Category: Announcements

Items that are time sensitive and require action

EndNote Workshops Sponsored by Library

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

BRC Travel Grants for Fall Semester

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 .

Nominations open for Spring 2013 Finishing Fellowships

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 .

Nominations sought for MAGS Thesis Award

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.

Graduate Students Invited to Participate in Safe Place Program

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

Women Helping Women at Ignite Night

The President’s Council of Alumnae and the Michigan Tech chapter of the Society of Women Engineers are bringing 10 successful women to campus for Ignite Night at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, in the Memorial Union Ballroom. There will be a question-and-answer session, refreshments and a chance to chat informally with the speakers after the program. The event is free and everyone is welcome.

Oil company vice presidents, automotive engineers, geologists, professors and other female leaders in their fields will talk about the challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve handled them.

Speakers include Colleen Cervantes, vice president of product supply and trading for Chevron; Diane Doser, professor of geological sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso; Birgit Sorgenfrei, a professional engineer at Ford Motor Co.; Patricia Henderson, president of Cygany Inc.; Shanon Lemke, a senior geologist at Vitruvian Exploration II; Marilyn Clark, CEO of the Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation SmartZone; Christine Manninen, director of the Great Lakes Commission’s Great Lakes Information Network; and Lee Rouse, president and CEO of Omni Tech International.

Their topics include: “What I Wish I had Known at the Beginning of My Career”; “From Wallflower to Sunflower–Why Networking is Important, Even for Shy People”; “Why You Don’t Need to Know What You Want to Be When You Grow Up”; “Communicate Early and Often”; and “Putting Your Best Foot Forward.”

Published in Tech Today

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity.  The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions.

Sponsored Program Enhancement will offer a seminar/workshop series to mentor students in developing competitive applications.

All sessions are from 12:00 to 12:50 and are located in the Pat Nelson Graduate Conference Center on the fourth floor of the Administration Building.  Please contact Jodi Lehman (jglehman@mtu.edu) with any questions. Feel free to bring your lunch!

September 13th  “Overview of Different Funding Opportunities and Resources for Domestic and International Students”

Dr. Jodi Lehman, Coordinator of Proposal and Fellowship Development, Sponsored Program Enhancement (SPE)

  • Why apply
  • Eligibility and Benefits of Diverse Funding Opportunities
  • Resources for finding funding
  • Resources for developing competitive application material

September 20th  “Pulling Together Competitive NSF GRFP Application Material”

Dr. Jodi Lehman, Coordinator of Proposal and Fellowship Development, SPE

  • Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit
  • The Personal Statement: A 5 point elevator speech
  • Previous Research Experience: Thinking outside the traditional lab experience
  • Proposed Plan of Research: A template for success
  • Exceptional Letters of Recommendation

September 27th   “Harness Your Brilliance: A Revision Process”

Mark Hopkins, NSF Fellow (awarded fellowship after second submission and tons of hard work) and PhD Candidate

Kara Sokol, Director of Integrated Marketing, University Marketing and Communication

  • Why start early
  • Who needs to be involved in the revision process
  • Writing strategies and revision processes that worked

Tentative: October 4th   “An Insider’s Perspective on the Review Process”

Dr. Debra Charlesworth, Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School for Professional Development, Biomedical NSF GRFP Panel Chair

  • Understand the review process
  • High impact tips to make your reviewer happy J

October 11th   “Broader Impacts…huh?”

NSF GRFP Reviewer and Tech Alumni, Dr. Caryn Heldt

  • How to address broader impacts
  • What activities and projects reflect clear interdisciplinary initiatives or implications, benefits to society, engagement with diverse groups, strong collaborations and partnerships, current and consistent outreach, ability to publish and present and future plans to do so.

October 18th or 25th “The Review Process”

Workshop: Gain a hands-on reviewer’s perspective and understand the importance of addressing the merit criteria – all in 45 minutes

TBA in early November “Mock Review”

Evening Workshop: Review applicant drafts while receiving feedback on your own drafts

First Friday Social – at the Graduate School!

Faculty, staff and graduate students are invited to attend the September First Friday University Social from 4 to 6 p.m., Sept. 7, at the Pat Nelson Graduate Conference Center on the fourth floor of the Administration Building. Complimentary soda, beer and wine will be served, along with Asian appetizers.

The Graduate School and Graduate Student Government are this month’s sponsors. Plan to come and mingle with your colleagues and see the recently donated conference room and the new GSG offices. Along with the Graduate School and GSG, the conference center was funded by the late Patricia Nelson, wife of Michigan Tech Chemical Engineering graduate Charles J. Nelson (’36, deceased).

The First Friday University Socials began in 2006 to provide a casual setting for members of the campus community to get together informally, share their work and get to know each other. Such informal gatherings often lead to more productive work relationships and an appreciation for diversity.

In an effort to increase the effectiveness of the initiative, this academic year will continue to feature campus partners who will sponsor each month’s event. International Programs and Services will host the next social on Friday, Oct. 5. If your department is interested in hosting a social or would like more information, please contact Megan Ross at 487-3123 or mrross@mtu.edu .

Published in Tech Today.

Great Lakes Research Center Dedication Thursday

It has labs for everything from supercomputing to invasive species, for everyone from school kids to university researchers.

There’s a weather station on the roof, and just outside, scientists can board the Research Vessel Agassiz and be on Lake Superior in under an hour.

Plus, the view from its second floor is so spectacular couples are already booking the space for wedding receptions.

It’s the Great Lakes Research Center, or GLRC. The public is invited to the dedication ceremony for Michigan Tech’s newest building, set for 2 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 2. The speakers will be President Glenn Mroz; Stephen Hicks, chair of the Board of Control; and Guy Meadows, director of Great Lakes initiatives at the GLRC.

Refreshments will be served, and tours will be held following the dedication.

The three-story, 50,000-square-foot center has three distinct areas: a boathouse for the University’s three research vessels and environmental monitoring buoy network, a complex of research laboratories, and a public area that includes conference facilities and space for K-12 education.

To read the full story, go to Great Lakes Research Center.

Published in Tech Today.

Scholarships Available for Little Huskies

Parents and guardians of young children are invited to apply now for The Access to High Quality Early Childhood Education Scholarship Fund.

The purpose of this scholarship is to allow Michigan Tech’s most needy families access to high-quality early childhood education at Little Huskies Child Development Center. Applicants may be undergraduates, graduate students or low-income employee families. Award amounts may vary from partial subsidies to full tuition scholarships.

Completed applications can be submitted by email to eva@gretchenshouse.com for more information. The application deadline is July 2.

Published in Tech Today.