January 29, 2025

Skyler Spitzley remembers building her first Winter Carnival snow statue as a new Husky. Now she’s leading the entire event.

“I feel like I’m running a business,” said Spitzley, the current president of Blue Key National Honor Society. It’s a role that suits the business management major, who is concentrating her studies in operations and supply chain management. “I love that I get to be a part of something bigger than myself. Because I’m part of this organization, I get to impact so many people!”

Get more insights on Blue Key’s role in carrying on a beloved and well-known Tech tradition and find out what Spitzley is taking away from her endeavors at Stories from Husky Nation.

Last year, Michigan Tech’s Department of Public Safety and Police Services began the process of becoming an Active Bystandership in Law Enforcement (ABLE) agency, which is conducted in partnership with Georgetown Law's ABLE Project. This past winter break, Public Safety command staff, officers and dispatchers successfully completed ABLE training, which was the final step to becoming a certified agency. The training demonstrates the department’s continued commitment to providing the highest quality of service to the campus community.

Michigan Tech’s Department of Public Safety and Police Services is one of only five ABLE agencies in the state of Michigan, and the only institution of higher education to receive such an honor.

The ABLE Project builds upon decades of social science research and on-the-ground experience to develop and deliver practical, scenario-based training for police agencies in the strategies and tactics of police peer intervention. In short, the program aims to create a culture within the department where employees feel empowered to proactively intervene and accept intervention, should a situation call for it.

To become an ABLE agency, a law enforcement agency must commit to training that provides practical active bystandership strategies to prevent misconduct, reduce officer mistakes and promote health and wellness. The agency must also align their policies and practices to allow its members to successfully intervene, or accept interventions, which aim to prevent harm and promote health.

Public Safety would like to thank Temple Jacob and Copper Shores Community Support and Outreach for writing letters of support to ABLE, which are a necessary component to becoming an ABLE agency.

Student Leadership and Involvement is excited to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our Greek community members. On Sunday, Jan. 26, at the 19th annual Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards ceremony, we recognized the service, leadership and hard work of our 19 Greek chapters and award winners. Many student leaders and chapters made their mark in academics, volunteerism, philanthropy and member development this past academic year. Join us in honoring these individuals and organizations for their contributions!

Congratulations to all the 2025 winners!

• Fraternity Member of the Year: Nolan Janeczko
• Sorority Member of the Year: Mariah Mellendorf
• Outstanding New Fraternity Member of the Year: Joey Steinl
• Outstanding New Sorority Member of the Year: Avery Herman
• Outstanding Chapter Advisor: Ellen Horsch
• Outstanding Chapter President: Hunter Perry
• Outstanding Leadership in a Greek Council: Seth Parish
• Spirit of Greek Leadership: Gracie Brownlow
• Outstanding Staff Award: Travis Wakeham
• Outstanding Faculty Award: Kyle Griffin (ChE)
• Outstanding Man Scholarship: Aidan Doyle
• Fraternity Chapter of the Year: Lambda Chi Alpha
• Sorority Chapter of the Year: Alpha Gamma Delta
• Outstanding New Member Program: Delta Phi Epsilon
• Outstanding Academic Program: Delta Phi Epsilon
• Outstanding Risk Management Program: Alpha Gamma Delta
• Outstanding Alumni Relations Program: Alpha Sigma Tau
• Outstanding Community Service/Philanthropy Initiative: Delta Zeta
• Outstanding Well-being Initiative: Alpha Gamma Delta
• Outstanding Greek Relations: Phi Delta Chi
• Outstanding Member Development Program: Alpha Gamma Delta

For more information about the awards, visit the Fraternity and Sorority Life Award Archive page.

The Graduate School is thrilled to announce the winners of the Spring 2025 Finishing Fellowship. This prestigious award recognizes the hard work and dedication of doctoral students in the final stages of their research. By providing financial support and valuable mentorship, the Finishing Fellowship empowers these exceptional scholars to complete their dissertations and make significant contributions to their fields of study. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and excited to see the impact of their research.

The following students have been selected to receive the 2025 Spring Fellowship:

Oluwatosin Ayo, Kendall Belopavlovich, Xinqian Chen, Alex Czarniecki, Yifu Deng, Steven Ding, Larissa Juip, Kazeem Kareem, Akash Kumar, Jessica LaReaux, Seth Nelson, Elizabeth Novotny, Kyle Parker-Mcglynn, Eileen Reeves, Abel Reyes Angulo, Ryne Rutherford, Rhiannon Turner, Brennan Vogl, Yogita Warkhade, Karlee Westrem, Junyao Yang and Meiling Zhou.

Learn more about the students listed above on the Graduate School Newsblog.

The next Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Graduate Seminar Speaker will present at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Jan. 30, in EERC 103.

Seonggon Kim will present "Dipolarcaloric refrigeration cycle."

Kim is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (NanoEngineering Group) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His talk will focus on the paramount importance of increasing the relative Carnot efficiency of refrigeration cycles in reducing grid energy consumption and mitigating global warming effects. This study reports a dipolarcaloric refrigeration cycle that utilizes the endothermic mixing reaction from salt dissolution in water for cooling and solute recrystallization via supersaturation, revealing its potential to replace the conventional electricity-driven refrigeration systems.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is hosting a seminar presented by Wei Wei tomorrow, Jan. 30, from 1-2 p.m. in M&M 610.

Wei will present “Advanced Materials for Energy and Aerospace Applications.”

From the abstract:
Advanced materials play critical roles in the development of energy devices and space applications. In this talk, Dr. Wei will discuss and highlight the efforts in her research group to develop novel materials for sustainable energy and space manufacturing, including (1) the design and synthesis of 2D nanomaterials and their applications for perovskite solar cells and other energy devices; and (2) additive manufacturing of high-temperature materials for aerospace applications.

Wei is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Michigan Technological University. Her research interests include advanced materials synthesizing, renewable energy conversion devices, photocatalytic processes for H2 generation, additive manufacturing and mechanical properties of composite materials. She has published more than 50 papers in prestigious journals and has given more than 50 talks at international conferences, universities and research centers. She was selected as an Engineering Unleashed Fellow by the Kern Family Foundation and Emerging Investigators from the Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

The next guest speaker in the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BioMed) Seminar Series will present on Friday, Jan. 31, at 3 p.m. in Chem Sci 104 and virtually via Zoom.

Join the BioMed Seminar on Zoom.

Anne E. Staples from Virginia Tech will present "Insect Respiratory Mechanics: A Blueprint for Next-Generation Infusion Pumps."

Read Staples’ abstract and bio at the University Events Calendar.

On Jan. 8, Alexandra Morrison (HU) helped kick off RoboSAPIENS' three-day plenary in Madrid, Spain, with a keynote address: "Towards an interdisciplinary robot and AI ethics."

Morrison is the independent ethics advisor for RoboSAPIENS, a consortium of leading European universities, technology accelerators and private research labs funded by the European Union to develop technologies allowing the industrial robots of the future to adapt to changing environments safely. The consortium website lists four key objectives: to enable open-ended adaptation, enhance safety assurance, reduce task uncertainty with deep learning, and assure trustworthiness.

During the plenary, use cases such as industrial dismantling robots, robotic swarms in warehouses, robotic high-seas navigation, and safe and ethical human-robot interaction were explored.

RoboSAPIENS includes the following partners: Aarhus University, Denmark; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; the Danish Technological Institute; Fraunhofer IFF; IMPACT Digitalent; the Norwegian University of Science and Technology; PAL Robotics; Simulation Research Labs; the University of Antwerp; and the University of York, U.K.

The Alpena News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the wrap-up of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' 2024 Great Lakes fish surveys. The surveys provided data for collaborations with researchers from Michigan Tech and other regional universities. The story was originally published by the DNR.

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WLUC TV6 and My UP Now mentioned Michigan Tech men's basketball junior guard Marcus Tomashek in stories about his standout performances this season. Tomashek leads the league in scoring and recently earned his third GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honor after a career-high 45-point game against Ferris State.

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My UP Now mentioned Michigan Tech hockey first-year forward Elias Jansson in a story about his second CCHA Rookie of the Week award this season.

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Former Michigan Tech hockey forward Randy McKay ’89 was mentioned by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about a Portage Lake Pioneers alumni hockey game, where his team won 6-5. McKay’s two sons, Riley and Dawson, currently play for the Pioneers.

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The Keweenaw Report previewed Michigan Tech’s Spring Career Fair, held yesterday, Jan. 28, at the Student Development Complex. More than 150 companies participated, offerings students the opportunity to interview for roles with a variety of organizations.

Join MTU Aquatics for WIBIT Wednesday!

Come make a splash with Michigan Tech Aquatics’ inflatable pool obstacle course called the WIBIT! You can test your individual skills on the course or challenge a friend to a race across the obstacles.

Register for the Next WIBIT Session.

The course is set up in the deep water of the SDC Pool and requires users to be able to pass our swim test. A full list of WIBIT rules and swim test options as well as featured obstacle combinations can be found on the WIBIT page on the Michigan Tech Recreation website.

WIBIT Dates:

• Wednesday, Jan. 29, from 5-8 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 5, from 5-8 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 9, from 5-8 p.m.

The event is open to current MTU students and SDC Access Pass holders (minimum one-month). Student/Access Pass IDs are required upon entry (no pre-registration required).

Not a current student or SDC Access Pass holder? Purchase a WIBIT Wednesday Pass. Capacity is limited. Receipt is required upon entry. Completion of a waiver and concussion awareness form is also required. No SDC day passes or action passes will be accepted for admission.

Featured WIBIT pieces include:

• The Step — This piece allows users to climb up onto the course.
• The Cliff — Users must navigate either side of a slope using the handles and their balancing skills.
• The Bridge — Users must navigate up and over an arched structure without falling through.
• The Slope — Users must climb up a six-foot wall that leads to a slide into the pool water below!
• The Base — Users must make their way across a horizontal surface. Be careful how fast you move as it can get slippery!
• V-Connect — Users must use limited footing space to navigate across the horizontal structure.

See you at the pool!

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CS Faculty Candidate Presentation with Jian Zhang

Please join the Department of Computer Science (CS) tomorrow, Jan. 30, at 3 p.m. in Rekhi 214 for a research presentation by tenure-track faculty candidate Jian Zhang following the social hour in Rekhi 218 (coffee and snacks).

Zhang will present "Evolving Modern Storage Stack: I/O Abstraction, Caching and Prefetching."

From the abstract:
With the rise of AI and data-intensive applications, the storage stack has become a critical component for performance. At the same time, new storage hardware devices, such as near-storage accelerators, are emerging. However, the storage stack has struggled to keep pace, leading to significant performance bottlenecks. This talk focuses on our works on how to evolve the modern storage stack through three key pieces: I/O abstraction, caching, and prefetching. First, we introduce a new I/O abstraction to reduce dominant I/O overheads and efficiently utilize near-storage computing capabilities. Next, we present a novel caching management solution that spans host and storage devices, optimizing memory resources. Finally, we present a cross-layered (user-level runtime and OS) prefetching mechanism for optimal performance.

Zhang is a final-year computer science Ph.D. student at Rutgers University. His research interests lie in operating system design and its intersection with storage systems, computer architecture and high-performance computing. His works have been published on top-tier system conferences, including FAST, ASPLOS, SC and SOSP, and he received the Best Paper Award at SOSP 2023. He has collaborated extensively with industry partners such as Samsung Memory Solution Lab and Microsoft Research.

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This Week's C-Cubed Luncheon Menu

Carved and Crafted Catering at Michigan Technological University invites faculty, staff, and their guests to the C-Cubed Luncheon, held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Thursday in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MUB 107).

Menu for Thursday, Jan. 30:

• Barbecue Beef Brisket
• Chimichurri Charred Cauliflower (VG) (AG)
• Macaroni & Cheese (V) (PR)
• Coleslaw (V) (AG)
• Cookie Platter (V)

The C-Cubed lunch buffet menus are created and prepared by Chef Luis Delgado and his culinary team. As the name suggests, the meals are meant to foster conversation, community and collegiality. Attendees may bring their lunch instead of purchasing the buffet. Fruit-infused water, coffee and tea are available free to all attendees. All vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items on the buffet are labeled for easy identification. Meals are for dine-in only, and personal containers and to-go meals are not permitted.

The buffet lunch is $15.50 per person. Cash, credit cards and gift cards are accepted. Gift cards can be purchased in the Memorial Union Office (MUB 101).

You can submit C-Cubed feedback using C-Cubed Survey/Comments form. To join the C-Cubed Luncheon Email List and receive weekly menus, please complete the sign-up form.

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

Understanding the Impact: Collecting and Visualizing Metrics to Support Improvement

Wednesday, January 29, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

Metrics help us visually tell the story of the impact our improvements have on our mission. They also help us describe what we know about the current situation, confirm...

Hybrid bioprinting (Hybprinting) for multi-functional interface engineering

Wednesday, January 29, 3–4 p.m.

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Candidate Seminar Jiannan Li, PhD Stanford University Abstract Tissue engineering aims to develop biological substitutes for restoring or...

Café Français - French Conversation Hour

Wednesday, January 29, 4–5 p.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, 120C

Parlez-vous français? Join us! French conversation hour will take place in Walker 120C (in the HDMZ) twice monthly on Wednesdays through March. Whether you are a complete...

SoundGirls General Meeting!

Wednesday, January 29, 5–6 p.m. | Walker 210

Join us in Walker 210 at 5pm every Wednesday for our general meeting!

Weekly Meeting

Wednesday, January 29, 5–6 p.m. | Fourth Floor of the MEEM

We meet on the fourth floor of the MEEM to discuss plans for the week and work on on going projects. All are welcome to attend.

Information Session: Summer '25 Barcelona Faculty-Led Study Abroad

Wednesday, January 29, 6–7 p.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, 120A

Join the modern languages department for an informational session about this summer's faculty-led study abroad program to Barcelona, Spain. Sessions will take place Wednesday,...

Volleyball Middle School Development League

Wednesday, January 29, 6:00–7:30 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multipurpose Room

A four-week developmental program for middle school girls in grades 6, 7, & 8 to learn and improve their skills in preparation for the upcoming interscholastic season. This...