Family Science Night Tomorrow

Family Science and Engineering Night
Family Science and Engineering Night

Come to the free K-5 Family Science and Engineering Night, tomorrow at 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Portage Lake District Library. Michigan Tech science and engineering students will present two activity sessions.

  • Pre-K to Second Grade: “Buzzing Bees” and “What Floats Your Boat?” 6:05—6:45 p.m.
  • Third through Fifth Grade: “Be a Computer Programmer” and “Blood and Guts” 6:50–7:30 p.m.

For more information, call the Portage Lake District Library at 482-4570.

Family Science Night is conducted by the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education and Michigan Tech with funding from the Family Engineering Program and assistance from Portage Lake District Library Community Programs.

From Tech Today.

New Faculty Member Amy Lark

 

Amy Lark
Amy Lark

Amy Lark, PhD
Amy Lark joins the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences as an assistant professor. Lark comes to Michigan Tech from Michigan State University.

She received a PhD in Science Education and a master’s in zoology from Michigan State.

Lark belongs to the National Science Teachers Association, the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research and the Society for the Study of Evolution. She has been published in American Midland Naturalist and theJournal of Comparative Physiology.

Read more at Tech Today.

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.