March 12, 2024

This year's issue of the Michigan Tech Magazine is now available online!

Features:

• The Artemis Generation
  From the broomball rink to NASA-sponsored engineering competitions, the students of the Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab are game for every challenge that comes their way.

• Restoration Innovation
  Meet alumnus Ron Staley ’77 ’80 (AAS Civil Engineering Technology, B.S. Business), whose impressive career in historic preservation includes some of the United States' most iconic architectural showpieces.

• Canis Spiritus
  How do you revive a species in decline? Researcher Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) seeks answers from the "ghost wolves" of the Gulf Coast — models for what wildlife conservation might look like in the future.

• Leaders of the Pack
  Fall in for a salute to the Arctic Warriors and Guardians of the North and hear from Michigan Tech ROTC cadets preparing for high-flying careers in service to their country.

• Powering Michigan
  Consumers Energy is at the forefront of the nation's transition to clean energy. The trailblazing Michigan utility company is guiding the state toward a greener future, and five Huskies are helping chart the course.

• Research in Focus
  From heart valves to heat pumps, our scientists and engineers are developing breakthrough solutions for the world's most urgent challenges. What makes our research so unique? A University-wide commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration.

Read these stories and more in the 2024 Michigan Tech Magazine.

The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) reminds you that comments for the finalists being considered for the 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to Michigan Tech’s instructional mission, will be accepted until March 31 via online submission.

Based on more than 35,000 student ratings of instruction responses, 10 finalists have been identified for the 2024 awards. The selection committee will reference comments from students, staff, faculty and alumni during their deliberations.

Assistant Professor/Teaching Professor/Professor of Practice finalists:

• J. W. Hammond (HU), assistant professor
• Xin Li (COB), assistant professor
• Gord Patterson (BioSci), assistant professor
• Kerri Sleeman (CEGE), professor of practice
• Paul Weiss (Army ROTC), assistant professor

Associate Professor/Professor finalists:

• Jennifer Becker (CEGE), associate professor
• Carsten Külheim (CFRES), associate professor
• Joel Neves (VPA), professor
• Jennifer Nish (HU), associate professor
• Charles Wallace (CS), associate professor

The process for determining the Distinguished Teaching Award recipients from this list of finalists also involves the additional surveying of their spring 2024 classes. The selection committee makes the final determination of the award recipients. The 2024 Distinguished Teaching Awards will be formally announced in June.

For more information, contact the CTL at ctl@mtu.edu or 906-487-3000.

It takes many hands, hearts and minds to create a sustainable campus. As a part of Earth Month programming, join the Office of Sustainability and Resilience in celebrating four individuals who go the extra mile, dedicating their time and energy to supporting a more sustainable Michigan Tech.

This year’s Campus Sustainability Leadership Awardees are:

• Undergraduate: Claire Christen (environmental engineering)
• Graduate: Aritra Chakrabarty (Ph.D. in Environment and Energy Policy candidate)
• Staff: Robert Handler (ChE)
• Faculty: Chelsea Schelly (SS)

Please join us on April 17 for a celebration of the award winners and their accomplishments, a brief update on sustainability work at Michigan Tech and some time to enjoy snacks and interact with your peers. Feel free to bring lunch.

Celebration Details:

• What: Sustainability Awards Gathering
• When: Wednesday, April 17, from noon to 12:45 p.m.
• Where: MUB Ballroom B1

Add this event to your Google Calendar.

Department of Physics graduate students will be presenting their research progress at this week's Physics Colloquium:

• Alyssa Horne (advised by Ranjit Pati)
• Siddharth Karkhanis (advised by Issei Nakamura)
• Aaron Wildenborg (advised by Jae Yong Suh)

This will be an in-person event — the students will give their talks at 4 p.m. Thursday (March 14) in Fisher 139.

Event details, including the students' presentation titles and abstracts, are available on the University Events Calendar.

Department of Applied Computing (AC) tenure-track faculty candidate Keith Feldman will give a research presentation on Friday (March 15) at 2 p.m. in Rekhi 214.

The title of Feldman’s presentation is “Beyond Modeling: Contextualizing Data and Improving Patient Representations in the Context of Learning Health Systems.”

Read the talk abstract and candidate bio on the Computing News Blog.

Skylar Patten had the best finish for the Michigan Tech Nordic skiers in both days of competition at the NCAA Skiing Championships, leading MTU to a 10th-place overall team finish. The championships were held March 7-9 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

"We're really proud of how the team competed at NCAAs," head coach Tom Monahan Smith said. "It's always really challenging coming up to altitude, and Steamboat is the highest elevation we ski at any NCAA competition with really tough courses. But, we had a really solid championship from the entire team."

Every member of the men's squad put in personal-best performances, finishing as the seventh-place men's team — three spots higher than their 10th-place finish last year.

Patten led the team "with two really outstanding races — only 10 seconds out of All-American in the skate race and a really well-paced race in the classic, moving up throughout the entire race, and his best NCAA finish in the classic race," Monahan Smith described. He also called out Colin Freed for his "outstanding" classic race and Henry Snider for his best finish at nationals in the skate race.

The women's squad finished in 13th place, moving up from 15th last year. "Synne Herheim had a really great championship for her first year as a true freshman," said Monahan Smith. "Scoring in both races was really big for her, and she had a really great classic race. Olivia Laven had her best NCAA result in the skate distance, which was a big highlight for her, and Anabel Needham had a tough championship, but we're always proud of how she competes and gives 100% effort no matter what."

"I want to give a huge thank-you to our entire coaching staff — who have worked tirelessly and given everything to support our student-athletes, and they deserve a special thank-you — and Tryg Solberg, who went above and beyond being an alternate," Monahan Smith concluded.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech hockey swept Bowling Green in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 CCHA Playoffs at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

The Huskies opened the best-of-three series with a commanding 5-0 shutout of Bowling Green on Friday (March 8). Seeded at No. 3, Tech scored one goal in the first period and two goals each in the second and third periods, and Blake Pietila earned his fourth shutout of the season and 24th of his career.

"Guys are gaining confidence every day and every week," Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. "Logan has been really leading us. His compete level has been off the charts, and as the center on the line, he gets them going. Blake made the saves when he had to — especially when the game was still tight."

MTU completed the sweep Saturday (March 9). The Huskies climbed out of a two-goal deficit and ended the Falcons' season with a 6-5 win, advancing to the CCHA semifinals for the third year in a row.

"It was certainly an emotional rollercoaster, to say the least," Shawhan said. "Bowling Green gave everything they had in an elimination game. Elimination games can take on a life of their own. It came down to a last shot, and we scored the last shot."

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Two members of the Michigan Tech hockey team have been recognized with All-CCHA honors:

• Isaac Gordon was named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team and the All-CCHA Second Team.
• Blake Pietila was selected to the All-CCHA Second Team.

Read more about Gordon's and Pietila's season achievements at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech will host Minnesota State in a CCHA Mason Cup semifinal matchup on Saturday (March 16) at 5:07 p.m. at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

Tickets are on sale now through the SDC Central Ticket Office. Season ticket holders have until 5 p.m. today (March 12) to purchase tickets and claim their seats.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the Central Ticket Office in the Student Development Complex, online at BuyHuskiesTickets.com, or via phone by calling 906-487-2073.

For information on Skybox and Platform pricing and availability, email suites@mtu.edu.

Michigan Tech students can enter the semifinal game at the Experience Tech entrance as usual with a valid student I.D.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Saturday (March 16)
• Track & Field hosts MTU Ice Melter Open
• Hockey vs. Minnesota State, 5:07 p.m. at MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Mix 93 WKMJ & FloHockey

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Athletics News
Read more in the MTU Athletics weekly update.

Tuesday (March 12)
• Overwatch 2 vs. Bethany University, 7 p.m. NACE Varsity Premier. Watch the Twitch stream.

Wednesday (March 13)
• Call of Duty: MW3 vs. Durham University, 7 p.m. Varsity Plus. Watch the Twitch stream.

Thursday (March 14)
• Super Smash Bros: Ultimate vs. Marietta College, 7 p.m. Varsity Plus. Watch the Twitch stream.

Friday (March 15)
• Counter-Strike 2 vs. University of Kentucky, 7 p.m. NACE Varsity Premier. Watch the Twitch stream.
• Super Smash Bros: Ultimate vs. Ferris State University, 7 p.m. NACE Varsity Plus.

Saturday (March 16)
• Apex Legends vs Various, Noon Octane Collegiate

Times are subject to change. Check Twitter @MTUEsports for updates.

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Esports News
Read more in the MTU Esports weekly update.

Missed a game? All past streams are available on YouTube.

Job Postings for Tuesday, March 12, 2024

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.

Senior Administrative Aide, Admissions (UAW posting March 12 to March 18, 2024 — 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.

Student Wellness and Engagement Coordinator, Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being. Apply online.

Outreach and Prevention Coordinator, Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being. Apply online.

Senior Office Assistant, Admissions (UAW posting March 12 to March 18, 2024 — 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.

Senior Office Assistant, University Marketing and Communications (UAW posting March 12 to March 18, 2024 — 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.

Thompson Scholarship Coordinator, Financial Aid Administration. Apply online.

Financial Aid Loan Administrator, Financial Aid Administration. 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.

Simon Carn (GMES) was quoted by NASA Earth Observatory in a story about an eruption of the La Cumbre volcano in the Galapagos Islands. The eruption began March 2 on Fernandina Island, and the story included a March 7 aerial image showing continued active lava flow.

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Trista Vick-Majors (BioSci/GLRC) was quoted by Yahoo! News U.K. in a story exploring how an ongoing lack of winter ice cover could change the Great Lakes and touching on Vick-Majors’ project to gather winter-specific lake samples. The story was originally published by the Associated Press and has been picked up by over 400 U.S. news outlets.

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Joel Neves (VPA) was interviewed by ABC 10 in a segment previewing the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and Superior Wind Symphony concert performed March 9 and 10.

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Rodney Chimner (CFRES/ESC) was quoted by the Colorado’s Durango Herald in a story about the town of Silverton’s struggle to balance the handling of its wetlands with its need for housing. The story was picked up from the Colorado Sun.

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Master’s student Bester Mangisoni (data science), president of the African Students Organization at Michigan Tech, was quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about African Night, an annual event hosted by the org March 9 to share their cultures with the community. This year’s event featured speakers Josh Rushlau and Betty Chavis.

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MTU students Connor Steer and Luke Lahtinen of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity were mentioned by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about local Guts Frisbee teams using weekly practices to keep their hand in over the winter. Steer and Lahtinen were credited with bringing an influx of MTU students to the sport.

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The Daily Mining Gazette covered All-GLIAC basketball honors awarded to Michigan Tech women’s basketball and men’s basketball players: Isabella Lenz, Katelyn Meister and Alex Rondorf for the women’s squad, and Marcus Tomashek, Dan Gherezgher and Josh Terrian for the men. WLUC TV6 covered the all-conference basketball honors as well.

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The Traverse City Record-Eagle ran a story exploring the role of Grand Traverse County’s drain commissioner, Andy Smits ’84 (B.S. Geological Engineering), as the county’s population and infrastructure continue to grow. The story was picked up by Yahoo! News.

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The Salt Lake Tribune mentioned Olympic biathlete and Michigan Tech alumna Deedra Irwin in a story discussing U.S. Biathlon’s plans to grow awareness of the combined skiing and shooting sport in the U.S. Irwin was featured in last year’s Michigan Tech Magazine. 

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The Keweenaw Explorer blog mentioned MTU and the Michigan Tech Archives in a post titled “Celebrating Women’s History Month in the Keweenaw.” The post shared stories from many notable women from the Keweenaw’s past, including Margaret Holley Chapman, the first woman to earn a degree from Tech in 1933.

Mark Equal Pay Day Today at the Husky Statue

Today (March 12), the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country will mark Equal Pay Day 2024 by distributing cookies and literature on Michigan Tech's campus. The league and co-sponsors will spread awareness by wearing red and gathering at the Husky Statue from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please stop by and say hello.

Red is worn on Equal Pay Day as a symbol of how far women and people of color are "in the red." Equal Pay Day symbolizes the extra days an average women must work to catch up to what the average man earned the previous year. The date of Equal Pay Day changes from year to year as the situation improves — no gender pay gap (i.e., if women and men, on average, earned the same amount over the course of a year) would land Equal Pay Day on Dec. 31. This is not the case, and thus one can think of women as working into the following year to make as much as a man, on average.

Co-sponsors of this Equal Pay Day 2024 event include the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country and Michigan Tech's Friends of the Michigan Tech Library, Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance and Title IX, Graduate School and Order of Omega.

For the most recent data on the gender pay gap, see the American Association of University Women's website.

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Register Now: 2024 Doghouse Classic 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

The Doghouse Classic 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament is an original Michigan Tech event that saw its beginnings over 30 years ago under the direction of Kevin Borseth, head women’s basketball coach at the time.

The tournament will take place April 20 in the SDC Multipurpose Room on six competition courts. The tournament schedule and game schedule are TBD. number of teams registered will determine the number of divisions and the tournament format for each division. The preferred format will be a double-elimination bracket. Tournament brackets will not be available until the day of the tournament.

Tournament Details:

• Divisions: Boys and girls divisions for grade levels 4-8, JV, Varsity and Men's and Women's Opens.
• Cost: $120 per team (four players per team)
• Registration: Open now! Closes Monday, April 8, at 11:59 p.m.

This tournament is an excellent opportunity to have some fun playing 3-on-3 basketball in a friendly yet competitive environment. Prizes will be awarded for division champs, and event swag will be available for all participants!

Visit Michigan Tech Recreation's Doghouse Classic Spring 2024 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament page to learn more and sign up.

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This Week's C-Cubed Menu

Menu for Thursday (March 14):

• Jerk Chicken Breast with Pineapple Salsa (AG, AD)
• Coconut Ceviche (AG, AD, V)
• Spanish Rice (AG, AD, V)
• Garden Salad (VG)
• Cuban Black Beans (AG, AD, VG)
• Tortillas (Contain Gluten)

Join Carved and Crafted Catering for this week's C3 Luncheon. The luncheon is held each week on Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MUB 107). All faculty and staff, along with their guests, are invited.

The C3, or C-Cubed, lunch buffet menus are created and prepared by Chef Luis Delgado and his culinary team. As the name suggests, the meals are meant to foster conversation, community and collegiality. Attendees may bring their lunch instead of purchasing the buffet. Fruit-infused water, coffee, tea and cookies are available free to all attendees.

The buffet lunch is $15 per person. Cash, credit cards and gift cards are accepted. Gift cards can be purchased in the Memorial Union office (MUB 101).

We will be incorporating new food icons moving forward. Please follow the guide listed below and you will see these included into our menus and used in dining facilities across campus.

AG = Avoiding Gluten
AD = Avoiding Dairy
VG = Vegan
V = Vegetarian

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

Simple Machines: Poetry, Letterpress, and the Art of the Little Magazine Presented by Michigan Tech Art

Tuesday, March 12, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Galleries

Simple Machines is a two-edition, international, letterpress poetry magazine founded and edited by Michigan Tech’s M. Bartley Seigel, funded through a Research Excellence...

ACMAL Meeting on MRI Proposal for New XPS

Tuesday, March 12, 9 a.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), 610

The Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory (ACMAL) has received interest regarding the acquisition of a new XPS instrument to upgrade the capabilities of the...

Talk About It Tuesday: Resumes and AI

Tuesday, March 12, 12:00–12:45 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Bring your lunch and your lap top. We will be workshopping your resumes to beat out Application Tracking Systems (ATS).

HuskyLEAD: Leadership Without Boundaries

Tuesday, March 12, 4–5 p.m. | MUB Superior Room

Explore unique leadership styles and expand your leadership portfolio with panelists Christopher Sanders (CDI), Brianna Kratz (ResEd), and Reid DeVoge (Public Safety).

Stammtisch

Tuesday, March 12, 4:30–5:30 p.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, 120C in the HDMZ

Come enjoy a relaxed hour of German conversation, games and snacks. All levels of German are welcome.

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons Spring 2024 Session 2

Tuesday, March 12, 5–6 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 Spring 2024 Session 2

Tuesday, March 12, 5–6 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...

NCSA General Meeting

Tuesday, March 12, 6–7 p.m. | Chem-Sci 101

Join NCSA in their weekly meeting, where we talk about news from the Tech industry, give updates on team projects, and have guest speakers from industry talk about what they...

Michigan Tech Housing and Dining

Tuesday, March 12, 7–8 p.m.

Join us to learn more about residence life and dining options at Michigan Tech.