June 18, 2024

Charles Wallace is the recipient of Michigan Tech’s 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award in the Associate Professor/Professor category.

Wallace is a professor of computer science and serves as the associate dean for curriculum and instruction in the College of Computing. He's also an affiliated associate professor of cognitive and learning sciences.

“I believe that students can learn quite a lot from each other, and that the peer discussion and mentoring that takes place in a well-functioning small group provides opportunities for them to reinforce their own understanding,” said Wallace, who frequently uses the think-pair-share teaching approach. “In my discipline of computer science, teamwork is a vital professional competency that we need to practice as much as possible. But it’s important not to simply throw students together and hope for the best; groups need to be nurtured and encouraged.”

Read more about Wallace's approach to teaching in a Q&A at Michigan Tech News.

Kette Thomas has agreed to serve as interim chair of the Department of Humanities. She officially starts July 1, taking over from former chair and faculty member Scott Marratto.

Thomas serves as associate professor of diversity and literature and director of the diversity studies minor. She most recently held the title of associate chair of the department. As a scholar and educator in comparative studies, her work draws on cultural theory, mythology/religion, Caribbean and Latin American cultures and literature, world literature, and cinema.

“I have served the University for almost 16 years and am fortunate to have the opportunity to further serve as interim chair of Humanities,” said Thomas. “Our department is a diverse and productive unit with a strong record of excellence in the three pillars of teaching, research and University service. We have an excellent team and we will continue to aspire towards excellence in all three areas.”

Thomas’ work has been published in the International Journal of Arts in Society; Caribbean Vistas; CLC Web: Comparative Literature and Culture; the International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations; and the Journal of Religion and Film. Currently, she is writing two books: one on 20th century Haitian immigrants in Brooklyn, New York, and the other on Haiti’s Restaveks, an informal institution involving foster care and domestic child labor. She is also working on scholarship that addresses cultural deviancies, whether in the context of the label “freaks” as a socio-political identity, or engaging the phenomenon of cult crises such as Jonestown in 1978.

The College of Sciences and Arts is pleased to have Thomas leading the Department of Humanities.

Melissa Keranen has agreed to serve as interim chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences. She officially starts July 1, taking over from former chair and faculty member Jiguang Sun, who becomes the Richard and Elizabeth Henes Endowed Professor (Mathematical Sciences).

Keranen is a professor of mathematical sciences and serves as the department's associate chair for undergraduate study. She was born and raised in Calumet and began attending Michigan Tech in 1997 as an undergraduate student; she’s been here ever since. In 2006, she accepted a position in the Department of Mathematical Sciences as an assistant professor. Her research interests include combinatorial designs and graph decompositions. Keranen also enjoys teaching students at all levels and regularly teaches several courses in discrete mathematics.

“I look forward to continuing my service in the role of interim chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences,” said Keranen. “Our department supports high-quality teaching, cutting-edge research and University service. We continue to innovate, recently launching an online graduate program in applied statistics to meet the growing industry demand for statisticians.”

The College of Sciences and Arts is pleased to have Keranen leading the Department of Mathematical Sciences. We thank Sun for his exceptional service to the College and the department.

Mark Rouleau has agreed to serve as interim chair of the Department of Social Sciences. He officially starts July 1, taking over from former chair and faculty member Don Lafreniere.

Rouleau serves as associate professor and graduate director for the social sciences department. He is an interdisciplinary scholar with a background in computer science, political science, international relations and computational social science. His work uses a mixed-methods approach to develop tools for policy analysis, sustainability assessment and a wide range of evaluation topics in the areas of environmental management, land-use and land-cover change, social complexity, sustainable development and integrated STEM education.

“I have been a member of the Social Sciences faculty at Michigan Tech since 2010 and am looking forward to serving as the department’s interim chair,” said Rouleau. “I am fortunate to work with a diverse department conducting unique research across a variety of subjects, from sustainability and renewable energy, to industrial heritage and archaeology, to digital mapping. We have a strong record of research and teaching excellence that I hope to continue to support in service to our department, College and University.”

The College of Sciences and Arts is pleased to have Rouleau leading the Department of Social Sciences.

The Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP) is recruiting participants for a research study examining balance in healthy adults.

The study will examine the effects of decreased ambient lighting on reactive balance ability. Participants will be asked to visit the laboratory once for approximately three hours. The study will take place in the Biomechanics Lab located in the Student Development Complex.

During the visit, we will assess your gaze behavior and balance during reactive balance activities. You will also be asked to complete a series of questionnaires. You will be compensated $20 for your time.

You may be eligible for this study if you:

• Are between the ages of 18 and 40 years.
• Have 20/20 vision naturally or with corrective lenses.
• Weigh less than 300 pounds.
• Do NOT have a history of back surgery.
• Are NOT legally blind.
• Do NOT have visual impairments that cannot be corrected with spherical lenses, including but not limited to cataracts, glaucoma, astigmatism that is not corrected with contact lenses, bifocals, or near or far sightedness greater than ±6.0 that cannot be corrected with contact lenses.
• Do NOT have a past or present injury that could affect functional movement or balance, including but not limited to an injury of the neck, head, brain, spine or nerves.
• Are NOT diagnosed with a disorder or impairment that could affect functional movement or balance, including but not limited to osteoporosis, musculoskeletal disorders or injuries, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, stroke, uncontrolled heart disease or neuropathy.
• Are NOT pregnant.
• Do NOT have a pacemaker.
• Do NOT have any skin sensitivities that could be impacted by adhesive tape.

For more information, please contact Carolyn Duncan (KIP) at caduncan@mtu.edu or 906-487-2147.

Christine Grotzke, senior associate director of admissions at Michigan Tech, has been named president-elect of the Illinois Association for College Admissions Counseling (IACAC). After serving 15 years in Admissions at Tech and 21 years with IACAC, this is the perfect honor and recognition for her hard work over the years. She has served on numerous committees within the organization throughout her career and consistently advocates for the admissions profession and the populations she serves.

“Chrissy’s knowledge and expertise in higher education coupled with her years of supervisory experience make her a natural fit for this role," stated Beth Fitzpatrick, director of admissions at MTU. "It is not very often that you have an opportunity to have staff serve in elected positions in professional organizations. In just one month, we’ve seen three of our admissions team members selected for leadership roles. This is the cherry on top and another reminder of our staff’s ability to perform at the highest level — and be recognized for their expertise. This is an awesome representation of the Husky Spirit!”

Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek has appointed Scott Wagner, associate chair and associate professor in the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET), as the University's next faculty athletics representative.

"We appreciate Scott assuming the role of faculty athletics representative for Michigan Tech. His passion for the success of our student-athletes, in the classroom and on the field, will be a great asset to the University community," said Koubek.

"I am excited to welcome Scott as the next faculty athletic representative at Michigan Tech," said Suzanne Sanregret, vice president for athletics and recreation. "The faculty athletic representative is an important position and one that is valued by our staff, coaches and student-athletes. As a Tech alum, Scott knows the academic challenges our student-athletes face and will offer a great perspective for us to continue to improve their experiences as Huskies. I look forward to working with Scott to continue communication between our athletic programs and academic departments."

"As an instructor and a former athlete, I see both sides, and I truly understand the importance of this position," Wagner said. "I am honored to be selected for this opportunity, and I am excited to serve the University and the student-athletes as Michigan Tech's faculty athletics representative."

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Job Posting for Tuesday, June 18, 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.

Executive Director, Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. 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.

Ph.D. student Jordan Dagenais (rhetoric, theory, and culture) and Professor Andrew Fiss (HU) presented papers at the 2024 conference of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing, held virtually June 10-12.

Dagenais presented “The Personal Style Narrative: Merging Style Guides with Personal Literacy Narratives,” which proposed a new assignment for undergraduate technical communication courses that would result in students’ development of a personal style guide for their future assignments.

Fiss presented “Portfolio Assignments 10+ Years Later: Liberatory Pedagogy to Program Assessment?” reflecting on the last 11 years of student portfolios from Michigan Tech's scientific and technical communication (STC) program, since the portfolios’ introduction in the field’s literature by Professor Emerita M. Ann Brady (HU) and alumna Joanna Schreiber ’07 ’13 (M.S. Ph.D. Rhetoric and Technical Communication).

Many Department of Humanities alumni also appeared in the conference program for their presentations. The “In Memoriam” event included a remembrance for alumnus Johndan Johnson-Eilola ’87 ’89 ’93 (B.S. Scientific and Technical Communication, M.S. Ph.D. Rhetoric and Technical Communication).

Sarah Fayen Scarlett (SS) was quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about this year’s annual conference of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, held in the Keweenaw Peninsula last week (June 12-15). Scarlett chaired the 2024 conference, with a theme of “North of the Northwoods: From Mines to Motels on Michigan’s Lake Superior.”

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Kellie Raffaelli (SA) and Makenzie Joseph (REHS) were quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about the Pride Parade held on campus last Wednesday (June 12). Danielle Mierow (SLI) and Laura Bulleit (SA) were also mentioned in the story.

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Ryan Williams (GRF/GLRC) was mentioned by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about local volunteer efforts to maintain Houghton’s Boundary Road Trails. Williams designed maps of the trail system and set up a trail camera to keep a visitor count.

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Sigrid Resh (CFRES/ESC) was quoted by WLUC TV6 in a story about goats visiting Calumet’s Swedetown Recreation Area forests as part of a research project studying whether the animals can eat invasive buckthorn trees. Community members were invited to meet the goats and learn about the invasive plants at the Greet the Goats at Swedetown Trails event on Saturday (June 15).

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Michigan Tech student-athlete Zeb Swager and Kristin Monahan Smith (ATH) were mentioned by the Daily Mining Gazette as the winners of 2024’s Thatcher Markham Run, held Friday (June 14) as part of Houghton’s Bridgefest celebration.

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The Iron Mountain Daily News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story featuring Crystal Fresh Market & Ace Hardware of Crystal Falls, Michigan. Ross Tresedder, the grocery and hardware store’s owner, is a Tech graduate.

SDC Power Outage Planned Tonight

The Student Development Complex will close at 6 p.m. tonight (June 18) to accommodate a power outage necessary for completing the work on the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena HVAC systems. The SDC will reopen for regular hours tomorrow (June 19).

For summer building hours, please visit the SDC Facilities Schedule.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while we complete the necessary updates to the ice arena.

Professor Aleksey Smirnov (GMES) and Ph.D. student Gabriel Ahrendt (geophysics) are co-authors of a paper published in Communications Earth & Environment, an open access journal from Nature Portfolio.

The paper is titled “Near-collapse of the geomagnetic field may have contributed to atmospheric oxygenation and animal radiation in the Ediacaran Period.” It is an outcome of a National Science Foundation-supported collaborative project between the University of Rochester, Lehigh University and Michigan Tech.

The publication was featured in several top news outlets, including Smithsonian Magazine, CNN, EOS, Phys.org and many others.

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

Huskies Swim Training - Summer 2024 Session 1

Tuesday, June 18, 3:30–5:00 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Join us for a summer of swimming in Huskies Swim Training! This training program provides additional attention and competitive guidance to proficient swimmers ages 6-17...

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons Summer 2024

Tuesday, June 18, 5–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons provides aquatic education for the beginner to the intermediate swimmer who is looking to become more comfortable in the water and learn the...

Adult Huskies Swim Training Summer 2024

Tuesday, June 18, 5–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Training provides additional attention and competitive guidance to swimmers ages 18 and older who are looking to improve their swimming skills and fitness...