June 22, 2023

Many materials science and engineering students feel both excitement and overwhelm at the prospect of applying their classroom knowledge to a capstone senior design project. Find out how students at Michigan Tech meet the challenge — and win — with the help of faculty, alumni, industry and a continuously improving methodology designed to help them succeed.

Paul Sanders (MSE) shares the process of leveling up the Senior Design program on Michigan Tech's Unscripted Research Blog.

The Office of Naval Research has recently approved Michigan Tech’s Fiscal Year 2024 Fringe Benefit rates, effective July 1, 2023. The rate agreement can be found on the Research Facts and Figures page.

Beginning July 1, these rates will be applied to all funds, including active sponsored projects. For proposals due on July 1 or later, please use these rates for Sponsored Programs proposal budgeting.

In accordance with the Fiscal Year 2024 approved fringe benefit rate agreement, the rates effective July 1 are as follows:

• Regular Non-Student Employee Rate — 39.0%
• Summer/Additional Comp Rate — 20.4%
• Graduate Student Rate — 11.3%
• Temporary Employee Rate — 10.1%
• Undergraduate Student Rate — 0%

If you have any questions regarding proposals, budgeting and charging of sponsored projects, please contact Kelly Kallio at 906-487-2226 or kmkallio@mtu.edu. For questions regarding charging of non-sponsored funds, please contact Sue Laajala at 906-487-2121 or slaajala@mtu.edu.

The Department of Chemical Engineering office will be closed tomorrow (June 23).

We will resume normal operations on Monday (June 26). We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Global Campus is proud to welcome Brian Hannon ’88, former MTU hockey star and longtime coach, as a part-time member of our team.

Currently director of strategic partnerships and alliances for the Keweenaw Research Center (KRC), Hannon will be offering his expertise to Global Campus for a few days a week.

Read the full story on the Michigan Tech Global Campus News blog.

The community is invited to join a free webinar on Wednesday (June 28) at 11 a.m. to learn about the results of a community food survey sent out to residents of Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties.

The webinar will be hosted by Angie Carter (SS) and registered dietitian Meghan Jaszczak of the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation.

• When: Wednesday, June 28, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

• What You'll Learn: Explore what makes our communities unique in terms of food access, utilization, procurement, interest and support.

• Purpose: To update community members and partners interested in food systems, food access and food education about the results of the Western Upper Peninsula Community Food Survey.

• Webinar Registration: Register for the webinar at the Portage Health Foundation website.

Following the webinar, interested community members and partners can find the recorded webinar, as well as county-level survey finding summary fact sheets, available for download on the PHF Food Initiative webpage. Additionally, those interested in the survey instrument or question- or demographic-specific survey data summaries can contact the webinar hosts for more information. Partners are encouraged to use and adapt the survey instrument and survey data summaries for use in their own community work.

The food survey is part of a research project that will inform future programs for the Western Upper Peninsula. The project is being conducted by Carter in partnership with the Western Upper Peninsula Food Systems Collaborative and sponsored by the Portage Health Foundation.

Job Postings for Thursday, June 22, 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 humanresources@mtu.edu. For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.

Laboratory Associate and Learning Center Coordinator, Physics. Apply online.

Energy Plant Manager, Facilities Management. Apply online.

Recruiter, Human Resources. 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 humanresources@mtu.edu.

Angie Carter (SS) was featured on the EcoTheater Lab's The Art of Climate Dialogue podcast. The 13-episode podcast features conversations with artists, farmers, community-engaged researchers, and community organizers and activists who have used arts and storytelling strategies to talk about climate change and agriculture in Iowa. Carter was featured in episode 7, titled "Sharing Personal Narratives, Re-shaping Societal Narratives."

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Sarah Hoy and Rolf Peterson (CFRES) were quoted by the Escanaba Daily Press in a story about the 64th Isle Royale Winter Study. The story was picked up from the Associated Press. The 2022-2023 annual report was released June 14 by Michigan Tech and was the subject of a Michigan Tech News story.

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Jamey Anderson (GLRC) was pictured by the Alpena News in the main image of a story about a June 16 research expedition into Thunder Bay to deploy autonomous research vessels for data collection. The trip was also covered by WBKB-TV 11. The project is a collaboration between MTU, Louisiana State University and the University of Michigan, and is intended to develop autonomous methods of searching for and surveying shipwrecks.

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Energy Central mentioned Michigan Tech in a press release picked up from the U.S. Department of Energy 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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The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) mentioned Michigan Tech in a blog post about its NEXTCAR Program, which explores the development of connectivity and automation technologies to reduce the energy used by on-road vehicles. MTU is one of four teams participating in Phase II of the program, down from 11 in Phase I.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Open to Campus Community

Join the Center for Diversity and Inclusion today (June 22) at 2 p.m. in the MUB Ballroom for our Undergraduate Research Symposium. Undergraduate researchers from across campus, including our MiCUP and McNair students, will present their research findings.

Please join us in a celebration of their accomplishments. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served throughout the event.

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MS Defense: Nolan Gamet, GMES

M.S. in Geology candidate Nolan Gamet will present a final oral defense today (June 22) from 10 a.m. to noon in Dow 610. Virtual attendance is also invited via Zoom.

Gamet is advised by James DeGraff, with Chad Deering, William Rose and Jeremy Shannon as committee members.

Gamet's defense is titled "Structural Analysis and Interpretation of the Deformation Along the Keweenaw Fault System from Lake Linden to Mohawk, Michigan."

All are welcome to attend.

From the abstract:
The Keweenaw fault is likely the most significant fault associated with the Midcontinent Rift System, with an estimated reverse slip of ~10 km that places Portage Lake Volcanics (~1.1 Ga) over much younger Jacobsville Sandstone (~1.0 Ga). Published bedrock geology maps with cross sections from the 1950s show the fault as a single continuous trace that is locally associated with smaller cross faults and splays. This M.S. thesis presents a structural analysis and interpretation of the Keweenaw fault system between Lake Linden and Mohawk, MI, which includes data collected from well-known localities such as Houghton-Douglass Falls, the St. Louis ravine, the Natural Wall ravine, and the anomalous rhyolite body near Copper City. These data were used to revise existing bedrock geology maps, construct new cross-sections, and analyze fold geometry and fault slip behavior to infer aspects of the tectonic regime that caused the deformation.

New field mapping has refined the trace geometry of the Keweenaw fault (KF) and smaller associated faults by shifting the main fault’s position laterally as much as 150m, revising intersections between several splay faults and the main fault, and suggesting the existence of several footwall splays not previously recognized. Orientation analysis of Jacobsville Sandstone strata in the footwall of the fault system defines fold axes with plunge directions changing from southwest in the south to northeast in the north. The style of folding also changes along the fault from broad syncline-anticline pairs in the southwest to tightly folded anticlines with overturned bedding to the northeast. Fault-slip analyses reveal a bimodal distribution strike-slip and reverse slip along the fault system that collectively define a 1:1 ratio and a nearly north-south maximum tectonic shortening direction of 2°-182°. The NS-trending shortening direction computed from fault-slip analysis creates a paradox yet to be explained. However, fold axis trends in the current area indicate shortening along an ESE-trending line, which is consistent with recent results for the fault system northeast of this study area and with Grenville orogenic compression being the primary cause of slip along the Keweenaw fault system.

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

Master's Defense: Nolan Gamet

Thursday, June 22, 10–11 a.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 610

Geology Co-advisors: James DeGraff and Chad Deering Structural Analysis and Interpretation of the Deformation Along the Keweenaw Fault System from Lake Linden to Mohawk,...

Master's Defense: Shreyas Parag Vaidya

Thursday, June 22, 10–11 a.m.

Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Zequn Wang Reliability Based Design Optimization of Battery Thermal System Under Uncertainty Attend Virtually:...

Georgia Alumni Social

Thursday, June 22, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | Fairburn, GA

Georgia-based Michigan Tech alumni and friends are invited to join Timothy Metoff '07 for a social at Cochran Mill Brewing Company on Thursday, June 22, 2023, from 6-8 p.m....

Junior Mountain Biking Camp Summer 2023

June 22, 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...