October 15, 2024

Michigan Tech has been selected to receive the 2024 Jack Donnelly Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence, awarded annually by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).

The Jack Donnelly Award recognizes companies and institutions that best demonstrate the ability to stop foreign theft of U.S. defense and national security technology. Out of more than 10,000 eligible organizations in the nation, MTU’s Keweenaw Research Center was one of five chosen for the award, which was formally presented at the University’s Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, Oct. 11.

“We appreciate receiving the Donnelly Award for excellence in counterintelligence,” said Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek. “This recognition reiterates our full commitment to national security and research integrity at the highest levels.”

Read more about the award at Michigan Tech News.

Summer Youth Programs (SYP) is currently accepting proposals for our Visiting Instructor Program and we would greatly appreciate your help spreading the word!

The Visiting Instructor Program invites educators to propose their own SYP course for next summer. Educators will enjoy benefits including a salary of $920, up to $350 of reimbursement for travel expenses, on-campus lodging and a meal plan, and a student from their school or organization will also receive a scholarship to attend an SYP course.

Educators will also have the opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous Keweenaw Peninsula during their evenings.

Full details regarding proposal requirements and selection expectations can be found on the Summer Youth Programs website. Proposals are due Nov. 22 — and proposals for middle school level programming are especially encouraged!

If you have any questions regarding SYP or the Visiting Instructor Program, please contact us at syplogic@mtu.edu.

Michigan Tech's Human Research Protection Program is presenting a lunchtime information session on how to handle informed consent. It will run virtually from 12-1 p.m. next Wednesday, Oct. 23, via Zoom.

Join the Informed Consent Info Session on Zoom.

Informed consent is at the heart of the ethical treatment of research participants. People need to know exactly what they are getting into, and they have to be free to choose.

In this Zoom presentation, Mike Reay will talk for 30 minutes about treating consent as an ongoing process, providing the necessary information, making sure language is understandable and addressing situations where people cannot consent for themselves. He will also discuss when various consent requirements can be waived and field any questions people have.

The presentation will be recorded and posted on the Human Research Protection Program website. Any departments or groups of researchers who would like to schedule a later in-person session are welcome to contact Reay to make arrangements.

The Husky Closet Collective is seeking winter clothing donations for the Clothing Closet. To help keep our Huskies warm, we need to secure donations of new and/or gently worn coats, boots, hats and gloves of all adult sizes. We will be accepting donations through Nov. 8. Donated items will be available to all Michigan Tech students at no cost.

If you have questions or want to get involved, please email huskycloset@mtu.edu.

At this time, we are not accepting any children’s clothing.

Clothing may be dropped off at any of the following locations:

• Dean of Students Office
• University Images
• Campus Bookstore
• Van Pelt and Opie Library
• Residential Living
• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
• Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
• St. Albert the Great Church
• St. Anne Catholic Church

Join the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum in celebrating Earth Science Week, which began Sunday, Oct. 13, and continues through Saturday, Oct. 19. The museum is hosting various activities for all age ranges and discounts in the museum and the gift shop throughout the week.

• Tuesday, Oct. 15 — Dig and Discover kit giveaway. Free kit for visitors ages 17 and under with a purchase of museum admission. While supplies last.

• Wednesday, Oct. 16 — 10% off all fossils for Fossil Day. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

• Thursday, Oct. 17 — 10% off minerals and books. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

• Friday, Oct. 18 — One free postcard with a purchase of admission for Geologic Map Day. While supplies last.

• Saturday, Oct. 19 — Mini Scavenger Hunt for kids. Complete the scavenger hunt, then roll a die to see your prize. While supplies last.

Congratulations to Nate Lyons ’25, a senior majoring in sound design in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) for bringing home a Bronze Award in the Audio Engineering Society (AES) International Student Recording Competition.

Lyons won the award in the Sound for Visual Media category for his sound design audio replacement for the video game Celeste. As an award winner, he will receive a prize that includes audio software from Bettermaker, Empirical Labs and Eventide.

This is the second year in a row VPA sound design and audio production and technology students have received awards in the prestigious international competition. Congratulations to Lyons, and also to VPA sound design and audio production and technology students in their presentations at the 2024 AES international convention in New York City.

Students have an opportunity to attend and present at the international AES convention in New York City as part of VPA career development and professional presentation travel and study away courses. This opportunity, led by Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood (VPA), is well suited for students interested in studio recording and music production, video game design, live sound, theatre, and AV or acoustics consulting. The weeklong study away experience includes networking with Grammy-winning and Academy-winning professionals at the convention and a curated experience including private meetups with AV consulting and acoustics firms, facility tours, backstage tours and shadow opportunities, Broadway and other live productions, sightseeing, and Michigan Tech VPA alumni meetups for our students to form industry connections as they launch their careers.

This year, VPA students presented in both the AES Student Recording Competition and Student Mix Critiques sessions, and participated in career fairs hosted by the AES and the co-located National Association of Broadcasters conference.

As part of the curated study away experience, Sherwood also arranged visits to international concert touring production company Clair Global, Broadway audio rental shops PRG and Masque Sound, backstage tours of Jazz at Lincoln Center and Little Island, and talkbacks with sound designers from the Broadway production of “Stereophonic” and Off-Broadway’s “Bad Kreyól” after the group saw each production as a group.

H. Peter Lu, professor from the Department of Chemistry at the Center for Photochemical Sciences, Bowling Green State University, will be presenting at this week's Chemistry Seminar.

The seminar will be held in person at 3-4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, in Chem Sci 101.

Lu’s presentation is titled “Single-Molecule Spectroscopy and Force Manipulation Studies of Protein Dynamics and Signaling.”

From the abstract:
Single-molecule conformational manipulation provides unique methods for studying the relationship between function and structure of biomolecules, and for exploring novel properties of biomolecules under complex local environments. Enzymatic reactions are traditionally studied at the ensemble level, despite significant static and dynamic inhomogeneities. We have developed and applied AFM/Magnetic Tweezers force manipulation combined with single-molecule spectroscopy to study the mechanisms and dynamics of enzymatic reactions involved with kinase and lysozyme proteins. Enzymatic reaction turnovers and the associated structure changes of individual protein molecules under pico-Newton force manipulations were observed simultaneously in real-time by single-molecule FRET detections. By a repetitive pulling-releasing manipulation of Cy3-Cy5 dye-labeled kinase molecules under conditions with and without enzymatic substrates, we observed and analyzed the enzymatic conformational dynamics. We demonstrated that the enzyme conformational flexibility can be regulated by enzyme-substrate interaction, experimental evidence of protein-substrate folding-binding interaction mechanism. Our new approach is applicable to a wide range of single-molecule AFM-FRET measurements for protein conformational changes under enzymatic reactions, including controls of enzymatic reactivity by mechanical force manipulating protein conformations.

Lu received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1991. He undertook postdoctoral research at Northwestern University from 1991-1995, and subsequently at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory from 1995-1996. He worked as a senior research scientist and then a chief scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory from 1996-2006. He has been an Ohio Eminent Scholar and a full professor of chemistry at Bowling Green State University in Ohio since 2006, and was elected an American Physical Society Fellow in 2014.

Lu’s research focuses on single-molecule spectroscopy studies of molecular kinetics and dynamics in condensed phases and at interfaces, involving studies of protein conformational dynamics and function rate processes. He was invited in both 1999 and 2008 to present his works at the Nobel Symposium on Single Molecules in Physics, Chemistry, and Life Science in Stockholm, Sweden.

Michigan Tech cross country's Sam Lange earned GLIAC Athlete of the Week honors following his performance at the Lewis Crossover on Saturday, Oct. 12. It is the second time this season Lange has earned the honor and the third time for the men of Michigan Tech.

Lange placed 25th in a field of over 330 runners to lead the No. 23 ranked men's team to a seventh-place team finish, beating six teams among the nation's top 30 in the final big meet of the regular season.

Read more about Lange's GLIAC honors at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech cross country squads went toe-to-toe with the nation's best teams at the Lewis Crossover on Saturday, Oct. 12, racing in the event's championship and open races.

In the team race, Tech's No. 23 nationally ranked men's team took seventh overall with 292 points and the women's team finished 19th with 562 points. Senior Sam Lange (25th place) and sophomore Sophia Rhein (35th place) were the first finishers for the Huskies in the championship races.

"Our championship men's team showed they are ready to snag a spot to the national championships," Tech head cross country coach Robert Young said. "We were one of the most aggressive movers in the field and the results showed it. Our 1-2 punch of Sam Lange and Tucker Ringhand moved up especially well and will be factors in the bigger races to come. Our championship women's team was a mixed bag with a few breakthroughs. Our true freshman Alex Li stepped up big-time for us and closed out our scoring five. Ingrid Halverson had a great day as well."

Read more cross country news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech hockey swept Alaska in their first series of the 2024-25 regular season at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

Elias Jansson scored his first collegiate goal to seal a 2-1 overtime win in the Huskies' regular season opener on Friday, Oct. 11.

"I was proud of the growth that we showed throughout the game and compared to last week," Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. "Alaska is a tremendously hardworking hockey team. They are always going and never give up."

Tech earned a nonconference sweep of Alaska after a 2-1 victory on Saturday, Oct. 12. The Huskies scored a pair of first-period goals and held on for their third straight win over the Nanooks.

"I think our effort was good tonight but our decision-making wasn't very good," Shawhan said. "We had a lot of turnovers and working on our conditioning in this off week will help address that. I like the win, but we have a lot of work to do."

Read more hockey news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech volleyball fell to Northern Michigan and defeated Roosevelt.

The Huskies fell 3-1 on the road at Northern Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 10. Tech won the first 25-22 before falling 25-23, 25-17 and 25-15.

"Congrats to coach Mike (Lozier) and his Wildcats for being the better team tonight," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "They served us off the court and that was the difference maker in a big way. Our passing was poor again tonight, which makes it hard to get things going at the net."

MTU swept Roosevelt 3-0 on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the SDC Gym in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. The Huskies defeated the Lakers 25-21, 25-20 and 25-16 to improve to 9-6 overall and 5-3 in the GLIAC.

"It was a fun match, and I'm glad we were able to take care of business and win," Jennings said. "They played well in Marquette last night, and we had our guard up."

Read more volleyball news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech soccer team fell 2-0 to rival Northern Michigan at Kearly Stadium on Friday, Oct. 11.

"I thought we came out and had the energy and effort a rivalry game would have. We just didn't have that final piece to the puzzle," Tech soccer coach Melissa Kuhar said. "We relied on a lot of people to play some heavy minutes with a lack of subs and our injuries right now. Northern is a good team, credit to them, they do what they do and they do it really well. The two goals we gave up were our mistakes that bit us in the butt."

Read more soccer news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech football team saw its four-game unbeaten streak end in a back-and-forth battle against Davenport. The Huskies ultimately fell 24-20 at Kearly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12.

"It was a tight GLIAC game, and going into the game, we talked about the big momentum type plays — those were the ones that we wanted to be making. Although, I felt like the guys responded to every punch that Davenport threw," Tech head coach Dan Mettlach said. "I think when we go back and watch the film, those game-changing plays that you don't count on, Davenport made two or three and we didn't make any ourselves. I'm proud of the way our guys played and battled through the whole thing — we just needed to make one more play and we couldn't do it."

Read more football news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Friday, Oct. 18
• Cross Country at Bay College Invite
• Soccer at Davenport, 2 p.m. on FloSports
• Volleyball vs. Quincy, 3 p.m. at Midwest Region Crossover
• Volleyball vs. Tiffin, 8 p.m. at Midwest Region Crossover

Saturday, Oct. 19
• Football at Ferris State, 1 p.m. on Mix 93 WKMJ and FloSports
• Volleyball vs. TBA at Midwest Region Crossover

Sunday, Oct. 20
• Soccer at Ferris State, 1 p.m. on FloSports

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Athletics News
Read more in the MTU Athletics weekly update.

Job Postings for Tuesday, Oct. 15, 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.

Department Chair, Mathematical Sciences. Apply online.

Department Chair, Chemical Engineering. Apply online.

Department Chair, Social Sciences. 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.

Van Pelt and Opie Library staff members Laurie Stark, manager of circulation services, and Michelle Little, library assistant, presented a session titled "How to Boost Productivity Using Kanban Boards” at the Back in Circulation Again 2024 conference, held Oct. 7-8 in Madison, Wisconsin.

The session, with over 30 attendees, focused on how the library's circulation team implemented Kanban boards to enhance the student assistant experience.

Kanban boards are a tool for managing and visualizing workflows and processes. They have helped the students become more independent in their work and strengthened their decision-making skills while increasing productivity.

John Lehman (URE) was quoted by The Daily Mining Gazette in a story about fall enrollment discussed at Michigan Tech’s Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, Oct. 11. This year’s enrollment total of 7,430 students represents an 8% increase since 2020, with all-time highs in first- to second-year retention (88.7%), female students and domestic diversity.

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University President Rick Koubek and Andrew Barnard (VPR) were quoted by The Daily Mining Gazette in a story about Michigan Tech’s Keweenaw Research Center receiving the 2024 Jack Donnelly Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) selected the KRC as one of five recipients from over 10,000 eligible organizations. Barnard was also quoted in stories by WLUC TV6 and My UP Now.

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The London Free Press, Ontario’s Mid-North Monitor and 20 additional outlets worldwide mentioned Michigan Tech in stories about the economics of solar power written by Adjunct Professor Joshua Pearce (MSE).

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The National League of Cities mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about evaluating PFAS treatment and testing technologies. The story highlights the Environmental Technologies Design Option Tool (ETDOT) developed by the National Center for Clean Industrial and Treatment Technologies, which helps model and design pilot treatment systems for communities dealing with PFAS contamination. 

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech’s chapter of the Mu Beta Psi National Honorary Musical Fraternity in a story previewing their annual Miles for Music charity event, which took place Saturday, Oct. 12. The run/walk fundraiser raised funds for the Dollar Bay High School music program. 

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The Keweenaw Report mentioned Michigan Tech alumnus Carlos E. Jorda ’71(B.S. Chemical Engineering), president and CEO of CITGO, in a story about a $100,000 donation from CITGO to enhance the Senior Design Studio for chemical engineering students. The donation will provide hands-on learning opportunities and real-world project experience in the upgraded space.

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Inc.com mentioned Michigan Tech alumna Meredith LaBeau ’04 ’08 ’12 (B.S. Biomedical Engineering, M.S. Environmental Engineering, Ph.D. Environmental Engineering) in a story about Michigan’s growing appeal for talent and business. LaBeau, chief technology officer at Calumet Electronics, praised the graduates from Michigan Tech, noting their hands-on approach and readiness to tackle challenges.

CFO Candidate Presenting at Open Forum Today

The University invited three candidates to interview for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Senior Vice President for Administration position. Each candidate’s interview will be conducted over two days and will include a presentation of their vision for research at Michigan Tech at an open forum.

Candidate Open Forum Presentation:
Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. in MUB Ballroom B
CFO candidate Chris Porter will provide a public presentation titled “Academic Finance and Administration: A Vision for Michigan Tech” at an open forum today, Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. in Ballroom B of the Memorial Union.

Candidate resumes, cover letters, interview dates and open forum information can be viewed at the Chief Financial Officer Search page. A Michigan Tech login is required to view candidate information.

The search committee encourages the campus community to attend and to provide feedback by completing the anonymous comment form provided on the candidate webpage. Feedback forms will be posted immediately following each candidate's visit and remain available for 72 hours following the last candidate’s visit. 

Recordings of the candidate presentations will be available to those who are unable to attend because of a valid scheduling conflict, those working 100% remotely and those who have accommodations. Please contact the Office of the President at hlherman@mtu.edu to request access.

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ChE Accelerated MS Information Session

Are you a chemical engineer considering an advanced degree after you finish your B.S.? Are you a biologist, chemist or engineer who is considering switching directions?

Join the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) and the Michigan Tech Graduate School today, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. in Chem Sci B002 to learn about advanced degree options in chemical engineering and the accelerated master's program.

Learn about:

• Advanced degree options: What options are available and how you can plan ahead.
• How to get a master's degree at MTU for a fraction of the cost and time.
• Options if you don't have a chemical engineering degree.

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Grand Reopening at The Eatery at McNair Hall

Husky Eats would like to invite Michigan Tech campus faculty, staff and community members to join us in celebrating the Grand Reopening of The Eatery at McNair Hall on Thursday, Oct. 17, from 2-4 p.m. Join us for a tour of the updated space and enjoy assorted desserts and pizzas cooked in the new Wood Stone pizza oven.

The Eatery at McNair Hall underwent a complete renovation this past summer, and the transformation has been a huge success. Some exciting new additions include:

• Pitco fryers, Southbend grills and an Electrolux panini press to enhance our cooking capabilities.
• A Vulcan tilt skillet and a walk-in freezer for greater efficiency in our kitchen operations.
• A brand-new chef’s table area designed for teaching kitchens.
• Updates to improve accessibility, including enhanced elevator access and a new hallway leading to the main entrance.

For more information about campus dining halls or retail menus, meal plan options, hours of operation or nutrition information, please visit us online at the Husky Eats website or download the Dine on Campus app.

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

that thing between my teeth is my foot Exhibit - Michigan Tech Art

Tuesday, October 15, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Art Galleries A-Space

MICHIGAN TECH ART SERIES EVENT Douglas Degges is presenting two parallel artistic explorations in the Rozsa A-Space Gallery. Since the fall of 2019, Degges has been creating...

Staff Council Meeting

Tuesday, October 15, 12–1 p.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 404

Join us for the monthly Staff Council meeting! Staff Council exists to support Michigan Tech staff: full-time, part-time, nine-month, or ten-month; non-student, non-faculty....

Chemical Engineering's Accelerated MS Information Session

Tuesday, October 15, 2 p.m. | Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building, B002

Are you a chemical engineer thinking about pursuing an advanced degree after your B.S., or maybe you’re a biologist, chemist, or engineer contemplating a career change? Join...

Degree Program Assessment Workshop

Tuesday, October 15, 2–3 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom A1

Assessment coordinators and other interested faculty are invited to the "Mapping Success: A Guide to Undergraduate Program Assessment" workshop hosted by the Assessment...

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons - Session 1

Tuesday, October 15, 5–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons provides aquatic education for the beginner to intermediate swimmer who is looking to become more comfortable in the water and learn the fundamental...

Adult Huskies Swim Training - Session 1

Tuesday, October 15, 5–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Training provides additional attention and competitive guidance to swimmers ages 18 and older who are looking to improve their swimming skills and fitness...

Python Workshop

Tuesday, October 15, 5–6 p.m. | Rekhi 113

A free, in person, python workshop for beginners!

Keweenaw Accessibility and Advocacy General Meeting

Tuesday, October 15, 6–7 p.m. | wadsworth hall G17/19

Weekly General Meeting

Main Meeting!

Tuesday, October 15, 7–9 p.m. | WADS G42W

Main meeting for our organization where we listen to preaching, take communion and have fellowship