Graduate School Newsblog

Place Your Cap and Gown Rental Orders

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Spring Commencement will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 28, in the MacInnes Ice Arena.

Faculty who need to rent a cap and gown should be measured at the Campus Bookstore in the Memorial Union.

In order to avoid shipping costs, orders for caps and gowns need to be placed by March 2. Any order placed after March 2 will be assessed a shipping fee. After 4 p.m., April 13, cap and gown rental is not guaranteed, and you will be responsible for any applicable shipping fees.

To coordinate your rental, contact Beckie Belanger, Campus Bookstore, at 487-2410 or bmbelang@mtu.edu .

You may also order online from the Campus Bookstore at Cap and Gown.

Published in Tech Today.

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2012 Geothermal Student Competition

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The US Department Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is pleased to announce the 2012 Geothermal Student Competition. The Competition is designed to support, inspire, and promote innovation, exploration, and entrepreneurship among the nation’s emerging young thinkers. The Competition platform focuses on developing and advancing the next generation of geothermal energy exploration technology that can potentially unleash an infusion of reliable, cost-effective, and clean geothermal energy into the US energy economy.

The Challenge

Undergraduate and graduate student teams, guided by a faculty member in the role of mentor, are challenged to conduct a professional-quality assessment of the Snake River Plain site in Idaho using innovative exploration technologies. Research should be based on the case study analysis provided using one or more of the following exploration technologies:

  1. geophysics,
  2. geochemistry,
  3. remote sensing; and
  4. geology.

Please note: faculty should be providing limited support. This is intended to be a student competition.

Who Should Apply?

The Competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students in science, engineering and business programs of study.

Where do I Apply?

The Competition application, guidelines, and copies of the case study can all be found on the Competition website http://orise.orau.gov/geothermal

How does the Competition work?

The Competition is divided into two phases:

Phase I

Student teams, comprised of up to four students with the faculty mentor serving in the capacity of project advisor and coach, will submit an application through the website detailing their project plan. The top ten competitive applicants are selected and the winning teams, their mentors, and their schools are notified and advanced into Phase II of the competition. Teams entering Phase II all receive a $10K stipend to defray the cost associated with equipment purchase, travel and other expenses incurred during the research cycle.

Phase II

The teams are required to participate in monthly review meetings and submit regular reports documenting their progress. Phase II is completed when the Teams submit the required technical paper and present their findings to the team of expert judges at the Geothermal Council Capstone event. ORISE will manage all aspects of the competition including recruitment, program promotion, conducting an application review and coordinating Capstone judging panels, for the selection and award process.

Please contact by email geothermalstudentcompetition@orise.orau.gov or Dr. Desmond Stubbs, Program Manager at (865) 603-2461.

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Khana Khazana Returns to India

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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.

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Summer 2012 Finishing Fellowship Nominations Open

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Nominations for summer 2012 Finishing Fellowships are now open. Applications must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than 4pm on March 14th.

Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:

  1. Must be a PhD student.
  2. Must expect to finish in summer.
  3. Must have submitted no more than one previous request for funding.
  4. Must be eligible for Research Only Mode.

Previous recipients of a Finishing Fellowship are not eligible.

Please see our application page for details on the application procedure. Please direct any questions you have about the application or review process to Debra Charlesworth

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Online MBA Makes US News Honor Roll

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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.

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Students Tackle Mining Controversy

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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.

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James “Rhio” O’Connor Memorial Scholarship Fund

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Undergraduate and graduate students at colleges and universities in the United States are invited to honor Rhio’s spirit of self determination and intellectual curiosity by writing an essay about cancer and our progress in preventing and treating this disease since the “War on Cancer” was announced over 41 years ago.

Are we making progress in curing cancer since 1971? If so, where? Why has the incidence rates of many cancers continued to increase? Why is cancer the leading cause of death by disease in children and of adults under the age of 85? What should be done to improve progress in curing or preventing cancer?

The cash awards are:

$5,000 First Prize
$2,000 Second Prize
$1,000 Third Prize
$500 Fourth Prize
$100 Fifth Prize
$75 Honorable Mention (there are thirty Honorable Mention awards)

For more information, please visit:  http://www.cancermonthly.com/scholarship.asp

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United Nations Internships

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The United Nations provides opportunities for students enrolled in a graduate programme to undertake an internship at its Headquarters in New
York, Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Santiago, Arusha, and The Hague.

Eligible candidates interested in doing an internship at the United
Nations Headquarters in New York or any of the mentioned countries can
apply.

The objective of the Internship Programme is threefold:

  1. To provide a framework by which graduate and under graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds may be assigned to United Nations Offices where their educational experience can be enhanced through practical work assignments.
  2. To expose them to the work of the United Nations.
  3. To provide UN offices with the assistance of highly qualified students specialized in various professional fields.

The United Nations Headquarters Internship Programme is offered on a
two-month basis three times a year:

  • Mid January to mid March (Spring Session): The vacancy announcement is posted mid May, the deadline for applications is end of September.
  • Early June to early August (Summer Session): The vacancy announcement is posted mid September, the deadline for applications is end of January.
  • Mid September to mid November (Fall Session): The vacancy announcement is posted end of January, the deadline for applications is mid May.

To qualify for the United Nations Headquarters Internship Programme, the
following conditions must be met:

  1. Applicants must be enrolled in a degree programme in a graduate school (second university degree or higher) at the time of application and during the internship; or
  2. Applicants pursuing their studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages must have completed at least four years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a degree.
  3. Development-related fields such as economics, international relations, anthropology, sociology, public or business administration, or environmental studies. Other fields of study may be considered depending on the type of assignment;

Any work produced by interns during their internship within the framework
of the duties assigned to them should be used for academic purposes
exclusively. All economic and moral rights (copyright) pertaining to such
work will remain the exclusive property of the United Nations.

Interested undergraduate or graduate students should write via EMAIL ONLY addressed to the :

Ad Hoc Internship Coordinator,
Human Resources Operations Section,
Human Resources Management Service,
United Nations Office

Applications (in English) should include the following:

  1. A covering letter stating the grounds for their application;
  2. Recent curriculum vitae (CV);
  3. Copies of their university degrees or a list of courses attended or attending;
  4. Abstracts of academic papers they have written if any.

All applicants must be currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate
programs. No phone calls, please.

After careful consideration of all documents submitted, only successful
candidates will be notified of their selection.

Kindly send the requested applications documents to the following email
address: intern@un-uncrd.org

No application will be accepted after a deadline!

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NASA Summer Internships for Graduate Students

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NASA offers paid undergraduate and graduate level internships in a variety of disciplines from business and finance to biology, chemistry, physics, earth and life sciences, and engineering.  The deadline has recently been extended to March 1, although offers may begin going out February 2nd.  Students are encouraged to apply by February 1st.

Please visit http://intern.nasa.gov to complete your application and apply for up to 15 opportunities with a single application.  There are currently over 200 opportunities available.

For tips on the internship application: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4saIcVc62-8

For tips on searching for and applying to internships and fellowships:
https://intern.nasa.gov/solar/web/public/main/index.cfm?solarAction=video

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Seminar: Submitting your Thesis or Dissertation to the Graduate School

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Students planning on finishing a thesis or dissertation spring or summer 2012 are invited a seminar designed to help students understand the submission process and answer questions about it.

Once you register, you will receive a confirmation with the location and a reminder of the date and time.

If you are unable to join us, a taped version of this seminar is available online from our May 19th presentation.

Students who are interested in learning more about the formatting requirements and resources available to assist them should visit our formatting web page and refer to our January 27, 2011 seminar.

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