January 30, 2025

Castles, conquests and royalty will reign over Michigan Tech's campus as students invite fellow Huskies and visitors to take in “Dragons, Knights, and Legendary Sights” during Winter Carnival 2025.

Campus and community will gather Feb. 5-8 for Michigan Tech’s annual Winter Carnival, now in its second century. In addition to the event’s renowned snow statues and other traditional events, a laser show befitting this year’s medieval theme is among the spectacles to look forward to.

Get the full schedule of events and hear from Winter Carnival statue committee chair Brynn Santi ’26 (human biology) at Michigan Tech News.

The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Awards, recognizing exceptional contributions to Michigan Tech’s instructional mission.

These 10 finalists were selected based on more than 39,000 student ratings of instruction responses. The selection committee now invites comments from students, staff, faculty and alumni to inform their deliberations.

Assistant Professor/Assistant Teaching Professor Finalists:

• Jason Archer (HU), assistant professor
• Estela Mira Barreda (HU), assistant teaching professor
• Terri Frew (VPA), assistant teaching professor
• Gord Patterson (BioSci), assistant professor
• Tim Wagner (Math), assistant teaching professor

Associate Professor/Associate Teaching Professor/Professor/Teaching Professor/Professor of Practice Finalists:

• Matt Barron (EF), associate teaching professor
• Zach Fredin (CEGE), associate teaching professor
• Paniz Khanmohammadi Hazaveh (AC), associate teaching professor
• Jeffery Hollingsworth (CEGE), professor of practice
• Teresa Woods (Math), associate teaching professor

Comments for the finalists are due by March 28 and can be submitted online using the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award Finalists comment form.

The process for determining the Distinguished Teaching Award recipients from this list of finalists also involves the additional surveying of their spring 2025 classes. The selection committee makes the final determination of the award recipients. The 2025 Distinguished Teaching Awards will be formally announced in June.

For more information, contact the CTL at ctl@mtu.edu.

Due to the generous support of The DeVlieg Foundation, the Graduate School is happy to accept nominations for 2025 summer fellowships.

All graduate programs may nominate one eligible Ph.D. student per program. The recipient will receive a stipend for summer 2025 plus tuition support (1 credit or 3 research credits for Ph.D. candidates). Eligible students will meet all of the following criteria:

1. Must be a graduate student in the field supported by the DeVlieg Foundation:
   
   1. Engineering
2. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
3. Must be enrolled in a Ph.D. program.
4. Must be nominated by student’s graduate program. Each Ph.D. program may nominate one student if the research conducted is related to the field(s) supported by The DeVlieg Foundation.
5. Must not be supported by another funding mechanism while supported by The DeVlieg Foundation (part-time job, fellowship, GTA, GRA, etc.).

Nominations are due no later than 4 p.m. on March 4 to the Graduate School. Graduate programs will upload their nominee's application as a single PDF file.

Please see our webpage for details on the application procedure and materials needed. Each program may determine its own internal selection procedure.

Please contact the Graduate School at gradschool@mtu.edu with any questions.

Remember the guy who hypnotized Howie Mandel on “America’s Got Talent”?

Chris Jones is a hypnotist, comedian and the host of the prank series “Double Take” on Facebook Watch. In each episode of the new series, Jones conspires with a different celebrity (from John Cena to Pamela Anderson and NeNe Leakes) to give one adoring fan the surprise of a lifetime: meeting and interacting with their idol in a range of crazy circumstances, though under hypnosis and unable to recognize them.

On Friday, Feb. 7, at 10 p.m. in the Varsity Gym in the SDC, Jones will perform a free Winter Carnival show where you'll have a chance to get hypnotized! Brought to you by Blue Key National Honor Society, the Inter-Residence Housing Council (IRHC), the MUB Board and Student Leadership and Involvement's Late Night Program.

Find more details on Involvement Link.

The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs will host a workshop focused on planning a sabbatical leave on Feb. 13 from 9:30-11 a.m. The event will take place in the Memorial Union Building Ballroom B1 and B2.

This will be a discussion-based session with a panel of faculty members who have recently completed a sabbatical. The discussion will focus on planning and funding a sabbatical. There will be plenty of time for Q&A.

All faculty are welcome; those who plan to apply for a sabbatical in the next couple of years are especially encouraged to attend.

Questions can be directed to Shari Stockero, assistant provost for faculty development, at stockero@mtu.edu.

Please join the Department of Computer Science (CS) on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. in Rekhi G005 for a research presentation by tenure-track faculty candidate Tiehang Duan, following the social hour in Rekhi 218 (coffee and snacks).

The title of Duan's presentation is "Retain and Adapt: Sequential Learning with Data Distribution Shifts."

From the abstract:
Sequential learning aims to adapt to non-stationary data distributions while retaining previously acquired knowledge. Related sequential learning techniques has huge potential for applications in online brain signal decoding under subject shifts, with its challenges lying in the following aspects 1) the knowledge that model learned from previous subjects doesn’t readily fit to future subjects, and fast adaptation is needed in the proces; 2) the previous learnt knowledge could be easily erased after learning progresses on shifted data distribution. We develop bi-level optimization methods and continual learning approaches for solving this fundamental sequential learning problem, with considerations on related challenges including imbalanced data volume, subject shift detection, model generalization with limited data resource, and robustness to data variation and corruption etc. Effectiveness of the developed methods is demonstrated with both theoretical and empirical supports, and reveals its potential in real-world scenarios.

Duan has more than nine years research experience working on machine learning and its applications in brain-computer interfaces and medical informatics. He is currently a visiting research fellow at the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics at Mayo Clinic, and previously worked as a research scientist at Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook) for three years. He received his Ph.D. degree in computer science and engineering at State University of New York at Buffalo and his B.S. degree in information and telecommunication engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He previously led multiple research projects on machine learning and medical informatics, and serves as a key member in numerous grants funded by NSF, NIH and Mayo Clinic. He has a proven track record of more than 20 publications in top computer science conferences and journals. His research interest is mainly on continual learning, trustworthy learning, meta learning and their applications in the medical domain.

The next Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar will take place at 3 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, in GLRC 202.

"Optimizing U.S. PET and PolyolefinPackaging Supply Chains in a Circular Economy" will be presented by:

• Utkarsh S. Chaudhari, Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University
• David Watkins, Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, Michigan Technological University
• David R. Shonnard, Research Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Read the environmental engineering seminar abstract on the University Events Calendar.

Job Posting for Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025

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 Coordinator, Van Pelt and Opie Library​. 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.

A research team from the Department of Chemistry led by Professor Christo Z. Christov has published an article in Chemistry – A European Journal. The article was selected as a journal cover.

The team comprises Ph.D. students Sudheesh Devadas (first author), Midhun G. Thomas, Simahudeen Bathir J.S. Rifayee and Bhargav Varada; recent graduate Walter White ’24 (B.S. Chemistry); undergraduates Ethan Sommer (biomedical engineering) and Kylin Campbell (computational biology); and collaborator Professor Christopher Schofield from the University of Oxford, U.K.

The article is titled "Origins of Catalysis in Non-Heme Fe(II)/2-Oxoglutarate-Dependent Histone Lysine Demethylase KDM4A with Differently Methylated Histone H3 Peptides."

The article delves into the catalytic mechanism of the human non-heme Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent histone demethylase KDM4A. The study provides key insights into how the second coordination sphere and long-range residues, protein dynamics, active site geometry, and the enzyme’s intrinsic electric field influence the demethylation reaction mechanism of KDM4A on histone H3 substrates with differently sequentially positioned methylated lysines.

This work affirms Michigan Tech as a world-leading center in computational chemistry of iron(II)-dependent histone- and nucleic acids demethylases.

The study was supported by the NIH/NIGMS grant 2R15GM139118-02 awarded to Christov.

The Daily Mining Gazette and WLUC TV6 covered Michigan Tech’s 2025 Spring Career Fair, which featured over 160 employers, including national companies and local businesses. Undergraduate students Mitchell Yates and Parker Molewyk were quoted by TV6, while Cody Kangas (CServ) and Jacob Timmer ’17 (B.S. Computer Science) were quoted by the DMG. My UP Now also covered the event.

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The Daily Mining Gazette ran a story about Michigan Tech’s Huskies Curl club hosting the annual Husky Spiel at the Copper Country Curling Club in Calumet. The event featured teams from universities across the country, with Bowling Green State taking first place. Club president Gracie Kohn, coach Gordon MacLean and first-year students Mikayla Schuster and Lily Montgomery were quoted.

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The Keweenaw Report mentioned Michigan Tech Board of Trustees member John U. Bacon in a story about the University awarding the Board of Trustees Silver Medal to late alumnus Tony Esposito '67. The award was presented to Esposito’s family before the Michigan Tech hockey game on Jan. 24.

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The Escanaba Daily Press mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Small Business Support Hub program. The program helped small businesses in the Central Upper Peninsula like BLV26CD, which received assistance with search engine optimization (SEO) through Michigan Tech.

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The Daily Mining Gazette covered Michigan Tech junior men's basketball guard Marcus Tomashek and first-year hockey forward Elias Jansson earning weekly honors. Tomashek earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season, while Jansson was named CCHA Rookie of the Week for the second time.

Call for Judges: Michigan Tech Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium

The Pavlis Honors College invites you to serve as a judge for this year’s Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium (URSS). Your expertise would play a vital role in providing feedback to students and enhancing the quality of their ePortfolio materials, which will be used for their poster presentations.

About URSS
The Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium showcases exceptional undergraduate research conducted across Michigan Tech’s campus. Students present work from a wide variety of disciplines, reflecting the diversity and breadth of research opportunities available. This event provides attendees the chance to engage directly with students, explore their research projects, and gain insight into the vibrant research community at Michigan Tech. For more details about this event, please visit the URSS website.

Judging Process
We are seeking judges to evaluate submissions between Feb. 17 and March 3. Judging will be conducted via Canvas and can be completed at your convenience during this period — wherever you are!

To support your participation, we will provide a recorded training session that will guide you through the evaluation process.

If you are interested in serving as a judge, please complete our brief registration form. If you have any questions or need further information, don't hesitate to contact Chris Hohnholt at cahohnho@mtu.edu.

We truly appreciate your willingness to support undergraduate research at Michigan Tech, and we look forward to your participation in the evaluation and judging process!

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Physics Colloquium: Grad Student Presentations

The following Department of Physics graduate students will be presenting their research progress at this week's Physics Colloquium:

• Jester Itliong (advised by Issei Nakamura)
• Join Uddin (advised by Yoke Khin Yap)
• Yi Zhi Chu (advised by K.C Lau and Ravindra Pandey)

The students will give their talks at 4 p.m. today, Jan. 30, in Fisher 139.

Read the students' presentation titles and abstracts at the University Events Calendar.

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Today'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.

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ChE Department Chair Candidate Presentation

The Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) would like to invite you to attend the seminar given by the second department chair candidate.

A research seminar will be held at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Jan. 31, in GLRC 202.

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MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker: Seonggon Kim

The next Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Graduate Seminar Speaker will present at 2 p.m. today, 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.

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MSE Graduate Seminar with Wei Wei

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is hosting a seminar presented by Wei Wei today, 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.

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Spring 2025 Finishing Fellowship Winners

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.

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

Dipolarcaloric Refrigeration Cycle

Thursday, January 30, 2–3 p.m. | Electrical Energy Resources Center (EERC), 103

MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Seonggon Kim, PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Abstract Increasing the relative Carnot efficiency of...

Physics Colloquium - Graduate Student Presentations (Itliong, Uddin, Chu)

Thursday, January 30, 3:30–5:00 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 139

Please join physics graduate students, Jester Itliong, Join Uddin and Yi Zhi Chu for their presentations on Thursday, January 30th at 4 PM - Fisher Hall 139. Jester...

Ice Bowling

Thursday, January 30, 10 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC)

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations. Teams consisting of no more than ten members will compete in this version of bowling on ice. One team member...