Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

Nominations sought for 2018 MAGS Thesis Award

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The Executive Committee of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) is soliciting nominations for the 2018 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 in each disciplinary category.

Eligible students:

  • will have earned a master of science degree between July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017 in the fields of
    • Biological/Life Sciences OR
    • Humanities
  • will have completed an original thesis that makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline
  • will not have earned a PhD (or comparable research degree) in any discipline prior to the writing of the master’s thesis

The 2019 competition will seek nominees in the fields of Social Sciences or Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering.

Please see our web page for complete details on eligibility and application procedures.

Nomination packets are due by 4pm, October 10, 2017 to the Graduate School via e-mail (gradschool@mtu.edu) or campus mail (address to Debra Charlesworth). Eligible students with a complete nomination packet will be evaluated by a panel of faculty from the University.

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New Bus Routes—Nights and Saturdays, Commuting or Shopping

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School is meant to be challenging—overcoming obstacles is all part of learning.  Sometimes, however, an obstacle is just an obstacle.  When the Graduate School asked students about their Michigan Tech experiences and offered to help, the students jumped at the chance to speak up:  it can be hard to get around town, they said.  Our students love the bus services provided by Michigan Tech Transportation Services and the City of Houghton, but, they ventured, would it be possible to have evening routes, Saturday routes to the west Houghton commercial strip, and vehicles that could accommodate families?

After considerable planning, Transportation Services, the Graduate School, and the Graduate Student Government are pleased to announce new bus routes to address these concerns.  Effective immediately, all three student issues, as well as the needs of the campus community at large, have been addressed by the schedules described below.  This free shuttle service is available to University students, staff, and faculty.

Services available:

  • Campus Parking Shuttle– a , oop connecting the MUB to commuter lots throughout campus, including the SDC; runs through business hours.
  • Daniell Heights Loop-a small loop connecting University Housing (Daniell Heights) to the MUB; also runs through business hours.
  • Michigan Tech-City Shuttle + Daniell Heights Loop-a larger, figure-8 loop providing a second Daniell Heights/MUB run every hour but including a trip through downtown Houghton up to the commercial strip in west Houghton (Econo/Shopko, Walmart, Aspirus, Razorback) returning through town via Houghton Avenue (starts 7:00am; every hour; last loop returns to MUB at 6:45pm; a great commuter route).
  • Michigan Tech-City Shuttle Evening Loop-combines a loop around the MUB/Heights route with a ride along Sharon Avenue to the west Houghton commercial district, returning back along Sharon avenue to the Heights and MUB (Wednesday through Friday; starts 6:45 pm from the Upper Heights to West Houghton with the last loop returning to the Heights at 8:45 pm).
  • Saturday Shuttle-New New New! The University has paired with Lamers Bus Lines to provide free bus service on Saturday, Sep 23rd and 30th from Daniell Heights to the west Houghton commercial district (starts noon from the Upper Heights to the west Houghton  commercial district approximately every hour with the last loop out at 3pm.  Please note, currently this service is for students and children over the age of 4.).

Questions?  Please contact GSG President Hossein Tavakoli, or Graduate School representative Shellie Crisman. Taking a bus is convenient, energy efficient, and can even be part of a wellness plan (if you walk one way!).   Route details may be found at these links:

Shuttle schedule: http://www.mtu.edu/facilities/pdfs/shuttle-schedule.pdf

Please visit http://www.mtu.edu/maps/ for interactive Shuttle Maps or contact Transportation Services (parking@mtu.edu) with any questions.

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Professional Development Program 2017-18

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce its Professional Development Program for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.  The series is coordinated through the Graduate School with funding from NSF.  The workshops are most appropriate for postdocs and 3rd and 4th year PhD students, but all interested people may attend, space permitting. Please register online so we can plan for your attendance.

PD-2017

 

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Formatting 101: New Fall Seminar Series

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Students preparing a dissertation, thesis, or report are invited to a new seminar series this summer designed to answer the questions we most commonly see in the Graduate School.  Faculty and staff who assist students are also welcome to attend.  The general format will be a 30 minute presentation with time for your questions.

Our first seminar will be “Formatting 101: Using the Guide and Template.”  We’ll discuss how you can use the Guide to find the formatting rules, and the template for signature/approval pages.  Additional details:

1. Formatting 101: Using the Guide and Template

  • Date: 09/26/2017
  • Time: 4:05 – 4:55pm
  • Place: Fisher 138 or live stream

2. Formatting 101: Copyright for Dissertations and Theses

  • Date: 10/10/2017
  • Time: 4:05 – 4:55pm
  • Place: Fisher 138 or live stream

3. Formatting 101: How to Check and Fix your Document

  • Date: 10/24/2017
  • Time: 4:05 – 4:55pm
  • Place: Fisher 138 or live stream

Please register to attend on campus or to view the live stream for each of them so that we can plan for your attendance.  Individuals who register for the live stream will receive log in information three hours before the event.

All materials (including video when available) from all Graduate School seminars are archived online.

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Spring 2018 Finishing Fellowship Nominations Open

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Applications for Spring 2018 finishing fellowships are being accepted beginning September 5, 2017 and are due no later than 4pm, October 18, 2017 to Dr. Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School. Instructions on the application and evaluation process are found online.

Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:

  1. Must be a PhD student.
  2. Must expect to finish during the semester supported as a finishing fellow.
  3. Must have submitted no more than one previous application for a finishing fellowship.
  4. Must be eligible for or in Research Mode at the time of application.

Finishing Fellowships provide support to PhD candidates who are close to completing their degrees. These fellowships are available through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD candidates who are in need of financial support to finish their degrees and are also contributing to the attainment of goals outlined in The Michigan Tech Plan. The Graduate School anticipates funding up to ten fellowships with support ranging from $2000 to full support (stipend + tuition). Students who receive full support through a Finishing Fellowship may not accept any other employment. For example, students cannot be fully supported by a Finishing Fellowship and accept support as a GTA or GRA.

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Seminar on Submitting your Dissertation, Thesis, or Report

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Students planning on finishing a dissertation, thesis, or report in fall 2017 or spring 2018 are invited a seminar designed to help students understand the submission process and answer questions about it. Faculty and staff who assist students with submissions are also welcome to attend.

  • When: September 12, 2017 at 4:05 – 4:55 pm
  • Who: Students defending in the fall or spring; faculty and staff who assist students with submission
  • Where: Fisher 138 or online as a live streaming event (please, off campus students only)
  • Register: Off campus/On campus

Once you register, you will receive a confirmation three hours before the event with the location and a reminder of the date and time, or information on how to join us online.

If you are unable to join us, this seminar will be taped and available online after the event.

Information on submitting, formatting, and more can be found online for dissertations and theses or reports.

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Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship Spring 2017

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Recipients—Spring 2017

  • Yunana Ahmed (Rhetoric, Theory and Culture PhD)
  • Samer A. Alokaily (Mathematical Sciences PhD)
  • Shiva S. Bhandari (Physics PhD)
  • Sachin M. Bhosle (Mechanical Engineering PhD)
  • Nicholas W. Bolton (Forest Science PhD)
  • Kyle A.  Brill (Geophysics PhD)
  • Natasha I. Chopp (Data Science MS)
  • Mustafa Gezek (Mathematical Sciences PhD)
  • Pei Hou (Atmospheric Sciences PhD)
  • Caoyang Jiang (Electrical Engineering PhD)
  • Yiping Mao (Biological Sciences PhD)
  • Chelsea J. Nikula (Chemistry PhD)
  • Zichen Qian (Biomedical Sciences PhD)
  • Amir Rezaei (Electrical Engineering PhD)
  • Abbey J. Senczyszyn (Master of Business Administration)
  • Ali Solouk (Mechanical Engineering PhD)
  • Shuo Wang (Mechanical Engineering PhD)
  • Dong Xia (Accounting MS)
  • Wentao Yao (Mechanical Engineering PhD)
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Doctoral Finishing Fellowships Summer 2017 Recipient Yiping Mao

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Yiping Mao
Biological Sciences 
Yiping Mao

My name is Yiping Mao, and I am from a small town in China. After finishing my bachelor’s degree at a medical college, I came over to the United States to start my graduate study on diabetes research. I did not have a clear, planned picture of my career goals, I truly just wanted to be my best in everything I was going to do. The five years of training and researching here at Michigan Tech has been a  very valuable and important part of my college experience. It not only gave me the ability  to identify scientific problems and strengthen my professional research, more importantly, it has taught me to think as an individual, be a  team player, be brave when having failures, persist on doing things even they are tough to do, be grateful to all the people and to always believe in myself.

Currently, I am pursuing a career in research and later plan to be a research physician. I will always remember the experience and lessons I got from the five years of study at Michigan Tech and I truly appreciate all the opportunities and help from everyone.

 

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowships Summer 2017 Recipient Rachel Martin

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Rachel Martin
Chemical Engineering
Rachel Martin

I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Carthage College in May 2013 and began my doctoral studies at Michigan Tech in Chemical Engineering in September 2013. My research involves materials design and manufacturing for scaffolding material that can be used to help regenerate neural tissue in the spinal cord after injury. I will finish up this summer. I have been a TA on campus for 3 years for junior level Chemical Engineering classes. I hope to find a job doing Research and Development in industry and will be getting married in 2018.

 

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowships Summer 2017 Recipient Shuo Wang

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Shuo Wang
Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Shuo Wang_Finishing Fellowship 2

I am a Ph.D candidate working with Dr. Chang Kyoung Choi in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. My research focuses on how to treat joint diseases, like osteoarthritis, from an engineering point of view. We attempt to solve one critical problem in cartilage tissue engineering: how to help chondrocytes (cartilage cells) to re-grow their pericellular matrix (PCM) to maintain their cellular stability in vitro (out of human body). PCM is a thin-layer structure surrounding the chondrocytes and has been proven to play many key roles on maintenance of cellular functions. Departing from current methods where cells are cultured in macroscale scaffolds, we are encapsulating single cells in hydrogel microbeads same scale as the cells to assistant the PCM regeneration with the National Institute of Health grant. We expect our new approach to impact and advance the current cartilage engineering by providing a better cell source, chondrocytes with regenerated PCM.

The Finishing Fellowship, supported by Graduate School, helps me to focus on my research so that I can expect to graduate much sooner. Please allow me on behalf of my family and my advisor to sincerely thank the Graduate School and the Dean’s Advisory Panel at Michigan Tech.

I came from Beijing, China in 2010, followed by my wife (girlfriend back then) in 2011. Now I am a father of two kids, who were born in Portage Health Hospital in Hancock in 2014 and 2016. For the long time we have been living here, we also proudly consider ourselves as Yoopers.

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