July 15, 2024

Student Affairs is pleased to welcome Cody Kangas as the new executive director of Career Services. He began his new role on July 1.

“Thanks to his nearly 17-year tenure with Michigan Tech, Cody brings extensive experience in strategic partnership building and innovative program development to the executive director role,” said Laura Bulleit, vice president for student affairs. “Having already seen Cody’s commitment and leadership as an interim director, the Student Affairs team and I are confident he will contribute to the University’s continued success in enabling students and alumni to realize their professional aspirations.”

Prior to joining Career Services, Kangas served as executive director for corporate and foundation relations in Michigan Tech’s Office of Advancement. In that role, Kangas provided proactive and strategic vision for University fundraising from regional, national and international corporations, foundations and other organizational sources. He has also thrice served as interim director of Career Services and held leadership positions in corporate relations, special project development and pre-college outreach.

“It is an honor and privilege to be joining the strong Career Services team here at Michigan Tech and continuing our important work together,” said Kangas. “Employer and societal demand for our talented Huskies is incredibly high, both in Michigan and across the country. As the University prepares for long-term growth, we’re thrilled to further foster and enhance the career ecosystem across campus and actively equip all students with the tools and resources they need to enter the professional workforce ready and prepared to thrive.”

Bulleit would like to thank Anna McClatchy (DOS/CSS), Polly Schaefer (SA), Nagesh Hatti (Enterprise), and Melissa Michaelson (CServ) for serving on the search committee for Career Services’ executive director position.

The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering announces a new course being offered in fall 2024:

ATM5512/CEE5512 Applied Boundary Layer Meteorology
Fall 2024 Course Schedule: Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Join us for this exciting and field-intensive course in the cities of Houghton and L’Anse!

What You’ll Learn:

• Hypothesis Testing
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Fluid Mechanics and Turbulence
• Use of Remote Sensing Instruments

Through the support of the National Science Foundation, you'll engage with atmospheric scientists operating the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Space Science and Engineering Center's Portable Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC). Together, we'll study how temperature inversions (temperature increasing with altitude) can trap pollutant emissions along the coastal regions of Lake Superior.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to dive deep into the fluid dynamics of the lower atmosphere, also known as the boundary layer.

Happy summer! Together, International Programs and Services (IPS) and Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI) will host a fun evening of s’mores and outdoors. Join the crew to learn about the Outdoor Adventure Program (OAP) and how students can rent outdoor equipment. Additionally, members of the registered student organization Outdoor Venture Crew will share info about the org’s mission to enable students to explore the outdoors simply and affordably.

Join us Wednesday, July 17, from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Hillside Place Apartments outdoor fireplace. Presenters will arrive to share their expertise between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Please send questions to Amy Hjerstedt at ahjerste@mtu.edu and Mariana Nakashima at mnakashi@mtu.edu. To learn more about the event, visit Involvement Link.

Event Details:

• What: S'mores & Getting Outdoors
• When: Wednesday, July 17, from 4:30-6 p.m.
• Where: Outdoor Fireplace at Hillside Place Apartments

Steven Voelker (CFRES) was mentioned by The Daily Mining Gazette in a story about Houghton’s Fresh Fish Fest, held Friday, July 12. Research led by Voelker on how the growth of lake trout is affected by the changing climate of Lake Superior was used as an example of research projects sponsored by the Michigan Sea Grant, which also sponsored the festival.

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Jenny Apriesnig (COB) was quoted by WLUC TV6 in a story about the “C-CHARM project,” which centers on the Michigan Tech-led Center for Climate-driven Hazard Adaptation, Resilience, and Mitigation. The center’s mission is to bring stakeholders from local communities, governments and researchers to improve community durability against the impacts of abnormal weather. MTU announced the center’s creation in an October 2023 press release.

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The Keweenaw Report picked up the Pavlis Honors College’s announcement of Darnishia Morris (PHC) as its new assistant dean. The story ran last Wednesday, July 10, in Tech Today.

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Bridge Michigan mentioned Michigan Tech in a story discussing dropping college enrollment in the state despite a $33,400 wage gap between Michiganders with bachelor’s degrees and those with high school diplomas. A table accompanying the story listed Huskies’ median earnings as the highest among the state’s 15 public universities.

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Crain’s Detroit Business mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about more money being brought in by venture capital firms in the Detroit area, despite a decrease in the number of deals they handled. MTU was listed as a partner in the new Michigan Innovation Fund, toward which Michigan legislators allocated $60 million in the state’s budget for fiscal year 2025.

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The Daily Mining Gazette covered the start of Michigan Tech Summer Youth Programs’ Aviation course today, July 15. During the weeklong summer program, students from grades 9-11 will learn what it takes to be a pilot, learning in the classroom and practicing in a flight simulator before, weather permitting, getting a chance to fly an aircraft alongside the course’s instructors.

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The Keweenaw Report mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about kitchen improvements at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Houghton. The church began hosting a weekly free home-cooked meal for MTU students in fall 2023. The improvements are needed to continue the meals.

SelectedWorks Discontinuation

The Van Pelt and Opie Library would like to inform the University community that free SelectedWorks profiles will be discontinued on Dec. 31. After Dec. 31, profiles and their contents will no longer be accessible.

Those who would like assistance identifying an alternative scholarly profile platform are encouraged to email library@mtu.edu by Sept. 1.

This change does not affect content included in Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech.

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Learn About the Online TechMBA and MEM Programs

Don't Forget: 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 on Wednesday, 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!

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Financial Consulting with TIAA

Making decisions about your money can feel difficult, especially when it comes to retirement. But you don’t have to go it alone — especially since access to financial consulting is included as part of your retirement plan. They will help you determine whether you’re saving enough, invested appropriately and on track.

Matthew Bunch and Ryan Hallowell from the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) will be available on Michigan Tech's campus for one-on-one sessions from July 29 through August 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

• Matthew Bunch — Monday, July 29, to Thursday, Aug. 1
• Ryan Hallowell — Monday, Aug. 5, to Thursday, Aug. 8

RSVP today, as space is limited. You can register for sessions with TIAA directly by logging in to your TIAA or guest account, then searching for "Michigan Tech" in the Institution field. When asked how you would like to meet, select "In Person at My Employer."

You can also register for a meeting by calling TIAA at 800-732-8353 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

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PhD Proposal Defense: Eugene Agyei, HU

Please join the Department of Humanities (HU) for Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture student Eugene Agyei's Ph.D. proposal defense, held virtually via Zoom today, July 15, from 10-11 a.m.

Agyei's Ph.D. proposal defense is titled "The Impact of Social Media Algorithms on Collective Action: A Case Study of #FixTheCountry and #EndSars."

From the abstract:
Social movements have played an important role in Africa’s democracy through collective action and contentious politics. Religion, state suppression, economic crisis and globalization played significant roles in the evolution of social movements in Africa. State suppression, for instance, served as both a barrier and a catalyst for the growth of social movements on the continent. The evolution of Web 2.0 and social media technologies intensified the activities of social movements all over the world, with mobilization, planning, and coordination of protest activities all impacted. The usefulness of social media technologies for social movements and digital activism stems from their ability to use powerful machine learning techniques and algorithms to facilitate mobilization, sorting of interactions, filtering of information, ranking and aggregating content for users.

Many scholars have sought to establish the impact of social media use on social and political change throughout the world as well as on the African continent. This research has heavily focused on the affordances of the platforms with an emphasis on their role in activism, and many have made positive connections. Although scholars have praised social media as a non-violent tool for challenging power and effectively organizing collective action as a result of its widespread use on the African continent, this study argues that the same technology also has the potential to undermine collective action.

Using a multimethod approach to analyze two case studies from Africa (#FixTheCountry and #EndSars), this dissertation seeks to explore how social media technologies can undermine the collective action of social movements, despite their potential to empower them. Specifically, this study seeks to investigate the roles social media algorithms play in shaping collective action efforts of social movements, and how they contribute to potential disruptions. It also seeks to understand the extent to which commercial and political interests embedded within social media algorithms affect the effectiveness of social movements like #FixTheCountry and #EndSars.

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

Master's Defense: Oluwanifesimi Afolabi

Monday, July 15, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. | Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building, 101

Chemistry Advisor: Marina Tanasova ESTABLISHING A TWO-COLOR FLUORESCENCE ASSAY FOR SIMULTANEOUS SCREENING OF GLUT5 AND GLUT2 FRUCTOSE TRANSPORTERS IN LIVE CELLS Attend...

Huskies Swim Training - Summer 2024 Session 2

Monday, July 15, 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...