August 1, 2023

Can you sense the excitement in the air? With Move-In Weekend right around the corner, this is a busy time of year for us all. With the school year fast approaching, some of our beloved returning student Huskies have not secured housing for the fall term.

In an effort to continue supporting our students, we have created HOWL (Helping Out With Living) for Huskies. The HOWL for Huskies platform will allow both Michigan Tech employees and community members who want to make housing available to students to post information about available housing spaces. It also allows students to connect with other students seeking housing or roommates.

Students, staff, faculty and local community members are invited to participate in the program. To learn more, check out our HOWL for Huskies website. With demand for housing still high, we are doing everything we can to support our Huskies and hope you can help out!

We look forward to seeing this incredible MTU community come together to support our Husky community members who are still seeking housing options for the fall 2023 semester. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at housing@mtu.edu.

Summer hours will end on Aug. 13. Beginning Aug. 14, the University will return to regular office hours.

Regular hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All offices must be staffed during these hours.

It was brought to the attention of Payroll Services staff that a number of employees received an email claiming to be from DocuSign regarding a Payroll System Update. This email is a phishing attempt and employees should not click on any links included. We ask that any recipient report the email as a phishing attempt.

For more information on how to recognize spam/phishing emails, employees can refer to IT's Email Security page.

"Civil asset management is an important and necessary technical and business skill set for today’s civil engineers. That is, civil engineers must learn to be strategic about developing recommendations and formulating decisions. They must also be able to optimize the value of asset infrastructure." — Mark Declercq

Mark Declercq '88 '90 (B.S. M.S. Structural Engineering) is bringing his years of civil engineering experience, his involvement in the 2013 flood event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and his significant asset management expertise to Michigan Tech. He is teaching a new synchronous online 3-credit Civil Asset Management course for the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering.

Learn more about Declercq, his course and civil asset management on the Michigan Tech Global Campus News blog.

The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts is delighted to begin announcing its 2023-24 season with the extraordinary lineup of the 23/24 Presenting Series. From a Broadway classic to awe-inspiring acrobatics, thought-provoking talks and mesmerizing dance, this series will captivate audiences of all ages.

"We are pulling out all of the stops and bringing the biggest season of the last decade to the Rozsa with events that will inspire, entertain and excite the Keweenaw community," said Mary Jennings, director of the Rozsa. "Each show offers a unique and unforgettable experience celebrating the richness of the performing arts.”

The 23/24 Rozsa Presenting Series includes:

• Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15-16 — "DANCER" featuring the Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company and Grand Rapids Ballet
• Thursday–Sunday, Oct. 12-15 — Guerilla Opera’s "The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage" co-presented by the Rozsa and Michigan Tech Music
• Friday, Nov. 10 — Charlie Berens "Good Old Fashioned Tour"
• Saturday, Dec. 2 — "Jingle Bell Pop" with the Detroit Youth Choir
• Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9-10 — Flip Fabrique’s "Blizzard"
• Thursday, March 7 — Lincoln Center Theater Production of Lerner & Loewe’s "My Fair Lady"
• Thursday, March 28 — Ryan O’Connell: "Inclusive by Design"

Presenting Series tickets go on sale Aug. 15 and can be purchased online, by phone at 906-487-1906 or at the Rozsa Box Office.

Stay tuned: The rest of the Rozsa season — the Department of Visual and Performing Arts' Michigan Tech Art, Michigan Tech Music and Michigan Tech Theatre series — will be announced in the coming weeks!

A public meeting will be held at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw next Tuesday (Aug. 8) from 7-8:30 p.m. to review updates to the Huron Creek Watershed Management Plan.

A presentation will be given to review activities and events since the management plan was approved in 2009, along with the data collected for the plan update, preliminary findings, and recommendations. A draft of the management plan document will also be made available online for a one-month comment period shortly after the meeting.

Please direct any questions to David Watkins (CEGE) at dwatkins@mtu.edu.

The Michigan Tech football team has been tabbed to finish fifth in the GLIAC Coaches' Poll. The Huskies received 16 votes.

Defending two-time NCAA Division II national champion Ferris State was selected to finish tops in the league with five first-place votes for a total of 34. Grand Valley State and Davenport followed with 31 and 27 votes respectively, each receiving one first-place ballot.

Saginaw Valley State earned 21 votes to finish fourth, just ahead of Michigan Tech. Following the Huskies in the poll were Wayne State with 10 votes and Northern Michigan with eight.

Season tickets for Michigan Tech football are on sale at the Student Development Complex (SDC) Central Ticket Office or online at BuyHuskiesTickets.com. Pricing for football tickets and other MTU sporting events is available online. The Early Bird deadline for all sports is Aug. 11.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 906-487-2280 or email humanresources@mtu.edu. For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.

Enterprise Student Engagement and Outreach Specialist, Enterprise. Apply online.

Associate Director of Athletic Communications, Athletics and Recreation. Apply online.

Institute for Materials Processing (IMP) Research Coordinator, Materials Science and Engineering. Apply online.

System Administrator – Identity and Access Management, Information Technology. Apply online.

Senior Administrative Aide, Office of Advancement (UAW posting dates Aug. 1 to Aug. 7, 2023 — external applicants are encouraged to apply; however, internal UAW applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal UAW posting dates). Apply online.

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.

Sarah Hoy, John Vucetich and Rolf Peterson (CFRES) were mentioned by MSN News in a story about moose conservation in Michigan and Minnesota. The story was picked up from MediaDecision and ran in 60 regional news outlets.

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Sarah Hoy (CFRES) was quoted by the Detroit News in a story about a proposal that would open Isle Royale to visitors during winter.

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MTU junior Erin McKenney (applied ecology and environmental science) was quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about wild rice restoration efforts in the Great Lakes Basin. The story was picked up by the Mining Journal.

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The Daily Mining Gazette published an article written by undergraduates Evan Andrews (forestry) and Erin Mauk (wildlife ecology and conservation) and Sigrid Resh (CFRES) about wild parsnip, an invasive species that can harm humans and animals. The article covered the plant’s main hazard to humans — a chemical burn on skin after contact — and discussed how to identify and safely remove it.

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Solar Power World mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about a study tracking the amount of power lost due to snow cover on solar panels. Data for the study is being collected at the Michigan Regional Test Center (RTC) for Emerging Solar Technologies, owned by MTU and operated in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories.

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WLUC TV6 mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the City of Hancock's search for two bus drivers. The story described an agreement between Hancock Public Transit and Michigan Tech to offer a flex route that would bring students from Hancock all the way to campus. 

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Sports Illustrated mentioned Michigan Tech in a profile of former Husky Jake Witt. Witt, a former basketball player for the Huskies, was selected by the Colts in the 2023 NFL Draft. The story was picked up by 28 regional news outlets.

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Near North Now of Newaygo County, Michigan, published a Q&A with former Husky and retired NFL lineman Joe Berger ’05 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering).

MS Defense: Noah Zins, ECE

M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering candidate Noah Zins will present his master's defense tomorrow (Aug. 2) at 8 a.m. in person in EERC 501 and virtually via Zoom.

The title of Zins' defense is "Neuromorphic Computing Applications in Robotics."

Zins is advised by Hongyu An.

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MS Defense: Isabella Jaszczak, MSE

Isabella Jaszczak will defend her master's thesis today (Aug. 1) at 3 p.m. in M&M 610. Her defense can also be attended virtually via Zoom.

The title of her thesis is "Quantifying the Evolution of Strengthening Mechanisms for Commercially Produced Niobium and Titanium HSLA Steel Sheet."

Jaszczak is advised by Paul Sanders.

From the abstract:
Strength uniformity along the coil length of commercially produced high-strength, low-alloy (HSLA) steel hot-rolled sheet is crucial to avoid the downgrading of product that does not meet strength specifications. In addition to contributing to precipitation strengthening through the growth of niobium-titanium carbides ((Nb,Ti)-C), niobium deters recrystallization and refines ferrite grain size. The potency of these strengthening mechanisms relies heavily on the austenite to ferrite transformation kinetics of the hot-rolling process. While niobium’s effect on precipitation strengthening, Hall-Petch strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and solute strengthening have all been studied in literature independently, the interactions of these mechanisms with each other and coiling temperature in a commercial production setting has not been explored. The strengthening behavior of niobium microalloyed HSLA steels compared to a non-niobium HSLA steel is quantified and correlated using commercially produced samples and a design of experiments with factors coil temperature and location on coil length. Hall-Petch grain size strengthening and geometrically necessary dislocation strengthening are determined from electron backscatter diffraction mapping. Orowan precipitation strength is quantified from image analysis of (Nb,Ti)-C precipitates captured on carbon extraction replica films using a scanning transmission electron microscope. Solubility of alloying elements in the ferrite matrix, and therefore solute strengthening, is calculated with Thermo-Calc. This study observed a trend of increased orowan strength that balanced the decrease in Hall-Petch strength that occurred as coiling temperature increased.

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Alumni Reunion 2023 Begins Thursday!

The Office of Alumni Engagement is excited to host Alumni Reunion 2023 this week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Aug. 3-5). With representation from the Class of 1953 to the Class of 2023, more than 470 alumni and friends will return to campus for a weekend full of fun activities. This year marks the golden landmark for the Class of 1973, who will celebrate their 50-year reunion and induction into the Golden M Society. Also joining us on campus will be the Honored Classes of 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1983, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2013.

Ahead of a busy week on campus, here are a few important reminders for all:

Alumni should check in with our Reunion staff in the MUB (building 34 on the campus map) to collect their packets before attending their first event. Reunion packets include their name tags (required at Reunion functions), personalized registration schedule, information on department-hosted Open Houses on Friday (Aug. 4), a free gift, and other goodies!

Reunion check-in for registered alumni attendees will be open at the below times in the MUB Commons, located on the ground floor:

• Wednesday, Aug. 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 3, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 4, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If alumni and friends wander into your building or appear lost on campus throughout the week, please feel free to direct them back to the MUB during the above hours, as Reunion staff can help them from there!

Faculty and staff registered to attend Reunion events do not need an attendee packet and are requested to wear their professional name tags.

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ICC Faculty Travel Grants for 2023-24

The Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (ICC) has formalized its Faculty Travel Grant process for the upcoming academic year.

Faculty Travel Grants are provided for faculty researchers within the ICC to attend conferences in which they present their research. Grant funds cover food, conference fees, lodging and travel, and offer a maximum $1,000 per request. Funding is now available for conferences taking place in fall 2023, winter 2023 and spring 2024.

The deadline for fall 2023 submissions is Nov. 10. Visit the ICC's Faculty Travel Grants webpage to learn more and apply.

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

Figure Skating School

Tuesday, August 1, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Macinnes Student Ice Arena

Take your skating to the next level with Michigan Tech’s Summer Figure Skating School at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. All skaters, beginner through advanced, will...

Master's Defense: Isabella Wakeham

Tuesday, August 1, 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), 610

Materials Science and Engineering Advisor: Paul Sanders QUANTIFYING THE EVOLUTION OF STRENGTHENING MECHANISMS FOR COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED NIOBIUM AND TITANIUM HSLA STEEL SHEET