December 18, 2024

“Tomorrow's Needs” is a series of opinion pieces from leaders around campus on the role that Michigan Tech innovators will play to define the world’s emerging needs.

In President Rick Koubek’s September article, he asked: “In 2035, what will society’s most pressing questions be? And what are Michigan Tech’s best opportunities for answering those questions?”

In the discussion’s closing entry, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education Marika Seigel and Robert Hutchinson, professor of accounting and University Senate president, ask three questions examining what 2035 could bring to the higher education landscape.

Seigel and Hutchinson use the COVID-19 pandemic as a landmark. “In the years since, the only constant in the landscape of higher education has been change,” they write. “As soon as we adapt to one challenge, another presents itself. The looming enrollment cliff means we need to rethink recruitment and retention. The increasing ubiquity of artificial intelligence tools means we need to rethink how we structure assignments and how we evaluate them. The decreased public confidence in higher education and uncertain geopolitical situation mean tenure, academic freedom and other foundations of the University are increasingly tenuous.

“These factors paint a dire picture for higher education as a whole in 2035, but they also present opportunities for institutions like Michigan Tech to emerge as leaders in the field.”

Read their full article at Michigan Tech News.

Abby Jurewicz ’24 (B.S. Cybersecurity) was among nearly 100 Huskies in the College of Computing's Class of 2024 who graduated at Midyear Commencement. For her, the milestone is both a personal accomplishment and the continuance of a cherished family tradition.

Learn more about Jurewicz’s education journey (spoiler alert: she’s returning to pursue a health informatics degree at Tech) and find out what her parents majored in on the Computing News Blog.

In recognition of Research Day and the great work happening at Michigan Tech, the Van Pelt and Opie Library (VPOL) would like to shine a spotlight on a project that VPOL staff Angela Badke and Annelise Doll completed over the summer with Pengfei Xue, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) faculty and Great Lakes Research Center associate director, and CEGE graduate student Miraj Kayastha. Their pilot project deposited 2 terabytes of research data, the GLARM-Proj1 dataset, on Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech. 

Visit the Van Pelt and Opie Library Blog to learn more about the project, the research and the policies governing research data for the repository. Look for the Library at Research Day, happening today, Dec. 18, in the MUB. We hope to see you there!

Beginning in January 2025, New Husky Orientation for incoming University employees will be broken into two separate sessions. We will continue with the bi-weekly orientation cadence, which will not affect the hiring process, but we are making some adjustments to the overall structure for a more manageable day.

New employees will still come to the Lakeshore Center on Monday to complete their paperwork, receive parking permits and get their ID cards. Afterward, they'll begin their first day in the department.

The second part of orientation, including larger presentations and training sessions, will now take place once a month in a half-day session on campus.

This change aims to break up the orientation into smaller, more digestible segments, making for a smoother and less lengthy experience. As a reminder, student and temporary hires are not required to attend New Husky Orientation.

If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to reach out to Human Resources through our ticketing portal, hr-help@mtu.edu or via phone 906-487-2280.

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 next monthly Safety Round Table: a place for all Huskies to share a cup of coffee and learn about the importance of campus health and safety.

We invite you to join us on Jan. 8 from 9-10 a.m. MUB Ballroom B.

Topic: Meet the New Faces in EHS

Enjoy a hot beverage and snacks while we introduce you to the new faces in EHS. Who’s on the other side of the SafetySkills emails? Who’s helping you work through the incident and injury reporting process? Who’s available to help with your safety issues in your lab, shop, art studio, office and other workplaces?

Mark your calendars and come meet the EHS staff — and bring us your questions! These Safety Round Tables are a great time to 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… and have a cup of Joe with the Safety Crew!

Michigan Tech hockey's Stiven Sardarian and Logan Morrell have been named CCHA Players of the Week.

Sardarian was named CCHA Forward of the Week. He tallied a league-best six points in the Huskies' Dec. 13-14 series at Bemidji State. He had one assist Friday in a 2-2 tie and then put up five points Saturday with a goal and four assists in the 9-5 victory.

Morrell was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week. He earned five points in the series against the Beavers, scoring a pair of goals each night while also adding an assist for a three-point game on Saturday.

Read more hockey news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech men's basketball first-year forward Grant Warren has been named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. The honor is the first of his career, and he is the first Husky selected for it.

Warren was one of six players to score in double figures in Tech's 106-43 win versus Northland at the SDC Gymnasium on Saturday, Dec. 14. Warren came off the bench and produced 11 points (5-for-7), while also leading MTU with nine rebounds — seven on the defensive end — to go with two steals and a block in 18 minutes of action.

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

Michigan Tech is a recipient of the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence, presented to member schools earning an Academic Success Rate of 90% or higher. It's the fifth straight year the Huskies have been honored.

Michigan Tech student-athletes have a four-year academic success rate (ASR) of 92% across Division II programs. Michigan Tech was the only GLIAC institution to receive the award among the 44 Division II institutions that were recognized.

"The academic success of our student-athletes is extremely important to Michigan Tech Athletics," said Suzanne Sanregret, vice president for athletics and recreation. "A 92% Academic Success Rate is a testament to the quality of the student-athletes that we recruit, the commitment from the coaches to focus on academics as well as athletics, and the holistic approach that we take as a department to support them. Also, considering the academic rigor of Michigan Tech and the challenges associated with travel and missed class time, this is an exceptional accomplishment. I'd like to thank the Michigan Tech faculty and advisors for their support of our student-athletes as they pursue their goals in the classroom and in their sport."

The ASR is based on student-athletes who entered Michigan Tech from 2014-17. Men's and women's Nordic skiing, women's basketball, volleyball, and women's and men's tennis achieved a perfect 100% ASR. Men's and women's cross country and track and field, soccer and football all had over 90%, with every program earning an ASR above the national average.

Football's 92% ASR ranked fourth in the nation across all Division II football programs.

Read more about MTU's NCAA Presidents' Award at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech men's basketball team is traveling to Green Bay for an exhibition tilt against the Phoenix at noon today, Dec. 18, to close out competition for 2024.

A livestream and live stats from the game can be found at the Michigan Tech Athletics Live Events page.

Read the men's basketball preview at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Timothy Colling (CEGE/CTT) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $227,043 other sponsored activities co-op joint agreement from the University of New Mexico.

The project is titled "Training & Technical Assistance to Improve Water Quality and Enable Small Public Water Systems to Provide Safe Drinking Water National Priority Area 1."

The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech hockey’s Stiven Sardarian and Logan Morrell in a story about their CCHA Player of the Week honors. Sardarian was named Offensive Player of the Week, while Morrell earned Rookie of the Week honors.

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Michigan Tech alum Bella Nutini ’21 (B.S. Kinesiology and Exercise Science) was mentioned by the Keweenaw Report as a new member of Aspirus Health’s team of primary care providers. Nutini, a certified physician assistant, specializes in comprehensive and preventative care for adults and children.

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9&10 News mentioned Michigan Tech alum Bob Grove (B.S. Business Administration) in a story about his donation of the historic building that houses the Charlevoix Circle of Arts. Grove, a longtime supporter of the arts community, made the donation to ensure the circle’s future growth and stability.

2025-26 FAFSA Now Open!

Help your student complete the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to maximize their financial aid opportunities.

Have a high school senior(s)?
We recommend that you file prior to Jan. 1 to receive an official financial aid offer in February.

Already have a Michigan Tech student(s)?
We recommend filing the FAFSA by March 1, but no later than June 1. Returning students are packaged for financial aid in late June.

Complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov.

Reminder: Employees with one or more years of service will need to complete a TRIP form as soon as possible in order to receive an accurate financial aid offer.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Financial Aid at finaid@mtu.edu or 906-487-2622.

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Save the Date: Spring 2025 Research DC Trip – Apply by Feb. 26

Apply now for the spring 2025 Michigan Tech Faculty DC Trip, a long-standing tradition of connecting researchers to funding agencies and other collaboration opportunities in the nation’s capital city.

The Research Development office is helping to plan research theme-focused trips while keeping many of the programmatic staples from prior trips. With focused trips, we are expecting to have two to three smaller trips per year. This spring, the trip will have a health-related research focus. Health is broadly defined. Even if you don’t think you do health-related research, you are welcome to apply and join the trip. We look forward to working with potential participants on the logistics of pulling together an impactful experience.

Applications
For the 2025 DC Trip, we request all who are interested, even if you are unsure, to complete a short application. The application is a nonbinding submission that helps us understand the distribution of the group's characteristics. You’ll notice that the new interest form gives several weeks for you to give input. We will have a small group of reviewers look at the applications, which will inform the distribution of cost-share from MTU's Health Research Institute, colleges and VPR. We ask that interested researchers apply by completing the application by Feb. 26.

Check out our DC Trip Timeline for sessions, deadlines and expectations.

Next up in the timeline is: 

• Fill out the application form by Feb. 26.
• Plan on joining us on Jan. 16 at noon for a hybrid session featuring DC Trip info and a Q&A.
• Talk to chairs and deans about attending.
• Make a list of program officers.

If you have any interest at all in the DC Trip, please fill out the short application form. We will be limiting all future communications about the DC Trip to those who fill out the form.

The DC Trip website will continue to be updated.

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Chemical Engineering Office Closure

The offices of the Department of Chemical Engineering will be closed on Monday, Dec. 23, due to staff vacations and appointments. The office will reopen on Jan. 2 after the winter break.

We wish everyone a safe and joyful holiday season!

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Career Services Classroom Presentations

Get your students career ready! Navigating the world of career readiness can be daunting for both students and instructors, but you don’t have to navigate it alone! Career Services can help by talking to your students on a variety of career-related topics, including resumes, networking, goal setting, professionalism or any other tailored topic. Presentations fit within class times, so it is easy to include us in your syllabus. If you know you will be traveling, schedule us to speak to your class instead!

We are now planning for the spring semester and would love to work with you. Please use our Request Form to see a detailed list of topics and request a presentation today.

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Winter Break Hours for Campus Store, University Images

Winter break hours for the Campus Store and University Images are as follows:

Campus Store Winter Break Hours:

Week of Dec. 16

• Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: Closed

Week of Dec. 23

• Monday-Sunday: Closed

Week of Dec. 30

• Monday-Wednesday: Closed
• Thursday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Saturday: 12-4 p.m.
• Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

University Images Winter Break Hours:

Week of Dec. 16

• Monday-Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday: 1-5 p.m.

Week of Dec. 23

• Monday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Tuesday-Thursday: Closed
• Friday-Saturday: 12-7:30 p.m.
• Sunday: Closed

Week of Dec. 30

• Monday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Tuesday-Wednesday: Closed
• Thursday-Saturday: 12-5 p.m.
• Sunday: Closed

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Tech Today Holiday Break

The last Tech Today of 2024 will be published Friday, Dec. 20. After Friday, Tech Today will go on holiday break. We will resume publication for 2025 on Jan. 6.

Items for Friday's and Jan. 6's Tech Today should be submitted through our Submit a Story form by the following deadlines:

• Friday, Dec. 20: items due tomorrow, Dec. 19, by noon
• Monday, Jan. 6: items due Friday, Dec. 20, by noon

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Michigan Tech Hosts 2024 OneUP Copper Trail Festival Attended by Local Youth

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, 500 middle school students from 15 Western Upper Peninsula schools came to Michigan Tech's campus to attend the 2024 OneUP Copper Trail Festival, hosted at the SDC. Students engaged with over 55 hands-on STEM demonstrations and learned about in-demand careers, resources and educational opportunities.

The Center for Educational Outreach (CEO) would like to thank all the departments, student organizations and Michigan Tech faculty, staff and students who volunteered their time to make this event a success! The event was also supported by dozens of external exhibitors from both local businesses and nonprofit organizations, and event partners including Michigan Tech Mind Trekkers, UP Michigan Works!, MiSTEM Network and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Photos from the event can be found on CEO's Flickr page!

Our next event will take place at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Jan. 29 and 30. Academic departments are invited to join us as exhibitors to showcase educational opportunities. To learn more, please reach out to us at outreach@mtu.edu.

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

Research Day 2024 2.0

Wednesday, December 18, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom

Research Day 2024 2.0 will be held Dec. 18, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Memorial Union Building. Everyone is invited to join us for a time of learning,...

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Processes, Flow, and Waste: Lean Fundamentals

Wednesday, December 18, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

In this fun and interactive workshop, you'll practice visualizing the fundamental Lean concepts of flow and waste and see how you can apply them to your job right away. You'll...