August 22, 2024

Michigan Tech is a key contributor to construction planning for the Southern Wide-Field Gamma Ray Observatory (SWGO), a groundbreaking facility that will enable researchers to observe very-high- to ultra-high-energy gamma rays from cosmic sources.

The project's leaders, including Petra Huentemeyer (Physics), have selected Pampa La Bola in Chile as the future site of the observatory, which will be the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

“Selecting the site for an observatory is a major milestone on the path toward building it,” said Huentemeyer. “The fact that we reached a decision in such an effective manner really speaks to the strength of our collaboration of 15 countries.”

Read more about the SWGO project at Michigan Tech News.

Proposals are being requested for Michigan Tech's Century II Campaign Endowed Equipment Fund (C2E2) program, an internal award of the Vice President for Research Office.

The C2E2 program is aimed at providing funds to purchase equipment that will have a campuswide impact and improve the lives of faculty, staff and students.

Proposals are due no later than 4 p.m. on Oct. 10, and must be submitted electronically per the program guidelines. Late submissions will not be accepted.

For more information and proposal submission requirements, visit the C2E2 website.

If you have any questions, email c2e2-l@mtu.edu.

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. 3.

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

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) will be closed today, Aug. 22, for a department retreat.

The department office will reopen at 8 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 23.

The Michigan Tech Concert Choir is accepting auditions for new members who would like to sing in the choir for the 2024-25 concert season.

The fall concerts include performances of Brahms' "Nänie" for choir and orchestra on Oct. 12, and Bach's Magnificat in D and Part I of Handel's "Messiah" on Dec. 7.

Interested individuals may contact choral director Jared Anderson (VPA) at jaredand@mtu.edu or sign up directly on the 2024 Choral Auditions sheet. In the audition, singers will be asked to sing a short solo that highlights their voice along with some guided vocalization with Anderson.

Do you teach online courses? Are you looking for tips on refreshing your online teaching? Please join the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning's (CTL's) Fall 2024 Faculty Book Club focused on "Small Teaching Online" by Flower Darby.

During five biweekly sessions, we will learn about and discuss tips and techniques related to online course design, improving student engagement, online teaching techniques, and improving student motivation. Please join us on Wednesdays in Library 243 at 2 p.m.

Please register to attend. For accommodations, please contact Catharine Gruver at cgruver@mtu.edu or 906-487-3026.

Michigan Tech Athletics has named Hope Zander the director of event and ticket operations.

Zander was hired in September 2023 as the department's event operations manager/athletic equipment supervisor. In her new role, Zander will oversee the SDC Central Ticket Office and the athletic equipment staff and operation.

"I am extremely excited that Hope has accepted this new role within our department," said Curtis Wittenberg, assistant athletic director for business operations. "During her time working within the athletic department, she has proven that she is dedicated, organized and detail-oriented. All of these characteristics will be key in her success moving forward as the director of event and ticket operations."

"I am thankful for the opportunity to advance within our department and am enthusiastic about making a positive difference in our department's continued success," Zander said.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech Athletics is partnering with Athlete's Thread, providing the University's nearly 400 NCAA student-athletes an exciting platform to showcase their own brand and to financially benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL).

"Our NCAA student-athletes have been actively seeking opportunities to leverage their name, image and likeness, and our new partnership with Athlete's Thread presents an avenue for them to do that through an established and reputable company," said Suzanne Sanregret, Michigan Tech's vice president for athletics and recreation. "This collaboration illustrates our commitment to assist our Huskies in building their personal brands. I'm thrilled to see our student-athletes create personalized apparel, and look forward to our fans supporting our Huskies."

Student-athletes who opt in to the program will earn royalties from the sale of co-branded apparel featuring their name and number, combined with the official Michigan Tech Athletics logo.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Job Postings for Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 906-487-2280 or email humanresources@mtu.edu. For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.

Athletic Equipment and Event Coordinator, Athletics. Apply online.

Office Assistant (12 months/ 20 hours/ first shift) #24254, Athletics (UAW posting dates Aug. 22 to Aug. 29, 2024 — external applicants are encouraged to apply; however, internal UAW applicants are given first consideration if they apply during the internal UAW posting dates). Apply online.

Michigan Technological University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Accommodations are available. If you require any auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations to apply for employment, or for an interview, at Michigan Technological University, please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or humanresources@mtu.edu.

Assistant Teaching Professor Parth Bhatt (CFRES) recently delivered an invited talk at the largest GIS conference in the world — the Esri UC Education Summit held in San Diego, California, on July 12. This year, over 18,000 people attended.

Bhatt's presentation was titled "Leveraging Modern Web GIS Curriculum to Teach Python in Online Education." It focused on his highly acclaimed noncredit online asynchronous course "Python for Modern GIS and Remote Sensing," which has garnered attention for its innovative teaching approach of integrating Python programming with GIS and remote sensing applications.

Bhatt directs Michigan Tech's online Master of GIS graduate program. The program’s first certificate, Foundations in Geographic Information Science for Natural Resources, is currently open for enrollment. The certificate, offered both online and in person by both CFRES and Michigan Tech Global Campus, offers a pathway for students to enhance their GIS expertise using cutting-edge technologies and methodologies.

Stephen Techtmann (BioSci) was quoted and David Shonnard (ChE) was mentioned by Undark in a story about a system developed at Michigan Tech that uses bacteria to break waste plastics down to be recycled into useful products. Through the process, the bacteria themselves become an edible protein powder similar to vegemite, as described in MTU’s 2022 Research Magazine. The story was picked up by RealClearScience.

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The National Endowment for the Humanities mentioned Michigan Tech as the recipient of a grant to fund the digitization and organization of historic copper mining records.

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The National Science Foundation mentioned Michigan Tech as a co-recipient of grant funding for the project “Modeling ghost genes (genetic material historically transferred from extinct or nearly extinct species to living ones) of Gulf Coast canids.”

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WLUC TV6 picked up a Michigan Tech Athletics story about the MTU soccer team finishing sixth in the GLIAC preseason coaches poll. The story ran yesterday, Aug. 21, in Tech Today.

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about former MTU basketball player Jake Witt’s first preseason action with the Indianapolis Colts. Witt spent all last season on the injured list after being selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The College of Sciences and Arts is on LinkedIn

The College of Sciences and Arts is pleased to announce that we have joined the LinkedIn family. Please take a minute to follow us.

Check out our news feed and follow us on LinkedIn.

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Call for Presenters: 2024 Global and Community Engagement Conference

The Pavlis Honors College is seeking presenters for the 2024 Global and Community Engagement Conference. This annual event provides a platform for those working to impact communities locally and globally. This year’s theme, "Igniting Change Through Generosity," invites faculty, staff, students and local organizations to share their work, projects or research.

We seek proposals from individuals and groups across disciplines — faculty, staff, students and community organizations — whose work contributes to community development, global health, educational outreach, environmental sustainability, social justice, technological innovation, cultural exchange and more.

The conference will be held on Oct. 12 in the Memorial Union Ballroom, and lunch will be provided.

If interested, please submit a presentation proposal by Sept. 25. If you have any questions, please contact Darnishia Morris at dar@mtu.edu.

We invite you to join us at this year’s Global and Community Engagement Conference to showcase your impactful work and ignite change through generosity!

The Global and Community Engagement Conference is a collaboration between the Pavlis Honors College, Office of Sustainability and Resilience, Keweenaw Community Foundation, and Student Leadership and Involvement. Interested in getting involved? Please email dar@mtu.edu for more information.

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Pronoun Identification System Available

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.

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

Master's Defense: Jenna Disser

Thursday, August 22, 3–4 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 101

Biological Sciences Advisor: Robert Larson Autonomic Modulation of Cardiac Function in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Attend Virtually:...