Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Fall 2019 Recipient – Danielle Rupp

Published
By

Danielle Rupp
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

I am a fourth year PhD Candidate in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. My area of study revolves around boreal ecosystems—particularly northern wetlands—and how these areas are responding to climate change. The research that I pursue at Michigan Tech specifically involves carbon cycling, microbial response, and plant community shifts due to hydrologic change. Other research I have been involved with during my time at Tech includes the investigation of permafrost thaw and its effects on nutrient cycling in and around thermokarst features. In so doing, I have spent the past three summers living and working in and around Fairbanks, Alaska—an area in which permafrost thaw and climate change are daily realities for both the landscape and the people who live there. During my time at Michigan Tech, I also had the opportunity to attain a Masters in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which expands my technical skillset for any future career.

I am incredibly grateful to the graduate school for awarding me a Finishing Fellowship. The extra time to finish writing and publishing my research will make me a competitive candidate for many potential future careers. Careers I am interested in pursuing include nonprofit environmental research, land- or water-based management positions in federal agencies, land trusts, or non-profits, or environmental state-based careers in Alaska or other northern climates.

Continue Reading →

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Fall 2019 Recipient -Amol Paithankar

Published
By

Amol Paithankar
Mining Engineering

I am a Ph.D. candidate studying Mining Engineering in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences. I came to Michigan Tech in Fall 2015 to pursue MS in Mining Engineering, after working for 4 years in the mining industry in India.  I started working under the guidance of Dr. Snehamoy Chatterjee, where I worked on multiple-point geostatistics and mine production scheduling. After finishing MS in 2017, I decided to continue for a Ph.D. at MTU. As a Ph.D. candidate, I am developing a mining complex optimization algorithm to solve a large scale stochastic open-pit mine optimization problem. I want to thank my advisor Dr. Snehamoy Chatterjee for his guidance and generous support.

I am very grateful to the Graduate School for the support provided through the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship. This support is instrumental in this final stage of my graduate studies.  I am mainly writing my final research papers, and look forward to completing my dissertation in a timely manner and take on new challenges.

Continue Reading →

Graduate Student Support group

Published
By
Group Description:
Graduate Student Support Group (weekly, starting Tuesday, Sept. 18th, at 5:30 pm) Please contact Pat Frueh at pjfrueh@mtu.edu, if you have questions and would like to join the group.
Open to: Tech graduate students who may be suffering from some of the challenges associated with graduate school, like working in isolation, procrastination, impostor syndrome, and feeling overwhelmed.
 
Description: Connect with others around the unique experience of advanced education and exchange coping ideas, gain perspective and find some balance as you manage with the demands of grad school.
 
Patricia Frueh, Psy.D.
Assistant Director, Counseling Services
Michigan Technological University
Continue Reading →

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Summer 2019 Recipient – Erin Burkett

Published
By

Erin Burkett
Social Sciences

I am a PhD candidate studying Environmental and Energy Policy in the Department of Social Sciences. Over the past four years I have studied demographic trends and changes among recreational anglers in Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. I have also studied the importance of fishing to women and how women-specific outreach programs engage with this important group. This research includes working with both state natural resource agencies and recreational fisheries stakeholders. The MTU Finishing Fellowship comes as a pivotal time in my dissertation as I am mainly writing my final research papers and preparing to give my oral defense. I am very grateful to have funding and support during this stage of my research. Go Huskies!

 

Continue Reading →

Fall Data Science Fellowship Opportunity

Published
By

Program: The Data Incubator is an intensive 8 week fellowship that prepares masters students, PhDs, and postdocs in STEM and social science fields seeking industry careers as data scientists. The program is free for Fellows and supported by sponsorships from hundreds of employers across multiple industries. In response to the overwhelming interest in our earlier sessions, we will be holding another fellowship.

Who Should Apply: Anyone who has already obtained a masters or PhD degree or who is within one year of graduating with a masters or PhD is welcome to apply. Applications from international students are welcome. Everyone else is encouraged to sign-up for a future session.

Locations: In addition to the below in-person locations, we will have a remote online session:

  • New York City
  • San Francisco Bay Area
  • Boston
  • Washington, DC.
Continue Reading →

Nominee for 2019 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award: Aranya Srijongjai

Published
By

Aranya Srijongjai
Rhetoric, Theory and Culture

I received a PhD in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture in 2019 at Michigan Tech under the supervision of Dr. Karla Kitalong. My dissertation focused on digital rhetoric of cosmopolitanism of people from a marginalized culture as situated in the context of a transnational experience. Using cases of Thai students studying at Michigan Tech, my dissertation project investigated their digital practices as they engaged with the Other on social media in everyday life. The methodological framework of this project was designed by consolidating various concepts and perspectives of new cosmopolitanism and digital rhetoric. In its contributions, apart from theoretical and pedagogical implications, this project also helps to shape the idea of digital rhetoric of cosmopolitanism by proposing a definition and a model to explain its ontological dimension.

After graduation, I returned to Thailand and resumed the position of a lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Continue Reading →

Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Summer 2019 Recipient – Zainab I. Alshoug

Published
By

Zainab I. Alshoug
Chemical Engineering

In 2013, I graduated from MTU with a master’s degree under Dr. David Shonnard supervision. My master’s research was on biofuel production. Working with Dr. Shonnard was one of the valuable experiences at MTU. Dr. Shonnard’s research group not only strengthened my research skills but also provided me a hand-on experience of working in a lab.

In order to pursue my aim of getting a doctorate degree in Chemical Engineering, I joined Dr. Adrienne Minerick’s M.D.-ERL research group which provided me an opportunity to work on the design of lab-on-a-chip device to measure the level of lipids in human blood by using different art-of-the-state techniques, such as Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). It is a great experience working with Dr. Minerick in many different projects include measuring the effect of consumption of different teas in lipid levels in human blood. She is always a source of encouragement and motivation for me.

I am incredibly grateful for the support of my advisors Dr. Adrienne Minerick, chemical engineering program, and the MTU graduate school. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Portage Health Foundation, which has supported me to focus on my research and to publish my research in the coming summer. With the help of my advisor Dr. Minerick and the support of the Portage Health Foundation, I will be able to accomplish my publication goals and defend my Ph.D. dissertation by the end of December.

Continue Reading →

Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Summer 2019 Recipient -Bhaskar Halami

Published
By

Bhaskar Halami
Chemistry

In the past semesters I have developed procedures and protocols to study the antisense properties of modified DNA strands. Also, I tried my best to develop an oligo anticancer drug mimic. The other graduate students in our lab are continuing the work. The project is most likely to yield great results in coming days. I feel really accomplished as my research is acknowledged by the highly reputed organization like you. The financial assistance included in the award will help me complete my Ph.D. degree in summer 2019. This would not have been possible without a vision of the Portage Health Foundation, an initiative by the Michigan Tech, and the support from my adviser Dr. Shiyue Fang and the chemistry department.

 

Continue Reading →

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Summer 2019 Recipient – Kelsey Carter

Published
By

Kelsey Carter
Forest Science

I am a fourth year PhD candidate in Forest Science, working with my advisor, Dr. Molly Cavaleri. My research seeks to better understand how tropical plants are impacted by climate warming. Tropical forests cycle more carbon than any other biome, but we lack insight on the mechanisms driving these vital ecosystems. My research will better inform global models and allow us to close critical gaps in our understanding of how tropical forests might shift their carbon balance in response to the warming climate. Throughout my PhD, I have been very fortunate to perform my field work at the first field-scale warming experiment in a tropical rainforest (Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment– TRACE), located in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. In total, I spent eight months living and working in Puerto Rico. Alongside pursuing my PhD, I completed my master’s degree in Applied Ecology at MTU. In addition, I gained teaching experience through Michigan Tech, both as a teaching assistant and instructor for undergraduate courses.

I am very grateful to the graduate school and the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for awarding me the Finishing Fellowship. This fellowship will provide time for me to complete my degree and focus on publishing my research, which will allow me to be more competitive as apply for jobs in the next stage of my career.

Continue Reading →