January 25, 2023

The Enterprise Program and College of Engineering are excited to announce the 23rd Design Expo will be held in person from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18 in the Van Pelt and Opie Library’s first floor and the Memorial Union Building’s ballroom.

Design Expo continues to highlight Enterprise and Senior Design/Capstone projects from all areas of the Michigan Tech campus, including teams from the following colleges:

• College of Business
• College of Computing
• College of Engineering
• College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Call for Student Teams to Register
Senior Design/Capstone projects and teams from across campus are invited and encouraged to participate in this year’s event. Students can find more information about Design Expo on the student registration page. Registration closes March 3.

RSVP for Design Expo Today!
The Michigan Tech community, friends and sponsors are invited to register for this year’s Design Expo.

More than a thousand students in the Enterprise and Senior/Capstone Design programs will come together to showcase their work and compete for awards. In addition, a panel of judges, made up of distinguished corporate representatives, alumni, community members and Michigan Tech staff and faculty, will be able to critique videos of team projects, solutions and results in advance of the live event, then come to Design Expo to meet the teams and ask questions in person.

Social Hour and Awards Ceremony
Starting at 2:30 p.m., all student teams, judges, sponsors and friends, and the Michigan Tech campus community are invited to a social hour at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts with light refreshments, entertainment and door prizes. Then, at 3:30 p.m., we will begin the Design Expo Awards Ceremony, where student teams will be recognized and more than $3,000 in cash will be awarded.

Both events are free and open to the public. We encourage current and future students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, families of students and others to help us celebrate our students and their achievements. Register today to see a schedule of events and attend the 2023 Design Expo.

Become a Judge
Are you interested in judging for the 23rd annual Design Expo? We welcome all Michigan Tech faculty, graduate students, staff, alumni, industry representatives and community members interested in the great work of our students! Find out more at our Become a Judge webpage.

This year, judges will be able to evaluate team videos anytime between noon on April 17 and 2 p.m. on April 18. Judges will be assigned three to five teams and will evaluate each team's video using an electronic ballot. Judges are asked to attend Design Expo in person between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on April 18 to judge their teams in person. Judges will be selected based on their availability to attend Design Expo in person.

2023 Design Expo Website
For more information on attending and judging Design Expo, visit our website. For questions, please reach out to Briana Tucker at bctucker@mtu.edu.

An info session regarding the following Study Abroad opportunity in England will be held tomorrow (Jan. 26) in the Academic Office Building Second Floor Commons (AOB 209) from 4-5 p.m.

Looking for a great study abroad opportunity? Look no further than the faculty-led summer 2023 Track B Crossing Borders: Study Abroad program in Cumbria, U.K. This four-week program takes in the history and archaeology of northwestern England and Southern Scotland, and includes six credits of (HASS) coursework. Please stop by tomorrow and learn more!

Questions? See the program website or email Dan Trepal at djtrepal@mtu.edu.

On Feb. 3, Michigan Tech IT will remove all Mac computers from the network that are not running macOS Big Sur (11.7) or higher. Apple is no longer supporting operating systems older than 11.7, making those computers vulnerable to security threats and posing a risk to our network.

If your Mac falls in this category, you will need to upgrade your operating system. If your computer is unable to meet the hardware requirements for the upgrade, our IT procurement staff can help you explore other options.

For more information, please review our KB article on the minimum supported version of macOS. 

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

Please join the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) this Friday (Jan. 27) from 10-11 a.m. for a coffee hour and networking opportunity. The event will be held in GLRC 201/202.

Muhammad Rizwan will present as part of the Department of Biological Sciences (BioSci) Seminar Series from 3-4 p.m. tomorrow (Jan. 26). The seminar will be held in the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) Room 202.

Rizwan is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Tech. He will present "Engineered hydrogels to control cell functions 2D and 3D cell culture."

From the abstract:
One of the long-standing goals of biomaterial design in tissue engineering is to control cell-matrix interactions and cellular functions, which ultimately lead to organized tissue formation. A major challenge in the biomaterial design is to recapitulate the biochemical and biomechanical cues present in the extracellular matrix (ECM), which drive tissue morphogenesis. This talk presents the development of biopolymer-based hydrogel, which emulate ECM features, to improve tissue engineering and organoids growth. The first application describes the development of engineered gelatin hydrogel surface with micro-nano patterns, which stimulated the proliferation and tight-junction formation of corneal endothelial monolayer, leading to a transplantable tissue formation. The second application describes the development of hyaluronan hydrogel, modified with Jagged1 ligands, to provide key biochemical and biomechanical signaling for the differentiation of liver bile duct cells and their morphogenesis into bile duct organoids in 3D cell culture. Finally, the application of light to spatially control the properties of hydrogels during cell culture is also highlighted. Collectively, our research underscores the importance of recapitulating ECM features and developmental signaling in engineered hydrogels to improve cell-matrix interactions and tissue engineering.

The next Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar Speaker will present at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Jan. 26) in EERC 103.

Kevin Howard will present “Aerodynamics engineering: Design Process and the tools of the trade + Industry Hiring Tips.”

Howard currently works as the aerodynamics technical expert and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) supervisor for aero and aero-acoustics at Ford Motor Company, where he leads the development of computational and experimental tools to push the boundaries of aerodynamics and help to create the most aerodynamically efficient vehicle designs possible.

Michigan Tech hockey's Blake Pietila has been named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week. 

Pietila received the honor for the fourth time this season and for the 11th time in his career.

Pietila went 1-0-1 last weekend at Ferris State with a 1.44 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage, which were both tops among two-start netminders in the CCHA. He made a total of 48 saves on 51 shots, with six coming while the Huskies were shorthanded, helping the team go 9-for-9 on the penalty kill.

The Huskies' 1-0 win Friday (Jan. 20) was Pietila's 50th career win, and extended his nation-leading shutout mark to six and his school record career shutout mark to 16. He had 21 saves Friday and 27 on Saturday (Jan. 21) in Tech's 3-3 tie.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech Nordic skier Adam Witkowski competed in his first World Cup, representing the United States in Livigno, Italy, last weekend.

Witkowski placed 42nd (2:32.53) in the skate sprint on Saturday (Jan. 21) among a field of 55 skiers. He paired with Logan Diekmann to form the United States II team for the team sprint on Sunday (Jan. 22), and the duo placed 17th overall and seventh against the field's II teams.

"It was a great experience skiing against the best in the world — there are so many positives that I can take away from this weekend, and the biggest one is that I belong with the best in the world," Witkowski said. "I had two good races this weekend that I am very proud of, but I made a few mistakes each day that cost me a few seconds and ultimately a chance at qualifying for heats on Saturday."

Read more at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 906-487-2280 or email mtujobs@mtu.edu.

For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.

Manager – Student Away and Abroad Experiences, Student Affairs. Apply online.

CEP Operator, Facilities. 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 mtujobs@mtu.edu.

Michigan Tech Rail Transportation Research Showcased in Washington, D.C.

Several of Michigan Tech's ongoing rail transportation research projects were highlighted in Washington, D.C., in early January, either as part of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, or as separate workshops and demonstrations.

Thomas Oommen (GMES) presented in a TRB workshop titled "International Perspectives on Strategies to Reduce Track-Caused Derailments," and in a Track Support and Substructure Research Review organized by the Federal Railroad Administration.

Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences Ph.D. student Tauseef Ibne Mamun (applied cognitive science and human factors) presented our early work, titled "Multi-Site Simulation to Examine Driver Behavior Impact of Integrated Rail Crossing Violation Warning and In-Vehicle Auditory/Visual Alert System," to the TRB AR080 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Committee.

Richard Dobson (MTRI) gave an update on the Crossing-i drone technology development for improving grade crossing safety.

Pasi Lautala and John Velat (CEGE/MTTI), in collaboration with Battelle, hosted a booth in the TRB Exhibition and organized a daylong event outside the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters to demonstrate the rail crossing violation warning (RCVW) technology.

For an RCVW technology introduction, visit our Rail Transportation Program website.

Union Pacific Railroad has made a $5,000 donation to support Michigan Tech's Rail Transportation Program. The gift will support the upcoming 18th Annual Railroad Night event in fall 2023 and provide funds for travel by the rail program students, staff and faculty.

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The Rail Transportation Program at Michigan Tech was announced as the recipient of a $15,000 Education Grant by the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC).

The grant will be used during 2023 to develop immersive virtual railroad field trips for K-12 and undergraduate education — an education and research effort intended to help attract young people to careers in the railroad industry.

Nominations Open: Summer 2023 Fellowships from the DeVlieg Foundation

Due to the generous support of the DeVlieg Foundation, the Graduate School is happy to accept nominations for 2023 summer fellowships.

All graduate programs may nominate one eligible Ph.D. student per program. The recipient will receive a stipend for summer 2023 plus tuition support (one credit or three research credits for Ph.D. candidates).

Eligible students will meet all of the following criteria:

• Must be a graduate student in the field supported by the DeVlieg Foundation:
  
  1. Wildlife/biology – ecosystem science
  2. Engineering
• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Must be enrolled in a Ph.D. program.
• Must be nominated by student’s graduate program (each Ph.D. program may nominate one student if the research conducted is related to the field(s) supported by the DeVlieg Foundation)
• Must not be supported by another funding mechanism while supported by the DeVlieg Foundation (part-time job, fellowship, GTA, GRA, etc.)

Nominations are due no later than 4 p.m. next Wednesday (Feb. 1) to the Graduate School. Please submit as a PDF file sent to gradschool@mtu.edu.

Please see our webpage for details on the application procedure and materials needed. Each program may determine its own internal selection procedure.

Please contact the Graduate School at gradschool@mtu.edu with any questions.

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Summer Youth Programs Hiring for Summer 2023!

Each summer for over 50 years, Michigan Tech Summer Youth Programs (SYP) has welcomed over a thousand youth from grades 6-11 to campus from across the country and around the world. We need your help to ensure they experience the Michigan Tech community we all know and love.

SYP students come for weeklong, hands-on, experiential learning in one (or more) of our 50-plus weeklong explorations in STEM, humanities and law. During their time at SYP, students gain confidence in their ability to be successful in college as they experience residential life, responsibility in arriving to class on time and exploring the beauty of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

We’re looking for passionate individuals who enjoy working with youth and want to inspire the next generation of doers and makers. Each year we hire 50-plus undergraduate and graduate students for a variety of rewarding experiences enabling them to build their capacity in leadership, communication and critical interpersonal skills.

If you or someone you know are interested in learning more about being a member of the SYP team, we encourage you to attend our hiring sessions or email us at outreach@mtu.edu.

Hiring Information Session Date:

• Wednesday, Jan. 25 — 7-8 p.m., Wadsworth Hall Cherry Room (Wads 138W)

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Career Planning Workshop

Join Graduate Student Government (GSG) and the Van Pelt and Opie Library in learning why planning your career is more than just choosing a company or industry.

Melissa Baird, graduate director of the Department of Social Sciences, will walk through the steps to take you down the path to the career you want. This short workshop will take place in the Library East Reading Room from 12-12:30 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 31). Light snacks will be provided!

Sign up for the Career Planning Workshop.

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A Vision for Essential Education at Michigan Tech

The Michigan Tech community is invited to access and read "A Vision for Essential Education at Michigan Tech," an overview document that introduces the proposed changes to general education at Michigan Tech and will form the basis for the formal University Senate proposal. This work is the product of IDEAhub, a Tech Forward Initiative focused on Reimagining Education for the 21st Century.

There are two more opportunities this week to hear a presentation about the proposed changes:

• 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. via Zoom.

For those who cannot attend an information session, there is a link in the document to a Google form for questions and feedback.

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 work with the campus community.

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Info Session: ICPC/NCNA Programming Competitions

The Department of Computer Science will present an info session for students interested in preparing for this spring’s ICPC/NCNA programming competitions tonight (Jan. 25) from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Rekhi 214.

The 2022-23 International Collegiate Programming Contest's (ICPC's) North Central NA (NCNA) Regional Contest takes place Feb. 25. A practice competition, the NAQ (North American Qualifier), is scheduled for Feb. 4.

Read more at the College of Computing Advising blog.

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

Essential Education proposal overview and Q and A

Wednesday, January 25, 9–10 a.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, East Reading Room

The entire campus community is invited to join the IDEAhub leadership team for an overview presentation of the proposed Essential Education program, which would replace our...

Faculty, Staff, Graduate Student Portrait Session (by appointment)

Wednesday, January 25, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, G37 (UMC Studio)

Faculty, staff, and graduate students can have their complimentary professional portrait taken by University Marketing and Communications. An appointment is required and can...

7 Days of MUB

Wednesday, January 25, 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...

Students For Life General Meeting

Wednesday, January 25, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Fisher 133

Students For Life General Meeting

WIBIT Wednesday

Wednesday, January 25, 5:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

MTU Students and SDC Access Pass Holders (minimum 1-month), come make a splash with our inflatable pool obstacle course called the WIBIT! Events will be held this spring for...

Info Session: NCNA Programming Competitions

Wednesday, January 25, 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. | Rekhi Hall, 214

The Department of Computer Science will present an info session for students interested in preparing for this spring’s ICPC/NCNA programming competitions on Wednesday, January...

Middle School Volleyball Development League

Wednesday, January 25, 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...

SAE Aero Design Bi-Weekly Meetings

Wednesday, January 25, 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. | MEEM 703

SAE Aero Design aims to offer valuable experience to Michigan Tech students of all majors interested in an extracurricular engineering & design opportunity. Come join our...

Wednesday Learn to Ski and Snowboard Program

Wednesday, January 25, 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. | Mont Ripley Ski Area

Wednesdays Ages 8-12 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...

First-Year Engineering

Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Learn more about the different areas of study within engineering, tips on how to pick a focus area, and hear from our LEAP leaders.

Law Club Weekly Meeting

Wednesday, January 25, 7 p.m.–8 p.m. | Library 103

Our objective is to provide a pre-professional organization for those who are planning to pursue a legal career or those who are interested in the legal field. Meetings will...

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

January 25, 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...