June 12, 2024

Paul van Susante (ME-EM) and 16 student researchers from Michigan Tech's Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab (PSTDL) are in Huntsville, Alabama, this week competing in the final round of NASA's Break the Ice Lunar Challenge, being held June 8-15 at Alabama A&M University.

Begun in 2020, the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge asked competitors to propose robotic systems that can use resources found on the lunar surface in regolith (icy moon dust) to aid astronauts living on the moon. The PSTDL is one of six teams competing in the finals — three led by universities and three led by industry companies.

Yesterday and today (June 11-12), the PSTDL is participating in Phase 2, Level 3 of the challenge — its final round, and the culmination of more than three years of work and four rounds of the competition. The finals are being livestreamed on NASA's Break the Ice Lunar Challenge website.

The PSTDL took part in the excavation portion of the challenge yesterday. If the schedule remains accurate, the team will compete in the transportation portion today (June 12) at 4 p.m. ET.

Watch for the results to be announced by NASA on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Break the Ice's news page and main page.

How We Got Here:

• December 2022: The PSTDL is one of 15 teams selected to advance to the semifinals after competing in the Phase 2 qualifying round.
• December 2023: NASA narrows the field to six finalists — including the PSTDL.
• February 2024: Alabama A&M is selected to host the challenge's final round.

The Vice President for Research Office (VPR) has updated the graduate student tables for budgeting stipends and tuition for graduate research assistantships (GRAs). These rates are to be used immediately in proposal budgets to external sponsors.

The tuition rates per credit differ between Non Engineering/Computer Science and the Engineering/Computer Science disciplines. Remember to take this into account when budgeting for 1 credit.

The updated stipend and tuition tables can be found on the VPR forms page at:

• GRA Stipend Rates
• GRA Tuition Rates

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

PCard International Transaction Fee
As part of our University Purchasing Card (PCard) program, a 2% international transaction fee is incurred on foreign purchases. This fee is recorded as a distinct transaction in Concur, enabling us to track expenditures made outside the U.S. accurately. To allocate this fee in Concur, assign it to account code E916T - International Transaction Fee (PCard), and utilize the same index as the primary expense. No receipt is necessary for this fee.

For any inquiries about your PCard, feel free to reach out to pcard@mtu.edu for prompt assistance.

Job Posting for Wednesday, June 12, 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.

Research Associate/Vehicle Test Technician, Advanced Power Systems Research Center. 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.

Professor Emeritus Barry Solomon (SS) is a co-author of a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The paper is titled "The spillover effect of mandatory renewable portfolio standards."

Shan Zhou of Purdue University and Marilyn Brown of the Georgia Institute of Technology are also co-authors.

Michigan Tech's Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab, led by Assistant Professor Paul van Susante (ME-EM), was represented at the 24th meeting of the Space Resources Roundtable, held in Golden, Colorado, on June 3-7.

Van Susante presented a poster and chaired a session at the event, and Research Engineer Chuck Carey (ME-EM) and four students presented. The presentations and posters were well received, and Michigan Tech was well represented by the team.

Van Susante chaired the session "Regolith Excavation and Conveyance." His poster topic was "Lunar and Mars ISRU, Excavation and Construction Test Capabilities and Project Progress at the MTU-PSTDL."

Carey presented a talk on "Testing a Novel Lunar Regolith Compaction Device for Site Preparation."

Ph.D. candidate Travis Wavrunek (mechanical engineering) presented a talk on "Development of the TEthered Mechanism for Persistent Energy Storage and Transmission (TEMPEST) System for the Watts on the Moon Challenge."

Recent graduate Ellie Zimmermann ’24 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) presented a talk on "Cryogenic Vacuum Testing of a Heated Cone Penetrometer for Thermal Detection and Quantification of Water in Icy Lunar Regolith Simulant." Zimmermann is an incoming PSTDL Ph.D. student.

Undergraduate student Robin Austerberry (mechanical engineering) presented a poster on "Durability Testing of a Lunar Surface Excavation Rover."

Recent graduate Christi LeCaptain ’24 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering), the outgoing team lead for MTU Lunabotics, participated with the rest of Michigan Tech’s representatives in a site visit with Lunar Outpost, one of our research project partners. LeCaptain is also an incoming PSTDL Ph.D. student.

Pride Parade

Student Affairs' DEIS Committee invites you to show your Pride and support the LGBTQ+ community! We are thrilled to invite you to this year’s Pride Parade, an event dedicated to celebrating love, diversity and the unwavering spirit of the LGBTQ+ community. Come join us today (June 12) for a parade of joy and unity.

Whether you identify as LGBTQ+ or are a supportive ally, everyone is welcome to march with us and stand with us in solidarity. The parade will kick off at 12:30 p.m. from the Alumni Gateway Arch at the west entrance to Michigan Tech and will make its vibrant way through the heart of campus, concluding at the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI). There will be cupcakes!

Event Details:

• What: Pride Parade
• When: Wednesday, June 12, at 12:30 p.m.
• Where: Starting at the Alumni Gateway Arch and ending at CDI

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No Tech Today on Friday

Tech Today will not publish on Friday (June 14) due to a planned professional development retreat being attended by the University Marketing and Communications news and media relations team.

Submissions for the Monday (June 17) issue of Tech Today are due by noon tomorrow (June 13).

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

Tracks to the Future 2024 Session I

Wednesday, June 12, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Railroad Transportation and Engineering 2024 Hybrid Delivery Program: Virtual, Hands-on, and Field Trips June 10–14, 2024 Open to high school students who will be enrolled...

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Wednesday, June 12, 9–10 a.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, G27

Digital Marketers is a group for digital platform managers (digital ads, photo/video production, social media accounts, websites, etc) across campus. We meet every other...

Boys' Basketball Summer 2024 Middle School Development Camp

Wednesday, June 12, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Varsity Gym

This camp is for players entering grades 6 - 8 as of Fall 2024. What could be better than three days spent learning basketball moves from head coaches at Michigan Tech? Our...

Pride Parade

Wednesday, June 12, 12:30–1:30 p.m. | Gateway Arch

Step out with pride and join our vibrant community for the Pride Parade! This is a day to celebrate who we are, honor our journey, and stand together in solidarity. Everyone...