June 20, 2024

Michigan Tech’s Essential Education initiative was developed to prepare students to be leaders in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Essential Education signals that the skills, abilities and mindsets facilitated by a broad education in the foundational disciplinary areas of the sciences, math, social sciences, arts and humanities are essential to students’ educational and professional development. This forward-thinking curriculum prepares students for careers that don’t exist today.

Michigan Tech’s Essential Education website has just gone live. This public-facing site provides more information on the why and how of Essential Ed, which formally launches in fall 2025 for our first-year students, then scales to capacity by the 2027-28 academic year.

Special thanks to Michigan Tech’s University Marketing and Communications team, the Essential Education Marketing and Communication Advisory Board and the Essential Education Implementation Leadership Team for their work on constructing this website.

Are you a sudoku superfan? A crossword champion? A puzzle powerhouse? If so, then Michigan Tech's Alumni Engagement team wants you! We are looking for a puzzle enthusiast to moderate a webinar in August on how to master sudoku. This webinar will feature one of our international alumni who “wrote the book” on sudoku.

The Alumni Engagement team will work with you on preparing for the webinar and will manage all event logistics.

If you love puzzles and have the skills to moderate a webinar, please reach out to Jenn Biekkola at 906-487-1056 or jrbiekko@mtu.edu. We will even throw in some Michigan Tech alumni swag!

Michigan Tech cross country and track and field student-athletes Nick McKenzie, Sam Lange and Hannah Loughlin have been named to the Academic All-District Team by College Sports Communicators. The organization recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

McKenzie was a Second Team All-GLIAC selection for cross country, finishing 19th at the GLIAC Championships and 28th at the Midwest Regional meet with a personal best time of 31:41.5. He held a 3.93 GPA, majoring in electrical engineering.

It is Lange's second straight year making the CSC Academic All-District Team. For track and field, he qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 1,500 meters and repeated as the GLIAC's 1,500m runner-up at the GLIAC Championships. In cross country, he finished 21st at the Midwest Regional and sixth at the GLIAC Championships, and was selected to the USTFCCA All-Region Team and All-GLIAC First Team. He held a 3.97 GPA, majoring in mechanical engineering.

Loughlin was named First Team All-GLIAC and a Midwest All-Region honoree in cross country. She lowered her personal best four times in the fall, bowing out at the Midwest Regional meet with a 24th-place finish in 21:15.7. She held a 3.74 GPA as an undergraduate, majoring in biomedical engineering, and a 3.85 GPA as a graduate student.

McKenzie, Lange and Loughlin were all also named USTFCCCA All-Academic athletes and selected to the GLIAC Academic Excellence Team.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Marshall Star, the newsletter of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, picked up the agency’s press release about the winners of the final round of the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge. Along with the two prize-winning teams, NASA invited Michigan Tech’s Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab to use the thermal vacuum chambers at the Marshall Space Flight Center to continue testing and developing their rover.

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The Keweenaw Report mentioned Michigan Tech’s Canterbury House student organization as the recipient of a $2,500 grant from Copper Shores Community Health Foundation. According to the story, the money will be used to streamline food pantry access for MTU students.

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The Keweenaw Report mentioned the Van Pelt and Opie Library as a partner in the Portage Lake District Library’s summer reading program for adults. Participants can sign up at the VPOL Circulation Desk.

PhD Proposal Defense: Shiwei Ding, CS

Ph.D. in Computer Science student Shiwei Ding will present his dissertation proposal today (June 20) at 8 a.m. in Rekhi 101 and virtually via Zoom.

The title of Ding’s proposal is “Efficient and privacy-guaranteed training/testing for Deep Neural Networks.”

Ding is advised by Professor Zhenlin Wang and Adjunct Professor Xiaoyong (Brian) Yuan of Clemson University.

Join the Zoom meeting.

Read the proposal abstract on the Computing News Blog.

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Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Michigan Tech McNair Scholars Program and Michigan College and University Partnership (MiCUP) Scholars Program invite you to the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium today (June 20) from 1-4 p.m. in MUB Ballroom A and the Alumni Lounge.

This summer's symposium is showcasing innovative research projects by students across campus, including participants in MiCUP and McNair as well as the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs.

Join us for an afternoon of engaging presentations, discussions and a celebration of undergraduate research in diverse fields. This is a free event, open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Event Details:

• What: Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium
• When: Thursday, June 20, from 1-4 p.m.
• Where: MUB Ballroom A and Alumni Lounge

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

PhD Dissertation Proposal: Shiwei Ding, Computer Science

Thursday, June 20, 8 a.m. | Rekhi Hall, 101

PhD student Shiwei Ding, Department of Computer Science, will present his dissertation proposal on Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 8 am in Rekhi 101 and via Zoom. The title of...

Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium

Thursday, June 20, 2–4 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom A, Alumni Lounge

The Michigan Tech McNair Scholars Program and MICUP Scholars Program invite you to the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, showcasing innovative research projects by...

Huskies Swim Training - Summer 2024 Session 1

Thursday, June 20, 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...

Alumni Night at the St. Paul Saints

Thursday, June 20, 7–9 p.m.

Join fellow MN-based Michigan Tech alumni and friends for Michigan Tech Alumni Night at CHS Field in St. Paul, MN on Thursday, June 20, 2024. The first pitch is at 7:07 p.m....