January 20, 2023

The entire campus community is invited to join IDEAhub leadership (the Tech Forward 21st Century Education task force) for an overview presentation of the proposed Essential Education program. This will be an interactive session with a final opportunity to share your feedback and questions on the proposed framework before the proposal is formally presented to the University Senate.

There are three opportunities to participate:

• Tuesday, Jan. 24 — 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the in the East Reading Room of the Van Pelt and Opie Library
• Wednesday, Jan. 25 — 9-10 a.m. in the East Reading Room of the Van Pelt and Opie Library
• Friday, Jan. 27 — 2-3 p.m. on Zoom

The Essential Education proposal represents the culmination of over three years of collaboration and innovation involving hundreds of faculty, staff and students at Michigan Tech. IDEAhub leadership is grateful to all who have contributed to this effort and excited to share our proposal with the campus community.

The Aging, Cognition, and Action Lab is still looking for healthy older adults to participate in a two-day research study.

Inclusion criteria:

• 55-90 years old.
• No medical conditions/diagnoses that impact movement.
• No significant injuries to hands or arms that impact movement.

For more information, please visit the project website or call us at 906-487-2378.

This week we feature resources that discuss how to mitigate the impact of bias within our systems, policies and practices. Individuals from systematically marginalized groups (SMGs) experience frequent and compounded undermining of their credibility, contributions and inclusion that reduce persistence and success in academia. First, in terms of teaching, this valuable resource guide discusses how to foster inclusive classrooms.

Second, this article in AAAS cautions that most tenure and promotion reviews have not been updated to include proficiency in inclusive teaching and SMG service, and largely ignore the biases that occur in publishing research (e.g., see articles about bias in funding and women being held to a higher publishing standard).

The AAAS article recommends that the scientific community work together to level the playing field by engaging everyone in learning about bias, developing skills to acknowledge and interrupt biased thinking, intentionally providing constructive and fair feedback on proposals and papers, inviting collaborations with SMGs, intentionally citing and endorsing SMG publications, assisting with DEIS (diversity, equity, inclusion and sense of belonging) work, and rating service in this area as essential, valued and impactful. At Michigan Tech, the best place to start is to attend the Advocates and Allies workshops.

Today’s feature was shared with us by Aurenice Oliveira and the ADVANCE PI team. If you have an article you think we should feature, please email it to advance-mtu@mtu.edu and we will consider adding it to the ADVANCE Weekly Roundup.

The ADVANCE Weekly Roundup is brought to you by ADVANCE at Michigan Tech, an NSF-funded initiative dedicated to improving faculty career success, retention, diversity, equity and inclusion. Past articles are available on the ADVANCE Newsblog.

To learn more about our featured topic, our mission, programming efforts, and to check out our growing collection of resources, contact us or visit our website.

College of Sciences and Arts Dean David Hemmer has selected Anne Beffel, professor of art in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), as this week's featured instructor in the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Beffel will be recognized at an end-of-term luncheon with other spring showcase members, and is a candidate for the next CTL Instructional Award Series.

Beffel has a long history of teaching a variety of art classes in the department, many of which emphasize compassion, seeing, mindfulness, nature and color. These classes include Art and Nature, Creative Practices, Creative Drawing Practices, Color and Creativity, and Creative Drawing and Painting Studio. VPA Chair Jared Anderson values Beffel’s contributions to the department and their students. “It is a pleasure to have Anne teach in the department; she provides regular opportunities for students to present their artwork to a public audience,” he said. “As I have attended these presentations I have been impressed with the student work and the ways that they are able to articulate important themes as well as understanding the artistic processes that they have been asked to explore as a part of their work in class.”

Students in Beffel’s classroom have opportunities to practice meditation and mindfulness in ways that impact both their well-being and their art practice. VPA Associate Professor Lisa Gordillo highlighted Beffel’s ability to cultivate a thoughtful artistic community as part of her fall 2022 Art and Nature course. “In discussion with Anne, I’ve learned that she spent time carefully structuring her class to support students as they progress through artistic concepts, and that she developed new course materials this semester for students to ‘Write Their Own’ project — a work of art whose goals and parameters they define,” said Gordillo. “Anne’s attention to educational scaffolding is evident in the students’ ability to speak about their work, address problems as they arise, analyze what has been created, and to give and receive critical feedback.”

“I’ve enjoyed seeing Anne present her work and the work of her students multiple times over my years at Tech," said Hemmer. “Indeed, on the wall above my desk are images from her students’ mindful photographs project! Our students are fortunate to have such a talented artist and teacher!"

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) require personnel biographical sketches to be submitted in a very specific format. In addition, the format and specific instructions have changed for both agencies in the last two years. In particular, NSF will begin requiring the use of SciENcv for biosketches and current and pending support documents in October 2023. Even before this requirement is implemented, using SciENcv to generate these documents will ensure your biosketch is always in compliance when you submit a proposal to these agencies.

Join us via Zoom on Jan. 31 from noon to 1 p.m. to learn how you can create and maintain your biographical sketch and current and pending support documents so they will be readily available when needed for a proposal submission. Once you get the initial setup done, you'll be able to easily generate biosketches and current and pending documents that are compliant with the current rules of the agency.

This session will include basic instruction in the system, information on how to link data sources for publication entry, tips and tricks, and time for individual Q&A.

During the session we will also highlight some upcoming changes to the NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG); a new version will take effect Jan. 30.

Any questions should be addressed to rd-l@mtu.edu.

The Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences (CLS) will host applied cognitive science and human factors (ACSHF) Ph.D. students Lauren Sprague and Brandon Woolman at the next ACSHF forum.

Sprague's and Woolman's presentations will be from 2-3 p.m. Monday (Jan. 23) in Meese 109 and via Zoom.

Sprague will present "Pilot test of critical flicker fusion in combination with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in order to accurately measure cognitive workload during a visuospatial vigilance task."

Woolman will present "Assessing Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer’s Disease Using a Reverse Visually Guided Reaching Task."

Full abstracts can be found on our Cognitive and Learning Sciences News blog.

On Monday (Jan. 23) from 12-1 p.m., Sarah Lee from the University of Michigan will hold a webinar about the Catalyst Leadership Circle (CLC) Fellowship.

Please join us in the Academic Office Building, AOB 201, or via Zoom.

The CLC Fellowship offers graduate students the opportunity to help local governments advance toward specific sustainability goals. The fellowship is supported by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Catalyst Communities Program and administered by the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan.

The Fellowship offers: 

• $6,000 in funding 
• $1,500 housing/travel stipend
• Professional training
• Experience working with a municipality 

We hope to see you there!

Michigan Tech Nordic skier Adam Witkowski has qualified for the FIS World Cup in Livigno, Italy, and will compete this weekend (Jan. 21-22).

Witkowski punched his ticket to the FIS World Cup following his eye-opening performance at the 2023 U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships held at Michigan Tech's very own Tech Trails. Witkowski won the skate sprint qualification in a field of over 161 athletes, clocking a time of 2:27.02.

Only four Americans were selected for the Livigno World Cup, solidifying the high-caliber class Witkowski is a part of.

"Adam is the first current student-athlete from Michigan Tech to make the World Cup, and he is so ready for this stage," head coach Tom Monahan Smith said. "He has proven himself as one of the best sprinters in the U.S., and he has shown he has the speed to compete with not only the best athletes in the U.S., but in the world."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech hockey's goaltender, Blake Pietila, is a candidate for the 2023 Hobey Baker Award, given annually to college hockey's top player.

The Hobey Baker's tremendously popular fan voting will run from now until March 5 at the Vote for Hobey Baker website. Pietila is on the ballot for the third straight season.

Pietila has started 23 of Tech's 25 games this season. He leads the nation with five shutouts, is sixth nationally with 14 wins, sixth in minutes played, 11th in save percentage (.924), 14th in winning percentage (.652), and 14th in goals-against average (2.12). A mechanical engineering major, Pietila had a 4.0 GPA in the fall and holds a 3.2 cumulative GPA.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Cassy Tefft de Muñoz (CEO) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $30,000 other sponsored activities contract from the Upper Peninsula Michigan Works.

The project is titled "OneUP Mind Trekkers Tour."

Jannah Tumey (CEO) is a co-PI on this project.

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Melissa Baird (SS) is the PI on a project that has received a $75,000 other sponsored activities grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The project is titled "Building Cross-Institutional Alliances through STEM Graduate Education and Athletic-Mentoring."

Will Cantrell (GS/Physics), Kathryn Hannum (SS) and Wayne Gersie (OVPDI) are co-PIs on this project.

Lei Pan (ChE) was quoted by CoalZoom and Battery Industry in stories about Michigan Tech’s $2.5 million U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E MINER award for carbon storage and extraction of critical minerals from mine tailings. 

Pan is the project’s principal investigator. The stories were picked up from a Michigan Tech News story.

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Engadget mentioned a 2015 study at Michigan Tech in a story about research findings that could make growing crops under solar panels more sustainable. The MTU study found crops shaded by solar panels used up to 29% less water.

The story was picked up by Yahoo! News.

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The Leelanau Enterprise mentioned Michigan Tech in a story on the $1.6 million in federal funding allocated toward construction of the planned Freshwater Research and Innovation Center in Traverse City, Michigan. The center is a collaboration between MTU, 20Fathoms, the Discovery Center & Pier, Northwestern Michigan College and Traverse Connect.

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ABC 10, Keweenaw Report and Lake Superior Magazine mentioned Michigan Tech in a preview of the Raise the Woof comedy show presented by the Copper Country Humane Society. The show is taking place at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts tomorrow (Jan. 21) at 8 p.m.

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College Hockey News quoted Joe Shawhan (ATH) and Michigan Tech hockey’s Blake Pietila and Ryland Mosley, and mentioned Logan Pietila and Jed Pietila in a story reviewing the Huskies’ tournament win in the Desert Hockey Classic on Jan. 7.

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Tasha Stoiber ’00 (B.S., environmental engineering; B.S., biological sciences) was a guest on ABC 2 News of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Stoiber joined the broadcast virtually to discuss an environmental report estimating that eating one freshwater fish is equivalent to drinking a month’s worth of forever chemicals in water.

Stoiber is a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group in San Francisco, California, and co-authored the report.

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Dawn Plitzuweit ’95 (B.S., biological sciences) was the subject of a feature story in Morgantown Magazine. Plitzuweit was a standout student-athlete in women’s basketball at Michigan Tech, and is a member of MTU’s Sports Hall of Fame and Varsity Club. She is currently the women’s basketball coach at West Virginia University. 

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UPWord mentioned Michigan Tech’s Winter Carnival in a story about the start of the winter festival season in the U.P. 2023’s Winter Carnival is Feb. 8-13 with the theme “Tasty Foods for Wintry Moods.”

Banner Production System Maintenance

A production system maintenance window is scheduled for Sunday (Jan. 22) from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The following production services will be unavailable during that time:

Banner 
Banweb 
MyMichiganTech 
Aspire 
Confluence 
Course Tools 
Fischer/mylogin.mtu.edu 
mtu.edu/tips 
OAP Rental System 
Oracle Reports 
Papercut Printing 
Perceptive Content (Imagenow) 
Pinnacle 
Sunapsis 
UC4/Appworx 
Virtual Cashiering 
WebFOCUS 

If you have any questions or concerns, we can help. Contact us at it-help@mtu.edu or call 7-1111.

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Reallocations Processing

The Banner process Payroll Services uses to enter reallocations has not been functioning since a Banner update on Dec. 28, 2022. EAS is in contact with Ellucian regarding the issue, and we hope they will find a solution soon.

Reallocation forms may still be sent to payroll@mtu.edu during this time. Please be aware that there may be a delay in reallocation entry.

An update will be posted when the issue is resolved.

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Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar with Tom Asmus

The next Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar will take place at 3 p.m. Monday (Jan. 23) in the Great Lakes Research Center, GLRC 202.

Tom Asmus of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Water Resource Division (WRD) will present "Basics of Wastewater Treatment Operation & Design."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

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

7 Days of MUB

Friday, January 20, 12 p.m.–6 p.m. | MUB

Join MUB Board during the week of January 18 to learn more about our organization and relax before the semester picks up! We will be giving away free baked goods, promoting...

Innovation Week: Financing Your Venture Panel Discussion

Friday, January 20, 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Join Husky Innovate for our Innovation Week panel discussion Financing Your Venture with Venture Capital Experts January 20th, 2023, 12-1 pm, Virtual Register here by...

Friday After School Learn to Ski and Snowboard Program

Friday, January 20, 5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. | Mont Ripley Ski Area

Fridays Ages 8+ Children of all ability levels have an opportunity to learn to ski or snowboard, make new friends, and explore Mont Ripley together. The focus is on safety,...

Film Board Presents: Black Adam

Friday, January 20, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. | Fisher 135 Michigan Tech

Join Film Board this weekend as we show DC's Black Adam in Fisher 135! Tickets are $3 and concessions are $1 each. More information on our website: https://filmboard.mtu.edu/

Middle School Volleyball Development League

Friday, January 20, 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multi-Purpose Gym

A four-week developmental program for middle school girls in grades 7 & 8 to learn and improve their skills in preparation for the upcoming interscholastic season. This...

(Men's Ice Hockey) Michigan Tech at Ferris State

Friday, January 20, 7:07 p.m.–10:07 p.m.

Men's Ice Hockey: Michigan Tech at Ferris State

Film Board Presents: Black Adam

Friday, January 20, 8:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. | Fisher 135 Michigan Tech

Join Film Board this weekend as we show DC's Black Adam in Fisher 135! Tickets are $3 and concessions are $1 each. More information on our website: https://filmboard.mtu.edu/

Film Board Presents: Black Adam

Friday, January 20, 11:30–1:30 a.m. | Fisher 135 Michigan Tech

Join Film Board this weekend as we show DC's Black Adam in Fisher 135! Tickets are $3 and concessions are $1 each. More information on our website: https://filmboard.mtu.edu/

Adult and Youth Huskies Tennis and Pickleball Lessons (Session 1)

January 20, all day | Michigan Tech Gates Tennis Center

Youth Huskies Tennis Lessons: After school and weekend Youth Huskies Group Tennis Lessons are available this spring! Join in by age group and level for some fun on the tennis...