Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

Distinguished Alumnus Voted National PTA President-Elect

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Otha Thornton, who earned a Master of Science in Rhetoric and Technical Communications in 2001, has been voted president-elect of the National PTA. He will take office in 2013.

The National PTA comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools.

Thornton was stationed at Michigan Tech from 1999 to 2002, serving as an Army ROTC recruiter, public affairs officer and assistant professor of military science. He received the Outstanding Alumni Award in 2003 and was Commencement speaker in 2009, when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters.

Thornton is the former director of human resources and presidential communications officer for the White House Communications Agency, where he handled technical communications for the presidential team. He served more than 20 years in the military, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 2009 he became chief of personnel plans and operations in Iraq, earning the Bronze Star Medal for exceptional performance in combat operations. He has retired from the Army and now lives in Smyrna, Ga.

Published in Tech Today.

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Student Billing and Payment Structure Change

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Effective Friday, July 1, Michigan Tech will change the way we accept credit/debit cards for student billing payments. Every time a credit/debit card is used, the University is assessed a fee. To minimize the tuition dollars spent paying these fees, we have incorporated several changes to our student billing and payment structure.

  • We will no longer accept Visa credit/debit cards for student billing payments.
  • There will be a 2.3 percent nonrefundable fee assessed to MasterCard and Discover payments for student billing.
  • These changes only affect student billing; credit/debit cards (including Visa) can still be used fee-free throughout the rest of campus, including the Campus Bookstore, Mont Ripley, Campus Café and other University retail establishments.
  • We are encouraging students to use fee-free options for billing payments, including check, online e-check, cash, money order or traveler’s check.
  • We have introduced two new payment plans to help offset the cost of tuition: the Five-Payment and Four-Payment Plans.

Students and families were recently notified about these changes via postcard, and a follow-up email will be sent shortly. We have created a website, credit card, with detailed information and FAQs. We encourage you to review this site and be aware of the changes.

For more information, contact Accounting Services at 800-576-6484 or by email at student-billing@mtu.edu.

Published in Tech Today.

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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 Natural Resource Economics
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Forestry
  • Geology
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Rhetoric and Technical Communication
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Travel Grants Awarded

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The Biotechnology Research Center has announced the recipients of its spring travel grants:

  • Graduate student Adam Abraham (Mechanical Engineering): $500 toward a poster presentation at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers–Summer Bioengineering Conference to be held in Farmington, Pa., in June.
  • Undergraduate student Emily Brown (Biomedical Engineering): $500 toward a poster presentation at the Society for Biomaterials Annual Conference held in Orlando, Fla., in April.
  • Graduate student Ning Chen (Chemistry): $500 toward a poster presentation at the 241st ACS National Meeting and Exposition held in Anaheim, Calif., in March.
  • Graduate student Stephanie Hamilton (Biomedical Engineering): $500 toward a poster presentation at the American College of Sport’s Medicine Annual Meeting to be held in Denver, Colo., in June.
  • Graduate student Weilue He (Biological Sciences): $500 toward a poster presentation at the 2011 Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in May.
  • Graduate student Connor McCarthy (Materials Science and Engineering): $500 toward a poster presentation at the Society for Biomaterials Annual Conference held in Orlando, Fla., in April.
  • Graduate student Kasra Momeni (Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics): $500 toward a podium presentation at the MRS Spring 2011 Conference held in San Francisco, Calif., in April.
  • Graduate student John Moyer (Mechanical Engineering): $500 toward a poster presentation at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers–Summer Bioengineering Conference to be held in Farmington, Pa. in June.
  • Graduate student Anahita Pakzad (Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics): $500 toward a podium presentation at the 241st ACS National Meeting and Exposition held in Anaheim, Calif., in March.
  • Graduate student Srinivasa Rao Sripathi (Biological Sciences): $500 toward a poster presentation at the 2011 Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in May.

Published in Tech Today.

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New CS&E Graduate Program Director Announced

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Warren Perger was appointed as the new graduate program director for the Computational Science and Engineering (CS&E) PhD program this week. Perger is currently the graduate program director for the Electrical and Computer Engineering programs and will continue in this role moving forward. Current and prospective students can now contact him with any program-related questions.

Dean Jacqueline Huntoon (Graduate School) commented, “We are happy to have Warren in this role. The CS&E program is one of three nondepartmental programs housed in the Graduate School, and it offers many valuable opportunities to our students. Through Warren’s leadership we know that the program will continue to grow in the future.”

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School of Technology Offers First Graduate Program

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The School of Technology is undergoing a transformation. Established in 1972, at the outset it offered training certificates; then two-year associate’s degrees; then bachelor’s degrees; and now comes its first graduate program–a master’s in integrated geospatial technology.

Dean Jim Frendewey says of the program, which was approved by the State Thursday, “It fits in with what we are about and what we do.” He adds that this blend of theory, technology, and application is “a natural evolution.”

Simply put, geospatial means information linked to location. Global sustainable development depends on the availability and reliability of data about natural and built features and locations–rivers and towns, mountains and pipelines. This information can be used to plan the built environment or to respond to natural disasters; for instance, locating a cell phone tower, or, after an earthquake, comparing damage information and population information to help deliver emergency services and pinpoint zones of refuge.

“More and more people want to know where things are located,” Frendewey says. That includes industry, government, military, and the scientific community–the latter ranging from geologists to environmentalists to social scientists. Meeting those needs, he says, constitutes “a valuable undertaking.”

The program, which has an intensive online component, hinges on interdisciplinary collaborations among faculty on and off campus. The faculty lineup includes Research Scientist Colin Brooks and Codirector Robert Shuchman (MTRI); Assistant Professor Michael Falkowski, Professor Ann Maclean and Professor Andrew Storer (all of SFRES); Assistant Professors Eugene Levin and Yushin Ahn of the School of Technology; industry leaders from the US and Russia; and scholars at the University of Maine, Ohio State University, the Technical University of Israel and Moscow State University.

The acquisition and processing of geospatial data about the land make for an applied science. The technology includes surveying, geodetic science, photogrammerty, cartography, and mapping–all enriched with new, sophisticated technology in satellite systems, remote sensing capabilities, precision surveying instruments, computing, data networks, laser systems, radar, and sonar.

The master’s program will begin in the fall and is comprised of 25 classes.

See Tech Today for the complete news story.

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Chrysalis Scholarship Awarded

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MS candidate Dulcinea Avouris (Geology), mother of five children, received a Chrysalis Scholarship from the Association of Women Geoscientists (AWG).

Selection is given to women who have had a significant break in their education. It can be used for anything from publishing costs to child care, and can only be applied for during the last semester before defense and graduation.

Winners will be recognized at the Geological Society of America meeting in October and in the association’s newsletter.

Published in Tech Today.

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National Science Foundation Hands Out CAREER Awards

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named three assistant professors winners of NSF CAREER Awards. Veronica Griffis (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Shari Stockero (Cognitive and Learning Sciences) and Greg Waite (Geological/Mining Engineering and Sciences) received the 2011 awards.

CAREER Awards are among the most prestigious honors granted by the NSF. They recognize faculty members early in their careers who are effectively integrating research and teaching.

“The CAREER program recognizes and supports teacher-scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century,” said David Reed, vice president for research. “These young faculty members add tremendously to the reputation of Michigan Tech.”

See Tech Today for the complete story.

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The DeVlieg Foundation and Finishing Fellowships Announced

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce recent recipients of fellowship support.

The DeVlieg Foundation supports MS and PhD candidates studying engineering or a closely related field.   Our spring 2011 recipients are:

  • Christopher D. DeDene, MS Candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Meagan L. Harless, PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
  • Brett P. Spigarelli, PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering

Summer finishing fellowships were earned by six PhD candidates.  Finishing fellowships provide support to PhD candidates who expect to complete their degrees in the semester they are provided support.  The summer 2011 fellowships are made possible by the generous support of the Graduate School.

  • Yiru Chen, PhD candidate in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Fredline Ilorme, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Daniel Lopez-Gaxiola, PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering
  • Seyyed Hessam Mir Shah Ghassemi, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Yinghong Qin, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Christopher Schwartz, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences

Photographs of all of these students as well as other awards and fellowships coordinated by the Graduate School can be found online.

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