December 20, 2024

A planned steam shutdown will occur on Thursday, Dec. 26, from 6 a.m. to noon.

This outage is required to provide for the maintenance of our steam distribution system on campus. This planned maintenance improves the reliability of our system and reduces the likelihood of an unplanned failure.

Note: During the steam shutdown, the affected buildings will have no heat or hot water. Distilled water will not be available from the steam-driven stills, and steam-driven autoclaves/sterilizers will not be operational.

Buildings Affected:

• U. J. Noblet Forestry Building
• Student Development Complex
• Wadsworth Hall
• McNair Hall
• Hillside Place

If there are questions or concerns with this plan, contact Steve Store, energy plant manager, at 906-487-2706 (office), 906-390-6336 (cell) or scstore@mtu.edu.

Earlier this year, the Wolf-Moose Foundation established an endowment fund to support the Isle Royale wolf-moose project, the world's longest-running predator-prey study. With a goal of raising $2.2 million, the endowment aims to ensure long-term funding for essential research activities such as aerial surveys, field equipment maintenance and sample analysis.

The Isle Royale wolf-moose project, launched in 1958, has led to groundbreaking discoveries in ecology and is featured in over 11 textbooks. Despite its global influence and contributions to conservation, funding challenges have made sustaining its operations increasingly difficult.

To date, $190,000 has been raised for the endowment, with additional pledges expected early next year. However, this represents only about 10% of the needed funding. You can help secure the future of this vital research by making a donation or volunteering to support fundraising and educational efforts.

You can donate online to the Wolf-Moose Foundation Endowment Fund or via check written out to the Michigan Tech Fund. Please make sure to specify that the donation is for the Wolf-Moose Foundation Endowment Fund (5802A).

Checks can be mailed to:

Michigan Tech Fund
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1295

Looking for a unique holiday gift? Consider donating in a loved one's name to honor their appreciation for this extraordinary project.

To volunteer or learn more about the work being carried out by the Wolf-Moose Foundation, visit the foundation's website.

Save the Date: Career Services is hosting an on-campus jobs expo on Jan. 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge in the MUB. Students are encouraged to come check out the job opportunities available right here on campus. Many Michigan Tech departments will be represented.

If your department has not signed up and would like to attend, please contact Career Services at careerfair@mtu.edu.

As the One Hundred Ph.D. Working Group began working on their charge, it was clear that additional representation was needed.

In order to keep the campus community informed, an update on the current membership of the working group is below.

• Yu Cai, associate dean, CC
• Will Cantrell (chair), associate provost and dean, Grad School
• Dan Carney, chief human resources officer, HR
• Natasha Chopp, director of research operations and faculty liaison, VPR
• Molly Cavaleri, associate dean and grad program director, CFRES
• Barbara Dai, associate chair for research, CEGE
• Shiyue Fang, professor, Chem
• Wayne Gersie, vice president for engagement and belonging
• Holly Hassel, professor, HU; University Senate representative
• Caryn Heldt, director, HRI
• Melissa Keranen, chair, Math
• Jennifer Nish, associate professor, HU
• Lauren Sprague, GSG representative
• Stephen Techtmann, associate director, GLRC

The Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Enterprise Program, and Pavlis Honors College will be closed beginning Monday, Dec. 23, due to staff vacations and appointments. The office will reopen on Jan. 6 after the winter break.

We wish everyone a safe and joyful holiday season!

The office of the Department of Engineering Fundamentals will be closed starting Monday, Dec. 23, and will reopen Jan. 2.

If you need immediate assistance, please email dfsaari@mtu.edu.

Michigan Tech first-year forward Tom Leppa has been named to Team Finland's preliminary roster for the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, being held in Ottawa, Ontario, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.

Leppa, a native of Kauniainen, Finland, has skated all 16 games for the Huskies this season at center. He has tallied two goals and three assists with a plus-2, while ranking second on the team with 111 faceoff wins. Leppa scored Tech's game-winning goal at Northern Michigan on Nov. 2. He also found the back of the net against Minnesota State on Nov. 22.

Leppa traveled north to Canada to meet with Team Finland after Tech's Dec. 14 win at Bemidji State. Leading up to the tournament, Finland is set to play exhibition games against Slovakia today, Dec. 20, and Team USA on Monday, Dec. 23. The training camp roster includes 26 players and will be trimmed to 25 after the exhibition games.

Read more hockey news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech football senior punter Brenden Lach has been named to the 2024 D2CCA All-America Team. Lach was selected to the All-America Second Team Defense.

This marks the second All-America distinction for Lach, who was announced as an AFCA Second Team All-American earlier this week.

Read more football news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech men's basketball team, backed by a 30-point outing by junior guard Marcus Tomashek, rounded the 2024 slate with a 72-70 exhibition victory over Green Bay in front of 5,207 fans for Education Day at the Resch Center on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

"For the first 10 or 12 minutes of the game, I felt like we were playing harder than them and then we had a five- or six-minute stretch where they got second chances and got to loss balls — we did our stuff better and just competed at a higher level," Tech head coach Josh Buettner said.

"I hope our guys are confident," he continued. "We've been playing really well at home and we hung around in a Division I gym without hitting any 3-pointers in the first half. It got loud in here when the kids got going, and it was a great experience for our guys who are from the greater Green Bay area — and a chance to come home and play the local Division I team is a big thing for them."

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

Adam Wellstead (SS) is a co-author of a paper published in the International Review of Public Policy.

The paper is titled "Pathways to learning in data-based policy innovation labs."

Additional co-authors include Sojeong Kim of Soongsil University, South Korea, and Tanya Heikkila of the University of Colorado-Denver.

Stephanie Carpenter's (HU) forthcoming novel, “Moral Treatment,” received advance reviews by Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. The novel is set in 1889-90 in a hospital modeled after the Northern Michigan Asylum in Carpenter’s hometown of Traverse City. It won the inaugural Summit Series prize from Central Michigan University Press and will be released on Feb. 25, 2025.

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Michigan Tech was mentioned by Virginia’s Cardinal News in a story about Virginia Tech’s increase in federally funded research. The article highlighted a study from Michigan Tech showing how university research in rural areas creates jobs and tax revenue, further emphasizing the economic impact of research investments.

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Michigan Tech men's basketball's exhibition win over Division I opponent UW-Green Bay was covered by ESPN, the Associated Press, SB Nation, The Detroit News, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, MLive and over 310 other U.S. outlets. Junior guard Marcus Tomashek scored 30 points in the game, including a crucial 3-pointer with 53 seconds left, leading the Huskies to a 72-70 victory over the Phoenix.

Banner Maintenance on Sunday

A Banner maintenance window is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 22 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The following production services will be unavailable during that time:

• apps.mtu.edu
• Banner
• Banweb
• MyMichiganTech
• Aspire
• Course Tools
• OAP Rental System
• Oracle Reports
• UC4/Appworx
• Virtual Cashiering
• WebFocus

If you have any questions or concerns, we can help. Email IT at it-help@mtu.edu or call 906-487-1111.

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Spring MTU Aquatics: Register Now!

Registration for spring 2025 Michigan Tech Aquatics programs is open!

Swimming programs are offered at the SDC for all ages and ability levels. We hope to see you at the pool!

• Adult Huskies Swim Training (ages 18 years and older)
• Adult Huskies Swim Lessons (ages 18 years and older)
• Huskies Group Swim Lessons Parent & Child Aquatics (ages 6 months to 3 years)
• Huskies Group Swim Lessons Preschool Aquatics (ages 4-5 years)
• Huskies Group Swim Lessons Learn to Swim Levels 1-5 (ages 6-17 years)
• Huskies Swim Training (ages 6-17 years)
• Private and Semi-Private Lessons

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

If the class you are looking for is full, please fill out the waitlist form or contact Aquatics Manager Annie Bengry at ambengry@mtu.edu or 906-487-2995. We will try to add additional sections based on demand.

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Tech Today Holiday Break

Today, Dec. 20, is the last Tech Today of 2024. Starting Monday, Dec. 23, Tech Today will be on holiday break. We will resume publication for 2025 on Jan. 6.

Items for the Jan. 6 Tech Today should be submitted through our Submit a Story form by noon today.

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Michigan Tech Archives Extended Winter Break Closure

In preparation for winter break, please note that the Michigan Tech Archives will be closed for the holidays from today, Dec. 20, until Jan. 6. Phone calls and emails to the archives during that time will be returned after Jan. 6.

In addition, appointments to visit the archives will be unavailable until Jan. 20. This extended hiatus will allow our staff to focus on readying new and improved collections for your research! Remote reference services will continue to be available in January via copper@mtu.edu or 906-487-2505.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions. We hope everyone has a safe break and a joyful holiday season!

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2024 Flexible Spending Account Claims Deadline

The Benefits Office would to remind employees that the deadline to submit claims for their 2024 Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is March 15, 2025. Health care and dependent care claims during the 2024 calendar year are eligible if the date of service was in 2024. Any money remaining in the account after March 15 is forfeited per IRS regulations.

Dependent care claims require an invoice or receipt from the provider. All medical, dental and optical claims should be processed through your insurance plans before submitting them to your health care reimbursement account.

Attach the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or a claim summary from your insurance plan to the claim form when submitting a claim. For expenses not processed through insurance, submit the itemized receipt.

More information and the FSA claim form can be found online on the Human Resources Flex Spending Accounts page.

For questions, contact Benefits Services at benefits@mtu.edu or call 906-487-2517.

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