Category: Announcements

Items that are time sensitive and require action

NSF ASSIST Travel Grant Opportunity

Apply for the NSF ASSIST Travel Grant to attend the Academic and Research Leadership Symposium at the National Society of Black Engineers Annual Convention in Pittsburgh, PA March 21-25, 2018.

Apply here: https://leveragefaculty.org/events

The Academic and Research Leadership Symposium (ARLS) is co-located with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Annual Convention. The ARL Symposium has two threads: (1) a faculty development thread, and (2) a research networking thread. The faculty development thread hosts workshops organized by members of the ARL network that strengthen and demystify fundamental components of academia. The researcher development and networking thread is critical to the goal of a self-sustaining ARL ecosystem.  Through funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), NSBE is able to fund up to 40 early-career faculty, post-doctoral scholars, and Ph.D. candidates to attend ARLS (NSF Grant #EEC-1548319).

ASSIST Travel Grants
Travel grants will cover expenses incurred to attend the Academic and Research Leadership Symposium (ARLS) and NSBE National Convention up to $2,000.  Eligible expenses include airfare, lodging, registration, meals, and other travel costs (e.g., parking). When you apply to attend, you will be asked to indicate which expenses you need grant funds to cover.

ASSIST Eligibility Requirements
Applicants for ASSIST Travel Grants must be early-career faculty members, post-doctoral professionals, or graduate students, and must meet the following criteria:

  • Faculty applicants must have held their appointment for five years or less.
  • Faculty and post-doctoral applicants must hold engineering appointments in an ABET accredited institution; and faculty from two-year colleges must teach STEM-related courses.
  • Post-doctoral applicants must have completed a Ph.D. in engineering within 48 months prior to their application.
  • Graduate students must be within one year of graduating with an engineering degree, in good academic standing, and enrolled as full or part time students.
  • ASSIST Travel Grant recipients must be US Citizens or have permanent resident status.

Application Process
A complete application includes

  • Responses to a short set of eligibility questions.
  • Statement of Interest – describe what you hope to gain by participating in the event and how the experience will benefit you and your career.
  • Statement of Diversity Contribution – describe your contributions to engineering diversity as well as your future diversity-related goals.
  • NSF Bio – A biographical sketch that adheres to NSF guidelines.

The deadline for applying to attend Academic and Research Leadership Symposium (ARLS) is December 31, 2017, 11:59 pm PST, and applicants will be notified of decisions by January 26, 2018.

Nominations open for 2018 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 10, 2018.

Eligible students

  • will have been enrolled at Michigan Tech during the 2017 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 at the Van Pelt and Opie Library

Learn how EndNote can help you easily create and manage bibliographic information and incorporate references into your writing. EndNote also offers a relatively easy way for faculty to upload citations into Digital Measures.

This combined EndNote Basic and Cite While You Write workshop will be held from 5:05 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 9) in Library 242.

During the session, we will cover how to create and build an EndNote “library,” add references from online databases and PDFs, and organization best practices. Incorporating references into a Microsoft Word document and changing output styles will also be covered.

Registration for the workshop is required. Register for the EndNote Basic and Cite While You Write workshop.

The Library 242 instruction room has EndNote X8 installed on Windows workstations. Attendees may bring their own laptops with EndNote X8 downloaded prior to the session. Visit the library’s EndNote Guide to download the software and get a sneak peek at what EndNote can do for you. Email library@mtu.edu with any questions.

Michigan Tech is coming to Thailand

Pushpa Murthy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School will be traveling to Bangkok with Jacque Smith, Director of Graduate Enrollment Services at Michigan Technological University. They will be attending the OCSC International Education Expo 2017 on November 11th and 12th (http://www.ocscexpo.org).

We would like to encourage you to stop by our OCSC Expo booth (B6) and say hi and help us recruit more Thai students for Michigan Tech. On Sunday, when the OCSC Expo ends (18:00) please consider meeting us at the Michigan Tech booth and we will be happy to host an Alumni dinner, please register HERE. We will give you updates and answer your questions on what’s happening on campus.

Michigan Tech in India

Pushpa Murthy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School will be traveling in India in late October, 2017. She will be in Bangalore on Sunday, October 22 and would like to meet with Tech alumni in India, catch up with news at your end, and share what is happening at Michigan Tech and in Houghton.

If you are interested in meeting up for tea around 4pm on October 22, please contact Mary Stevens at mjsteven@mtu.edu prior to October 11th to RSVP. A venue will be set once we know how many people will be joining us.

Formatting and submitting dissertation, thesis, or report help sessions for Fall 2017

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. Please contact the Graduate School for more information.

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

  • Wednesday, November 15, 2017 | 11am – 1pm | Dillman 101
  • Friday, December 1, 2017 | 11am – 1pm | EERC 723
  • Monday, December 4, 2017 | 11am – 1pm | EERC 723– Deadline for Fall 2017 is 4pm on December 4
  • Thursday, December 14, 2017 | 10am – 12pm | EERC 723
  • Wednesday, December 20, 2017 | 11am – 1pm | EERC 723

EndNote Workshops at Van Pelt & Opie Library

Learn how EndNote can help you easily create and manage bibliographic information and incorporate references into your writing. EndNote also offers a relatively easy way for faculty to upload citations into Digital Measures.

The “EndNote Basic” workshop will be from 1:05 to 2:15 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 26). During the session, we will cover how to create and build an EndNote “library,” add full-text documents and best practices for organizing your references. The workshop will be held in Library 242 and registration is required. Register for EndNote Basic.

The workshop “EndNote Cite While You Write” is from 2:15 to 3 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 26). Learn how to incorporate your EndNote library citations into a Microsft Word document in the particular style your manuscript requires. Attendees will also learn how to locate and import specialized output styles. Attending EndNote Basic, or prior knowledge of building and managing an EndNote library, is recommended.

This workshop is a continuation of EndNote Basic and will be held in Library 242 as well. Registration is required.

Our Library 242 instruction room has EndNote X8 installed on Windows workstations. Attendees may bring their own laptops with EndNote X8 downloaded prior to the session. Visit the library’s EndNote LibGuide to download the software and get a sneak peek at what EndNote can do for you

Click here to view all of the library’s upcoming workshops. Email library@mtu.edu with any questions.

Spring 2018 PHF Graduate Assistantship Nominations Open

Applications for Spring 2018 PHF Graduate Assistantships are being accepted beginning September 5, 2017 and are due no later than 4pm, October 11, 2017 to Dr. Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School. 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 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. Must not have previously received 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.

Spring 2018 KCP Fellowship Applications Sought

Applications are being sought for Spring 2018 KCP Future Faculty Fellowships, a program funded by the State of Michigan.  Applications are due no later than 4pm on September 12, 2017.  KCP fellowships provide students up to $20,000 (MS students) or $35,000 (PhD students) to pursue their degrees.  The Graduate School and nominating department must also contribute matching funds to help support the student.

The goal of the KCP Future Faculty Fellowship program is to increase traditionally underrepresented candidates pursuing teaching careers in postsecondary education.

To be eligible, an applicant must:

  • Be a US citizen.
  • Be a Michigan resident (contact the Graduate School for questions).
  • Be accepted into his or her Michigan Tech graduate program of choice.
  • Be planning and able to teach or secure an administrative position in postsecondary education. Fellows who do not obtain such a position after graduation will have the KCP fellowship funds converted to a loan.
  • Not have received another KCP Fellowship award for the same degree level (master’s or doctorate).
  • Not be in default status on any guaranteed student loan and/or a KCP fellowship.

A complete application will include:

  • A 1-2 page statement of purpose written by the student as it applies to the KCP fellowship goals
  • A current resume or curriculum vitae that includes positions held, fellowships received, current funding, and expected funding, if applicable
  • A letter of support from the graduate program (chair, dean, program director, or advisor) detailing:
    • the merit of the candidate.
    • how the student will contribute to the diversity of the program.
    • willingness to provide financial support to supplement the KCP funds
    • the mentoring plan for the student.

Please submit complete applications to the Graduate School, attention Dr. Debra Charlesworth (a single PDF via e-mail to gradschool@mtu.edu is preferred).  The review panel will also consider the candidate’s application to Graduate School and current Michigan Tech transcript (if applicable).

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by a panel consisting of one faculty member from each college or school on the following criteria:

  • Academic merit of the candidate.
  • Ability of the candidate to conduct independent research.
  • Level of commitment to pursuing a career in postsecondary education.
  • Level of support from the graduate program.

A priority will be placed on first time students.

Additional information is available online.

Seminar to develop a competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship application

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) solicitation has been published and the NSF GRFP website has been updated. Jessica Brassard and Natasha Chopp from the Research Development Office will be sponsoring a series of seminars as well as a guided Canvas course aimed at advising Michigan Tech students in developing competitive GRFP application packages.

To be competitive, students encouraged to apply will have:

  • a 3.5 GPA or higher

  • research and outreach experience

  • strong faculty references – letters of recommendation will need to be exceptional

Students who already have internal University/department funding are strongly encouraged to apply.  This, in turn, will free up internal funds for less competitive students.

To be eligible for the NSF GRFP, students must:

  • be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident

  • intend to pursue a research-based Master’s or Ph.D. program in an NSF-supported field

  • be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, by fall 2018

  • have completed no more than twelve months of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent) as of August 1, 2017, or meet the criteria for the extenuating circumstance described in Section IV of the Program Solicitation.

  • meet all other eligibility requirements as set forth in the current Program Solicitation

Award benefits:

  • a three-year annual stipend of $34,000

  • $12,000 cost of education allowance for the cost of tuition

SOLICITATION 16-588

The first information session will be held on Wednesday, September 13 at 5:00 pm in Admin 404 (Graduate School Conference Room). This session will be a general overview of the NSF GRFP.