Graduate School Newsblog

Nominations Open for the 2011 Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are now open for the 2011 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/University Microfilms International (UMI) Distinguished Dissertation Award. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. biological and life sciences (more details)
    Including:  biology; botany; zoology; ecology; embryology; entomology; genetics; nutrition; plant pathology; plant physiology; anatomy; biochemistry; biophysics; microbiology; pathology; pharmacology; physiology; agriculture, forestry, and related fields.
  2. humanities/fine arts (more details)
    Including: history; philosophy; language; linguistics; literature; archaeology; jurisprudence; the history, theory and criticism of the arts; ethics; comparative religion; and those aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches.

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2011, are eligible.   Next year, the 2012 competition will accept nominations in the fields of social sciences and mathematics/physical sciences/engineering for students who have graduated between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2012.

A nomination packet must include the following:

  1. a completed nomination form.
  2. a 10-page abstract of the dissertation, double spaced on white letter-sized paper.
  3. optional: abstract appendices containing non-textual material such as charts, tables or figures.
  4. a letter of reference from the dissertation advisor.
  5. a letter of reference from a member of the nominee’s dissertation committee.
  6. a letter of reference from a person chosen by the nominee.
  7. optional: a brief CV.

The Graduate School has access to the pdf file of all dissertations, so it is not necessary to include the dissertation.

The letters of reference should address the significance and quality of the dissertation work.

Nominations should be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 22nd. Contact Debra Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.  See also the Council for Graduate School’s announcement page.

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AACSB International Extends Accreditation for School of Business and Economics

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The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International has extended the accreditation of the School of Business and Economics for five years.

AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education. It has been earned by less than five percent of the world’s business schools. Today, there are 620 business schools in 38 countries that maintain AACSB accreditation.

“I am very proud of our faculty and staff who continuously work hard to maintain this distinct level of quality in business education,” said Dean Darrell Radson (School of Business and Economics). “This accomplishment confirms our initiatives designed to meet the needs of business as we educate our students to be leaders in innovation, entrepreneurship and technology management to impact our nation and the global economy.”

The School of Business and Economics first received AACSB accreditation in 2001 and recently completed its second rigorous internal review and evaluation process. AACSB accreditation standards require a high-quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement and curricula responsive to the needs of businesses.

“This accreditation extension affirms the high regard that academic leaders have for Michigan Tech,” said President Glenn Mroz. “The School of Business and Economics has worked hard to achieve this level of quality instruction, scholarship and research.”

AACSB International, founded in 1916, is an association of more than 1,200 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 78 countries and territories. AACSB’s mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership and value-added services. AACSB’s global headquarters is located in Tampa, Fla., and its Asia headquarters is located in Singapore. For more information, visit www.aacsb.edu .

Published in Tech Today

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Scholarships In Industrial Health and Safety

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The U.S. Office of Postsecondary Education is soliciting applications for the Erma Byrd Scholarship Program, which funds students pursuing industrial health and safety studies.  Scholarships of up to $10,000 are available for domestic graduate students and $2,500-5,000 for domestic undergraduate students; scholarships are tied to a service obligation requiring graduates to work in a position related to their studies for at least one year.  Approximately $200,000 is available for 41 awards; applications are due April 25.

More information is available at: ed.gov/programs/ermabyrd/index.html.

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Reminder: Zotero Workshop

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Want to learn how to save your research time? How to better integrate citations seamlessly into your research process? Then come to the Library workshop on Zotero [Zoh-TAIR-oh], a fun, free, easy-to-use Firefox extension that helps you collect, manage and cite your research sources.

The workshop will be at 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 6, in Library 244.

Participants will create Zotero accounts, add information to a database, and learn how to organize material and create bibliographies, reports and references. The session will also cover a few advanced features, like creating timelines and groups and linking with HuskyFetch.

Bring your laptop, if you wish, or use one of our computers, and we’ll help get you started.

The Library now offers weekly workshops all semester on different resources that will give you an academic edge or save time. Workshops take place alternate Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1 p.m., in Library 244. Each workshop is offered twice to accommodate class schedules.

Published in Tech Today

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Nominations for the Dean’s Fellowship are Reopened

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Update: Nominations are now closed for the 2011-12 academic year.

Funds are still available to assist programs in recruiting highly talented applicants to Michigan Tech’s PhD programs.  Nominations have been reopened, and will be accepted while funds are available.

The Dean’s Fellowship is intended to contribute to the development of a diverse academic community, which includes future faculty and others who will be leaders throughout their professional careers.

Dean’s Fellowships provide partial support for the recipient’s first year in a PhD program. The support includes a stipend of $2,000 per academic-year semester (fall and spring) as well as full summer support (stipend plus minimum full-time tuition and fees).

Please see our web page for complete details on eligibility and the nomination procedure.  Direct any questions about the program to Debra Charlesworth.

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DOE Announces New Scholarships

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced two new postgraduate fellowship programs in clean energy technologies. DOE says the purpose of the fellowships is to “attract the country’s best and brightest scientific minds to work on advanced clean energy technologies.”

One is a postdoctoral fellowship program that will fund up to 20 fellows nationwide for two years. Selected fellows will be encouraged to pursue innovative, independent new projects that could include working with local community organizations, providing expertise to start-up companies or pursuing grant funding for new work. Applications are due by June 30, and the fellowships will begin this fall. For more information, see www.energy.gov/education/postdoctoral_fellowships/.

The second program, the SunShot Initiative Fellowships, will select recent Master’s or PhD graduates who want to focus on critical technology innovations that can help reduce the total cost of solar energy systems by about 75 percent, making them cost-competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies by the end of the decade. SunShot is a collaborative national energy initiative. Applications for the SunShot Initiative Fellowships Program will be accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, see www.energy.gov/education/stp_fellowships.html.

Published in Tech Today.

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What’s the (Business) Plan?

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Students participated in the second annual Business Plan Competition Tuesday night, and great ideas were flowing in Fisher 139.

Sponsored by the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the School of Business and Economics, the competition featured future businessmen and women promoting their ideas in front of a panel of judges, who had previously reviewed their written plans.

The five-minute pitches covered a broad range of business ideas, and the winning plan was Books With Purpose by Jodhbir Singh, master’s student in EE, and Aman Bamra, bachelor’s student in CS. “Books With Purpose would be India’s first nonprofit online bookstore,” Singh explained. “Thirty-five percent of India’s population is illiterate, and we would help address this problem by donating one book to under-supported schools for every five we sell.”

Singh and Bamra would approach India’s middle and upper classes to support their mission and their business, especially targeting rural areas, where illiteracy is more prevalent. They took home $1,500 in cash and $2,700 worth of local consulting services: logo, accounting and legal services for their winnings. Singh planned on returning to India after graduation to pursue the business.

See Tech Today for the complete news story.

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Free Sahaja Meditation Classes

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Michigan Tech is one of a growing number of American colleges and universities to offer a Sahaja meditation program on campus. The free weekly sessions, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, in the Memorial Union, are open to everyone. This week’s meeting is in the Peninsula Room A.

Sahaja meditation can help relieve stress caused by studies or any other pressures, says Pranay Nagar, graduate student in mechanical engineering, who leads the sessions. “Are you anxious to feel more joy in life?” he asks. If so, he says, please check meditation.

No prior experience or knowledge of meditation and no special equipment or clothing are required to participate. The technique is not physically demanding, and everyone can move at his or her own pace, Nagar said.

For more information, contact Nagar at 906-281-4425 or pnagar@mtu.edu.

Published in Tech Today.

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Be the Difference, Take a Stand

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An evening with Standathon will help Bay Cliff Health Camp. The fifth annual event will be from 7 p.m., Friday, April 1, to 7 a.m., Saturday, April 2, in the SDC Gym.

Standathon has activities for everyone to enjoy, including black light mini golf, laser tag, sumo wrestling, inflatables, water polo, fencing lessons, live bands, food eating contests, kayaking and more. Food will be served all night, including breakfast at 6 a.m. Prizes will be raffled off every hour. The grand prize this year is an Xbox Kinect.

The money raised at Standathon will be donated to Bay Cliff Health Camp, a therapy camp for children and adults with disabilities located in Big Bay. The Standathon 2011 goal is to raise $7,000. The entrance fee is $10; entrance fee and T-shirt are $15; and entrance fee, T-shirt and drawing for Xbox Kinect are $20.

For more information, contact Hilary Cadeau, president, at 201-2707 or at hscadeau@mtu.edu , or visit the Standathon website.

Published in Tech Today.

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World Water Day: Michigan Tech Helps Make a Difference

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World Water Day was recently observed at Michigan Tech with a variety of events including a poster session.  Several graduate students were honored with awards including:

  • Ellis Adams, Environmental Policy
  • Jessica Billings, Environmental Engineering Science
  • Aleta Daniels, Forest Ecology and Managements
  • Jonathan Ebel, Biological Sciences
  • Danielle Haak, Biological Sciences
  • Laura Kangas, Applied Ecology
  • Mariah Maggio, Environmental Policy

Read more about the events and see photographs of the award recipients online.

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