Graduate School Newsblog

Nominations open for MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award

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Nominations are now open for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Awards.  Michigan Tech may nominate one student at the MS and PhD level.  Nominations are due to Debra Charlesworth no later than 4pm, January 18 2012.

Eligible students

  • will be enrolled at Michigan Tech for spring 2012 and have a teaching appointment
  • will have earned the Michigan Tech Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
  • will have an excellent teaching portfolio and student evaluations

See the application page for complete details on what is required for a nomination.  Note that a new requirement this year is a 10 minute video showing the nominee’s “Teaching in Action.”  Note that the deadline for the video only has been extended to February 6, 2012.

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December 14: Graduate School Brown Bag Lunch and Learn

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Has the end of the semester left you feeling overwhelmed and wondering how you can manage the demands of your work, school, and family?

If so, on December 14th from noon – 1pm, join presenters from Counseling and Wellness Services as they present tips relevant to time management for graduate students.  We’ll provide soft drinks (soda and water), chips, and desert – bring your own lunch.

Register online to save your seat and receive the location of the seminar.  Seating is limited – register early!

Questions?  Contact Debra Charlesworth.

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Student Veterans Honored at Midyear Commencement

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For the first time at Michigan Tech, graduating student veterans will be honored at commencement with red, white and blue cords in recognition of their service to the country.

Three graduates will wear the cords this fall and be recognized by President Glenn Mroz during commencement on Saturday, Dec. 10, in the SDC Wood Gym. The students are:

  • Mike Geiersbach of Wheeler (Marine Corps/Military Police), who served more than four years and is graduating with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.
  • Sue Larson of Waupaca, Wisc. (Air Force), who served six years and is receiving an MS in Environmental Engineering Science.
  • Matt Smith of Hancock (Air Force/Security Forces), who served two years and is receiving a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology.

Larson, a graduate student, said: “I think it’s great that Michigan Tech is so supportive of the student veteran population and has chosen to distinguish us in this way. It will be an honor to be among the first veterans to wear the new red, white and blue cords.”

The presentation of the cords reflects the growing number of activities and services on campus that focus on students who are veterans or children of veterans. This initiative is being coordinated by Veterans’ Services/Registrar’s Office and the Vice President for Student Affairs Office.

Submitted by Kathy Pintar, veteran school certifying official, registrar’s office
Published in Tech Today

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Education in Tune with Industry Raises Michigan Tech’s Job Placement Rate to Nearly 95 Percent

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As Michigan Governor Rick Snyder takes the podium at Delta College today to talk about the need for more highly skilled workers to meet Michigan employers’ needs, Michigan Tech reports that its job placement rate has risen to an astonishing 94.6 percent.

At its most recent Career Fair in September, the University hosted 720 recruiters from 245 companies. Students participated in more than 4,200 interviews at the event and in the days immediately following it. The University has another Career Fair scheduled for February 2012.

“Employers measure us by the performance of our alumni working at their companies,” said Jim Turnquist, director of Career Services. “We have a reputation for excellence.”

And employers are willing to pay for excellence, Turnquist noted. For example, the average salary reported by a 2011 Michigan Tech graduate in software engineering was $67,000; biomedical engineering, $60,000; and electrical engineering, $58,561. The national average salary of a 2011 college graduate was $51,171, according to the latest report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

In Snyder’s fifth special message to the Legislature since he took office Jan. 1, the governor is expected to outline his plan for improving ties among employers, educators and students to better match job skills to employers’ needs.

“At a time when many are questioning the value of a college education, we stress an education that meets both the needs of the students and the requirements of industry. It’s part of our DNA at Michigan Tech,” said President Glenn Mroz. “We work hand in hand with the industries that employ our graduates, through co-ops, internships and our signature Enterprise Program–where students work in teams to solve industry problems–to make sure our graduates are well-qualified to enter the workforce.”

During the economic downturn in 2009, the University’s traditionally high job placement rate dropped to 83.1 percent, still well above the national average of 63.7 percent. But Turnquist saw the economy starting to take a turn for the better in late 2010, as more recruiters began coming to campus.

“Companies are retooling and reengineering, and they’re hiring our people to do it,” he said.

by Jennifer Donovan, director, public relations
Published in Tech Today

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Jackson Teacher Honored

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A teacher in Jackson won a national award for his teaching of high school astronomy and attributes the honor in part to Michigan Tech.

Mark Reed, who teaches at Jackson High School and Lumen Christi High School, won the Thomas J. Brennan Award for 2011 from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

Reed was cited for exceptional commitment to classroom or planetarium education.

He is involved with Tech’s Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP). He spent a week on campus in 2011 and will spend another week in 2012. He describes the classes and fieldwork as “wonderful”–“They get the creative juices going.”

At Tech, he worked with faculty and doctoral students, including Professor Bill Rose (GMES) and graduate student Mark Klawiter (GMES).

MiTEP is funded by the National Science Foundation to improve Earth science education nationwide.

Participation can lead to a master’s degree in applied science education.

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US Department of Homeland Security Summer 2012 Research Experiences

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers a variety of summer research opportunities.  See their web site for more information:

http://www.orau.gov/dhseducationprograms

DHS HS-STEM Summer Internship Program

  • Undergraduate students
  • 10 week research experience
  • $5,000 stipend plus travel expenses
  • Areas of research:
    • Engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological/life sciences, environmental science, emergency and incident management, social sciences
  • Projects offered at:
    • National research laboratories: Argonne, Idaho, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, Sandia, Savannah River
    • DHS laboratories: Transportation Security Laboratory
    • Other research facilities, including Air Force Research Laboratory, Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • Locations include CA, CO, ID, IL, MD, NM, NJ, OH, SC, TN, WA, VA
  • U.S. citizenship required
  • Application deadline: January 5, 2012

DHS Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions

  • Early career faculty teamed with undergraduate and graduate students
  • 10-week summer research experiences at university-based DHS Centers of Excellence nationwide
  • Faculty and student stipends, housing allowances, travel expenses
  • Areas of research:
    • Homeland security related science, technology, engineering and mathematics
  • Faculty apply for up to $50,000 in follow-on funding at end of summer
  • US citizenship required
  • Faculty application deadline: January 8, 2012

Questions regarding DHS Education Programs can be sent via e-mail to
dhsed@orau.org.

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Chateaubriand Fellowship program

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Applications are being accepted for the Chateaubriand Fellowship program offered by the Embassy of France. The program offers 10 months of support for Ph.D. students from U.S. institutions to conduct research in France. There are two programs: one is a STEM fellowship program and the other focuses on Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS). Recipients receive a stipend, health insurance, and funds for roundtrip travel to France. The deadline for the HSS program is December 31, 2011; STEM Fellowship applications are due February 1, 2012. According to the announcement, “Candidates do not have to be US citizens, but French citizens are not eligible to apply. Students must be enrolled in at an American university.”

More information is available at: chateaubriand-fellowship.org.

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2012 NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is accepting applications for the 2012 NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships which “seeks to sponsor U.S. citizen and permanent resident graduate student researchers who show significant potential to contribute to NASA’s strategic goals and missions.”  The applications must be submitted by institutions of higher education “on behalf of highly qualified individuals pursuing or planning to pursue Master’s (e.g., MS) or Doctoral (e.g., PhD) degrees in relevant space technology disciplines at their respective institutions.”  Applications are due January 11, 2012.  Awards may be up to 4 years in length and the program is contingent upon appropriation of the necessary funds.

More information is available at:

nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/grants/2012

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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 Ecology
  • Applied Natural Resource Economics
  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Forest Ecology and Management
  • Forest Science
  • Geophysics
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Physics
  • Rhetoric and Technical Communication
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DOE Graduate Fellowship Program NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

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The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) established the DOE Office of Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE SCGF) Program (http://scgf.orau.gov/overview.html) in 2009 to support outstanding students to pursue graduate training in basic research in areas of physics, biology (non-medical), chemistry, mathematics, engineering, computer and computational sciences, and environmental sciences relevant to the Office of Science and to encourage the development of the next generation of scientific and technical talent in the U.S who will pursue careers in research critical to the Office of Science mission at DOE laboratories and in academia.

The fellowship award provides partial tuition support, an annual stipend for living expenses, and a research allowance for full-time graduate study and thesis/dissertation research at an accredited college or university in the United States or its territories for three years.

DOE Fellows receive a yearly stipend (for up to 3 years) of $35,000.  Additional benefits are listed here: http://scgf.orau.gov/benefits.html

You are eligible to apply if one of the following circumstances applies to you at the time of applying:

  • You are an undergraduate senior, planning to apply to qualified graduate programs (see below) this year and be enrolled by Fall 2012.
  • You are a first year or second year Master’s or Ph.D. student in a qualified graduate program.
  • You are in your last year of a BS/MS program and plan to be enrolled in a qualified Ph.D. program by Fall 2012.
  • You are not currently enrolled in a graduate program, but have been accepted into a qualified graduate program that will begin in the Spring or Fall of 2012.
  • You have completed your undergraduate degree and are not currently enrolled in a graduate program, but plan to apply to qualified graduate programs and be enrolled in Fall 2012.

Applicants to the DOE SCGF program must meet all of the requirements in the following areas to be eligible to apply:

  • Minimum age and U.S. citizenship
  • Academic Status
  • Enrollment in a Qualified Graduate Program
  • Other Federal Graduate Fellowships

You are NOT eligible to apply if one or any combination of the following describe your graduate education status:

  • You will be in your third year of a Master’s program in Fall 2012.
  • You have completed more than 6 semesters/9 quarters (*) of cumulative graduate work at the time of applying.
  • You have completed more than 3 semesters/5 quarters (*) of cumulative graduate work in a Ph.D. program at the time of applying.
  • You seek to pursue a second Ph.D. degree.
  • You are currently in your second Master’s degree program and will not be in a qualified Ph.D. program by Fall 2012.

*Full or part-time

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