Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

World Water Day Lecture, Poster Session Today

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Can science save the Great lakes?

It’s an appropriate question to ask on World Water Day, which is Thursday, March 22, and even more appropriate considering the fact that Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center is nearing completion and scheduled to open this summer.

Lana Pollack, chair of the US Section of the International Joint Commission, will examine the threats to the health of the Great Lakes and discuss how research data-based policy-making can protect them.

The free public World Water Day Lecture is at 5:30 p.m. in EERC 103. The International Joint Commission is an independent, binational organization that works to prevent and resolve boundary waters disputes for the common good of the US and Canada.

The lecture is sponsored by Tech’s Center for Water and Society (CWS) and the Visiting Women and Minority Lecture Series. There will be a reception afterward.

Before the lecture, the CWS will sponsor a graduate poster session and competition to highlight the ongoing research on water at Tech. The poster session is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. in the DOW atrium.

In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of water research and CWS, students from six different departments have registered posters in two categories, research and classes. The posters will be judged and cash awards made in both categories.

“World Water Day is the signature event for CWS,” said Center Director Noel Urban (CEE). “The poster session, guest speaker and reception provide an opportunity for CWS members from all of 11 departments represented by the Center to socialize and sow seeds for future collaborations.”

Published in Tech Today

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NSF Honors Tech’s Global Watershed Website

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A website for Michigan Tech’s Global Watershed program has been singled out as one of two top websites nationwide. The Global Watershed program is part of a graduate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fellowship program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) at 213 universities across the country. The program, known as GK12, prepares graduate students in STEM fields to work with teachers and students in kindergarten through 12th grade to incorporate scientific research and the scientific method as integral parts of their science education curriculum.

Locally, Michigan Tech’s GK12 Global Watershed program partners graduate student fellows with partner-teachers at the BRIDGE Alternative School, Copper Country Intermediate School District, Hancock High and Middle Schools, Manistee High School and Stanton Township. While the Michigan Tech program focuses primarily on rural schools in the western UP, it also partners with the Colegio Munoz school system in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

“The website for our GK12 Global Watershed program really is an invaluable tool for organizing and publicizing our project,” said Professor Alex Mayer (CEE), program director.

“It’s critical that we have a polished site that’s easy to use to spread the word about the program to potential GK12 fellows and partner teachers and publicize the accomplishments of our existing fellows and their partner teachers,” Mayer went on to say. “We’re very pleased that NSF has recognized the quality of our web presence.”

The award-winning website was designed and developed locally by the web development firm of opusWeb.com in Hancock. “It’s truly an honor to know that a website our firm developed right here in the Keweenaw was recognized on a national level,” said Jeffery Primeau, opusWeb.com cofounder and director of marketing/communications.

The website was judged on several factors, including design, navigability, structure and content. Comprehensive content/text for the site was written by Lisa Rowan, currently a master’s degree student in ecology at the University of North Florida.

To view the site, see Global Watershed.

by Jennifer Donovan, director, public relations
Published in Tech Today

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Accelerated Master’s Degree Programs

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The Graduate School announces the development of three new accelerated master’s degree programs. These fast-track graduate programs are now offered to undergraduate students in the fields of mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering and chemical engineering.

The new initiative allows Michigan Tech undergraduate students to accelerate their education and jumpstart their future research or career paths.

Tech undergraduate students can apply as early as their junior year and start taking graduate-level courses during their senior year.

Michigan Tech’s accelerated master’s allows for students to count up to six credit hours towards both their bachelor’s and master’s degree. Once students are admitted into the accelerated programs and complete their bachelor’s degree, they can finish their master’s degree within two semesters (one academic year).

Acceptance into these programs requires that students apply through the standard Graduate School application process and maintain undergraduate GPA requirements set by the individual programs. Students who are already enrolled in graduate programs may not retroactively enroll in accelerated master’s programs.

Other academic programs are encouraged to consider offering accelerated master’s options to Tech students.

For more information on developing an accelerated master’s program, contact Jacque Smith, director of marketing and advancement, Graduate School, at 487-1434 or at jacque@mtu.edu .

submitted by Jacque Smith, Graduate School
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2012 MSGC Awards Announced

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Michigan Tech faculty, staff members and students received awards tallying $101,875 through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC), sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which includes 11 university members.

Michigan Tech received 18 percent of the available research seed grant funding, 24 percent of the undergraduate fellowship funding, 33 percent of the graduate fellowship funding and 41 percent of the precollege, public outreach, teacher training and augmentation proposal funding.

  • Six undergraduates received $2,500 for research fellowships.
  • Five graduate students received $5,000 for research fellowships.
    • Brenda Bergman (Forest Science): “Mercury movement through the earth systems: better understanding biotic controls over inter-system contaminant transfer while enhancing students’ motivation to engage in STEM and reduce atmospheric pollution”
    • Patrick Bowen (Materials Science and Engineering): “Exploring the effect of group IV elements on the mechanical and corrosion performance of magnesium”
    • Baron Colbert (Civil Engineering): “Using Nonmetals Separated From E-Waste in Improving the Mechanical Properties of Asphalt Materials”
    • Colin Gurganus (Atmospheric Sciences): “Exploring Cloud Microphysics in the Laboratory: Heterogeneous Nucleation Pathways”
    • Lauren Schaefer (Geology): “Multidisciplinary approach to volcanic hazard monitoring at Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala”
  • Two faculty received $5,000 in seed grants.
  • Seven faculty and staff received $5,000 or more for precollege, public outreach, teacher training or augmentation.

Tech’s representative for the program is Chris Anderson, special assistant to the president, Institutional Diversity. She says, “This recognition and support help keep Michigan Tech students, faculty and staff on the cutting edge of inquiry and research. The number of awards we receive annually in this competitive process is impressive and underscores the quality of our proposals.”

For a list of all the awards and award winners, see Space Grants.

NASA implemented the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program in 1989 to provide funding for research, education and public outreach in space-related science and technology. The program has 52 university-based consortia in the United States and Puerto Rico. As an affiliate of the Michigan Consortium, Michigan Tech has participated in MSGC for over fifteen years.

For more information, contact Anderson at 487-2474 or at csanders@mtu.edu , or visit the MSGC website at MSGC.

submitted by Lisa Wallace, Institutional Diversity
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New theses and dissertations available in the Library

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Forest Ecology and Management
  • Geophysics
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Rhetoric and Technical Communication
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New theses and dissertations available in the Library

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Applied Ecology
  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Forest Ecology and Management
  • Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Geology
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
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Graduate has story selected for anthology

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Roxane Gay, who received her PhD in Rhetoric and Technical Communication from the Department of Humanities in 2010, has had a story, “North Country,” selected for the 2012 edition of Best American Short Stories, published by Houghton Mifflin Co.

Gay is the coeditor of [PANK] Magazine, along with Assistant Professor M. Bartley Seigel (Humanities). Her stories and poems have appeared or are forthcoming in New Stories From the Midwest 2011 and 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, Salon, NOON, American Short Fiction, Indiana Review, Cream City Review, Black Warrior Review, Brevity, The Rumpus and others.

Gay is the author of Ayiti, a collection of writing about the Haitian diaspora experience. She is also a contributing writer at HTMLGIANT. She is an assistant professor of English at Eastern Illinois University. She can be found online at Roxane Gay.

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Patullo Visiting Executive Series Continues with Healthcare Advertising Alumnus

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Randall (Randy) Isaacson took a BS in Biological Sciences (’86) and an MS in Rhetoric and Technical Communication (’88) from Michigan Tech and turned them into a successful health care marketing and advertising career. On March 1 and 2, he will return to campus as the third speaker in the Scott Patullo Visiting Executive Series, to share his experiences with current students and the University community.

Isaacson will talk about “The Biology of Business: Making Your Way in a World of Systems, Relationships and Emotions” from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 1, in Memorial Union Ballroom A. Hosted by the College of Sciences and Arts, the presentation is open to the public.

While at Michigan Tech, Isaacson will meet with biological sciences, humanities and School of Business and Economics undergraduates, graduate students and faculty, as well as engineering and Enterprise students.

Isaacson began his career as a medical copywriter at Roche Pharmaceuticals in New Jersey, and later joined VICOM/FCB, a medical advertising agency in New York. After moving to Chicago in 1990, he worked as a copy supervisor at Frank J. Corbett before joining a new agency, Williams-Labadie, where he now is executive vice president.

Isaacson and his team have won numerous awards in health care advertising, including recognition from Medical Marketing and Media for creating the best pharmaceutical advertisement in 2003 and the best professional digital campaign in 2007. He credits his multidisciplinary background in biology and technical communication at Michigan Tech with preparing him for a very successful career in health care marketing and advertising.

Last fall, Michigan Tech inaugurated the Patullo Visiting Executive Series, which is designed to let Tech students interact with alumni who are emerging business leaders and executives in science, technology and business. Scott Patullo ’81 is funding the campus visits in the hope that students here can gain a strengthened sense of the nature of business and entrepreneurial leadership.

by Jennifer Donovan, director, public relations
Published in Tech Today

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Bechtel Becomes First Corporate Partner to Sponsor an Interview Room on Campus

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There was a small doings with large implications at Career Services Monday.

Bechtel Corp., a long-time recruiter of Tech graduates, stepped forward to sponsor an interview room: the first corporation to do so and the first of what Career Services hopes will amount to 19 others doing the same thing.

A gift of $10,000 earned the company on-demand use, for two years, of a prominent, personalized room to interview students for jobs.

Monday’s gathering was a salute to Bechtel for its close ties to Michigan Tech. The ceremony coincided with the firm’s visit to campus for today’s Career Fair.

Their interview space will be put to good use. A Bechtel official said the firm has hired about 60 Tech graduates over the last five or six years.

Jim Turnquist, director of Career Services, said that Bechtel’s interest in hiring Tech graduates matches other companies’ interest: solid academics, hands-on experience in internships and co-ops, a solid work ethic, and an ability to work in teams—all hallmarks of a Tech education.

Anthony Santi, who graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2009 and a Master of Business Administration in 2011, now works for Bechtel. A native of Kingsford, he was on hand at the ceremony and says of his education. “I couldn’t be happier. This place is tough, but definitely worth it. You get that extra step. It prepares you exactly for what happens at work.” He said he especially learned time management and teamwork at Tech as he juggled work, classes, football and the Senior Design Program.

Bechtel’s interview room will be called the Bechtel Directors Suite. Julie Way, assistant director for Career Development Education, guides the initiative to have companies sponsor interview rooms. As well, she oversees efforts to coach students how to conduct an effective interview, write a resume, learn dining etiquette and more.

The funds raised will support more programs to help students get jobs. That effort begins with first-year students, Way said. “The sooner the better.”

Internships and co-ops, she added, are “the diamond on a resume,” and companies hire students for part-time employment in these programs as soon as the beginning of their sophomore year.

She adds about Career Services: “Ultimately we’re here for the students. We pay attention to companies so they pay attention to our students. Everbody wins.” The interview rooms, she concludes, promote a company’s recognition on campus and its brand.

Turnquist said that Bechtel’s relationship with Tech “has helped our students tremendously.” He added, “They have made a difference in the lives of many students.”

President Glenn Mroz summed up the collaboration succinctly. “We thank Bechtel for continuing to be a partner with Michigan Tech in hiring our students and spreading the word that Michigan Tech is a great place to find great employees.”

Published in Tech Today

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