November 1, 2023

The Commencement Team is still seeking volunteers for the 2023 Midyear Commencement ceremony.

Midyear Commencement will be held Dec. 16 at 10:30 a.m. in the SDC Varsity Gym. We need volunteers to help with pre-ceremony setup, serve as greeters and ushers, coordinate graduate check-in, and assist guests with special seating accommodations. More information regarding the ceremony can be found on the Commencement website.

Please sign up by Dec. 6 if you would like to volunteer. Contact Anna McClatchy at ajmcclat@mtu.edu if you have any questions.

This special event cannot happen without the help of our amazing Michigan Tech community!

If you are interested in the Mexico Spring Break program, Local Communities and Development, please apply for more information! The deadline for application has been extended to Nov. 17.

Apply on our Mexico Spring Break page.

Contact Kat Hannum at khannum@mtu.edu for more information.

The Geospatial Research Facility (GRF) is excited to announce the launch of the MTU GeoPortal, a multidisciplinary one-stop shop for maps and GIS datasets for the Great Lakes Region and beyond. The aim of the GeoPortal is to supply students, faculty and staff conducting geospatial research at Michigan Technological University with authoritative and unique geospatial data online with easy-to-use geospatial analytical tools.

The GRF cordially invites everyone from MTU community to attend a Lunch and Learn launch event Nov. 14 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Great Lakes Research Center Auditorium and Atrium in GLRC 202.

The event will feature an overview of GRF resources and services, short presentations by GRF staff of recent and ongoing research projects and an overview of the MTU GeoPortal’s functions and features. Lunch will be provided.

An RSVP for this event is greatly appreciated, but not necessary. Please direct any questions and RSVP correspondences to Daniel Lizzadro-McPherson at djlizzad@mtu.edu.

Before he became a math professor at Michigan Tech, Robert Schneider was a founding member of the Elephant 6 Recording Co., a music collective that became the genesis for some of the most famous indie bands in recent history, including Neutral Milk Hotel and Schneider’s own band, The Apples in Stereo.

• Elephant 6 Recording Co. — Friday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
  Enjoy the inspiring story of the Elephant 6 Recording Co. in the new documentary of the same name, screening Friday (Nov. 3) at 7:30 p.m. at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.
  Q&A and Music: Schneider will be joined by producer Daniel Efran for a Q&A following the film. Stay after for some music from alum Mike Maple and his band Liquid Mike in the Rozsa lobby at 9:45 p.m.

• Pi — Saturday, Nov. 4, at 9:45 a.m.
  Find a much darker exploration of the complex minds of mathematicians in the 25th anniversary re-release of Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller "Pi," screening Saturday (Nov. 4) at 9:45 p.m. While the film may be a cautionary tale about the dangers of obsession, it is also, as one film critic proclaimed in 2001, “a lesson to aspiring filmmakers everywhere: perfect your skills, be original, be bold.”

For more information about all of the films and events at 41 North, visit the festival website. All events are free.

Student Leadership and Involvement is looking for staff and faculty who are interested in becoming advisors for registered student organizations (RSOs). While we do not have a specific need at this time, vacancies occur regularly throughout the year due to staffing changes or the establishment of new student groups. Collecting this information before a vacancy occurs allows us to provide a smooth and efficient resource for groups who seek advice or direction on finding a new advisor.

As an advisor, you will have the chance to provide guidance and support to student leaders while fostering an environment that encourages leadership, innovation and collaboration. Learn more about being an RSO advisor on our Advisor Resources page.

To express your interest in becoming an advisor, please take a moment to fill out our interest form. Your participation will not only benefit our students, but also contribute to the overall enrichment of our University community.

Now available on the Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture's (IPEC's) website: our November newsletter.

The November newsletter discusses this month's sponsored events, 41 North Film Festival panels hosted by IPEC members, professional development training and Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month.

Michigan Tech Recreation's HuskiesFit Program is proud to announce the addition of the following classes to our lineup!

• Ballet Barre — Experience the rejuvenating world of barre, a fusion of the grace of ballet and the fun energy of cardio fitness.

• Belly Dance — Arabic and international music and dance moves combine to create a fun fitness routine that offers a great cardiovascular workout.

• Foam Roll Restorative Yoga — Great for athletes and anyone with tight or sore muscles!

• Power Vinyasa Flow Yoga — Power flow linked with breath at a faster pace than traditional vinyasa.

• Sunrise Flow Yoga — Having your breath paired with poses, let go of stress as you stay in the moment finding strength, balance and flexibility.

These classes are free to SDC access holders (minimum one-month) and included in the HuskiesFit Ultimate Punch Card. Day passes are also available for $10.

An additional session of Get Your Erg On! has also been added and is open for registration now!

For more information, visit the individual class pages.

Save the Date: Join members from the Research Integrity team next Tuesday (Nov. 7) from 11 a.m. to noon as they provide an overview and virtual walkthrough of the new Cayuse Human Ethics (eIRB Submission) system. This is an important session for researchers interested in engaging with human subjects research.

For more information on the transition from IRBNet to Cayuse for IRB submissions, please visit the eIRB Submission System webpage.

For any questions, please contact Brent Burns at bburns@mtu.edu.

Join the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Instructional Design team next Thursday (Nov. 9) at 2 p.m. for an active and hands-on workshop where we will continue our detailed review of the course design process: Alignment and Backwards Design.

Planning out your course map is a pivotal step toward success in teaching your course. It serves as the blueprint for your course design. In this workshop, we will help you plan out your course content, assessments and learning activities using backward design so that they align with your module learning objectives. Backward design starts with the end in mind, which is a very useful model for planning out your course map.

Bring your tablet or laptop, have a course in mind that you would like to start the Instructional Design process on, and let's get to work!

Please register to attend. We hope to see you there. Contact the CTL at ctl@mtu.edu if you have questions.

The Michigan Tech community is invited to learn about the exciting research and student experiences in the Department of Chemistry at the Annual Fall Poster Session, hosted by the department's Undergraduate Program Committee.

Exposure of research projects to diverse audiences will enrich students' experience and create opportunities for them to share exciting discoveries with colleagues and fellow students. Feel free to bring a friend to engage with our Chemistry Community!

Snacks and beverages will be served. Join us Friday (Nov. 3) in MUB Ballroom A from 3-5 p.m.

The next Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar speaker will present at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Nov. 2) in MEEM 112.

Kuan-Lin Lee will present “Advanced Two-Phase Cooling Technologies for Space Applications.”

Lee has worked on a variety of projects to develop multiple two-phase cooling solutions for space vehicles, including an advanced thermal management system for lunar ISRU applications and warm reservoir variable conductance heat pipe for planetary landers.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is hosting a seminar presented by Ph.D. candidate Shaoqin Chen on Thursday (Nov. 2) from 1-1:20 p.m. in M&M 610.

Chen will present "Superstructured NiMoO4@CoMoO4 core-shell nanofibers for supercapacitors with ultrahigh areal capacitance."

From the abstract:
Large mass-loading for a practical supercapacitor-electrode usually leads to inferior charge transfer rate and thus poor utilization efficiency of electroactive materials. Therefore, it is a long-time target for material scientists to create an ideal electrode material that can achieve not only a large mass-loading but also a high utilization efficiency for efficient supercapacitors. In this seminar, the synthesis of superstructured NiMoO4@CoMoO4 core-shell nanofiber arrays on Mo-transition-layer-modified nickel foam current collector will be demonstrated, which realized superior charge transfer efficiency at high mass-loading of electroactive materials and thus ultrahigh areal capacitances.

Speaker bio:
Chen is currently pursuing his Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Yun Hang Hu in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Michigan Technological University. He received his bachelor's degree in engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2021. His research interests focus on supercapacitors and renewable materials synthesis and application.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is hosting a seminar presented by Ph.D. candidate Hanrui Su on Thursday (Nov. 2) from 1:25-1:45 p.m. in M&M 610.

Su will present "Carbonate-superstructured solid fuel cell with hydrocarbon fuels."

From the abstract:
Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a promising energy conversion system due to its high energy efficiency and fuel flexibility. The recent trend for SOFC development is to lower the operating temperature to minimize material degradation and enable the use of less expensive materials. The main challenges for low-temperature SOFCs with hydrocarbon fuels are the polarization losses caused by the temperature drop and carbon deposition. To solve these issues, we demonstrated a new type of fuel cell, carbonate-superstructured solid fuel cell (CSSFC), in which in situ generation of superstructured-carbonate in the porous samarium-doped ceria layer creates a unique electrolyte with ultrahigh total conductivity of 0.17 S cm–1 at 550°C. The CSSFC achieves unprecedented high open circuit voltages (1.041 at 550°C) with methane fuel. Furthermore, the CSSFC exhibits a high peak power density of 215 mW cm–2 with dry methane fuel at 550°C, which is higher than all reported values of electrolyte-supported SOFCs. This provides a new approach for the development of efficient solid fuel cells.

Speaker bio:
Su started a Ph.D. program in environmental engineering at MTU under the guidance of Yun Hang Hu in fall 2019. He received a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in environmental science and engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, in 2019 and 2016, respectively. His research focuses on environmental pollution control technology and fuel cells.

Juan Martinez-Cruzado will present virtually as part of the Department of Biological Sciences (BioSci) Seminar Series tomorrow (Nov. 2) at 3-4 p.m. Attendance is invited via Zoom only.

Martinez-Cruzado's presentation is titled "A research project for CUREs: Eggshell biomineralization genes in the critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot."

From the abstract:
The Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata) is the only endemic parrot under U.S. jurisdictions. It is a critically endangered species whose total population reached its lowest point in 1975 when only 13 birds remained. These became the founding population in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service captive breeding program. The breeding program found that Puerto Rican parrot eggs are breaking at a rate five times higher than Hispaniolan parrot eggs. Eggshell biomineralization requires the intervention of hundreds of proteins in the organic matrix that interact with the mineral phase and determines the mechanical properties of the mature biomaterial. This talk will present a starting program of research under the hypothesis that the severe genetic bottleneck the species went through increased the frequency of variants affecting eggshell biomineralization. The project provides an excellent opportunity for developing a program for course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) under the Genomics Education Partnership (thegep.org), a nationwide collaboration that integrates active learning into the undergraduate curriculum through CUREs centered in bioinformatics and genomics. The initial phase of the project entails identifying in the Puerto Rican parrot genome chicken orthologs of genes involved in eggshell biomineralization or found to be differentially expressed in the uterus. The coding sequences of these genes are annotated and their conceptual translation aligned to the chicken and the budgerigar orthologs in search of parrot-specific amino acid substitutions. Substitutions predicted to affect protein function are interrogated in the genomes of more closely related amazons. Subsequent phases of the project will require collaborators to test in vivo the candidate mutations.

Speaker bio:
Martínez-Cruzado gained a Ph.D. in Biology at Harvard University (1988). He joined the faculty of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Biology, in 1989. Through his 31 years as faculty until his retirement in 2020, Martínez-Cruzado taught the courses of Genetics, Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics, Genetics and Evolution of Human Populations, and Genome Annotation. Most of his research has focused on population genetics.

Michigan Tech soccer goalkeeper Gracie VanLangevelde has been named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.

VanLangevelde earned two shutouts over the weekend with a 1-0 victory over Ferris State on Friday (Oct. 27) and a 0-0 draw against Saginaw Valley on Sunday (Oct. 29).

She saw eight total shots over the weekend, making four saves over two games with three saves against Ferris State and one save against Saginaw Valley en route to her 16th and 17th career shutouts.

This marks the second honor of the season for VanLangevelde.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech men's basketball team has been tabbed to finish fifth in the GLIAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll. In the same release, Dan Gherezgher was named to the Preseason All-GLIAC First Team.

The Huskies earned 45 votes, behind Parkside, Grand Valley State, Northern Michigan and Ferris State.

The Black and Gold will look to build off of last year's campaign, where the Huskies made it to the GLIAC Championship game despite an overall record of 10-20 and 5-13 in conference play.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Wednesday (Nov. 1)
• Call of Duty vs. Southeastern Illinois, 7 p.m. NACE Varsity Plus 

Thursday (Nov. 2)
• Super Smash Bros: Ultimate B vs. Baldwin Wallace, 7 p.m. NACE Varsity Plus

Times are subject to change. Check Twitter @MTUEsports for updates.

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Esports News
Read more in the MTU Esports weekly update.

Watch MTU Esports on Twitch.

Job Posting for Wednesday, Nov. 1, 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.

Accountant, Financial Services and Operations. 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.

A cross-disciplinary research team of MTU undergraduate students, graduate students and professors are co-authors of an article published in the Journal of Materials Research.

The article, titled "Conductive 3D nano-biohybrid systems based on densified carbon nanotube forests and living cells," appears in the journal's Early Career Scholars in Materials Science issue.

The research team worked with carbon nanotube (CNT) "forests," groupings of carbon nanotubes on which conductive biohybrid (cell-material) systems can be developed. Working with fibroblasts or cardiomyocytes, the researchers integrated the cell cultures with the CNT forests coated with gelatin. The novelty of the work lies in the use of the 3D structure of CNT forests as the main part of the scaffold and the development of a conductive, porous, and 3D cardiac scaffold with high cytocompatibility. The results show that the scaffold could be used in applications ranging from organ-on-a-chip systems to muscle actuators.

Congratulations to the research team:

• Roya Bagheri, Ph.D. student (mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics)
• Alicia K. Ball, undergraduate student (chemical engineering)
• Masoud Kasraie, Ph.D. candidate (materials science and engineering)
• Aparna Chandra, master's student 
• Xinqian Chen, Ph.D. candidate (kinesiology and integrative physiology)
• Professor Ibrahim Miskioglu (ME-EM)
• Professor Zhiying Shan (KIP)
• Assistant Professor Parisa Abadi (ME-EM)

The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts has been awarded $21,000 in Project Support grant funds from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MACC). 

Rozsa Director Mary Jennings (VPA) is the principle investigator on the project, titled "2023-24 Rozsa Presenting Series Season," which ranked fourth out of 86 applicants. It is the Rozsa Center's third consecutive year as a top-five applicant and sixth consecutive successful MACC grant application.

"I'm profoundly grateful to the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and the Project Support grant review panel for this award,” said Jennings. “This award provides the funding necessary for us to continue to present a season full of exciting and impactful events for campus and the community."

Gord Paterson (BioSci) and Noel Urban and Judith Perlinger (CEGE) were quoted by the Detroit News in a story about a new threat posed by old toxic materials being released into Lake Superior as climate change brings more wildfires and severe storms.

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The Lansing State Journal mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about more than $3.6 million in grants and matching funds for semiconductor training distributed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. MTU will receive $838,000 as part of the statewide collaborative effort.

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EMSNOW mentioned Michigan Tech in connection to Calumet Electronics’ recent receipt of a $7.5 million grant and a 15-year, 100% state essential services assessment exemption to support construction of a first-of-its-kind package substrate factory. MTU was credited as graduating the “brilliant engineers” behind the company’s innovations. The grant was announced Oct. 24.

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The Western U.P. Planning and Development Region mentioned Michigan Tech in a press release about its new Western U.P. Farm to School project. MTU is a community partner on the project, which will provide locally grown produce to children in the region. The release was picked up by the Keweenaw Report.

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ABC 10 and the Keweenaw Report ran stories about a military care package project organized by Michigan Tech’s Young Americans for Freedom student organization.

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WJMN Local 3 covered Michigan Tech soccer’s Gracie VanLangevelde being named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.

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DBusiness mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about Aurora White ’16 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) being named the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) 2023 Most Promising Engineer. White is a torque security calibration engineer for Stellantis.

Winter Coat and Boot Drive

The Husky Closet Collective is seeking winter coat and boot donations for the Clothing Closet at Michigan Tech. To help keep our Huskies warm, we need to secure donations of new and/or gently worn coats and boots of all adult sizes. We are accepting donations now through Sunday (Nov. 5). Donated items will be available to all Michigan Tech students at no cost.

If you have questions or want to get involved, please email huskycloset@mtu.edu.

At this time, we are not accepting any children’s clothing.

Clothing may be dropped off at any of the following locations:

• Dean of Students Office
• University Images
• Campus Bookstore
• Van Pelt and Opie Library
• Residence Education and Housing Services
• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
• Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
• Evangel Community Church
• St. Albert the Great Church
• St. Anne Catholic Church

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MS Defense: Joe Kulkarni, ChE

M.S. in Chemical Engineering student Joe Kulkarni will present his defense at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Nov. 2). The presentation will be in person in Chem Sci 201 or virtually via Zoom.

Kulkarni's defense is titled “Hydro Cyclonic Separation of Polyester Microfibers from Washing Machine Wastewater."

His advisor is Timothy Eisele.

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TIAA Live Webinar: 'Create a Legacy: Your Guide to Charitable Giving'

Understand the strategic differences between gifting during life or at death, the tax impacts of each, and how to maximize your charitable donations. This Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) webinar offers tips for choosing organizations to benefit from and determining what asset type to donate.

The webinar will be held tomorrow (Nov. 2) at 3 p.m.

Reserve your spot at TIAA.org/webinars.

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Husky FAN Donation Drop-Off Added in Library

Greetings All,

The Van Pelt and Opie Library has now become a donation drop-off location for the Husky Food Access Network (FAN)! If you have a donation that you would like to drop off at the library, please bring it by the Circulation Desk located on the first floor.

Donations are also accepted in the gray bin outside the Husky FAN Pantry located in Fisher Hall. Please consider donating and aiding us in the fight against food insecurity at Michigan Tech. We accept donations of any nonexpired, nonperishable goods as well as basic toiletries.

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to find our hours of operation and recent updates.

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Infinite Loop Undergraduate Research Journal Seeking Submissions

The Infinite Loop is seeking submissions of original undergraduate research papers for the inaugural Journal for Undergraduate Research and Applied Computing. The journal welcomes submissions from undergraduates of all majors. Its scope includes interdisciplinary research and applications of computing in diverse fields, such as data science, health informatics, information technology and digital humanities. Papers should describe student research conducted at Michigan Tech or an independent applied computing project of significant depth.

The deadline for fall 2023 submissions is Friday (Nov. 3) at 11:59 p.m. All papers will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the highest standards of academic integrity and quality. Submissions should be 1,000 to 8,000 words in length (not including references), conform to IEEE Style Guidelines, contain at least 10 references, and have at least three figures, tables or code snippets.

Papers can be submitted on the Infinite Loop website.

Learn more on the Infinite Loop blog.

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Volunteers Still Needed for the 41 North Film Festival!

The 41 North Film Festival is still seeking volunteers to assist with this year’s event, scheduled for this week from tomorrow through Sunday (Nov. 2-5). We welcome film enthusiasts, members of the campus community and local area residents. Individuals and groups are invited to join us as volunteers.

Visit the volunteer registration page on GivePulse and search for 41N to sign up for individual volunteer shifts, or contact our volunteer coordinator, Allison Neely, by email at alneely@mtu.edu or by phone at 906-487-2816. Note: Shorter shifts have been added for those who can commit to a smaller amount of time — specifically on Saturday (Nov. 4).

Our volunteers help us keep 41 North free and open to the public and are an integral part of the festival. Volunteers may assist with welcoming festival attendees, ushering and answering general questions regarding the festival and films. Help is needed for any and all of the four days of the festival, Thursday through Sunday. Volunteer for one film or for the whole festival — it’s up to you! Our core group of volunteers who are able to commit to multiple volunteer shifts receive a free t-shirt as a thank-you. We look forward to having you on our team!

What do I do when volunteering at the 41N?
As a volunteer usher, you play a critical role in creating a joyful experience at arts events. With Rozsa and 41N leadership, you and other ushers work together to greet guests, admit folks into the theater, assist with seating and wayfinding, connect guests to venue accommodations and support effective crowdflow and emergency procedures. Usher roles will be decided as a team at the beginning of the volunteer shift.

I am / would like to be a 41N core volunteer!
41N relies on volunteer support, and volunteers who commit to serving for a notable part of the weekend-long festival are recognized as the core 41N volunteer group with t-shirts. To sign up for the 41N core volunteer group and to confirm schedule/service levels, contact Allison Neely at alneely@mtu.edu.

What do I wear and bring?
Wear clothes and shoes that you’re comfortable in! Please make sure they are free from stains and tears. The core group of 41N volunteers will receive 41N t-shirts. The Rozsa will provide a purple ushering bib-style apron to be worn over your clothes. You are welcome to bring a water bottle, and we encourage you to leave valuables at home.

How do I prepare for the event?
No experience is needed. All the training you need will take place the day of the show, before guests arrive. If you're arriving by car and don't require an accessible parking spot, please park in Lot 14 next to the Walker Center, as we're doing our best to keep the closest spots available for the show's audience. Ensure you arrive at or before the shift start time, and check in with the front-of-house lead in the Rozsa lobby for a brief orientation.

The 41 North Film Festival spans four days and showcases award-winning independent films and filmmakers from around the region, country and world. Its mission is to provide Michigan Tech students and the surrounding community with an opportunity to critically engage films that are currently in distribution and under discussion, as well as the chance to interact with filmmakers, producers and other industry professionals about the art and business of cinematic storytelling.

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

Layered in Between: Prints by Erin Hoffman Presented by Michigan Tech Art

Wednesday, November 1, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Galleries A-Space

Erin Hoffman is an artist and printmaker from Muskegon, Michigan, who deals primarily with political and social concerns. Through the presentation of mismatched ideas and...

MATLAB Workshop

Wednesday, November 1, 2 p.m.–4 p.m. | Online

Free MATLAB Workshop! Women in Physics is hosting a MATLAB workshop that is available to anyone who is interested. It is a 7 week course that will begin with the basic...

Students For Life General Meeting

Wednesday, November 1, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Fisher 133

Students For Life General Meeting

Board Game Group

Wednesday, November 1, 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | WADS Annex

Come join one of the counselors and play some board games!

USG Weekly Meeting

Wednesday, November 1, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. | MUB Alumni Lounge

This meeting includes weekly updates from all representatives, liaison positions, and committees. Official business carried out by USG is conducted throughout old and new...

Winter Coat & Boot Drive

November 1, all day | Michigan Tech Campus, Various locations on campus and in the community

The Husky Closet Collective is seeking winter coat and boot donations for the Clothing Closet at Michigan Tech. To help keep our Huskies warm, we need to secure donations of...