March 24, 2026

Michigan Tech has long been preparing for the world’s next boom of innovation in robotics and automation. Students, faculty, staff and alumni are utilizing their multidisciplinary skills to meet the real-world needs of an expansive industry, from automotive and aerospace, to agriculture and artificial intelligence.

Engineers, computer scientists, technicians and cultural scholars are all asking the same question: If robotics is the next big thing for industry, what’s next for robotics education and research? With over 15,000 square feet of dedicated research space, multiple degree programs, student organizations and a legion of robotic machines on hand, Michigan Tech is positioning itself as a hub for robotics and automation innovation.

In the latest issue of Michigan Tech Magazine, meet the students, researchers and robots who are are making Michigan Tech the premier destination for all things robotics.

This year's Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC) was a resounding success, with over 110 presentations between the oral session throughout the day and the poster session in the evening, making it the biggest and most competitive GRC so far!

Graduate Student Government (GSG) is incredibly proud of our graduate students who have dedicated countless hours to their research, and we are thrilled to showcase their impressive work.

Oral Presentation Winners

• First Place (cash prize of $600): William Johnston, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  – Presentation: “AeroFeathers: Quiet Drone Propellers Inspired by Owls”

• Second Place (cash prize of $400): Gifty Afoley Odai, Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering
  – Presentation: “Micromechanics of Mining-Derived Granular Materials”

• Third Place (cash prize of $200): Houssein Yassin, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  – Presentation: “Data-Driven Modeling and Controls of Nonlinear Point Absorber Wave Energy Converters”

Poster Presentation Winners

• First Place (cash prize of $600): Vedika Khare, Biomedical Engineering
  – Poster: “Mussel-Inspired Radical-Generating Nanogels for Pollutant Degradation and Pathogen Inactivation”

• Second Place (cash prize of $400): Greyson Wolf, Biological Sciences
  – Poster: “Getting out of the Rough: Understanding Shifting Perceptions and the Emergence of Burbot as a Recreational Target”

• Third Place (cash prize of $200): LillyAnn Nekervis, Computer Science
  – Poster: “Shared Embodiment: Inhabiting Intelligent Agents Through Immersive Telepresence”

Congratulations to you all!

Thank you to all of our presenters, judges, sponsors, supporters, moderators and other volunteers for making this year’s GRC a huge success.

Robin Meneguzzo of the Keweenaw Community Foundation, Angie Carter of MTU’s Department of Social Sciences, Rachael Pressley of the Western UP Planning & Development Region and Emily Shaw of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) Natural Resources Department, in collaboration with other local partners, have launched the Building Our Futures Community Survey to gather input about community development priorities from residents across Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties, and members of the KBIC.

This 15- to 20-minute survey will help guide future funding priorities, partnerships and community initiatives throughout our region. The survey is open now until April 6.

Take the Building Our Futures Community Survey.

The countdown to Michigan Tech’s Design Expo is on! As we prepare for this year’s showcase on April 14, we invite faculty and staff to join us as event volunteers and help make this campuswide celebration of student innovation a success.

Each year, Design Expo highlights the creativity and problem‑solving of our undergraduate students, featuring more than 70 Enterprise, Senior Design, and capstone projects from across all colleges. To ensure a smooth, engaging experience for students, judges and guests, we rely on volunteers to support key event operations.

Volunteer roles include:

• Event setup and teardown (shifts available between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.)
• Name tag and judge check‑in
• Giveaway coordination
• General event support

Volunteering is a meaningful way to engage with students, connect with industry partners and contribute to an event that showcases the best of Michigan Tech. Whether you can assist for an hour or for a full shift, your support is invaluable and very much appreciated.

Sign Up to Volunteer. 

Sign Up to Judge. 

Thank you for helping us celebrate innovation and student achievement.

The University Senate will meet on Thursday, March 26, at 12:30 p.m. in Chem Sci 102. Virtual attendance is also invited via Zoom. Please note that you will need to log in to your MTU Zoom account to join the virtual meeting. 

Join the University Senate Meeting on Zoom.

View the Meeting Agenda.

Senators are responsible for making their constituents aware of the agenda for this meeting. Senators who are unable to attend should arrange for their alternates to attend in their place.

Don Keranen Jazz Festival – Michigan Tech Jazz
Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28 | 7:30 p.m. nightly | Rozsa Backstage
Saturday, March 28 | 10 p.m. | Orpheum Theater
Michigan Tech Music Series

The annual Don Keranen Jazz Festival is back! Paying tribute to the founder of the Michigan Tech Jazz Studies Program, this festival features performances by the Video Game Jazz Ensemble, R&D Jazz Band, Jaztec and Jazz Lab Band.

This year’s very special guest artist is American multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter and recording artist Braxton Cook. Cook has toured with jazz musicians Christian Scott, Christian McBride and Marquis Hill, and performed with Jon Batiste, Mac Miller and Rihanna. In 2017, The Fader magazine named Cook a jazz prodigy, and in 2018, Ebony magazine listed him as one of the top five jazz artists to watch. 

Cook and members of the Michigan Tech Jazz Studies Program, directed by Adam Meckler and Drew Kilpela (both VPA), will perform on the Rozsa’s backstage both Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s performance will be followed by a late night 10 p.m. Workshop Brass Band set at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock. 

This is a great opportunity to hear our Michigan Tech talent alongside a world-renowned jazz professional. Cook’s visit is partially funded by the Visiting Professor Program which is funded by a grant to the Office of the Provost from the State of Michigan’s King-Chávez-Parks Initiative.

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Workshop Brass Band Gospel Service – Michigan Tech Jazz
Sunday, March 29 | 3 p.m.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Michigan Tech Music Series

Join Michigan Tech’s Workshop Brass Band in the afternoon on Sunday, March 29, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Houghton as they play gospel music in the New Orleans tradition (with a message by Pastor Sarah Smith of Good Shepherd).

Join Carved and Crafted Catering at Michigan Technological University for the C-Cubed Luncheon, being held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MUB 107). All faculty and staff, along with their guests, are invited.

Menu for Thursday, March 26:

• Vegetable Minestrone Soup (V) and Chicken Noodle Soup
• Garlic Breadsticks (V)
• Salad Items: Spring Salad Mix (VG, AG), Cucumber (VG, AG), Red Onion (VG, AG) Cherry Tomatoes (VG, AG), Seasoned Croutons (V), Shredded Cheddar Cheese (V, AG) Garbanzo Beans (VG, AG)
• Salad Dressings: Ranch (V, AG), Balsamic Vinaigrette (VG, AG), Italian (VG, AG)
• Cookie Platter (V)

The C-Cubed lunch buffet menus are created and prepared by the catering 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 desserts are available free to all attendees.

The buffet lunch is $16 per person. Cash, credit cards and gift cards are accepted. Gift cards can be purchased in the Memorial Union office (MUB 101). Meals are dine-in only and personal containers/tupperware or to-go meals are not permitted.

• Submit C-Cubed Feedback
• Receive Weekly C-Cubed Menus

Job Postings for Tuesday, March 24, 2026

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 Office Assistant (10 months, 40 hours), William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning. (​UAW posting dates are March 24 to March 30, 2026. External applicants are encouraged to apply; however, internal ​UAW applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal ​UAW posting dates.)

Central Energy Plant Operator, Facilities Management.

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.

Over spring break, Husky Air, a project team belonging to Michigan Tech’s Aeronautics and Rocketry Enterprise, competed in the SAE Aero Design Regular Class competition. Alongside advisor Kazuya Tajiri (MAE), team members traveled to Lakeland, Florida, to compete against other student-led teams from across the country.

The challenge was to design an aircraft capable of carrying as many two‑liter bottles — each weighing at least one pound — as possible, all within a 10‑foot wingspan and a 100‑foot takeoff distance. The competition proved to be a great networking and learning experience, as the team gained valuable insight into changes they should make for their future designs.

Husky Air’s goal for the rest of the spring semester will be making changes to their aircraft in preparation for the 2027 competition.

The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech in a story detailing the legacy of Betty Chavis. Chavis, who began her work at MTU in 1989, is recognized for helping to lead the creation of the Parade of Nations and many other campus initiatives in her 25 years at Tech.

MLive mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the possibility of wolves having crossed an ice bridge in Lake Superior this winter. MTU researchers with the Isle Royale wolf-moose project addressed the ice bridge question and other preliminary observations from their 2026 winter fieldwork.

Escanaba’s Daily Press picked up a Daily Mining Gazette story about York Space Systems acquiring Orbion Space Technology, an MTU spinout specializing in satellite propulsion systems.

MSN picked up a Minnesota Star Tribune story featuring Michigan Tech alum Dawn Plitzuweit ’95 (B.S. Biological Sciences). The story previewed the women’s basketball NCAA tournament matchup between the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Today: ICC Talk with Mark Rudnicki: 'A Net-Zero Alberta'

Today, March 24, at noon, join the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (ICC) in GLRC 202 to hear from Mark Rudnicki (CFRES) on transforming the Ford Center and historic Alberta Village into a living laboratory for climate-smart forests, smart infrastructure, clean energy and resilient northern rural communities.

Michigan Tech’s Ford Center and Forest is a rare institutional asset: a historic village and working field station with year-round facilities and a large research forest. This brief proposes a practical, phased transformation — Net-Zero Alberta — that makes the site a high-visibility platform for the entire University.

Net-Zero Alberta will elevate the Ford Center’s existing strengths in forestry and environmental research while expanding its role as a campus-scale test bed for engineering, computing, social sciences, business and policy — supporting innovation that matters to northern rural places: cold-climate heating, reliability, affordability and working-lands stewardship. 

ICC Net-Zero Alberta Talk with Mark Rudnicki
Tuesday, March 24, at Noon in GLRC 202
Add the Net-Zero Alberta Talk to Your Google Calendar.

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CTL Accessible Tech Challenge Holding Working Session on Lists and Links

Join the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning for an Accessible Tech Challenge Working Session next Wednesday, April 1, from 2-3 p.m. in Library 243.

The challenge is a practical, hands-on opportunity to strengthen the accessibility of your digital course materials. Each session focuses on one key skill area, explains why it matters for students, and gives you dedicated time to work on your own content and get real-time guidance from campus digital accessibility experts.

Topic for April 1: Lists and Links
Properly structured lists and descriptive hyperlinks make your content easier to navigate and understand, especially for students using assistive technology. In this session, you’ll explore how to create semantic lists and write descriptive link text that effectively communicates destination and intent. 

Register for the April 1 Working Session.

Register today to reserve your spot! Bring your laptop to work on content you’d like to improve.

Accommodation requests can be made on the registration screen, by emailing ctl@mtu.edu, or by calling 906-487-3000.

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Catering Pop-Up: The Ultimate Coffee and Toppings Bar

MTU’s Carved and Crafted Catering invites you to stop by our upcoming Ultimate Coffee and Toppings Bar catering pop-up featuring a make-your-own iced coffee bar. This elevated, over-the-top coffee bar experience allows guests to customize their drink with a variety of toppings, including whipped cream, marshmallows, flavored syrups, cookie crumbs, chocolate curls, espresso brownies and more.

The event is open to faculty, staff and the entire Michigan Tech community, and will take place tomorrow, March 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the MUB Keweenaw Commons. Guests are encouraged to stop by, create their perfect iced coffee and learn more about what Carved and Crafted Catering has to offer for events held on and off campus.

As a special bonus, the first 50 attendees will receive a Husky Eats travel mug while supplies last.

In addition to the catering pop-up, Husky Eats will have staff on-site to share details about Boost Mobile, student dining jobs, meal plans and more.

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

Women's Rights are Human Rights: International Posters on Gender-based Inequality, Violence, and Discrimination Gallery Exhibit - Rozsa Art Galleries

Tuesday, March 24, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Art Galleries, Rozsa Art Galleries A-Space

MICHIGAN TECH ART SERIES EVENT Women’s Rights are Human Rights is a fitting title for an exhibition of women’s rights and advocacy posters, as it was a term used in the women’s rights movement and was the title of an important speech given by Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1995 at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. This exhibition features posters created by artsit of all genders to celebrate and acknowledge the vital role that all citizens should play in protecting and promoting human rights while challenging gender inequality and stereotypes, advancing reproductive and sexual rights, protecting women and girls against brutality, and promoting women’s empowerment and participation in society. These poster images challenge patriarchal attitudes that subordinate, stigmatize or restrict women from achieving their fullest potential. These images argue for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls enabling empowerment of women and achievement of real equality between women and men that fosters societal stability and human dignity. Learn more at womensrightsarehumanrights.org Things to know ROZSA ART GALLERIES HOURS | M-F 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and…

A Net-Zero Alberta - Dr. Mark Rudncki

Tuesday, March 24, 12–1 p.m. | Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), 202

Want to hear about transforming the Ford Center and historic Alberta Village into a living laboratory for climate-smart forests, smart infrastructure, clean energy, and resilient northern rural communities? Michigan Tech’s Ford Center and Forest is a rare institutional asset: a historic village and working field station with year-round facilities and a large research forest. This brief proposes a practical, phased transformation - Net-Zero Alberta - that makes the site a high-visibility platform for the entire University. Net-Zero Alberta will elevate the Ford Center’s existing strengths in forestry and environmental research while expanding its role as a campus-scale testbed for engineering, computing, social sciences, business, and policy - supporting innovation that matters to northern rural places: cold-climate heating, reliability, affordability, and working-lands stewardship. Add to your Google Calendar *Lunch Provided*

Let's Talk

Tuesday, March 24, 12–2 p.m. | Minerals & Materials Building, room 718B

Wondering how to navigate stress or support a friend? Let’s Talk, in partnership with Pavlis Honors College, offers free, informal, confidential conversations with a Michigan Tech counselor to help you explore mental health resources and get practical advice. All students welcome!

PhD Defense: Padmanabh Shridhar Desai

Tuesday, March 24, 12–1 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 875

Civil Engineering Advisor: Raymond Swartz SHM FOR INCIPIENT BUCKLING DETECTION IN OVERLOADED STRUCTURES USING NONLINEAR SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION ALGORITHMS ON REDUNDANT DATA SETS Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/89551829515

Huskies Swim Training - Session 3

Tuesday, March 24, 4–5 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Huskies Swim Training is a program that provides additional attention and competitive guidance to advanced swimmers looking to focus on stroke technique and efficiency. Sessions will be designed to improve swimming through stroke drills and swimming sets focused on endurance, speed, and race strategy. Coaches will provide feedback and stroke correction in a group environment with an emphasis on promoting a love for competitive swimming and lifelong skills such as discipline, dedication, and teamwork. Come be part of the pack! Competitve swimming opportunities are now availabe to current Huskies Swim Training participants!

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons - Session 2

Tuesday, March 24, 5–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

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

Adult Huskies Swim Training - Session 2

Tuesday, March 24, 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 levels in a group setting. Each session is programmed with warm-up, and variations of a workout for the beginner, intermediate and advanced swimmer. Participants will be provided coaching and guidance to meet their individual swimming goals!

WGC Simulator Event

Tuesday, March 24, 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Mine Shaft & Rock House

A 2-hour event at the Mineshaft simulators to enjoy some winter golfing! Rides will be leaving Wadsworth Hall at 5:15 PM! Please fill out THIS form if you will be needing a ride or to borrow clubs, and meet under the awning outside the main doors. Please mark "Yes" on this event if you plan on attending, as this is how we determine reservations and event planning.

KYCA Weekly meeting

Tuesday, March 24, 6–7 p.m. | Fisher 129

Join KYCA for our weekly meetings! We will go over what has been happening in the organization and then break into our two projects that are working to tackle different local climate issues. Everyone is welcome!

Student Community Meal

Tuesday, March 24, 6:30–7:30 p.m. | Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Join us for our weekly free student meal, held Tuesdays during the semester at Good Shepard Lutheran Church. Come to cook, serve, eat, clean up, or all of the above! Cooking begins at 5pm and anyone is welcome to help cook. The meal is served from 6:30pm-7:30pm and any students are welcome to eat at the church and visit with friends or take a to-go box! If you would like to help with the meal but can't be there at 5, we also welcome people to help clean up from around 6:30pm to about 8pm. To stay up to date on weekly menus, follow the LCM instagram @lcm.mtu