November 28, 2022

Join Michigan Tech's Health Research Institute (HRI) on Thursday (Dec. 1) from 7-8 p.m. for the UP Community Health Town Hall.

Organized by the HRI and Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health, the 60-minute town hall broadcast can be heard live at 7 p.m. on 97.7 The Wolf (WOLV-FM), 98.7 Rockn’ Eagle (WGLI-FM), 105.7 Eagle Country (WCUP-FM) and Q107 (WMQT-FM), and viewed as an online webinar through Zoom and Facebook Live.

The town hall can also be viewed on ABC 10 on Sunday (Dec. 4) at noon, and a recording will be posted to the town hall series website shortly after its conclusion.

Town hall moderators Steven Elmer and Kelly Kamm (KIP/HRI) will be joined by several guests from Michigan Technological University, Northern Michigan University, UP Health Care Solutions and Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency to discuss mental and behavioral health and well-being related topics for the Upper Peninsula.

More information can be found on the UP Community Health Town Hall Series website.

A production system maintenance window is scheduled for Dec. 11 from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. During that time, WebFOCUS will be unavailable.

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

Join us tomorrow (Nov. 29) for the last Peña of the semester.

Come unwind and meet new people at the Spanish Conversation Hour, all while you refresh your Spanish! Everybody is welcome. We will meet from 5-6 p.m., in the Humanities Digital Media Zone (HDMZ), Walker 120A.

Please join us tomorrow (Nov. 29) for our last meeting this fall of Café Français, a laid-back Francophone setting with French natives and other Francophiles. All levels welcome. Walker 120C from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Additional dates for spring 2023 will be posted soon.

Friends and family are welcome!

A Christmas Carol — 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-3 | 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
Presented by Michigan Tech Theatre
Performed by Tech Theatre Company

Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future in this beloved holiday classic live on the Rozsa stage!

Get your tickets online, at 906-487-1906, or at the Rozsa Box Office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

— — — — —

Art and Well Being: Meditations on Lake and Sky — 7-8:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1
Wadsworth Hall Studio G04W
Presented by Michigan Tech Art's Studio Here Now

An open studio talk on meditations on lake and sky. Artist in residence Anne Beffel will explore how creativity, contemplation and connectedness manifest in public art projects.

What to Expect:
Enjoy refreshments. See spectacular art. Hear an inspiring talk from Anne Beffel.

Learn more.

— — — — —

Thick as Thieves Student Gallery Exhibit — Friday-Tuesday, Dec. 2-6
Artist Reception: 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2
Rozsa Art Galleries | Presented by Michigan Tech Art

Join us for an end-of-semester showcase featuring works of art from sculpture and design students. Students from many campus disciplines are represented!

What to Expect:
Enjoy refreshments. Meet the student artists in a relaxed environment. See fantastic, student-made art.

Learn more.

— — — — —

Hygge: Music of Scandinavian Composers — 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
Presented by Michigan Tech Music
Performed by the Superior Wind Symphony

Please join us (after your wood-stacking and sauna) for an evening of music from the most upper of peninsulae: Scandinavia! Rest in warm assurance that the composers will be Scandinavian, and at least some of the music will represent events/feelings that happen in winter.

Too far away to make it in person? Stream it live!

Get your tickets online, at 906-487-1906, or at the Rozsa Box Office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

M.S. in Chemical Engineering candidate Azade Tahmasebi will present their master's thesis at 1 p.m. tomorrow (Nov. 29). This will be a virtual presentation only. Attendance is invited via Zoom.

Tahmasebi's thesis is titled "Exploring PH Gradient Phenomena in Non-Linear Electrokinetic Microfluidic Devices."

From the abstract:
Electrokinetic microfluidics is a versatile technology utilized within lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices for diagnostic and analytical applications; advantages include reduced resource demands, flexibility, and simplicity of use. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a precision nonlinear electrokinetic tool utilized within microfluidic microdevices to induce polarization and control bioparticle motions for applications that range from hemoglobin separations to cancer cell isolation and detection. Despite promising results, undesired side phenomena can occur in electrokinetic systems which impede reproducibility and accuracy in some diagnostic applications. These unfavorable phenomena have not been comprehensively explored in the literature. The fundamental phenomena originate from microelectrodes utilized in the electrokinetic systems whose surface reactions drive ion byproducts into the adjacent medium; these medium variations can affect the cell’s viability as well as bioparticle structure and function. This research focuses on characterizing pH gradients in an aqueous solution under nonlinear electric fields generated via non-uniform electrode geometries to more fully characterize microdevice-imposed artifacts on cells in clinical diagnostic devices. In addition to exploring frequency dependence, this work also explores the use of a hafnium dioxide (HfO 2) dielectric coating over the electrodes as a strategy to eliminate the undesired reactions.

M.S. in Chemical Engineering candidate Ben Caithamer will present their master's thesis at 11 a.m. Wednesday (Nov. 30). This will be a virtual presentation. Attendance is invited via Zoom.

Caithamer's thesis is titled "A Novel Pulsed-Plasma Catalytic Reactor for Dry Reforming of Methane."

From the abstract:
... We have developed a non-thermal, pulsed-plasma catalytic DRM reactor which operates at ambient temperatures and pressures. When combined with an integral monolithic catalyst bed this reactor demonstrated high conversions (60 to 80%) of both methane and carbon dioxide with high yields of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (30 to 80%). To achieve this, a novel solid-state, MOSFET-based HV pulse generator was developed with controllable rise times (4-20 ns), pulse duration (0.1 to 10 ms), pulse shape, and frequency (100 -10,000 Hz). This solid-state circuit provides improved operational flexibility and higher energy efficiency. The reactor incorporates a point-to-plane electrode arrangement with an integral monolithic catalyst cell which effectively places the catalyst in direct contact with the excited state plasma. ... Based on the observed kinetics and emission spectroscopy results, we propose a surface moderated reaction model which explains the high reactant conversions and product yields observed. Estimates of the energy efficiency of the bench-scale process, and rate of reaction indicate the potential of this novel reactor for practical applications.

The Institute of Computing and Cybersystems' (ICC's) Center for Biocomputing and Digital Health (BDH) and the Health Research Institute (HRI) will present lectures by doctoral students Suresh Pokharel (computer science) and Ranit Karmakar (computer engineering) on Thursday (Dec. 1) from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in M&M U115.

Karmakar will present “Efficient medical image segmentation network for resource limited applications.”

Pokharel will present “Improving protein succinylation sites prediction using embeddings from protein language model.”

Learn more on the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems Blog.

Daniel Neill of New York University will present a Computer Science Colloquium lecture Friday (Dec. 2) at 3 p.m. via Zoom. The talk is presented by the Department of Computer Science (CS).

The title of Neill’s talk is “Machine Learning and Event Detection for Urban Public Health.” The talk will present new machine learning algorithms that can assist cities in monitoring and improving population health.

Join the Zoom meeting.

Read more on the Computing News Blog.

Editor's Note: The location of this seminar has changed. It will now be held in M&M 610.

Kathryn Perrine (Chem) will present her seminar on "Surface Chemistry and Corrosion at Complex Interfaces: Addressing Environmental Challenges with Heterogeneous Catalysis" as part of the Chemistry Seminar Series.

The seminar will take place at 3 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 30) in MEEM 403.

Join us for the last Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP) Seminar of the fall on Friday (Dec. 2) from 3-4:30 p.m. in ATDC 101.

The seminar theme this semester is "Women in Health Science, Medicine, and Physiology." The schedule has included a great lineup of local, regional and national speakers. The title of December's presentation is "Physical Function, Aging, and Disease."

Please visit the KIP Newsblog for more information.

Part 5 of a six-part series authored by Karyn Fay (BioSci) and based on Michigan Tech's COVID-19 Testing Lab has been published by Critical Values, a journal of the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

The series is titled "Meeting the Needs of a Rural Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Ups and Downs of Starting a University Based Clinical Lab for COVID-19 Testing From Idea to Final Completion."

The series is based on meeting notes compiled throughout the process and written by Fay with input from Karl Meingast (VPR). The meeting notes were compiled by Fay during the many Zoom meetings the laboratory group had over a nearly two-year span of time.

Available now:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Mary Jennings and Hannah Rundman Lowney (Rozsa) were quoted by WLUC TV6 in a story previewing the annual Home for the Holidays Gift Market, held at MTU's Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 26.

The gift market was also the subject of a preview story in the Keweenaw Report.

*****

Head volleyball coach Matt Jennings was quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story reflecting on the turnaround the Michigan Tech volleyball program has experienced under his leadership.

*****

Blue Dot Living mentioned Michigan Tech in a story featuring Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries wildlife technician Eva Szyszkoski ’06 (B.S., biological sciences) and her work to reestablish a population of whooping cranes in the Louisiana wetlands.

*****

The Daily Mining Gazette and WLUC TV6 covered the Michigan Tech cross country men’s squad’s selection as one of 10 at-large teams to compete in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Seattle, Washington, on Dec. 2.

Michigan Tech Athletics announced the team’s selection in a press release last week, after the men ran to a fourth-place team finish at the DII Midwest Regional meet Nov. 19.

*****

WLUC TV6 picked up a Michigan Tech Athletics press release about MTU hockey players Brett Thorne and Kyle Kukkonen being named CCHA Players of the Week on Nov. 21.

RTC Colloquium: 'The Work of Acknowledging'

The Department of Humanities announces a Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture (RTC) Colloquium featuring a joint presentation on the work of acknowledging. The event will be held via Zoom from 12-1 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 30).

The colloquium is titled "RTC Colloquium #3: The Work of Acknowledging: Insights from the 2022 Indigenous Knowledges Symposium 'Land Acknowledgement Statement' Workshop."

This presentation reflects on the work done during the 2022 Indigenous Knowledges Symposium at Michigan Tech, in which graduate student co-facilitators Kendall Belopavlovich (RTC) and Cassandra Van Dam (applied ecology) presented a Land Acknowledgement Statement Workshop, alongside Val Gagnon (CFRES/GLRC) and M. Bartley Seigel (HU), to a diverse audience of educators, students, community members, tribal members, agency employees and more.

After the presentation, the colloquium will open a conversation about acknowledging, extending the work of the symposium.

Join the colloquium via Zoom. To receive a calendar invite for this event, please email humanities@mtu.edu.

From the abstract:
For this RTC colloquium, Belopavlovich and Van Dam note: "we offer insight from the workshopping experience and hope to continue the conversation about the work of acknowledging. As presenters, we humbly offer our experiences of acknowledging, ranging from creating and employing land acknowledgement statements, to classroom activities with students, to everyday practices that honor land and life. Acknowledging is an ethical, reciprocal, respectful, and active process of shifting awareness and building long-term relationships with our human, more-than-human, and other kin."

*****

2023 Innovation Week Call for Presenters

Husky Innovate is organizing Innovation Week, a series of innovation-themed events the week of Jan. 17-20. We invite the campus community to participate.

Innovation Week celebrates entrepreneurship, new ventures and innovative projects both on campus and within our extended Tech community. We will provide opportunities for students, the campus and the community to meet and engage around the topic of innovation. A highlight will be the Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition on Jan. 19 from 5-7 p.m., in which students pitch their business models.

If you are interested in leading a workshop, being part of a panel discussion, sharing innovative research, hosting a virtual innovation tour or something else, please let us know using our Innovation Week 2023 interest form.

*****

Summer Youth Programs Hiring for 2023!

Each summer for more than 50 years, Michigan Tech Summer Youth Programs (SYP) has welcomed to campus more than a thousand youth from grades 6-11 from across the country and around the world. We need your help to ensure they experience the Michigan Tech community we all know and love.

SYP students come for weeklong, hands-on experiential learning in one (or more) of our 50-plus weeklong explorations in STEM, humanities and law. During their time at SYP, students gain confidence in their ability to be successful in college as they experience residential life and responsibility in arriving to class on time, and explore the beauty of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

We’re looking for passionate individuals who enjoy working with youth and want to inspire the next generation of doers and makers. Each year we hire 50-plus undergraduate and graduate students for a variety of rewarding experiences that build leadership, communication and critical interpersonal skills.

If you or someone you know are interested in learning more about being a member of the SYP team, we encourage you to attend our hiring sessions, visit our website or email us at outreach@mtu.edu.

Remaining hiring information session dates:

• Tuesday, Nov. 29 — 2-3 p.m. | MUB Alumni Lounge A
• Wednesday, Nov. 30 — 7-8 p.m. | Wadsworth Hall Cherry Room

*****

University Holiday Luncheon

This year’s University Holiday Luncheon will be presented from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. next Monday (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 Wednesday (Nov. 30). We encourage you to secure your tickets early, as seating is limited.

Holiday Luncheon Menu:

• Hand Carved Roasted Turkey
• Hand Carved Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
• Italian Sausage Stuffing
• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Glazed Carrots
• Green Beans Almondine
• Cranberry Sauce
• Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pie

*****

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 December:

• Opening Doors to the Future: Save in a 529 College Savings Plan — Dec. 7 at noon
  Learn how 529 college savings plans work and how to invest in one for a child, grandchild, yourself or other loved one.
  Register now.
  
  
• Help Protect You, Your Family, and Your Money — Dec. 7 at 3 p.m.
  Are you concerned about identity theft and your family’s security online? TIAA’s Information Security team will discuss how you can protect yourself and your family from cybercriminal social engineering.
  Register now.
  
  
• Tax Planning Considerations — Dec. 8 at noon
  This seminar will cover an overview of tax law changes and income tax planning considerations, including whether you will itemize deductions, how this may impact charitable gifting strategies, and what it means for estate and gift tax planning.
  Register now.
  
  
• Write Your Next Chapter: Five Steps to Setting Your Retirement Date — Dec. 8 at 3 p.m.
  For anyone starting to think seriously about when to retire, this webinar takes you through five steps to deciding when the time is right.
  Register now.
  
  
• At Your Fingertips: Manage Your Money from Wherever You Are — Dec. 14 at 3 p.m.
  Learn about TIAA’s commitment to digital, and how we’re leveraging the latest technologies in our online and mobile tools to help you save time and achieve financial success while you’re on the go.
  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.

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

*****

PhD Defense: Li Wei, ECE

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering candidate Li Wei will defend their doctoral dissertation today (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.

*****

Virtual Workshop: Countermeasures for Common Workplace Problems

The Office of Continuous Improvement is offering a virtual workshop, "Countermeasures: Solving Common Problems using Lean Methods and Tools Workshop (Virtual)," on 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.

*****

EPSSI Seminar: 'Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization to Unlock the Solar System'

Join the Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute (EPSSI) from 4-5 p.m. today (Nov. 28) as we hear from Paul van Susante, assistant professor,  mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics, at Michigan Tech.

Van Susante will be presenting “Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization to Unlock the Solar System" in the Minerals and Materials Engineering Building, M&M U113.

Van Susante will discuss what payload to transport via moon and Mars missions to create sustainable space exploration and develop a thriving space economy, while opening up the solar system and bringing the unlimited energy and resources of space into the economic sphere of Earth.

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

*****

Husky FAN In Need of Pantry Donations

Help the Husky Food Access Network (FAN) make sure no Husky is hungry this holiday season. Studies have shown that as many as half of college students in the U.S. experience food insecurity. The pantry has distributed over 1,820 pounds of food since the start of the semester, and there's no sign of slowing down!

Keep the Michigan Tech community fed by donating any nonperishable food items or toiletries. Donations can be made at any time by leaving items outside the pantry (in the Fisher Hall alcove across from Fisher 135).

The pantry is particularly in need of:

• Soup and canned pasta (Chef Boyardee or similar)
• Canned meat and fish
• Canned beans
• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Snack foods
• Cereal and oatmeal
• Uncooked pasta and rice

*****

ACSHF Forum: Grad Student Presentations

The Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences will host applied cognitive science and human factors (ACSHF) Ph.D. students Anne Linja and Alex Watral at the next ACSHF forum. Their presentations will be from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. today (Nov. 28) in Meese 109 and via Zoom.

Linja will present her research, titled "Through the Eyes of Tesla FSD Drivers: Tesla Drivers’ Social Media Posts Never Run Out of Gas."

Watral will present her research, titled "Sensitivity of a Robotic Hit & Avoid Task to Executive Control and Global Cognitive Changes in Healthy Aging and Cognitive Impairment."

Full abstracts can be found on our Cognitive and Learning Sciences News blog!

*****

PhD Defense: Jessica Bruning, KIP

Ph.D. in Integrative Physiology candidate Jessica Bruning will defend her dissertation today (Nov. 28) at noon in the Great Lakes Research Center, GLRC 202. Attendance is also invited virtually via Zoom.

The title of Bruning's dissertation is "Role of Acetate in Driving Sympathoexcitatory Response Exercise and Gut Microbiome."

Her advisor is Qinghui Chen.

*****

ENVE Grad Seminar/CEGE Alumni Speaker Series

The next Environmental Engineering (ENVE) Graduate Seminar/Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) Alumni Speaker Series will take place at 3 p.m. today (Nov. 28) via Zoom (use passcode 843781).

CEGE alumnus David Hokanson ’92 ’96 ’04, Trussell Tech, will present "The Least Understood Components of Water Treatment and Reuse: Advanced Oxidation and Post Treatment."

Hokanson is a professional engineer and board certified environmental engineer, and holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Tech.

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

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

PhD Defense: Li Wei

Monday, November 28, 10–11 a.m.

Electrical Engineering Advisor: Zhaohui Wang Adapting Deep Learning for Underwater Acoustic Communication Channel Modeling Attend Virtually:...

*****

PhD Defense: Jessica Bruning

Monday, November 28, 12 p.m.–1 p.m. | Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), 202

Integrative Physiology Co-advisors: Qinghui Chen and Zhiying Shan Role of Acetate in Driving Sympathoexcitatory Response Exercise and Gut Microbiome Attend Virtually:...

*****

ACSHF Forum: Grad Student Presentations

Monday, November 28, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | Harold Meese Center, 109

The Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences will host ACSHF PhD Students Anne Linja and Alex Watral at the next Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors forum. Their...

*****

The Least Understood Components of Water Treatment and Reuse: Advanced Oxidation and Post Treatment

Monday, November 28, 3 p.m.

Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar/CEGE Alumni Speaker Series David Hokanson, PhD, PE, BCEE, Trussell Tech Presentation Abstract As advanced oxidation processes...

*****

EPSSI Seminar: Dr. Paul van Susante, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering—Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Tech University

Monday, November 28, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), Room U113

Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization to unlock the solar system After the last astronauts left the lunar surface in 1972, many people have dreamt of returning. After many...

*****

Monday Study Sessions!

Monday, November 28, 5:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. | Fisher Hall 232

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...

*****

SAE Aero Design Weekly Meeting

Monday, November 28, 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...

*****

Adult and Youth Huskies Tennis Lessons

November 28, all day | Gates Tennis Center

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...

*****

Open Enrollment Period for MTU Faculty/Staff

November 28, all day