Category: Announcements

Items that are time sensitive and require action

Summer 2019 Finishing Fellowship Nominations Open

Applications for summer 2019 finishing fellowships are being accepted and are due no later than 4pm, February 26, 2019 to the Graduate School. Please email applications to gradschool@mtu.edu. An information session to discuss how to prepare a successful application will be held on February 6, 2019 at 1pm in Admin 404.

Instructions on the application and evaluation process are found online. Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:

  1. Must be a PhD student.
  2. Must expect to finish during the semester supported as a finishing fellow.
  3. Must have submitted no more than one previous application for a finishing fellowship.
  4. Must be eligible for or in Research Mode at the time of application.

Finishing Fellowships provide support to PhD candidates who are close to completing their degrees. These fellowships are available through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD candidates who are in need of financial support to finish their degrees and are also contributing to the attainment of goals outlined in The Michigan Tech Plan. The Graduate School anticipates funding up to ten fellowships with support ranging from $2000 to full support (stipend + tuition). Students who receive full support through a Finishing Fellowship may not accept any other employment. For example, students cannot be fully supported by a Finishing Fellowship and accept support as a GTA or GRA.

Summer 2019 PHF Graduate Assistantship Nominations Open

Applications for summer 2019 PHF Graduate Assistantships are being accepted and are due no later than 4pm, February 28, 2019 to the Graduate School. Instructions on the application and evaluation process are found onlineAn information session to discuss how to prepare a successful application will be held on February 6, 2019 at 1pm in Admin 404.

Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:

  1. Must be a PhD student participating in health-related research that is aligned with the PHF’s mission.
  2. Must be eligible for or in Research Mode at the time of application.
  3. Must be 2 years after starting the graduate program at the time of application.
  4. (New for summer 2019) Must not be a prior recipient of a PHF Graduate Assistantship.

Priority will be given to students originally from Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, or Ontonagon counties. Non-resident students and international students are encouraged to apply if their health research is applicable to health needs and job shortages of our local community (obesity research, rural health, medical informatics, drug delivery and lab testing, physical therapy, etc.).

These assistantships are available through the generosity of the Portage Health Foundation. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD talent in health-oriented research areas. Applicants should be a catalyst for promoting and improving the overall health of Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, and Ontonagon communities through one of the following:

  • health research and technology development
  • health education or preventive and wellness initiatives
  • rural healthcare access, informatics, and assessment of care

Students who receive full support through a PHF Graduate Assistantship may not accept any other employment. For example, students cannot be fully supported by a PHF Graduate Assistantship and accept support as a GTA or GRA.

Merck Innovation Cup 2019

Apply now! Deadline is January 31st, 2019

From June 23 – 29, 2019, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will be hosting the Merck Innovation Cup (http://innovationcup.merckgroup.com, http://innovationcup.emdgroup.com).

The Innovation Cup is an initiative for graduate students in natural sciences, computer sciences, and business administration to attend a training program near Frankfurt, Germany.

All travel, food and accommodation expenses are paid by us.

The Innovation Cup is designed to support the professional development of graduate students interested in the pharmaceutical industry. Participants learn how R&D in the industry works by lectures from Merck managers and scientists. The students will also advance an idea to a full project plan with their teams. The event brings together a promising new generation of talent with senior Merck managers and researchers and accomplished Merck retirees in a meeting of the generations. It also provides a unique chance to network with the brightest students from all around the world. Teams will work on innovative projects in the areas of: Oncology, Immuno-Oncology, Autoimmunity, Small Molecule Drug Discovery, Protein Engineering and Screening, Digitalization.

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

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, January 23, 2019, 1 – 5pm (see detailed schedule below)
  • Who: Students completing a dissertation, thesis or report; faculty and staff who assist students with submission
  • Where: MUB Ballroom A; (register to attend online and receive participation instructions)
  • 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.

Detailed schedule

  • 1 – 2pm – Submission 101
    Learn what is required to submit your document to the Graduate School and the deadlines for the upcoming semester.  Best for students who are completing their degree this semester or next semester.
  • 2 – 2:45pm – Formatting 101: Using the Guide and Word Template
    Learn how to find what you need in the Guide and use a Word template to create a perfectly formatted document the first time. LaTeX resources will be referenced, but not emphasized.
  • 2:45 – 3pm: Break
    Enjoy snacks and network with other attendees
  • 3 – 4pm: Formatting 102: Copyright for your dissertation, thesis, and report
    Learn how to use copyrighted materials in your document, including papers you have published as well as materials created by someone else.
  • 4-4:45pm: Formatting 103: Checking and fixing your document
    Learn how to use Adobe Acrobat to check your document to ensure it meets our formatting requirements and correct it without recreating the PDF.
  • 4:45 – 5pm: Final questions
    Have a question that hasn’t been answered yet? We’ll be available to answer any additional questions you have.

Nominations for 2019 the DeVlieg Foundation Fellowships open

Due to the generous support of The DeVlieg Foundation, the Graduate School is happy to accept nominations for 2019 summer fellowships.

All graduate programs may nominate one eligible PhD student per program.  There will be two recipients – each will receive a stipend for summer 2019 plus tuition support (one credit or three research credits in Research Mode).  Eligible students will meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Must be a graduate student in one of the fields supported by the DeVlieg Foundation:
    1. Engineering or a closely related field, OR
    2. Biology/wildlife (2019 Summer Research Award in Biology/Wildlife)
  2. Must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
  3. Must be enrolled in a PhD program.
  4. Must be nominated by student’s graduate program.  Each PhD program may nominate one student.

Nominations are due no later than 4pm on January 24, 2019 to the Graduate School. Email to gradschool@mtu.edu is preferred.

Please see our web page for details on the application procedure and materials needed.  Each program may determine its own internal selection procedure.

Please contact Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School with any questions.

Graduate School Celebrates Milestone

First, a little history.

Our first two master’s degrees were awarded in 1927 to Jack L. Byers and Corbin T. Eddy. The first two doctorates were granted in 1934 to Roy W. Drier and Corbin T. Eddy. The first female graduate student at Michigan Tech was Margaret R. Holly who entered the MS degree program in Chemistry in 1935.

The Board of Control approved the creation of the Graduate School in July, 1950 and in 1960, physicist Donald Yerg became the first dean of the Graduate School.

Over the years we’ve had many, many incredible graduates from all over the world go on to accomplish wonderful things. Just a few who stand out are:

  • Kanwal Rekhi, MS, Electrical Engineering 1969, an entrepreneur who was part of the first Indian-owned company to go public in the U.S.
  • Roxanne Gay, PhD, Rhetoric and Technical Communication 2010, professor and contributing opinion writer at the New York Times
  • Yong Bin Yuan, PhD, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics 1991, CEO of Bethel Brake Company in Wuhu, China
  • The Most Reverend Alexander Sample, Archbishop of Portland, Oregon, MS, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 1984
  • Otha Thornton, MS, Rhetoric and Technical Communication 2001, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (retired), board member of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
  • Jason Carter, PhD, Biological Sciences 2003, associate vice president for Research Development at Michigan Tech and president-elect of the American Kinesiology Association

And this is just a sampling of the thousands of outstanding recipients of master’s and doctorate degrees from Michigan Tech who are making our world a better place.

Just how many have there been? Well, Michigan Tech is passing an important milestone Saturday (Dec. 15). Among the master’s and doctorate degrees awarded will be the 10,000th graduate degree in Michigan Tech’s history.

“I’m confident,” says Pushpalatha Murthy, dean of the Graduate School, “that among the upcoming and future graduate alumni, including the 10,000thgraduate degree recipient, we will continue to find the leaders the world needs to create a strong, productive and inclusive future.”

Tech will celebrate this milestone in true Tech fashion at commencement Saturday. Go Huskies.

Formatting workshops for Fall 2018

Are you working on formatting corrections for your dissertation, thesis, or report? Do you need help? Are you unsure where to submit your dissertation, thesis, or report?

Join the Graduate School (gradschool@mtu.edu) for group work hours. These workshops are provided at no charge to students working on a dissertation, thesis, or report. Staff will able to help with the changes required by the Graduate School for these documents in MS Office. Assistance will also be available for converting documents to PDF from Word and how to make simple corrections and check your document in Adobe Acrobat. The workshops will be in rooms with PCs with University software, or you may bring your own laptop. Distance students may contact gradschool@mtu.edu about remote assistance during these times via web conferencing.  If you need additional help outside of these times, please contact the Graduate School.  On a limited basis, one-on-one assistance may be available.

 Last day to submit a post-defense document to successfully complete your degree in fall is December 10, 2018 by 4pm EST!

All workshops will be held from on the following dates at the mentioned time:

  • Tuesday, December 4, 2018 | 2:30-4:30pm | Dillman 211
  • Thursday, December 6, 2018 |2:30-4:30pm | EERC 723
  • Thursday, December 20, 2018 | 2:30-4:30pm |EERC 723

Nominations open for 2019 MAGS Excellence in Teaching Awards

Nominations are now open for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Awards.  Michigan Tech may nominate one student at the MS and PhD level. Each graduate program may nominate one student at the MS and PhD level. Nominations are due to the Graduate School no later than 4pm, January 9, 2019.

Eligible students

  • will have been enrolled at Michigan Tech during the 2018-19 calendar year and have a teaching appointment
  • will have earned the Michigan Tech Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
  • will have an excellent teaching portfolio and student evaluations

See the application page for complete details on what is required for a nomination.

EndNote Workshop in the Library

The library is hosting an EndNote workshop Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Library 242.

Use EndNote software to manage your citations and save time. In this session, you will learn how to add references to an EndNote library, import references from databases and PDFs, organize your citations and use the Cite While You Write tool to incorporate references into Microsoft Word.

No prior knowledge of EndNote is required for this workshop.

Register here.

U.S. Department of Energy 2019 Fusion Energy Sciences Postdoctoral Research Program

The purpose of the Fusion Energy Sciences Postdoctoral Research Program is to offer recent doctoral degree recipients the opportunity to conduct research in DOE fusion energy research and development programs. Participants acquire knowledge and experience in areas of fusion energy science, interact with outstanding scientists and engineers, and have access to advanced equipment and facilities. Appointments are made to designated DOE laboratories, universities and contractor fusion energy centers. The mission of the DOE Fusion Energy Sciences is to expand the fundamental understanding of matter at very high temperatures and densities and to build the scientific foundation needed to develop a fusion energy source. Although tremendous scientific progress has been made since the inception of fusion energy research in the United States and internationally, fusion’s research frontiers remain replete with open problems of critical importance.

Selected Postdoctoral students receive a monthly stipend of $5,583.33 ($67,000.00 annually), a supplement to offset the cost of health insurance, a travel allowance and a relocation allowance, if eligible.

To qualify, applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and must have received a doctoral degree in an appropriate science or engineering discipline within four years of the desired starting date or expect to complete all requirements for such a degree prior to the desired starting date. Applications are due January 31, 2019. For a complete list of qualifications or to apply for the DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Postdoctoral Research Program please visit https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/DOE-FES-2019

Past Research Host Facilities: Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois •California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California •Columbia University, New York, New York •General Atomics, San Diego, California •Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho •Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California •Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania •Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico •Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts •New York University, New York, New York •North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina •Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee •Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington •Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey •Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York •Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico •Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California •University of California, Berkeley, California •University of California, Davis, California •University of California, Irvine, California •University of California, Los Angeles, California 

U.S. citizenship or LPR required 

Application deadline: January 31, 2019, at 4:00 PM EST

How to Apply: Applications and supporting materials must be submitted at

https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/DOE-FES-2019

Program Information: Detailed information about the FES Postdoctoral Research Program can be found at

http://www.orau.gov/doe-fes-postdoc/