Category: News

“When I first heard about Michigan Technological University (MTU) at a digital humanities workshop in far-away Leiden, The Netherlands, in 2019, I was intrigued by its growing reputation, but I never imagined I would one day walk its snow-covered campus as a doctoral student. Since arriving here, I have often asked myself: “what happens when a place lives up to the promise of its name?” MTU has answered that question through a welcoming community, inspiring mentorship, and a research environment that fosters both intellectual growth and personal transformation.

At the outset, the Upper Peninsula’s winters were my first challenge. But with time, what seemed daunting turned into a source of joy and reflection. These moments now form some of my fondest memories. The Department of Humanities has been a rich ground for exploring theory in practice. I especially value the hard work of faculty members in communication, rhetorical pedagogy, digital media, and cultural studies. All of which provided solid theoretical foundations for my ongoing dissertation.

My research explores how digital platforms mediate cultural representation and tourist imaginaries. I focus on the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, an Egyptian-Pyramid-themed environment, to examine how tourists, through user reviews on TripAdvisor, and site owners digitally construct or commodify history, identity, and authenticity. The study, utilizing critical discourse analysis and digital humanities tools, examines how language and visual media reinforce or challenge inherited cultural scripts.

I am grateful to the Graduate School and the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for awarding me the Fall 2025 Finishing Fellowship. This generous support makes it possible for me to fully dedicate my time to completing the final stages of my dissertation without external work-related pressures. I also thank my advisor, Dr. Stefka Hristova, for her guidance and encouragement on the journey so far.

With MTU’s outstanding support structures, it’s clear that this is a place where innovative research flourishes. I have learned to thrive in community, embrace intellectual rigor, and mentor others along the way. I feel honored to hold this Finishing Fellowship as I carve a niche toward contributing to global conversations, completing my dissertation, and preparing for the next chapter.”

“I began at Michigan Tech in 2021 as an MS student in Forest Ecology and Management. I entered with an interest in belowground interactions between plants and microbes, and this morphed into investigating trade-offs that shape how trees forage for resources underground. These trade-offs in root morphological and chemical traits directly relate to how effectively they can find and uptake water and nutrients in different (and possibly changing) environments, as well as carbon release from roots to the atmosphere. These relationships between the carbon and nutrient budgets of trees, their productivity, and carbon released from forest ecosystems allowed us to ask bigger picture questions about how climate warming might affect forest productivity and carbon feedbacks to the atmosphere.

This research project quickly became ~quite large~ and expanded into a PhD to allow me to incorporate potential root acclimation responses to temperature when planted in different environments, a question also critical for adaptive assisted population migration. Finally, I came full circle to my original interest by being able to investigate how the surrounding root fungal communities may interact with root foraging strategies through synergistic or complementary mechanisms.

I am incredibly grateful for my time here at Michigan Tech, especially in our supportive and close-knit department (College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, CFRES), and am excited to pursue these last questions during my final semester. I am very thankful to the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for giving me the ability to focus on my research and completing my dissertation this Fall. I would also like to thank my advisors, Dr. Molly Cavaleri and Dr. Andrew Burton, for their support and encouragement along the way; I would not be here completing a PhD without their positive influence. Lastly, I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Carsten Külheim and Dr. Tristy Vick-Majors for much guidance, as well as my labmates and fellow graduate students in CFRES for their support.”

“Working at Michigan Tech in the Department of Mathematical Sciences has been a genuine privilege, one which has allotted me many opportunities to advance myself as a researcher, a teacher, and as a professional. Our supportive and collaborative culture has allowed me to publish three papers in Integers, The Ramanujan Journal, and Discrete Mathematics, as well as present my research at many conferences and seminars during my time here. For that, and much more than can be written here, I owe a debt of gratitude to my colleagues.

I would particularly like to thank Philip Cuthbertson, Robert Schneider, my advisor William Keith, and also Andrew Sills of Georgia Southern University for their various contributions to my success at Michigan Tech. Having been awarded the Finishing Fellowship, I also sincerely extend my gratitude to those on the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for their recognition of my achievements and for giving me the opportunity to focus exclusively on my research in my final semester. ”

“Growing up in Vietnam, I learned early on that forests are more than just collections of trees. They are living systems that sustain communities, hold cultural knowledge, and provide resilience in the changing climate. This understanding shaped my path and brought me to Michigan Technological University’s College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, where I have spent the past four years pursuing a PhD in Forest Science.

My dissertation examines how bridging Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western Science can enhance forest ecosystem resilience and community well-being in the face of climate change. In partnership with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, I have had the opportunity to learn from Ojibwe knowledge holders while contributing to community-directed research that centers Indigenous sovereignty and reciprocal collaboration.

During my time at Michigan Tech, I have been honored to serve as a research assistant, teaching assistant, and a mentor to eight graduate and undergraduate students in research design and academic writing. These experiences have deepened my commitment to fostering inclusive academic spaces where diverse knowledge systems are recognized and respected.

I am deeply grateful to the Graduate School and the Dean’s Advisory Panel for awarding me the Finishing Fellowship, which provides vital support as I complete my PhD this fall. My heartfelt thanks go to my wonderful co-advisors, Dr. Chelsea Schelly and Dr. Valoree Gagnon. I am so lucky to have you as my advisors. I am equally grateful to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Natural Resources and Forestry Departments for their partnership and trust in this collaborative work. I would like to extend my thanks to my committee members, my collaborators, the faculty and staff of College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, the Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture, the Tribal Landscape System, the Ecosystem Science Center, the Great Lakes Research Center, and the Graduate Student Government for their support throughout my degree. ”

I am deeply honored to receive the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship and would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Graduate School and the Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel for this recognition. I am especially thankful to my advisors, Dr. Darrel Robinette, and Dr. Jeff Naber, for their guidance, mentorship, and unwavering support throughout my Ph.D. journey. I also appreciate the support of the Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics Department and APS Labs, whose resources and collaborative environment have played a vital role in my research development.

My Ph.D. journey at Michigan Technological University began in Fall 2021 in the Department of Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics, where I have focused on advancing intelligent and energy-efficient connected and automated vehicle (CAV) systems. It was a wonderful experience to be part of the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E NEXTCAR II project, targeting 30% energy savings for PHEV light-duty connected and automated vehicles. My research integrates advanced perception, real-time vehicle modeling, and control strategies to improve the performance and sustainability of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs/PHEVs) in dynamic driving environments.

A major focus of my work has been the development of dynamic mass and road load learning algorithms for EV and PHEV platforms, achieving estimation accuracy within 3%. I have also implemented automated vehicle following strategies that leverage advanced perception systems, resulting in energy savings of up to 15%. Additionally, my work on optimizing vehicle approach and departure strategies at signalized intersections has demonstrated energy savings of up to 35% per signal, contributing significantly to energy-efficient urban mobility.

As I enter the final phase of my doctoral studies, I look forward to completing my research and pursuing a career at the intersection of intelligent transportation, energy systems, and autonomy—where I aim to contribute to sustainable and transformative solutions in mobility.

I am profoundly grateful to the Graduate Dean Advisory Panel for honoring me with the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Award. This recognition represents not only acknowledgment of my research contributions but also provides essential support during this critical phase of my academic journey, enabling me to fully dedicate my efforts toward finalizing research that addresses critical safety challenges in high-risk industrial environments.

My academic journey began in the field of mining engineering. Throughout my professional development, I recognized the transformative impact of modern digital technologies on engineering disciplines. This insight highlighted the transformative potential of computational approaches in addressing complex engineering challenges, prompting me to expand my expertise through a master’s degree in computer science in 2022. Acquiring this interdisciplinary skill set deepened my interest in developing computational solutions for complex engineering problems through my research at the National Center of Artificial Intelligence.

To further strengthen my academic foundation and pursue pioneering research in this emerging field, I enrolled in the Ph.D. program in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences at Michigan Tech in August 2022. Under the expert guidance of Dr. Snehamoy Chatterjee, I have been able to pursue advanced research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and mining engineering.

My dissertation focuses on developing specialized large language models designed to comprehend and interpret safety-specific language. This work addresses a significant gap in occupational health and safety management, where current approaches often fail to fully capture the nuanced language present in safety documentation and incident analyses. By applying Large Language Models to safety domains, my research aims to enhance risk assessment protocols, incident analysis methodologies, and hazard identification processes across various industrial sectors.

I extend my sincere gratitude to the Graduate Dean Award Advisory Panel for granting me this Finishing Fellowship. This support enables me to dedicate my full attention to completing my dissertation and advancing the practical applications of my research findings. I am particularly appreciative of Dr. Chatterjee’s mentorship throughout my doctoral studies, as well as the comprehensive support provided by the faculty and staff of the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences.

As I conclude this phase of my academic journey, I anticipate continuing to explore the integration of artificial intelligence with engineering practices to enhance workplace safety and operational efficiency in industrial environments.