Graduate School Newsblog

Author: Debra Charlesworth

NSF GRFP Workshop Series

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Jodi Lehman, coordinator of proposal and fellowship development at Sponsored Program Enhancement, will present “Pulling Together Competitive NSF GRFP Application Material” from noon to 12:50 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 20, in the Pat Nelson Graduate Conference Center on the fourth floor of the Administration Building.

Topics will include:

  • Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit
  • The Personal Statement: A five-point elevator speech
  • Previous Research Experience: Thinking outside the traditional lab experience
  • Proposed Plan of Research: A template for success
  • Exceptional Letters of Recommendation
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Tech is Recognized as a Military Friendly School

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Michigan Tech has been named a “military friendly school” for 2013 by G.I. Jobs magazine.

The recognition puts Tech among 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide. The schools are not ranked.

“The competition for our 2013 list was fierce, and as a result we raised the already stringent criteria to a higher benchmark,” a spokesman said. “Your school is among the elite.”

As part of the program, Tech will be listed in the “G.I. Jobs 2013 Guide to Military Friendly Schools,” and will be included online at Schools.

Michigan Tech offers an array of services for veterans.

Since 2008, Michigan Tech has offered in-state tuition to out-of-state students who are the offspring or spouse of a person on active US military duty. Tech is also a “yellow-ribbon school”–a federal designation for a program where the University commits $2,500, which the government matches, to help offset the tuition of nonresident students.

Tech also participates in the National Service Graduate Fellowship–an assistance program for graduate students. The University has a student veterans organization that helps veterans transition from military to civilian life, promotes camaraderie, and encourages community outreach, particularly with other veterans.

There is a component in Orientation that directs veterans to student services, as well as GI benefits, mental health providers and the veterans hospital in Iron Mountain. Tech alerts faculty to watch for PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and, in a symbolic initiative: veterans wear red, white and blue honor cords at graduation.

Published in Tech Today

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EndNote Workshops Sponsored by Library

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The J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library presents a series of EndNote workshops.

EndNote is citation management software which allows anyone to easily collect, organize, and use their research references. Learn how EndNote can save you hours of time in your library research and document preparation process.

Seating for these workshops is limited and registration is required. Send an email to libraryworkshop@mtu.edu letting us know which session(s) you would like to attend. Please include your status (e.g. faculty or graduate student) and your department.

Note: Our sessions use EndNote X5 on PCs. Laptop users are encouraged to update their versions of EndNote prior to the session. See the library’s EndNote Download page. See also the Graduate School’s web page for links to output styles formatted for theses and dissertations.

Upcoming Sessions:

EndNote Basic I: Creating and Organizing an EndNote Library
In this 1 hour workshop participants will learn how to build a collection of citations (i.e. EndNote library) and manage an EndNote library.

  • September 26th @ 12:00 PM In room 242
  • September 28th @ 1:00 PM In room 242

EndNote Basic II: Cite While You Write (CWYW)*
In this 30 minute workshop participants will learn how to import specialized output styles.

* Attendance of EndNote Basic I or prior knowledge of building and managing an EndNote library is required.

  • September 26th @ 1:00 PM In room 242
  • September 27th @ 2:00 PM In room 242

EndNote Special Topics: Adding Graphics and Setting Preferences **
In this 30 minute workshop participants will learn how to add tables, charts and graphs to your library and include them in your writing process. You will also learn how to set your EndNote preferences to improve performance and learn short cuts.

** Attendance of our EndNote Basics I & II workshops or prior knowledge of creating an EndNote library and using CWYW are required.

  • September 27th @ 2:30 PM In room 242
  • September 28th @ 2:00 PM In room 242

Choose the session(s) that are best for you. Email: libraryworkshop@mtu.edu

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BRC Travel Grants for Fall Semester

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The Biotechnology Research Center is pleased to announce that fall 2012 Travel Grant applications are being accepted.

The BRC travel grants provide financial assistance to graduate students, undergraduate students and postdoctoral scientists who present their biotechnology-related research at scientific meetings. The BRC travel grants work to promote biotechnological research and achievement.

To apply, complete the application form available at Biotech. Provide the necessary documentation as specified in the application instructions. Send application materials to Mary Tassava, mltassav@mtu.edu by Monday, Oct. 15.

The awards are merit-based and are offered twice per year. The spring 2013 deadline will be April 15. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Awards will be announced as near to the deadline as possible.

If you have questions, contact Tassava at 487-2959 or mltassav@mtu.edu .

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Nominations open for Spring 2013 Finishing Fellowships

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Nominations for spring 2013 Finishing Fellowships are now open. Applications must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m., Wednesday, October 17th.
Students are eligible if the following criteria are met:
  • Must be a PhD student.
  • Must expect to finish in spring 2013.
  • Must have submitted no more than one previous request for funding.
  • Must be eligible for Research Only Mode.
Previous recipients of a Finishing Fellowship are not eligible.
For details on the application procedure, see Finishing Fellowships.
For more information about the application or review process, contact Debra Charlesworth, assistant to the dean, at 487-1989 or at ddc@mtu.edu .
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Nominations sought for MAGS Thesis Award

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The Executive Committee of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) is soliciting nominations for the 2013 MAGS Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards to recognize and reward distinguished scholarship and research at the master’s level.  Michigan Tech may nominate one candidate.

Eligible students will have earned a master of science degree between October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012.

Please see our web page for complete details on eligibility and application procedures.  Nominations are due no later than 4pm, October 9th to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School.

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Fall Enrollment Figures Announced

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Michigan Tech submitted its official fall undergraduate and graduate enrollment figures to the state Wednesday night.

The total number of students on campus this fall is 6,945, including 1,410 new undergraduates, both first-year and transfer students. Of those new undergraduates, 1,027 are Michigan residents, 349 are women, 93 are underrepresented minorities and 54 are international students.

“Four and half years ago we enrolled one of the largest undergraduate classes in recent memory,” said Les Cook, vice president for student affairs. “Last May those students graduated, and 95 percent of them were successfully placed. With that exceptionally large number of graduates taking their place in the world and decreasing numbers of students graduating from high schools in Michigan, it is more challenging for us to fill all their spots at the University. But we’re doing well, and I think that the high placement rates and starting salaries of our graduates bode well for the long run. The market is there. Right now, our Fall Career Fair already has the second-largest number of companies attending in our history, and businesses are still registering.”

Although the total number of women at Michigan Tech dropped slightly, the number of female students in the College of Engineering rose to 835 from last year’s 795. That brings the percentage of women engineering undergraduates up to 20 percent. Since 2005, the number of undergraduate women enrolled in the College of Engineering has increased 36 percent, from 612 to 835.

Overall, women make up 25 percent or one in four of the undergraduates at Michigan Tech.

“We’ve done a lot in the background over the past couple years to begin to position Michigan Tech as a ‘go-to’ place for women interested in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields and management,” said President Glenn Mroz. “It’s a process that will continue. This fall we’re gearing up a new marketing campaign to reach out to women interested in understanding, developing, applying, managing and communicating science and technology. After all, women make up about 55 percent of the college-bound population; their science and math abilities are exceptional, and employers are continually looking for more gender balance in their workforce.”

The total number of graduate students rose to 1,322, a 1.5 percent increase over fall 2011. First-time master’s degree students this year total 257 and first-time doctoral students, 98.

Michigan Tech also saw a fourth consecutive year of increases in graduate degrees granted, reported Jacque Smith, director of marketing and advancement for the Graduate School. In the 2011-12 academic year, 352 graduate degrees were granted, including 289 master’s and 63 PhDs.

“These numbers are encouraging and are moving us closer to our goal of having 3,000 graduate students at Michigan Tech,” said Graduate School Dean Jacqueline Huntoon.

“Jacque and I both want to thank all of the people who worked so hard over the past two weeks to get all of the students in special situations enrolled before the official count date,” Huntoon added. “This includes the Graduate School staff, the Registrar’s Office staff and everyone in Accounting. Without all of these people’s collaborative efforts, we would not have been able to exceed last year’s numbers before the official count date.”

by Jenn Donovan, director, public relations
Published in Tech Today

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Graduate Students Invited to Participate in Safe Place Program

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With the increased enrollment of students who openly identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (GLBTQ), the Michigan Tech Safe Place Program has been redesigned to be a comprehensive and in-depth resource to better prepare faculty and staff to address the needs of these students.

The revamped training program addresses a wide range of terms that GLBTQ students use to define their identities, issues that GLBTQ students often deal with during the coming-out process, concerns that GLBTQ students face both in and out of the classroom, ways that faculty and staff can create inclusive classroom and office environments, where faculty and staff can refer students who need to report harassment and the on- and off-campus resources available to students.

Faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate student employees are invited to participate in the program. The fall 2012 training times and the online registration form are available at Safe Place.

Published in Tech Today

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Attracting Underrepresented Graduate Students: GEM GRAD Lab This Saturday

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Rod Carter credits his graduate education at Michigan Tech for the strong problem-solving skills it takes to succeed at his job: high-level materials research for Boeing. A research and technology engineer, Carter was the first African American to earn a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Tech, in 2008.

During an all-day seminar at Michigan Tech on Saturday, Sept. 15, Carter will talk about the doors that graduate education opened for him. Called the GEM GRAD Lab, the meeting addresses a critical shortfall in US engineering and scientific talent, focusing specifically on recruiting more underrepresented students into graduate programs. GRAD stands for Getting Ready for Advanced Degrees.

“Students will leave the GRAD event with a definite plan on how to apply and gain funding, and hear about real-life research and internship experiences,” says Marcus Huggans, senior director of external relations for the National Consortium for Graduate degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc., sponsor of the program. “GEM appreciates Michigan Tech’s Graduate School leadership to bring this workshop to students in the Upper Peninsula.”

Jacque Smith, Michigan Tech Graduate School director of marketing, explains: “It’s all part of an even larger goal of creating a pipeline for this talent to move on to corporations and organizations after receiving their graduate degrees.”

A major component of GEM is fellowships for Master of Science in engineering students or PhD students in engineering or science. The GEM fellowships include full tuition, summer internships and stipends.

His GEM fellowship has made all the difference to Sterling Prince, a doctoral candidate in electrical engineering. “The GEM Fellowship has been a blessing to my life,” says Prince. “It has strengthened my decision and given me confidence to achieve a doctorate in electrical engineering. It has provided the financial support I needed for my graduate program, allowing me to dedicate my time to my studies rather than working. The program has also provided me with the opportunity to work at a national laboratory, an experience that allowed me to see that I enjoy the area of scientific research and want to pursue it in my future.”

In addition to Carter, Prince and two other current Michigan Tech GEM fellows and PhD candidates–James Alexander and Tayloria Adams–will speak at Saturday’s seminar. Other speakers include Huggans; Patty Lopez, a component design engineer at Intel; and Howard G. Adams, founder and president of H. G. Adams and Associates, a consulting and training firm. Michigan Tech’s Associate Provost for Graduate Education Jackie Huntoon and Jodi Lehman, coordinator of proposal and fellowship development for sponsored program enhancement, will also speak.

More than 100 of the nation’s top universities, many Fortune 500 companies, and numerous national laboratories support GEM, which began in 1976. Since then, more than 3,000 GEM Fellows have gone on to successful careers. Michigan Tech has participated in GEM since the 1990s.

Registration for the free event starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Great Lakes Research Center.

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Change in Leadership at Peace Corps Master’s International Program

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Professor Blair Orr (SFRES) is stepping down as director of Michigan Tech’s Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) program, the nation’s largest. Orr will be replaced by Lecturer Kari Henquinet (SS).

“I am very sorry that Blair will no longer be working with the Graduate School on PCMI and related topics,” said Jackie Huntoon, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School. “His dedication to the PCMI program has been remarkable. Blair has been an outstanding leader and has helped the University attract students who might not have considered Michigan Tech, if it were not for the PCMI program. In addition, he has helped the University attract and better serve other students who have contributed time and effort in service of the United States. The National Service Graduate Tuition Fellowship, which is available to groups of students, including honorably discharged military veterans, was developed under Orr’s guidance, with members of the Air Force and Army ROTC.”

Orr is also a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Lesotho from 1978 to 1981. Orr’s familiarity with the Peace Corps helped Michigan Tech and its students to negotiate agreements and find appropriate placements around the world.

As the new Michigan Tech PCMI campus director, Henquinet will work with the Graduate School to oversee existing PCMI programs and assist in the development of new ones. She will serve as the primary point of contact at Michigan Tech for the Peace Corps. Henquinet earned her PhD in Anthropology from Michigan State, and her research is in the area of international development. Henquinet has been working with PCMI students from across campus for several years, and she will report to the dean of the Graduate School and represent the PCMI programs on the Graduate Faculty Council.

“Kari’s prior involvement with the PCMI programs and students from across campus will be invaluable as she helps the University maintain its record of excellence in this aspect of our graduate offerings,” said Huntoon. “I look forward to working with Kari in her new role.”

Currently there are 67 students from eight different disciplines enrolled in the PCMI program at Michigan Tech.

Published in Tech Today

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