August 14, 2026

The Calumet Players will present “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” musical next weekend, Aug. 20-22, at Michigan Tech’s Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

Scheduled Performances:

• Thursday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 22, at 2 p.m.

This hilarious, heartwarming musical features six delightfully quirky middle school spelling champions, unforgettable songs and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. For any audience members feeling brave, there is an opportunity to participate onstage with the cast!

Join the Calumet Players for this family-friendly production full of humor and fun, and you will see a few familiar faces from the Michigan Tech community onstage.

Tickets are available by calling the Rozsa Box Office at 906-487-1906 or by visiting the Rozsa Tickets website.

Merle Kindred ’07 (Ph.D. Rhetoric, Theory and Culture) is the author of the recently published book “Immersed in India: A Kerala Adventure in Architectural Activism.”

The book tells the story of Kindred’s unexpected expansion of her Ph.D. dissertation about invitational rhetoric in architectural communication in the mid-2000s at MTU.

From the bookseller:
Immersed in India: A Kerala Adventure in Architectural Activism follows the life of a Canadian woman in her late fifties nearing the end of PhD studies at an American university. Her final task is completing a scholarly work about energy efficiency in building design and construction based on her years of experience in architectural management.

Merle Kindred is brain-weary and embarks on a classic tourist getaway to India in 2004 in the bustle of Mumbai and the tranquility of the beaches of Goa. Suddenly, she is struck by the thought that if she added an Eastern perspective to her work, it would broaden and enliven her topic.

... Completing her doctorate after an in-depth tour of Kerala, visits to key Gandhian sites and projects in northern India, and research into COSTFORD (the Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development in Kerala), Kindred has the blueprint for the next stage of her life.

The book is available online in print and digital format.

The Daily Mining Gazette quoted Sigrid Resh (CFRES) in a story about spotted knapweed found at Porvoo Park in Hancock and efforts to manage the invasive plant. Resh discussed how spotted knapweed spreads in developed areas and shared considerations for safely controlling it near waterways.

Keweenaw Report mentioned Michigan Tech’s Huskies Pep Band in a story previewing Pasty Fest, taking place Aug. 15 in downtown Calumet. The Huskies Pep Band will perform in a “ketchup versus gravy” battle of the bands with the CLK High School pep band during the festival’s opening ceremonies.

Upcoming Banner Maintenance on Sunday

A Banner production system maintenance window is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 16, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The following production services will be unavailable during that time:

• Apps.mtu.edu
• Banner
• Banweb
• Aspire
• Course Tools
• Degreeworks
• Experience
• Fischer/mylogin.mtu.edu
• mtu.edu/tips
• OAP Rental System
• Oracle Reports
• Papercut Printing
• Perceptive Content (Imagenow)
• Pinnacle
• Sunapsis
• Timeclock Plus
• TechTracks
• Titanium
• Prism
• MSSQL servers
• UC4/Appworx
• Virtual Cashiering
• WebFocus

If you have any questions or concerns, we can help. Email IT or call 906-487-1111.

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

PhD Defense: Varsha Vijay Kumar

Friday, August 14, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. | Electrical Energy Resources Center (EERC), 501

Electrical Engineering Advisor: Elena Semouchkina The Effects of Physical Boundaries on the Complexity of Resonance Processes in Finite-Size Dielectric Metasurfaces Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/87971811309

Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities: Community Glossy Buckthorn Removals at Swedetown Trails

Friday, August 14, 1:00–3:30 p.m. | Swedetown Trails Club Main Trailhead & Chalet

Join KISMA and the Swedetown Trails Club to volunteer in removing invasive glossy buckthorn that is impacting local forests and trail systems, while learning more about the health of the forest around you!

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the following dissertation, thesis and report defenses occurring next week. Please consider attending to learn more about our students’ scholarship and celebrate their academic accomplishments. Check the University Events Calendar for last-minute updates to times, dates and locations.