April 25, 2024

Michigan Technological University announces the selection of David Flaspohler as the new dean of the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES).

Flaspohler’s selection comes as the result of a national search. Out of the field of applicants, four outstanding finalists visited campus to interview for the position.

“We are grateful to the search committee for their excellent work to identify the next dean in the College,” said Andrew Storer, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

The search committee was led by CFRES faculty members Andrew Burton, distinguished professor, and Mickey Jarvi, assistant teaching professor. Faculty and staff from the College, other units on campus, CFRES graduate and undergraduate students, and the forest industry were represented on the committee.

Flaspohler is a professor in the College and has served as its interim dean since July 2022. Previous to that appointment, he was CFRES’s director of undergraduate studies. He joined CFRES as an assistant professor in 1998, and was promoted to associate professor in 2004 and professor in 2010.

“We are excited to have Dr. Flaspohler continue in the dean role,” said Storer. “His lengthy experience in the College as a faculty member and more recently as an administrator have positioned him well to lead CFRES into the future. He values the experiences that we provide to students, the success of faculty and staff, and the partnerships that broaden the impact of the College. Under his leadership, the College will continue moving forward with diverse and rigorous degree programs, as well as internationally recognized research that has a positive impact on natural resource issues and industries in the state of Michigan and around the world.”

Flaspohler holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Wildlife Ecology and a Master of Science in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

There are a number of changes that have been recently implemented in the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO). These changes are in part intended to address persistent staffing challenges, address overload issues and improve turnaround times throughout the organization.

Erica Goff, Ed.D., has joined the team as director of sponsored programs. Goff has extensive experience in research administration, serving most recently as the director of Eastern Michigan University’s Office of Research Development and Administration. She and her team will handle proposal submissions to all sponsors. Inquiries regarding proposal submissions can be directed to spo-l@mtu.edu.

Jennifer Bukovich has been promoted to assistant director, grants and contracts. Bukovich will be responsible for all awards including negotiations of all funding instruments, including grants, contracts and cooperative agreements. Inquiries regarding award processing can be directed to spo-l@mtu.edu.

Michelle Meneguzzo has left the Sponsored Programs Office to pursue an alternate opportunity outside of the University. Meneguzzo’s former duties are being distributed throughout the Sponsored Programs Accounting team. Inquiries regarding sponsored programs accounting issues can be directed to spa@mtu.edu.

Marilyn Haapapuro will be shifting her role to undertake a detailed and focused review of procedures and published policies to bring all documents up to date and consistent with current regulations, many of which have changed over recent years.

As we come to the end of the 2024 spring semester at Michigan Tech, we have a few important updates to share regarding planned maintenance and general projects in the SDC as we make the transition to summer.

The SDC will be closed* on the following dates:
*The PHS entrance will be open.

• Friday, April 26 — Closed for MTU Spring Graduate Commencement
• Saturday, April 27 — Closed for MTU Spring Undergraduate Commencement
• Sunday, April 28, through Friday, May 3 — Closed for the annual campus steam shutdown

Facilities that will be open:

• Gates Tennis Center —
  • Closed Saturday, April 27
  • Open Sunday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Michigan Tech Nordic Trails — Lights on from 5-9 a.m. and 9-10 p.m.
• University Images — Please see the website for store hours.

Planned maintenance and general projects:

• SDC —
  • Annual campus steam shutdown
  • Pool deck cleaning and tile work
  • Day use and member locker rooms — cleaning and maintenance
  • Fitness center equipment maintenance and cleaning
    
    
• John MacInnes Student Ice Arena — Closed this spring and summer for overdue facility maintenance. The renovation project will begin after Spring Commencement and will be completed in mid-August.

Thank you for your patience during these short interruptions. For current SDC members, please accept complimentary access to the Gates Tennis Center and the Michigan Tech Trails between April 27 and May 3.

The SDC will reopen May 4 with summer hours in place through Aug. 25.

Please note: The SDC and Gates Tennis Center will be closed on May 27 (Memorial Day), June 4 (Public Safety Training) and July 4 (Independence Day).

All fully managed Linux Lab systems will be rebuilt with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (RHEL9) before the start of the fall 2024 semester. This includes machines in Dow 211, Dow 853, MEEM 707, the Van Pelt and Opie Library (remaining systems in Orange Zone), Rekhi 112, Rekhi 113, Rekhi 117, Rekhi 118 and the Linux coursework servers guardian.it.mtu.edu (joshua.csl) and colossus.it.mtu.edu (wopr.csl).

IT will begin to roll out RHEL9 to fully managed campus computer labs during the break between the spring and summer semesters (April 27 to May 5). It is imperative that faculty and staff test RHEL9 if they have used RHEL8 for their coursework, classes, grading or other work. This helps us identify issues and put solutions in place before the fall semester begins.

Options for testing RHEL9 are:

• In-person: Library Orange Zone (second floor) Linux workstations numbered 05, 06 and 07.
• Remotely: Secure Shell (SSH) into forbin.it.mtu.edu to test nongraphical aspects of RHEL9.

More information is available on the Michigan Tech IT News blog.

For questions or to offer feedback on the RHEL9 campus lab system, we can help. Contact IT at it-help@mtu.edu or call 906-487-1111.

The annual University Staff Service Awards will be held on June 4 in the MUB Ballroom. The University’s president and the Staff Council chair will present awards for five-year increments of service to more than 100 staff members this year. Recent staff retirees are also recognized. Thank you to the Office of the President for their continued support and funding for the Staff Service Awards luncheon and awards.

Congratulations and thank you to our amazing staff for your service and commitment to Michigan Tech. The staff members who will be honored for reaching a five-year anniversary date this fiscal year are listed on the Staff Service Awards 2024 Honorees page.

This year’s luncheon will feature a picnic buffet including hamburgers, veggie burgers, BBQ glazed chicken, coleslaw, potato chips, watermelon and desserts. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased online. Tickets must be purchased by May 24 at 5 p.m. Please note there is no reserved seating; it is first come, first served. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. If you are unable to attend the lunch, you may join the awards presentation beginning at approximately 12:15 p.m.

All members of the campus community are invited to join University leaders, alumni and friends tomorrow (April 26) at 1 p.m. to celebrate the newly constructed Alumni Gateway Arch, located on the west end of campus. Those attending will hear from University leaders and Mike Trewhella ’78, whose generous gift made this project possible.

The Alumni Gateway is the fourth and most recent feature of the Alumni Way project. Along with the John Rovano Plaza, the Husky Statue Plaza and the William J. Bernard Jr. Family Clock Tower, Alumni Way provides community gathering places and instills Husky pride throughout campus.

We hope you are able to join us in this celebration of the alumni legacy at Michigan Tech. No RSVP is required.

The Fringe Benefits Committee (FBC) of Michigan Tech's University Senate would like to hear from you about your satisfaction regarding Michigan Tech’s fringe benefits. The FBC welcomes and encourages all benefits-eligible Michigan Tech employees to respond to our anonymous survey.

The FBC will use the survey results to guide the future work the FBC does on behalf of all University Senate constituents.

Additionally, the FBC will share the anonymous, aggregate survey results with MTU’s Benefits Advisory Committee, a group of faculty and staff members (three senate representatives sit on this committee) charged to review and make benefits recommendations to University leadership.

The survey is a comprehensive look at all our benefits. It is mostly multiple choice with some open-ended questions. We expect it to take approximately six minutes, depending how many comments you wish to share.

The survey is currently live and will close Wednesday (May 1). The FBC thanks you for your time.

Take the survey.

Financial Services and Operations (FSO) will periodically be sharing information regarding a specific topic to increase awareness and knowledge in a “FSO — Did You Know?” article. If there is an FSO topic that you’d like to learn more about, please email fso@mtu.edu.

Concur Report Names
When creating a report name in Concur, follow the format example listed above the field. You may add additional information after the report name.

Examples:

• Report Type: Travel and/or Business Meal Expense Report
• Format: “City, State MMDDYY”
• Report Name: “Ann Arbor, MI 010124”
  
  • With additional information added:
    “Ann Arbor, MI 010124 XYZ Conference”
    
    
• Report Type: Purchasing Card Report
• Format: “Last 4 digits of card # - MM/YYYY of report”
• Report Name: “5555 - 01/2024”

If you have any questions regarding Concur, email concur@mtu.edu for a quick response.

Laura Kasson Fiss, associate teaching professor and assistant director of the Pavlis Honors College and associate teaching professor in the Department of Humanities, has taken on the esteemed role of president of the Midwest Victorian Studies Association (MVSA), a position integral to steering the MVSA community of scholars and volunteers.

Fiss was officially named president during the 2024 MVSA conference, held at the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City from April 19-21. Her previous role as vice president of the association provided her with invaluable insights into the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusivity in fostering a thriving scholarly community.

Looking ahead, Fiss envisions a future for the MVSA characterized by inclusivity, collaboration and impact. She emphasized the importance of expanding the association's reach and resources, stating, "MVSA is known as a welcoming community, and I’d like to continue and extend that. I would like to see people engaging with MVSA from a variety of fields and continue to provide a community that lets people know if they want to be involved in research, they can be."

Read more about Fiss’ role as president of the Midwest Victorian Studies Association on the Pavlis Honors College Blog.

This week, as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section at Michigan Tech  transitions to a new advisor, the section reflects on its history and the accomplishments of its alumnae.

From SWE’s History: More than 10 members are supported annually to attend SWE’s WE Societal Conferences and WELocal Conferences. More than 20 section members are also supported each year to attend the SWE-Wisconsin Spring Forward Professional Day, and our section is typically invited to present. We are thankful for the support our section has received since our inception. The support from the Michigan Tech College of Engineering and all the engineering departments has been instrumental to our success, along with the support from numerous corporations.

Notable SWE Alumnae:

• Jennifer Winikus ’14 ’16 (M.S. Ph.D. Computer Engineering)
  SWE Service:
  - January–May 2016 GradSWE Co-Director for Michigan Technological University SWE Collegiate Section
  - June 2018–June 2020 Western New York SWE Secretary
  - October 2018–August 2023 Faculty Advisor for the University at Buffalo SWE Collegiate Section
  - FY20 Local Advisory Board Chair Elect
  - FY21 Western New York SWE Outreach Chair
  - FY21 Local Advisory Board Chair
  - FY22 Chair Elect of Women in Academia Committee
  - FY22 Western New York SWE Professional Section Vice President
  - FY23 Chair of Women in Academia Committee

• Aerith Cruz ’23 (B.S. Management Information Systems)
  Award:
  - SWE WE23 Outstanding Collegiate Member

• Oluwatosin Ayo, PhD Student in Civil Engineering
  SWE Service:
  - GRADSWE Chair
  Award:
  - Exceptional Student Leader, Graduate Student Government at Michigan Tech

M.S. in Mining Engineering candidate Enoch Nii-Okai will present his M.S. defense at 1 p.m. Monday (April 29) in Dow 619. Virtual attendance is also invited via Zoom. All are welcome to attend.

Nii-Okai is advised by Snehamoy Chatterjee. Luke Bowman and Nathan Manser are serving as committee members.

Nii-Okai's thesis is titled "Forecasting of the Next Three Decades Global Lithium Demand and Pricing Using Multivariate Stochastic Model."

From the abstract:
The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is pivotal in achieving global climate goals, with nations aiming to integrate a significant portion of new passenger vehicles as electric by 2030. This shift towards electric mobility includes a notable rise in battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell electric vehicles to curb carbon emissions and foster sustainable transportation. Central to this transition is the critical role of lithium, often referred to as the "white gold of the 21st century," in electric vehicle batteries, especially rechargeable lithium-ion batteries renowned for their high energy efficiency, density, and durability. While lithium has historically found extensive use across industries and medical applications, recent market trends have seen a substantial shift toward its dominance in rechargeable batteries. Despite its limited world reserves, the projected escalations in demand, driven primarily by EVs and renewable energy storage systems, highlight the imperativeness of understanding the global lithium demand dynamics and ensuring supply sustainability. Projections from the United Nations suggest that the world population is expected to increase by nearly 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, from the current 8 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050. Hence, accurate forecasting of global lithium demand and pricing over the next three (3) decades is crucial for informed decision-making across economic, governmental, corporate, and societal domains.

Conventional forecasting methods must often be revised to capture long-term projections or adequately model inter-variable relationships. However, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) multivariate method, introduced by Pesaran et al. (2001), offers a promising alternative, particularly when combined with an error correction model (ECM). ARDL methodologies have found widespread application, demonstrating effectiveness in analyzing both short- and long-run relationships, even amidst structural breaks in data. This study employs the ARDL methodologies to explore the short- and long-run co-integration among key potential variables influencing global lithium production and pricing. The outcome was compared with the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) univariate model and the multiple linear regression (MLR) models for the most robust model for the analysis. Results indicate that the ARDL model outperformed the other models regarding robust cointegration, enabling forecasts of lithium production demand and pricing dynamics.

The Office of Continuous Improvement is offering a virtual workshop where you can earn a Lean white belt. The workshop, "Processes, Flow, and Waste: Lean Fundamentals (Virtual)," will be offered twice:

• Wednesday, May 1, from 9 a.m. to noon
• Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to noon

In this fun and interactive workshop, you’ll practice visualizing the fundamental Lean concepts of flow and waste and see how you can apply them to your job right away. These tools can assist you in your efforts to create the best possible experience for students, faculty, staff and other customers. Lean White Belt certification is awarded to those who satisfactorily complete all requirements for this workshop.

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 before and after the workshop to demonstrate application of concepts, 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 the requirements for all five workshops in the series, we’ll award you a Lean Yellow Belt certificate! For more information, email improvement@mtu.edu.

Hassan Masoud (ME-EM/MuSTI) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $347,379 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is titled "Collaborative Research: Colloidal Transport, Self-Assembly, and Deposition in Evaporating Droplets."

This is a potential three-year award.

Pasi Lautala (CEGE) was interviewed by CBS News in a segment about the start of construction on a high-speed railway connecting Los Vegas and Los Angeles. Once finished, the railway will allow passengers to travel between the two cities in about two hours at speeds of 186 miles per hour or higher.

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Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) was quoted by Texas Monthly in a story about the potential conflict between a population of “ghost wolves” on Galveston Island, Texas, and development of a Margaritaville resort. Brzeski’s work with the ghost wolves was featured in the 2024 Michigan Tech Magazine.

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A Q&A with Steven Elmer (KIP) was published by The Physiologist Magazine, a publication of the American Physiological Society. Published in each issue, the “Time Travel” Q&A asks established investigators and mentors to reflect on what they have learned since grad school. 

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EurekAlert! and the University of Minnesota mentioned Michigan Tech in stories about a new cybersecurity center based at Iowa State University called CyDERMS — the Center for Cybersecurity and Resiliency of DERs and Microgrids-integrated Distribution Systems. MTU researchers are among the center’s project team members. The stories were picked up from Iowa State University.

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TechCentury.com and DBusiness mentioned Michigan Tech as a key demonstrator taking part in the American Center for Mobility’s upcoming Demo Days, being held May 8-9 in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

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The Keweenaw Report picked up Michigan Tech Facilities Management’s construction update on East Hall, published April 15 in Tech Today.

Joint ROTC Commissioning Ceremony

The Air Force and Army ROTC invite you to the Spring 2024 Commissioning Ceremony tomorrow (April 26) at 7 p.m. at the Rozsa Center.

This semester, we have 10 Air Force cadets and four Army cadets commissioning. Those commissioning are from the following programs:

Chemical Engineering | Chemistry | Civil Engineering | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering | Environmental Engineering | Mechanical Engineering | Mining Engineering | Molecular Biology

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Spring 2024 CEGE Senior Design Colloquium

The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) is pleased to invite the University community to attend the spring 2024 Senior Design team presentations. This semester, students have undertaken a wide range of projects to fulfill the department’s Senior Design requirement.

The presentations will be given tomorrow (April 26) from 8 a.m. to noon in EERC 100/103.

Find more info on the CEGE Senior Design Colloquium and see the event poster on the CEGE Undergraduate Advising Blog.

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MS Defense: Sunday Joseph, GMES

M.S. in Geophysics candidate Sunday Joseph will present his M.S. defense at 10 a.m. tomorrow (April 26) in Dow 610. Virtual attendance is also invited via Zoom. All are welcome to attend.

Joseph is advised by Snehamoy Chatterjee. Luke Bowman and Chad Deering are serving as committee members.

Joseph's defense is titled "Anomaly mapping of Rare Earth Elements in Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan using fractal analysis."

From the abstract:
Rare earth elements (REEs) have gained significant global importance due to their critical role in supporting the transition towards reduced carbon emissions through industrial applications. REEs serve as essential raw materials for various critical components in modern infrastructure, defense systems, and technological advancements. Geochemical and geophysical data are pivotal in assessing the potential of REEs. Geochemical data provide direct insights into the elemental composition of rocks and soils, offering valuable information on the potential presence and dispersion of REEs. However, the complex geological processes that influence the distribution of REEs often exhibit intricate spatial patterns that may not be fully captured by geochemical data alone. Geophysical data, such as gravity and magnetic data, offer indirect but complementary insights into subsurface geological structures and mineral potential. The integration of geochemical, gravity, and magnetic data can aid in identifying exploration targets with increased confidence levels. While each data source individually provides valuable information, their combination allows for the identification of areas where multiple anomalies coincide, indicating a higher likelihood of mineralization. This approach helps reduce exploration uncertainties by prioritizing targets that exhibit consistent characteristics across various datasets, thereby enhancing the chances of discovering economically viable REE reserves.

This study aims to investigate the geochemical anomalies of REEs in Central Upper Michigan by employing geostatistics and fractal analysis to integrate geochemical, gravity, and magnetic data to quantify and map REE anomalies. Both the heavy and light REEs (HREEs and LREEs) were mapped, integrating with gravity and magnetic data using a multivariate geostatistical method called cokriging. Cokriging utilized the spatial correlation and cross-correlation among these data types to provide more insightful predictions compared to solely relying on the geochemical dataset. Fractal modeling, which has proven to be a powerful tool in geological mapping for anomalous deposits, was utilized in this study. By leveraging the fractal characteristics of mineral deposit dispersion and the related geochemical trends, this approach was able to identify potential exploration zones. The concentration-Area (C-A) log-log plots of the HREEs and LREEs were generated, and their thresholds were subsequently identified using the segmented linear method. The fundamental premise of C-A fractal modeling is based on the observation that mineralization processes frequently result in patterns of element concentrations that exhibit fractal characteristics. These patterns can be analyzed to distinguish between the baseline (typical levels found in the earth's crust) and anomalies (elevated concentrations indicative of mineral deposits). Results from this study clearly show the anomaly distributions of both the HREEs and LREEs across the study area. Combining geochemical information with additional datasets results in a more thorough comprehension of subsurface circumstances, which is essential for precise anomaly mapping. The collaboration of these datasets enables a strong analysis, ultimately leading to a more dependable identification of possible mineral deposits and geological characteristics.

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AC Faculty Candidate Presentation with Amna Mazen

Department of Applied Computing (AC) mechatronics/MERET tenure-track faculty candidate Amna Mazen will give a research presentation today (April 25) at 9:30 a.m. in Rekhi 214.

The title of Mazen’s presentation is “The development of intelligent autonomous systems and algorithms across various sectors, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, and healthcare.”

Also on Thursday, students may visit with Mazen from 9-9:30 a.m. in Rekhi 214, and faculty are invited to visit with Mazen from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in Rekhi 101.

Read Mazen's bio and presentation abstract on the Computing News Blog.

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Daniell Heights 1800 Block Construction

Construction is underway in the 1800 block of Daniell Heights. During this time, contractors are updating sewer lines, water lines, sidewalks, paving, street lighting and landscaping. The project is expected to be completed by August 2024.

Residents of the Daniell Heights 1800 block may experience interruptions in water service over this time. Please watch for emails from MTU Residence Education and Housing Services (REHS) regarding project updates and notifications. For questions regarding parking, please contact MTU Transportation Services.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we make these major improvements to Daniell Heights. As always, please use caution around construction sites and follow all posted signage and barricades.

For further project-related questions or concerns, please email facilities@mtu.edu.

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

ThermoFisher XPS Brunch and Learn

Thursday, April 25, 9–11 a.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), 610

ACMAL is please to extend an invitation to the MTU research community for a Brunch and Learn session with ThermoFisher on April 25, 2024, 9–11 a.m. Learn how X-ray...

Research Presentation: AC Faculty Candidate Amna Mazen

Thursday, April 25, 9:30 a.m. | Rekhi Hall, 214

Department of Applied Computing Mechatronics/MERET tenure-track faculty candidate Amna Mazen will give a research presentation on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at 9:30 am in Rekhi...

Class of 2024 New Alumni Welcome

April 25, all day | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multipurpose Room

The Office of Alumni Engagement is hosting a brief New Alumni Welcome immediately before both the Graduate and Undergraduate commencement rehearsals on Thursday April 25 in...