Month: October 2014

Educators Present on Forestry and Environmental Research

NAAEE ConferenceJoan Chadde attended the 43rd Annual North American Association for Environmental Education Conference this month in Ottawa, Canada, where she presented “Engaging Under-Represented Students in Urban Forest Stewardship.”

Also traveling with Chadde was Houghton High School science teacher, Lauri Davis (partner-teacher with the Center for Water and Society), who presented “Environmental Research Projects: Getting High School Student Intimate with Nature,” a project funded by the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative.

From Tech Today.

Chadde Awarded for Environmental Education Achievements

Joan Chadde Shumaker
Joan Chadde

Joan Chadde has been selected to receive one of Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education’s (MAEOE) most prestigious awards. The William Stapp Award recognizes career achievement in environmental education.

Chadde was nominated by Janet Vail, associate research scientist at Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI) at Grand Valley State University, and supported by many others. Vail lead the water education/outreach program at AWRI

From Tech Today.

Peace Corps Information Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Interesting in joining the Peace Corps? Come to an information session with Peace Corps recruiter Brett Heimann on Tuesday, October 21, 2014, at 6 p.m. in Fisher 125 to hear what it is like to serve in the Peace Corps. You will also learn about degree options available with Peace Corps Master’s International, which combines Peace Corps service with a master’s degree and is offered in 10 Michigan Tech departments.

2014 Water Festival at Great Lakes Research Center

2014 Water Festival
2014 Water Festival

Water Festival Set for Thursday, 900 Grade-School Students to Attend

The 2014 Water Festival will be held in the Great Lakes Research Center on Thursday, Oct. 23. Almost 1,000 students in grades four through eight from local school districts are registered to attend.

Students will spend a half-day on campus and will attend four 35-minute activities. The Water Festival is designed to offer students engaging Great-Lakes-based content taught by Tech scientists, students and community experts (including artists and historians).

Activities offered include remotely operated vehicles, non-native invasive species, Great Lakes monitoring, land and water stewardship, Keweenaw geology, the aquatic food web, fish ecology and more.

“The Water Festival will provide an opportunity for students to learn about and celebrate our most precious natural resource: clean, fresh water,” said Joan Chadde, education program coordinator. “We will present a wide variety of topics related to the Great Lakes, from science and engineering to social studies and the arts.”

From Tech Today.

2014 Water Festival is made possible with funding from Michigan STEM Partnership, Michigan Tech Center for Water & Society, Earth Force, and the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative. Coordinated by the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative and hosted by Michigan Tech University.

Jeon Comments on Emotion-Detecting Systems

Your Typing Style Can Reveal Your Emotions

In a new study, researchers asked a small group of people to type a block of sample text, and then analyzed the keystrokes and characteristics to see if they could identify any of seven different emotional states: joy, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, shame or guilt.

The newly described emotion-detecting system “does not look like a breakthrough,” Myounghoon Jeon, an assistant professor of applied cognitive science at Michigan Technological University who was not involved in the study, told Live Science. “But [the researchers’] effort to integrate the existing methods looks fair, positive and promising.”

However, Jeon said the method of detecting emotions in text that was used in this study has some limitations.

Read more at Live Science, by Agata Blaszczak-Boxe.

Michigan Tech Feeding Michigan’s Appetite for Skilled STEM Workers

“Michigan Tech is working hard to meet Michigan’s need for STEM talent,” said Peter Larsen, director of research development.

Others at Tech who are actively encouraging young people to consider STEM careers include the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education, the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach at the Great Lakes Research Center and High School Enterprise programs that bring scientists and engineers, corporate partners and high school students together to solve problems.

Read more at Michigan Tech News, by Jennifer Donovan.

PhD Assistantship for Fall 2015 – Returned Peace Corps Volunteer

 

 PH.D. ASSISTANTSHIP IN APPLIED COGNITIVE SCIENCE AND HUMAN FACTORS FOR RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER 

Position available with Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors Ph.D. Program in the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan. Begins Fall Semester 2015.

Duties: doctoral program requirements (www.mtu.edu/cls/applied/overview/) ; assist Director of Peace Corps programs 20 hours a week in management of and recruitment for University’s Peace Corps Master’s International program (www.mtu.edu/peacecorps).

Qualifications: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer status; B.A./B.S. in Psychology, Engineering, Computer Science, or related field; desire to pursue Ph.D. in Applied Cognitive Science/Human Factors.

Tuition and stipend provided. For stipend levels, see: http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/admissions/financial/assistantships/stipends/

Consideration of applications begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled. For more information and to apply, contact Dr. Susan Amato-Henderson (slamato@mtu.edu), phone: 906-487-2536.

 Website: http://www.mtu.edu/cls/applied/overview/

 

Michigan Middle and High School Students Visit Campus

National Ocean Sciences BowlMichigan Tech’s Center for Science and Environmental Outreach recently coordinated campus visits for middle and high school students from two Michigan schools.

Greenhills School, Ann Arbor

Twelve students in grades 10-12 from Greenhills School in Ann Arbor visited Tech Sept. 26-27. The students received a $400 travel stipend, which they earned as second-place winners in the Great Lakes/National Ocean Sciences Bowl held at the University of Michigan.

The travel stipend was provided by the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science and the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach. The group, which was hosted by the Great Lakes Research Center, learned about topics ranging from wildlife ecology to remotely-operated vehicles in the classroom.

The following Tech scientists and students led activities:

  • Hannah Abbotts (SFRES), community liaison specialist
  • Assistant Professor Joseph Bump (SFRES)
  • Professor Nancy Auer (Bio Sci)
  • Jen Fuller (CEE), PhD student
  • Jenny Tyrrell (CEE), PhD student
  • Xena Cortez (CEE), first-year student
  • Benjamin Jensen (MEEM), president of the Blizzard Baja team

Menominee Catholic Central School

Twenty-three students in grades 6-8 from Menominee Catholic Central School made their annual visit to campus on Monday and Tuesday. 

The students spent time on the Agassiz, exploring the aquatic food web and shipwrecks in the Keweenaw Waterway; toured the boulder garden and rhizotron, which allowed the students to watch worms making soil; and more.

The following Tech scientists and students led activities:

  • Paul Pebler (CEE), PhD student
  • Marcel Djkstra (CEE), PhD student
  • Marcy Erickson (Center for Science and Environmental Outreach), SFRES alumna
  • Wes Ellenwood (CEE), graduate student
  • Jen Fuller (CEE), PhD student
  • Emily Gochis (GMES), PhD student

From Tech Today.