Jacek Borysow Named Physics Interim Chair

Jacek Borysow has agreed to serve as interim chair of the Department of Physics. He officially started July 1, taking over from former chair and faculty member Ravindra Pandey, who is now serving as interim dean of the College of Sciences and Arts.

Borysow is a professor of physics, an experimentalist who uses lasers to study atomic and molecular spectroscopy. He uses high-resolution, tunable, ultrastable diode lasers to study collisional processes between molecular ions and neutrals in low-pressure plasmas. Borysow is studying the dynamics of highly excited states of molecules, and he measures collisional lifetimes of various molecular states using pulsed dye lasers. He currently serves as director of the Elizabeth and Richard Henes Center for Quantum Phenomena.

"I have served the University for almost 34 years and am fortunate to have the opportunity to further serve as interim chair of Physics," said Borysow. "Our department is a diverse and productive unit with a strong record of excellence in the three pillars of teaching, research and University service. We have an excellent team and we will continue to strive for excellence in all three."

Needless to say, we are pleased to have Borysow leading the physics department.

PhD Defense: Beth Bartel, GMES

Ph.D. in Geology candidate Beth Bartel will present her doctoral defense at 1 p.m. today (July 7). The event will be hosted in person in Dow 610 and virtually via Zoom.

Bartel's dissertation is titled "Information Use and Decision-Making for Evacuation at Fuego Volcano, Guatemala."

Bartel is co-advised by Greg Waite and Rüdiger Escobar Wolf.

New Funding

Noel Urban (CEGE/GLRC) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $149,830 other sponsored activities grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

The project is titled "Torch Lake Outreach and Research."

This is a potential two-year project.

On the Road

Incoming Assistant Teaching Professor Timothy Keirnan (HU) presented a session titled "Redesigning an Automotive Feature from Gasoline to Electric Vehicles" at the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) international conference in Austin, Texas, on June 21.

Keirnan and Ford colleague Vyas Shenoy presented an interaction design case study of the creation of the human-machine interface (HMI) for the Pro Power Onboard feature on Ford's F150 Lightning electric pickup truck. Their case study walked attendees through user research, concept validation and subsequent changes to HMI design and usability in the move from internal combustion to electric vehicles.

In the News

Radio Results Network picked up a Michigan Tech News Q&A with the recipients of the University’s 2023 Bhakta Rath Award: Kathryn Perrine (Chem) and Chathura de Alwis ’20 ’22 (M.S. Physical Chemistry, Ph.D. Surface Science and Physical Chemistry). The award is given to a graduating Michigan Tech Ph.D. student and faculty advisor in recognition of work benefiting American industry and society.

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The Daily Mining Gazette published an article written by Sigrid Resh (CFRES/ESC) and undergraduate student Erin Mauk (wildlife ecology and conservation) about protecting lakes, rivers and wetlands by stopping aquatic invasive species, often called aquatic hitchhikers. The article discusses three important steps: knowing about AIS; never dumping bait; and draining, cleaning and drying your boat, trailer and equipment after using them.

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DirectIndustry E-Magazine mentioned David Shonnard (ChE) in a story about Honeywell’s contributions to the development of sustainable aviation fuel. Life-cycle assessment analyses  conducted by Shonnard were used to compare SAF emissions to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel based jet fuel.

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Undergraduate student Noah Boeckmann (electrical engineering) was mentioned by ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com in a story announcing the recipients of 2023 undergraduate scholarships awarded by the Contractors Association of Will and Grundy Counties in Illinois.

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DieselNet mentioned Michigan Tech in coverage of the U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office 2023 Annual Merit Review, presented virtually by the DOE from June 12-15. The review mentioned an MTU project tasked with hybridizing an off-road vehicle.

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Money Magazine listed Michigan Tech as one of the best colleges in the nation for 2023, awarding the University a ranking of 4.5 out of five stars. Money’s analysis was picked up by MLive.

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WLUC TV6 mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about Michigan’s state budget for fiscal year 2024. $870,000 was allocated to the University to support the relocation of the former Finlandia University nursing program.

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NHL.com mentioned Michigan Tech hockey goalie Max Vayrynen (business administration) in a story about a development camp being hosted by the Calgary Flames at their practice facility. Vayrynen is one of five goalies (out of 38 players total) invited to take part.

Reminder

Scheduled Network Upgrade Today

Today (July 7), starting at 6 p.m., Michigan Tech IT will be upgrading the network switches across all campus buildings except for EERC, DOW, DHH, GLRC and Portage Lake Golf Course.

Each building will be offline for approximately 30 minutes while switches reboot. Network, phones and Wi-Fi will be offline during the reboot process.

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

Today's Campus Events

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KISMA Boat Wash at Portage Entry

The Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area (KISMA) is hosting a free outreach boat wash at the Portage Entry boat launch (Portage River Harbor of Refuge) to provide the...

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PhD Defense: Beth Bartel

Geology Co-advisors: Gregory Waite and Rudiger Escobar Wolf Information Use and Decision-Making for Evacuation at Fuego Volcano, Guatemala Attend Virtually:...