Final Reminder: Submit your work to the 2025 Art in Silico Computational Art Exhibition by midnight this Friday, March 28.
Submissions are open to all! Our artists come from a very wide variety of backgrounds. We want to see how you connect the logical world of computing to the creative world of art! Reach out to silico-art-l@mtu.edu with any questions.
Submit Your Work to Art in Silico.
For more information, visit the Art in Silico website.
Join the Research Development team and the Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture (IPEC) for a VPR Research Series interdisciplinary discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on labor.
The discussion, titled "The Future of Work and Artificial Intelligence" will be held virtually next Wednesday, April 2, from 12-1 p.m.
At this event, we will summarize current trends and their cultural, policy and ethical implications. We are interested in hearing from you about how AI is shaping the future of work in your fields!
The University Senate will convene Meeting 717 at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, in Chem Sci 102.
Those within the University community unable to attend in person have the option to attend the University Senate meeting via Zoom. Please note: You will need to log in to your MTU Zoom account to join the virtual meeting.
Senators are responsible for making their constituents aware of the agenda for this meeting. Senators who are unable to attend should arrange for their alternates to attend in their place.
The Department of Humanities is pleased to be hosting candidates for on-campus interviews for the position of department chair.
The next candidate will present a department leadership seminar titled "Strategies for Leading Positive Change" on Thursday, March 27, from 11 a.m. to noon in Walker 134 and via Zoom.
The candidate will also present a research and teaching presentation titled “Why Stories Matter: From Researching to Teaching Interdisciplinary Humanities” on Friday, March 28, from 1-2 p.m. in GLRC 202 and via Zoom.
Join the HU Department Chair Seminar on Zoom.
All members of the Michigan Tech community are welcome to attend.
Dean and Bette Premo will present as part of the Department of Biological Sciences (BioSci) Seminar Series on Thursday, March 27, from 3-4 p.m. The seminar will be held in GLRC 202 and virtually via Zoom.
Join the BioSci Seminar on Zoom.
The Premos will present "A Professional Science Business in the Upper Peninsula."
From the abstract:
Dean and Bette Premo have been in the private environmental consulting business for 40 years. Both have doctorates from Michigan State University (in zoology and limnology, respectively). In 1985, they founded White Water Associates, Inc. a for-profit environmental laboratory and ecological consulting firm located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Their presentation will describe White Water’s services and discuss their experiences building and operating a science-based business. They will discuss their approach to consulting using examples that include environmental chemistry monitoring work, surveys for plants and animals, and scientific research that contributes to appropriate field methods and robust applications of ecology.
The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) will host a seminar presented by visiting speaker Kristen Cetin of Michigan State University on Friday, March 28, at 10 a.m. in Dow 875.
Cetin will present "Smarter, Energy Efficient, Grid-Interactive Buildings: Improvements to Housing for Varied Demographics."
From the abstract:
How we use our homes, and therefore how our homes use energy and interact with the increasingly dynamic electric grid continues to change, from variations in working from home, changes in the aftermath of COVID-19, among others. At the same time the increasing adoption of smart home technologies and of demand response programs to support improved grid reliability has also increased. However, these changes in both home use and adoption of technologies vary substantially across different socioeconomic groups suggesting that not all households behave similarly. Similarly, varied weather and weather extremes have had substantial impacts on housing and its energy use including cold climates. This seminar will provide an overview of efforts to assess the state of housing in an era of increased working from home and weather extremes, particularly across varied demographics. Case studies will focus on both urban and rural housing across different socioeconomic groups in the U.S. Moving forward there is interest in identifying paths forward to better support guidance/standards for the operation of residential buildings, and design of DR programs given how homes are being used, and insights from these comparisons. This seminar will summarize these recent efforts.
Cetin is an associate professor and associate chair of faculty and academic staff development in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University. She is also the director of the MSU Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) and chief editor for the ASCE Journal of Architectural Engineering.
This program/lecture is partially funded/sponsored by the Visiting Professor Program, which is funded by a grant to the Office of the Provost from the State of Michigan's King-Chávez-Parks Initiative.
The Daily Mining Gazette quoted Robin Chosa (OIC) and Michigan Tech master's student Anna Lindgren (rhetoric, theory, and culture) in a story about the Nanda-Gikendan Powwow, which celebrated Indigenous culture and traditions on March 22 at MTU. The event was a collaboration between KBOCC and Michigan Tech's Biskaabiiyaang Collective student organization.
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ScienceDaily quoted Lucas Nave (CFRES) in a story about a study on forest carbon storage, which found that factors like forest structure, tree and microbial composition, and soil nitrogen availability play a more significant role in carbon sequestration than time alone. Nave led the study while at the University of Michigan.
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Pennsylvania's Citizens' Voice, Times-Tribune and Standard Speaker mentioned former Michigan Tech hockey defenseman Chase Pietila in stories about his decision to turn pro with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after completing his sophomore season at Michigan Tech. Pietila signed an entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins and joined the AHL team on an amateur tryout agreement.
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WZMQ 19 News mentioned Michigan Tech alumni Timothy Smith ’04 (B.S. Chemical Engineering), Kelly Fedele (B.S. Land Surveying), Zachary Baker (B.S. Land Surveying) and Harold Fitch ’72 (B.S. Geology) in a story about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s appointments to various Michigan boards and commissions.
Michigan Tech is anticipating the launch of the University’s next iteration of the Tech Forward initiatives. As was the case with the initial Tech Forward initiatives, campus conversations will be a critical part of defining what the new initiatives might look like. Conversations will follow the themes of the “Tomorrow’s Needs” articles published throughout the fall 2024 semester in order to coalesce input from the campus community and ensure that all voices are heard early in the process.
Everyone’s input is important, and we hope you are able to participate in our planned Tech Forward Campus Conversations. The first conversation was held on March 14. The second will be held on Friday, March 28, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Rozsa Lobby.
If you are not able to attend either of the campus conversations about the next iteration of Michigan Tech's Tech Forward Initiatives and would like to provide input, please complete the Campus Input – Potential Initiatives form by 5 p.m. tomorrow, March 26.
Feedback from both campus conversations and electronic submissions will be compiled, summarized and shared with the campus community at a follow-up event scheduled on April 4 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Rozsa Lobby.
This early feedback is intended to position everyone to continue to think about future directions before we reconvene in fall 2025 to work through the details of designing and moving our new initiatives forward.
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Are you interested in making changes to one of your fall 2025 courses? Examples include designing new assignments, redesigning activities, restructuring the course, integrating generative artificial intelligence, and/or incorporating multiple forms of assessment of student learning. Do you lack the time, resources or inspiration to innovate? IDEAhub can help. We have 12 mini grants available in summer 2025 Track A to invest in your ideas.
Mini grants are open to instructors in any discipline, any department. We are particularly interested in projects that focus on incorporating active learning, group activities, new ways of assessing student learning, and/or changing classroom culture.
Grant recipients will participate in a four-week, in-person summer program offering resources, community and deadlines to help you move forward on your project. We welcome participants who know they want to change an aspect of their course, but don’t know how to change it. Our ideation sessions will help you come up with possibilities. We will provide community support for your project via weekly office hours where you can try out your ideas and get feedback from your peers.
Only face-to-face participation options will be available. To be accepted into this program, you will be expected to attend the Kickoff and Ideation Session in Week 1, one office hour per week during Weeks 2 and 3, and the Prototype Testing and Workshop Finale during Week 4.
Tentative Schedule:
Deliverables:
Participants will receive $1,000 upon completion of the program. Please take five minutes to apply using the IDEAhub Course Innovation Grant Application. Applications are due on Monday, March 31.
Questions can be directed to ideahub@mtu.edu.
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P.A.W.S. (Peer Awareness for Well-being and Support) is a program at Michigan Tech that equips students with the knowledge and tools to effectively recognize the signs of a mental health crisis, give appropriate and supportive aid, and refer a peer who is struggling to professional mental health resources. The program seeks to involve students from multiple backgrounds and experiences who are natural, key peer supporters on campus and want to help bring a higher level of mental health awareness and advocacy to the Michigan Tech community.
Promoting student mental health and well-being is a whole-campus effort, and Michigan Tech students are crucial in helping to support student mental health on campus. Research shows that students who struggle with mental health often reach out to their peers first, while a smaller percentage reach out to their on-campus counseling center.
Over six weeks of training, P.A.W.S. gives students the skills to help peers who may be struggling or experiencing crisis or distress. Participants meet each week for one hour. The core purpose of P.A.W.S. is to increase the number of peer support leaders on campus who are trained to identify and confidently refer their peers to the appropriate professional mental health resources, and who embrace a holistic approach to well-being by expanding and enriching the network of support on campus.
Once students have completed the six-week training program, they are considered members of the P.A.W.S. network for the remainder of their time at Michigan Tech. Completing this program will open up future opportunities for participating in mental health and well-being advocacy on campus, getting involved in future continuing education or peer programs, and being a leader in promoting mental health resources on campus. With only six weeks of training, students will learn valuable skills that are useful even after their years at Michigan Tech.
Each week brings up a new topic for students to discuss with peers in their group:
Faculty, staff and students who are passionate about mental health awareness on campus are invited to nominate a student for the P.A.W.S. fall 2025 cohort. Nominated students must have at least one year left in their academic program and will receive an email requesting a completed application form and their schedule availability. Nominations are accepted year-round, but please submit nominations for fall 2025 by April 11.
Limited spots are available. Nominees not accepted into this cohort will be waitlisted for the next semester.
To Learn More: Visit our information table in the Van Pelt and Opie Library through March 28, check out our website, or email us at PAWS@mtu.edu.
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The Friends of the Michigan Tech Library Annual Book Sale will be held today and tomorrow, March 25 and 26.
The book sale will be held in the ballroom on the second floor of the Memorial Union Building (MUB). Parking is available at meters and in a pay lot adjacent to the MUB, and all campus parking is free after 4 p.m.
Sale Days:
Tuesday, March 25, from 5-7 p.m. — For students and members ($20 memberships sold at the door).
Wednesday, March 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — For the general public.
Don’t forget that during the last hour of the sale (Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.) we have our $5 bag sale! $5 for all the books you can fit in a brown paper grocery bag!
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Are you interested in integrating climate change issues into your course offerings? Through a generous alumni gift, the Office of Sustainability and Resilience is accepting requests for funding to design and deliver curriculum that builds student competencies around climate change. Example activities could include creation of a new course, modification of an existing course, development of Canvas modules that support multiple courses, or other educational models. All disciplines are eligible. We encourage courses and content that integrate within the new Essential Education curriculum (e.g., E3 course or in support of a minor) or have multidisciplinary approaches.
The initial application through our Climate Change Curriculum Innovation Awards form is streamlined to encourage ideation. A member of the review committee will follow up with all applicants to discuss the work. The application deadline is rolling through the 2025 calendar year, but we will review all proposals in a timely manner this spring in anticipation of funding work in summer 2025.
The form asks you to address the following:
The total available budget for awards is $30,000. We anticipate offering 5-7 awards ranging from $3,000 to $6,000, with larger awards possible depending on course impact and reach. The type of allowable expenses is flexible and could include support for hourly student work, summer salary, materials/supplies, incentives for student participation, and professional development costs. Faculty, graduate students and staff are all eligible to apply; students must identify a faculty member to serve as principal investigator (PI).
These awards are part of a suite of activities made possible by a gift from a Michigan Tech alum to build student leadership competencies to address climate change. Additional funds will support student professional development and a foundational 1000- or 2000-level climate change course that is currently in development.
If you have any questions about a potential award proposal or if you are interested in learning more or being involved in supporting these broader efforts, please contact Lauren Furey, manager of sustainability programs and outreach, at lafurey@mtu.edu.
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Adam Backer from Apple Inc. will present at a Tuesday Physics Colloquium at 11 a.m. today, March 25, in Fisher 325.
Backer's presentation is titled "Pushing the limits of optical imaging and display."
Read Backer's abstract and bio at the University Events Calendar.
To have your event automatically appear, please submit them to the University Events Calendar.
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...
*****Adam Backer from Apple Inc. will present at Tuesday Physics Colloquium. Adam Backer's presentation is titled "Pushing the limits of optical imaging and display". The seminar...
*****Working on a creative project but would like another set of eyes? Thinking of submitting something to the 2025 Art in Silico exhibition, but need some help deciding on a...
*****Come visit our annual book sale! For 2025 it will be held: 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 25 for students (free) and members ($20 memberships sold at the door)10 a.m. to 4 p.m....
*****Join virtually or in person in Admin 220. Career Services staff will will provide snacks and conversation. Registration is required. Guest speakers: Laura Hoffman '...
*****A weekly meeting where we cover what's going on in the organization, often followed by a guest presenter, then discussion of what's going on in the world of tech.
*****Join us as we continue to study the Gospel of John this semester! Who is Jesus? Who did he claim to be? If you are a seasoned Christian or just exploring your...
*****Learn to make a plushie or crochet stingray! All supplies and instructions included and all skill levels welcome.
*****Want to learn who Christ is? Why we sin? Why the world is in it's current state? Join us as we preach Christ crucified and risen, salvation to all who believe. Pizza...
