Room 243/244. Meetings will be held on one Thursday evening per month thereafter. David Hemmer, CSA dean and professor of mathematical sciences, will run the circle, assisted by MTU student Ben Wireman.

Math circles are informal gatherings where students work on interesting problems or topics in mathematics. Through problem-solving and interactive exploration, students develop an excitement and appreciation of mathematics. Math circles are not intended to accelerate the traditional school curriculum, but to explore interesting topics not normally seen in the classroom.

There is no charge to participate, but registration is required. For more information, including registration information, please visit the Copper Country Math Circle website.

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

The Rozsa Galleries Present: Arabesque

Wednesday, October 12, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Galleries A-Space

THE ROZSA GALLERIES PRESENT ARABESQUE AN ART EXHIBITION OF THE WORKS OF CLEMENT YEH AND TOMAS CO FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 THROUGH FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2022 GALLERY HOURS: M-F 8...

Digital Marketers

Wednesday, October 12, 9–10 a.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, G27

Digital Marketers is a group for digital platform managers (digital ads, photo/video production, social media accounts, websites, etc) across campus. We meet every other...

Recycling in the U.P. - challenges and opportunities

Wednesday, October 12, 1 p.m.–2 p.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, 103

Brad Austin, Director of the Marquette Solid Waste Management Authority, will talk about trends, challeges, and opportunities for reducing solid waste and increasing recycling...

Michigan Tech Research Forum - Jeff Naber

Wednesday, October 12, 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom A

Please join us at the Michigan Tech Research Forum on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, for a presentation by University Professor Jeff Naber. Dr. Naber will present "The Changing...

Students For Life General Meeting

Wednesday, October 12, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Fisher 132

Students For Life General Meeting

SAE Aero Design Weekly Meeting

Wednesday, October 12, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | SAE Aero Lab, MEEM 703

SAE Aero Design aims to offer valuable experience to Michigan Tech students of all majors interested in an extracurricular engineering & design opportunity. Come join our...

KP Pride Week - Drag Karaoke Night

Wednesday, October 12, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. | DHH Ballroom

Come in drag or as you are to sing some karaoke! Everyone is welcome and participation is highly encouraged!