December 19, 2023

Husky Innovate is hosting innovation-themed events from Jan. 22-26. Innovation Week celebrates innovation and entrepreneurship at Tech and throughout our region. These events are a great way to connect with alumni, students, faculty and staff, and the community. Faculty, please share these opportunities with your students.

Check the Innovation Week 2024 webpage for full event descriptions. Pre-registration is required for each event. Join us for one event or several!

• Keynote Speaker:
  Orbion’s Entrepreneurship Journey with Brad King
  Monday, Jan. 22, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge
  Our keynote speaker, Brad King, Michigan Tech professor, CEO and co-founder of Orbion Space Technology in 2016, will share his journey as an entrepreneur and discuss how he and his team have addressed market demands and the challenges of scaling up.
  Register now — Deadline: Jan. 19
  
  
• Reverse Pitch Presentation with Nate Yenor
  Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 12-1 p.m. via Zoom
  Nate Yenor, director of Tech Business Incubation with the Office of Innovation and Commercialization at Michigan Tech, will report top teams poised to launch their innovations into startups and recap how the new Entrepreneurial Fellows of NMU and MTU have been aiding other startups in the Michigan ecosystem.
  Register now — Deadline: Jan. 22
  
  
• Impact Investing with John Soyring
  Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 12-1 p.m. via Zoom
  Impact investors seek both measurable positive societal or environmental impact as well as financial return. Does your startup have a social or mission? Join us for a talk with John Soyring ’76 ’06 (B.S. Electrical Engineering, Hon. Ph.D.). Soyring will lead a discussion about his experience as an angel impact investor, talk about how impact investing differs from more traditional investing, and discuss opportunities for both investors and startup companies.
  Register now — Deadline: Jan 23
  
  
• 16th Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition
  Wednesday, Jan. 24, MUB Ballroom A 
  Michigan Tech graduate and undergraduate students will pitch their business model for a chance to win cash prizes. This legacy event is a tribute to the late Professor of Practice Bob Mark. Faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community can attend in person or virtually. Refreshments will be served and a pre-event mixer will begin at 5 p.m.
  
  • Student contestants: Register now — Deadline: Jan. 22
  • Audience attendees: Please join us in person, but if you are remote, join us via Zoom
    
    
• Careful Contracting for Startups
  Thursday, Jan. 25, 12-1:30 p.m. in MUB Ballroom B
  Learn strategies for careful contracting as you work with development and investment partners, and hear how investors evaluate your startup’s risk exposure. Ashley Sloat, president and director of Patent Strategy at Aurora Patents, will discuss everything you need to know, from engaging with an engineering firm to ultimately pitching to an investment group. Topics include IP ownership, assignment from engineering firm inventors back to you, how to avoid the traps of viral IP, and what investors want to see in your pitch deck.
  Register now — Deadline: Jan. 22
  
  
• Enterprise Ventures with Len Switzer
  Friday, Jan. 26, from 12-1 p.m. via Zoom
  Len Switzer, Enterprise associate director, will discuss upcoming new venture opportunities with MTU's Enterprise Program. Switzer was once Employee No. 3 of a startup company. Since that time, he has continued to work with startups, including via Enterprise. With a background in R&D, product management and operations, he will share his insight into the relationship between technical feasibility, product-market fit and manufacturability.
  Register now — Deadline: Jan. 25

Career Services will be closed all day today (Dec. 19) for a department retreat.

Regular office hours will resume tomorrow (Dec. 20).

If you need help/have questions during this time of closure, please email us at career@mtu.edu. Regarding curricular practical training and cooperative education (CPT/Co-op), please email co-op@mtu.edu.

Thank you!

The Memorial Union will have reduced office and building hours over the winter break. The hours of operation are as follows:

• Memorial Union Office (MUB 101):
  • Dec. 18-22 — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Dec. 23 to Jan. 2 — Closed
  • Jan. 3-5 — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Jan. 8 — Resume normal operating hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
    
    
• Memorial Union Building:
  • Dec. 18-22 — 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Dec. 23 to Jan. 2 — Closed
  • Jan. 3 — Resume normal operating hours (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

The Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) will be closed on Friday (Dec. 22) for remodeling and asbestos abatement. During this period, the office staff will be working remotely and can be contacted via email.

Normal work hours will resume after the holiday break on Jan. 3.

The Michigan Tech Nordic Ski team posted six podium finishes, highlighted by Skylar Patten's victory in the men's skate interval start, at the Salomon CXC Cup over the weekend in Cable, Wisconsin.

The event opened Saturday (Dec. 16) with the classic sprint. Axel Aflodal took third overall in the men's race, finishing just shy of second. Jasper Johnston also made the finals, placing fifth in the race. Marie Sølverud Wangen claimed a spot on the podium for the women's race, earning third by less than a second. Anabel Needham joined her in the finals, coming out with a sixth-place performance.

The interval skate start races were held Sunday (Dec. 17). Needham and Olivia Laven made the podium for the women's race, finishing second and third, respectively. The Huskies claimed two podium finishes in the men's race as well — Skylar Patten took gold by almost 33 seconds and Wes Campebell battled to the line to take third by the slimmest of margins.

"The team had great competitive improvements this weekend in both races," head coach Tom Monahan Smith said. "We're really excited to be in a great place competitively — to finish the December race period in a confident spot with our preparations now focused on U.S. Nationals."

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech women's basketball team will conclude their 2023 calendar year on the road.

The Huskies are facing NSIC foes Winona State tonight (Dec. 19) at 6 p.m. at McCown Gymnasium in Winona, Minnesota.

Listen live on the radio at Mix 93.5 WKMJ-FM or online at TheMix93.com or Pasty.net. Fans can also watch a livestream of the contest on the NSIC Network.

Read the preview at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Shooting woes dogged Michigan Tech men's basketball team in their match against Kentucky Wesleyan at the SDC Gymnasium on Sunday (Dec. 17). 

The Huskies fell 69-53 to the Panthers. Marcus Tomashek led all scorers with 18 points, going 4-of-9 from 3-point land. Dawson Nordgaard and Pete Calcaterra each posted six rebounds to lead the team.

"I give a lot of credit to Kentucky Wesleyan — that's a well-coached team, offensively and defensively," head coach Josh Buettner said. "I thought they competed better than us — I think we played hard, but we didn't compete. I thought we had some good days of practice, and to come out that flat was really disappointing."

The Huskies continue nonconference play tonight (Dec. 19), welcoming Winona State to the SDC Gymnasium. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. tipoff.

Listen live on the radio at Mix 93.5 WKMJ-FM or online at TheMix93.com or Pasty.net. Fans can also watch a livestream of the contest on FloHoops (a subscription is required — discounts are available for students).

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Guy Hembroff (AC/ICC) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $50,000 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is titled "An AI-Powered mHealth Framework Providing Holistic Mental Health Support through Real-time Analysis, Prediction, and Intelligent Resource Allocation."

This is a potential six-month project.

Ph.D. candidate Sushree Dash (applied physics) and undergraduate Aerith Cruz (management information systems) were mentioned by WLUC TV6 and the Keweenaw Report in stories previewing Michigan Tech’s 2023 Midyear Commencement. TV6 covered the ceremony, held Saturday (Dec. 16) in MTU’s Varsity Gym.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the appointment of Robin Michigiizhigookwe Clark (CFRES) to a three-year term on the state’s Natural Resources Commission.

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The Daily Mining Gazette covered Michigan Tech’s Board of Trustees meeting on Friday (Dec. 15), highlighting public comments related to freedom of speech on campus and the new Seventh Avenue parking lot. Also announced at the meeting was the University's most recent A1 credit rating for financial stability and its pending upgrade to R1 status as a research institution.

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MLive mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about lost taxes in Ann Arbor, Michigan, amid University of Michigan’s growth. MTU was named as one of three public colleges in Michigan to experience growth over the last decade.

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BVM Sports covered Michigan Tech hockey forward Max Koskipirtti being named to Team Finland's training camp roster for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.

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A Healthier Michigan included Winter Carnival on a list of must-see winter festivals being held around Michigan. Carnival is planned for Feb. 7-10 with the theme “From Forests to Shores We Love the Outdoors.”

SURF Applications Now Open

Applications for 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURFs) are now open. Fellowship recipients will spend the summer working on an individual research project under the guidance of a Michigan Tech faculty mentor.

SURFs are open to all Tech undergraduates who have at least one semester remaining after the summer term. Awards are up to $4,500. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 9.

Students who have questions about the program or application process can take advantage of a virtual drop-in advising session with the SURF coordinator, Robert Handler (ChE).

Our remaining drop-in advising session is scheduled for this date:

• Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 2-5 p.m. — Join via Zoom.

For more information and access to the application materials and instructions, visit the SURF webpage or contact Handler at rhandler@mtu.edu.

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Tech Today Holiday Break

Friday (Dec. 22) will be the last Tech Today published for calendar year 2023. In observance of the Christmas and New Year's holidays and the University seasonal days, no Tech Today will be published from Monday (Dec. 25) through Jan. 2.

Tech Today will resume on Jan. 3. To be included in the Jan. 3 edition of Tech Today, items must be submitted by noon on Friday using our Submit a Story form.

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

PhD Defense: Lauren Mancewicz

Tuesday, December 19, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 875

Engineering - Environmental Co-advisors: Alex Mayer and David Watkins Sea level rise driven groundwater inundation: Effects of island hydrogeology on freshwater lens...

(Men's Basketball) Winona State vs. Michigan Tech

Tuesday, December 19, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Wood Gym

Men's Basketball: Winona State vs. Michigan Tech, SDC Gymnasium - Houghton, Mich.

(Women's Basketball) Michigan Tech at Winona State

December 19, all day

Women's Basketball: Michigan Tech at Winona State, McCown Gymnasium - Winona, Minn.