Category: Competitions and Challenges

Michigan Tech Graduate Research Colloquium March 26–27, 2024

Each spring, GSG sponsors the Graduate Research Colloquium Poster and Presentation Competition. The GRC offers a unique opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research with the University community and work on their presentation skills for other professional events.

DATE
Mar 26 – 27 2024
TIME
8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
LOCATION
Rozsa Center, MTU

March 26 (9AM – 3PM) – Oral Presentations (MUB Alumni Lounge)
March 26 (5PM – 8PM) – Poster Presentations (Rosza Lobby)
March 27 (5PM – 8PM) – Banquet (Rosza Lobby)

Applications Open: Climate Leaders Academy

Applications are now open for the 2024 Climate Leaders Academy (CLA).

Students in the CLA will explore climate change challenges and solutions from a range of disciplines and perspectives, work directly with representatives from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to support a selected term project, explore the policy responses to climate change and travel to the COP29 climate negotiations.

The CLA has three primary components:

  1. An intensive kickoff workshop on May 23-26
  2. Enrollment in a 3-credit graduate-level course taught at Vanderbilt University by Leah A. Dundon
  3. Participation at the international climate change negotiations (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024

All travel is supported. Applications are competitive; the class is limited to 12 students. Details are available on the application form.

Several Michigan Tech students traveled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with the 2023 CLA class for COP28 and had a fantastic experience.

The CLA is funded with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is organized through Vanderbilt University and the NSF-supported Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH) together with Michigan Technological University, Boston University and Tennessee State University.

The program is open to graduate students in any field. You must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national or a permanent resident of the United States.

By Sarah Green, Chemistry.

GSG hosts Michigan Tech Graduate Research Colloquium

GSG will host our annual Graduate Research Colloquium on March 26th followed by a banquet dinner on March 27th for participants and judges. This is a great opportunity for graduate students to practice presentation skills and share their research with colleagues, faculty, and staff. Important time, dates and sign-up link for the poster session and/or oral session are provided below.

March 5 – Registration Closes

March 15 – Poster and Abstracts Due

March 26 (9AM – 3PM) – Oral Presentations (MUB Alumni Lounge)

March 26 (5PM – 8PM) – Poster Presentations (Rozsa Lobby)

March 27 (5PM – 8PM) – Banquet (Rozsa Lobby)

Graduate Student Registration here: https://gsg.mtu.edu/grc/

We need your help to make this event a success! Consider judging!

Faculty/Staff Judge Registration here: https://forms.gle/qo5PFgrbKsfVtEAZ6

Michigan Tech Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium Seeking Judges, Participants

The Pavlis Honors College would like to extend you an invitation to join us as a distinguished judge at the Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium (URSS). Your participation would significantly contribute to the success of our passionate undergraduate researchers. If you would like to serve as a judge for the symposium, please submit our brief form. We appreciate your time and talents!

We encourage undergraduate researchers and scholars from all colleges to participate in the Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium. We are pleased to feature the work of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows, The DeVlieg Foundation Fellows and the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation Fellows at this year’s event, and we would also love to feature your students! This year, in addition to the poster sessions, the URSS will also feature a panelist discussion.

The URSS is a great opportunity to highlight the work of our undergraduate students, present posters describing completed or ongoing research and receive feedback from faculty judges. This year’s event will take place March 22, and research submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. next Tuesday (Feb. 6).

Please pass this information to students whom you think would benefit from this opportunity and encourage them to apply! Questions about URSS can be directed to Chris Hohnholt at cahohnho@mtu.edu.

By Pavlis Honors College.

Save the Date and Register for Michigan Tech Design Expo

Undergraduate students in any college across campus are encouraged to register and take part in Michigan Tech’s Design Expo on April 16.

The annual event showcases the breadth and depth of undergraduate student innovation at Tech, with more than 100 Enterprise, Senior Design, and Capstone projects on display. Many projects are sponsored by industry. A panel of distinguished judges will critique the projects and determine award winners. Teams compete for cash awards totaling nearly $3,500.

Save the Date: Tuesday, April 16
This year’s Design Expo will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in two campus locations: the Van Pelt and Opie Library first floor and the Memorial Union Building Ballroom. A reception and awards ceremony will follow from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. All events are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

Student Teams: Register Your Project Now for Design Expo
Registration is open now through March 8. Full information is located on the Design Expo student registration webpage. We encourage teams to register as soon as possible.

Volunteers: Please Sign Up to Judge at Design Expo
Interested in supporting our students as they engage in hands-on, discovery-based learning? Consider serving as a distinguished judge at this year’s Design Expo! Learn more and sign up.

Give Your Presentation an Extra Boost with Design Expo Workshops
Prepare for Design Expo and other term-end presentations the right way — with peer support, pizza and help from dedicated Van Pelt and Opie Library and University staff! Learn how to create compelling videos, visuals and pitches for your projects. All sessions take place in the Library East Reading Room from 2-3 p.m. Note: All are welcome to attend these workshops (regardless of participation in Design Expo).

  • Wednesday, Feb. 21: Explain Your Project to Anybody
    Practice talking about your design in a concise, easy-to-understand way. This will help you solidify content for your video and develop a short elevator pitch that you can share at your booth on the day of Design Expo. Come prepared to talk about your design and answer a few questions about it!
  • Thursday, March 7: Posters, Images & Visualizations
    We’ll cover principles you can use to ensure your posters and the images and data you display in them are readable and appealing, and run through tools you can use to design supporting images. The second half of the session will be devoted to questions and open work time. Pick our brains as you think through how to best share your research.
  • Wednesday, March 20: Video Creating & Editing
    We’ll provide basic info on recording, available tools and tricks to make your production more professional and accessible. The last half of the hour will be devoted to questions and open work time. Handouts and a compilation of resources will be available to take with you!
  • Thursday, April 4: The Finishing Touches
    Refresh on details about how to present your work for Design Expo and other end-of-year presentations. Get last-minute feedback for a winning project and work on the final details of your project and video to the company! Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

By the Enterprise Program | College of Engineering.

Michigan Tech Annual Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition

Husky Innovate invites Michigan Tech innovation and entrepreneurship champions, including faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members, to join us for the Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition.

During Innovation Week, next Wednesday (Jan. 24), we will gather for a pre-event mixer at 5 p.m. and kick off the competition at 5:30 p.m. in the MUB Ballroom A.

Hosted by Husky Innovate collaborators, Pavlis Honors College, the College of Business, and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, the annual Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition is a legacy event recognizing student entrepreneurial spirit and paying tribute to the late Professor of Practice Bob Mark. Students with innovative ideas pitch their business model to a panel of judges who provide expertise and feedback to help them move forward.

This year’s judges include representatives from the MTEC SmartZone, Northern Michigan University, Michigan Tech’s College of Business and College of Computing, and Michigan Tech Alumni startup founders.

Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition prize categories:

  • First Prize: $2,000 — sponsored by Rick and Jo Berquist
  • Second Prize: $1,000
  • Third Prize: $500
  • Honorable Mention: $250
  • Audience Favorite: $250 — sponsored by Dan Green (MTU alum and principal, BlackFin Group)
  • Breakthrough Innovation Award: $1,000 — sponsored by MTEC SmartZone and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation
  • Social Impact Award: $1,000 — sponsored by Gates Professor Elham Asgari (COB)

Student contestants can register to pitch their business model through Friday (Jan. 19).

Virtual attendees may join via Zoom.

By Husky Innovate, Pavlis Honors College.

Michigan Tech Innovation Week 2024

Husky Innovate is hosting innovation-themed events from Jan. 22-26. Innovation Week celebrates innovation and entrepreneurship at Tech and throughout our region. These events are a great way to connect with alumni, students, faculty and staff, and the community. Faculty, please share these opportunities with your students.

Check the Innovation Week 2024 webpage for full event descriptions. Pre-registration is required for each event. Join us for one event or several!

  • Keynote Speaker:
    Orbion’s Entrepreneurship Journey with Brad King
    Monday, Jan. 22, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge
    Our keynote speaker, Brad King, Michigan Tech professor, CEO and co-founder of Orbion Space Technology in 2016, will share his journey as an entrepreneur and discuss how he and his team have addressed market demands and the challenges of scaling up.
    Register now — Deadline: Jan. 19
  • Reverse Pitch Presentation with Nate Yenor
    Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 12-1 p.m. via Zoom
    Nate Yenor, director of Tech Business Incubation with the Office of Innovation and Commercialization at Michigan Tech, will report top teams poised to launch their innovations into startups and recap how the new Entrepreneurial Fellows of NMU and MTU have been aiding other startups in the Michigan ecosystem.
    Register now — Deadline: Jan. 22
  • Impact Investing with John Soyring
    Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 12-1 p.m. via Zoom

    Impact investors seek both measurable positive societal or environmental impact as well as financial return. Does your startup have a social or mission? Join us for a talk with John Soyring ’76 ’06 (B.S. Electrical Engineering, Hon. Ph.D.). Soyring will lead a discussion about his experience as an angel impact investor, talk about how impact investing differs from more traditional investing, and discuss opportunities for both investors and startup companies.
    Register now — Deadline: Jan 23
  • 16th Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition
    Wednesday, Jan. 24, MUB Ballroom A 
    Michigan Tech graduate and undergraduate students will pitch their business model for a chance to win cash prizes. This legacy event is a tribute to the late Professor of Practice Bob Mark. Faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community can attend in person or virtually. Refreshments will be served and a pre-event mixer will begin at 5 p.m.
    • Student contestants: Register now — Deadline: Jan. 22
    • Audience attendees: Please join us in person, but if you are remote, join us via Zoom
  • Careful Contracting for Startups
    Thursday, Jan. 25, 12-1:30 p.m. in MUB Ballroom B

    Learn strategies for careful contracting as you work with development and investment partners, and hear how investors evaluate your startup’s risk exposure. Ashley Sloat, president and director of Patent Strategy at Aurora Patents, will discuss everything you need to know, from engaging with an engineering firm to ultimately pitching to an investment group. Topics include IP ownership, assignment from engineering firm inventors back to you, how to avoid the traps of viral IP, and what investors want to see in your pitch deck.
    Register now — Deadline: Jan. 22
  • Enterprise Ventures with Len Switzer
    Friday, Jan. 26, from 12-1 p.m. via Zoom

    Len Switzer, Enterprise associate director, will discuss upcoming new venture opportunities with MTU’s Enterprise Program. Switzer was once Employee No. 3 of a startup company. Since that time, he has continued to work with startups, including via Enterprise. With a background in R&D, product management and operations, he will share his insight into the relationship between technical feasibility, product-market fit and manufacturability.
    Register now — Deadline: Jan. 25

by Husky Innovate, Pavlis Honors College.

Call for Submissions: 2023 Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Pavlis Honors College invites undergraduate researchers and scholars from all colleges to submit for presentation at the 2024 Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium (URSS).

The symposium allows undergraduate students to present posters describing completed or ongoing research and receive feedback from faculty judges. This event is an excellent learning experience and showcases the great undergraduate research and scholarship occurring at Michigan Tech.

The URSS will be held March 22 in the Rozsa Lobby. Coinciding with Michigan Tech’s Preview Day, the symposium is a great way to share the exciting research projects from across campus with high school students considering attending Michigan Tech.

Research submissions are due Feb. 6 at 11:59 p.m; please encourage your students to register and submit their work. To submit, they should visit the URSS website and follow the instructions provided. It is recommended that applicants save their text in a document and copy the required information into the submission form.

Submissions will be reviewed by Pavlis Honors College staff and confirmation of acceptance will be sent by March 1. Please note: If more submissions are received than space in the Rozsa Lobby allows, it is possible some will not be accepted.

Questions can be directed to Chris Hohnholt at cahohnho@mtu.edu. We look forward to seeing your submissions and presentations!

By Pavlis Honors College.

Michigan Tech Infinite Loop Undergraduate Research Journal Seeking Submissions

The Infinite Loop is seeking submissions of original undergraduate research papers for the inaugural Journal for Undergraduate Research and Applied Computing. The journal welcomes submissions from undergraduates of all majors. Its scope includes interdisciplinary research and applications of computing in diverse fields, such as data science, health informatics, information technology and digital humanities. Papers should describe student research conducted at Michigan Tech or an independent applied computing project of significant depth.

The deadline for fall 2023 submissions is Friday (Nov. 3) at 11:59 p.m. All papers will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the highest standards of academic integrity and quality. Submissions should be 1,000 to 8,000 words in length (not including references), conform to IEEE Style Guidelines, contain at least 10 references, and have at least three figures, tables or code snippets.

Papers can be submitted on the Infinite Loop website.

Learn more on the Infinite Loop blog.

By the College of Computing.

GSG Announces MTU’s 2023 3MT Competition

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an international competition developed by the University of Queensland Australia. Graduate Student Government (GSG) hosts an annual competition every fall, and the winner will present at the regional levels of the competition.

Michigan Tech’s 2023 3MT competition will be held on Nov. 9. The preliminary rounds will happen from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Great Lakes Research Center in GLRC 202. The finals will be held from 6-8 p.m. in the U. J. Noblet Forestry Building in Noblet G002.

Cash prizes of $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for the people’s choice award will be awarded.

The presentation schedule will be available one week prior to the event. For more information on the competition, please see GSG’s 3MT webpage.

Eligibility: The competition is open to all grad students, but the regional competition is only eligible to Ph.D. students with confirmed candidacy.

The registration deadline has been extended to Monday (Oct. 30). Register on the 3MT webpage.

By the Graduate Student Government.