Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

International Student is Gazette Cookbook Finalist

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The Daily Mining Gazette is publishing a cookbook, and it invited readers to submit recipes for consideration. A panel of judges at the newspaper has chosen finalists from more than 100 recipes submitted, and Tech international student Komal Tayal’s tandoori chicken was one of the top three selected. She and the other finalists will cook their dishes for a taste-off at the Gazette next week. Winners will have their recipes, photos and stories included in the cookbook.

Tayal is a graduate student in mechanical engineering. She cooked tandoori chicken for Khana Khazana last week.

Published in Tech Today.

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Khana Khazana Visits Thailand and India

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Student chefs from Thailand and India will cook for the final Khana Khazana (food treasure) before winter break, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, in the Memorial Union Food Court.

The international lunch will feature pad Thai cooked by Parawee Pumwongpitak, a graduate student in materials science and engineering, and mutter paneer, naan and kesariya doodh, prepared by Sahil Thakkar, an undergraduate in electrical engineering technology. Mutter paneer is a curry made with green peas and Indian cheese, served with Indian bread called naan. Kesariya Doodh is a milk beverage with saffron and nuts. Pad Thai is a Thai favorite made with stir-fried noodles, bean sprouts and shrimp.

A full meal costs $6. The entrees (pad Thai and mutter paneer with naan) are available a la carte for $3. The beverage is available by itself for $2.

Khana Khazana is a collaboration of international students and Dining Services. It is open to the campus and the community.

Published in Tech Today.

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US Rep. Stupak is Commencement Speaker

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Congressman Bart Stupak will address nearly 300 graduates at Midyear Commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 11.  A total of 242 students will be receiving bachelor’s degrees. In addition, 26 master’s degrees and 18 doctorates will be awarded.

Stupak will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Environmental and Energy Policy. He is retiring in January after 18 years of service to Michigan’s 1st Congressional District.  He is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and, as the ranking Democrat, chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.  Before his election in 1992, Stupak was a Michigan state representative and worked as an Escanaba police officer and Michigan State Police trooper. He also practiced law.   A graduate of Gladstone High School, he earned an associate degree from Northwestern Michigan College, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northern Michigan University and a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing.

Health care has been a priority for Stupak since he was elected to Congress, when he pledged not to accept the insurance that members of Congress receive until all Americans could have access to that same quality health care.  He has been a leader in the international effort to ban the sale and diversion of the Great Lakes and opposed the drilling for oil and gas beneath the Great Lakes.  Stupak founded and cochaired the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, a bipartisan organization that provides the law enforcement community with an avenue to participate in the legislative process.   He has been a leader in homeland security, particularly in connection with programs to train and equip local law enforcement officers and other first responders. In addition, Stupak cochairs the Congressional Northern Border Caucus.

Published in Tech Today.

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A Christmas Carol at the Calumet Theatre

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A ballet/dance performance of  “A Christmas Carol,” featuring a cast of many Tech students, will be at the Calumet Theatre at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 3, and at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 4.

Donna Armistead, of International Programs and Services, is the choreographer.

These students will perform:

  • Paige Borel (Business Management)
  • Allison Strome (Business Management)
  • Jared Berryman (Exercise Science)
  • Josh Stuempges (Chemical Engineering)
  • Joseph Massoglia (Mechanical Engineering)
  • Cassi Warsinski (Biomedical Engineering)

Scrooge will be played by John Griebel ’09 (MS, Industrial Archaeology).

As well, the dance will feature children of faculty and staff.

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UTC‐MiSTI Announces 2010 Student of the Year

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The University Transportation Center for Materials in Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure (UTC‐MiSTI) has selected Darrell Cass as its 2010 “Student of the Year.”

Cass will receive a $1,000 award, travel and registration expenses to attend the 90th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Conference in Washington, DC, and a certificate from the US Department of Transportation.

The TRB conference annually attracts more than 10,000 participants, including university researchers and students, government officials and industry professionals.

Cass received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Tech and will complete his master’s degree in May 2011.

His past research included sustainability applied to construction practices and transportation infrastructure. His current research involves quantifying greenhouse gas emissions associated with highway construction and rehabilitation for the Michigan Department of Transportation. This work will help develop tools to support transportation agencies in making more sustainable decisions in managing transportation infrastructure systems.

Cass, who is advised by Assistant Professor Amlan Mukherjee (CEE), has presented his research at the 89th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in 2010; the 2010 Construction Research Congress; the 2010 National Local Technical Assistance Program Association Annual Conference; and the International Conference on Sustainable Concrete Pavements. In February of 2011 he will present his work at the Louisiana State Engineering Conference.

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ESC Announces Fall Travel Grants

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The Ecosystem Science Center has announced the recipients of its 2010 Fall Graduate Student Travel Grants. Following is the list of recipients and their advisors.

  • Sinan Abood, Environmental Engineering (Ann Maclean, SFRES) received $500 to attend and instruct a special session at the ASPRS/CaGIS 2010 Fall Specialty Conference in Orlando, Fla., from Nov. 15-19.
  • Ruth Bennett, Applied Ecology (Joseph Bump, SFRES) received $421 to attend the XIV Congreso de la Sociedad Mesoamericana para le Biologia y la Conservacion in San Jose, Costa Rica, from Nov. 8-12.
  • Marcella Campione, Forestry (Linda Nagel, SFRES) received $500 to present a poster at the Society of American Foresters National Convention in Albuquerque, N.M., from Oct. 27-31.
  • Nan Davis, Forestry (Robert Froese, SFRES) received $500 to present a poster at the Society of American Foresters National Convention in Albuquerque, N.M., from Oct 27-31.
  • Kevyn Juneau, Forestry (Catherine Tarasoff, SFRES) received $500 to give a talk at the MN/WI Invasive Species Conference in St. Paul, Minn., from Nov. 8-10.
  • Laura Kangas, Applied Ecology (Rodney Chimner, SFRES) received $500 to give a talk at the Wetlands in the Landscape Meeting of the Wisconsin Wetland Association, in Baraboo, Wisc., from Feb. 16-17.
  • Trevor Roberts, Forest Ecology and Management (Robert Froese, SFRES) received $500 to present a poster at the Society of American Foresters National Convention in Albuquerque, N.M., from Oct. 27-31.
  • Agustin Robles-Morua, Environmental Engineering (Kathy Halvorsen and Audrey Mayer, SS) received $500 to give a talk at the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, Calif., from Dec. 13-17.
  • Shawna Welsh, Applied Ecology (Thomas Pypker, SFRES) received $500 to give a talk at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in Minneapolis, Minn., from Dec. 12-15.
  • Nick Windmuller, Forestry (Robert Froese, SFRES) received $500 to present a poster at the Society of American Foresters National Convention in Albuquerque, N.M., from Oct. 27-31.
  • Rosa Flores, Environmental Engineering (Judith Perlinger, CEE) received $500 to present a poster at the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, Calif., from Dec. 13-17.
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MBA Online Program in the News

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Michigan Tech’s MBA Online, offered by the School of Business and Economics, is mentioned in the Bloomberg Business Week Business School Rankings and Profiles.

The Tech MBA Online is one of 50 listed in the distance learning section, and the site says, “Advances in educational technology have made distance learning programs a viable alternative to attending bricks-and-mortar campuses.”

“We are pleased to see the online program getting this well-deserved attention,” says Darrell Radson, dean, School of Business and Economics.

School officials said the two-year Tech MBA Online focuses on technology and innovation management. The degree incorporates a solid foundation of fundamental business disciplines, including a global perspective. Training professionals to be ethical leaders who manage financially sound but sustainable organizations is also a program goal. The degree program includes two weekend residencies and a weeklong international residency.

“The uniqueness of our program centers on its connection to technology,” according to Radson. “We are using the expertise of our university and our business school to train students to take new ideas and concepts and move them into new products and new businesses.”

For more information about the Tech MBA Online, call Ruth Archer, graduate program director, at 487-3055, or visit www.mbaonline.mtu.edu .

Published in Tech Today.

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BRC Announces Fall Travel Grants

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The Biotechnology Research Center has announced the recipients of its 2010 Fall Travel Grants:

Graduate students

  • Surendar Dhadi (Biological Sciences) will receive $500 toward a podium presentation at the Plant and Animal Genome XIX Conference to be held in San Diego, Calif., in January, 2011.
  • Aytug Gencoglu (Chemical Engineering) will receive $500 toward a podium presentation at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, in November, 2010.
  • Seyyed Hessam Mir Shah Ghassemi (ME-EM) will receive $500 toward a podium presentation at the Materials Research Society Fall Meeting to be held in Boston, Mass., in December, 2010.
  • Kaela Leonard (Chemical Engineering) will receive $500 toward a podium presentation at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, in November, 2010.
  • Kefeng Li (Biological Sciences) will receive $500 toward a poster presentation at the Plant and Animal Genome XIX Conference to be held in San Diego, Calif., in January, 2011.
  • Sapna Kumari (Mathematical Sciences) received $500 toward a podium presentation at the Genetic Analysis Workshop that was held in Boston, Mass., in October, 2010.
  • Chungja Yang (Chemical Engineering) will receive $500 toward a podium presentation at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, in November, 2010.

Undergraduate student

  • Jessica Forrest (BME) received $500 toward a poster presentation at the Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting that was held in Austin, Texas, in October, 2010.
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World Usability Day Returns to Campus

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World Usability Day is returning for the third consecutive year. The event celebrates usability, when technologies or procedures make sense to us and when we can learn–and remember–how to use them, make few errors and feel satisfied with our experiences.

Last year, the annual, international celebration involved 150 events held in more than 43 countries around the world.

World Usability Day in the UP (WUDUP) takes place on campus, Wednesday through Friday, Nov. 10 to 12. This year’s theme is communication, and, according to the World Usability Day website, the hope is to create “greater awareness for designs, products and services that improve and facilitate communication.”

Three official events are planned at Michigan Tech.

Brown Bag Lunch
Wednesday, Nov. 10, noon to 1 p.m.
Memorial Union Ballroom B

“Does Sustainable Design Make Us Behave More Sustainably?”
Speaker: Professor Christa Walck (School of Business and Economics)
In this interactive session, Walck will discuss how sustainable design of the things we use in our lives can change our behavior, but can also lead to increased consumption and waste. The participants will look at the thinking behind a series of sustainably designed items and then try to design something that they would want to use and make them act more sustainably.

A Library2Go Demonstration
Thursday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Van Pelt and Opie Library lobby, in front of the information wall
Library2Go, a new, easy and fast way to find library information using mobile devices and smart phones, is now available. Users can quickly search the library’s catalog, view floor plans, find out what services the library’s staff offers, identify contact info, and more. During the session, library staff will demonstrate the new technology and help participants add the Library2Go service to their iPhone, iPod Touch or Android.

Interactive Webinar
Friday, Nov. 12, 4:30 p.m.
Walker 134
Sponsored by the Michigan Tech Chapter of the Society for Technical Communicators
Tim Kauffold, director of operations at Oneupweb, will discuss how attention to usability helps him in fraud detection, trademark monitoring, ad testing and keyword permutation. Kauffold’s ability to speak “techie” to clients and the public has made him a valuable asset to the client management team, working with some of the world’s leading brands. He is also a critical player in Oneupweb’s successful strategic partnership program and a sought-after speaker.

Some events are still in the planning stages, so, for late-breaking news, check the WUDUP website: www.mtu.edu/usability .

Or, for more information, contact Karla Kitalong at 487-3254 or at kitalong@mtu.edu .

Published in Tech Today.

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New Theses and Dissertations Available

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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
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Engineering Physics
  • Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Geophysics
  • Industrial Archaeology
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
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