When she’s not keeping an eagle eye on Husky Nation, MTU Public Safety and Police Services Patrol Sgt. Beth Maatta watches over birds of prey as the only certified raptor rehabilitator in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Find out about her most recent bald eagle rescue and why she advocates for alternatives to lead ammunition at Stories From Husky Nation.
The Michigan Tech Archives’ reading room will be closed to patrons over Thanksgiving break. The closure begins today (Nov. 21) and runs through Friday (Nov. 25). Normal appointment hours, which are Monday through Thursday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., will resume next Monday (Nov. 28).
Remote research requests may be submitted via copper@mtu.edu, but responses may be delayed during the closure.
On behalf of the entire Archives team, have a safe and happy break!
There will be no Tech Today published Thursday or Friday (Nov. 24 and 25) in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Tech Today will resume on Monday (Nov. 28). To be included in Monday's newsletter, items must be submitted by noon Wednesday (Nov. 23) using our Submit a Story form.
Congratulations to Chaitanya Bhat for being named a recipient of the 2022 Rising Star Award of the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment.
Bhat graduated in 2020 with a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering focused on developing life cycle information models. He was advised by Amlan Mukherjee. He currently works as a sustainability engineer at the Asphalt Institute.
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering candidate Li Wei will defend their doctoral dissertation next Monday (Nov. 28) at 10 a.m. This defense will be presented virtually. Attendance is invited via Zoom.
The title of Wei's dissertation is "Adapting Deep Learning for Underwater Acoustic Communication Channel Modeling."
Wei is advised by Zhaohui Wang.
The Office of Continuous Improvement is offering a virtual workshop, "Countermeasures: Solving Common Problems using Lean Methods and Tools Workshop (Virtual)," next Wednesday (Nov. 30) from 9 a.m. to noon.
Countermeasures are the actions we take during experiments to close the gap between what is currently happening and what we want to happen. We will explore several Lean tools that are used as countermeasures for common workplace issues. These tools can assist you in your efforts to create the best possible experience for students, faculty, staff and customers.
To see the workshop description and register, complete our brief sign-up form or visit our website. Once registered, we'll add you to a calendar event for the course.
This workshop will be taught virtually using Zoom and Miro. You'll receive a certificate after completing a small post-work assignment.
This stand-alone workshop is part of the Lean Basics workshop series. It can be taken independently, or, if you complete all five workshops in the series, we’ll award you a Lean White Belt certificate! For more information, email improvement@mtu.edu.
Job Posting for Monday, Nov. 21, 2022
Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 487-2280 or email humanresources@mtu.edu. For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.
Department Chair,* Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology. Apply online.
* Internal posting.
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 humanresources@mtu.edu.
Sunil Mehendale (MMET) is a co-author of an article accepted for publication in the Journal of Heat Transfer Research.
The article is titled "Visualization research of droplet freezing on inclined titanium surface."
Research summary:
Freezing of droplets on inclined cold titanium surfaces was investigated through visualization. A DSA100 Droplet Surface Analyzer was employed to study the effects of surface tilt angle (15º, 30º, 45º, 60º, 75º, and 90º) and temperature on the phase transition time of droplets of various sizes. The post-freezing contact diameter and contact angle between the droplets and the titanium surfaces were measured. The experimental data and the related analysis reveal that the droplets take the longest time to freeze at an angle of 45º. As the surface was made colder and the droplet froze, its shape hardly changed with increasing tilt angle. As expected, the droplets at each inclination angle took less time to freeze as the plate became colder. The deformation of a freezing 20 microliter droplet was more pronounced than that of a 1 microliter droplet. The phase transition time of a larger droplet also decreased as the cold plate inclination increased. Finally, thermodynamic equations were employed to explain why the longest droplet phase transition time occurred at an inclination of 45º.
Andrew Fiss (HU) presented a research talk titled "Genetic Algorithm between Biology and Computational Mathematics: Dispute at the University of Michigan, 1967-1970" on Nov. 17 in Chicago at the History of Science Society Annual Meeting.
Telling the early history of computer science at the University of Michigan, the talk presented how students from the interdisciplinary graduate program in communication sciences built computer entities that explicitly linked the natural and the artificial, and how they collaborated while disagreeing about whether their work should be called "adaptive systems" or "artificial intelligence."
The research panel was sponsored by the International Association for Science and Cultural Diversity, IASCUD.
Michigan Tech was mentioned in a U.S. Department of Energy press release announcing nearly $74 million in research funding awarded to 10 projects — one of them led by Lei Pan (ChE) at MTU — to advance technologies and processes for electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling and reuse.
The release, which was picked up by Batteries News, included a quote from Sen. Gary Peters crediting work by “institutions like Michigan Tech” for the state’s position as a global leader in automotive innovation and advanced technology development.
The Mining Journal and WNMU-FM also covered the award, publishing information from a previous press release by Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
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Advanced Biofuels USA mentioned Adjunct Professor Robert Anderson’s (BioSci) receipt of the Champion of Algae Award. Awarded by the Algae Biomass Organization, it recognizes exceptional contributions to growing the algae industry through professional service.
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The Mining Journal mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the Nov. 15 Houghton County Board of Commissioners meeting. The University’s aid in containing a spill on the Sturgeon River in 2018 was mentioned in relation to the board’s decision to create an emergency spill response unit for the county.
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WLUC TV6 picked up a Michigan Tech Athletics press release about MTU football players Darius Willis, Hayden Huttula, Marc Sippel and Braxton Blackwell receiving GLIAC all-conference honors.
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The Daily Check mentioned Michigan Tech in a list picked up from Niche.com of the 50 best public colleges in the nation. Michigan Tech was No. 36, and the University’s professors received an A-plus rating.
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.
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University Holiday Luncheon
This year’s University Holiday Luncheon will be presented from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 in the Memorial Union Isle Royale Ballroom. All faculty and staff are welcome.
The University will cover the cost of the tickets this year, but guests will be asked to show their paper or e-ticket to attend. Tickets may be reserved online, in person or by phone (7-2073) through the SDC Ticket Office. Ticket reservations end at 5 p.m. on Nov. 30. We encourage you to secure your tickets early, as seating is limited.
Holiday Luncheon Menu:
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IRS Required Annual W-4 Reminder
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires employers to remind their employees annually to review and make any necessary changes to their Federal W-4 (Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate). This review will help you determine if your filing status and/or number of withholding allowances need to be changed for the new tax year. A review of your state withholding is also recommended.
Employees can view and change their W-4 information in Banweb. Detailed instructions to access your federal and state withholding information can be found by visiting "What is Banweb?" and clicking on "Payroll Information on Banweb."
The IRS offers several online resources to help taxpayers bring taxes paid closer to what is owed. They are available anytime on IRS.gov. They include:
International nonresident employees should use Notice 1392 - Supplemental Form W-4 Instructions for Nonresident Aliens to complete their W-4.
Email Payroll Services or call 906-487-2130 with questions.
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MTTI General Members and Friends Meeting (Open to All Researchers)
Ever considered contributing to research related to transportation and/or mobility? If not, this is the perfect time to consider expanding your research portfolio to these topics, as the H.R.3684 - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is providing unprecedented resources to advance the technology, economic and social understanding of transportation and mobility.
To get started, join the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI) for a discussion during our general members and friends luncheon next Tuesday (Nov. 29) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge (MUB 107) of the Memorial Union. You will get to meet researchers who have successfully secured funding in the area, hear of the potential grant opportunities and find out how MTTI works and where you can fit into the picture.
Agenda:
Please RSVP to the Nov. 29 meeting by the end of the business day tomorrow (Nov. 22) and include any dietary restrictions.
To have your event automatically appear, please submit them to the University Events Calendar.
Chemical Engineering Advisor: Caryn Heldt Measuring the Physicochemical Properties of Viral Vectors to Enhance Gene Therapy Production Attend Virtually:...
*****Civil Engineering Advisor: Zhen Liu Intelligent Geosystem Enabled by Reinforcement Learning Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/87881974660
*****Physics Co-advisors: Yoke Khin Yap and Dongyan Zhang Boron Nitride Nanostructures: Synthesis, Characterization and Application in Photovoltaics and Biomedicine Attend...
*****Get together with your peers to work on professional, personal and academic activities with help from undergrad and grad physics buddies! When: Every Monday evening from 5:30...
*****Husky Bites presents Special Guest Bill Rose Research Professor, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Michigan Technological University Co-host Erika Vye ‘16,...
*****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...
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