June 21, 2023

Effective June 25, Janet Callahan and David Hemmer will transition from their leadership roles in the College of Engineering and the College of Sciences and Arts. Audra Morse will assume the role of interim dean in the College of Engineering and Ravi Pandey will assume the role of interim dean in the College of Sciences and Arts.

“Janet and David played important roles over these past five years, especially during the pandemic, and we thank them for their service,” said Andrew Storer, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Morse has been chair of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering since 2017. Pandey, chair of the Department of Physics, began as a faculty member at Michigan Tech in 1989 and has led the physics department since 2001.

“Interim Deans Morse and Pandey will provide the critical leadership needed as we continue building both Colleges to meet the demands of the future of the University,” said Storer.

National searches for both dean positions will begin this coming fall.

Work by Paul Goetsch (BioSci/HRI) to understand what defines cell identity — and to inspire undergraduate students to pursue research — has been recognized with a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award.

Goetsch joins two other Michigan Tech faculty selected as CAREER Award recipients during the current funding cycle. His project, “Priming CUREs to dissect how the DREAM Complex protects cell identity,” is slated for more than $1 million in funding support over five years. It will also offer students a look “under the hood” as Goetsch's research team tackles complex research questions.

Read more about CUREs (course-based undergraduate research experiences) and the benefits of merging research and education components in a Q&A with Goetsch at Michigan Tech News.

Students and Faculty: Want to conduct research in a wide range of fields including computing, biology, environmental health, nanofabrication and robotics?

The NIST Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) at Michigan Tech is a partnership with the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop and train a diverse, world-class pool of scientists and engineers.

The program aims to support undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty to conduct cutting-edge research under the advisory of a NIST sponsor. Eligible PREP Fellows must be full-time students or faculty at Michigan Tech.

Opportunities for NIST PREP Research Fellow positions are posted on a rolling basis, and positions are currently available. Visit the NIST PREP at MTU webpage to learn more and apply.

The FEI Philips XL 40 Environmental Scanning Microscope (ESEM) is a large chamber scanning electron microscope. It is operated by the Michigan Tech Shared Facility ACMAL, the Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory. ACMAL has received funding to upgrade the ESEM with the SEMView8000.

The instrument will be temporarily offline from Aug. 1-18 to facilitate the installation of the SEMTech 8000 upgrade. During the upgrade period, the ESEM system will be inaccessible, and no reservations or usage will be possible. We kindly request that you plan your projects accordingly and make alternative arrangements for your imaging and analysis requirements during this period.

To ensure a smooth transition and help you familiarize yourself with the upgraded system, we will be offering training sessions for all ESEM users. These training sessions are mandatory for anyone intending to use the SEMTech 8000. The sessions will be conducted starting from Aug. 19, once the upgrade is complete.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Vice President for Research Office, the Institute for Materials Processing, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), and the MSE Senior Design team for making this upgrade possible.

Contact ACMAL Director Elizabeth Miller with training requests.

Save the Date — Wednesday, June 28, at 2 p.m.
Please join the Lean Community of Practice (Lean COP) via Zoom for the second session of our Summer Speaker Series next Wednesday (June 28) at 2 p.m. Carl LoConte will be running an interactive meeting exploring ways to improve all manner of meetings. You do not need to be a member of the Lean COP to attend this valuable free training, but please register to be added to the meeting invitation! If you have any questions, please reach out to Linnea McGowan Hobmeier at lmhobmei@mtu.edu.

Exploring 'The Art of Gathering'
Have you ever left a meeting thinking it could have been an email? Emails can be an effective means to convey information; however, bringing people together, whether a gathering is in person, remote or hybrid, can build connection and momentum for change. Principles from "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters" by Priya Parker, a master facilitator and strategic advisor, can help us improve how we meet. These principles are simple and effective, and can be applied in all gatherings of all sizes. Participants will leave with prompts and questions to consider as they are preparing to organize and facilitate their next meeting.

Tim Havens (CS/ICC/GLRC) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $199,999 research and development contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ERDC (Engineer Research and Development Center).

The project is titled "SAR Signature Management."

Adam Webb (MTRI/GLRC) is a co-PI on this potential five-year project.

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Tim Havens (CS/ICC/GLRC) is the PI on a project that has received a $139,858 research and development grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center.

The project is titled "CR-02: Robust Algorithms for Complex Autonomous Robots Systems."

Guy Meadows (GLRC) was quoted by MLive in a story about recent winters’ low ice coverage and stronger storms on the Great Lakes leading to more sand movement, which worsens erosion and shoaling.

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The U.S. Department of Energy mentioned an $8 million grant awarded to Michigan Tech for research on lithium-ion battery and mine waste recycling in a press release about a June 19 visit to Detroit by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The release included a recap of the federal government’s recent investments in Michigan.

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Michigan Tech Public Safety and Police Services was mentioned by the Daily Mining Gazette and Keweenaw Report in coverage of a June 18 house fire in Hancock. Public Safety assisted with traffic direction during the fire. The Gazette's story was picked up by the Alpena News.

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Composites World Magazine mentioned Michigan Tech in a story announcing Kevin Pageau ’81 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) as the recipient of the Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Northern Woodlands mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about New York City’s MillionTreesNYC project. Gisselle Mejia ’09 (M.S. Forestry), currently a postdoc at Dartmouth College, is quoted as one of the researchers conducting soil analysis at tree planting sites. The story was included in the magazine’s summer 2023 issue.

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

Pine Mountain Music Festival Presents: Upstarts!

Wednesday, June 21, 7:30 p.m. |

PINE MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL PRESENTS UPSTARTS! ABOUT JUNE 21, 2023 7:30 P.M.

Junior Mountain Biking Camp Summer 2023

June 21, all day | Recreational Forest and Tech Trails, Tech Trails

Ride through beautiful scenery on well-maintained trails of the local area, including the Michigan Tech Trails, Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids, and the Copper Harbor MTB...