April 29, 2024

The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs is pleased to congratulate this year’s University Professors.

Yun Hang Hu, Greg Odegard and Kathy Halvorsen have been named University Professors, a title which recognizes faculty members who have made outstanding scholarly contributions to the University and their discipline over a substantial period of time.

2024 University Professor: Kathleen ‘Kathy’ Halvorsen
Halvorsen, the University's associate vice president for research development and a professor in the Department of Social Sciences and College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, has been reappointed as a University Professor.

In the nomination materials, Halvorsen’s ability to maintain an active research program while holding an administrative position was commended. Shortly after being named a University Professor in 2019, she assumed an administrative role in the Vice President for Research Office. Throughout the last five years, she has continued to manage National Science Foundation grants in which she is principal investigator (PI) or co-PI; advise graduate students; publish papers related to her research; and support diversity, equity, inclusion and sense of belonging (DEIS) on campus.

Between 2019 and 2024, Halvorsen served on the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Council on Research Safe and Inclusive Working Group and the editorial board of the Journal of Research Administration, and is a member of Cohort Four of the APLU Council on Research Leader Fellow Program.

2024 University Professor: Yun Hang Hu
Hu is the Charles and Carroll McArthur Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He has an international reputation in the fields of materials science and engineering, physical chemistry, energy, and chemical engineering, and is arguably one of the most distinguished scientists at Michigan Tech.

Ranked as the nation’s No. 4 scientist in physical chemistry and among the world’s top 0.1% of researchers in all fields by a Stanford University analysis in 2023, Hu’s international reputation is a product of his scholarly accomplishments. He pioneered the fields of shape-controlled 3D graphene, thermo-photo hybrid catalysis, and super-structured energy devices. He made seminal contributions to the production and storage of hydrogen fuel and the conversion and utilization of greenhouse gases. He averages an annual publication record of 20 to 30 or more articles in high-quality journals in his fields, and over 20 of his publications have been ranked among the top 1% highly cited articles by Web of Science. His h-index is 74, with over 18,200 citations.

Hu has received over 15 major international honors and awards, including induction into the Canadian Academy of Engineering and as a fellow of six major international professional societies (AAAS, ACS, APS, AIChE, ASM international and RSC). He also received the Outstanding Science and Innovation Award from the Chinese Association for Science and Technology in the USA (CAST-USA) and the Rudolph A. Erren Award from the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE).

As an active researcher, Hu’s teaching and service have remained top-notch. On a five-point scale, his student evaluations are typically between 4.5 and 4.8 in each of his courses, and he has advised a big number of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and undergraduate researchers, including over 20 Ph.D. graduate students. Hu is a highly respected leader in professional societies, serving as an organizer for nearly 50 national and international symposia, the ACS Energy and Fuel Division chair, the editor-in-chief for Energy Science & Engineering (a Wiley journal), and an editorial board member for nine international journals published by Nature Group, ACS, RSC, Wiley, Elsevier and Springer.

2024 University Professor: Gregory ‘Greg’ Odegard
Odegard, a professor and the John O. Hallquist Endowed Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, is a leader in his field of aerospace and computational multiscale mechanics modeling and materials science. This is demonstrated through his long list of internal and external awards, including the NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal “for notable leadership accomplishments that have significantly influenced the NASA mission.” He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and received the Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers.

As a teacher and mentor, Odegard has served as chair and graduated 18 Ph.D. and 40 M.S. students; he has also served on over 70 other graduate committees. He has been recognized through multiple graduate mentoring and teaching awards from Michigan Tech.

Extremely successful in writing, Odegard has secured nearly $43 million in research funding through approximately 25 proposals in which he is PI. One of these proposals was a multi-university initiative, which included MIT, Georgia Tech and others, where Michigan Tech was awarded just under $17 million. Through all of his research, Odegard has published 126 refereed journal papers, many of these with students as co-authors, as well as eight book chapters and nine NASA technical reports. Odegard’s h-index is 47, with nearly 11,000 citations.

Odegard believes strongly in service, and has served his professional societies as an editorial board member, committee chair and editorial review service. Internally, Odegard has served on curricular and search committees within the department and University.

The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs is pleased to congratulate this year’s Distinguished Professors.

Simon Carn, Adrienne Minerick, Qiuying Sha and Zhanping You have been named Distinguished Professors, a title which recognizes outstanding faculty members who have made substantial contributions to the University as well as their discipline, and are not presently recognized through an endowed position.

2024 Distinguished Professor: Simon Carn
Carn, a professor in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, is an international scientific leader in the area of remote sensing. In this area, his ability to translate theoretical understanding into practical solutions has been key for enhancing aviation safety. This blend of academic and practical prowess has led to prestigious awards such as the American Meteorological Society Special Award and the William T. Pecora Award.

Active in service, Carn has served as an associate editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research and as secretary of the Remote Sensing Commission of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI). He also co-developed the Smithsonian Institution’s Eruptions, Earthquakes and Emissions (E3) web application for public outreach in the National Museum of Natural History, and developed the NASA Global Volcanic SO2 Emissions website. He is a sought-after expert on volcanic eruptions, conducting TV, radio and newspaper interviews with media such as BBC World Service, The Weather Channel, The Wall Street Journal and Weather Underground.

During his 16 years at Michigan Tech, Carn has successfully secured funding from agencies such as NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles, written two books and advised four postdoctoral researchers and approximately 25 Ph.D. and M.S. students. He has also served as co-advisor for approximately 25 Ph.D. and M.S. students.

2024 Distinguished Professor: Adrienne R. Minerick
Minerick, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has impactfully served the chemical engineering and engineering education profession. Through her research and scholarship, Minerick has successfully earned externally funded grants totaling over $14.5 million, published over 100 publications and patented an invention. She is an NSF CAREER awardee, an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow (one of only two at MTU), an American Institute of Chemical Engineering Fellow, an American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) fellow and past president, an ASEE Hall of Fame member and the 2022 recipient of the American Electrophoresis Society’s (AES) Lifetime Achievement Award for her scholarly contributions to microfluidics, electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis and bioanalysis, as well as mentorship within the research community, where she also served as president. 

Minerick is the only person at Michigan Tech to have earned three University awards (Rath Research Award, Williams Instructional Innovation Award and Diversity Award), and in 2014 was Michigan Tech’s Michigan Professor of the Year nominee. Her group’s research into blood diagnostics led to the founding of Microdevice Engineering Inc., where she served as technology officer, earning NSF I-Corps, PFI, STTR Ph I and STTR Ph II funding.

Minerick has been a tireless advocate of efforts related to diversity and inclusion. Michigan Tech has been awarded two NSF ADVANCE proposals, both of which she championed and directed. This team’s efforts also earned national acclaim via awards, publications and keynote addresses.

Practicing what she advocates for, Minerick’s research group is also diverse — 64% of her Ph.D. graduates are women and 18% are historically underrepresented individuals. Five graduates of her research group have earned faculty positions, including two who have also earned their own NSF CAREER awards.

2024 Distinguished Professor: Qiuying Sha
Sha is a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, and excels in all areas of teaching, research and service, making substantial contributions to the University and her discipline.

In addition to teaching a number of undergraduate and graduate courses at Michigan Tech since 2005, Sha was a co-creator for the online Master of Science in Applied Statistics — one of the University’s first online graduate degrees, which continues to thrive.

Sha is an internationally recognized leader in statistical genetics to develop statistical methods for understanding the genetic basis of human diseases and traits. Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and she has published over 70 papers. Graduate students supported and advised by Sha have accepted employment with Southfield University and the University of Illinois Chicago, and some have accepted postdoctoral appointments with Yale, Columbia and the University of Michigan.

Sha has served on NIH’s review panel and as an editorial board member for Scientific Reports. She has also served on early career management (ECM) committees and a number of other committees at Michigan Tech.

2024 Distinguished Professor: Zhanping You
You, a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, has been reappointed as a Distinguished Professor, as he continues to make substantial national and international contributions to his field of asphalt paving materials.

Since his initial appointment as a Distinguished Professor in 2019, You has written over 100 research proposals, with approximately 20% of them funded, and has published nearly 30 refereed publications in the last year. He has advised over 20 Ph.D. and M.S. student theses. As a teacher, You believes in experimental work and hands-on training to ensure graduating students are aware of the advances in the field.

Between 2019 and 2024, You has received nine different awards and fellowships from national and international communities and foundations.

Beginning July 1, the cost of Michigan Tech parking permits will increase for fiscal year 2025 (FY25) as follows:

• Silver Parking Permits (Lot 24 only) will increase from $65 to $70. The Silver Parking Permit is not eligible for payroll deduction.

• Red Parking Permits will increase from $185 to $195. The current biweekly pre-tax payroll deduction is $7.71 and will increase to $8.13.

• Black Parking Permits will increase from $370 to $390. The current biweekly pre-tax payroll deduction is $15.42 and will increase to $16.25.

Payroll deductions occur twice per month, for a total of 24 payments. If you currently have payroll deductions, you will not need to do anything further.

Permits can also be purchased upfront beginning July 1 at the Transportation Services office in the Administration Building.

Please contact Transportation Services at parking@mtu.edu or 906-487-1441 if you have any questions.

Department of Humanities (HU) faculty Jennifer Nish has been awarded an honorable mention for the Winifred Bryan Horner Outstanding Book Award by the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition for her 2022 book, “Activist Literacies: Transnational Feminisms and Social Media Rhetorics.”

From the CFSHRC website, "The Winifred Bryan Horner Outstanding Book Award is presented biennially in even years for work in the field of composition and rhetoric to recognize outstanding scholarship and research in the areas of feminist pedagogy, practice, history, and theory."

Nish joined the humanities department at Michigan Tech in fall 2023 as an associate professor of rhetoric and composition, and was quickly nominated for the Distinguished Teaching Award. She was inducted into the Academy of Teaching Excellence this spring. Her research topics include transnational feminism, activist rhetoric, disability studies and digital media.

Read more on the Humanities News, Features, and Other Updates blog.

University Archivist Lindsay Hiltunen (VPOL) has been appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to the new Ottawa National Forest Resource Advisory Committee (RAC). Members of the RAC are vetted and designated by the secretary of agriculture and meet under Federal Advisory Committee Act regulations. All meetings are open to the public.

A Secure Rural Schools RAC provides recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service on the development and implementation of special projects on federal lands as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools Act and Community Self-Determination Act in Public Law 110-343. This act was most recently reauthorized for two years by section 41202 of Public Law 117-58 (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15, 2021.

Vilsack appointed Hiltunen, along with 14 others, to serve four-year terms on the Ottawa National Forest RAC. The inaugural meeting will be called in summer 2024.

Michigan Tech’s Safety Team — Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Research Integrity (RI) — invites all Huskies to share a cup of coffee and learn about the importance of campus health and safety at our meeting, A Cup of Joe with the Safety Crew, on Wednesday (May 1) from 9-10 a.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge.

The first of a recurring monthly series, this meeting of A Cup of Joe features information on the integration of Safety Skills training modules into Canvas. This exciting development will allow instructors to choose safety training topics a la carte and seamlessly incorporate them into their own classroom Canvas pages with just a few keyboard clicks.

In addition, there will be information regarding authorized Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certification courses for as low as $25 for OSHA 10 and $90 for OSHA 30. All completed courses include U.S. Department of Labor-issued wallet cards and certificates. This program will be available for all Huskies.

And, more importantly, this will be an informal opportunity to talk with our campus safety professionals, ask the questions you have always wanted to ask and get the answers you need about Michigan Tech safety programs, legal compliance issues and additional resources.

Four Huskies from the Michigan Tech tennis teams have been selected for All-GLIAC honors:

• Emily Cojocaru was named to the All-GLIAC First Team in singles.
• Doubles pair Emily Cojocaru and Caoimhe McDonnell were chosen for the All-GLIAC Second Team in doubles.
• Chiara Heinz received an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention.
• Leon Sell also received an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention.

Read about their accomplishments this season at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Job Posting for Monday, April 29, 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.

Operations Coordinator, Office of the President. 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.

A research team from the Department of Biomedical Engineering's Mechanobiology Lab led by Sangyoon Han has published a paper in the American Journal of Physiology–Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

Ph.D. student Mohanish Chandurkar is the paper's lead author.

The paper is titled "Transient low shear-stress preconditioning influences long-term endothelial traction and alignment under high shear flow."

The study found that endothelial cells are sensitive to low shear in just a short time. This is a step toward unveiling the mechanism governing initiation of atherosclerosis.

Nominations Sought for Michigan Tech's Diversity Award

The Diversity Council is still accepting nominations for faculty and staff deserving of the 2024 Michigan Tech Diversity Award. Nominations are due Friday (May 3).

Nominees contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion and sense of belonging (DEIS) on campus through exemplary leadership and actions, demonstrating a commitment to DEIS in areas such as:

• Recruitment and retention efforts
• Teaching
• Research
• Culturally responsive mentorship
• Inclusive programming
• Diversity literacy
• Community outreach activities

The Diversity Award recipient will receive a $2,500 award and will be honored during a University awards dinner held in September. More information, criteria and nomination instructions are listed on the Diversity Award webpage.

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MS Defense: Enoch Nii-Okai, GMES

M.S. in Mining Engineering candidate Enoch Nii-Okai will present his M.S. defense at 1 p.m. today (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.

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Sign Up for Lean White Belt Virtual Workshop

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.

The Keweenaw Report picked up Michigan Tech’s announcement of David Flaspohler (CFRES) as the new dean of the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. The story ran last Thursday (April 25) in Tech Today.

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WLUC TV6 ran a story previewing Michigan Tech’s commencement exercises, held last Friday (April 26) at 3 p.m. (master’s and Ph.D. recipients) and last Saturday (April 27) at 10:30 a.m. (bachelor’s recipients). TV6 included a link to MTU’s official preview story at Michigan Tech News.

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The Ames Tribune in Ames, Iowa, mentioned Michigan Tech in a story 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 story was picked up from Iowa State University.

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AL.com mentioned Michigan Tech as the highest-rated college for supporting free speech on campus according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

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

Master's Defense: Sunday Joseph

Monday, April 29, 10–11 a.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 610

Geophysics Advisor: Snehamoy Chatterjee ANOMALY MAPPING OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS IN CENTRAL UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN USING FRACTAL ANALYSIS. Attend Virtually:...

Master's Defense: Enoch Nii- Okai

Monday, April 29, 1–2 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 619

Mining Engineering Advisor: Snehamoy Chatterjee FORECASTING OF THE NEXT THREE DECADES GLOBAL LITHIUM DEMAND AND PRICING USING MULTIVARIATE STOCHASTIC MODEL. Attend...