Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

New Network Addresses Needs of Pregnant and Parenting Students

Published
By

More than 25 people gathered in mid-January for the inaugural meeting of the Pregnant and Parenting Students Network, a new campus resource.

Organizers are seniors Jen Van Domelen and Raeanne Madison, both of the scientific and technical communications program. Since becoming mothers three and four years ago, both women have celebrated, and lamented, the responsibilities involved in parenting while attending Michigan Tech. They recognized that the experiences of students with children are often unique compared to traditional students.

Van Domelen and Madison approached Don Williams, director of Counseling and Wellness Services (CWS), with the idea of creating a group for pregnant and parenting students. He was agreeable, and Erica Thompson, a graduate intern at CWS, helped to coordinate the formation of the group.

“We were relieved that Counseling and Wellness Services was so open and supportive of our idea,” Madison says. “Before, we always felt alone and anomalous, but now we know that there are many parents here who need support. We are happy to be able to reach out to others through this effort.”

At the first meeting, parents and their families connected with each other (often for the first time); were introduced to community resources that could help them; and offered ideas on how to improve the experiences of parents at Michigan Tech.

Van Domelen and Madison hope to continue working with the University to bring awareness of the needs of these students–and help make their University experience enjoyable and successful.

The network meets at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Daniell Heights Community Room. The next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 14; special Valentine’s Day activities will be provided for children. All meetings are free and open to students and their families.

For more information, contact CWS at 487-2538.

The initiative is being supported by the Michigan Tech Parents Fund and Housing and Residential Life.

submitted by Counseling and Wellness Services
Published in Tech Today

Continue Reading →

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Recipients for Fall and Spring announced

Published
By

The Graduate School is pleased to announce Finishing Fellowship recipients for the fall and spring semesters. 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.

Recipients for fall 2011 were:

  • Irfan Ahmed, PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering
  • Surendar R. Dhadi, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
  • Neluka K. Dissanayake, PhD candidate in Engineering Physics
  • Shu Wei Goh, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Amber M. Roth, PhD candidate in Forest Science

Recipients for spring 2012 are:

  • Zeyad T. Ahmed, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering
  • Kefeng Li, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
    Charles L. Lawton Endowed Fellowship
  • Saikat Mukhopadhyay, PhD candidate in Physics
  • Zhiwei Peng, PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering
    Doctoral Finishing Fellowship
  • Lindsey M. Shartell, PhD candidate in Forest Science
    Neil V. Hakala Endowed Fellowship

Nominations are currently open for summer 2012 finishing fellowships.  Materials are due no later than 4pm, March 14th.  See complete details online about the application and review procedure.

Continue Reading →

More Accolades for Tech MBA Online

Published
By

The School of Business and Economics has another reason to cheer: SuperScholar, an online education and career information website, has named the Tech MBA Online among the top 25 in the nation, coming in at number 20.

Recently, Tech’s MBA Online was ranked among the honor roll programs in first-ever online rankings by US News and World Report.

The SuperScholar website singles out Tech’s program “for its emphasis on innovation, technology and entrepreneurship”–all prominent features of Tech’s online MBA program, which, like the School itself, is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

School of Business and Economics Dean Darrell Radson said, “Our Tech MBA Online has once again been recognized as a top MBA program internationally. It also confirms that we are aligned with the changing trends in our global economy by offering a flexible, online learning environment focused on innovation and technology management with an international business perspective.”

The SuperScholar editors say they designed their “Smart Choice” ranking of online MBA programs to help fill a void of quality rankings and reviews of online degree programs, as well as provide prospective students with help in finding the best degree program for them.

After researching all online MBA programs accredited by AACSB or by regional accrediting agencies, SuperScholar ranked the top 25 schools based on quality, marketability and affordability–as determined by market reputation, admissions selectivity, accreditation and cost.

AACSB accreditation is considered the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Being AACSB-accredited means a business school is able to continuously pass a set of strict standards that are designed to ensure quality. The School of Business and Economics successfully completed reaccreditation requirements in spring 2011.

Published in Tech Today.

Continue Reading →

Research Forum Invites Students to Display Their Work

Published
By

The Ecosystem Science Center, the Biotechnology Research Center and the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science invite graduate and undergraduate students conducting research related to ecology, the environment or biotechnology to submit titles and abstracts for poster presentations at the 8th Annual ESC/BRC Student Research Forum.

The event will be held on the afternoon of Friday, March 30, in the Atrium of the UJ Noblet Forestry Building.

The forum allows students working in these fields an opportunity to present their research to their peers and faculty. Graduate and undergraduate researchers participate in separate divisions.

The forum provides valuable experience for students preparing for poster sessions at regional or national meetings, as well as gives them recognition for their work. The forum also is a setting for students to showcase new results and see what others are doing.

We invite student participants to present their advanced or preliminary research findings as a research poster. Cash prizes will include one grand prize and up to four merit awards for each center in the graduate student division and one grand prize for each center in the undergraduate student division. Each student may present only one paper but may be included as a coauthor on others.

For more information, see Forum.

For more information, contact Research Associate Jill Fisher (SFRES) at 487-3564 or at jhfisher@mtu.edu .

Published in Tech Today.

Continue Reading →

Alumnus Designated a Fellow for His Work and Leadership

Published
By

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected Bhakta Rath to the rank of Fellow, honoring him for his “outstanding contributions in materials science and engineering and for leadership in advancing research and technology to support national security.”

Rath, who graduated from Michigan Tech in 1958 with a master’s in metallurgical and materials engineering, is the associate director of research and the head of the Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.

He was speaker at the 2007 Midyear Commencement, when he was awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering.

The AAAS honor will be bestowed at a ceremony at the organization’s annual meeting in Vancouver, BC, Canada, later this month.

The mission of the AAAS is to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs and science education.

A native of India, Rath has also been elected to the National Academy of Engineering and is a fellow of the Minerals and Materials Society, the Materials Research Society of India, and the Institute of Materials of the United Kingdom.

Continue Reading →

Khana Khazana Returns to India

Published
By

Indian graduate student Abhinav Sharma will cook tasty dishes from his homeland for Khana Khazana (food treasure) on Friday, Jan. 27, at the Memorial Union Food Court.

The ethnic lunch cooked weekly by international students will feature Jabalpuri alu bonde, which is fried spiced mashed potato balls; tawa pulao, a street-food favorite in Mumbai, combining spicy and aromatic rice and vegetables; chicken jalfrezi, a Chinese and Pakastani recipe; and paneer kofta, cheese-stuffed balls in a sweet and spicy sauce.

A full lunch, including a beverage, costs $6. Individual entrees are available for $2 each.

Khana Khazana is a collaborative effort of international students and Dining Services. It is open to the community as well as the campus.

Continue Reading →

Online MBA Makes US News Honor Roll

Published
By

The Tech MBA Online in the School of Business and Economics has been ranked among the honor roll programs in first-ever online rankings by US News and World Report.

Michigan Tech was ranked 24th in Admission Selectivity and 38th in Teaching Practices and Student Engagement among the 161 online graduate business programs honored. The Tech MBA Online was also ranked 82nd in Student Services and Technology.

“Our Tech MBA Online is focused on innovation and technology management and is perfect for emerging industries, fast-paced environments and traditional businesses facing change,” says Max Seel, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “I am very proud of the faculty and staff of our School of Business and Economics that our online degree is recognized in the honor roll lists of online programs by US News and World Report.”

Darrell Radson, dean of the School of Business and Economics, adds: “This recognition confirms that our program is successfully established as a quality online education. Through the Tech MBA Online’s innovative teaching methods and residency requirements, particularly our international residency, we are producing the type of student that employers demand.”

According to the US News press release, their new rankings “were created in response to today’s high demand for education provided in a flexible manner. With many distractions to detract from one’s schooling, online education has become increasingly popular due to its flexibility.”

There were no numeric rankings for overall program quality this inaugural year, US News said. Instead, they created non-numeric honor roll lists of online programs. There is one honor roll for online bachelor’s degree programs and one for the master’s degree programs. Each list includes programs that performed well across a series of numeric indicator rankings.

Published in Tech Today.

Continue Reading →

Students Tackle Mining Controversy

Published
By

As they study their fields, graduate science students also need to learn to be good communicators about science. So says the National Science Foundation (NSF).

So Professor Alex Mayer, who has dual appointments in the civil and environmental engineering department and the geological and mining engineering and sciences department, developed a graduate fellowship program–funded by NSF–to help PhD students learn to communicate science to school children and the general public.

This year, PhD students Brenda Bergman, in forest science, and Valoree Gagnon, in environmental and energy policy, chose to develop a news release about the controversy over mining in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and around the nation. Here is their news release:

As mining is resurging in North America, debates across the continent over mines are simplified: “Do we prioritize jobs or the environment? Companies or communities?” These are worthy debates. Yet should the issue of mining really be reduced to “pro-con” statements?

Michigan Tech experts from a wide range of disciplines say no. “The worst type of communication has to do with the simplification of the mining issues. I think the biggest problem is creation of polar opposites so that one has to choose between employment or environmental and health protection” says Carol MacLennan, an environmental anthropologist who has studied mining communities for almost a decade. “Characterizing it that way is very destructive because you’re never forced to confront the complexity of the issue.”

How are members of the general public expected to understand such a complex issue? Answers from Michigan Tech scientists focus on two solutions: education and improved communication between scientists and the public.

According to Craig Waddell, an associate professor of humanities who has studied public participation in environmental disputes, “If you want to prepare a broader range of people to participate, they need to know how to address scientific arguments, how to assess disputes within the scientific community, what counts as evidence and how we evaluate whether or not that evidence is valid.”

MacLennan believes that scientists have an obligation to communicate with the public: “Too often, scientists think about things in terms of ‘furthering knowledge,’ and that, by implication, is a public good. It’s just that it’s often not clear–how is it a public good? How is it publically useful? And you have to always be thinking about different publics–and there are different publics–how are they interested or concerned in the particular work you’re doing?”

For the full story, see Mining.

CBS Detroit and the Great Lakes Innovation and Technology Report also featured the  story about Brenda Bergman and Valoree Gagnon.  See Mining Dispute to view the article.

Published in Tech Today.

Continue Reading →