Fall 2023 Safety Reminders: Keeping Huskies Safe and Healthy!

As the Keweenaw summer gives way to autumn colors and chilly nights, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) would like to remind everyone about the importance of creating a safe and healthy campus environment for the fall 2023 semester. With a campus community our size, safety can’t be the responsibility of only a few people… it takes the entire campus to keep Huskies healthy and safe!

The following helpful resources and reminders allow everyone to do their part in keeping our fellow Huskies healthy and safe while we work and study.

  • Required General Safety Course for All Employees — 
    Michigan Tech requires all employees to annually complete the Safety Skills course “General Safety Orientation.” Look for the email links starting in September.

    The course covers ways to identify common safety hazards to prevent injuries, and identify life safety features in the workplace. The 2023 course is updated with additional information as a slide show attachment and covers the OSHA General Duty Clause (Section 5 of the OSH Act of 1970) and other relevant standards. 

  • Fire Safety Reminders —
    Candles and open flames are prohibited in offices and residential areas. Connecting multiple power strips or extension cords (daisy chaining) is prohibited. Holiday decorations must bear an Underwriters Laboratories Seal (UL) for all electrical components. Familiarize yourself with evacuation maps posted in all classrooms and laboratories.

    Additionally, instructor training for fire safety is required for all active instructors. The Safety Skills course “Fire Safety on Campus,” with MTU-specific attachment, has been assigned for fall 2023. Contact ehs-help@mtu.edu if you have not received this course.

  • Online Training —
    EHS continues to update our course library, both through Safety Skills and custom courses, with over a thousand titles available. Training courses can even be taken on mobile devices! Contact your departmental Safety Skills administrator or ehs-help@mtu.edu to find courses applicable to your work or research.

  • Safety Data Sheets (SDS) —
    Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals on campus can be found on the Resources for Safety Data Sheets webpage.

    Having trouble understanding SDSs? Take our Safety Data Sheet Course.

  • Safety Concern/Near Miss Reporting —
    Feel free to contact us with any safety concerns (blocked fire exits, damaged safety equipment, etc.) or near misses (trips on loose flooring, sharp edge on table, etc.) on our Safety Concerns Form. You can even do it anonymously!

Remember that Husky health and safety is everyone’s responsibility.  Contact ehs-help@mtu.edu with any questions!

Save the Date: President's Update to Campus

We hope you will join President Koubek for a University update on Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m. at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, followed by a reception in the Rozsa lobby.

President Koubek will review the past year and outline future plans for the University. University Senate President Robert Hutchinson will also present a brief overview of planned Senate activities for the upcoming year.

MSGC Funding Opportunities

Applications open today (Sept. 1)!

The Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) aims to foster awareness of, education in and research on space and Earth-related science and technology in Michigan.

Funding opportunities are available in the following categories:

Undergraduate fellowship, graduate fellowship, pre-college education, public outreach, teacher training and research seed grants.

2023 Deadlines:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 8, by noon — Internal deadline for undergraduate and graduate fellowship proposals.
  • Wednesday, Oct. 18, by  noon — All other submissions.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 15, by 5 p.m. — Final materials, after review and approval by the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO), must be uploaded to MSGC by the applicant.

Proposals exceeding stated page limits or submitted without prior review by Michigan Tech will not be considered for funding. Women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply to all MSGC funding opportunities. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply for fellowship grants.

New for 2023! All proposals must be processed internally through Cayuse.

For instructions detailing proposal submission procedures and requirements, visit the Resources for the Michigan Space Grant Consortium webpage.

For more information, contact Mia Kemppainen in the Graduate School at miaw@mtu.edu or call 906-487-2326.

Fall Blood Drive 2023

Come stop in and donate blood at the Fall Blood Drive 2023 hosted by the Order of Omega on Wednesday and Thursday (Sept. 6-7) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the MUB Ballroom.

The American Red Cross recommends that everyone make an appointment; however, walk-ins are welcome based on availability.

Find more details and sign up to donate on the Involvement Link event page.

¡La Pena! Spanish Conversation Hour

Join us Tuesday (Sept. 5) for the first La Peña of the fall 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 HDMZ (Humanities Digital Media Zone), Walker 120A.

Other Peña dates of the semester: Sept. 19, Oct. 10, Oct. 24, Nov. 14, Nov 28.

Register for Fall Tennis and Pickleball Lessons

Registration is currently open for Fall Session 1 Tennis and Pickleball Lessons. Register today!

Visit Gates Tennis Center for more information and to register.

ChE Seminar Series Speaker: Douglas Wicks

Douglas Wicks will present as part of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) Seminar Series on Wednesday (Sept. 6) at 1 p.m. in person in Chem Sci 102 or virtually via Zoom.

Wicks will present "Facing the Abyss — the Minerals Challenge to the Clean Energy Transition."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

Wicks is a program director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

New Funding

Xiao Zhang (Math/CAMS) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $425,790 research and development grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The project is titled "Bayesian modeling of multivariate mixed longitudinal responses with scale mixtures of multivariate normal distributions."

This is a potential three-year project.

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Adrienne Minerick (ChE) is the PI on a project that has received a $2,500,000 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is titled "S-STEM: Scholarships for Success: Husky PAWS (Pathways for Academic Wellness and Success)."

Richelle Winkler (SS), Briana Bettin (CS) and Michelle Jarvi-Eggart (EF) are co-PIs on this potential six-year project.

In the News

Hairong Wei (CFRES) was mentioned by the High Plains Journal, Milling Journal and Seed Today as a collaborator on a Kansas State University project awarded $1.9 million by the National Science Foundation. The project, which seeks to identify genetic elements that enhance scientists’ ability to generate farm crops and other plants from tissues or cells, was also covered by the Kansas Ag Connection.

Reminders

Faculty Call for Attendees, Student Presenters at NIST Symposium

Michigan Tech has been invited to attend a symposium at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) Gaithersburg, Maryland, location from Oct. 3-6 for the NIST Professional Research Experience Program (PREP).

Assistant Professor Vinh Nguyen (ME-EM) is currently getting a list of faculty and students together who can attend. Research programs will be showcased by the selected student attendees, providing a platform to connect with NIST scientists for possible PREP Program support for students. Networking opportunities with NIST researchers can open the potential for other grants beyond NIST PREP.

Limited funds are available for student travel support. If you and your students would like to attend all or some days, please email Nguyen (vinhn@mtu.edu) by Monday (Sept. 4) at 5 p.m. EST. The NIST PREP at MTU team will review and forward the attendee list to the NIST PREP program officer.

Please include the following information in your reply:

  • Faculty name and citizenship
  • Names of students attending and citizenship
  • Overview of the research projects your students will be showcasing

(Note that citizenship information is just for visitor permissions; international students are allowed to be PREP students.)

The symposium serves as an excellent opportunity for universities to engage with NIST's renowned scientists, explore groundbreaking research initiatives and deepen connections within the academic community. Please contact Nguyen with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

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No Tech Today Monday

Tech Today will not publish on Monday (Sept. 4) in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Submissions for the Tuesday (Sept. 5) issue of Tech Today are due by noon today (Sept. 1).

Today's Campus Events

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

Boats, Buoys, and Books

Navigate the perilous library stacks to find any book with a nautical theme, snap a picture of the book you find and bring the picture down to the "Ask Us Station" for a prize.

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Sail in for a Slice at Sea[DI]

Sail on in to Sea[DI] for a slice of Dominoes Pizza, which has been generously donated to welcome students back to campus. Student Organizations affiliated with CDI will also...

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(Women's Volleyball) Concordia-St. Paul vs. Michigan Tech

Women's Volleyball: Concordia-St. Paul vs. Michigan Tech, NMU Tournament

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Personal Branding and Networking

Make a lasting impression with an in person elevator pitch, or virtually through online platforms in 30 seconds or less. Ready, set, go!

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Sun, Sand, and Sigma

Join the brothers of Sigma Rho at Prince's Point, for a fun time in the water, toss around the football or engaging in yard games like corn hole.

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Portage Waterway Cruising

The Sailing Club at Michigan Tech has weekly cruises on the Portage Waterway, most Friday nights in the fall semester (weather permitting). No previous sailing experience is...

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Rock Painting with Mu Beta Psi

Flex your creativity with rock painting! Join Mu Beta Psi, a gender inclusive Fraternity focused on service through music for our first rush of the season. We look forward to...

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Weekly Meeting

Weekly Meeting for members and Eboard.

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Wildlife Walk

The student chapter of the Wildlife Society will be hosting a wildlife walk! We will be walking around the Tech Trails to look for and teach about wildlife!

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Film Board Presents: Cocaine Bear

Join Film Board this weekend as we show Cocaine Bear! Showings are on Friday 9/1 and Saturday 9/2 in Fisher 135! More information on our website https://filmboard.mtu.edu/

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Board Game Night

Join Gamers Anonymous for a night of board games and social games. Play new games and old classics with your friends.

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Glass Painting with Panhellenic

Come and join the Panhellenic Council to paint glass cups and to learn more about Greek Life at Michigan Tech!

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Pep Band Parade

Keep your dorm window open! The Huskies Pep Band will be parading near campus housing to give you a taste of our favorite tunes.

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Film Board Presents: Cocaine Bear

Join Film Board this weekend as we show Cocaine Bear! Showings are on Friday 9/1 and Saturday 9/2 in Fisher 135! More information on our website https://filmboard.mtu.edu/

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Film Board Presents: Cocaine Bear

Join Film Board this weekend as we show Cocaine Bear! Showings are on Friday 9/1 and Saturday 9/2 in Fisher 135! More information on our website https://filmboard.mtu.edu/