Category: Awards

Pidatala receives Doctoral Finishing Fellowship

PidatalaGraduate School Announces Award Recipients for Fall 2014 and Spring 2015

10 June 2015 Tech Today

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the following students have earned:

Doctoral Finishing Fellowships

  • Adam Coble, PhD Candidate in Forest Science
  • 
Khanh Cung, PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics
  • Yaoxian Huang, PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering
  • Gary Kaunonen, PhD Candidate in Rhetoric and Technical Communication
  • Sandra Owusu, PhD Candidate in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Venkata Ramana Pidatala, PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences

  • Jingtuo Zhang, PhD Candidate in Chemistry
  • Jie Zhou, PhD Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Distinguished Thesis Award

  • Xu Yang, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Award

  • Elaheh Gorgin, PhD Candidate in Mathematical Sciences
  • Amanda Shaw, MS Candidate in Physics

Photographs and details of awards and fellowships coordinated by the Graduate School can be found online

Amy Marcarelli Receives NSF CAREER Award

May 4, 2015—

By Mark Wilcox

Research indicates human activities have altered the global nitrogen cycle as much or more than the global carbon cycle. Yet it seems the public is far less aware of these changes.

In the world of aquatic biology, it’s a long-held belief that what goes up, must come down. As human activity causes nitrogen loads to go up along the banks of rivers and streams, nitrogen levels go down through another process. Amy Marcarelli, a Michigan Technological University associate professor in biological sciences, has received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study this nitrogen conversion balance.

She’s looking at two biological processes: nitrogen fixation and denitrification. Nitrogen fixation is sort of like a magic show where microbes take nitrogen out of thin air, turning it into a usable form for all organisms. The trick is in the biogeochemical process, which partitions and cycles chemical elements and compounds between the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem. The process is more or less reversed in denitrification, with the gases released into the atmosphere. The result should be a net reduction in nitrogen loads in rivers and streams. Although nitrogen fixation could offset nitrogen losses from denitrification, we know little about where and when it occurs in streams and rivers, and how it responds to human activities.

Marcarelli is looking to apply updated analytical techniques and models to test alternative hypotheses regarding how the balance between nitrogen fixation and denitrification influences nitrogen loads in streams and rivers.

With funding from the CAREER award, Marcarelli and her team will help create more accurate nitrogen budgets and models which are needed to better understand and manage the human effects on nitrogen cycling at both regional and global scales.

The CAREER awards are prestigious grants from the NSF to young faculty who effectively integrate research and teaching. Marcarelli was awarded a 5-year, $794,661 grant to continue her research into nitrogen fixation and denitrification.

Not only will her research look to affirm, or disprove, long-held beliefs, but also to create a more ecologically-savvy citizenry by integrating ecosystem ecology techniques into K-12 and undergraduate education.

Read the rest of the article at the Michigan Tech news feed

Kerfoot honored for 25 years of service

Michigan Tech Employee Service Recognition Event

On Wednesday, May 6th, faculty and staff members, along with their guests, gathered at the Memorial Union Ballroom for an awards dinner recognizing 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service to Michigan Tech.

The following employees were recognized.

25 Years

  • Ricky Ahola, Facilities Management
  • Victoria Bergvall, Humanities
  • Leonard Bohmann, College of Engineering
  • Jacek Borysow, Physics
  • Clifton Brusso, Facilities Management
  • Tomas Co, Chemical Engineering
  • Kelly Dube, Financial Services & Operations
  • Nikki Ebert, Dining Services
  • James Frendewey, School of Technology
  • Timothy Gasperich, Chemical Engineering
  • Christopher Green, Keweenaw Research Center
  • Janet Hayden, Vice President for Governmental Relations & Secretary of the Board of Trustees
  • Michael Hendricks, Vice President for Research
  • Robert Hiltunen, Auxiliary Services
  • Jackie Kentala, Athletic & Recreation Facility Operations
  • Charles Kerfoot, Biological Sciences
  • Alexander Kostinski, Physics
  • Joel Kunnari, Keweenaw Research Center
  • Denise Laux, Chemistry
  • Jerry Lutz, Chemistry
  • Walter Milligan, Materials Science and Engineering
  • Susan Niemi, Chemical Engineering
  • Gina Stevens, Social Sciences
  • Michael Tomasi, Facilities Management
  • Jeffrey Toorongian, William G. Jackson Center for Teaching & Learning
  • Judy Verran, Dining Services
  • Craig Waddell, Humanities
  • James Waineo, Keweenaw Research Center
  • Donald Williams, Counseling Services
  • James Wood, Geological & Mining Engineering & Sciences
  • Song-Lin Yang, Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Mechanics

30 Years

  • Terry Anderson, Kinesiology & Integrative Physiology
  • Joyce Fontaine, Financial Aid Administration
  • Don Kilpela, Merchandising Operations
  • Susan Laajala, Financial Services & Operations
  • Peter Laks, School of Forest Resources & Environmental Sciences
  • Amitabh Narain, Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Mechanics
  • Anita Quinn, Vice President for Administration
  • Nils Ruonavaara, Keweenaw Research Center
  • Madhukar Vable, Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Mechanics

35 Years

  • Theodore Bornhorst, AE Seaman Mineral Museum
  • Sheila Laitinen, Facilities Management

40 Years

  • Daniel Nutini, Dining Services

Retirees

  • Lisa Moyle, Housing and Residential Life

This year’s Staff Service Recognition luncheon will be held on June 17.

Congratulations to all honorees.

Kerfoot Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Charles KerfootProfessor Charles Kerfoot (BioSci) has received the 2015 IAGLR Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association for Great Lakes Research. The award recognizes important and continued contributions to the field of Great Lakes research for 20 years or more. In a letter notifying Kerfoot of the award, Douglas D. Kane, president of the IAGLR, congratulated him on an “incredibly productive and significant career.”

Dr. Kerfoot will be presenting at IAGLR 2015 (http://www.iaglr.org/iaglr2015/) on how Bythotrephes affects zooplankton community composition, at the University of Vermont in late May.

 

Charles Kerfoot Charles Kerfoot Charles Kerfoot

Linville, Dalton awarded Student Leadership Awards; Bachman Departmental Scholar

Bachman photo small

Dalton photoStudent Leadership Awards Ceremony Held Friday

Outstanding students, staff and a special alumna were honored Friday at Michigan Tech’s 21st Annual Student Leadership Awards Ceremony. The event’s keynote speaker was also the winner of, perhaps, the most prestigious award presented. Brtta Jost, ’02, ’04 received the 2015 Outstanding Young Alumna Award. Jost is senior engineer in large structures design engineering for Caterpillar. In her remarks, Jost recalled the changes that have occurred since her days as a student, most of them in technology and social media.

“Back then, if a speaker looked out and saw the audience looking down, she would have thought they were bored or disinterested,” she said. “Now I know you’re posting my remarks on Twitter.”

Jost said the most important aspects of a Michigan Tech education have not changed since her time here a decade and half ago.

Perhaps the most prestigious undergraduate award, the Presidents Award for Leadership, was presented to Kim D’Augustino, a double major in Materials Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. President Glenn Mroz cited D’Augustino’s numerous accomplishments including serving as vice president of the biomedical engineering society, mentoring students through the Wahtera Center and the ExSEL program and acting as event coordinator at the recent, highly-successful, campus Relay For Life.

Dallas Linville, was the recipient of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Advancement Award for Service, Nate Peterson received the Exceptional Leadership in Student Governance Award, the Exceptional Enthusiasm as Student Leader Award was presented to Luke Dalton and the Student Employee of the Year was awarded to Taylor Driscoll.

The Rising Star of the Year, presented to a first or second year student showing great potential for leadership, was awarded to Keagan Fortier. Britta Anderson was named Outstanding Future Alumnus or Alumna. The award is presented to a student already living the Alumni Association’s motto of “Celebrating Traditions, Creating Connections.”

Other awards handed out included:

Exceptional Program of the Year: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program

Most Improved Student Organization: Mu Beta Psi

Exceptional Community Service Project: Society of Women Engineers, Homecoming Spirit Sprint

Claire M. Donovan Award: Susan Liebau, Director of the Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success

Student Organization of the Year: Broomball Committee

Student Organization Advisor of the Year: Jeremiah Bauman, Broomball Committee

The Provost’s Award for Scholarship was selected from the Departmental Scholars. This year’s recipient was Melissa Michaelson, Departmental Scholar from Social Sciences.

Award recipients who received their awards at previous ceremonies were also recognized. They include:
Percy Julian Award: Taylor Driscoll
Exceptional Graduate Student Leader: Abhilash Kantamneni
Exceptional Graduate Student Scholar: Xu Yang
Outstanding Graduate Mentor: Dr. Gregory Odegard
Greek Man of the Year: Jonathan Iafrate
Greek Woman of the Year: Erica Morley

This year’s Departmental Scholar in Biological Sciences was Evan Bachman

David S. Bruce Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award

travisTravis Wakeham, an undergraduate researcher in Dr. John Durocher’s Clinical and Applied Human Physiology Laboratory, received a prestigious David S. Bruce Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award at the Experimental Biology Conference in Boston, MA last week. Prior to the conference Travis had already received a David Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Award which included $100 and a 2-year complimentary membership to The American Physiological Society. Travis will receive an additional $400 and a certificate for the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award. This award was based on the quality of his poster and his oral presentation to the David Bruce Award Selection Committee. The title of Travis’ poster was “Obesity and neural cardiovascular responses to mental stress in humans.” Travis was mentored by both Dr. John Durocher of Biological Sciences and Dr. Jason Carter of Kinesiology & Integrative Physiology during this research project.

 

Biotechnology Research Center Spring 2015 Travel Grant Recipients

Biotechnology Research Center Spring 2015 Travel Grant Recipients

The Biotechnology Research Center has announced its Spring 2015 Travel Awards. The award recipients follow:

Post-doctoral Research Scientist Presentation

  • Qi Xing (Biomed), TERMIS–AM 2014 (poster)

Graduate Student Presentations

  • Andrew Chapp (KIP), Experimental Biology 2015 (poster)
  • Faten Dhawi Almuhanna (Biology), Experimental Biology 2015 (poster)
  • Ida T. Fonkoue (KIP), Experimental Biology 2015 (podium)
  • Michael Huber (KIP), Experimental Biology 2015 (poster)
  • Haiping Liu (Biology), 20th Annual Meeting of the RNA Society (poster)
  • Zichen Qian (Biomed), Gordon Research Conference (poster)
  • Lina Shi (Biology), 20th Annual Meeting of the RNA Society  (poster)

    Undergraduate Student Presentation

  • Travis Wakeham (Biology), Experimental Biology 2015 (poster)

Winners of the ESC 11th Annual Student Research Forum

Jade OrtizThe Members of the Ecosystem Science Center would like to congratulate the winners of the 11th Annual ESC Student Research Forum:

Grand Prize winner of the Graduate Student submissions :
Alex Bales (Bio Sci, Advisor: Erika Hersch-Green) for the poster “Polyploidy Influences Plant Carbon/Nitrogen Balance and Resistance to Insect Herbivory in Chamerion angustifolium
The Two Merit Prize winners of the Graduate Divisions were:
Alida Mau (SFRES, Advisor: Molly Cavaleri) for the poster “Photosynthetic Temperature Responses Within Temperate and Tropical Forests”

Mickey Jarvi (SFRES, Advisor: Andy Burton) for the poster “Below-ground C Allocation Responses to Climatic Variation across Sugar Maple’s Native Range”

The Grand Prize winner of the Undergraduate Student submissions:
Jade Ortiz (Bio Sci, Advisors: Amy Marcarelli, Casey Huckins and Kevyn Juneau) for the poster “Invasive Myriophyllum Spicatum and Nutrients Interact to Influence Phytoplankton Communities in the Portage Waterway”
The ESC would like to thank all the participants and our judges for a good forum. The posters will remain on display in the atrium of the Noblet building for the next two weeks.

Graduate Student Awards

Congratulations to our award winning graduate students:

The Graduate School and Graduate Student Government proudly announce the 2014-2015 academic year winners of the following awards:

Outstanding Scholarship Award
Ashley Coble
PhD Student, Biological Sciences
Advisor
Amy M. Marcarelli

Outstanding Teaching Award
Chelsea Mitchell
MS Student, Biological Sciences
Advisor
Thomas Werner

Outstanding Teaching Award
Mengmeng Qiao
PhD Student, Biological Sciences
Advisor
Guiliang Tang

More details at:

Travis Wakeham is awarded the David S. Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract

 Travis Wakeham is a David S. Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Awardee! This award is based on the abstract that Travis submitted to the Experimental Biology Conference that will be held in Boston at the end of March, a personal statement written by Travis, and a letter of support from his mentor Dr. Durocher. Travis will receive $100 and a 2-year complimentary membership to the American Physiological Society as part of this award. He will also be eligible for an Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award at Experimental Biology based on his poster presentation. His abstract is titled “Obesity and neural cardiovascular responses to mental stress in humans.” Dr. Durocher has noted that “Travis always anticipates what needs to be done in the lab and he is extremely dedicated and reliable. He makes conducting a research study a seamless process.”

Congratulations Travis!