January 12, 2024

The Center for Applied Mathematics and Statistics (CAMS) is pleased to announce the free statistical consulting service provided to the MTU research community for spring 2024. The purpose of this service is to foster collaborations between the members of CAMS and the researchers from other centers/departments/colleges at MTU.

What we do:

• Help with experimental design (including power analysis and sample size determination).
• Help with data analysis with appropriate and clean data sets.
• Provide guidance and suggest statistical methods for data analysis and visualization.
• Provide guidance on appropriate statistical language for manuscripts.

Consulting will be offered from 4-5 p.m. on the following Tuesdays and Wednesdays of the semester:

January: 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31
February: 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21
March: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27
April: 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17

Meetings on dates with links will be conducted via Zoom. All others will be face-to-face meetings held in Fisher 312.

We are excited to be hosting the 2024 Spring Career Fair Forged by Nucor at Michigan Tech on Feb. 13! As we have done in the past, Interview Day will be Feb. 14, and we need your help.

In order to provide the best interview experience for both students and employers, we are requesting office and room spaces for interviews on campus. Please submit any available rooms to be included for our Interview Day schedule using our Rooms for Interviews form.

On average, there are over a thousand individual interviews conducted on campus following Career Fair.​​

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to CareerFair@mtu.edu.

We are looking forward to another great Career Fair this spring!

Get ready for a glowing good time — Bigfoot Glowshoe is back this year!

Have you ever wanted to go snowshoeing at night on a glowing trail? Here’s your chance! The event is scheduled for Feb. 8 from 6-9 p.m. at the Michigan Tech Trails.

To register, please visit buyhuskiestickets.com. General public, students and youth are all welcome to attend this event.

Questions? Email Whitney Boroski at wmborosk@mtu.edu.

Congratulations to all of our 2023 Making a Difference Award nominees and winners, who were honored at an awards program Tuesday (Jan. 9) in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

Our 2023 award winners are:

• Behind the Scenes: Mike Kowalczyk, Facilities Management
• Innovation Award: Alan Ollanketo, Academic Affairs
• Legacy Award: Karen Wade, Center for Diversity and Inclusion
• Outstanding Leader: Ruth Archer, Continuous Improvement
• Rookie Award: Carrie Nielsen, Associate Vice President for Administration
• Serving Others: Allison Neely, Van Pelt and Opie Library
• Unsung Hero: Samantha Butkovich, Facilities Management

To read the full story featuring the nominations and comments about the winners, visit the Staff Council website.

Staff Council would like to extend a thank-you to those who nominated an employee or wrote a letter of support. Through your efforts and thoughtfulness, we are able to celebrate these staff members. And thank you to this year’s judges and committee members: Peter Larsen, Madeline Mercado Voelker, Shanda Miller, Jari Sague and Laurie Stark. A special thanks to the President's Office for providing the award each winner will receive.

Staff Council is looking for feedback on this event from our campus community. Please fill out our Making a Difference Awards 2023 feedback form and tell us how we can improve this event!

College of Engineering Dean Audra Morse has selected Christopher (Kit) Cischke, teaching professor from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), as the first featured instructor in the spring 2024 Deans’ Teaching Showcase. Cischke will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other showcase members and is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

In a departure from traditional grading systems, Cischke has transformed the educational landscape in EE3173 Hardware/Software System Integration by introducing "specifications grading," an approach that establishes a clear passing threshold for understanding, eliminating the complexities associated with point-based grading. Students embraced the emphasis on comprehension over point accumulation, leading to positive feedback. One student said, “The grading style was super helpful because it motivated me to find learning objectives whenever I did assignments.” Another commented, “The lecture format, grading style and assignment structure all felt really good to me and helped my success in the class this semester.”

Under Cischke's guidance, hands-on experiential learning has experienced another innovative improvement. From in-class code examples using simulators and small “Zumo Robots,” to the introduction of advanced-level courses with real-world applications like the multi2sim simulator, he consistently emphasizes the relevance of learned skills in professional settings. A highlight is the launch of a revised Computer Organization course featuring intensive Verilog design assignments, showcasing his dedication to fostering creativity and investigation among students.

Beyond transforming grading methods and reshaping hands-on experiential learning, Cischke has implemented concept maps as a tool to enhance the learning experience. Each class period begins with a reminder of how the day’s material aligns with broader course objectives, reflecting a commitment to refining teaching practices for optimal learning outcomes. Cischke is dedicated to proving the efficacy of concept maps in engineering education. “Professor Cischke is an exemplary role model as an instructor. He’s created an inspiring and dynamic learning environment for students in the electrical, computer and robotics engineering programs,” said Jin Choi, ECE chair.

Participation in a KEEN workshop focusing on the entrepreneurial mindset has added another layer to Cischke's teaching philosophy. The resulting assignment engaged students in a creative project related to a restaurant’s soda fountain, demonstrating his ability to seamlessly blend innovation, entrepreneurship and technical skills in the classroom.

Cischke's commitment to fostering inclusive student-teacher relationships is also noteworthy. Encouraging students to locate his office and make a simple human connection at the start of each semester has created a welcoming environment and made students strongly feel a sense of belonging. Collaborative debugging sessions, lively discussions about student projects and markings on his office whiteboard all reflect his open commitment to student success and sense of belonging.

Morse also commended Cischke: “His innovative teaching methods underscore his transformative impact on his student’s experience. His commitment to student-centered learning, hands-on experiences and fostering meaningful connections exemplifies the spirit of excellence in teaching that we want to showcase.”

The Office of Continuous Improvement is offering a virtual workshop, "Understanding the Impact: Collecting and Visualizing Metrics to Support Improvement (Virtual)," on Jan. 25 from 9 a.m. to noon. Discover how to visually tell the story of the impact of your improvement efforts using some simple methods for collecting and reporting data. These tools can assist you in your efforts to create the best possible experience for students, faculty, staff and other customers.

To see the workshop description and register, complete our Upcoming Michigan Tech Lean Courses form or visit our website. Once registered, we'll add you to a calendar event for the course.

This workshop will be taught virtually using Zoom and Miro. There will be a couple of brief activities to demonstrate application of concepts before and/or after the workshop, then you'll receive a certificate. There’s no cost to Michigan Tech employees.

This stand-alone workshop is part of the Lean Basics workshop series. It can be taken independently, or, if you complete all five workshops in the series, we’ll award you a Lean Yellow Belt certificate! For more information, email improvement@mtu.edu.

Job Postings for Friday, Jan. 12, 2024

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.

Thompson Scholar Coordinator, Financial Aid. Apply online.

Senior Accountant, Financial Services and Operations. Apply online.

Public Safety Officer Trainee, Public Safety and Police Services. 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.

Mohammad Sadeghiamirshahidi (CEGE/MTTI) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $216,845 research and development contract from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The project is titled "Instrumentation and data management/analyses for Measurement While Drilling (MWD) technology."

This is a potential two-year project.

*****

Zhanping You (CEGE/MTTI) is the PI on a project that has received a $181,912 research and development contract from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The project is titled "Hot rubber seal coating to survive wet and frozen environments."

This is a potential two-year project.

*****

William Johnston (ME-EM/MARC) is the PI on a project that has received a $79,889 research and development grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The project is titled "AeroFeathers: Feathered Airfoils Inspired by the Quiet Flight of Owls."

This is a potential one-year project.

*****

Jeffrey Allen (ME-EM) is the PI on a project that has received a $50,000 research and development grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The project is titled "Reduced-order modeling of interfacial dynamics to enable large-scale, mission-length simulations of low-gravity propellant management using CVB PSI data."

This is a potential two-year project.

Dean of Students Kellie Raffaelli, Carl Blair (SS), undergraduate Kiera Watson and Emily Vincent ’23 (B.A. Chemistry) were quoted in stories by WLUC TV6 and WJMN Local 3 covering the Huskies Pep Band’s candlelight vigil for senior Kenny Bragg (anthropology) held Jan. 10 at the Husky Statue. Bragg died in a house explosion downstate Dec. 30. He was the Pep Band’s tenor saxophone section leader.

Bragg’s parents Hope ’95 (B.S. Forestry) and Don ’92 ’95 (B.S. M.S. Forestry) and sister Elizabeth were also killed in the explosion.

*****

Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) was interviewed by KHOU 11 News of Houston, Texas, in a segment about a town hall meeting Jan. 10 in Galveston, Texas, relating to Galveston Island’s unique population of ghost wolves — coyotes with a significant amount of DNA from the critically endangered red wolf — and the possibility that they'll be affected by a large hotel complex under construction on the island’s East Beach.

*****

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation listed Michigan Tech among eight institutes for higher education receiving a total $4.6 million in grants and matching funds to support semiconductor education and training programs. The story was picked up by Yahoo! Finance and more than a dozen other news outlets nationwide. The funding was announced by Michigan Tech News in December.

On-Campus Job Expo

Career Services is hosting an on-campus jobs expo Tuesday (Jan. 16) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge in the MUB. Students are encouraged to come check out the job opportunities available right here on campus. Many departments will be represented.

On-campus jobs provide opportunities for Michigan Tech students. A part-time job offers income to students who need it and is an important co-curricular opportunity. As a co-curricular opportunity, on-campus work can lead to internships and co-ops, opening the door to full-time offers immediately after graduation. It can also help a student establish a strong foundation for research that leads to enhanced graduate school opportunities.

If your department has not signed up and would like to attend, please contact Career Services at careerfair@mtu.edu.

*****

Chemistry Seminar with Carol Roach

Carol Roach, principal data scientist at Aspentech, will present at this week's Chemistry Seminar. The seminar will be held virtually at 3 p.m. today (Jan. 12). Virtual attendance is invited via Zoom (use passcode 083286).

Roach’s presentation is titled "From the Benchtop to the Desktop: A Career Journey.”

From the abstract:
Before Data Science was an established discipline, several different fields had “-metrics” subdisciplines (i.e. “econometrics” and “chemometrics”) that focused on applying statistics, linear algebra, and calculus to large data sets to generate predictive models and other data insights. These “-metrics” disciplines established the foundation for what we now call Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) fields within Data Science, and still find wide application to many fields, from Amazon product and Netflix show recommendations to cell receptor targeted pharmaceutical development. This presentation will review how skills gained through STEM graduate studies were leveraged into a career in the growing Data Science field.

Speaker bio:
Roach received her Associate of Arts from Bucks County Community College, Newtown, Pennsylvania, in 2002, a B.S. in Chemistry from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2004, and a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, in 2010. She pursued postdoctoral studies at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, before entering her professional career. Her academic awards include the Jasco Award in Analytical Chemistry (2005), Society for Applied Spectroscopy Student Poster Award (2009), the Elizabeth Dyer Award for Excellence in Teaching (2010), the David W. Lipp Fellowship (2010) and Silver Symposium First Place Award (2010).

Roach has worked as a manufacturing analytical chemist for ChampionX, a chemometrician and data analyst for a near infrared spectrometer startup (JP3 Measurement LLC), and a research analytical chemist for Ecolab. She currently works as a principal data scientist for Aspentech, where she creates new mathematical algorithms for Unscrambler and ProMV chemometrics software. Professional achievements include publication in NACE Corrosion Conference in 2018 and Aspentech Tech Summit Conference 2023.

*****

RTC Brown Bag Event with Timothy Kiernan and Vyas Shenoy

Please join the Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture (RTC) graduate program today (Jan. 12) at noon in the Petersen Library (Walker 318) for a Brown Bag event presented by Timothy Kiernan (HU) and Vyas Shenoy.

The presentation is titled "Redesigning an Automotive Feature from Gasoline to Electric: A Use Experience Case Study."

Keirnan is a former interaction engineer at Ford Motor Company and a current assistant teaching professor at Michigan Tech.

Shenoy is a core feature owner with Ford Product Development.

From the abstract:
Join us for a case study of engineering and user experience design from the automotive industry. Tim and Vyas will describe how they designed the human-machine interface (HMI) for Ford's award-winning Pro Power Onboard feature that provides home-sized levels of power in electrical outlets on Ford trucks and vans.

This case study will reveal:
• When to break with user interface consistency in a product and why,
• User research we conducted to guide our early design concept,
• Paper prototypes we created to support our usability testing of the concept with vehicle owners, and
• How we navigated internal debate over changes that we designed to make the electric F150's Pro Power Onboard even better.

*****

Diversity Literacy Online Training Courses for Spring 2024

Diversity Literacy Online Workshop training (DLOW) for spring 2024 is open for registration with spots available in all spring courses. Faculty should use the online registration form and please allow 24-48 hours for processing.

Spring is a good time to do the training and refresher courses to be prepared to serve on committees in the fall. Fall DLOW courses tend to fill up very fast. Completing the course now in the spring avoids registration crunches in the fall.

DLOW is part of Michigan Tech's ongoing commitment to faculty diversity in building a supportive campus climate. Successful completion of DLOW is required to serve on faculty hiring and tenure promotion committees. The workshop is organized as a three-week asynchronous online course in Canvas (with two to three hours of work per week) covering legal aspects of hiring and promotion processes, building literacy in recognizing unconscious bias, and cultivating diversity-centered practices. For those who have already taken the full three-week diversity literacy course, a one-week refresher course is required every four years. See the Diversity Training Status page for more information and a list of current training status for all faculty.

The workshop dates are listed below and can also be found on the training website.

Please note: Starting in 2023-24, DLOW and the refresher now include the content formerly delivered separately as the Faculty Legal Aspects Training course. Course participants will receive the same content, but it is now integrated into a single comprehensive course. The Legal Aspects Review for Faculty Search Committees will still be required each time a member joins a search committee.

If you have any questions about DLOW, contact Diversity Literacy Online Workshop Administrator Sarah Fayen Scarlett at sfscarle@mtu.edu.

DLOW dates for spring 2024:

Spring Refresher 1
Jan. 15-22 — Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop

Spring Full Course
Jan. 29-Feb 26 — Diversity Literacy Full Course

Spring Refresher 2
March 11-18 — Diversity Literacy Refresher Workshop

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

Faculty Brown Bag: Tim Keirnan and Vyas Shenoy "Redesigning an Automotive Feature from Gasoline to Electric: A Use Experience Case Study"

Friday, January 12, 12–1 p.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, Petersen Library

Title Redesigning an Automotive Feature from Gasoline to Electric: A Use Experience Case Study Presenters Timothy Keirnan, (former) Interaction Engineer at Ford Motor Company...

Alumni Night at the Kalamazoo Wings

Friday, January 12, 7:00–9:30 p.m.

Unleash your inner superhero and join Michelle (Jerome) Chollet '01, along with fellow alumni, friends, and families for a game at the Wings Event Center during Marvel Night...

Middle School Volleyball Development League

January 12, all day | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multi-Purpose Gym

A four-week developmental program for middle school girls in grades 7 & 8 to learn and improve their skills in preparation for the upcoming interscholastic season. This...