November 19, 2024

Two representatives of women's leadership are needed from among Michigan Tech's staff, faculty or administrators to serve as institutional representatives of MTU for the Michigan American Council on Education Women’s Network (MI-ACE). Michigan Tech recently joined MI-ACE for the first time through the support of Provost Andrew Storer.

MI-ACE is a professional networking and leadership organization for Michigan women in higher education. It has more than 45 member institutions in the state and connects with 43 state networks through the national ACE Inclusive Excellence Group. The organization is an opportunity to grow leadership skills and make connections throughout the state and across the country.

Michigan Tech's two institutional representatives (IRs) will serve as liaisons between MI-ACE and MTU, and communicate opportunities. Our IRs will work within our campus and with other campuses to promote professional development of women leaders in Michigan higher education institutions. Deans Michelle Scherer (COE) and LaReesa Wolfenbarger (CSA) will support the two IRs' travel to the annual state conference.

If you are interested, please send a resume or CV and a brief one- to two-paragraph letter describing your interest to LaReesa Wolfenbarger at llwolfen@mtu.edu by end of the day on Dec. 3. The deans will review the submissions and select the two representatives.

The Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET) has announced a new Ph.D. program in manufacturing engineering. This new program will emphasize research of the most viable and efficient processes used during fabrication, shaping, machining and assembly, and will provide an ability for students with a master's degree to further their domain knowledge and expertise in the field.

Read the official announcement on the College of Engineering Blog and find more specifics on curriculum and career outlook on the MMET department blog.

Benefits Services encourages all benefits eligible employees at Michigan Tech to take the time to review the changes to next year’s benefits package and to consider attending our last 2025 Benefits Open Enrollment informational session for detailed guidance.

The final 2025 Benefits Open Enrollment informational presentation is tonight, Nov. 19, from 5-6 p.m. in MUB Ballroom A. Interested employees can also attend via Zoom.

Join the Open Enrollment Info Session on Zoom.

If you cannot attend, a recorded presentation is now available on the 2025 Benefits Open Enrollment website.

The 2025 Benefits Open Enrollment is an active enrollment, which means all benefits eligible employees are required to complete Open Enrollment.

• Open Enrollment Period: Began Monday, Nov. 11, and ends Monday, Nov. 25
• Benefits Plan Year: Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025

Please reach out to Benefits Services with questions at 906-487-2517 or hr-help@mtu.edu.

Summer Youth Programs (SYP) invites faculty, staff and departments to submit proposals for new and innovative courses for summer 2025. We are seeking engaging, hands-on courses that inspire middle and high school students (grades 6-11) in STEM, arts and leadership.

Proposal Guidelines:

• Target Audience: Students in grades 6-8 or 9-11
• Course Length: One week (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Course Dates: July 6-11, July 13-18, or July 20-25
• Focus Areas: STEM disciplines, creative arts, computing, leadership development and career exploration
• Hands-On Learning: Courses should provide interactive, experiential learning opportunities.

For more details on proposal submission or to submit a course idea, please email syplogic@mtu.edu by Dec. 9 and a member of our team will contact you to schedule a meeting.

Help shape the future by inspiring the next generation of doers and makers!

The University Senate will convene Meeting 708 at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, in Chem Sci 102.

Those within the University community unable to attend in person have the option to attend the University Senate meeting via Zoom. Please note: You will need to log in to your MTU Zoom account to join the virtual meeting.

Senators are responsible for making their constituents aware of the agenda for this meeting. Senators who are unable to attend should arrange for their alternates to attend in their place.

View the agenda to Meeting 708.

This past Saturday, Nov. 16, Michigan Tech's Mind Trekkers brought the fun and excitement of STEM to life with hands-on science, technology, engineering and math demonstrations at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw in Houghton.

There’s still time to join us for an even larger event — the 2024 OneUP Copper Trail Festival, being held on Dec. 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Michigan Tech's Student Development Complex. Come make a difference! Whether you're showcasing your organization or lending a hand behind the scenes, your involvement is what helps make our events shine!

Find out more about the event and sign up at the 2024 OneUP Copper Trail Festival website.

Come hear CFRES Associate Professor Carsten Külheim discuss his current research at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, in Noblet G002.

Külheim's presentation is titled “Assisted migration of red oaks.”

Paul Goestch, assistant professor of biological sciences at MTU, will present as part of the BioSci Seminar Series at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, in GLRC 202 or virtually via Zoom.

Join the BioSci Seminar on Zoom.

Goestch’s presentation is titled “Engineering Caenorhabditis elegans-based CUREs to understand how the DREAM complex protects cellular identity.”

From the abstract:
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) engage students in hands-on, authentic research, aiming to build student confidence and deepen their understanding of key scientific concepts. As part of my National Science Foundation CAREER award, I am re- envisioning my research on how the DREAM complex protects cellular identity in Caenorhabditis elegans as a platform for introducing undergraduate students to life science research. The highly conserved DREAM complex protects cellular identity in two known genetic pathways: (1) DREAM loss-of-function alone causes ectopic expression of germline genes in somatic cells, a conserved phenomenon that is called a soma-to-germline transformation, and (2) DREAM loss-of-function in combination with SynMuv A mutations causes a multivulva phenotype where ectopic activation of LIN-3/EGF leads to abnormal specification of multiple vulval precursor cells. Here, I will discuss the progress and challenges encountered while adapting experimental screens in a distributive classroom model. Each CURE iteration revealed insights into optimizing C. elegans as a platform for discovery and opened exciting new avenues of inquiry in my research lab.

Michigan Tech women's basketball team split its home-opening weekend at the SDC Gymnasium.

Led by sophomore guard Alyssa Wypych with 16 points, Tech closed out a home opening victory over Bemidji State 85-57 on Friday, Nov. 15.

"I think we shared the ball really well — statistically we had 18 assists to only eight turnovers. I think that's a great stat we're hoping to keep moving forward. We still had some silly turnovers, but we have a lot of young players playing a lot of minutes and learning — but we shared the ball well and are playing unselfish basketball," said Tech head women's basketball coach Sam Clayton.

Tech followed the win with a 90-68 loss to Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, Nov. 16.

"I'm obviously disappointed, especially defensively," Clayton said. "We do have five underclassmen playing a ton of minutes. We were a step slow on rotations and Crookston made us pay. Once they got on a roll, they made tough shots and we weren't able to catch up.

"We have a young roster and a limited roster at this point. We will learn from this on film and with repetitions in practice."

Read more women's basketball news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech volleyball team wrapped up the regular season with a victory and a sweep.

The Huskies defeated Saginaw Valley State 3-1 on Friday, Nov. 15, at Hamilton Gym. Tech won 25-20, 19-25, 25-21 and 25-18.

“Winning on the road late in the season isn’t easy in this league,” Tech coach Matt Jennings said. “I’m glad we got it done here tonight, and I thought we played well for most of the match. We’re looking forward to picking it back up tomorrow in what’s a pretty quick turnaround.”

MTU closed out the regular season with a 3-0 sweep at Lake Superior State on Saturday, Nov. 16. The Huskies only trailed once in the match and won 25-16, 25-20 and 25-13.

"Our goal was to finish the regular season strong and to build momentum heading into the postseason," Jennings said. "I think we did that in part here today. The offense was spread out very nicely and we had some clutch defense at the net and in the backcourt that made a difference."

The Huskies are the No. 5 seed in the GLIAC Tournament and will open at No. 4 Wayne State tomorrow, Nov. 20. The Black and Gold have won five of their last six outings.

Read more volleyball news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

After trailing 28-10 heading into the fourth quarter, the Michigan Tech football team strung together 22 unanswered points to pull off a 32-28 comeback over Saginaw Valley State at the Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium to close the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The win lifts Michigan Tech to its first seven-win season in the Dan Mettlach coaching era and the first since 2015, where the team finished 7-3. It was the Huskies' first victory against the Cardinals since 2021 and their first road win since 2017.

"It took us until the fourth quarter for all three phases to play together, but I was proud of how the guys came out at halftime. There was no giving up — the defense played a really good game," said Mettlach. "The special teams came through and I'm super proud of the way (quarterback) Alex Fries played in his last game — there were a lot of good throws, but the plays he made with his feet today, the toughness he showed today, was incredible stuff. Everybody that was on the bus today showed up, and it was an awesome win for Michigan Tech. It's an awesome deal for these guys leaving the program and a good note to go into the off-season with the guys we have returning."

Read more football news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech men's basketball lost twice during the season's first road trip to Minnesota.

Although first-year guard Ty Fernholz recorded a career-high 23 points and junior guard Marcus Tomashek added 22, the Michigan Tech men's basketball team couldn't overcome a great shooting night by Winona State, falling 90-78 at the McCown Gymnasium on a Saturday, Nov. 16.

"Credit to Winona State," Tech men's basketball coach Josh Buettner said. "They played well and we couldn't get a stop. To beat good teams on the road you need to be able to come up with stops, and until we commit to that we will have our struggles."

In the second road match, Tomashek recorded his eighth career 30-point game — but Michigan Tech could not overcome 20-point performances by two Golden Bears, falling to Concordia-St. Paul 83-67 on Sunday, Nov. 17.

"We talked about defense the last 24 hours, and I thought we competed better on that side of the floor," Buettner said. "Our execution slipped on offense and that can't happen if you want to win that game."

Read more men's basketball news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech Super Smash Bros. team concluded its fall 2024 campaign as one of the top eight teams in the nation.

Finishing the regular season with an impressive 4-1 record, the Huskies qualified for the Playfly Varsity Premiere Playoffs, where their season ended with a hard-fought first-round exit against St. John's University. While the early playoff loss stings, the season was an undeniable triumph, showcasing growth, resilience and teamwork.

Read about Tech's remarkable Super Smash Bros. season at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Wednesday, Nov. 20
• Overwatch will be taking on Cumberland University at 8:30 p.m.

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Esports News
Read more in the MTU Esports weekly update.

Missed a game? Past MTU Esports streams are available on YouTube.

Wednesday, Nov. 20
• Volleyball at Wayne State in GLIAC Tournament, 7 p.m. on FloCollege

Friday, Nov. 22
• Men's Basketball at Minnesota Duluth, 7 p.m.
• Hockey vs. Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m. at MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Mix 93 WKMJ and Midco Sports Plus

Saturday, Nov. 23
• Volleyball at GLIAC Semifinal
• Cross Country at NCAA DII Cross Country Championships (Sacramento, Calif.), 1 p.m.
• Women's Basketball at St. Cloud State, 1 p.m.
• Men's Basketball vs. MSU Moorhead (Duluth, Minn.), 3 p.m.
• Hockey vs. Minnesota State, 6:07 p.m. at MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Mix 93 WKMJ and Midco Sports Plus

Sunday, Nov. 24
• Volleyball at GLIAC Championship
• Women's Basketball at Minnesota Duluth, 1 p.m.

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Athletics News
Read more in the MTU Athletics weekly update.

Graduate students and researchers from the Department of Physics are collaborators on a paper published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Ph.D. candidate Rhiannon Turner is the paper's lead author. Co-authors include Ph.D. candidates Samuel Groetsch and Mahsa Najafi, as well as Petra Huentemeyer and Xiaojie Wang.

The paper is titled "Testing the molecular cloud paradigm for ultra-high-energy gamma ray emission from the direction of SNR G106.3+2.7."

The paper explores a PeVatron candidate located in the northern part of our galaxy’s plane and aims to answer a long-standing question for the region — where are the PeV cosmic rays being accelerated?

"When most people think of astronomy, they imagine the night sky sparkling with stars, or our Milky Way galaxy painted across the sky. However, there is an entire astrophysical world untouchable by the naked eye," said Turner, the paper's corresponding author. "The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory is a wide-field gamma-ray observatory located in Puebla, Mexico, that is operated by a worldwide collaboration. HAWC surveys two-thirds of the sky throughout the day and is sensitive to particles with energies ranging from 100s GeV to 100s TeV, which is about a trillion times more energetic than visible light. These highly energetic particles give us a way to probe extreme astrophysical objects, like Galactic pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), electron-positron winds surrounding a fast-rotating neutron star (or pulsar); and shell-type supernova remnants (SNRs), the ejecta and shock fronts left behind after a star’s core collapse and explosion. These objects are able to accelerate particles known as cosmic-rays up to PeV (10^15 eV) energies. These types of accelerators are known as Pevatrons."

In the paper, HAWC collaborators present an updated analysis on the Boomerang region, which is home to two possible PeVatrons: supernova remnant G106.3+2.7 and the boomerang shaped pulsar wind nebula from pulsar J2229+6114. This analysis probes the highest energy emission for this region (>56 TeV) and utilizes molecular clouds, dense regions of molecular hydrogen, to model the region's shape.

"This modeling technique has not previously been used for a PeVatron study, but the good spatial coincidence between the molecular cloud and the gamma-ray emission in this region provides confirmation that this new avenue for PeVatron identification could help close the information gap for which astrophysical objects accelerate cosmic-rays to PeV energies," said Turner.

Undergraduate student and Mind Trekkers Vice President Kira Shaffer (chemistry) was quoted by WLUC TV6 and the Daily Mining Gazette in stories about a STEM open house hosted by Mind Trekkers at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw in Houghton. Shaffer highlighted the importance of engaging students with hands-on STEM demonstrations to spark curiosity and interest in science.

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Tara Bal (CFRES) was quoted and Katie Bershing (CFRES) was mentioned by the Iosco County News-Herald and Radio Results Network in stories about oak wilt prevention. Bal shared insights from ongoing research, recommending winter as the safest time to prune oak trees to minimize the risk of infection. 

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Pit & Quarry mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the Mine Safety and Health Administration awarding $10.5 million in grants nationwide. Michigan Tech received $283,429 to support training programs aimed at reducing mine accidents, injuries and illnesses.

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The Mining Journal mentioned Michigan Tech’s Julia Pietila and Olivia Gette in a story about the GLIAC postseason soccer awards. Pietila was named to the All-GLIAC First Team, while Gette earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honors.

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Michigan Tech alum Dan Green ’12 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) was a guest on the Nov. 15 episode of NASA’s Houston We Have a Podcast. In the episode, titled “Suited for the Moon,” Green discussed his role as space suit design engineer at David Clark Company, focusing on the development of the Orion Crew Survival System suits for NASA’s Artemis missions.

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The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency mentioned Michigan Tech alum Aston Purdom ’24 (B.S. Cybersecurity) in a story about its 2024 summer intern program. Purdom developed automations for the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Report Engine, reducing the need for manual reporting and saving significant time on assessments.

LGBTQIA+ Campus Social

The Student Success Council Sense of Belonging group invites you to attend an LGBTQIA+ campus social! This event is open to students, faculty and staff. This is an opportunity to meet and network with others on campus who are in and support the LGBTQIA+ community. All are welcome. Refreshments will be provided.

The social will take place in the MUB Alumni Lounge today, Nov. 19, from 5-7 p.m. This event is informal, so feel free to stop by for a few minutes or stay for the entire two hours!

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Composing, Coding, and Conversing in AI Work Session

Ever wanted a block of time when you could just write, code or network with your peers? The Center for Artificial Intelligence’s Composing, Coding, and Conversing in AI group aims to provide people working in AI the opportunity to do so!

Join our work session from 10-11:30 a.m. tomorrow, Nov. 20, in Rekhi 101. At this event, the Center for AI will reserve an uninterrupted 25 minutes for writing or coding, followed by five minutes of networking and discussion. This will happen three times during the session, lasting 1.5 hours total.

This will be an event aimed at promoting productivity while also learning more about what your peers are doing in AI. Feel free to join anytime during the session. Refreshments will be served!

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La Peña Spanish Conversation Hour

Join us tonight, Nov. 19, for the last Peña of the semester!

Come unwind and meet new people at the Spanish Conversation Hour, all while you refresh your Spanish! We'll play board games and chat.

Everybody is welcome. We will meet from 5-6 p.m. in the HDMZ (Humanities Digital Media Zone), Walker 120A.

See you there!

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USG Post-Election Stress Roundtable

Join Undergraduate Student Government (USG) for a Post-Election Stress Roundtable discussion on Thursday, Nov. 21, from 7-9 p.m. in MUB Ballroom B.

The roundtable will be a supportive space to discuss the 2024 General Election and the electoral process. Join us to share your thoughts and learn more about how U.S. elections are held. There will be guest speakers taking questions and discussing the election process.

Stop in to:

• Ask questions of educated individuals on the election process
• Discuss stress in a changing administration
• Share concerns for the future

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

Master's Defense: Lily Hart

Tuesday, November 19, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.

Kinesiology Advisor: Carolyn Duncan Contribution of Gaze Behavior in Reactive Balance due to Decreased Environmental Lighting Attend Virtually:...

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PhD Defense: Sunyoung Ahn

Tuesday, November 19, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | R. L. Smith Building (MEEM), 405

Computational Science and Engineering Advisor: Xiao Zhang BAYESIAN INFERENCE OF LONGITUDINAL BINARY AND ORDINAL DATA UTILIZING MULTIVARIATE PROBIT MODELS

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Staff Council Meeting

Tuesday, November 19, 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....

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Take Your Job Search Home for the Holidays

Tuesday, November 19, 12–1 p.m.

We will share job search strategies you can use over the holiday break.

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Electron Microscopy Consultation Sessions

Tuesday, November 19, 1–3 p.m. | Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M), 607

As part of ACMAL actions to strengthen the electron microscopy user base at Tech, Dr. Erico Freitas is offering a few hours of free-of-charge consultations in November for the...

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Lets Talk

Tuesday, November 19, 1–3 p.m. | CDI Basement

Let’s Talk allows students to have a brief conversation with an MTU counselor. This meeting is free, informal, & confidential for all students who would like to have a...

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Master's Defense: Sepehr Mohammadi

Tuesday, November 19, 1–2 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 873

Civil Engineering Advisor: Zhanping You RECYCLING WASTE PLASTICS FROM E-WASTE AND HOUSEHOLD SOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE ASPHALT CONSTRUCTION

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Master's Defense: Venkatanand ram Addepalli

Tuesday, November 19, 3–4 p.m. | Rekhi Hall, 217

Health Informatics Advisor: Guy Hembroff Assessing Alzheimer’s Dementia Through Verbal Communication and Large Language Models Attend Virtually:...

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Huskies Swim Training - Session 2

Tuesday, November 19, 4–5 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Huskies Swim Training is a program that provides additional attention and competitive guidance to advanced swimmers looking to focus on stroke technique and...

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Adult Huskies Swim Lessons - Session 2

Tuesday, November 19, 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...

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Adult Huskies Swim Training - Session 2

Tuesday, November 19, 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...

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La Peña - Spanish Conversation Hour

Tuesday, November 19, 5–6 p.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, HDMZ 120A

Please, join us from 5-6PM in the HDMZ 120A for a very special last Peña of this Fall semester. SHPE, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, will present "Exploring...

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LGBTQIA+ Social

Tuesday, November 19, 5–7 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Alumni Lounge

The Student Success Council Sense of Belonging group invites you to attend an LGBTQIA+ campus social! This event is open to students, faculty, and staff. This is an...

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Open Enrollment Informational Session

Tuesday, November 19, 5–6 p.m. | MUB - Ballroom A

Michigan Tech's Open Enrollment is an annual opportunity to assess your individual or family health benefits needs. This year's 2025 Benefits Open Enrollment will begin on...

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Python Workshop

Tuesday, November 19, 5–6 p.m. | Rekhi 113

A free, in person, python workshop for beginners!

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Optimizing LinkedIn for the Job Search

Tuesday, November 19, 5:15–6:00 p.m.

This hands-on workshop will teach you how to use LinkedIn to attract recruiters and search for jobs.

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Bible Study - John

Tuesday, November 19, 7–9 p.m. | Campus House

Join us every Tuesday at 7:00pm for a Bible study of the Gospel of John! We investigate who Jesus is and ask questions of the text. Following our meeting we have a homecooked...

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Main Meeting!

Tuesday, November 19, 7–9 p.m. | WADS G42W

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

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Weekly Meeting

Tuesday, November 19, 7–9 p.m. | Guys' House

His House meets every Tuesday evening for worship, Bible study, fellowship and food! Join us at our campus house on Blanche Street! Hope to see you soon!