May 3, 2023

On Friday (April 28), the Board of Trustees for Michigan Tech voted to approve a number of new initiatives on campus, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and plans to build a new residence hall for undergraduate students.

Pending approval from Michigan Tech’s institutional accreditor and the Michigan Board of Nursing, the University will begin admitting students to the nursing program this fall. “Support for adding the nursing program at Michigan Tech has been universal,” said Andrew Storer, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Everyone involved understood the importance of a four-year nursing program remaining in the local area, and also that Michigan Tech is the perfect university to offer such a program.”

The new residence hall will house more than 500 second-year and upper-division students, tentatively beginning in fall 2025. “With enrollment expanding at the University, access to contemporary, affordable housing is a high priority for Michigan Tech,” said MTU President Rick Koubek.

Read the full story on Michigan Tech News.

Applications for Fall 2023 Finishing Fellowships are being accepted and are due no later than 4 p.m. on June 14 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.

The Michigan Tech Parade of Nations is sponsoring an essay contest for area high school seniors who are planning to attend Michigan Tech. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Since 1989, the Houghton and Hancock communities have been celebrating the rich cultural diversity of the Keweenaw through the Parade of Nations, and this scholarship allows the young voices of today to speak on its impact.

The essay prompt is:

“Our community becomes stronger when people from various backgrounds, experiences and perspectives come together. How have you built connections with individuals different from yourself? How will you contribute to creating a sense of belonging for all students at Michigan Tech?”

The entry deadline is June 30. Essays can be submitted through the Parade of Nations Scholarship Contest Application form.

Registration for Michigan Tech Recreation's summer aquatics programs opens May 17 at 8 a.m. ET! We are looking forward to making a splash with you this summer!

• Adult Huskies Swim Training (ages 18 years or older)
• Huskies Swim Training (ages 6-17 years)
• Huskies Group Swim Lessons Parent & Child Aquatics (ages 6 months to 3 years)
• Huskies Group Swim Lessons Preschool Aquatics (ages 4-5 years)
• Huskies Group Swim Lessons Learn to Swim Levels 1-5 (ages 6-17 years)

Questions? Contact Aquatics Manager Annie Bengry at ambengry@mtu.edu or 906-487-2995.

In celebration of the ADVANCE Adaptation grant progress, today we feature the rippled outcomes of the ADVANCE faculty hiring guide.

This guide was developed by the ADVANCE PI team based on other work at ADVANCE institutions and literature, with considerable writing from the ADVANCE coordinator at that time, Bradley Wells. The concepts in the guide sparked valuable discussions with Beth Lunde-Stockero in the Equal Opportunity Compliance and Title IX office and Renee Ozanich in Human Resources. The result is a well-organized and coordinated effort across campus that included University Marketing and Communications, resulting in an updated Faculty Hiring Process that incorporated many of the improved practices.

This effort subsequently inspired improvements to the Staff Hiring Process, in addition to the establishment of the Equity Advisor program originally led by Audrey Mayer. Equity Advisors are nonvoting search committee members who have completed additional DEI training and serve on tenure-track faculty and department chair searches. This effort is now led by Assistant Provost for Faculty Development Shari Stockero.

These departmental efforts collectively work to enable inclusive and equitable searches that yield the highest-quality candidates interested in advancing research and the education of all of our students on campus.

The Center for Innovation in Sustainability and Resilience (CISR) invites you to participate in a Workshop on Energy and Community Resiliency, taking place at the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) at Michigan Tech next Wednesday and Thursday (May 10 and 11). The workshop is open to both Michigan Tech employees and external attendees.

This two-day workshop will highlight expertise on campus in the domain of resilience and provide opportunities to network with other external partners, discuss diverse perspectives on resilience and identify opportunities to address community resilience needs.

Day 1 of the workshop will focus on resilience and energy services. Day 2 of the workshop will focus on resilience, hazards and health. You can participate on one or both days as best fits your schedule. Lunch and coffee will be provided for full-day attendees, and a Zoom option will be available for attendees who want to attend online.

Please RSVP by completing the Energy, Health, and Community Resilience Workshop RSVP form or emailing Chelsea Schelly at cschelly@mtu.edu. If you email, please confirm if you are able to join us on one or both days of the workshop and your preferred mode of attendance. If you plan to attend in person and have special dietary or other needs, please include this information in your RSVP.

More information about the workshop will be provided for attendees, and we welcome your questions, suggestions and ideas for making this a great workshop experience!

Making their first NCAA appearance in 16 years, No. 46 Michigan Tech women's tennis fell 4-0 to No. 7 Wayne State on Monday (May 1) indoors at Duchene Athletic Facility, ending their postseason run. 

The Huskies fell to the Warriors for the third time this season but finished with a solid 9-8 record (5-2 GLIAC) against a challenging Division II schedule.

"I think everyone on the team was very excited to compete at regionals but there were some nerves we needed to overcome," said head coach Kristin D'Agostini-Yep. "We started off slow but we fought hard to the end. I was proud of all our effort this season and I believe this experience will help us in the future. I'm looking forward to coming back even stronger next spring."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

The Michigan Tech track and field squads are prepped to head downstate for the GLIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Davenport University at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex today through Friday (May 3-5).

Fans looking to attend the GLIAC championships can purchase tickets at Davenport's ticketing website. Links to the championships livestream and event results can be found at the Athletics Composite Calendar. 

The Huskies will begin competition tomorrow (May 4), showcasing a roster of 30 men and 20 women for the championships. Today's competition schedule will feature student-athletes competing in the decathlon and heptathlon.

Read more and see the schedule of events at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

That's a wrap! See you in September!

Missed the action? Find the records on Twitch!

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Esports News
From the MTU Esports weekly update:

After walking across the stage to accept their congratulations at Spring Commencement, Griffin Wick and the Graduates finished fifth overall out of 60 teams in the Octane Collegiate Grand Finals on Saturday (April 29).

Climbing from a 15th-place seed, Michigan Tech stepped up with discipline and consistency to grab points each round.

Michigan Tech was well represented at the 69th annual meeting for the Institute on Lake Superior Geology (ILSG), held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, from April 23-26.

Research Professor Jim DeGraff and Professor Emeritus Bill Rose (GMES) presented a poster titled “Digital Image Capture and Database Compilation of Historical Mining Data from the Keweenaw Copper District, Michigan: A Progress Update.”

Graduate student Katherine Langfield (geology) delivered an oral presentation titled “Slip Kinematics of the Keweenaw and Hancock Faults within the Midcontinent Rift System, Upper Peninsula of Michigan.”

Graduate student Daniel Lizzadro-McPherson (geology) delivered an oral presentation titled “Structural Analysis and Slip Kinematics of the Keweenaw Fault System between Béte Grise Bay and Gratiot Lake, Keweenaw County, Michigan.”

Rose also delivered an oral presentation titled “New Work Developing Geoheritage Awareness.”

Geosciences Research Scientist Erika Vye (GLRC/GMES) delivered an oral presentation titled "Geoheritage as an Educational Tool to Explore Relationships with Land and Water in the Keweenaw.”

Professor Emeritus Ted Bornhorst (GMES) presented Peter Hollings, professor at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with the prestigious ILSG Goldich Medal recognizing outstanding contributions to the understanding of Lake Superior geology. He also attended the ILSG Board of Directors meeting; the board approved the 70th annual meeting to be held in Houghton in 2024, which will be chaired by Bornhorst.

The ILSG is a nonprofit professional society that provides a forum for promoting better understanding of the geology of the Lake Superior region. The major activity of the institute is an annual meeting with geological field trips and technical presentations.

Trista Vick-Majors (BioSci) was mentioned by the American Geophysical Union, EurekAlert!, Science Daily and five other science news outlets in a story about a study presenting data on the location and movement of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet since the last ice age. Vick-Majors was listed as a co-author.

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Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) was quoted by Bridge Michigan in a story on what Michiganders should know and do to protect themselves from tick-borne diseases. The story mentioned the crowdsourced tick collection effort being conducted by MTU’s Genomic Sequencing Lab through Sept. 30.

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David Flaspohler (CFRES) was mentioned by Outdoor Wire and WJMN Local 3 in a story previewing a bird migration forum being held at Michigan Tech by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Flaspohler is one of three presenters at the event, planned from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday (May 9) in Fisher 135.

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Andrew Storer was quoted by Bridge Michigan in a story about expanded nursing training options coming to the Upper Peninsula. Both Storer and Rick Koubek were quoted in a story about Michigan Tech’s new B.S. in Nursing program by Becker’s Hospital Review.

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The Keweenaw Report picked up a Graduate School announcement naming Michigan Tech students Noah Baliat (mechanical engineering), Marcello Guadagno (mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics) and Aaron Wildenborg (physics) as recipients of the U.S. Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (DoD SMART) Scholarship.

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A special publication by the Traverse City Record-Eagle mentioned Michigan Tech’s partnership with Northwestern Michigan College on Great Lakes research in a story about reasons to be hopeful regarding economic growth in Michigan’s northern regions.

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The Mining Journal picked up a Daily Mining Gazette story about Michigan Tech’s Spring Commencement graduate student ceremony, held Friday (April 28). The Journal also picked up a Gazette story about the approval of Michigan Tech’s budget for fiscal year 2024.

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Whittier College mentioned Michigan Tech in an announcement naming Cinzia Fissore ’07 (Ph.D. Forest Science) as the recipient of its 2022 Nerhood Teaching Award. The award honors a full-time professor for overall excellence in teaching. Fissore is an associate professor of environmental science at Whittier.

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The Mining Journal, WNMU-FM and WJMN Local 3 mentioned Michigan Tech in a story on former Husky basketball player Jake Witt’s selection by the Indianapolis Colts during the 2023 NFL Draft. The Mining Journal’s story was picked up by Escanaba’s Daily Press.

Facilitators Sought for Orientation to Graduate Studies and Research

The Graduate School is seeking facilitators for our Orientation to Graduate Studies and Research online training. This training fulfills the basic Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training required for all graduate students by the America Competes Acts.

Facilitators will interact online with a group of graduate students beginning Aug. 23 and ending approximately Sept. 1. These students have been accepted into research-based graduate programs, so this is an excellent opportunity for faculty to meet their new students or for senior Ph.D. students to welcome them into the program.

We will hold a Zoom orientation to highlight your responsibilities on Aug. 16 from 2-3 p.m. Please register online to participate. Please contact Debra Charlesworth at ddc@mtu.edu with any questions.

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GLAS Summer Track A Schedule Now Available

Do you know of current or incoming international students who wish to practice their English conversation skills during the summer? If so, the Graduate Language Assessment and Support (GLAS) Track A schedule is now available. Students may sign up for a weekly recurring online appointment by visiting the GLAS webpage.

GLAS is a free program designed for international graduate students who wish to improve their English oral communication skills.

Through small-group conversations that matter, students gain experience participating in class discussions, responding to questions and listening effectively. GLAS coaches work with students to help them better understand U.S. university expectations and gain insight into what students and instructors expect from each other in classrooms. GLAS students who are already teaching can practice lectures or lab presentations with their coach.

All international graduate students are welcome to attend and participate in the program.

Questions? Contact Sarah Isaacson, GLAS program director, at sisaacso@mtu.edu.

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

Titleist Demo Day

Wednesday, May 3, 3 p.m.–7 p.m. | Portage Lake Golf Course

Come out to Portage Lake Golf Course and test out the newest clubs and equipment from Titleist.

Summer WonderHack Competition for K-12 Students

May 3, all day

Michigan Tech is pleased to announce the launch of Summer WonderHack 2023, a new capture-the-flag (CTF) cybersecurity competition designed for K-12 participants. The event is...