Graduate School Newsblog

Category: Announcements

Items that are time sensitive and require action

Reminder: Dance and Dinner Hosted for Betty Chavis Scholarship Fund

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Two events will be held to honor Betty Chavis, and proceeds will benefit the new Betty Chavis Scholarship Fund.

Chavis came to Michigan Tech as an admissions officer in the 1980s; directed multiethnic programs; and then recruited students on behalf of the Graduate School. The community knows Chavis in part through her leadership in spearheading the annual Parade of Nations.

The first event on behalf of her scholarship fund is “So You Think You Can’t Dance: We’ll Show You How,” which will be from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 16, in the Memorial Union Commons. Admission is by donation. The event, hosted by the students and alumnae of the Society of Intellectual Sisters, is in conjunction with their 20-Year Reunion festivities during Spring Fling Weekend.

For more information, contact Darnishia Slade at dslade@mtu.edu .

The second event will be a banquet held at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 16, at the Magnuson Franklin Square Inn.

Tickets are $50 and are available at www.tickets.mtu.edu, by calling 487-2073, or at the SDC Box Office.

To give directly to the Betty Chavis Scholarship Fund, call the Michigan Tech Fund at 487-2310, or mail a check to the Betty Chavis Scholarship Fund, c/o Michigan Tech Fund, or visit www.mtu.edu/giving. For more information, contact Chris Anderson at csanders@mtu.edu, or Carol Argentati at 487-2474 or caargent@mtu.edu.

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Library Offers Copyright Workshop

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Do you need permission every time you use someone else’s work? Can you show an entire movie in your class? What is Educational Fair Use? The answers to these copyright questions and more will be explored by copyright librarian Nora Allred.

The workshop will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 12, and repeated at 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, in Library 244.

The Library offers weekly workshops all semester on different resources that will give you an academic edge or save time. Workshops take place on alternate Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1 p.m., in Library 244. Each workshop is offered twice to accommodate class schedules.

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Nominations Open for the 2011 Distinguished Dissertation Award

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Nominations are now open for the 2011 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/University Microfilms International (UMI) Distinguished Dissertation Award. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. biological and life sciences (more details)
    Including:  biology; botany; zoology; ecology; embryology; entomology; genetics; nutrition; plant pathology; plant physiology; anatomy; biochemistry; biophysics; microbiology; pathology; pharmacology; physiology; agriculture, forestry, and related fields.
  2. humanities/fine arts (more details)
    Including: history; philosophy; language; linguistics; literature; archaeology; jurisprudence; the history, theory and criticism of the arts; ethics; comparative religion; and those aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches.

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2011, are eligible.   Next year, the 2012 competition will accept nominations in the fields of social sciences and mathematics/physical sciences/engineering for students who have graduated between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2012.

A nomination packet must include the following:

  1. a completed nomination form.
  2. a 10-page abstract of the dissertation, double spaced on white letter-sized paper.
  3. optional: abstract appendices containing non-textual material such as charts, tables or figures.
  4. a letter of reference from the dissertation advisor.
  5. a letter of reference from a member of the nominee’s dissertation committee.
  6. a letter of reference from a person chosen by the nominee.
  7. optional: a brief CV.

The Graduate School has access to the pdf file of all dissertations, so it is not necessary to include the dissertation.

The letters of reference should address the significance and quality of the dissertation work.

Nominations should be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 22nd. Contact Debra Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.  See also the Council for Graduate School’s announcement page.

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Reminder: Zotero Workshop

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Want to learn how to save your research time? How to better integrate citations seamlessly into your research process? Then come to the Library workshop on Zotero [Zoh-TAIR-oh], a fun, free, easy-to-use Firefox extension that helps you collect, manage and cite your research sources.

The workshop will be at 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 6, in Library 244.

Participants will create Zotero accounts, add information to a database, and learn how to organize material and create bibliographies, reports and references. The session will also cover a few advanced features, like creating timelines and groups and linking with HuskyFetch.

Bring your laptop, if you wish, or use one of our computers, and we’ll help get you started.

The Library now offers weekly workshops all semester on different resources that will give you an academic edge or save time. Workshops take place alternate Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1 p.m., in Library 244. Each workshop is offered twice to accommodate class schedules.

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Nominations for the Dean’s Fellowship are Reopened

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Update: Nominations are now closed for the 2011-12 academic year.

Funds are still available to assist programs in recruiting highly talented applicants to Michigan Tech’s PhD programs.  Nominations have been reopened, and will be accepted while funds are available.

The Dean’s Fellowship is intended to contribute to the development of a diverse academic community, which includes future faculty and others who will be leaders throughout their professional careers.

Dean’s Fellowships provide partial support for the recipient’s first year in a PhD program. The support includes a stipend of $2,000 per academic-year semester (fall and spring) as well as full summer support (stipend plus minimum full-time tuition and fees).

Please see our web page for complete details on eligibility and the nomination procedure.  Direct any questions about the program to Debra Charlesworth.

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DOE Announces New Scholarships

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced two new postgraduate fellowship programs in clean energy technologies. DOE says the purpose of the fellowships is to “attract the country’s best and brightest scientific minds to work on advanced clean energy technologies.”

One is a postdoctoral fellowship program that will fund up to 20 fellows nationwide for two years. Selected fellows will be encouraged to pursue innovative, independent new projects that could include working with local community organizations, providing expertise to start-up companies or pursuing grant funding for new work. Applications are due by June 30, and the fellowships will begin this fall. For more information, see www.energy.gov/education/postdoctoral_fellowships/.

The second program, the SunShot Initiative Fellowships, will select recent Master’s or PhD graduates who want to focus on critical technology innovations that can help reduce the total cost of solar energy systems by about 75 percent, making them cost-competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies by the end of the decade. SunShot is a collaborative national energy initiative. Applications for the SunShot Initiative Fellowships Program will be accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, see www.energy.gov/education/stp_fellowships.html.

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Be the Difference, Take a Stand

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An evening with Standathon will help Bay Cliff Health Camp. The fifth annual event will be from 7 p.m., Friday, April 1, to 7 a.m., Saturday, April 2, in the SDC Gym.

Standathon has activities for everyone to enjoy, including black light mini golf, laser tag, sumo wrestling, inflatables, water polo, fencing lessons, live bands, food eating contests, kayaking and more. Food will be served all night, including breakfast at 6 a.m. Prizes will be raffled off every hour. The grand prize this year is an Xbox Kinect.

The money raised at Standathon will be donated to Bay Cliff Health Camp, a therapy camp for children and adults with disabilities located in Big Bay. The Standathon 2011 goal is to raise $7,000. The entrance fee is $10; entrance fee and T-shirt are $15; and entrance fee, T-shirt and drawing for Xbox Kinect are $20.

For more information, contact Hilary Cadeau, president, at 201-2707 or at hscadeau@mtu.edu , or visit the Standathon website.

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MISNER Program Internship Opportunity

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The Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) announces the Michigan Initiative on Student NASA Exploration Research (MISNER) program. The MISNER program will give undergraduate and/or graduate students the opportunity to work in Exploration Systems Mission Directorate-related industries within the state of Michigan over the summer of 2011.

  • 10-week internship program (within the May – August 2011 timeframe)
  • $4,250 stipend with travel (up to $500) and housing (up to $1,250 total) = $6,000 Award Total

Applications are due no later than Wednesday, April 6, 2011. Applicants must be US citizens. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for this internship opportunity.

Questions regarding the MISNER Internship Program can be directed to Bonnie Bryant (MSGC) at blbryant@umich.edu.

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BRC Travel Grants for Spring Semester

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The Biotech Research Center is accepting applications for travel grants, which provide financial assistance to graduate students, undergraduate students and postdoctoral scientists who present their research at scientific meetings.

To apply:

  • Complete the application form available at www.biotech.mtu.edu.
  • Provide all the necessary information as specified in the application instructions.
  • Send application materials by Friday, April 15, to Mary Tassava, at mltassav@mtu.edu.

The awards, which promote biotechnological research and achievement, are merit-based and are offered twice per year. The Fall 2011 deadline is Oct. 14.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Awards will be announced near the end of the award month.

For questions, contact Tassava at 487-2959 or mltassav@mtu.edu.

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Library Offers Workshop: Delve into Research

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The Library will sponsor a literature review workshop, “Delve into Research,” at 1 p.m., Tuesday, March 15; and again 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 23, in Library 244.

Are you preparing for your thesis? Establish your research on solid ground by conducting a literature review. Bring to light your research project and understand current events in your field. Government Document Librarian Rhianna Williams will discuss six steps to conducting a literature review.

The library offers weekly workshops all semester on resources that provide an academic edge and save time. Workshops take place at 1 p.m. on alternate Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Library 244. Each workshop is offered twice to accommodate class schedules.

This spring’s workshops will focus on resume building, material science resources, managing citations and many more. The library welcomes feedback and ideas for future workshops. Email them at library@mtu.edu .

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