Graduate School Newsblog

Tech Celebrates World Usability Day

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Thursday was Usability Day around the world, and this was the fifth year Michigan Tech was involved. 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.

We caught up with a couple of projects taking place at Tech.

The Human Interface Design Enterprise was showing off their driver simulator in Rekhi Hall.

It was one of a couple of major projects the group has taken on, according to Margo Woller-Carter, a PhD student in applied cognitive science and human factors.

“We are using a Uconnect system from Chrysler to test for driver distraction,” she said. “We designed this driver simulator to use with it, and we will also be doing some eye-tracking for them.” Uconnect was a multimedia system on steroids: entertainment, phone, navigation, voice command, controls, and wifi: perfect for testing for distractions. The Enterprise was in the second year of a three-year contract with Chrysler.

And on this day, there was plenty of distraction going on: radio playing, Uconnect with lots of buttons to play with, a road ahead on the computer screen, and many people walking in and out of the room. Students took turns behind the wheel of the 60 mph simulation. Some did a little off-roading and even off-globing.

Woller-Carter said they also have some work with the HVAC folks at Chrysler, including a smartphone app for adjusting temperature from anywhere in the car.

One key to all their app work is to keep them user friendly. “There are so many bad apps today,” said second-year computer engineering major Andrew Timmerman. He, too, took a turn on the simulator, exploring some of the features of the Uconnect: estimated time to complete the required number of laps at 60, various gauge settings, including temperature, etc.

The eye-tracking will be an interesting undertaking, the assembled students thought. Eye-tracking is a method employed in usability studies where sensors record where humans’ eyes are focused. Currently, eye-tracking uses six sensor points on the face and it loses accuracy when you move your head. That has important ramifications when you are analyzing distractions.

The HIDE plan might include adding more sensor points to prevent data loss, Woller-Carter said.

“Or we might just come up with a whole new system,” she said.

She also said it was important for the two teams (design and evaluation) to see the whole design process, to not just design or test.

Read more in Tech Today
by Dennis Walikainen, senior editor

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NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) Program

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NASA announces a call for graduate fellowship proposals to the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) program for the 2013-2014 academic year. This call for fellowship proposals solicits applications from accredited U.S. universities on behalf of individuals pursuing Master of Science (MS) or Doctoral (PhD) degrees in Earth and space sciences, or related disciplines. The purpose of NESSF is to ensure continued training of a highly qualified workforce in disciplines needed to achieve NASA’s scientific goals. Awards resulting from the competitive selection will be made in the form of training grants to the respective universities.

The deadline for NEW applications is February 1, 2013, and the deadline for RENEWAL applications is March 15, 2013.

The NESSF call for proposals and submission instructions are located at the NESSF 13 solicitation index page at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ – click on “Solicitations” then click on “Open Solicitations” then select the “NESSF 13” announcement. Also refer to “Proposal Submission Instructions” and “Frequently Asked Questions” listed under “Other Documents” on the NESSF 13 solicitation index page.

All proposals must be submitted in electronic format only through the NASA NSPIRES system. The advisor has an active role in the submission of the fellowship proposal. To use the NSPIRES system, the advisor, the student, and the university must all register. Extended instructions on how to submit an electronic proposal package are posted on the NESSF 13 solicitation index page listed above. You can register in NSPIRES at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/.

For further information contact Claire Macaulay, Program Administrator for NESSF Earth Science Research, Telephone: (202) 358-0151, E-mail: claire.i.macaulay@nasa.gov or Dolores Holland, Program Administrator for NESSF Heliophysics Research, Planetary Science Research, and Astrophysics Research, Telephone: (202) 358-0734, E-mail: hq-nessf-Space@nasa.gov.

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ASA 2013 Graduate Student Research Award

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Are you working on remarkable research on issues pertaining to aging? If so, submit your research paper to the American Society on Aging to be considered for the graduate student research award!  The winner will gain the recognition of peers and thousands of professionals in the field.

The graduate student research award is given to spur academic and clinical interest in the field of aging, and rewards the best unpublished graduate research paper on a completed project relevant to aging and applicable to practice. Membership in ASA is not a requirement, but is a consideration.

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate-degree program or have completed their studies less than one year before submission, and be sponsored by a faculty member. The winner will receive a $500 honorarium, an opportunity to present their paper at the 2013 Aging in America conference (March 12-16 in Chicago), complimentary one-year student ASA membership and registration for the Aging in America conference.

The deadline to submit research papers has been extended to November 30. Call 415-974-9600 if you have any questions, or click here for more information.

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DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship

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We are pleased to inform you that the application is now open for the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) at https://www.krellinst.org/doecsgf/application/. This is an exciting opportunity for doctoral students to earn up to four years of financial support along with outstanding benefits and opportunities while pursuing degrees in fields of study that utilize high performance computing technology to solve complex problems in science and engineering.

Benefits of the Fellowship:

  • $36,000 yearly stipend
  • Payment of all tuition and fees
  • $5,000 academic allowance in first year
  • $1,000 academic allowance each renewed year
  • 12-week research practicum at a DOE Laboratory
  • Yearly conferences
  • Career, professional and leadership development
  • Renewable up to four years

Applications for the next class of fellows are due on January 8, 2013. See the poster for additional information: http://www.krellinst.org/csgf/sites/default/files/CSGF%20Recruitment%20Poster%202013-14.pdf

The DOE CSGF is open to U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens who are planning full-time, uninterrupted study toward a PhD at an accredited US university. Senior undergraduate and first-year doctoral students (at the time of application) in engineering and in the physical, computer, mathematical or life sciences are eligible to apply.

For more information regarding the fellowship and to access the online application, visit http://www.krellinst.org/csgf

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Huntoon Named to AGI Executive Committee

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Jackie Huntoon, dean of the Graduate School and associate provost for graduate education, has been named to the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) executive committee.

Huntoon joins new members Berry H. (Nick) Tew, Jr., state geologist of Alabama and director of the geological survey of Alabama; and Dorian Kuper, cofounder and president of Kuper Consulting LLC. The new members of the AGI Executive Committee will be installed at the Friends of AGI Reception during the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to AGI, Huntoon, “through her work as dean and at numerous geoscience societies and agencies, has helped increase diversity and strengthen the geosciences as a whole.”

Founded in 1948, the American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists.

Published in Tech Today

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ERM Foundation Sustainability Fellowship

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ERM Group Foundation is pleased to announce its annual Sustainability Fellowship program, which will award a Fellowship in an amount up to $15,000 to fund a Sustainability Initiative project.  The ERM Foundation Sustainability Fellowship supports entrepreneurial graduate students
who want to implement their visions for a more sustainable world.

In addition to the selected Sustainability Fellowship recipient, the top five candidates identified through the Fellowship selection and award process will be provided with the opportunity to interview for a paid internship in the growing, global Sustainability Practice of ERM (http://www.erm.com/).

We invite all graduate students with a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher enrolled in U.S.-based tax-exempt educational institutions to apply.

Please contact Debra Charlesworth or Jodi Lehman for an application form.  Applications are being accepted through 11/30/2012.

Further information on the foundation and ERM can be found at: http://www.erm.com/About-Us/ERM-Foundation/

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Jack Kent Cook Foundation Graduate Scholarships

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The Foundation’s Graduate Arts Award is for up to $50,000 per year for up to three years to college seniors and recent graduates with financial need who will pursue a graduate or professional degree in the visual arts, performing arts, or creative writing. To be eligible, candidates must be nominated by the faculty representative at their undergraduate institution.

The Foundation’s Dissertation Fellowship is for up to $25,000 for advanced doctoral students who are completing dissertations that inform the Foundation’s mission: advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. To be eligible, candidates must demonstrate superior academic achievement, have successfully defended their dissertation proposals, and be enrolled full-time in a US graduate degree program.

The Foundation’s Graduate Scholarships are offered to students who receive undergraduate scholarships from the Foundation.

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University of Michigan Dow Sustainability Fellows Program – Postdoctoral Fellowships

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Applications due: December 15, 2012

The Dow Sustainability Fellows Program is designed to create a new generation of sustainability scholars who understand the necessity of collaborating across disciplines and sectors to address and solve complex sustainability challenges. The program seeks accomplished, connected, and motivated postdoctoral fellowship candidates working on sustainability issues at the interface of the social sciences/humanities and the natural/physical/engineering sciences.

Both the Request for Proposals and the program application can be found online at www.sustainability.umich.edu/postdoctoral-fellowship.

Questions may be submitted to dow-postdoc@umich.edu.

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Students Named to National, Regional SWE Posts

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Two members of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section at Michigan Tech, Kaitlyn Bunker and Alicia Walby, have been elected to regional and national positions within the organization.

Bunker, an electrical engineering PhD student, is the new collegiate director of SWE and sits on its national board of directors. The collegiate director is the only student who sits on the board, and Bunker is responsible for giving the collegiate members a voice. “I’ll be the first graduate student in the position in quite a while. I also come from a smaller, but really active section, so I can bring a new perspective,” she said.

Bunker was the president of the Michigan Tech section for two years and served on a national-level committee focused on leadership coaching for SWE sections.

Bunker is enthusiastic about developing her leadership skills as SWE collegiate director. “I’m most excited about the connections and new people that I’ll meet from around the country. I’ll also be able to help guide the society forward as it develops its new strategic plan. This is a great opportunity for me to give back to SWE because I’ve gained so much from being a part of it.”

Walby, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major, was elected one of the new regional collegiate representatives (RCRs) for Region H, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It is the largest SWE region, with more than 2,800 members. She was inspired to serve as an RCR during her tenure as communications editor for Region H last year. In her new position, Walby now maintains the flow of information between the sections in her region and the national organization. Walby also works with sections that are not in good standing to help them get back on their feet.

Walby is looking forward to working with the presidents of the collegiate SWE sections in Region H. “There are so many great female leaders, and it’s awesome to see what kinds of things they’re doing with their sections. It’s motivation for me to keep pushing them to make their sections even better.”

Like Bunker, Walby has benefited from her involvement in SWE. “I’ve gotten to know so many people from around the nation from attending conferences. It’s great to go to a regional conference be able to say ‘Hey, how have you been?’ to some of the professional members,” she said.

Gretchen Hein, one of the SWE advisors, says that Bunker and Walby’s positions will benefit the SWE section at Michigan Tech. “This will increase our visibility, both at the regional and national levels over time. I also hope that their involvement will inspire other members to apply for regional and national positions as well.”

SWE focuses on the advancement of women in engineering, but the section at Michigan Tech is open to both men and women of all majors. The section meets every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Chemical Sciences and Engineering 101. More information about the SWE section at Michigan Tech is available at Michigan Tech SWE. To learn more about the national society visit Society of Women Engineers.

by Travis Gendron, student writer
Published in Tech Today

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Graduate Fellowships from Hertz

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The Hertz Foundation gives Graduate Fellowships and are looking for proposals emphasizing near-term application of applied sciences or engineering, including Earth Sciences.  If students have a new way of looking at an applied environmental or geo problem or hazard, the foundation may be interested.  The due date is next Friday,  Nov. 2, which is probably too late to write a proposal from scratch, but is possible if a student already has a proposal partially written.  Both two year and five year fellowships exist.

Web address is: http://www.hertzfoundation.org

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