July 1, 2024

Michigan Tech has been honored with two 2024 Circle of Excellence gold awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The awards "showcase outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing" from colleges and universities around the world.

From 4,223 global entries submitted for consideration in 2024, 486 winners were selected by CASE's panel of 440 volunteer judges. The awards, which range in rank from bronze to grand gold, were announced June 26.

University Marketing and Communications' (UMC's) "Kyle Kukkonen: Why I Play Hockey for Michigan Tech" commercial was awarded a gold award for videos in the Commercials category. Judges praised the commercial's use of visuals and of the athlete's voice. "This commercial is a great example of authentic storytelling to convey an overarching message from the institution," they said, "and the filming on the ice was well done."

"Redefining Tenacity," UMC's profile of alumna Ashley Kern '15 '17 in the 2023 Michigan Tech Magazine, was awarded gold for writing in the Profiles (1,000+ words) category. Judges appreciated the candor and direct approach of the story, calling it "a great profile telling a story true to so many women's experiences."

Special congratulations to multimedia specialist Ben Jaszczak and UMC's entire studio team, who worked on the video from concept to broadcast, and to UMC's director of strategic communications, Rick White, who wrote the compelling profile of Kern.

These awards follow the Best of CASE District V storytelling award that UMC won in 2023 for "Playing With Fire," a multimedia feature story about the Huskies Pep Band's flaming trumpets.

Will Cantrell has agreed to serve as interim chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Integrated Physiology (KIP). He officially starts July 1, taking over from former interim chair and faculty member Steve Elmer.

Cantrell is an associate provost and dean of the Graduate School and professor of physics at Michigan Technological University. As interim chair of KIP, he leads the transition into the newly constructed H-STEM Complex. The H-STEM Complex will permit teams of researchers and students to work together in collaborative spaces with shared equipment. It serves as a center for health research, teaching, and outreach strategy. The H-STEM Complex is a cornerstone of Tech's efforts to continue attracting high-caliber faculty and research funding, graduate and undergraduate students, and to become a leading kinesiology program.

“This is a time of change and anticipation for the Department,” said Cantrell. “ A new dean is coming into the College and there is a search underway for a new chair. Plus, Steve Elmer led a successful transition into the H-STEM Complex this Spring, making my job easier. I'm excited to step into this position with all these new possibilities. I'm also humbled by the trust placed in me by the department, by the College, and by the Provost.”

The College of Sciences and Arts is pleased to have Dr. Cantrell leading the KIP Department and thank Dr. Elmer for his exceptional service to the College and the Department.

Save the Date: Mari W. Buche (COB) and representatives from Michigan Tech Global Campus are inviting you to a 45-minute virtual interest session highlighting two innovative online 30-credit graduate programs: the TechMBA® and the Master of Engineering Management (MEM). Join us and learn about the programs July 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. via Zoom.

During this session, you'll learn which degree equips you with foundational business skills and which degree helps you bridge the worlds of business and engineering. You'll also discover the program that best leverages your technical skill set and aligns with your undergrad degree, goals and possible career paths.

Event Details:

• What: Online TechMBA and MEM Virtual Interest Session
• When: Wednesday, July 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EDT
• Where: Virtually via Zoom.
• Registration: Register to attend.

If you have any questions about this event or these programs, please contact Amanda Irwin at globalcampus@mtu.edu or Mari Buche at mwbuche@mtu.edu.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Sponsored Programs Office is providing a reminder of the two-tier internal deadline structure. This structure includes all pre-proposals, proposals and letters of intent. The two-tier structure includes deadlines for all final internal, nontechnical and technical documents.

All final internal and nontechnical related sponsor documents are due to Sponsored Programs no later than 7 a.m. five business days before the sponsor deadline. If applicable, the application package must be completed in the appropriate submission system (Research.gov, Grants.gov Workspace, NIH ASSIST, etc.) except for the budget forms, which are to be completed by Sponsored Programs personnel.

Internal documents include the completed and approved Cayuse proposal form, budget approved by Sponsored Programs, budget justification and cost share approval document(s), if applicable.

Nontechnical document requirements vary by sponsor or funding opportunity and include items such as a biographical sketch or CV; current and pending support form; letters of support; cost proposal volume; data management plan; and facilities, equipment, and other resources documents, as well as any sponsor-specific required budget forms.

All final technical related documents are due to Sponsored Programs no later than 7 a.m. on the day of the sponsor deadline. Technical documents include items such as the project summary, project description, research strategy, technical volume, specific aims and references cited. The assigned analyst will assist in identifying the nontechnical and technical related documents needed for each proposal submission.

For proposals that include subawards, all required subrecipient documents are due to Sponsored Programs no later than 5 p.m. 10 business days before the sponsor deadline to allow time for a compliance review, correspondence with subrecipient personnel and incorporation into the proposal package.

Please contact Sponsored Programs at 906-487-2226 or spo-l@mtu.edu if you have any questions.

Financial Services and Operations (FSO) has the following reminders on the allowability of various travel expenses, specifically expense aging.

• Travel reimbursement requests (including repayment of cash advances and business meals) submitted more than 60 days after the event/last day of business travel will be taxable income to the traveler (per IRS regulations).
• Travel reimbursement requests (including business meals) submitted more than 120 days after the event/last day of travel are unallowable and are not reimbursable (per IRS regulations). If travel expenses are on the University PCard, they must be coded as A127C-Personal Expense. Accounts Receivable will invoice the employee for the non-reimbursable amount.
• Issued cash advances that have not been submitted on an expense report or repaid more than 120 days after the last day of business travel will be deducted from the recipient's future paycheck.

If you have questions about the travel changes, contact FSO at 906-487-2373 or travel@mtu.edu. For additional information, please visit FSO's University Travel page.

FSO appreciates your assistance and would like to thank you for adhering to our institutional policies and guidelines.

Financial Services and Operations (FSO) has the following reminders on the revised University Administrative Policy 2.03 Reimbursement of Business Meals.

Student organizations/groups are defined as:

• Registered student organizations (including learning centers)
• Enterprise teams
• Senior Design teams

When students are traveling with staff/faculty:

• Business meals paid for by the faculty/staff are reimbursable.
• Examples of students traveling with staff/faculty (outside of orgs/groups) include research projects and study abroad activities.

When students are traveling without staff/faculty:

• Students may claim per diem.

This policy can be found on the University Policy Office website. If you have questions about the policy, contact FSO at 906-487-2373 or travel@mtu.edu.

FSO appreciates your assistance and would like to thank you for adhering to our institutional policies and guidelines.

Tech Today will not publish Thursday and Friday, July 4 and 5, in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

Submissions for next Monday, July 8, are due by noon on Wednesday, July 3.

A Card Services production system maintenance window will take place on Thursday, July 11 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

During this time, CS Gold access readers, meal readers and access to some Keywatcher Kiosk rooms will work in their offline mode. After the maintenance is complete, transactions will be uploaded back into CS Gold.

The following services will be affected:

• cardservices.mtu.edu web site
• Mobile Readers
• Vending Readers
• Dining Point of Sale Systems
• Husky Print

If you have any questions or concerns about this maintenance window, we can help. Contact us at it-help@mtu.edu or call 7-1111.

Michigan Tech Volleyball Coach Matt Jennings will serve as the chair of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships Committee this season.

After serving two years as the Midwest Region Representative on the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships Committee, Jennings was selected by the committee to serve as its chair starting August 1. This will be his sixth year overall working on NCAA postseason matters.

"It's an honor to serve our sport in any way I might be able to, and this certainly is a responsibility I take very seriously," said Jennings. "It's been wonderful working with so many people who truly care about the student-athlete experience and the sport of volleyball. It's also been quite rewarding getting to be a part of what goes on behind the scenes of our sport and the operation of the NCAA postseason."

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Athletic named Michigan Tech hockey defenseman Chase Pietila as a name to watch in the 2024 NHL Draft that took place Friday and Saturday (June 28 and 29).

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Construction & Demolition Recycling mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the increasing number of road construction projects in Michigan that incorporate rubber from scrap tires. MTU was listed as one of the partners that have worked with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy on such projects. 

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WLUC TV6 mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about a fundraising effort by the Lutheran Campus Ministry for kitchen improvements at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. The church began hosting a weekly free home-cooked meal for MTU students in fall 2023. The improvements are needed to continue the meals.  

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The Daily Mining Gazette featured a story about MTU ROTC cadet Catherine Prince who received a prestigious fellowship from the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Prince participated in a two-week program that included deployment to the Netherlands American Cemetery.

Facilities Management Billing Rate Adjustments

Facilities Management has adjusted billing rates for our technical staff, effective today, July 1.

Facilities Management receives an allocation from the University's General Fund on an annual basis to perform a wide range of routine services on campus. Nonroutine or nonfunded services require Facilities Management to recover costs by billing the campus department or organization requesting services. More information related to funded and nonfunded services can be found on the Facilities Management website.

Rate changes for specific technical staff classifications can also be found on our website.

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Recruiting Participants: Research Study on Balance in Healthy Adults

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.

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Introducing ACMAL's New Lab Management System

We are excited to announce a significant upgrade to the management of the Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory (ACMAL) instruments with the introduction of our new Facility Online Management (FOM) system. This transition, set to commence today, July 1, marks a pivotal step forward in enhancing efficiency and user experience across our facility.

What is FOM?
FOM, short for Facility Online Management, is an online facility management system designed to streamline the billing and usage tracking processes for all ACMAL instruments. Made possible through generous support from the Vice President for Research Office, the Health Research Institute, the Advanced Power Systems Research Center, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ACMAL, FOM represents a collaborative effort aimed at advancing research capabilities within our University.

Accessing FOM
To access the FOM system, users can log in securely using their SSO credentials at fom.mtu.edu. Please note that access from outside the University network requires the use of the Big Edge IP client. User guides have been meticulously crafted in collaboration with Professors Tim Keirnan and Jenni Nance (both HU), along with students from the scientific and technical communication program. These guides are readily available upon request to ensure a smooth transition for all users.

Information Sessions
Recognizing that transitions may prompt questions or adjustments, we are organizing information sessions tomorrow and Thursday, June 26 and 27. These sessions will offer comprehensive overviews of the FOM system, address concerns and provide guidance to facilitate a seamless adaptation.

• Session 1: Wednesday, June 26, from 1-2 p.m., in M&M 610 or via Zoom
• Session 2: Thursday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., in M&M 610 or via Zoom

Benefits of FOM:

• Enhanced Efficiency: Simplified billing and usage tracking processes save time for researchers and administrators.
• User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive navigation ensures ease of use for all stakeholders.
• Campuswide Availability: Available to any lab on campus, promoting collaboration and resource sharing.
• Increased visibility: Users can view equipment availability across all facilities, enhancing the visibility and marketability of resources.

At ACMAL, we are committed to fostering a conducive environment for cutting-edge research. The introduction of FOM underscores our dedication to improving operational efficiency and user accessibility. We encourage all stakeholders to attend the upcoming information sessions and explore the enhanced capabilities that FOM brings to our community.

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2024 Alumni Reunion Poster Session

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) is pleased to announce an in-person poster presentation session at the 2024 Alumni Reunion. The poster presentation session is a continued tradition designed to increase the interaction between graduate students and MTU alumni. It is a unique opportunity for graduate students to share their research work and expand network connections.

This year's poster session will be on Aug. 2 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge.

To register for the event, visit GSG's 2024 Alumni Reunion Poster Session page. You do not need a poster to complete your registration, but it needs to be submitted by July 26 — one week before the event.

Please email gsg-research@mtu.edu with any questions.

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