August 19, 2024

A conservation biologist, an ecological scientist and an environmental engineer have taken the helm as college deans at Michigan Tech.

David Flaspohler heads the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, LaReesa Wolfenbarger leads the College of Sciences and Arts, and Michelle Scherer has taken charge in the College of Engineering.

Find out why they came to Michigan Tech and what they hope to accomplish in a Q&A at Michigan Tech News.

The Van Pelt and Opie Library and Campus Store invite you to support textbook affordability! Leverage Course Reserve, a service that allows you to share print materials with students, by completing a Course Reserve Request and sharing a copy of your materials with the library. The library will add your item to the Course Reserve Collection so that any student may check it out for a limited amount of time.

Don’t have a copy to share? Search the library’s catalog for any assigned texts. Student research consultants (SRCs) and librarians are eager to help anyone who’d like assistance with this task. Stop by the Ask Us! station on the first floor of the library or email library@mtu.edu for more information.

All materials currently placed on Course Reserve can be found in a special collection on the library’s webpage and on a new webpage that can be searched by course code: the Course Materials page.

Please note: The library is unable to purchase new copies of every book assigned in Michigan Tech classes. We rely on collaborations with instructors to make the Course Reserve system a valuable resource for our students!

It's been one year since Michigan Tech introduced the option for faculty, staff and students to input and update personal pronouns or a preferred first name through the University's systems. This voluntary option allows members of our campus community to choose how they want to be identified in University records and communications, where feasible.

Preferred first names and pronouns are easy to add and update at any time. While the current selection of pronouns may not cover every possibility, it provides a starting point, and we encourage the use of this tool.

Respecting others’ pronouns is an important part of our commitment to a supportive and respectful campus environment. We recognize that identity is personal and dynamic, and the language we use to express it matters.

Additional information and resources are available. For further assistance or questions, please contact Engagement and Belonging at belonging@mtu.edu.

Dear Faculty, Staff and Alumni: Don't forget, Michigan Tech’s fall 2024 Career Fest and Career Fair events are right around the corner, and your involvement is key to student and alumni success!

How You Can Help:

• Faculty: Inform students, encourage attendance and integrate event details into your classes.

• Staff: Spread the word through campus channels and assist students in preparation.

• Alumni: Share experiences, attend, network and follow our Career Services LinkedIn for updates.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Volunteer at Career Fair.
• Offer space for Interview Day.

Mark your calendars and get involved! Your support is greatly appreciated.

Thank you! Go Huskies!

Ready to get active? Check out the Michigan Tech Student Development Complex (SDC) fall semester hours!

• View Open Recreation Hours for SDC Facilities.

• View the Facilities Schedule.

We’ll see you at the SDC!

Questions? Call Michigan Tech Recreation at 906-487-2975 or email recreation@mtu.edu.

Dive in with us! Registration for Michigan Tech Aquatics' fall 2024 Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Open Water SCUBA Course opens Aug. 28 at 8 a.m.

The course is conducted over two weekends and includes:

• Ten hours of academic instruction (some coursework to be completed independently),
• Ten hours of confined water training (SDC Pool), and
• Four certification dives in Lake Superior (Marquette).

Upon registration, students will be given all required reading material and paperwork to complete prior to the start of the course. Class size is limited.

Course Dates and Times:

• Friday, Oct. 11:
  • 4-7 p.m. in SDC 238
  • 7-10 p.m. in the SDC Pool
• Saturday, Oct. 12:
  • 7-9 a.m. in the SDC Pool
  • 12-4 p.m. in SDC 238
  • 5-10 p.m. in the SDC Pool
• Sunday, Oct. 13:
  • 8-10 a.m. in the SDC Pool
  • 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in SDC 238
• Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 19-20 or Oct. 26-27:
  • Open Dives in Marquette

Questions? Contact Aquatics Manager Annie Bengry at 906-487-2995 or email ambengry@mtu.edu.

Are you interested in taking your idea, technology or process commercial? Entrepreneurially minded faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, alumni and local community teams are invited to attend the Great Lakes Region Hub National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Program hosted by Husky Innovate at Michigan Tech.

Course Description
The NSF I-Corps lean startup program spans six weeks. Using the scientific process, customer discovery and the business model canvas, teams will work to validate key business hypotheses and develop a scalable business model.

Course Benefits
Upon completion of the workshop and the customer discovery interviews (30), you or your team may be eligible for a mini grant of up to $1,000 for continued customer discovery.

Teams who complete the program may become eligible for the NSF I-Corps National Team Program and a $50,000 grant. Participation in the workshop can lead to qualification for research and other funding from several granting agencies, including Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, as well as various state and regional programs.

Past participants have reported that they saved time and money by better understanding potential applications of their technology and improved their ability to receive add-on funding.

Register to participate by next Monday, Aug. 26.

Our fall cohort will meet online via Zoom on Mondays from 4-6:30 p.m. per the following schedule:

• Sept. 9 — Workshop No. 1 (Kickoff)
• Sept. 16 — Workshop No. 2
• Sept. 23 — No Meeting: Continue customer discovery and meet with mentor.
• Sept. 30 — Workshop No. 3
• Oct. 7 — Workshop No. 4
• Oct. 14 — Workshop No. 5 (Wrap-Up)

Michigan Tech is proud to announce that 131 student-athletes received an Academic Achievement Award from the Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) for the 2023-24 academic year.

The Academic Achievement Awards, in their 17th year, recognize the academic accomplishments of NCAA DII student-athletes whose athletic directors are current dues-paying members of the D2 ADA.

The honorees earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, have completed at least two years (four semesters) of college-level work, and were active members of an intercollegiate team during the 2023-24 academic year.

See a list of the Huskies who were honored at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Xinfeng Xie (CFRES/GLRC) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $55,000 research and development co-op joint agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service.

The project is titled "Enhancing Biological Durability of United State Domestic Hardwoods for Trailer Decking."

*****

Ezra Bar Ziv (MAE/APSRC) is the PI on a project that has received a $375,988 research and development contract from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The project is titled "Converting Inconsistent and Heterogenous Biomass and Municipal Solid Wastes into De-Mineralized, and Uniform Feedstocks for Thermal-Catalytic Processing to Low Carbon Fuels, Chemicals, and Materials."

Fei Long (MAE/APSRC) and Rebecca Ong (ChE/APSRC) are co-PIs on this project.

Associate Professor Bhisham Sharma (MAE) will be traveling to Nantes, France, to deliver a keynote lecture at the 53rd International Congress & Exposition on Noise Control Engineering, Inter-Noise 2024. The event is being held from Aug. 25-29.

Sharma's talk on Aug. 27 will focus on opportunities and challenges in the application of additive manufacturing technologies for noise control engineering.

Mariana Nakashima (IPS) was quoted by The Daily Mining Gazette in a story about the Michigan Tech Parade of Nations’ new route for 2024. Nakashima is the co-chair coordinator of this year’s event.

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Professor Emeritus Barry Solomon (SS) was quoted by Georgia Tech News in a story about the impact of clean electricity policies across state lines. The article highlighted research conducted by Solomon and colleagues from Georgia Tech and Purdue University and recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

*****

The Daily Mining Gazette and WLUC TV6 covered Michigan Tech soccer defender Grace Hoeppner’s appointment to the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The story ran in Tech Today on Friday, Aug. 16.

GSG Holding Orientation Picnic Today

Michigan Tech master's and Ph.D. students, as well as faculty and staff, are invited to join the Graduate Student Government (GSG) for a fun afternoon in the sun at our Orientation Picnic at Hancock Beach today, Aug. 19, from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Enjoy delicious food and engaging activities, and connect with fellow students. Don’t miss out on this exciting event — we hope to see you there!

Students with cars are welcome to drive themselves. For those without transportation, a shuttle bus will run every 40 minutes from the Rozsa Center to Hancock Beach between 4:30 p.m. and 7:50 p.m.

View the event flyer.

For any questions or concerns, please contact GSG Social Chair Vikram Gurrapu at gsg-social@mtu.edu.

Event Details:

• What: GSG Orientation Picnic
• When: Monday, Aug. 19, from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
• Where: Hancock Beach (Hancock Recreation Area)

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

Modern Languages & Cultures Open House

Monday, August 19, 1:30–3:30 a.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, 120A

There will be an open house for the modern languages program on Monday, August 19th from 1:30-3:30 pm in Walker 120A. Students are invited to come with any questions they may...

Master's Defense: Andrew Walch

Monday, August 19, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), 610

Materials Science and Engineering Advisor: Paul Sanders Solidification Cracking in Additively Manufactured High Entropy Alloy NiCrCoFeW Attend Virtually:...

Welcome to Graduate School

Monday, August 19, 2–4 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts

All new graduate students are invited to attend and meet representatives from a variety of campus and local organizations. Let us share with you the resources that are...