May 13, 2024

Michigan Tech has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research (CAE-R) by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). The CAE-R designation recognizes Michigan Tech as meeting rigorous requirements set forth by the NSA and extends through the 2029 academic year.

“CAE-R designation gives us access to many federal cybersecurity research grants, boosts our national recognition and elevates our position in the cybersecurity research field,” said Associate Professor Bo Chen (CS).

Chen chaired the CAE-R designation committee at Tech. Additional CAE-R committee members were Professors Yu Cai (AC), Jean Mayo (CS) and Chee-Wooi Ten (ECE).

Faculty members involved in the application included Xinyu Lei (CS), Guy Hembroff and Ronghua Xu (AC) and Kaichen Yang (ECE). Former Michigan Tech faculty members Lan Zhang and Xiaoyong (Brian) Yuan also participated in the effort.

Read more about the designation at Michigan Tech News.

Summer Youth Programs (SYP) is looking for dedicated individuals to join our team of counselors as we host nearly a thousand middle and high school students from around the world.

During the day, our students spend time in Michigan Tech classrooms and labs doing hands-on activities to spark curiosity. In the evenings, awesome staff just like you join our participants as they explore the Keweenaw.

Available positions include:

• Experience Counselor
• Operations Assistant
• Residence Counselor
• Weekend Counselor/Chaperone

Come share your passion for our beautiful home and make an impact today. Job descriptions and an application can be found on our website and we’re always happy to chat. Contact us at outreach@mtu.edu, stop by our office in Admin 217 if you're on the Michigan Tech campus or give us a call at 906-487-2219.

Are you moving to a new office or campus location? Michigan Tech IT wants to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.

Please contact us at least two weeks in advance of your move date and we will arrange to transfer your phone and computer, ensuring they are connected properly in your new space.

For questions about office and equipment moves, we can help. Contact us at it-help@mtu.edu or call 906-487-1111.

The Cashier's Office, within the Student Financial Services Center, will be closed the morning of May 22, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., for a departmental retreat. The office will open at 1 p.m.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The Student Financial Services Center will be closed to traffic and calls tomorrow and Wednesday (May 14 and 15) to focus on 2024-25 FAFSA processing.

We will reopen on Thursday (May 16) and respond to all inquiries in the order received. Thank you for understanding.

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering candidate Utkarsh Chaudhari will present their dissertation defense on Thursday (May 16) at 1 p.m. The presentation will be in person in H-STEM 248 and virtually via Zoom.

Chaudhari's defense is titled “Sustainability Assessment of Circular Economy in PET and Polyolefin Plastics Supply Chains in the U.S. and Michigan: A Systems Analysis Approach.”

Chaudhari is advised by David Shonnard.

Melissa Baird (SS) is the co-author of an article published in the International Journal of Heritage Studies.

The article is titled "A critical cartography: mapping chapters, networks, and relationships through regional organization."

Trinidad Rico of Rutgers University is also a co-author of the article.

Part of a special issue, the publication examines the past decade of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies, where Baird serves as president. The article was released to coincide with the association's biennial conference in Galway, Ireland, in June.

Kathy Halvorsen (VPR/SS/CFRES) was mentioned by Penn State University in a story about research findings showing that individuals and households in the Arctic are staying put despite rapidly rising temperatures caused by climate change. Halvorsen was listed as a member of the research team.

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John Vucetich and Sarah Hoy (CFRES) were quoted by WNEM TV5 of Saginaw, Michigan, in a story about Michigan Tech’s annual Isle Royale Winter Study — the longest-running predator-prey study in the world. The annual report for the 65th winter study was announced by Michigan Tech News in April. The story was picked up from WLUC TV6.

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The Keweenaw Report picked up Michigan Tech’s announcement of our recent designation by the U.S. National Security Agency as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research. MTU announced the designation in a Michigan Tech News story.

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The Iron Mountain Daily News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the retirement of David McCash ’91 (AAS Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology B.S. Economics) from First National Wealth Management.

Virtual Interest Session on the TechMBA and MEM Programs

Are you interested in learning about two of MTU’s most popular online graduate degrees that leverage your STEM background while preparing you for rewarding careers and leadership roles in diverse technological fields?

If you are, please attend this 45-minute virtual interest session highlighting two online graduate programs from the College of Business: the TechMBA® and the Master of Engineering Management (MEM). Attendees are invited to join via Zoom — please register to receive the Zoom link.

Mari Buche, program director and associate dean from the College of Business, and David Lawrence, vice president for Global Campus and continuing education, will be introducing and comparing these innovative programs, which, in different ways, bridge the worlds of business and engineering.

Event Details:

• What: TechMBA and MEM Virtual Interest Session
• When: Wednesday, May 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EDT
• Where: Online via Zoom.
• Registration: Register to attend.

The Michigan Tech Global Campus team looks forward to seeing you there!

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Crowdsourcing Ticks for Disease Surveillance

Tick Talk, the crowdsourcing tick collection project conducted last year at Michigan Tech, has returned for a second year. Tick collection has already begun for 2024.

MTU's Genomic Sequencing Lab wants ticks from you, your family and your pets. The goal of this project is to identify the prevalence of tick-borne illnesses in the Copper Country. Please bring any ticks you find to one of two collection boxes on the Michigan Tech campus:

• U. J. Noblet Forestry Building — Main Entrance
• Great Lakes Research Center — First Floor

Current Results
Results from the community tick submission so far are available on the Tick Talk Dashboard. If you have any questions, please contact lab lead Aimee Marceau at ahmarcea@mtu.edu.

• 174 blacklegged ticks and four brown dog ticks have been collected.
• 20% of the blacklegged ticks submitted tested positive for Lyme.

How to Remove and Preserve Ticks

1. Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause its mouth parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth parts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
3. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
4. Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by:
   1. Placing it in a sealed plastic storage bag. Multiple ticks from the same location can be placed in the same bag.
   2. Once the tick is sealed inside the plastic storage bag, bring it to a drop-off point within eight hours or place the bag with the tick in a freezer until dropping it off at Michigan Tech.
5. Follow the directions at the drop-off site to ensure the tick is properly preserved.

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CEO Operations Moving to Wadsworth Hall for Summer

Today and tomorrow (May 13 and 14), the Center for Educational Outreach (CEO) will be making our annual transition to Wadsworth Hall to oversee Summer Youth Programs (SYP) operations. During the transition, response by phone and email will be delayed. Following the move, staff will be available in our summer office locations, Wads 400E-410E.

We are looking forward to another exciting, impactful year of hands-on learning for the nearly 1,000 participants expected to take part in an SYP course.

CEO staff will return to our academic year locations in Admin 217 and Admin G36 in early August.

For more information about Summer Youth Programs, including scholarship opportunities for local middle and high school students, please visit mtu.edu/syp.

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

St. Francis Fighting Chance Invite

May 13, all day

St. Francis Fighting Chance Invite, at St. Francis - Joliet, Ill.