March 23, 2026

Michigan Tech student Hieu Theriault knows that in both accounting and broomball, the details are where you win. In addition to balancing ledgers, he spent his winter balancing the busy schedule of one of Michigan Tech’s most iconic traditions. 

Broomball has been a staple at Tech for more than half a century. After years of informal pickup games and Winter Carnival competition, in the 1990s, broomball came under the umbrella of the University’s Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC). It grew into a large student-run organization with more than 200 teams — 263 this season — and the sport is so popular that those who can’t participate or watch on campus tune in to the live webcams each season. As IRHC’s broomball special task manager, Theriault is in the thick of the action.

Meet Theriault at Stories from Husky Nation — where he shares the details of broomball management, looks back on the highlights of Tech’s 2026 broomball season, and steers toward a new season of coursework and extracurriculars as a Business Husky majoring in accounting.

The Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections is currently accepting applications for its annual Travel Grant Program. The travel grant brings scholars and researchers to Michigan Tech to work with the Archives’ collections.

Financial support for the Travel Grant Program is provided by the Friends of the Michigan Tech Library, a support organization for the Van Pelt and Opie Library. Grants are awarded for up to $750 to defray the costs of travel to visit and conduct research in Houghton. In addition, graduate students applying to the program may request up to an additional $250 (furnished by the Archives) to help defray any duplication costs incurred during a qualified research trip.

The Michigan Tech Archives houses a wide variety of historical print, graphic and manuscript resources related to the Copper Country and Michigan Tech. Subject coverage is vast, some of which includes University and campus life, regional towns and cities, local industries and businesses, social organizations, events and personalities of the Copper Country and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Primary topical research areas include the western Upper Peninsula, industrial heritage and history, particularly copper mining and its ancillary industries, social history, community development along the Keweenaw Peninsula, transportation and the environment. Finding aids for some of the collections are available on the Archives’ website.

To apply for a travel grant, please visit the Travel Grant Program website.

Applications are due by April 10. Award recipients will be notified in late April or early May. The successful candidate must complete their travel by Dec. 4, 2026. Electronic submission of applications is required.

For further information, please contact University Archivist Lindsay Hiltunen at copper@mtu.edu.

The Commencement Team is seeking volunteers for Michigan Tech’s Spring Commencement ceremonies. We need volunteers to help with pre-ceremony setup, serve as greeters and ushers, coordinate graduate check-in, and assist guests with special seating accommodations.

More information regarding the ceremonies may be found on the Commencement website. 

Please sign up by April 17 if you would like to volunteer. Contact Tiffany Jaeger at tiffanyj@mtu.edu if you have any questions.

These special events cannot happen without the help of our amazing Michigan Tech community!

Hosted by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Gala Latina is a free cultural event open to the community. It is happening on campus on April 4 from 6-10 p.m. in the DHH Ballroom, making it easily accessible for residents. 

Gala Latina is meant to be a de-stress opportunity for students to let loose and create a sense of community for everyone while also learning something new about our Latino culture. There will be music from various cultures and food, games and prizes, and dancing will be strongly encouraged!

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 on Wednesday, 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.

It’s time to challenge yourself this spring with the Michigan Tech Indoor Triathlon! Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or trying a tri for the first time, this fun event lets you test your skills in three disciplines.

There’s still time to register! Registration is open now and closes tomorrow, March 24, at 11:59 p.m.

The indoor triathlon is happening April 1 at 7 p.m. in the SDC Pool and Multipurpose Room. It will include a 10-minute swim, 15-minute row and 10-minute run. Participants of all experience levels are welcome, from first-timers to training pros!

This event is free for MTU students and SDC Access Pass holders (minimum three-month), but you must register to participate. Visit Michigan Tech Recreation’s Indoor Triathlon page to learn more.

Spots are limited, so sign up now and get ready to tri!

Questions? Email recreation@mtu.edu.

Event Details:

• What: Michigan Tech Indoor Triathlon
• When: Wednesday, April 1, at 7 p.m.
• Where: SDC Pool and Multipurpose Room
• Registration: Required. A registration link is available on the event webpage.

Join the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science for two events with King-Chávez-Parks (KCP) Program visiting scholar Gwen Bridge:

• Visiting Scholar Seminar
  Tuesday, March 31, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in Noblet G002 
  Join the KCP Visiting Scholar Seminar on Zoom (use passcode 056654)

• Student Workshop: Indigenous Perspectives
  Tuesday, March 31, from 3-4:30 p.m. in Noblet G002
  (In Person Only)

See the Visiting Scholar Events Flyer.

Bridge is a KCP Program visiting scholar focused on Indigenous issues and practical, community-led solutions. Her work emphasizes respectful partnership, Indigenous sovereignty and knowledge systems, and the design of financial solutions — including funding models and resource strategies that better align with Indigenous priorities. Her talk will highlight actionable approaches for institutions to build trust, share benefits and support long-term, self-determined community outcomes.

Following the talk, Bridge will lead a student workshop focused on Indigenous perspectives.

Bridge is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada, and as an Indigenous business owner, her consulting firm leads many initiatives to advance Indigenous issues in the U.S. and Canada. She also works with the Ecological Society of America and acts as an Indigenous advisor to governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on relationships with Indigenous peoples, reconciliation, ethical space, and UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) implementation policy development, facilitation and engagement strategies. Many Indigenous nations call upon Bridge to build strategies and programs for Indigenous rights assertion across North America.

This program/lecture is partially funded/sponsored 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. Additional sponsors include the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, the College of Sciences and Arts, Office of Community Engagement, the McNair Scholars Program and the Ford Center.

Please join the Department of Mathematical Sciences in Fisher 326 on Thursday, March 26, from 12-1 p.m. for our Graduate Student Seminar Series. 

Refreshments will be provided. Contact the math department’s graduate program assistant, Andi Schoch, via email at ajschoch@mtu.edu or in person in Fisher 318 with any questions.

This week, Stephen Acheampong will present “Bayesian Analysis for Longitudinal Binary Data with Missing Values Using Multivariate Probit Model”.

From the abstract:
Longitudinal binary data are common in epidemiology, clinical trials, and the social sciences. However, missing responses frequently arise due to missed visits, nonresponse, or dropout, making the analysis of correlated binary outcomes with incomplete observations unavoidable. Statistical methods for jointly modeling correlated binary responses with missing values remain limited. The multivariate probit model provides a natural framework for such data through latent multivariate normal variables, but its identifiable formulation constrains the covariance structure, and sampling the correlation matrix can be computationally demanding for both likelihood-based estimation and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods.

Recent advances in Bayesian computation have shown that parameter-expanded data augmentation can substantially improve the efficiency of MCMC algorithms. In this study, we extend the parameter-expanded Metropolis–Hastings (PX–MH) and parameter-expanded Gibbs sampling (PX–GS) algorithms to analyze longitudinal binary data with missing values under a missing completely at random (MCAR) mechanism using the multivariate probit model. The proposed framework jointly estimates regression parameters, latent variables, and correlation structures while imputing missing outcomes. Through simulation studies and an application to the Health and Retirement Study, we evaluate the performance of the proposed methods. Results show that PX–GS substantially improves mixing and convergence for correlation parameters while providing reliable inference for regression effects, enhancing the practical use of multivariate probit models for longitudinal binary data with missing values.

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

• Casey Aldrich (advised by Issei Nakamura)
• Ian Norwood (advised by Claudio Mazzoleni)

This will be an in-person event — the students will give their talks at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, in Fisher 139.

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

The Department of Chemical Engineering is thrilled to celebrate the achievements of Taravat Sarvari and Idris Tohidian, who are presenting their research at the ACS Spring 2026 Conference, being held March 21-26 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sarvari shared her work on “Investigating the Effect of Surfactants on Settling in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems” on Sunday, March 22, from 3:40-4 p.m. in Room B407 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Her presentation was part of the Downstream Processing session hosted by the ACS Division of Biochemical Technology.

Tohidian will present his research on “Excipient-Specific Viral Thermostability Mechanisms for Rational Vaccine Formulation” on Wednesday, March 25, from 8:40-9 a.m., also in Room B407. His talk will be part of the Product Formulation session of the ACS Division of Biochemical Technology.

The Minnesota Star Tribune and Green Bay Press-Gazette featured Michigan Tech alum Dawn Plitzuweit ’95 (B.S. Biological Sciences) in stories previewing the women’s basketball NCAA tournament matchup between the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Call for Proposals: CISR Seed Research Funding Award

The Center for Innovation in Sustainability and Resilience (CISR) is accepting applications for the CISR Seed Research Funding Award. Proposals can be developed and submitted in three tracks of seed funding: 

• Track 1 — “Early Career” Awards
  Designed to complement or expand research efforts that may have also been supported by start-up funds for early career faculty.

• Track 2 — “New Directions” Awards
  Designed to support established researchers who are pursuing new ideas or topics around sustainability and resilience themes.

• Track 3 — “Gap” Awards
  Designed to address gaps in personnel, data analysis or other research needs created by sudden disruptions or instability in federal research funding streams in areas related to sustainability and resilience.

More details on proposal tracks, proposal requirements and submission instructions are available online.

The spring 2026 application deadline is April 1, but rolling submissions and inquiries are encouraged. Awards are targeted in the range of $10,000-$15,000. The timing and types of expenditures are flexible, but generally spending should start in fiscal year 2026 (spending starts before June 2026).

Potential submitters are encouraged to reach out to Ana Dyreson at adyreson@mtu.edu with questions.

CISR looks forward to receiving your inquiries and applications!

*****

2026 Annual Steam Shutdown: April 26 to May 1

The annual steam shutdown for 2026 will take place during the week following Spring Commencement, from April 26 to May 1, weather permitting.

This outage is required to maintain and service the boilers and steam distribution system on campus. This planned maintenance improves the reliability of our system and reduces the likelihood of an unplanned failure during the winter heating season.

Please be advised: During the steam shutdown, affected buildings will experience a complete loss of heating and hot water. Distilled water will not be accessible from the steam-powered stills, and steam-driven autoclaves and sterilizers will be non-operational.

Annual steam shutdown dates/times:

• Starts: Sunday, April 26, at noon
• Ends: Friday, May 1, at noon

Buildings affected:

• Administration Building
• ROTC Building
• Academic Office Building
• Annex Building
• Electrical Energy Resources Center
• Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building
• Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
• Walker Arts and Humanities Center
• Minerals and Materials Engineering Building
• Grover C. Dillman Hall
• Fisher Hall
• J. R. Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library
• U. J. Noblet Forestry Building
• H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex
• Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building
• R. L. Smith Building
• Student Development Complex
• Kanwal and Ann Rekhi Hall
• Douglass Houghton Hall
• Memorial Union Building
• Wadsworth Hall
• McNair Hall
• Central Energy Plant
• Facilities Management
• Hillside Place
• Great Lakes Research Center

If you have questions or concerns, contact Steve Store, energy plant manager, at 906-487-2706 (office), 906-390-6336 (cell) or scstore@mtu.edu.

*****

College of Business Honoring Retiring Faculty

College of Business Professors Emeriti Mari Buche, Gary Campbell and Sonia Goltz will be celebrated at a retirement party from 4-6 p.m. on April 7 at the Rozsa Center.

Campus and community members who wish to honor the distinguished trio’s contributions to the College and Michigan Tech are welcome to attend. Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served, with a short program taking place at 5:30 p.m.

RSVPs are appreciated by March 24. Please email Laura Shawhan, director of COB administration, at lshawhan@mtu.edu or call 906-487-2668. We hope to see you there!

*****

Equal Pay Day Event on March 24

Tomorrow, March 24, the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country will emphasize the call for Equal Pay for Women by distributing cookies, oranges and information on Michigan Tech’s campus. 

League members and volunteers will wear red and gather at the Husky Statue from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Red symbolizes that women and people of color are “in the red” when it comes to equal pay for equal work. This day marks the number of extra days since Jan. 1 that women must work, on average, to earn what a man makes in one year. A woman must work at least 14 months to earn what a man earns in 12 months.

Co-sponsors of this event include the Friends of the Michigan Tech Library, the Michigan Tech Graduate School, Women in the Academy and the Society of Women Engineers.

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

Monday, March 23, 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…

New Huskies Orientation Presentation Session

Monday, March 23, 8:30–11:30 a.m.

New Huskies Orientation Presentation Session

Monday, March 23, 8:30–11:30 a.m.

Teaching Kitchen - All About Eggs

Monday, March 23, 2–3 p.m. | Memorial Union Building - Keweenaw Commons

Join us for a fun, hands-on All About Eggs cooking session at the Memorial Union Building – Keweenaw Commons! Explore the versatility of eggs as we dive into a variety of delicious egg dishes - from perfectly scrambled and fluffy omelets to creative twists you can recreate at home. Whether you’re a beginner in the kitchen or looking to sharpen your skills, this interactive class will walk you through techniques, tips, and tricks for mastering this everyday staple. Sign up and join us on Monday, March 23 at 2:00 PM to learn new cooking skills, get hands-on with the process, and enjoy a relaxed, social experience. Come to learn - Leave with new recipes, new skills, and a whole new appreciation for eggs! Space is limited, so be sure to sign up - here in advance to save your spot.

ASCII - Editors meeting

Monday, March 23, 3–4 p.m. | Fisher 0231

Come help us make The Byte, ASCII's computing newspaper. Help write articles or just get more information. Looking for journalist, editors, or anyone interested in computing.

Coordinating Drinking Water and Electric Power Systems to Support System Reliability

Monday, March 23, 3 p.m. | Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), 202

Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar Anna Stuhlmacher, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University Abstract: The electric power grid is rapidly changing as increasing amounts of distributed energy resources and new electric loads are added to the system, creating a growing need for operational flexibility to maintain reliability. Coordinating water and power system operations can provide this flexibility while reducing energy costs and lowering emissions. Because water networks include inherent storage, their pumps can be operated as flexible electric loads, shifting their electricity consumption in time to support the power grid while maintaining reliable water delivery. In this talk, I will provide an overview of power grid operations and discuss how coordinated control of water system pumps can support grid reliability. I will also present optimization frameworks for scheduling pump operation, along with an ongoing scoping project to evaluate the technical, economic, and environmental impacts of coordinated water–power system operation.

UN1013- Michigan Tech Seminar

Monday, March 23, 3:00–3:50 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building (Admin, Building 1), 220 Career Services

Job search strategies and resources

UN1013- Michigan Tech Seminar

Monday, March 23, 3:00–3:50 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building (Admin, Building 1), 220 Career Services

Job search strategies and resources

ATM Colloquium - Graduate Student Presentations (Bakri, Farheen)

Monday, March 23, 4–5 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 101

Please join ATM graduate students, Zaid Bakri and Fathima Farheen for their presentations on Monday, March 23 at 4 PM - Fisher Hall 101. Zaid Bakri (Advisor: Claudio Mazzoleni) Design of a Polarimetric Imaging System for Laboratory Cloud Droplet Size Distribution Characterization Cloud droplet size distribution (DSD) is a fundamental property that dictates a cloud's radiative properties and influences global climate. While satellite and airborne polarimetric measurements of clouds provide crucial DSD information on scales ranging from kilometers down to 100 meters, they often average out critical small-scale inhomogeneities. Therefore, there has been a growing demand for measurements conducted in a laboratory setting that allow observations at significantly smaller (centimeter) scales and in a controllable cloud environment. Our objective is to develop a novel polarimetric imaging system for small-scale DSD mapping. Based on Lorenz-Mie simulations, the setup utilizes a polarized camera to measure light scattered within the cloudbow angular range (~139°−145°), which is chosen for its high sensitivity to droplet effective radius as well as effective variance. Our proof-of-concept…

Huskies Swim Training - Session 3

Monday, March 23, 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!

HuskyLEAD - Managing Organizational Conflict

Monday, March 23, 4–5 p.m. | Fisher 326

Join us for a practical workshop on managing organizational conflict aimed to help you navigate conflict in any groups you’re a part of. Through guided discussion and real-life scenarios, participants will explore strategies for addressing disagreements within their organizations, even when those conflicts involve friends. This session will equip you with tools to communicate effectively, manage tension, and strengthen relationships while working toward shared goals.

German Stammtisch Conversation Hour

Monday, March 23, 4:30–5:30 p.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, 120C

Please join us for German conversation, snacks, games, and more! All levels of German are welcome. Every other Monday starting January 12! Walker 120C (HDMZ) 4:30-5:30pm.

La Peña Spanish Conversation Hour

Monday, March 23, 5–6 p.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, 120A

Join us every other Monday this semester for La Peña, Spanish Conversation Hour, from 5-6pm in Walker 120A! Come practice your Spanish, hang out with other Spanish-speakers, play games, and maybe learn something new! All levels are welcome. Questions? Contact Estela Mira Barreda ebarreda@mtu.edu

Parent & Child Aquatics (Ages 6 mo-3 yrs) - Session 2

Monday, March 23, 5:10–5:50 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Come make a splash in Huskies Group Swim Lessons! American Red Cross Parent & Child Aquatics levels are being offered at the SDC Pool for ages 6 months to 3 years old. A parent is required to be in the water with each participant.

Preschool Aquatics (Ages 4-5 years) - Session 2

Monday, March 23, 5:10–5:50 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Come make a splash in Huskies Group Swim Lessons! American Red Cross Preschool Aquatics levels are being offered at the SDC Pool for ages 4 to 5 years old.

Bus Marker Craft

Monday, March 23, 6–7 p.m. | Fisher 101

Help the Transit Equity Advocates make markers for the off-campus bus stops! Time: Monday, March 23rd, 6-7pm Location: Fisher 101

Pickleball Club Weekly Practice/Meeting

Monday, March 23, 9–11 p.m. | Gates Tennis Center

Come join us at Gates Tennis Center for some Pickleball! We have equipment that is free to use and its a great way to have some friendly competition against fellow huskies. If you have never played pickleball and want to learn, then you came to the right place! We can teach you how play, so feel free to come at any time and join in on the fun.