Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

Change in Portage Lake Lift Bridge Closures

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The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will close the US-41/M-26 Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton and Hancock for 10 hours beginning at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17.

The bridge is scheduled to reopen at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Jan.18. The hockey game on Saturday, Jan. 17, has been moved to 5:07 p.m. to accommodate Huskies fans north of the bridge. In case of a weather delay, an alternate bridge closure date of Jan. 24 has been set.

Short Closures Schedule Change
The contractor has notified MDOT the previously scheduled four two-hour closures for Jan. 20, 21, 22, and 23 from 2 to 4 a.m. will need to be rescheduled. The two-hour closures will be announced at a later date.

In addition to the Saturday, Jan. 17 closure, motorists should expect:

  • Nearly 170 intermittent 15- to 20-minute closures from January to March, between the 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
  • One 11-and-a-half-hour closure on March 21 from 9 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. with an alternate date of March 28 in case of weather delay.

For more information, visit the bridge construction website or contact Travis Pierce at tlp@mtu.edu.

Originally posted in Tech Today (1/14/2015)
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Fund Drive for Sanaz Nezami Gravestone

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A fundraising campaign to pay for a gravestone for Sanaz Nezami is nearing the halfway mark in its efforts to raise $5,000. The Iranian Community at Michigan Tech is working to support the fund drive, which was started by one of the nurses who cared for Sanaz at Marquette General Hospital in Dec. 2013.

Nezami died as a result of injuries caused by her husband, who has since been convicted of second-degree murder.  She was about to begin graduate classes at Michigan Tech when she was beaten to death.
“Sanaz’s tragic death was a big shock to all of us,” said Sara Alian, a PhD student in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science and president of the Iranian Community at Michigan Tech. “While no member of the Iranian Community at Michigan Tech had yet met her, we immediately felt as if she were a part of our small community as soon as the sad news was shared with us.”Like other Michigan Tech members, we learned about the beauty of Sanaz’s personality, the benevolence of her family in donating her organs and the sympathy and caring of the nurses and medical teams at Marquette General Hospital who went out of their way to connect her to her family in Iran during the last days of her life. I appreciate and strongly support the campaign to honor Sanaz by raising money for a gravestone for her. That’s the least we can do to honor her legacy.”

Anyone wishing to donate can do so at the crowdfunding site, CrowdRise.

Originally posted in Tech Today (1/13/2015)

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Michigan Tech vs. Northern Michigan Blood Drive Jan. 15

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The Michigan Tech vs. Northern Michigan Blood Drive will take place on Thursday, Jan. 15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the East Reading Room of the Library. All of the blood collected by the UP Regional Blood Center stays in the Upper Peninsula to help supply our local communities in need. We hope to see you there. For questions, contact Whitney at wmborosk@mtu.edu.

Originally posted in Tech Today (1/12/2015)

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Neuroscience Graduate Program Preview (all expense paid trip for selected applicants!)

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The Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Michigan is hosting its annual preview event for prospective students March 26-28,2015.

Primary research fields of this department include the sensory, computational, developmental, cognitive, behavioral, molecular, and clinical branches of neuroscience.

This is an all-expense paid trip for highly qualified future Neuroscience applicants (see application for specific criteria) to visit the University and see everything we have to offer. Students will be able to meet with our faculty, learn about our program and the admissions process, participate in a workshop and interact with our graduate students.

Please see their website (http://neuroscience.med.umich.edu/ngp-preview) for details. Links to an informational flyer and the application files are at the bottom of the page.  The deadline for applications is January 15, 2015.

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Safe Place Training Registration Open

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Registration is now open for Spring 2015 Safe Place training.

The Michigan Tech Safe Place Program is a comprehensive resource to better prepare faculty and staff to address the needs of students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and/or asexual (GLBTQIA). The program addresses a wide range of terms that GLBTQIA students use to define their identities, issues that GLBTQIA students often deal with during the coming out process, and concerns that GLBTQIA students face both in and out of the classroom. Safe Place training also addresses the many ways faculty and staff can create inclusive classrooms and office environments as well as provide information to participants about how GLBTQIA identified students can report harassment and the various other on and off campus resources they can use. For times and dates of training, as well as additional information about the Safe Place program, visit the website.

Originally posted in Tech Today (1/6/2015)

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Winter Break Shuttle Schedule

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Transportation Services will be running a limited shuttle service during winter break, Dec. 22 through Jan. 9. The shuttle will be running on campus from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  The shuttle service will include frequent stops throughout the day at the Lakeshore Center. The shuttle will not run on the following dates; Dec. 24, 25 and 31, as well as Jan. 1.

The City of Houghton will not be running on campus during winter break, Dec. 22 through Jan. 9. For questions, contact Angela Kolehmainen at amkolehm@mtu.edu or 7-3288.
Originally posted in Tech Today (12/19/2014)
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Tobacco-Free Policy Update on E-Cigarettes

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by President Glenn Mroz

The Tobacco-Free Task Force and the Executive Team reviewed the results of surveys conducted by the University Senate, Staff Council, Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Government. In keeping with last year’s decision to become a tobacco-free campus, I have decided to move ahead with a total ban of all tobacco and smoking-like products. This will include e-cigarettes. The action is part of an ongoing effort to be a more welcoming and healthy campus.

The ban will go into effect on Jan. 12, 2015, the first day of the spring semester. New signage will inform people that Michigan Tech is a tobacco-free campus, including e-cigarettes. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Originally Posted in Tech Today (12/15/2014)

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Mapping Faculty Career Processes at Michigan Tech (Lean Report-Out)

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The campus community is invited to a Lean report-out on two kaizen events devoted to mapping faculty career processes. The report-out will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 16, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge. A primary purpose of the event is to facilitate feedback from all members of the Tech community.

The Lean techniques are being used in support of a grant proposal to NSF ADVANCE: “Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers.” Program details can be found online. An ongoing series of kaizen events is being conducted with interdisciplinary teams consisting of representatives from all Colleges, at all faculty ranks and administrative offices. The focus is on identifying steps and programs to improve faculty career processes and goals.

The most recent kaizens addressed pre-tenure and post-tenure career processes. Later kaizens will address recruitment, retention and metrics for success. The kaizen series and related ADVANCE proposal development efforts are supported by the Provost’s Office. For more information, contact Sonia Goltz (smgoltz@mtu.edu), Adrienne Minerick (minerick@mtu.edu) or Patty Sotirin (pjsotiri@mtu.edu).

Originally posted in Tech Today (12/10/2014)

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