August 31, 2023

Michigan Tech has been invited to attend a symposium at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) Gaithersburg, Maryland, location from Oct. 3-6 for the NIST Professional Research Experience Program (PREP).

Assistant Professor Vinh Nguyen (ME-EM) is currently getting a list of faculty and students together who can attend. Research programs will be showcased by the selected student attendees, providing a platform to connect with NIST scientists for possible PREP Program support for students. Networking opportunities with NIST researchers can open the potential for other grants beyond NIST PREP.

Limited funds are available for student travel support. If you and your students would like to attend all or some days, please email Nguyen (vinhn@mtu.edu) by Monday (Sept. 4) at 5 p.m. EST. The NIST PREP at MTU team will review and forward the attendee list to the NIST PREP program officer.

Please include the following information in your reply:

• Faculty name and citizenship
• Names of students attending and citizenship
• Overview of the research projects your students will be showcasing

(Note that citizenship information is just for visitor permissions; international students are allowed to be PREP students.)

The symposium serves as an excellent opportunity for universities to engage with NIST's renowned scientists, explore groundbreaking research initiatives and deepen connections within the academic community. Please contact Nguyen with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Advisor/officer training and re-registration are open for student organizations! Training has been added for all faculty and staff currently listed as an advisor.

Training is due Sept. 18 and can be found at the top of the Involvement Link homepage once you've been added. If you are a new advisor, please be sure you've been added to your organization's Involvement Link group and the annual training. Please contact us at rso@mtu.edu if you or another advisor do not have access to the training.

Interested in becoming an advisor? We'd love to hear from you at Student Leadership and Involvement! Being an advisor is a great way to connect with students, and we are always looking to pair organizations and mentors who can enrich each other's time at Tech.

To our current advisors, thank you for all you do for students!

Please contact rso@mtu.edu with any student organization related questions.

Are you interested in taking your idea, technology or process commercial? Entrepreneurially minded faculty, staff, students and community are invited to attend the Great Lakes Region Hub National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Program offered at Michigan Tech.

Course Description
The NSF I-Corps lean startup program spans five weeks. Using the scientific process, customer discovery and the business model canvas, teams will work to validate key business hypotheses and develop a business model.

Course Benefits
Upon completion of the workshop and the customer discovery interviews (30), you or your team may be eligible for a mini-grant of up to $1,000. Funds may be reimbursed for customer discovery interview expenses.

Teams who complete the program may become eligible for the NSF I-Corps National Teams program and a $50,000 grant.

Participation in the workshop can lead to qualification for research and other funding from several granting agencies, including Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and various state and regional programs.

Past participants have reported that they saved time and money by better understanding potential applications of their technology, experienced improved engagement with teams and improved their ability to receive add-on funding.

Our cohort will meet virtually on the following dates:

• Monday, Sept. 11 — 4-6:30 p.m. EST
• Monday, Sept. 18 — 4-6 p.m. EST
• Monday, Oct. 2 — 4-6 p.m. EST
• Monday, Oct. 9 — 4-7 p.m. EST

To participate, please register for the program by next Friday (Sept. 8). After registration, a Zoom link will be sent via a Google Calendar invite.

We have a nice variety of employers and industries coming next week to engage with our students for 906 Day on Wednesday (Sept. 6). The day will kick off with a helicopter landing near DHH and Parking Lot 8 at 9 a.m. courtesy of Enstrom Helicopter Corporation! (Yes, students will be able to explore the copter while it's parked!)

After the helicopter landing, employers from fields including health care, construction, manufacturing and software development available under tents on the DHH Lawn.

906 Day is the first of five CareerFEST days being held on campus at Michigan Tech this fall and will feature the following Upper Peninsula companies:

• Aspirus Inc.
• Calumet Electronics Corporation
• Christensen Machinery and Supply Co.
• Enstrom Helicopter Corporation
• Goodwill Industries of Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan
• Kokosing
• Northern Hardwoods
• Online Engineering Inc.
• Precision Edge Surgical Products Company
• Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital
• Steelhead Technologies Inc.
• UP Health System - Portage
• Xeratec Software Development
• Caterpillar (Menominee)
• Systems Control

Also, the 906 Day partners are giving away $4,000 in Campus Store gift cards plus ice cream to students who stop by!

906 Day is a collaboration of organizations promoting work and life in the U.P., including Invest UP, MTEC SmartZone, Michigan Tech, and UP Michigan Works.

Nancy French (MTRI) is serving on the planning committee for an upcoming National Academy of Sciences workshop: "Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wildland Fires: A Workshop," taking place Sept. 13-15 at the Keck Center in Washington, D.C.

This workshop will identify opportunities to improve measurements and model projections of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wildland fires and consider how changes in emissions from these fires could affect our ability to achieve net-zero GHG emissions targets. Workshop discussions will also consider management practices that could be incorporated in current and future action plans.

The workshop is open to all, and both in-person and virtual attendance is welcome. Register to attend at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine website.

Join us for an exciting talk: "Exploring Fairness and Validity in Promotion and Tenure: Where and When is Fairness in Jeopardy?" on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. EST. All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend; chairs and members of tenure, promotion and reappointment (TPR) committees are strongly encouraged to attend.

Please register to attend this virtual presentation.

Esteemed researchers Christiane Spitzmueller, vice provost for academic affairs and atrategy at the University of California, Merced, and Juan Madera, the Curtis L. Carlson Endowed Professor at the University of Houston, will be presenting. They will share insights from a comprehensive study featuring 10,000-plus external review letters (ERLs) across 2,000-plus promotion cases from 10 universities.

A couple of highlights from the research include:

• LatinX and Black faculty are substantially less likely to be favorably evaluated by promotion and tenure (P&T) committees than majority faculty. These effects are particularly pronounced for women of color and for unanimous P&T voting outcomes.
• Diversity, equity and inclusion language in external review letters is more common in letters for LatinX and Black faculty, and more DEI language in letters is linked to more negative P&T outcomes for Black and LatinX faculty but not for white or Asian faculty.
• Innovation and entrepreneurship activities are not rewarded in P&T processes, with faculty with patents and innovation language in their ERLs having a much lower likelihood of being favorably reviewed.

The Michigan Tech men's cross country and women's cross country squads were voted to finish third and fourth, respectively, in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

The Huskies' men's squad received one first-place vote, finishing with 49 points behind Grand Valley State (64 points, eight first-place votes) and Saginaw Valley State (53 points).

MTU's women's squad received 51 points. The three teams ahead of the Huskies were Grand Valley State (81 points, nine first-place votes), Wayne State (71 points, one first-place vote) and Saginaw Valley State (67 points).

The Huskies open the season at home with the Yooper Skirmish on Saturday (Sept. 2), with the event acting as a course preview for the GLIAC Cross Country Championships hosted by Michigan Tech on Oct. 21.

The men will take to the Tech Trails at 10 a.m., racing the 8K course, with the women running the 6K course at 11 a.m.

Read about MTU's cross country student-athletes at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

For the third consecutive season, Michigan Tech soccer is starting the season with matchups against St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth, welcoming the NSIC foes to Kearly Stadium today (Aug. 31) and Saturday (Sept. 2).

The Huskies will face St. Cloud State at 7 p.m. tonight. Their Saturday matinee against Minnesota Duluth is slated for a noon start.

Fans can catch the contest on FloSports as part of the four-year media partnership with the GLIAC that began in fall 2022.

Read game previews at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Michigan Tech volleyball begins the 2023 season this weekend with four matches.

The Huskies host Winona State today (Aug. 31) at the SDC Gym in their season and home opener. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

Tech will then travel down to Marquette for the UP Open at Northern Michigan. The Black and Gold will first face No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul tomorrow (Sept. 1) at 2 p.m. at Vandament Arena, and will wrap up the UP Open on Saturday (Sept. 2) against Minnesota Crookston at 11:30 a.m. and Hillsdale at 4:30 p.m.

J&J Broadcasting airs select volleyball matches and will carry today's match against Winona State on Mix 93.5 WKMJ-FM. Mitch Lake will call all the action from the SDC Gym. Fans can also listen in at Pasty.net or on the TuneIn app.

The contests will be livestreamed by FloSports as part of the four-year media partnership with the GLIAC that began in fall 2022.

Read the preview at the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Julia Burton (CFRES/ESC) is a principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $122,326 research and development co-op joint agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station.

The project is titled "Climate-Informed Restoration Information for USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub."

Carsten Kulheim (CFRES/ESC) is a co-PI on this potential four-year project.

A team from the Department of Chemistry led by Associate Professor Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova and including Ph.D. student Ann Varghese (first author); former Ph.D. students Sodiq Waheed ’23 (Ph.D. Computational Chemistry, currently a researcher at Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis) and Shobhit Chaturvedi ’22 (M.S. Ph.D. Chemistry, currently a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA); and undergraduate students Isabella DiCastri, Ciara LaRouche and Brendan Kaski has published an article in Chem Catalysis.

The article is titled "Revealing the catalytic strategy of FTO.” It provides unique insight into the catalytic mechanism of the fat-mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), which is an Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenase targeted for treating obesity and cancer. The study reveals that the mutant R316Q, which is related to diseases, slows down the O2 activation and hydrogen atom transfer rates.

Professor Christo Christov (Chem) is a collaborator in this study, along with Nicolai Lehnert of the University of Michigan and Deyu Li of the University of Rhode Island.

The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health grant 2R15GM132873-02.

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Mitchel Timm ’18 ’22 (M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics), Rohit Pandhare ’16 ’22 (M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics) and Hassan Masoud (ME-EM/Math) are co-authors of an invited article published in Applied Mechanics Reviews, the flagship journal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

The article is titled "Multi-body hydrodynamic interactions in fish-like swimming."

Rolf Peterson and Sarah Hoy (CFRES) were quoted by Orion Magazine in a story about the “ecosystem restart” begun by the translocation of new wolves to Isle Royale National Park in 2018 and 2019.

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Ana Dyreson (ME-EM) was quoted and Ph.D. students Ayush Chutani and Shelbie Davis (both mechanical engineering) were mentioned by UPWord in a story about their research on snow’s impact on solar power systems and how to mitigate it.

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The appointment of Stephen Techtmann (BioSci) as an associate director of the Great Lakes Research Center was picked up by the Keweenaw Report.

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Awesome Mitten mentioned the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum in a story highlighting 10 notable museums across Michigan.

CFRES Seminar with Bridgett vonHoldt

The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) will host a seminar at 12:30 p.m. today (Aug. 31) in Noblet G002 with speaker Bridgett vonHoldt, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB), Princeton University.

The title of vonHoldt's talk is: "The Genetic Signature of Mating Structure and Demography in North American Gray Wolves."

vonHoldt is an evolutionary biologist who specializes in genomic analysis of North American canines. She earned her Ph.D. at UCLA advised by Robert Wayne. vonHoldt joined the faculty at Princeton EEB in 2013. She champions the value of mixed genetic ancestry for endangered species conservation. Her research focuses on evolutionary genomics of admixed canine species across hybrid zones, with her research having significant conservation applications for endangered species like the red wolf.

vonHoldt is also the founder and director of the North American Canine Ancestry Project as well as a co-founder and lead geneticist for the Gulf Coast Canine Project.

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Physics Colloquium with Sarah Kostinski

Sarah Kostinski from New York University will be presenting at the first Physics Colloquium of the year. The seminar will be presented in person at 4 p.m. today (Aug. 31) in Fisher 139.

Kostinski's presentation is titled "Speed Limits on Unicellular Growth."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

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ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker: Caryn Heldt

The next Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar speaker will present at 4 p.m. today (Aug. 31) in MEEM 112.

Caryn Heldt will present "Mixing and moving to continuously purify viral vaccines."

Caryn L. Heldt is the director of the Health Research Institute, the James and Lorna Mack Chair in Bioengineering, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and an affiliate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Michigan Technological University.

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First Friday Social

• When: Friday, Sept. 1, at 4 p.m.
• Where: Grad Commons, located at 207 East Street (across US-41 from the library)

Come hang out and celebrate the first Friday of the semester at the Graduate Commons. Meet students, Graduate Student Government (GSG) representatives and faculty, and learn about some of the other departments.

See more details on GSG's First Friday Social event page.

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Film Board Presenting 'Cocaine Bear'

This weekend, the Film Board is presenting "Cocaine Bear," which is rated R for drug content, bloody violence, gore and language throughout.

Showings:

• Friday, Sept. 1 — 5:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 2 — 5:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.

Located on Michigan Tech's campus in Fisher 135.

Tickets are $3 each and concessions are $1 each. We hope to see you at the show this weekend and have a great day!

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Rozsa Hosting GeekU.P. Mini-Con Charity Event

The fifth annual GeekU.P. Mini-Con Charity Event will be held at Michigan Tech's Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 9 from 12-7 p.m.

GeekU.P. celebrates geek culture, offering an artists' alley, vendors, cosplay contest, celebrity Q&A sessions, autograph sessions and more.

This year's charity recipient is Unite Mental Health and Wellness, located in Houghton. Unite Mental Health and Wellness is a nonprofit mental health service organization committed to helping individuals in our community connect to non-emergency mental health care. Partnering with providers both locally and remotely, they support professionals and services currently available in our community while filling in the gaps where care may be lacking.

GeekU.P. has an exciting celebrity guest lineup this year and they will take part in Q&A sessions and autograph signings for attendees. Visit the GeekU.P. website to see who's attending.

"We're very excited about what we have in store for GeekU.P. this year," said Shana Porteen, GeekU.P. co-founder and owner of Black Ice Comics & Books in Houghton. "We want to welcome folks of all ages to GeekU.P. to come have a great time. Even if it's been years since you read a comic, or you've never played a video game, we can't wait to share the fun, have folks meet our fabulous celebrities, and help us raise money for Unite Mental Health and Wellness."

"I'm thrilled to celebrate local arts and culture in the community I grew up in! I certainly hope to inspire and provide insight for budding artists who may be thinking of a related career path," said Patricia Summersett, GeekU.P. co-founder and guest celebrity. "Shana and I dreamed up this event several years ago and I'm amazed how the festival has evolved so considerably. I'm excited to imagine how it may grow and expand in years to come!"

More information and the developing schedule can be found at the GeekU.P. website. Tickets can be purchased at the door using cash or credit.

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No Tech Today Monday

Tech Today will not publish on Monday (Sept. 4) in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Submissions for the Tuesday (Sept. 5) issue of Tech Today are due by noon tomorrow (Sept. 1).

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

Boats, Buoys, and Books

Thursday, August 31, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Library

Navigate the perilous library stacks to find any book with a nautical theme, snap a picture of the book you find and bring the picture down to the "Ask Us Station" for a prize.

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Resume Workshop

Thursday, August 31, 11:00–11:30 a.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Learn the basics of creating a resume that presents your best self to your future employer.

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Graze like Goats

Thursday, August 31, 12:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m. | Swedetown Trails

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a goat? Come find out at the Swedetown Trails on August 31 from 12:30pm-4pm. Volunteers are needed to clip glossy buckthorn...

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Men and Women's Lacrosse

Thursday, August 31, 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. | Walker Lawn

Join the Men and Women's club lacrosse team in passing and shooting on a lacrosse net! Come give lacrosse a try, meet the members of both teams, and sign up for the season.

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Mixing and Moving to Continuously Purify Viral Vaccines

Thursday, August 31, 4 p.m. | R. L. Smith Building (MEEM), 112

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Caryn L. Heldt, PhD Director, Health Research Institute Professor, Chemical Engineering, MTU Abstract The...

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Physics Colloquium - Dr. Sarah Kostinski

Thursday, August 31, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 139

Sarah Kostinski from New York University will present at the first Physics Colloquium of the year. Please join this in-person presentation at 4 p.m., Thursday (Aug 31) in...

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Weekly OVC Meeting

Thursday, August 31, 5 p.m.–7 p.m. | Fisher 325

Join us for our weekly meeting to discuss and decide on our trip for the upcoming weekend. These meetings will also cover any club or outdoor-related announcements and news.

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(Women's Volleyball) Winona State vs. Michigan Tech

Thursday, August 31, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Wood Gym

Women's Volleyball: Winona State vs. Michigan Tech, NMU Tournament

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Offroad Vehicle Display

Thursday, August 31, 6 p.m.–7 p.m. | Lot 14 - by Walker Lawn

The Four Wheelers at Michigan Tech would like to show off some of their offroad rigs. Get to know some of the members and get involved with exploring the UP by going places...

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Tech Trails Weekly Ride

Thursday, August 31, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | Michigan Tech Trails Trailhead/Nordic Waxing Center

Come join us for our weekly ride up at the Michigan Tech Trails. This is a great way to take a break in your week to get on your bike on go on a short ride with us. We'll ride...

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Welcome Week Vehicle Display

Thursday, August 31, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | Michigan Tech Campus, Lot 14

Come over and meet some of the Four Wheelers at Michigan Tech. We will be displaying some current member vehicle projects as well as having an Information table for anyone...

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(Women's Soccer) St. Cloud State vs. Michigan Tech

Thursday, August 31, 7 p.m.–10 p.m. | Sherman Field

Women's Soccer: St. Cloud State vs. Michigan Tech

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Baseball Club Informational Meeting

Thursday, August 31, 7 p.m.–8 p.m. | Fisher Hall 329

Come hear about the Baseball Club at MTU! We will introduce new and returning members and get to know this year's club officers. Even if you don't plan on playing this year,...

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Club Meeting

Thursday, August 31, 8 p.m.–9 p.m. | Online

Join Log Rolling Club virtually as we elect a new Executive Board and decide what sort of activities we would like to do this year as a club on top of weekly Club Rolls. ...

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Little Huskies Volleyball Club

August 31, all day | Student Development Complex (SDC), Varsity Wood Gym

Focus on fun while you learn to play volleyball! Our Little Huskies Volleyball Club is the perfect way to explore the basics of an active and energetic sport. Once you get...