August 6, 2024

Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan University are partnering to prepare 30 middle school science teachers to become leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The National Science Foundation is providing $2,738,425 through the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program to support this six-year initiative, named Partnering to Prepare STEM Master Teachers for Michigan’s Middle Schools. 

The newly funded Master Teachers Program (MTP) will develop current middle school STEM teachers into leaders in their schools and communities. The program aims to recruit 30 experienced and effective science teachers to lead efforts to improve science education in grades 5-9 in diverse, high-need schools throughout Michigan.

“The significance of this program lies in its mission to develop and empower teacher-leaders within high-need school districts,” said Marianne Semones (GLRC), project team lead and senior research scientist at Michigan Tech. “These leaders play a crucial role in mentoring new educators, forming a dedicated cadre of teachers in Michigan focused on improving STEM education and providing a stable and effective learning environment for students.”

Read more about the new program at Michigan Tech News.

In his new role as the College of Computing’s associate dean, Yu Cai draws on his extensive background in cybersecurity, computer networks and computing education. The experience he brings to the newly created position provides him with deep insights into academic administration, curriculum development and student engagement.

In this College of Computing Q&A, Cai shares his plans for the future and reflects on the students, research and sense of community that have been his guiding principles during almost two decades at Michigan Tech.

Read the Q&A on the Computing News Blog.

The Department of Facilities Management has scheduled campuswide fire hydrant flushing, starting today, Aug. 6, and running through Friday, Aug. 9. Flushing operations will be performed daily between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

During this time, water in campus buildings may periodically appear discolored. Running cold water for a short period of time should correct the condition. Please contact Facilities Management if the problem persists.

Thank you for your patience as we perform this required annual maintenance.

The College of Business is pleased to announce that we have joined the LinkedIn family.

Check out our news feed and follow us on LinkedIn.

Keweenaw Mineral Days joins the Copper Country Rock and Mineral Club's Keweenaw Week and the Quincy Mine Hoist Association for a week of Keweenaw mineral-related fun (please see their websites for additional details). This event began Aug. 4 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 11.

The A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum will also hold its annual Mineral Surplus Sale tomorrow, Aug. 7, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the museum.

Additionally, if you spend $100 or more in the museum's gift shop and/or at the surplus sale during the event, you will receive 10% off your purchase. Exclusions apply.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is waived for Michigan Tech students, staff and faculty with a Tech ID.

There are two days left to participate in the Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area's Barberry Trade-Up Days. Help save our forests!

Japanese barberry is an invasive shrub still legally sold as an ornamental garden plant. It easily spreads into natural areas where it harms healthy habitats and harbors deer ticks that carry Lyme disease. Bring your dug-up Japanese barberry plants, roots and all, to dispose of at one of the KISMA events listed below. In exchange, receive a $10 coupon toward a native alternative from a nursery participating in Go Beyond Beauty.

Barberry Trade-Up Days drop-off times and locations:
Thursday, Aug. 8, 4-7 p.m. at L’Anse Department of Public Works
Saturday, Aug. 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Eagle Harbor solid waste facility

Participating nurseries (Go Beyond Beauty partners):
Flowers by Sleeman, Houghton, 906-482-4023
Kismet Gardens, Baraga, 575-418-8289
Designs by Nature, Marquette, 906-250-9157

Visit the KISMA website to RSVP and guarantee your $10 coupon.

This new programming is co-sponsored by WildOnes Keweenaw and partially funded by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program. KISMA thanks the many townships in our area who have supported our work on this.

Lindsay Hiltunen (VPOL) was quoted by WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in a story about how much sand — and gold — can be taken legally from state beaches and waterways.

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Adjunct Assistant Professor Chris Adams (BioSci) was quoted by The Daily Mining Gazette in a story about the Calumet-Keweenaw Sportsmen’s Club and Keweenaw National Historical Park’s last joint fishing event of the year, held July 30 at Fort Wilkins Historic State Park. Adams was the instructor for the event.

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The Daily Mining Gazette and The Mining Journal covered the Aug. 2 meeting of Michigan Tech’s Board of Trustees. In addition to other business and presentations, the board granted emeriti status to Guy Meadows (GMES/GLRC), Chris Miller (CFRES), Robert Shuchman (GMES/MTRI) and Nikola Subotic (ECE/MTRI).

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Nathan Manser (GMES) was mentioned by Powder & Bulk Solids as one of the instructors of a five-day professional engineer review course being held by the Society for Mining and Metallurgy & Exploration in Denver, Colorado.

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Michigan Tech undergraduate student Abe Stone (ecology and evolutionary biology) was quoted by The Cool Down in a story about SuperPurp, his unconventional fungus-based treatment aimed at controlling the spread of invasive buckthorn trees. The story referenced the research’s debut on Michigan Tech’s Unscripted Research Blog, and was picked up by Yahoo! News. 

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The Keweenaw Report picked up Michigan Tech’s announcement of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts’ 2024-25 Presenting Series events. The story ran Friday, Aug. 2, in Tech Today.

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Scrap Tire News mentioned Michigan Tech as a collaborator on a project awarded $3,778,326 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project’s goal is to develop environmental product declarations (EPDs) for the tire recycling industry based on the development of a product category rule (PCR) for tire recycling. EPDs show environmental impacts across the life of a product.

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The A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum was listed No. 1 on Upgraded Points’ list of “The 21 Best Museums in Michigan” for 2024.

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the fourth annual Verna Mize Triathlon, held Aug. 3 in Houghton. The event was started by former MTU volleyball coach Mary Kaminski.

Job Applicants Must Apply at MTU Employment Website

When departments advertise open positions, some external websites allow application materials to be submitted via that website. However, all Michigan Tech employment applications must be submitted through Human Resources' Michigan Tech Employment website.

When you post to external websites that permit application submission, please include wording directly in your posting that states:

“Application materials submitted through this website will not be reviewed. You must apply on Michigan Tech's employment website to be considered for the position. Submit your application materials for this position using the following URL: [Insert the full URL for your position].”

Applications and materials received through any website other than the Michigan Tech Employment website cannot be reviewed, as those websites do not meet all of the obligations that we must follow as a federal contractor. In order to remain in compliance with the regulations, the University can only accept and review applications submitted via our employment website.

If applicants submit application materials via the website that you are using for advertising, you may contact the applicants and tell them their materials will not be reviewed unless submitted via the Michigan Tech Employment website. If you choose to contact the applicants, you must contact all of the applicants; otherwise, none of the applicants can be contacted.

Also, if your department has been receiving and reviewing applications through a website other than the Michigan Tech Employment website, please email Equal Opportunity Compliance at eocompliance@mtu.edu so we can remedy the situation and ensure compliance with the federal regulations moving forward.

Please contact Equal Opportunity Compliance at eocompliance@mtu.edu or 906-487-3310 with questions.

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A Cup of Joe with the Safety Crew

Michigan Tech’s Safety Team — Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and the Office of Risk, Insurance, Safety, Security, and Compliance (RISSC) — will be hosting our fourth monthly safety roundtable: a place for all Huskies to share a cup of coffee and learn about the importance of campus health and safety. 

We invite all Huskies to share a cup of coffee and learn about the importance of campus health and safety tomorrow, Aug. 7, from 9-10 a.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge.

This event features information on the integration of Safety Skills training modules into Canvas. This exciting development will allow instructors to choose safety training topics “a la carte” and seamlessly incorporate them into their own classroom Canvas pages with just a few keyboard clicks!  Shane Sullivan, educational technologist and Canvas expert, will be available for questions.

In addition, this will be an informal opportunity to talk with our campus safety professionals, ask the questions you have always wanted to ask and get the answers you need about Michigan Tech Safety programs, legal compliance issues and additional resources.

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Cashier's Office Closure

The Cashier's Office, within the Student Financial Services Center, will be closed today, Aug. 6, from 12-3 p.m., for a departmental retreat. The office will reopen at 3 p.m.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

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

No events are scheduled for today. Visit the University Events Calendar.