February 17, 2025

This year, the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science was proud to nominate Michigan Tech's Student Society of American Foresters (SAF) Chapter for the 2024 Outstanding SAF Student Chapter Award. There are plenty of reasons why, including a growing membership, innovative programming and projects that improve the local landscape.

Known on campus as the Forestry Club, Michigan Tech's Student SAF Chapter has nearly 100 members. Of these, 18 students are also official members of the national and state SAF chapters and about 25 are extremely active, contributing to the College and University, as well as the forestry community in Michigan and across the United States.

Read about the club's activities and the significant impacts made by members over the last year in the 2024 Re:Generations Magazine.

Midterm grades submission will open at noon today, Feb. 17, and will close at noon on March 3 (the Monday after spring break).

Midterm grades must be submitted for all first-year students and transfer students with fewer than 30 credits. The Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success coordinates outreach to these students based on the midterm grades submitted. This supports timely intervention for students who may be experiencing academic and/or other difficulties.

Electronic Grade Submission
Instructors have two options for electronic grade submission. They may submit grades via Banner Self-Service by going directly into Banweb, entering grades and then clicking submit. Those with larger class sizes where grades have already been totaled in Canvas may submit grades via Canvas by going to CourseTools and using the Grade Wizard to first extract them from Canvas and then submit them to Banner.

If grades are submitted using Banner Self-Service, only the students who require a midterm grade will appear. For those who submit their grades via Canvas, a first-year student column has been added to identify these students in your course grade book.

Satisfactory grades (A-C) should be entered as “SA” and Unsatisfactory grades (CD-F) as “UN”.

Midterm grades are for full-semester courses only. Grades not turned in by the deadline will have an M (missing) grade assigned.

Since 1972, Summer Youth Programs (SYP) at Michigan Tech has provided pre-college students with hands-on explorations focused on the needs of tomorrow. This summer, we’re excited to partner with more than 20 academic units to offer 50-plus exploration programs, including 10 new courses!

These high-impact educational experiences give students in grades 6-11 the opportunity to experience college in a fun, engaging and safe environment. Both live-in and commuter options are available, with discounts available for children and grandchildren of Michigan Tech alumni, faculty and staff.

Be sure to check out our Course Catalog and our Free and Reduced-Cost course list to explore options for an unforgettable summer.

Concert: “British Invasion” — Wednesday, Feb. 19
Rozsa Center and Online | 7:30 p.m.
Superior Wind Symphony
Michigan Tech Music Series

Joel Neves conducts his inaugural concert as music director of the Superior Wind Symphony. The performance will feature British wind band classics, including Percy Grainger's “Lincolnshire Posy” and music by the Beatles. Enrich the middle of your week with this special performance.

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Concert: “Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Celebration” — Tuesday, March 4
Rozsa Center | 6 p.m.
Michigan Tech Jazz
Michigan Tech Music Series

Celebrate Fat Tuesday at the Rozsa! The Workshop Brass Band, led by Adam Meckler, presents a Mardi Gras party filled with the sounds of New Orleans and complete with a sit-down buffet-style dinner of New Orleans cuisine. Make sure to wear your dancing shoes!

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“YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan World Tour 2025-2026” — Saturday, March 8
Rozsa Center | 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Rozsa Presenting Series

Witness the staggering display of physical strength that has captivated over 6 million people across 54 countries. They call themselves “YAMATO, the Taiko drumming group that travels all over the world.” Their motto is “We go everywhere when somebody needs YAMATO! And bringing energy to the people living in the world!” Get ready for thunderous music that will leave you exhilarated with a spectacular, high-energy and explosive performance.

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, Feb. 20:

• Fajita Style Chicken Thighs (PR)
• Steak Fajita (PR)
• Portobello Fajita (VG) (CF)
• Flour Tortillas (VG)
• Tortilla Soup (V) (AG) (PR)
• Sopapillas
• Toppings:
  • Sour Cream (V) (AG)
  • Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese (V) (AG)
  • Pico de Gallo (VG) (AG)
  • Cuban Black Beans (VG)
  • Spanish Rice (VG) (AG)

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.

The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs will host a workshop, “Preparing a Tenure and Promotion Binder,” on March 6 from 3-5 p.m. The event will take place in MUB Ballroom B3.

The first half of the session will focus on the mechanics of preparing a well-presented promotion and/or tenure binder and will include insights from a panel who have been involved in the TPR review process. Panelists include:

• Provost Andrew Storer
• Dean Michelle Scherer, College of Engineering
• Beth Veinott, College of Sciences and Arts TPR Committee
• Keith Vertanen, College of Computing TPR Committee

The second half of the session will focus on inputting data and narratives into Digital Measures to produce a Faculty Activity Report (FAR) for the tenure and promotion binder.

All faculty are welcome; those who plan to submit a tenure/promotion package in the next couple of years are especially encouraged to attend.

Faculty are welcome to attend just one part of the session as their schedule allows. Questions can be directed to Shari Stockero, assistant provost for faculty development, at stockero@mtu.edu.

The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs will host a workshop, “Preparing an Instructional Track Faculty (ITF) Promotion File,” on March 11 from 3-5 p.m. The event will take place in MUB Ballroom A1.

The first half of the session will focus on the mechanics of preparing an ITF promotion file and will include insights from panelists who have reviewed promotion materials:

• Provost Andrew Storer
• Dean Dennis Livesay, College of Computing
• Dean LaReesa Wolfenbarger, College of Sciences and Arts

The second half of the session will focus on inputting data and narratives into Digital Measures to produce a Faculty Activity Report (FAR) for the promotion file.

All ITF are welcome; those who plan to submit a promotion package in the next couple of years are especially encouraged to attend.

Faculty are welcome to attend just one part of the session as their schedule allows. Questions can be directed to Shari Stockero, assistant provost for faculty development, at stockero@mtu.edu.

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

• Ryan Munter (advised by Jae Yong Suh)
• Alyssa Horne (advised by Ranjit Pati)
• Hitendra Singh (advised by Ranjit Pati)

This will be an in-person event — the students will give their talks at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, in Fisher 139.

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

The second presentation of the MTU Artificial Intelligence Colloquium Series will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at noon in EERC 216. Food and refreshments will be provided. If you would like to present in the series or have any questions about the event, you can email Vinh Nguyen at vinhn@mtu.edu.

Department of Computer Science data science Ph.D. student Tagore Kosireddy will present “Autonomous Drone Landing Using Deep Reinforcement Learning: Benchmarks and Implementation.”

From the abstract:
Autonomous drone landing presents significant challenges due to complex aerodynamic dynamics and real-time control requirements. Our work implements a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) framework for autonomous drone landing using PyBullet physics real time simulations. We are using modular architecture integrating PID control with state-of-the-art DRL algorithms (PPO, SAC, TRPO, TD3, A2C, etc) and benchmarking various Multiple reward functions (exponential, temporal difference, orientation-aware) derived from quadrotor dynamics research. The environment features 12D observation spaces (position, velocity, orientation) and 3D continuous action spaces for thrust vector control. A novel curriculum learning approach progressively increases landing difficulty through randomized initial positions and adaptive waypoint generation. The implementation leverages parallelized training across CPU cores and includes safety constraints for real-world deployment considerations.

Save the Dates: Following Wednesday's session, the remaining dates of the Artificial Intelligence Colloquium Series for the spring semester are:

• Wednesday, March 12, at noon in EERC 216
• Wednesday, March 26, at noon in EERC 216

Job Posting for Monday, Feb. 17, 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.

Nursing Simulation and Lab Coordinator, Biological Sciences. 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.

My UP Now and the Detroit Regional Chamber covered Michigan Tech’s new status as an R1 institution under 2025 revisions to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which went into effect on Feb. 13. University President Rick Koubek and Andrew Barnard (VPR) were quoted in the stories.

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about a benefit concert happening on Wednesday, Feb. 19, to support the village of Laurium after a fire destroyed its public works garage. The concert will be held at Calumet Theatre featuring performances by local groups, including the Huskies Pep Band.

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The Lansing State Journal and Kalamazoo’s 103.3 WKFR-FM referenced Michigan Tech’s Snowfall Records page in stories about the expected duration of Michigan’s winter season and the possibility of snow into April or later. The story highlighted snowfall patterns, including the University’s record of receiving 12 inches of snow in May 2023.

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The Athletic mentioned Michigan Tech in a story reviewing Doug Gottlieb’s first year as head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team. The article described Gottlieb’s viral “Nobody U” comment, made prior to his team’s Dec. 18 loss to Michigan Tech, as a “meteor hitting a gas truck parked at a fireworks warehouse.”

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The DI Wire mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the appointment of Jim Kamradt ’83 (B.S. Marketing) as chief risk officer at DealPoint Merrill.

MRAF Shared Facility Forum on Friday

The Marine Research Assets Facility (MRAF) will host a facility forum from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, at the Great Lakes Research Center in GLRC 202. University researchers are encouraged to attend.

Join MRAF staff and other researchers from across campus for lunch and brief presentations illustrating how the facility and its staff and extensive catalog of marine assets is supporting their research. Take this opportunity to share your needs and challenges with our staff to help steer and prioritize future acquisitions and expand our support capabilities.

MRAF technical staff will be available to discuss how they can help researchers with project scoping, proposal development, budget estimates, field efforts, data analysis and reporting. Afterward, tour the following MRAF facilities:

• Marine Engineering Laboratory
• Boathouse and collection of research and survey vessels
• Autonomous underwater and surface vehicles (AUVs/ASVs)
• Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
• Side-scan sonar systems
• Extensive inventory of sampling and support equipment

Lunch will be provided. Please submit your RSVP and direct any questions to Jamey Anderson at jameya@mtu.edu.

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Math Department Chair Candidate Visit

The Department of Mathematical Sciences (Math) is pleased to be hosting candidates for on-campus interviews for the position of department chair.

The last of three candidates will present a department leadership seminar today, Feb. 17, from 11-11:50 a.m. in Chem Sci B002 and also via Zoom.

Join the Math Leadership Seminar on Zoom.

The candidate will also present a research seminar titled “Geometry and Computability of Zero-temperature Measures” tomorrow, Feb. 18, from 2-2:50 p.m. in Fisher 132 and also via Zoom.

Join the Math Research Seminar on Zoom.

All members of the Michigan Tech community are welcome to attend.

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KIP Seminar with Theodore Angelopoulos

Please join the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP) for a seminar today, Feb. 17, from 2-3 p.m. in Chem Sci 101 with guest speaker Theodore Angelopoulos from the University of Vermont’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

The title of the presentation is “Comparative Effectiveness of Physical Activity, Diet, and Drug Interventions on Blood Pressure of Hypertensive Overweight and Obese Adults: A Multilevel Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.”

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Math Colloquium with Kaibo Hu

The Department of Mathematical Sciences is hosting a Math Colloquium presented by Kaibo Hu, a Royal Society University Research Fellow based at the University of Edinburgh and the Maxwell Institute, today, Feb. 17, at 1 p.m. in Fisher 327B.

Hu will be presenting "Topology-Preserving Computation for Ideal Magnetic Relaxation."

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GMES Faculty Candidate Seminar with Ting Xiao

Please join the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES) today, Feb. 17, from 12-1 p.m. in Dow 610 for a research presentation by faculty candidate Ting Xiao, research assistant professor at the University of Utah.

The title of Xiao's presentation is "Carbon Dioxide Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) and Its Risk Assessment."

From the abstract:
Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in geological formations are key in mitigating anthropogenic CO2 emissions and achieving the net-zero greenhouse gas emission goal. Risk and uncertainty assessment is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of geologic carbon storage (GCS) by evaluating CO2 migration in the subsurface, forecasting potential leakage and induced seismicity risks, and optimizing operational and monitoring plans. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of CCUS, discuss my research interests in risk assessment, and prospect future efforts.

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

Isle Royale Art Exhibition - Michigan Tech Art

Monday, February 17, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Galleries A-Space

MICHIGAN TECH ART SERIES EVENT Enter into a world of artistic expression inspired by the wilderness of Isle Royale. The artworks showcased in this exhibition have all been...

Hot Cocoa Handout

Monday, February 17, 2–4 p.m. | Husky Statue

We offer free Hot Chocolate to all students from2 to 4pm near the Husky Statue every Monday!

Linking physical, chemical, and biological processes to inform surface water management

Monday, February 17, 3 p.m. | Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), 202

Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar/Faculty Candidate Dr. Jess Kozarek, Research Associate, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Bio: Dr. Jess Kozarek is a research associate...

HuskyLEAD - Leading the Charge for a Sustainable Future

Monday, February 17, 4–5 p.m. | MUB Alumni Lounge B

Creating a world that is sustainable, prosperous, and just presents a monumental challenge, and one that humans haven’t been particularly successful at achieving. Join in a...

Psalm Bible Study

Monday, February 17, 7–8 p.m. | Wads Cafe

Want to see how the bible handles emotions? How it instructs us in righteousness? Eat cafe food, talk through the psalms, learn and grow with Pastor Brandon Charbonneau.