Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Fall 2022 – Xuewei Cao

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I am currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. My advisor is professor Qiuying Sha. My research is in statistical genetics. I focus on the development of novel statistical methods and efficient bioinformatical tools to find genetic variants or genes related to complex diseases and traits, such as type II diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, et al. My main project is incorporating the genotype and phenotype association network to simultaneously analyze multiple phenotypes and multiple genotypes and improve the power to identify genes that are associated with complex diseases by using the constructed network. Under the supervision of Dr. Sha, I have also collaborated with the Upper Peninsula Health Plan (UPHP) in Marquette, MI since 2019 to determine the relationship between health service costs and diabetic medication compliance for patients with diabetes in the UPHP population.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Portage Health Foundation for the support, which allows me to focus on such cutting-edge research here at Michigan Tech and prepare the manuscripts for publications in the coming fall. I also want to thank my advisors Professor Qiuying Sha and Professor Shuanglin Zhang for all of their valuable guidance and support over the last four years, and I am extremely grateful to the graduate program in Math Department for their constant help and generous support throughout my entire graduate school studies.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2022 Recipient – Peng Quan

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In the spring of 2020, I started my PhD life in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Technological University. Under the guidance of Prof. Xinfeng Xie, I have been doing research on the recovery of Kraft lignin from black liquor and its application in polyurethane foams. In my research, I developed a new one-pot liquefaction process to recover Kraft lignin with tunable and predicable yield and molecular properties directly from black liquor. Then, the lignin was used to partially replace the fossil-based polyols to prepare polyurethane foams. I wish my research can contribute to the sustainable development of both pulping and polyurethane industries. 

I would like to thank the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science and the Graduate School for their support in my PhD life here. I also really thank the continuous support from my advisor Prof. Xinfeng Xie, committee members, and my lab members.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2022 Recipient – Vishnu Chakrapani Lekha

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I am a PhD student in the Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences department. I do my research on geohazards, especially landslides. I specialize in geospatial data analysis and modeling, microwave remote sensing including SAR, UAV-based data analysis, and geophysical data processing. My PhD research is on developing a Landslide Early Warning System in the Western Ghats, India. I am a staunch believer in utilizing science and technology to find solutions to problems of different magnitude.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2022 Recipient – Shobhit Chaturvedi

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I started my doctoral research in Spring 2018 with Dr. Christo Z. Christov in the Department of Chemistry at Michigan Technological University. Before that, I completed my B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University was working as Project Research Assistant at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. My research focuses on utilizing computational techniques like Molecular Dynamics (MD), Quantum Mechanics (QM), and Quantum Mechanics/ Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) to explore structure-function relationships in enzyme catalysis. 

During my time as a PhD candidate at Michigan Tech, I have researched an NSF funded project about ethylene forming enzyme. In this project, my research involved developing an enzyme model to establish the chemical mechanism of ethylene formation and L-Arg hydroxylation. I further explored if external electric fields can switch between the two reactivities of ethylene forming enzyme, with an aim to optimize ethylene generation. I have also worked on an NIH funded project about histone demethylases, activities of which have been linked to various forms of cancers. I used molecular dynamics simulations and combined QM/MM approach to establish the enzyme catalytic mechanism and structure-function relationship. Moreover, I have developed a computational framework for identifying second coordination sphere and long-range residues relevant for catalysis through analysis of protein correlated motions. 

I am grateful to the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel and the Dean for awarding me the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship. I would also like to offer my special thanks to my advisor Dr. Christo Z. Christov, for his support throughout my PhD program.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Fall 2022 Recipient – Sushree Dash

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My love for optics and photonics is deep in my core. I have always been fascinated and motivated by this area of physics. Everything fascinated me, from natural phenomena to optical illusions, from ray optics to wave optics, from ordinary materials to extraordinary materials with optical effects. While my journey in optics and photonics was inevitable, it never lacked an element of surprise. 

I started my PhD here at Michigan Tech in Fall 2018, in the Department of Physics with Dr. Miguel Levy as my advisor. In my research, I focus on investigating the fundamental properties of ultra-thin magneto-optics materials. The surface effects we are investigating will lead to the miniaturization of laser components named optical isolator and, thus, the miniaturization of lasers. We researched the experimental aspects of these properties and the theoretical, i.e., density functional theory aspect of it. This gives a complete picture of our investigation of the non-reciprocity property, i.e., Faraday rotation.  

During my time at Michigan Tech, I made friends and family who helped me grow as a physicist and a better human being. Now that it’s almost time for my journey at Michigan Tech to end soon, I am sure the memories and lessons learned during these five years will always stay with me and guide me in my future endeavors. 

I am indebted to the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory panel for considering and awarding me this fellowship. I am grateful to my advisor; Dr. Levy’s teachings helped me become a better person and student. He always inspired me to contribute to the community while contributing to physics. I am proud and honored to be his student.

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International Cloud Appreciation Day

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Because the Dean studies clouds, we are celebrating International Cloud Appreciation Day!

“This year, for the first time, the Cloud Appreciation Society is launching Cloud Appreciation Day on Friday, September 16th. This will be an internationally recognized day when people around the world are encouraged to spend a few moments appreciating the beauty of the sky. We are launching our new Memory Cloud Atlas, as a place where anyone on the day can share an image of their sky and write or record some words on how it makes them feel. The Memory Cloud Atlas will serve as a snapshot on a single day of our collective views on the most dynamic, evocative, and accessible part of nature: the sky.”

Check out all the details here: https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/cloud-appreciation-day-2022/

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Housing resources 2022-23

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We are aware of the concerns regarding housing, and we are working with Residence Education and Housing Services to try and identify additional resources.

In the meantime, we would encourage you to utilize all of the resources available:

  1. Sign up for the waitlists for the residence halls, Hillside Place and Daniel Heights. You must be logged in to your Michigan Tech email account and not an off campus email address to access the waiting lists.
  2. Monitor your Michigan Tech email for possible communications about additional housing options.
  3. Expand your housing search to off-campus options (see below).

To help you get started with step number three, we’ve compiled a list of resources to begin your off-campus housing search!*

*Michigan Tech is not affiliated with and does not endorse any of the listed businesses.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Summer 2022 Recipient – Chinmoyee Das

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I was first introduced to Forest Biomaterials during my master’s degree in Germany. Previously I had known forest-based materials, predominantly wood is used as fuel, construction material and making paper. I was completely awestruck when I came across such advanced applications of wood, where every monomer of wood can be specifically used in advanced materials, and I decided this is what I wanted to do in the future. 

I started my PhD here at Michigan Tech in Summer 2019, in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences with Dr. Xinfeng Xie as my advisor. In my research I focus on the incorporation of biocarbon, that is essentially carbon developed from biomass, into polymer matrices to develop reinforced and electrically conductive composite materials. The goal of this study is to develop materials that can be used as lightweight conductive automotive parts. The comprises of formulation, fabrication and characterization of the composites with a goal of future commercial application in automotive industry, as a replacement for conventional polymer composites. 

I am highly indebted to the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory panel for considering and awarding me this fellowship. I am extremely grateful to my advisor Dr. Xie for his constant support and guidance. In this journey not only did my skills and experiences grow and improve, they also contributed to my growth as a person.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Summer 2022 Recipient – Li Wei

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I started working on my Ph.D. in Fall 2016 at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with Prof. Zhaohui Wang. I previously obtained my M.S. from the University of Connecticut and my B.S. from Xi’an Jiaotong University in China. My research has focused on underwater acoustic communication and networking technology. 

At Michigan Tech, I first developed a comprehensive experiment system for both simulation and field underwater acoustic communication and networking experiments, which facilitated several field experiments in Keweenaw Waterway, Lake Superior, and a joint field experiment with UCLA in Marina del Rey. With the abundant field experiment data collected by this system, I explored the generative models of the underwater acoustic channel impulse response with deep learning. The generative models can further enhance the performance of reinforcement learning models for optimizing configurations of an underwater acoustic network system. I plan to continue my research and development works on underwater acoustic communication systems after I finish my Ph.D.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Graduate College of Michigan Technological University for their continuous support in achieving my Ph.D. goals. My special thank goes to my research advisor Prof. Zhaohui Wang, my committee members, and also all the lab members in our research group for their invaluable guidance and help.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship – Summer 2022 Recipient – Manas Warke

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I began my doctoral research in the Department of Biological Sciences at Michigan Technological University in the Spring of 2018. Before joining MTU, I obtained my B. Engg in Biotechnology from Mumbai University, India, in 2017. I worked in Dr. Dibyendu Sarkar’s lab at Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ, in the Fall of 2017.  

I was fortunate to work with Dr. Rupali Datta from the beginning of my Ph.D. My dissertation focuses on three aspects of arsenic-contaminated soil – investigating the effect of soil-Arsenic on human health, developing a technique to reduce the Arsenic accumulation in rice grains, and exploring plant-microbe interaction in an arsenic-contaminated environment.

I also had the opportunity to work on other projects like the Lead phytoremediation funded by the Housing and Urban Department and health risk estimation due to toxic metal accumulation in wild rice.

I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Rupali Datta, for her support and guidance. I would also like to thank the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for awarding me the finishing fellowship. This award will allow me to focus my efforts on completing my dissertation document and preparing for my defense.

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