October 26, 2023

Michigan Tech's baccalaureate nursing degree cleared the final hurdle of accreditation and approval earlier this month. Rapid and widespread support from the greater Copper Country community and the diligent work of Tech’s leadership, faculty and staff were instrumental in the successful effort to establish the program.

Get more details, a short history of nursing at Michigan Tech and perspectives on what’s ahead at Michigan Tech News.

Michigan Tech's Night Parking Ban goes into effect at midnight Tuesday (Oct. 31) and will remain in effect until April 30, 2024.

During the ban, parking is prohibited on campus from 2-7 a.m. except as follows:

• Michigan Tech employees with shifts prior to 7 a.m. who have an assigned parking location (email parking@mtu.edu if you have not yet been assigned a location).
• Occupants of University housing with a valid residential parking permit in their specified lot.
• Visitors with purchased permits (Transportation Services will designate an assigned parking lot).

Individuals who need to request parking past 2 a.m. need to call Michigan Tech Public Safety and Police Services at 906-487-2216 that evening to be assigned a designated parking space. To request permission to remain parked on campus, you will need to provide the following to Public Safety:

• Name
• Reason for request
• Campus location
• Phone number
• Vehicle information (license plate number and make, model and color)
• Permit number

Those granted permission to park on campus after 2 a.m. will be assigned a parking spot in a designated parking lot or in one of the three designated meter areas (meters will need to be paid). Vehicles must be moved prior to 6 a.m. unless alternate arrangements have been given prior approval.

The parking ban will remain in effect regardless of the amount of snow on the ground.

Visitor Parking Permits
Permits can be purchased from Transportation Services Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or on the Michigan Tech Parking Portal. Visitors can park overnight in Lot 24 (park on the south side of the lot in the parking spaces closest to Sharon Avenue). If arriving after 4 p.m., the overnight permit should be purchased for the next day’s date to allow for overnight parking.

Email parking@mtu.edu with further questions.

Provost Andrew Storer will be holding open office hours from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 31) in the Library Café. Feel free to stop by; appointments are not required for open office hours.

Spring 2024 open office hours will be held in the Library Café on the following dates:

• Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, March 28, from 1-3 p.m.

Office hours also continue to be held from 1-3 p.m. each Thursday during the 2023-24 academic year. Faculty, staff and students are welcome to schedule an appointment by emailing Amie Ledgerwood at asledger@mtu.edu.

The information provided here is also available on the Academic Affairs website. To view it, click the office hours icon in the bottom right corner of the banner image.

Almost nothing says Open Access (OA) like a Creative Commons (CC) license. These free, standardized licenses allow authors to explicitly state how and under what conditions their copyright-protected works may or may not be used by others. Put another way, works with a CC license are still protected by U.S. copyright laws and authors retain their copyrights while providing a simple way to control the reuse of their work. All six CC licenses legally require attribution to the original author, ensuring ethical standards in publishing are maintained.

These licenses were created by Creative Commons, an international nonprofit organization that supports the global OA movement. Creative Commons believes that better, more ethical sharing will create a brighter future for all. The organization not only maintains the six CC licenses and a public domain dedication, but actively advocates for OA through a global network of educators and researchers. Creative Commons also provides training and certification for CC licenses, which the Van Pelt and Opie Library has proudly participated in.

If you’re interested in learning more about CC licenses, whether for using CC licensed content in your classes or applying a license to your own research and teaching materials, the library is here to help. Simply email library@mtu.edu and a librarian certified in Creative Commons licensing will schedule a time to meet with you.

Interested in learning more on your own? Try out the CC License Chooser to better understand the parts of a CC license and which one might be best for you.

Staff Council invites the campus community to submit nominations for the 2023 Making a Difference Awards.

The Making a Difference Awards Ceremony will be held on Jan. 9 from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Building Ballroom. Nominations are now open and regular full-time and part-time staff are eligible. All faculty and staff are invited to submit a nomination of a deserving colleague or write a letter in support of a nomination.

The categories are:

• Innovation Award
• Behind the Scenes
• Legacy Award
• Outstanding Leader
• Rookie Award
• Serving Others
• Unsung Hero

Award recipients will receive $500, after taxes. Past recipients are not eligible again until five years after their award year.

Please follow these steps:

1. Review the award criteria.
2. Create your nomination letter.
3. Collect your letters of support (no more than three one-page letters).
4. Complete the nomination form.

Please note that you will need to be prepared to upload your nomination letter and letters of support as one PDF file in the nomination form before exiting it. Otherwise it will be lost, as the system will not automatically save it.

For more information and to find the nomination form, please go to Staff Council's Making a Difference Staff Awards webpage. Nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Nov 15.

​Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an international competition developed by the University of Queensland Australia. Graduate Student Government (GSG) hosts an annual competition every fall, and the winner will present at the regional levels of the competition.

Michigan Tech's 2023 3MT competition will be held on Nov. 9. The preliminary rounds will happen from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Great Lakes Research Center in GLRC 202. The finals will be held from 6-8 p.m. in the U. J. Noblet Forestry Building in Noblet G002.

Cash prizes of $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for the people's choice award will be awarded.

The presentation schedule will be available one week prior to the event. For more information on the competition, please see GSG's 3MT webpage.

Eligibility: The competition is open to all grad students, but the regional competition is only eligible to Ph.D. students with confirmed candidacy.

The registration deadline has been extended to Monday (Oct. 30). Register on the 3MT webpage.

If you’re looking for spooky weekend activities, plan to swing by for a Haunted Smelter Tour! Michigan Tech Theatre has transformed the historic Quincy Smelter site into a glorious haunted experience that you can experience tonight (Oct. 26) through Saturday (Oct. 28).

We recommend wearing closed-toe shoes for this experience, and youth under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Tours last 15 minutes and begin every 10 minutes from 7-10:30 p.m.

This event is a collaboration between Michigan Tech Theatre, the Quincy Mine Hoist Association and the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission. Tickets are available through the Quincy Mine Hoist Association at quincymine.com.

Haunted Smelter Tour Details:

• When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26-28, from 7-10:30 p.m. (tours start every 10 minutes)
• Where: Quincy Smelter
• Duration: 15 minutes
• Tickets: $10 adults, $5 youth (ages 12 and under) at quincymine.com

Please join us for the next Department of Mathematical Sciences (Math) Seminar, taking place tomorrow (Oct. 27) from 1-2 p.m. in Fisher 327B.

Our special guest speaker will be Toby Driscoll, the Unidel Chaired Professor at the University of Delaware.

Driscoll's presentation is titled "Data-Driven Modeling and Simulation of the Human Tear Film."

Join the Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture (IPEC) and Graduate Student Government (GSG) at the Michigan Tech Writing Center in Walker 107 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. today (Oct. 26) to discuss research journeys.

This event is perfect for graduate students who are looking to gain insight on all things research, including funding, development, writing and promotion. We hope to see you there!

The MTU Writing Center is located on the first floor of the Walker Arts and Humanities Center.

Join us to celebrate Women's Entrepreneurship Day with Carolyn Yarina, startup consultant and the esteemed founder of Sisu Global.

This talk is open to the community and will be informative for anyone interested in launching a startup. We will meet on Nov. 14 in the MUB Alumni Lounge from 11-12:30 p.m. Register to attend by Nov. 10.

As Sisu Global's founder, Yarina raised over $4 million from investors including Steve Case, Camden Partners and Keiretsu Capital. She has received numerous awards, such as Forbes 30 under 30 and Maryland’s Innovator of the Year, as well as features in USA Today and Entrepreneur Magazine.

Before Sisu Global, Yarina founded a medical device nonprofit working with rural mobile clinics in India. She raised over $100,000 in cash and in-kind services and was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Business Insider. While getting her chemical engineering degree at the University of Michigan, she was named Entrepreneur of the Year for her first company.

Michigan Tech hockey is traveling to upstate New York for a pair of nonconference games against ECAC opponents.

The Huskies play St. Lawrence tomorrow (Oct. 27) at 7 p.m. at Appleton Arena in Canton. They'll take on Clarkson on Saturday (Oct. 28) at 7:30 p.m. at Cheel Arena in Potsdam.

Fans can listen live on the radio at Mix 93.5 WKMJ-FM or online at TheMix93.com or Pasty.net. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+. The ECAC also provides a stream for international viewers.

Read the preview at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech football team is traveling downstate for the final time in the regular season to take on No. 3 nationally ranked Grand Valley State at Lubbers Stadium.

The Huskies' tilt against the Lakers is slated for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday (Oct. 28).

This marks the second consecutive week that the Huskies face a top 10 opponent.

Read the preview at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Job Postings for Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

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.

Assistant Teaching Professor – Geospatial Engineering, Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering. Apply online.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Biomedical Engineering. 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.

Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) was quoted by the Galveston County Daily News in Texas in a story about opposition to a planned housing development on Galveston Island. The land in question is home to a population of coyotes known as ghost wolves that carry genetics from the endangered red wolf. Brzeski is one of the scientists studying the pack in question.

*****

Plastics Recycling Update mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about 14 research and development projects funded by the REMADE Institute, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. MTU received two awards to fund research on solvent-based plastic recycling ($600,000) and recycling of all-polyolefin multilayer flexible packaging ($200,000).

*****

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Business Network mentioned Michigan Tech in connection to a $7.5 million grant and a 15-year, 100% state essential services assessment exemption awarded to Calumet Electronics to support construction of a first-of-its-kind package substrate factory. MTU was credited as graduating the “brilliant engineers” behind the company’s innovations.

*****

The Keweenaw Report picked up a Michigan Tech News story about the University’s first gold rating for sustainability awarded by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

*****

The Hill published an opinion article written by Professor Emeritus Madhukar Vable (ME-EM) discussing anger-provoking challenges facing higher education.

Chemistry Seminar with Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova (Rescheduled)

Tatyana G. Karabencheva-Christova from the Department of Chemistry at Michigan Technological University will be presenting at this week's Chemistry Seminar. The seminar will be held in person at 3 p.m. today (Oct. 26) in M&M U113.

Karabencheva-Christova’s presentation is titled "Revealing Catalytic Strategies of Metalloenzymes."

From the abstract:
More than 30% of all human enzymes with essential physiological functions contain metal ions in their active sites. Therefore, metalloenzymes are critical therapeutic targets in developing inhibitors and drugs. The discovery of effective therapeutics that target metalloenzymes requires a thorough understanding of metalloenzymes' structure and catalytic strategies. Computational chemistry methods have become a powerful tool for exploring the structure and revealing mechanistic insights into metalloenzyme catalysis, which cannot be obtained experimentally. Applying multilevel computational chemistry methods, we explored the catalytic mechanisms and structure-function relationships of two large groups of metalloenzymes: (1) zinc (II)-dependent matrix metalloproteinases and (2) non-heme Iron (II)-containing enzymes. In particular, the research implements multilevel computational chemistry methods to explore the conformational diversity of enzyme-substrate complexes and to study enzyme reaction mechanisms within the natural protein environment. These findings illuminate atomic and electronic scale details, which cannot be obtained by experimental techniques. Ultimately, the research provides insights into the structure-function relationships of metal-containing enzymes that permit fundamental advances in artificial metalloenzymes design, chemical biology, and drug discovery.

*****

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker: Andy Morello

The next Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar speaker will present at 4 p.m. today (Oct. 26) in MEEM 112.

Andy Morello will present “LANL Test Engineering’s Structural Dynamics Research and Development Efforts.”

Morello has been a staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for over 10 years. He received his B.S. (2009) and M.S. (2011) in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University with a focus in experimental structural dynamics.

*****

Physics Colloquium with Rene Lopez

Rene Lopez from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be presenting at this week's Physics Colloquium. The seminar will be presented in person at 4 p.m. today (Oct. 26) in Fisher 139.

Read the abstract and speaker bio at the University Events Calendar.

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

Math Seminar with Dr. Toby Driscoll

Thursday, October 26, 6–12 a.m. | Fisher Hall, 327B

*****

Layered in Between: Prints by Erin Hoffman Presented by Michigan Tech Art

Thursday, October 26, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Galleries A-Space

Erin Hoffman is an artist and printmaker from Muskegon, Michigan, who deals primarily with political and social concerns. Through the presentation of mismatched ideas and...

*****

Out of the Ordinary Single Crystal Neutron Diffraction

Thursday, October 26, 1 p.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), 610

Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Dr. Zachary Morgan Oak Ridge National Laboratory Abstract As a complementary but rare technique, neutron scattering experiments...

*****

MATLAB Workshop

Thursday, October 26, 2 p.m.–4 p.m. | Online

Free MATLAB Workshop! Women in Physics is hosting a MATLAB workshop that is available to anyone who is interested. It is a 7 week course that will begin with the basic...

*****

LANL Test Engineering’s Structural Dynamics Research and Development Efforts

Thursday, October 26, 4 p.m. | R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building (MEEM), 112

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Andy Morello Group Leader Los Alamos National Laboratory Abstract Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a...

*****

Physics Colloquium with Dr. Rene Lopez

Thursday, October 26, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 139

Rene Lopez from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be presenting at this week's Physics Colloquium. The seminar will be presented in person at 4 PM,...

*****

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons Fall 2023 Session 2

Thursday, October 26, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons provides aquatic education for the beginner to the intermediate swimmer who is looking to become more comfortable in the water and learn the...

*****

Adult Huskies Swim Training Fall 2023 Session 2

Thursday, October 26, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Training provides additional attention and competitive guidance to swimmers ages 18 and older who are looking to improve their swimming skills and fitness...

*****

Los Angeles Alumni Social

Thursday, October 26, 5 p.m.–7 p.m.

Calling all alumni, both local to southern California and visiting, to an exciting event in the heart of Los Angeles! Whether you're in town for WE23 Conference or a proud...

*****

Weekly RedTeam Meeting

Thursday, October 26, 6 p.m.–7 p.m. | Rekhi G05

Join Michigan Tech's RedTeam for their weekly club meeting! Each meeting we discuss cyber news articles and give talks pertaining to the field of cybersecurity.

*****

Haunted Smelter Tours Hosted by Michigan Tech Theatre

Thursday, October 26, 7:00 p.m.–10:30 p.m. | Quincy Smelter

Join us this Halloween season at the Quincy Smelter for a haunted experience that you won’t forget! All proceeds from this spooky fun support the Quincy Mine Hoist...

*****

Winter Coat & Boot Drive

October 26, all day | Michigan Tech Campus, Various locations on campus and in the community

The Husky Closet Collective is seeking winter coat and boot donations for the Clothing Closet at Michigan Tech. To help keep our Huskies warm, we need to secure donations of...