Canis Spiritus

Wolf skull, jawbones, and teeth on a tray.

A quest to save endangered species led conservation geneticist Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) to the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, home to a unique population of "ghost wolves" — coyotes confirmed in 2016 as a wild reservoir of genes for the critically endangered red wolf.

Since then, much of Brzeski's research and teaching attention at Tech has been devoted to genetic admixture — mingling the genes of isolated populations through interbreeding — as a conservation strategy. In a world beset by climate change and habitat loss, she believes hybridization offers a winning strategy in the struggle to reverse a global biodiversity crisis.

“We’re losing species faster than we know what to do, and it’s hard for conservation groups and federal agencies to act quickly,” says Brzeski. “So admixture might be a way to maintain and buffer unique species. I think these canids on the Gulf Coast are a poster child for what conservation might be in the future, and for what techniques we can develop and use to understand and mitigate population loss.”

Read about Galveston’s ghost wolves and Brzeski’s conservation efforts in our 2024 Michigan Tech Magazine.

FIS Joining Michigan Tech IT

Financial Information Systems (FIS) will join the Michigan Tech Information Technology (IT) department effective March 31.

As part of this transition, Joan Hoffman and Anna Keranen will become part of the Information Systems and Services (ISS) unit led by Alex Hughes. Following the transition, they will continue to provide support as they have in the past, which includes managing access, finance reporting and functional systems support. The systems include Banner Finance, Finance Self-Service, Perceptive Content, SAP Concur and CRIS, to name a few.

Michigan Tech IT welcomes the FIS team and looks forward to learning from the wealth of knowledge and experience that they bring.

Requests for service and support will continue to be served through TeamDynamix and fis@mtu.edu.

ISA's Celebration of Holi: Festival of Colors

Save the date, MTU! Prepare to immerse yourself in a dazzling celebration as the Indian Students Association's (ISA's) annual Holi extravaganza returns on Monday (March 25) from 1-5 p.m. Prepare for an explosion of vibrant colors, electrifying music and cultural exploration to kick off 2024!

Celebrate the vibrant spirit of Holi, the Festival of Colors, by indulging in a culinary odyssey across the diverse regions of India. Join us for lunch from 1-3 p.m. in the MUB Commons, where a feast awaits to tantalize your taste buds and transport you on a delightful journey through the unique flavors of each region.

Embark on a mesmerizing journey through the enchanting melodies of India as the MUB Ballroom comes alive with vibrant live performances from 3-4 p.m. From the infectious beats of Bhangra to the soul-stirring tunes of Carnatic music, immerse yourself in the diverse sounds that define India’s rich cultural tapestry.

But wait, there's more! Brace yourself for an evening filled with surprises, and if the weather permits, gear up for an unforgettable colors celebration outdoors from 4-5 p.m. that promises to etch memories for a lifetime.

This event is more than just a party — it's an invitation to delve deeper into the heart of Indian culture and explore the geographical influences that have shaped its unique traditions.

Open to all MTU students and their families! Don your favorite white attire (ready to be splashed with colors!) and join ISA for an electrifying celebration of Holi and the New Year!

Book your tickets now!

Art in Silico Reception

With 20 computational art submissions ready to appear at the opening reception, the hype is building for the Art in Silico!

An opening reception for this year's computational art show will take place from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Copper Country Community Arts Center, where the pieces will be displayed from April 2-5. Following this, from 5:30-7:45 p.m., there will be a main reception at the Orpheum Theater, where the winners will be announced.

The Art in Silico event series will also feature a keynote address on April 3 from Chantal Rodier, STEAM project coordinator and artist in residence at the University of Ottawa. More information will come in a later announcement!

Check out the Art in Silico website for more information and the event schedule.

Who is Kris Johnson, the 2024 Don Keranen Jazz Fest Featured Artist?

The annual Don Keranen Memorial Jazz Festival is here! The festival brings in a renowned guest artist from across the country each year. This year, Michigan Tech Jazz, led by Adam Meckler, welcomes 2024 featured guest artist Kris Johnson!

The festival runs tomorrow through Saturday (March 22-23) with three backstage concerts at the Rozsa Center. Tickets are available online and at the door.

Who is Kris Johnson?
A Detroit-based trumpeter, composer, arranger, film scorer and educator, Johnson boasts an impressive career. His accomplishments include performing with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra and writing 2024 Grammy-winning arrangements (listen to one of them on YouTube)!

This weekend, enjoy back-to-back evenings with this incredible trumpeter and Michigan Tech Jazz in the Rozsa Center’s popular backstage club. Festival-goers will enjoy the invaluable experience of witnessing Johnson perform alongside Michigan Tech Jazz ensembles each night.

Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., Johnson will join the R&D Band for a select number of tunes, and on Saturday at 6 p.m., he'll jam with the Jazz Lab Band for their entire concert! Then stick around for the slam-bang finish with a Saturday 9 p.m. concert featuring JazTec and the Workshop Brass Band. Check out a rundown of all three concerts in yesterday’s Tech Today.

Johnson's experience and background are nothing short of exceptional. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the stage and the classroom, both as the director at Michigan State University Community Music School Detroit and on his online platform, Office Hours with Kris Johnson. View his work on YouTube or Instagram.

Festival Details:

Tech Faculty Visit Washington DC for Humanities Advocacy Day

Michigan Tech faculty traveled to Washington, D.C., for National Humanities Advocacy Day on March 11-12 to advocate for research funding in the arts and humanities. The delegation included Professors Kette Thomas, Sue Collins and Jennifer Nish (all HU) and Professor Steven Walton (SS).

Humanities Advocacy Day is organized by the National Humanities Alliance, which serves as an integral organization preserving funding for the arts, humanities and social sciences. March 11's conference included a dozen panels featuring academics, government agencies and nonprofits invested in the central value of humanistic study to education and society.

On March 12, the Michigan Tech team visited the congressional offices of Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary C. Peters, and Reps. Jack Bergman (MI-1) and John Moolenaar (MI-2). They were accompanied by Bryan Whitledge from Central Michigan University and the Society of American Archivists, who drew additional attention to the accomplishments in the Upper Peninsula and throughout the state of Michigan through National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funding. On Capitol Hill, the faculty made arguments in support of funding the NEH — which also directly funds the Michigan Humanities Council, National Archives, National Historic Records Preservation Committee and the Title IX/Fullbright-Hayes programs for international languages.

“I really appreciated the opportunity to attend this event and see how this advocacy works,” said Nish. “I would love to follow up on some of the things we discussed during the workshops, such as meeting with our Michigan Tech government representative and talking about whether we can develop more local initiatives that connect the humanities with engineering, business, health sciences, as well as other programs on campus.”

The delegation members are grateful to Dean Ravindra Pandey for the support of the College of Sciences and Arts, as well as Department Chairs Scott Marratto (HU) and Don Lafreniere (SS) for their support and encouragement.

ChE Seminar Series Speaker: Ahmad Al-Douri

Ahmad Al-Douri will present as part of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) Research Series on Monday (March 25) at 2 p.m. in person in EERC 214 or virtually via Zoom.

Al-Douri will present "Integrated Safer Design and Risk and Reliability Analyses for Energy Transitions and Sustainable Manufacturing."

Read the abstract on the University Events Calendar.

Al-Douri is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Maryland.

Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar with Siyuan Fang

The next Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar will take place at 3 p.m. on Monday (March 25) in GLRC 202.

Siyuan Fang, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Michigan Tech, will present "Turning dead leaves into an active multifunctional material as evaporator, photocatalyst, and bioplastic."

CTL Technical Workshop: Intro to Panopto

Are you looking for a way to incorporate video recordings to increase student engagement or provide course materials to be viewed in preparation for class? Perhaps you’re seeking a recording tool for lectures or meetings which can capture multiple video sources at the same time, and then easily edit and share them. Compatible with multiple operating systems and file formats, Panopto is a robust and straightforward tool to fit those needs and many more.

Save the Date: Join the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for an Introduction to Panopto workshop next Thursday (March 28) at 11 a.m. in Library 242. Workstations (Windows operating system based) will be available if you would like to follow along — or feel free to bring your own device!

Register to attend.

For questions or accommodation requests, please contact Jess Hendrickson at jelhendr@mtu.edu or 906-487-2275.

Hockey Traveling to Bemidji for CCHA Championship

Michigan Tech hockey is traveling to No. 20 Bemidji State for the 2024 CCHA Mason Cup Championship Game. The puck drops at 8:07 p.m. ET tomorrow (March 22) at the Sanford Center.

The winner will receive the Mason Cup and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Listen live on the radio at Mix 93.5 WKMJ-FM or online at TheMix93.com or Pasty.net. The championship game will be livestreamed exclusively on FloHockey (a subscription is required — discounts are available for students).

The Huskies went 2-1-1 against the Beavers in the regular season, which included a weekend split in Bemidji.

Read the preview at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Job Postings

Job Postings for Thursday, March 21, 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.

Assistant Gardener, Facilities Management. Apply online.

Senior Help Desk Consultant, Information Technology. 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.

In Print

Kit Cischke (ECE) and Shane Mueller (CLS) are the authors of an article published in The Teaching Professor.

The article is titled "Concept Mapping: An Active and Constructive AI-Proof Classroom Assignment."

The article discusses how to incorporate concept maps into the classroom, how they evade the current capabilities of large language models and how beneficial they are on their own merits.

In the News

Lanrong Bi (Chem/BioSci) was mentioned by EurekAlert! as a speaker at the inaugural Conference on Targeting Extracellular Vesicles organized by the World Mitochondria Society and the International Society of Microbiota. The conference is scheduled for Oct. 17-18 in Malta.

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Jared Anderson (VPA) was mentioned by WLUC TV6 as a featured soloist in the Copper Country Chorale’s final season performance, being held Saturday (March 23) at 3 p.m. at Portage Lake United Church in Houghton.

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Dan Mettlach (ATH) and Michigan Tech football quarterback Alex Fries (electrical engineering) were quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in a feature story about the Little Huskies Football Camp held March 16 at the SDC. Huskies wide receiver Nick Nora was mentioned in the story as well.

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Western Michigan University News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about a total $775,000 in Mobility Public-Private Partnership & Programming (MP4) Grant funds awarded to MTU, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan to support research, educational and technical workforce training initiatives for students and professionals in the mobility industry. MTU’s portion of the funding was $100,000 to establish a drone operator training program. The funding was announced by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in November 2023.

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech in coverage of the Houghton-Portage Township Schools Board meeting Monday (March 18), where a resolution to weight GPAs to give more credit for advanced courses at Houghton High School was discussed. In the story, the district superintendent referenced advice from MTU Admissions that without weighted GPAs, HHS students could lose out on scholarship money.

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Crain’s Grand Rapids Business mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about Sleeping Giant Capital’s purchase of Portland Products, a manufacturer of mechanical assemblies for automotive and heavy truck customers located in Portland, Michigan. One of the new owner-operators is Rick Slater ’03 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering).

Reminders

COE Dean Semifinalist Presenting at Open Forum

The College of Engineering (COE) Dean Search Committee has invited four semifinalist candidates to Michigan Tech for on-campus interviews.

Candidate 4 Open Forum Presentation:
Thursday, March 21, at 2 p.m. in Chem Sci 102
The fourth and final candidate's interview will be held today and tomorrow (March 21 and 22). The candidate will present their administrative philosophy and vision for COE at an open forum at 2 p.m. today in Chem Sci 102.

Information on all candidates, interview dates and open forum information can be viewed at the Academic Affairs Dean Search page. A Michigan Tech login is required to view resumes and provide comment. The open forums will be video recorded and posted to the website for viewing.

The COE Dean Search Committee encourages the campus community to interact with each candidate during the interviews and provide feedback by completing the anonymous comment form provided at the website. Feedback forms will close at 8 a.m. Tuesday (March 26).

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CFRES Dean Semifinalist Presenting at Open Forum

The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) Dean Search Committee has invited four semifinalist candidates to Michigan Tech for on-campus interviews.

Candidate 2 Open Forum Presentation:
Thursday, March 21, at 4 p.m. in Dow 642
The second candidate’s interview will be held today and tomorrow (March 21 and 22). The candidate will present their administrative philosophy and vision for CFRES at an open forum today at 4 p.m. in Dow 642.

Information on all candidates, interview dates and open forum information can be viewed at the Academic Affairs Dean Search page. A Michigan Tech login is required to view resumes and provide comment. The open forums will be video recorded and posted to the website for viewing.

The CFRES Dean Search Committee encourages the campus community to interact with each candidate during the interviews and provide feedback by completing the anonymous comment form provided at the website. Feedback forms will be available for 72 hours following the last candidate's visit.

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Sustainability Film: 'Going Circular'

The 2024 Sustainability Film & Discussion Series, coordinated by the Michigan Tech Office of Sustainability and Resilience, will present March's film "Going Circular" at 7 p.m. tonight (March 21) in Fisher 138.

The film will be followed by discussion facilitated by Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering candidate Utkarsh Chaudhari and members of the Hotforest Enterprise.

The film and free refreshments in lobby are provided by the Great Lakes Research Center in recognition of 2024 World Water Day.

Film sponsors include the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Keweenaw Land Trust, Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, Keweenaw Co-Op, Friends of the Land of Keweenaw and WUP MiSTEM, as well as Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center, Department of Social Sciences, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Sustainability Demonstration House, Students for Sustainability and Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action.

Sustainability Film & Discussion Series Details:

  • When: Third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m., through May
  • Where: Fisher 135 or 138 (refreshments in lobby)
  • Cost: Free! $5 donations are greatly appreciated — make a donation.

Upcoming Films:

  • "Climate Sisu" — April 18, Fisher 135
    Take a journey through Michigan in search of community knowledge about climate action, resilience, adaptation and education. Climate SISU offers an urgent, yet optimistic call for climate action.

  • "The Engine Inside" — May 16, Fisher 138
    Follow the lives of six individuals from around the globe who have devoted themselves to a simple, age-old machine — the bicycle. Witness how bicycles have the potential to transform lives and contribute to a better world.

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CS Faculty Candidate Presentation with Qi Li

Department of Computer Science (CS) tenure-track faculty candidate Qi Li will give a research presentation today (March 21) from 1-2 p.m. in Rekhi 214.

The title of Li’s talk is “Data Driven Cyber-Physical Energy Systems.”

Read the talk abstract and candidate bio on the Computing News Blog.

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Applications Open: Climate Leaders Academy

Applications are now open for the 2024 Climate Leaders Academy (CLA).

Students in the CLA will explore climate change challenges and solutions from a range of disciplines and perspectives, work directly with representatives from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to support a selected term project, explore the policy responses to climate change and travel to the COP29 climate negotiations.

The CLA has three primary components:

  1. An intensive kickoff workshop on May 23-26
  2. Enrollment in a 3-credit graduate-level course taught at Vanderbilt University by Leah A. Dundon
  3. Participation at the international climate change negotiations (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024

All travel is supported. Applications are competitive; the class is limited to 12 students. Details are available on the application form.

Several Michigan Tech students traveled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with the 2023 CLA class for COP28 and had a fantastic experience.

The CLA is funded with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is organized through Vanderbilt University and the NSF-supported Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH) together with Michigan Technological University, Boston University and Tennessee State University.

The program is open to graduate students in any field. You must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national or a permanent resident of the United States.

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Today's C3 Luncheon Menu

Menu for Thursday (March 21):

  • Cauliflower General Tso's (Vegetarian, Soy, Sesame, Gluten, Dairy, Egg)
  • Orange Chicken (Sesame, Dairy, Gluten, Egg, Soy)
  • Basmati Rice (Vegan, AD, AG)
  • Garden Salad (Vegan, AD, AG)
  • Vegetable Stir Fry (Vegan, AD, AG)
  • Vegetable Spring Rolls (Vegetarian, Dairy, Sesame, Gluten, Egg)

Join Carved and Crafted Catering for this week's C3 Luncheon. The luncheon is held each week on Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MUB 107). All faculty and staff, along with their guests, are invited.

The C3, or C-Cubed, lunch buffet menus are created and prepared by Chef Luis Delgado and his culinary team. As the name suggests, the meals are meant to foster conversation, community and collegiality. Attendees may bring their lunch instead of purchasing the buffet. Fruit-infused water, coffee, tea and cookies are available free to all attendees.

The buffet lunch is $15 per person. Cash, credit cards and gift cards are accepted. Gift cards can be purchased in the Memorial Union office (MUB 101).

AG = Avoiding Gluten
AD = Avoiding Dairy

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Scheduled Maintenance Affecting Password Resets

Michigan Tech IT will be performing routine quarterly maintenance on the Fischer/mylogin system on Sunday (March 24) from 8 a.m. to noon. During this maintenance, password resets and mylogin.mtu.edu will be unavailable.

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

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MSE Seminar with Joshua Mueller

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is hosting a seminar presented by Assistant Professor Joshua Mueller today (March 21) at 1 p.m. in M&M 610.

The seminar is titled "Microstructure-Mechanical Property Relationships and Kinetic Transitions in Phase Transformations Mechanisms in Multi-Phase Ferrous Alloys."

From the abstract:
Multi-phase ferrous alloys have duplex microstructures consisting of face-centered-cubic austenite (referred to as retained austenite) and body-centered-cubic ferrite or a ferrite-based constituent (martensite or bainite). To generate these microstructures, austenite-stabilizing alloy additions are required, typically manganese (Mn) and/or nickel (Ni). The alloy is partitioned during thermal processing, enriching the austenite with the stabilizing solute and enabling austenite retention upon cooling. These duplex microstructures are associated with increased combined strength and toughness; however, the mechanical performance is sensitive to relatively minor changes in alloy and heat treatment. The austenite composition, and corresponding deformation mechanism, is believed to have a crucial influence on the mechanical flow behavior of these alloys. Therefore, there is considerable interest in developing confident correlations between austenite characteristics and mechanical performance. The research outlined here is aimed at (1) elucidating the effect of austenite deformation mechanisms on the flow behavior in duplex microstructures and (2) understanding kinetic transitions with respect to partitioning and non-partitioning phase transformation mechanisms. Results aim to guide alloy and heat treatment design using advanced thermal processing techniques to generate duplex microstructures with increased performance.

Mueller is an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Michigan Technological University, where he teaches courses relating to thermodynamics of materials, phase transformations and microstructure-mechanical property relationships. He also holds a guest scientist appointment with the Dynamic Structure Design & Engineering and Vessel Operations Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Mueller earned a Ph.D. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines through the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center, and a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His broad research interests include fundamentals of phase transformations and microstructural evolution of materials as well as microstructure-mechanical property relationships. He is particularly interested in microstructural design to enhance yield strength-toughness performance of multi-phase ferrous alloys and incorporating thermodynamic and phase field simulations for an integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach to alloy and heat treatment development.

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ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker: Laurence Brassart

The next Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Graduate Seminar speaker will present virtually at 4 p.m. today (March 21) via Zoom.

Laurence Brassart will present “Coupled degradation and mechanics in polymers and gels.”

Brassart’s research focuses on the micromechanical and constitutive modeling of engineering materials, including polymers, composites, soft materials and energy materials. She is particularly interested in multiphysics and multiscale aspects.

Today's Campus Events

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

Simple Machines: Poetry, Letterpress, and the Art of the Little Magazine Presented by Michigan Tech Art

Simple Machines is a two-edition, international, letterpress poetry magazine founded and edited by Michigan Tech’s M. Bartley Seigel, funded through a Research Excellence...

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March NotMiSpecies Webinar

Join land managers from across the state of Michigan for a webinar series about invasive species. March's talk is titled "I wash my bottom, do you? Engaging the Boating...

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Anxiety Screening Day

Have you been feeling anxious, nervous or on-edge lately? The CSMHW will be offering free anxiety screenings on Thursday, March 21st from 10-2pm in Library 244. Take the...

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Buckthorn Bash at Historical Chassell Trail

Help the Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area and other local organizations remove buckthorn along the historical trail boardwalk at Centennial Park in Chassell! Bring...

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Microstructure-Mechanical Property Relationships and Kinetic Transitions in Phase Transformations Mechanisms in Multi-Phase Ferrous Alloys

Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Joshua Mueller Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering Michigan Technological University Abstract Multi-phase...

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Research Presentation: CS Faculty Candidate Qi Li

Department of Computer Science tenure-track faculty candidate Qi Li will give a research presentation on Thursday, March 21, 2024, from 1-2 p.m. in Rekhi 214. The title of...

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Coupled Degradation and Mechanics in Polymers and Gels

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Laurence Brassart, PhD University of Oxford Abstract Hydrolysis is the main degradation pathway in many...

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Presentation Tips and Tricks

Join AIChE to learn the tips and tricks for presentations in your academic and professional career.

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Huskies Group Swim Lessons - Learn to Swim Levels 1-5 - Spring 2024 Session 2

Come make a splash in Huskies Group Swim Lessons! American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Levels 1-5 are being offered at the SDC Pool. Huskies Learn-to-Swim Levels 1-5 (ages 6-17...

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Diverse Dialogues: Women in STEM

"There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear...

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West Michigan Pickled Egg Contest and Social

Michigan Tech alumni and friends, mark your calendars for an egg-citing event! Join us for the West Michigan Pickled Eggs Contest and social gathering on Thursday, March 21,...

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Modern Language Film Series

In conjunction with the department of humanities, Modern Languages will be hosting its annual film series with the 2024 theme "In Pursuit of Democracy". Thursday March...

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Sustainability Film: Going Circular

Sustainability Film and Discussion Series Going Circular (2021, 86 min.) Description Imagine a future where we mimic the genius of nature — to re-calibrate the way...

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SuperTour Finals & Spring National Championships (Duluth, Minn.)

SuperTour Finals & Spring National Championships (Duluth, Minn.)