April 12, 2024

Long hours of engineering, fabricating, testing and going back to the drawing board will culminate in the ultimate proof of Husky ingenuity when Design Expo comes to the Van Pelt and Opie Library on Tuesday (April 16).

In addition to viewing projects in person, you can watch Design Expo team videos, which will be posted after 2 p.m. on Monday (April 15). Use the Audience Choice Award ballot to vote for your favorite project.

Design Expo wouldn’t be possible without generous industry and University sponsorship, along with volunteer judges and organizers, as well as those attending the event, which is free and open to the public.

Get more Expo details at Michigan Tech News.

With on-campus interviews now complete for all three semifinalist candidates invited to Michigan Tech, the Vice President for Research (VPR) Search Committee encourages the campus community to provide feedback by completing the anonymous comment form found on the VPR Candidates page.

Feedback submission will be open until 8 a.m. Monday (April 15).

Please encourage your Pell-eligible students to apply for an exciting new scholarship opportunity!

The S-STEM Husky PAWS (Pathways for Academic Wellness and Success) Scholarship Program awards one-year finishing scholarships for Pell students (determined by the Federal Pell Grant Program) majoring in the College of Engineering, College of Computing or in physics/applied physics who are completing their bachelor’s degrees or accelerated master's degrees. This scholarship is awarded for one year, up to $15,000 for bachelor's students and $20,000 for master's students.

The S-STEM Husky PAWS Scholarship Program has three goals:

• To elevate each student's assets, which include the unique and valuable skills, knowledge and resiliency derived from their familial and community experiences.
• To foster a sense of belonging.
• To increase retention and graduation rates for STEM students who have demonstrated financial need.

These scholarships are made possible through funding from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, which seeks to support the recruitment, retention and graduation of academically talented low-income students. (Note: Apply for the finishing fellowship with the application form below; do not follow the embedded link on the webpage.)

Students can apply for an S-STEM finishing fellowship by completing the S-STEM Finishing Fellowship Husky PAWS Scholarship Application. This application is due April 26 by 5 p.m. EDT.

In addition to the financial scholarship support, Husky PAWS includes a variety of professional development programming throughout the academic year to support student graduation and career success.

Please reach out to Adrienne Minerick (ChE) at minerick@mtu.edu with any questions.

The Board of Trustees will meet April 26 from 9-11 a.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom B, and public attendance is welcome.

Members of the public are invited to make public comments to the board in accordance with Board of Trustees Bylaw 1.14. Those who wish to address items in the agenda, and who have filed their intent with the secretary of the board as required by Bylaw 1.14, will be limited to five minutes. Those addressing general topics are limited to three minutes.

If you wish to provide public comments to the Board of Trustees, please submit your intent to Sarah Schulte, secretary to the Board of Trustees, at shschult@mtu.edu. The deadline to submit your intent is next Friday (April 19).

The semester is nearly done and finals are coming up, so we’re letting loose in our pajamas! Join us next Saturday (April 20) from 8-10:30 p.m. for a Late Night Program and Film Board Pajama Party in Fisher 135 and 132.

Come as you are or wear your favorite pajamas, slippers and/or robe. Bring a stuffed animal to show off. There will be gluten-free and vegan snacks available and copious amounts of popcorn. "Monsters University" (2013) will play (for free!) in Fisher 135 and board games will be available in Fisher 132 for all players. Bring your friends and have some downtime in your pajamas watching a movie, eating snacks and playing games.

See Involvement Link for more information!

Registration is now open for an additional session of Huskies Group Tennis Lessons. The new session will begin the week of April 22.

• Adult Huskies Group Tennis Lessons — Beginner, intermediate and advanced (by instructor approval only). Ages 17 and up, all skill levels.
• Youth Huskies Group Tennis Lessons — Ages 5-17, all skill levels.
• Adult Huskies Pickleball Lessons — Looking for something new? Try pickleball! For anyone, ages 17 and up. Lessons begin April 23. No experience is necessary — all levels are welcome.
• Private Lessons are also available for any age or skill level.

Sign up today!

Come to Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action's (KYCA's) 3rd Annual Art & Music Festival! Listen to music from Bees! Bees! Bees!, Cheblord, Willoby and many more!

The visual art and performances are inspired by Earth, nature, sustainability, climate change, liberation, resilience or Earth Day.

Join us in the Rozsa Center lobby tomorrow (April 13) from 2:30-7:30 p.m.

Learn more about KYCA.

Artist Reception for the Spring Art Gallery Student Showcase
Friday, April 12, from 5-7 p.m.
Terri Jo Frew, Rozsa Gallery Director
Presented by Michigan Tech Art

Head to the Rozsa Art Galleries tonight (April 12) from 5-7 p.m. for the opening night reception of the Spring Fling Student Art Showcase! The artists themselves will be present to discuss their incredible works made for the Spring 2024 Fiber Arts and World Sculpture Traditions classes. Artists spanning multiple Michigan Tech majors — including engineering, biology, computer science, theatre, entertainment technology, physics and more — will be showing their work. If you can’t make it to the reception, the show itself runs today (April 12) through Tuesday (April 16).

What to Expect:
The drop-in reception is open to the public. Free refreshments will be provided. Arrive anytime between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to meet the artists and view their works, created in a variety of different media.

Rozsa Art Galleries Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Saturday: 1-8 p.m.

Event Details:

• What: Artist Reception for Spring Fling Student Art Showcase
• When: Friday, April 12, from 5-7 p.m. (showcase runs April 12-16)
• Where: Rozsa Art Galleries in the lower level of the Rozsa Center
• Tickets: No tickets are needed for this free reception.

On Sunday (April 14), the Superior Wind Symphony and Campus Concert Band will join together on the Rozsa stage for an epic concert that will truly delight movie, video game and music lovers.

Led by Joel Neves and Jana Meckler (both VPA), the evening will feature performances of movie and video game music including “Star Wars,” “The Lord of the Rings,” Halo, Disney films, “Back to the Future,” James Bond films and more. The evening also includes the world premiere of a piece composed by graduating senior Kara Hardy (mechanical engineering).

Tickets for this concert are Pay As You’re Able, with a full fee of $15. Tickets are available in advance online, at the Rozsa Box Office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, or at the door.

Concert Details:

• What: “The Greatest Movie and Video Game Music”
  • Superior Wind Symphony and Campus Concert Band
  • Presented by Michigan Tech Music
• When: Sunday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
• Tickets: Pay As You’re Able ($15 full ticket fee). Student Rush is included with Experience Tech fee. Reserve your tickets.

Five graduating seniors will take their final Michigan Tech Theatre bows this weekend. Get your tickets to the final two performances of the suspenseful, thought-provoking (and sometimes funny) run of the historical drama, “Purple Hearts” by C.S. Wallace. Performances are tonight (April 12) and tomorrow (April 13) at 7:30 p.m. in McArdle Theatre.

Set in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Purple Hearts tells the story of three soldiers who were trapped aboard the sunken USS West Virginia, and the loved ones who await them back home. Based on true events, the play imagines what may have happened during the weeks they were trapped inside the ship’s compartment.

“At the end of the day, ‘Purple Hearts’ is a drama with jokes about hope…it’s about hope in the same sort of way ‘Field of Dreams’ is about baseball,” says director Nich Radcliffe (VPA) in his program notes. View his full program notes, along with the cast, crew and creative team, in the digital program.

While this play marks his debut production at Michigan Tech, Radcliffe has directed over 50 plays, operas and musicals in Chicago and across the United States. As a director, Radcliffe seeks to present the audience with questions, show them how he’s wrestling with those questions, and ask them to do a little wrestling of their own. “Don’t worry, it will also be my goal to show you a really good time,” he adds.

Tickets for the final performances of “Purple Hearts” are Pay As You’re Able, with a full fee of $15. Tickets are available in advance online, at the Rozsa Box Office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, or at the door.

Show Details:

• What: “Purple Hearts” by C.S. Wallace
• When: Last Performances — Friday and Saturday, April 12 and 13, at 7:30 p.m.
• Where: McArdle Theatre
• Tickets: Pay As You’re Able ($15 full ticket fee). Student Rush included with Experience Tech fee.

College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) Dean Ravindra Pandey is pleased to announce that Kathryn (Kat) Hannum is the featured instructor this week for the Deans’ Teaching Showcase. Nominated by Department of Social Sciences Chair Don Lafreniere, Hannum will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other showcase members and is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

Hannum is an assistant teaching professor of geography in the Department of Social Sciences. Hannum’s expertise is in migration and nationalism. She recently published a book titled “Nationalism” (Routledge 2023) which outlines how this global ideology is one of the dominant political forces in the modern world, shaping geographical concepts such as territory, homelands, boundaries and frontiers.

Hannum is also an exceptional scholar in the classroom, although her conception of “classroom” is very different from most instructors at Michigan Tech. As a geographer, she uses the world as her classroom, leading numerous study abroad programs in Mexico and Costa Rica, as well as supporting other programs in Wales and a domestic program where students travel across the United States on Amtrak.

In each of these programs, Hannum engages students to think critically about culture and their roles as global citizens in an increasingly interconnected world. She teaches topics such as the impacts of tourism development and tourism-driven migration on regions as well as how to promote sustainable tourism while understanding the role such development has on national, regional and Indigenous identities. In the rainforests of Costa Rica and the small Mayan villages of Mexico, she introduces students firsthand to the ways human actions impact the human and natural worlds, highlighting the interconnectivity and complexity of our globalized world.

Hannum believes strongly that when students travel, they are able to engage with the impact that humans have on the world in a deeply personal way. She employs journaling during her study away programs, where students write daily reflections on the lessons learned and how their decisions impact the people and environments experienced on the trip.

She also uses social labs, in which students in the class give back to the communities they are visiting. In Mexico, these labs have included projects that support increasing beachfront access for locals in areas of increased exclusion due to tourism developments and examining ways to protect village life and culture.

Lafreniere praised the impact of Hannum’s teaching and scholarship. “Dr. Hannum’s focus is on supporting communities,” he said. “As a scholar-teacher, she challenges students not to just be consumers of knowledge, but to take their unique skills and passions to make the communities they visit more sustainable, vibrant places.”

Maria Bergstrom, associate dean for undergraduate education in the CSA, noted the importance of Hannum’s curricular innovations. “Michigan Tech students of all majors have benefited from participating in Dr. Hannum’s global classrooms — gaining a broader perspective and a better understanding of how communities are impacted as new practices and technologies are introduced,” she said. “The study abroad and study away programs developed by Dr. Hannum and others at Michigan Tech have also served as an inspiration for aspects of the new Essential Education program, particularly the Essential Education Experience, which seeks to provide similar community engagement opportunities for all undergraduates. We are grateful for her leadership in developing this type of experiential education at Michigan Tech.”

The Graduate School is proud to announce that Isaac Lennox has received an honorable mention from the MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards for his work in kinesiology: "Exercise is Medicine® On Campus: A National Analysis And Assessment Of Community Impact."

These awards are highly competitive, recognizing master’s scholarship and research across more than 130 Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) member institutions in 14 states. An honorable mention is no small accomplishment.

Lennox earned a Master of Science in Kinesiology from Michigan Tech in fall 2023.

“Isaac is an outstanding student who will make significant contributions to improving health and has tremendous potential to develop into a future leader that will strengthen our workforce and benefit society,” said Steven Elmer (KIP), Lennox's advisor.

We were proud to submit Isaac’s thesis as a representation of the scholarship and dedication at Michigan Tech and we are exceptionally pleased MAGS noticed and appreciated his hard work and dedication with this honor!

See Lennox’s biography on the Graduate School Newsblog and read his published thesis on Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech.

Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) M.S. student Rixlie Fozilova will present her defense Monday (April 15) at 3 p.m. The presentation will be in person in Chem Sci 201 or virtually via Zoom.

Fozilova's defense is titled “Optimizing Diabetes Diagnostics Electrophoretic Separation and Detection of Hemoglobin A1c with Boronate."

Fozilova's advisor is Adrienne Minerick.

The Michigan Tech track and field team resumes their outdoor campaign with a two-day meet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the Mustang Distance Carnival and Open hosted by Mount Mercy University.

The meet will take place today and tomorrow (April 12 and 13), showcasing 15 teams. Today's events start at 6:30 p.m. EDT and tomorrow's events start at 11 a.m. EDT.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Stephanie Carpenter (HU) is the winner of the inaugural Summit Series Annual Prize from Central Michigan University Press.

Carpenter’s novel, “Moral Treatment,” will be published later this year. “Moral Treatment” is set in 1889-90 at a fictional psychiatric hospital based on the former Northern Michigan Asylum in Carpenter’s hometown of Traverse City, Michigan.

Michigan Tech hockey’s Alex Nordstrom (marketing) was mentioned by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about hockey players with Copper Country connections who have made an impact for their teams this season.

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Psychiatric News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about a visit by Patricia Tourney (B.S. Civil Engineering) and one sister to the APA Library’s Garfield and Helen W. Tourney Rare Books Room. Tourney's father's donation of more than 450 books related to the history of psychiatry formed the core of APA’s rare books collection.

CS Colloquium with Bill Starke '90

Bill Starke ’90 (B.S. in Computer Science) will present a Department of Computer Science (CS) Colloquium lecture today (April 12) from 3-4 p.m. in Rekhi 214 and via Zoom online meeting. A social hour will follow in Rekhi 218. Snacks and beverages will be served.

Starke’s talk is titled “The Best of Times for Hardware: Before, During, or After the Moore’s Law Era.”

This talk is part of the Department of Computer Science alumni lecture series “Our Golden Years: Behind Us, Or Still Ahead?”

Join the Zoom meeting.

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

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Chemistry Seminar with Emil Alexov

Emil Alexov, professor at the Department of Physics, Clemson University, will be presenting at this week's Chemistry Seminar, which will be held in person at 3-4 p.m. today (April 12) in Chem Sci 101.

Alexov’s presentation is titled "On the Linkage of Thermodynamics and Pathogenicity: Case Study of X-linked Monogenic Diseases."

From the abstract:
Thermodynamical quantities as folding and binding free energies are essential for assessing stability and binding affinity of biological macromolecules. Changes of these quantities caused by missense mutations may or may not be associated with pathogenicity. We argue that for monogenic diseases, the most prominent pathogenic effect is associated with changes of these two quantities. This allows us to use computational approaches to predict the effect of missense mutations on thermodynamics and to infer pathogenicity. Such an approach offers two advantages over the classical pathogenicity predictors: it can do confident predictions even for low conserved sequences and paves the way for development of treatment via development of stabilizers or modulators. We apply it to study several X-linked disorders (Snyder-Robinson, Rett and Creatine Deficiency syndromes) and demonstrate that many genotypes result in the same phenotype, which allows the same treatment to be applied to different genotypes. Furthermore, it can be used for genetic screening of prospective mothers or in-vitro fertilization, since these variants typically do not occur de-novo but are inherited from the carrier mother.

Alexov received his Ph.D. in Physics from Sofia University, Bulgaria, and was an assistant professor there. He was also a staff scientist at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, visiting scientist at RIKEN, Japan, postdoctoral researcher at City College of New York and senior scientist at Columbia University, New York. Currently he is the Roy Wallace Distinguished Professor at Clemson University.

Alexov is known for his expertise in computational biophysics and bioinformatics. He has made significant contributions to the field, particularly in the areas of molecular modeling and simulations of biological macromolecules. His research often focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying various biological processes, including protein-protein interactions, ion channels and the effects of mutations on protein stability and function, and their association with diseases. His research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF). He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor, Faculty Achievement in the Science, Faculty Scholar at the School of Health Research, and Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research, Clemson.

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April KIP Seminar with Lindsey Lepley

Please join the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP) today (April 12) from 3-4 p.m. in Fisher 132 for a seminar with guest speaker Lindsey Lepley from the School of Kinesiology at the University of Michigan.

The title of the presentation is "Treating Sick Muscles After ACL Injury."

For more information about the speaker and her work, please go to the KIP Newsblog.

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Graduate Cultural Night

Graduate Student Government (GSG), in collaboration with the African Students Organization, Bangladeshi Student Association, Indian Students Association, Iranian Community at MTU and Nepal Student Organization, will be hosting a cultural celebration tomorrow (April 13) from 6-9 p.m. in the MUB Commons.

Stop by to enjoy a night of music, food and fun! RSVP is appreciated.

Event Details:

• What: GSG Graduate Cultural Night
• When: Saturday, April 13, from 6-9 p.m.
• Where: MUB Commons
• RSVP: Please use the link on GSG's Graduate Cultural Night page.

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2024 MTU Archaeology Summer Field School Enrollment Deadline Extended

Are you looking for some summer credits but don’t want to sit in a classroom? There are still a few enrollment slots available in the 2024 MTU Archaeology Field School!

We are offering a 9-credit, seven-week summer Track B program of field archaeology training right here in the Keweenaw Peninsula from June 24 to Aug. 9.

Field school students will be exploring both ancient and 19th century copper mining archaeology at the Delaware Mine site in the Keweenaw. You will learn all the field skills of the modern archaeologist, including survey, testing, excavation and digital recording techniques. In addition, we will tour a number of sites in the Keweenaw that showcase the archaeology and history of the Copper Country.

Interested? Visit the field school website and submit our short application form today to enroll!

Field school credits may count toward your HASS and STEM requirements, and may also be applied toward Department of Social Sciences majors and minors, as well as the accelerated master’s program in industrial heritage and archaeology. For more information, contact Dan Trepal at djtrepal@mtu.edu.

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

HU2830 Public Speaking and Multimedia

Friday, April 12, 8:00–8:50 a.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Interviews, Job Offer Evaluation and Negotiation, Networking, LinkedIn, and Personal Branding

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HU2830 Public Speaking and Multimedia

Friday, April 12, 8:00–8:50 a.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Interviews, Job Offer Evaluation and Negotiation, Networking, LinkedIn, and Personal Branding

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Graduating and Still Looking? Walk In for Coffee and a Chat

Friday, April 12, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Are you graduating soon and need help finding a job? Come in for a coffee and chat with one of our career advisors. We can help tailor your search, review your resume, bounce...

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Spring Fling

Friday, April 12, 12–4 p.m. | Michigan Technological University

Come one and all! Bring your innovations and accomplishments at this upcoming World's Fair. Spring Fling is always the Friday of Week 13 of the Spring Semester. Students end...

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HU2830 Public Speaking and Multimedia

Friday, April 12, 1:00–1:50 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Interviews, Job Offer Evaluation and Negotiation, Networking, LinkedIn, and Personal Branding

*****

HU2830 Public Speaking and Multimedia

Friday, April 12, 1:00–1:50 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 220 Career Services

Interviews, Job Offer Evaluation and Negotiation, Networking, LinkedIn, and Personal Branding

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Cookies & Coloring

Friday, April 12, 1:30–3:30 p.m. | Center for Diversity and Inclusion (basement)

De-stress with an afternoon of adult coloring and learn more about what the Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being offers! Located in the basement of CDI and hosted...

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A Microengineered Cornea Chip for Ocular Drug Evaluation and Mechanobiological Investigation

Friday, April 12, 3 p.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), 610

Biomedical Engineering Research Seminar Jungkyu (Jay) Kim University of Utah Abstract Corneal blindness is the fourth leading cause of blindness globally. To better...

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CS Colloquium Lecture: Bill Starke '90

Friday, April 12, 3–4 p.m. | Rekhi Hall, 214

Bill Starke ’90 BS in Computer Science, will present a Department of Computer Science Colloquium lecture on Friday, April 12, 2024, from 3-4 pm in Rekhi 214 and via Zoom...

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Spring Fling Reception Hosted by Michigan Tech Art

Friday, April 12, 5–7 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Art Galleries

A showcase of student artworks from the spring '24 FIber Arts and World Sculpture Traditions classes. A variety of media is represented including fibers and textiles,...

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30th Annual Student Leadership Awards

Friday, April 12, 6:00–7:30 p.m. | MUB Ballroom

We would be honored to have you join us in celebrating the many achievements of all those nominated by attending the 30th Annual Awards on Friday, April 12th at 6:00 PM in the...

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YAF and TPUSA End of Year Party

Friday, April 12, 7–10 p.m. | Prince's Point

Come join YAF and TPUSA at Prince's Point for some fun! It has been a successful year with lots of hard work, so come and celebrate! We will have snacks and drinks from 7 pm...

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Purple Hearts Presented by Michigan Tech Theatre

Friday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. | McArdle Theatre

Purple Hearts, by C.S. Wallace, is the heartbreaking, inspiring, and sometimes funny story of three men who, in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, find themselves trapped...

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(Men's Tennis) Davenport vs. Michigan Tech

April 12, all day | Gates Tennis Center

Men's Tennis: Davenport vs. Michigan Tech

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(Women's Tennis) Davenport vs. Michigan Tech

April 12, all day | Gates Tennis Center

Women's Tennis: Davenport vs. Michigan Tech

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Bryan Clay Invitational

April 12, all day

Bryan Clay Invitational, at Azusa Pacific University - Azusa, Calif.

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Mustang Distance Carnival and Open

April 12, all day

Mustang Distance Carnival and Open, at Mt. Mercy University - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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Spring Fling Presented by Michigan Tech Art

April 12, all day | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Art Galleries

A showcase of student artworks from the spring '24 FIber Arts and World Sculpture Traditions classes. A variety of media is represented including fibers and textiles,...