Andrew Fiss (HU) gave an invited presentation and participated in a two-day research workshop at the University of California, Berkeley on May 5-6. These events were part of the Algorithmic Thinking symposium, bringing together humanities scholars, data scientists and mathematicians in order to develop a better critical understanding of algorithms, i.e. the mathematical rules meant to govern the behavior of humans and machines. For more information see here.
Andrew Fiss (HU) published a research article entitled “Mathematics and Mourning: Textbook Burial and Student Culture Before and After the Civil War, 1853-1880” in the History of Education Quarterly. Read more here.
L. Syd Johnson (HU) gave two talks on disorders of consciousness at the Galveston Brain Injury Conference in Galveston, Texas, last Thursday and Friday (May 4-5).
The Rhetoric Theory and Culture PhD program had five graduates receiving their degrees at Michigan Tech’s Spring Commencement on Saturday April 29.
Pictured here are faculty advisors and graduates, from left to right, Jennifer Slack, Nate Carpenter, Kirsti Arko, Joel Beatty, Stefka Hristova, Vicky Bergvall, Ann Brady, Ron Strickland and Yunana Ahmed.
Also participating in the ceremony but not present for this photo was Professor Emerita Beth Flynn.
Congratulations!
Andrew Fiss (HU) published a review of Sara Hottinger’s “Inventing the Mathematician: Gender, Race and Our Cultural Understanding of Mathematics” in H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
On April 9, more than 320 students gathered for the 11th Annual Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony held in the Memorial Union Ballroom.
In addition to the many student awards presented, Order of Omega, the Greek Life Honor Society that coordinates the awards, took the time to recognize some exceptional faculty and staff members.
There are more than 560 students in fraternities and sororities at Michigan Tech, and Order of Omega wanted to emphasize that these awards were coming directly from the students.
When writing a nomination for the Outstanding Faculty Award, students were asked to consider faculty who:
- are dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed academically
- demonstrate a passion for teaching and/or research
- utilize innovative teaching methods
- promote academic integrity among students
When writing a nomination for the Outstanding Staff Award, students were asked to consider staff who:
- are dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed both inside and outside the classroom
- demonstrate a passion for working with students
- promote and inspire the Michigan Tech Values of Community, Scholarship, Possibilities, Accountability and Tenacity
The following faculty and staff members were nominated by members of the Greek community and were recognized at the 2017 Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony:
Faculty:
- Evelyn Johnson (HU)
- Scott Miers (ME-EM)
- David Hand (CEE)
- Noel Urban (CEE)
Staff:
- Laura Bulleit (Dean of Students Office)
- Rochelle Spencer (Student Activities)
These nominations were written by individual students and were supported by an entire fraternity or sorority. In the end, the Outstanding Faculty Award was presented to Evelyn Johnson and the Outstanding Staff Award went to Laura Bulleit.
Advisor of the Year was also awarded to a staff member, Heather Simpson (Wahtera Center). Congratulations to all of these faculty and staff members who were nominated and thank you for inspiring and motivating students.
A special congratulations to Jessie Stapleton, director of student activities, for winning the first-ever Unsung Hero Award. She was recognized for all of her hard work and dedication to the students in the Greek community.
Stephanie Carpenter (HU) has been named winner of the 2017 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction for her short story collection “Missing Persons.”
Besides publication by Press 53 in October, Carpenter will receive a $1,000 advance and a quarter-page color ad in Poets & Writers magazine. The judge for the competition was Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Press 53.
Of the winning manuscript, Watson says, “These stories are diverse in voice, setting, conflict and style. Ms. Carpenter’s skills shine in this collection, as does her ability to step into the shoes of a wide range of people while peeling back the complex layers of their lives. For a group of stories to rise above 230 other manuscripts competing for my attention, every story has to deliver an interesting, satisfying and powerful experience, and ‘Missing Persons’ did just that. I’m looking forward to sharing this collection of stories with readers everywhere.”
Carpenter’s prose has appeared in journals and magazines such as Witness, Nimrod, The Cossack Review, Big Fiction, The Crab Orchard Review and others. She teaches creative writing and literature at Tech. “Missing Persons” is her first book-length publication.
The Humanities Department is screening their second movie in this year’s Spring Film Series at 7 p.m. today (March 23) in Walker 134.
The film is “C.R.A.Z.Y.” by Québécois director Jean-Marc Vallée. There will be English subtitles, so bring your friends and family.
There will be a poetry reading by Saara Raappana and reception held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 30 in Walker 134. Raappana will read new and selected poems, share anecdotes about ice fishing and rhapsodize about Trenary Toast.
Raappana is the author of the poetry chapbooks “A Story of America Goes Walking.”
There will be a screening of selected works from recent seasons of Motionpoems and reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 31 in Walker 134.
Motionpoems, a non-profit arts organization, brings the work of inspired contemporary poets to the screen through collaborations with talented emerging filmmakers. The results are poignant, heart-wrenching, uplifting and not to be missed.
PhD student Vincent Manzie received the Top Student Paper Award at the 2017 International Crisis & Risk Communication Conference in Orlando, FL. The paper is “Applying the Rhetoric of Renewal Model in a Contemporary African Context: Lessons Learned from Royal Dutch Shell Oil Crisis in Nigeria.”