Michigan Tech Sets New Record for Research Expenditures: $95.78M

Michigan Technological University projects a total of $95.78 million in research expenditures during fiscal year 2022, an increase of more than 17% over the previous all-time high of $81.7 million in fiscal year 2021. 

“Among Michigan’s 15 public universities, Tech is among the smallest in terms of total student enrollment, but we consistently rank in the top four for research expenditures,” said Dave Reed, MTU’s Vice President for Research. “Every year, the picture comes a bit more into focus, and more people begin to see Michigan Tech as the flagship technological university that we are.”

Read the full story on Michigan Tech News.

Provost Job Posting Is Live; Nominations Being Accepted

The Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs search committee is pleased to announce that the job posting is now live. We have engaged Parker Executive Search to assist us in our recruiting efforts. The recruitment process is underway with plans of conducting finalist interviews in February 2023.

Please share the position description with potential candidates or nominate them using our Nominations/Recommendations form.

Parker Executive Search will reach out directly to nominated candidates. You may also contact the search chair, Wayne Gersie, with nominations or other considerations.

 

Request for Proposals: Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Grants

The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Tech Forward Working Group (AMMTF WG) seeks proposals from University researchers that will advance its mission to develop and strengthen the materials processing and manufacturing capabilities at Michigan Tech to meet next-generation research opportunities. Faculty and/or staff with relevant interests and expertise across all University units are welcomed and encouraged to submit proposals.

More information regarding potential topics of interest can be found online.

Projects will be funded at a $10,000 level for up to a six-month period of performance. Proposals should be limited to two pages in length. Proposals should contain a summary description of the project, a discussion and analysis of the return-on-investment opportunities in service to the mission as described above and a brief description of budget items. Proposals that demonstrate significant opportunities for external follow-on funding involving several investigators and units will be favorably reviewed.

Proposals are due by the close of the business day on Dec. 1; email them to iamm@mtu.edu. Deliverables will be negotiated with the AMMTF WG during the final project discussion.

Contingent on the availability of remaining funds, a second proposal campaign with a due date of March 1, 2023, for follow-on or new-start grants is anticipated at the same funding level and period of performance.

3MT Competition: Last Day to Sign Up!

Today (Oct. 31) is the last day to sign up to participate in 3MT (Three Minute Thesis)!

The event had a time change, and will now take place Thursday (Nov. 3). Preliminaries will start at noon, and finals will start at 7 p.m.

Participating in the 3MT can be a way for you to develop important communication and research skills, and to participate in the building of research culture at Michigan Tech. Cash prizes are also available to the top competitors and the people's choice.

In addition, the winners of the local 3MT competition are given a chance to represent Michigan Tech at the next level of competition, and potentially even national and international 3MT competitions, which provides an excellent networking and professional development opportunity.

Michigan Tech's 2022 3MT competition will be held Nov. 3 at the MUB Ballroom. For more information on the competition, please see the 3MT page on the Graduate Student Government (GSG) website.

To present in this year's competition, please fill out and submit the 3MT 2022 Registration form.

3MT 2022 Cash Prizes:

  • First Place — $300
  • Second Place — $150
  • People's Choice — $100

GMES Academy Inducts Eight New Members

The Michigan Tech Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES) inducted eight alumni into the GMES Academy on Oct. 14. Held in the Great Lakes Research Center overlooking the fall foliage, 62 people were in attendance at the invite-only induction ceremony, including faculty, staff, current Academy members and select students.

The Academy honors alums who have made a significant impact in their professions and others who have made extraordinary contributions to the department's advancement.

Celebrations continued Oct. 15 with a tour of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum led by curator John Jaszczak, followed by a pasty luncheon and apple pressing hosted by the Gierke Blueberry Farm.

The 2022 GMES Academy inductees include:

  • David Adler ‘82 (B.S., geology)
  • Daniel Farrell ‘60 (B.S., mining engineering)
  • Mary Herrmann-Foley ‘83 (B.S., geological engineering)
  • Terre Lane ‘82 (B.S. mining engineering)
  • Julie (Varichak) Marinucci ‘02 (B.S. mining engineering)
  • Richard Saccany ‘71 (B.S. mining engineering)
  • Brian Schwanitz ‘77 (B.S. applied geophysics)
  • Todd Stone ‘85 (B.S. geological engineering)

Congratulations on your well-deserved recognition to Dave, Dan, Mary, Terre, Julie, Rich, Brian and Todd. You are all an inspiration to all of us!

GMES gives special thanks to those who made the event possible: MUB Catering, Great Lakes Research Center, Copper Island Engraving, Jim’s Foodmart, Audra Morse, Shelle Sandell, John Jaszczak, A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum, Protea Floral, Roy’s Bakery, Tony's Kitchen, John and Lynn Gierke, and Dean Janet Callahan's support and high-level snapshot into the future of Michigan Tech.

Physics Colloquium: Yoke Khin Yap

Michigan Tech Physics Professor Yoke Khin Yap will present at the next Physics Colloquium.

The in-person seminar will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 3) in Fisher 139.

Yap's presentation is titled "Fundamentals of Journal Paper Writing and the Implication for Proposal and Report Development."

'Protect Your Innovation' Workshop Registration Is Open

How can you protect the intellectual property (IP) incorporated within your innovation? What options do you have and what strategies can you apply? When should you consider IP protections?

To find out more, join us at the J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, Room 244, on Wednesday (Nov. 2) from 4-6 p.m.

At this workshop, we will discuss the fundamentals of intellectual property, including:

  • Patents
  • Trademarks
  • Licensing
  • How to investigate patent and trademark opportunities with free library resources

Michigan Tech IP expert and licensed patent agent, Associate Vice President for Research Administration Jim Baker, will lead us through compelling IP scenarios.

Librarian and Patent and Trademark Research Center (PTRC) Representative Annelise Doll will explain patents, trademarks and resources available through Michigan Tech’s PTRC, which is part of the Patent and Trademark Office’s nationwide program of PTRCs.

Register online. This event is open to the community.

ECE Guest Speaker: Shekhar Bhansali

Shekhar Bhansali, Distinguished University Professor and Lucent CALA Technologies Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Florida International University, will present "Addressing Unmet Needs in Woundcare Management" at 10 a.m. on Thursday (Nov. 3) in EERC 501.

The presentation can also be viewed on Zoom. You will need to sign in using your MTU ISO login credentials.

Bhansali is a former NSF Electrical Communications and Cyber Security (ECCS) Division director (2020-22). He has advised 25 postdoctoral fellows, and 65 PhD and master's students. He is an elected fellow of AAAS, AIMBE, ECS, NAI and IOP. His visit is sponsored by the ECE Department at Michigan Tech.

Abstract:. Wounds that do not heal over long periods of time (3 months) are classified as Chronic wounds. They manifest themselves in patients that have underlying diseases like poorly controlled diabetes. Chronic wounds need to be managed to prevent complications, preserve tissue function, and facilitate healing. Current practice for wound evaluation and wound management includes visually recording the wound area and wound depth to assess healing progress. The need to visit a clinic at least once every week results in poor patient compliance and long term complications with inferior health outcomes.

Our research focuses on leveraging advances in electrochemical sensing, fabrication techniques and electronics to develop a new class of affordable wound dressings that enable quantitative measurements of markers of wound healing. In this talk, a novel sensor chemistry, its in-vitro and initial in-vivo results are presented. This biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing uricase (UOx) , a natural catalyst for Uric Acid (an indicator for wound status) as the enzyme. UA is immobilized on a flexible electrode along with Au nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) and gold nanoparticles (Au) in an FCA matrix to ensure seamless electron transfer. The sensor was attached to gauze and used on patients for proof of principle.

Reminders

41 North Film Festival Returns This Week

The annual 41 North Film Festival will be held Thursday through Sunday (Nov. 3-6) at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. The festival once again offers an exceptional opportunity for people to gather together and watch thought-provoking, entertaining and award-winning films from around the world that explore a range of issues, ideas and personalities. Along with over 20 films (both features and shorts), there will be special guests, educational panels and other attractions.

The festival has something for everyone, with films that examine the progress and perils of scientific research, as well as those that shine a light on the achievements and challenges of small communities much like our own. This year’s cast of characters includes artists and art thieves, hockey players and range riders, big wave surfers and social justice warriors, as well as a beleaguered laundromat owner who finds herself plunged into the metaverse.

See the full lineup of films and events at the 41 North Film Festival website. The festival is free and open to the public. Students will need to bring their HuskyCard. No ticket is necessary for others attending the festival this year. For more information, email Festival Director Erin Smith at ersmith@mtu.edu.

Read more about the lineup on the Humanities News, Features, and Other Updates blog.

Major sponsorship for the 41 North Film Festival is provided by the Department of Humanities, the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, the College of Sciences and Arts and the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

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2023 Benefits Open Enrollment Period Begins Nov. 14

The 2023 Open Enrollment period for Michigan Tech benefits takes place November 14 to November 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 healthcare 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 healthcare structure. As a result, 95 percent of employees will see a decrease or no change to the overall cost of their healthcare 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 January 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 made in July 2021. Beginning January 1, 2023, the retirement matching maximum will increase from 7.75 percent to 8.5 percent.

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English Corner Provides English Conversation Practice

English Corner, hosted by Graduate Language Assessment and Support (GLAS) in the Admin Building, offers an opportunity for international students to practice English conversation skills. Students can join their peers and GLAS coaches for a cup of tea and chat in a relaxed environment.

Students are welcome to attend for the full hour or visit for just a few minutes.

  • Fall 2022 dates/times: Fridays from 1-1:50 p.m. (excluding University breaks)
  • Location: GLAS, Admin 405A

Questions can be directed to GLAS Program Director Sarah Isaacson at sisaacso@mtu.edu.

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Employee Financial Health Webinars by TIAA

Michigan Tech employees are invited to join the Benefits Office for these free, online, live financial health webinars offered through Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) this November:

  • Inside Money: Managing Income and Debt — Nov. 8 at 3 p.m.
    Discover how to help make your money work harder by using your cash flow more effectively, developing good saving habits and better managing debt.
    Register now.

  • The Power of Savings — Nov. 9 at 3 p.m.
    Whether you’re the kind of person who lives and spends in the now or plans for what’s ahead, there are always ways to save smarter. You’ll learn a number of strategies for better managing your money, so you have the knowledge and confidence to pay your bills, save for a rainy day and achieve any larger financial goals you’ve set for yourself.
    Register now.

  • Financial Housekeeping for Now and Later — Nov. 10 at noon
    Get insights into your current financial situation and learn some practical steps you can take to help position yourself for future success.
    Register now.

  • Money at Work 2: Sharpening Investment Skills — Nov. 10 at 3 p.m.
    Feel more secure in your savings strategy by verifying you’re on the right track. And if you’re off track, know what adjustments you need to make. Learn how to plan your investments and hold on to as much of your nest egg as possible.
    Register now.

  • Lifetime Income: Marketproof your Retirement — Nov. 16 at 3 p.m.
    You diversify your investment portfolio before retirement to help offset risk. A similar strategy can help see you through retirement. Learn how creating a diversified income plan — one that uses a combination of income sources and includes annuity income that’s guaranteed for life — can help reduce the risks you may face in retirement and ensure you have income that never runs out.
    Register now.

These webinars count toward Option 2 in your Husky Health Checklist. Follow Michigan Tech Wellness on Facebook for upcoming health and wellness initiatives supported by the Benefits Office, which may count toward your 2022 Husky Health Checklist.

All webinars are recorded and available for viewing 90 days after the live event. Visit TIAA.org/webinars to register or watch past presentations on demand.

Future webinars scheduled for December will be announced later in Tech Today.

Spanish-Speaking Webinars
Starting in 2022, TIAA is offering financial education webinars in Spanish. The webinars can be accessed at TIAA.org/RecursosEducativos.

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Linnaeus University of Sweden and IKEA Present Today

All are welcome to join the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) and the Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture (IPEC) in attending the following events with faculty from Linnaeus University of Sweden and IKEA today (Oct. 31):

  • Presentation Title: "An Overview of Linnaeus University's Innovation Master's Program-Engineering, Business, and Design," 9-10 a.m., Library 244
    • Miguel Salinas, Program Head, Innovation Master's-Design, Linnaeus University
    • Soniya Billore, Program Head, Innovation Master's-Business, Linnaeus University
    • Peter Lerman, Program Head, Innovation Master's-Engineering, Linnaeus University
    • Google Invite
  • Seminar Title: "Faculty of Technology at Linnaeus University and Swedish Forestry," 2-3 p.m., Noblet 144
    • Åsa Blom, Associate Professor, Pro-Dean, Forestry and Wood Technology, Linnaeus University
    • Google Invite
  • Seminar Title: "Linking Research and Industry the IKEA Way," 3-4 p.m., Noblet 144
    • Thomas Walther, Material Engineering Leader, IKEA; Adjunct Professor, Linnaeus University
    • Google Invite

Please contact Erin Syth, elsyth@mtu.edu, with any questions.

In the News

Green Car Congress picked up a press release from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announcing awards for projects to develop “market-ready technologies that will increase domestic supplies of critical elements required for the clean energy transition.” 

Among the $39 million awarded to 16 projects across 12 states, a Michigan Tech project led by chemical engineering professors Lei Pan, Timothy Eisele and David Shonnard received nearly $2.5 million to pursue energy reduction and improved mineral recovery from mine tailings and low-grade disseminated sulphide deposits.

 

The Keweenaw Report mentioned the Haunted Mine Tours and the Safe House in a listing of Halloween events that occurred over the weekend. Undergraduate Sammy Perone was quoted in a separate article that featured more information about the Safe House.

 

The US Environmental Protection Agency issues a press release announcing awards of nearly $2 million for projects to help small communities protect public health and increase access to clean water. 

A Michigan Tech project led by Melanie K. Watkins (CEGE) was awarded almost $1 million to deploy and test a floating treatment wetland system in a lagoon in a small community in northern Michigan.

 

India’s Swarajya mentioned Michigan Tech and professor Robert Nemiroff (Physics) in an article about NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day (APOD) on Oct. 22, which featured an image of the partial social eclipse above the Taj Mahal. The article noted that APOD was started by Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell in 1995 and has since grown to become a “very popular and possibly largest archive of astronomy images on the web.”

Today's Campus Events

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The Rozsa Galleries Present: Arabesque

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...

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Photochemical Fate of Free Amino Acids in Sunlit Surface Waters

Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar Benjamin Barrios, PhD Candidate and Benjamin Mohrhardt, MS Student, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial...

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Kitchen Metallurgy

Husky Bites presents Special Guest Walt Milligan Professor and Chair, Materials Science and Engineering Michigan Technological University It’s Halloween, and during Husky...

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Adult and Youth Huskies Tennis Lessons

Youth Tennis Lessons: After school and weekend Youth Huskies Group Tennis Lessons are back this fall! Join by age group and level for some fun on the tennis courts! October 24...