Category: Resources

Michigan Tech MSGC Graduate Fellowship Workshop and Writing Support

The Graduate School is offering support services to assist graduate students in applying for the Michigan Space Grant Consortium’s (MSGC’s) Graduate Fellowship, including a workshop and one-on-one writing support.

MSGC’s Graduate Fellowship opportunity supports graduate students from affiliate institutions who are conducting research and public service projects relevant to NASA’s strategic interests as expressed in NASA’s 2014  and 2018 Strategic Plans — specifically, research focused on aerospace, space science and earth system science. Graduate students working in related science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields are also eligible to apply.

Additionally, MSGC is piloting an expanded definition of STEM to include support for interdisciplinary projects that include art, so graduate students conducting research and projects relevant to NASA’s strategic interests in disciplines not traditionally considered STEM, such as the humanities or social sciences, are likewise encouraged to apply.

Fellowship recipients are awarded $5,000. To be eligible, applicants must identify a mentor, be U.S. nationals, have a good academic record, and be in good academic standing. Women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Students currently receiving MSGC Fellowships are eligible to reapply.

Workshop Details:

  • MSGC Graduate Fellowship Workshop: Overview and tips from a reviewer
    • Date and Time: Tuesday, Sept. 19, from 10-10:50 a.m.
    • Location: Zoom
    • Presenter: Will Cantrell, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School
    • Host: Sarah Isaacson (sisaacso@mtu.edu), GLAS program director
    • Register for the Workshop — The workshop will be recorded and shared with those who registered.

For more information and specific application instructions, visit the MSGC website and the MTU Graduate School MSGC webpage.

By the Graduate School.

Submission and Formatting 101: Master the Dissertation, Thesis and Report Process at Michigan Tech

Students who are completing a dissertation, thesis or report are invited to join the Graduate School to learn about the resources available to them to assist in scheduling their defense, formatting their documents and submitting their documents. In one afternoon, you can learn everything you need to be successful and complete your degree in a timely fashion! Faculty and staff who assist students with submissions are also welcome to attend. Attend the entire event, or stop in for the seminar that interests you.

  • When: Wednesday, May 24, from 2-4 p.m. (see a detailed schedule on our blog)
  • Who: Students completing a dissertation, thesis or report; faculty and staff who assist students with submission.
  • Where: Virtually via Zoom (please register to attend online and receive participation instructions) and in person in Admin 404 (room capacity is 35).
  • Registration: Please register to receive handouts via email or attend online. The seminar will be available online as well as on campus.

If you are unable to join us, the event will be taped and available online after the event. The previous semester’s seminars are always available online.

Information on submitting, formatting and more can be found online for dissertations and theses or reports.

By Debra Charlesworth, Graduate School.

Upcoming Library and Design Expo Workshops at Michigan Tech

Prepare for Design Expo and other term-end presentations the right way — with peer support, pizza and help from dedicated library and writing center staff! You’re invited to four instructional work sessions to help you create compelling videos, visuals and pitches for the projects you have dedicated so much time to. Pizza will be provided at each session so you can grab a quick meal while you fine-tune your work!

Faculty and instructors are highly encouraged to send students working on large final projects to these workshops.

All sessions will be held:

  • Where: Library’s East Reading Room
  • When: 2-3 p.m.

Please register for the sessions that interest you so we don’t order too much, or worse, too little pizza!

  • Explain Your Project to Anybody — Wednesday, March 15
    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 the day of the Expo. Come prepared to talk about your design and answer a few questions about it! Register for this work session.
  • Video Creating & Editing — Thursday, March 23
    We’ll provide basic info on recording, available tools and tricks to make your production more professional and accessible. The last 40 minutes 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! Register for this work session.
  • Communicate with Images & Visualizations — Wednesday, March 29
    Co-hosted with the Michigan Tech Writing Center! We’ll cover principles you can use to ensure your images and data 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 the brains of staff from the writing center and library as you think through how to best share your research. Register for this work session.
  • Explain Your Project to Anybody — Thursday, April 6
    A skill so important we are holding the session twice! Join if you cannot make the first one or still want to workshop your elevator pitch. Register for this work session.
  • Final Countdown — Wednesday, April 12
    Work on the last details of your project and video with company! Snacks and refreshments provided. Register for this work session.
    • by Van Pelt and Opie Library

Applications Sought: Sustainability and Resilience Education Innovations at Michigan Tech

The Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience (ISR) at Michigan Tech invites applications for educational innovation projects that increase student exposure to sustainability and resilience in formal coursework. The ISR seeks to incentivize the creation of new sustainability curricula through new and existing coursework so more students across Michigan Tech learn about sustainability, resilience and the connection of each to their domain expertise.

Applications for Educational Innovation support will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis between now and March 31, with notification of awards planned by April 15.

Proposals may include support for hourly student work, summer salary or materials/supplies to develop new courses, revamp existing courses or host workshops for educating faculty and/or staff on sustainability education. Proposals may also include funds to support or incentivize participation from students, faculty and/or staff, and/or materials or supplies for coursework innovation.

Faculty, graduate students and staff are all eligible to apply. Applications can be submitted by individuals or teams; graduate students are encouraged to collaborate with a faculty member to submit an application.

We anticipate most awards will be in the range of $3,000 to $5,000, but encourage budgets that meet the project needs. Potential applicants are encouraged to reach out with questions about their potential budget.

Submitted proposals should be no more than two pages. Each proposal should include:

  • A narrative description of the proposed educational innovation. This description should include at least one stand-alone paragraph that clearly describes how this educational innovation aligns with the broader goal of ensuring all students at Michigan Tech are exposed to sustainability and resilience through the curricula, including how many students are likely to be impacted by this innovation and how this innovation will be maintained in the curriculum.
  • A detailed budget and a proposed project timeline. Project work should take place no later than spring 2024; the implementation timeline is flexible but should be described in the proposal.
  • A list of deliverables to be provided to ISR at the end of the project period, such as a completed syllabus, a new course proposal prepared for submission, a workshop report, etc., to be determined and described by the applicant.
  • Separate from the proposal document, we are also asking for confirmation from relevant department chairs that they have reviewed the proposal and are supportive of the proposal plans, especially if the proposal involves creation of a new course. This can be in the form of an email to Robert Handler. 

If you have any questions about a potential project proposal, please reach out to ask! The ISR Working Group (ISR WG) will review applications and contact applicants regarding decisions. For questions and to submit your application, please email Robert Handler at rhandler@mtu.edu.

By Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience.

Writing Center Offers Michigan Tech Student, Classroom and Project Support

Send your students over to us at the Writing Center! All undergraduates are welcome to come by for a scheduled or walk-in face-to-face appointment with one of our peer coaches. Our coaches offer advice on brainstorming, revision, aligning ideas, research incorporation, citations and grammar, just to name a few topics. Please promote the Writing Center to your students and encourage them to visit.

We are located in Walker 107 and open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday. Your students can access the appointment system via the Michigan Tech Writing Center website.

If you would like a writing coach to visit your classroom to promote the center, or to schedule additional support during a class for a writing project or revision day, or have any other ideas of how we can support your classroom and projects, please contact Claire Helakoski at chelakos@mtu.edu or M. Bartley Seigel at mbseigel@mtu.edu. We are also happy to brainstorm with you over particular assignments or classroom support ideas to find ways to enhance your course and engage with your students on writing topics.

By Claire Helakoski, Assistant Writing Center Director, Humanities.

MTU Finance Your Innovation Workshop: Registration Open


Interested in competing at this year’s New Venture Challenge (NVC)?
Getting ready to try to raise capital for your start-up business?

Presented by Chief Commercial Officer Patrick Visser with the MTEC SmartZone, our local business incubator, this online workshop will cover founder capital fundraising strategies and choices including bootstrapping, angel investment, venture capital investment and growth capital financing.

This workshop is open to all students. Those interested in the New Venture Challenge (in April) will find this workshop helpful when applying to NVC and should plan to attend.

Join us Feb. 15 from 4-5 p.m. for this virtual workshop. Register by next Monday (Feb. 13) to receive the Zoom link.

By Husky Innovate, Pavlis Honors College.

MTU Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium Submissions Deadline Approaching

Michigan Tech’s Pavlis Honors College invites undergraduate researchers and scholars from all colleges to participate in the 2023 Michigan Tech Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium (URSS). We are pleased to feature the work of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows, the DeVlieg Foundation Fellows and the Portage Health Foundation Fellows at this year’s event, and we would also love to feature your students!

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 24, and research submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 7).

This year, in addition to the poster sessions, the URSS will also feature a panelist discussion and a networking social event leading up to the announcement of the event’s award winners. Our menu for the panelist discussion and the networking social will consist of French-roast coffee, petit fours and Lac La Belle apple cider.

Additionally, we have teamed up with the J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library to offer a poster creation session on March 14 from 10-11 a.m. to assist your students in preparing for the URSS. If they’d like to get started before then, the Library has templates to assist them.

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

By Pavlis Honors College.

Career Planning Workshop at Michigan Tech

Join Graduate Student Government (GSG) and the Van Pelt and Opie Library in learning why planning your career is more than just choosing a company or industry.

Melissa Baird, graduate director of the Department of Social Sciences, will walk through the steps to take you down the path to the career you want. This short workshop will take place in the Library East Reading Room from 12-12:30 p.m. next Tuesday (Jan. 31). Light snacks will be provided!

Sign up for the Career Planning Workshop.

By Graduate Student Government.

Submission and Formatting 101: Master the Dissertation, Thesis and Report Process at Michigan Tech

Students who are completing a dissertation, thesis or report are invited to join the Graduate School to learn about the resources available to them to assist in scheduling their defense, formatting their documents and submitting their documents. In one afternoon, you can learn everything you need to be successful and complete your degree in a timely fashion! Faculty and staff who assist students with submissions are also welcome to attend. Attend the entire event, or stop in for the seminar that interests you.

  • When: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2-4 p.m. (see a detailed schedule on our blog)
  • Who: Students completing a dissertation, thesis or report; faculty and staff who assist students with submission.
  • Where: Virtually via Zoom (please register to attend online and receive participation instructions) and in person in Admin 404 (room capacity is 35). 
  • Registration: Please register to receive handouts via email or attend online. The seminar will be available online as well as on campus.

If you are unable to join us, the event will be taped and available online after the event. The previous semester’s seminars are always available online.

Information on submitting, formatting and more can be found online for dissertations and theses or reports.

By Debra Charlesworth, Graduate School.

NSF I-Corps Program Registration Now Open at Michigan Tech

Are you interested in taking your idea, technology or process commercial? Entrepreneurially minded faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, alumni and local community teams are invited to attend the Great Lakes Region Hub National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Program hosted by Husky Innovate at Michigan Tech.

Course Description
The NSF I-Corps lean startup program spans six weeks. Using the scientific process, customer discovery and the business model canvas, teams will work to validate key business hypotheses and develop a scalable business model.

Course Benefits
Upon completion of the workshop and the customer discovery interviews (30), you or your team may be eligible for a mini grant of up to $1,000 for continued customer discovery.

Teams who complete the program may become eligible for the NSF I-Corps National Team Program and a $50,000 grant. Participation in the workshop can lead to qualification for research and other funding from several granting agencies, including Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and various state and regional programs.

Past participants have reported that they saved time and money by better understanding potential applications of their technology and improved their ability to receive add-on funding.

Our spring cohort will meet online via Zoom on the following dates:

  • Monday, Jan. 23 — Workshop No. 1: Kickoff, 4-7 p.m.
  • Monday, Jan. 30 — Workshop No. 2, 4-6 p.m.
  • Monday, Feb. 6 — No meeting, continue customer discovery, meet with your mentor
  • Monday, Feb. 13 — Workshop  No. 3, 4-6 p.m.
  • Monday, Feb. 20 — No meeting, continue customer discovery, meet with your mentor
  • Monday, Feb. 27 — Workshop No. 4: Wrap-Up, 4-7 p.m.

Register using the Spring 2023 Michigan Tech I-Corps 

By Husky Innovate, Pavlis Honors College.