The Graduate School is switching to imaged documents for students’ Masters forms on July 1, 2009. Before that date we have scheduled two training sessions conducted by Jarrod Karau.
Session 1: Monday June 15th from 10-11am in MUB Ballroom B
Session 2: Thursday June 18th from 3-4pm in MUB Ballroom A1
Graduate Assistants and any other department members are welcome to attend.
Please RSVP to Patt Ross (peross@mtu.edu) for the session you plan to attend.
by Jennifer Donovan, public relations director
Ulrich Hansmann, professor of physics and leader in computational and biophysics research, has received the 2009 Michigan Tech Research Award.
He developed seminal numerical techniques for modeling the workings of living cells and led efforts to apply computational algorithms to protein physics. He recently was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a recognition of excellence by his peers and one of the highest honors in his field.
Hansmann is a pioneer in computational modeling of protein folding, a molecular process that, when it goes awry, can give rise to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s. His work could help uncover the underlying processes causing proteins to misfold, potentially leading to effective therapies.
“Uli’s achievements in the protein-folding problem–one of the most significant challenges in science today–have been astonishing,” Robert H. Swendsen, professor of physics at Carnegie Mellon University, remarked.
“Uli is one of Tech’s leading computational scientists, with his outstanding work and international reputation among leaders in his field,” said David Reed, vice president for research. “He has taken the lead in trying to build computational capacity at Tech, and we look forward to continued advancement in this area through the current Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative in computational discovery and innovation.”
Ravindra Pandey, chair of the physics department, also had high praise for Hansmann. “We are extremely proud of Professor Hansmann’s achievements in computational biophysics,” Pandey said. “He is an internationally known scientist in protein folding. He has established a well funded research group here at Michigan Tech and conducts extremely productive collaborative work with several national and international research groups.”
A leader in a computational approach to understanding the complex interactions in biological systems in a new, interdisciplinary field known as systems biology, Hansmann organized three international workshops on computational biophysics in systems biology. While continuing to teach and do research at Michigan Tech, he also helped the John von Neumann Institute for Computing in Jülich, Germany, develop a computational biology and biophysics research group.
“Not all key processes or molecules are accessible by experiments; simulations are sometimes the only technique to detect hidden processes or proteins,” Hansmann explained. “A systems biology approach that aims at deciphering the life functions in a cell requires a close interplay between experiments and computing.”
The physicist’s research goals include analysis and interpretation of biological data through modeling of molecular networks and simulation of cellular biophysics. He hopes this will enable scientists to analyze and predict complex diseases at a molecular level.
Although Hansmann is doing cutting-edge work, he is in no way proprietary about it. He already has developed a software program called Simple Molecular Mechanics for Proteins (SMMP) that is freely available as open source software on the Internet. One of his ongoing research goals is to develop public software for molecular simulation of cells.
As a teacher, Hansmann is devoted to helping students from a variety of fields, including physics, computer science, chemistry and biology, learn how to use supercomputers in their research. He also mentors community college students from underrepresented and disadvantaged populations through the Michigan Colleges and Universities Partnership (MICUP) program at Michigan Tech.
Born in Germany, Hansmann received his PhD in Physics from Freie Universität in Berlin. He has taught physics at Michigan Tech since 1998. His research is supported by the National Science Foundation.
by Jennifer Donovan, public relations director
When IBM set its sights on becoming an international rail transportation leader, one of the first university partners they turned to was Michigan Tech. Michigan Tech’s Rail Transportation Program is an emerging player educating future leaders for the rail industry.
Today, as IBM unveils plans for its Global Rail Innovation Center in Beijing, Pasi Lautala, director of the Rail Transportation Program, and graduate student Shane Ferrell will represent Michigan Tech.
“Countries worldwide are recognizing the importance of rail transportation and are accelerating their efforts to develop 21st-century rail systems,” said Lautala. “With its Global Rail Innovation Center, IBM is modeling a new way of thinking, one that is not bound by national borders. Michigan Tech is honored that IBM has recognized our leadership in rail-related research and education and has invited us to participate in such a groundbreaking effort.”
Michigan Tech’s Rail Transportation Program, established in fall 2007 as part of the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute, has attracted strong support from the railroad industry. Its corporate sponsors include CSX, Union Pacific and CN. CN gave Michigan Tech $250,000 this spring to establish the Rail Transportation Education Center, a physical home for the Rail Transportation Program.
The program’s innovative Summer in Finland has already integrated an international component as part of an interdisciplinary approach to rail education, and an initiative to establish a multidisciplinary certificate in rail transportation and engineering is currently in progress.
Michigan Tech joins Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Joseph M. Sussman; Judge Quentin L. Kopp, chairman of the California High Speed Rail Authority; the German railroad Deutsche Bahn; Motorola; Railinc Corporation (a subsidiary of the American Association of Railroads) and Sabre (a travel network) as initial members of the new center’s advisory board.
Based at IBM’s China Business Innovation Center, the Global Rail Innovation Center will focus on developing technologies that can increase railroad capacity, efficiency, speed and safety while improving customer service.
“The global demand for rail is outpacing capacity, and today’s aging infrastructure and technology won’t support the transportation needs of the future,” said Keith Dierkx, director of the new center. “Through the Global Rail Innovation Center, IBM is committed to working with our partners to develop and implement smarter rail systems around the world. Railroads are energy efficient and can help cities manage traffic congestion, improve environmental conditions and increase economic competitiveness.”
The rise of high-speed passenger rail and smarter freight rail systems presents an enormous challenge and an opportunity for the information technology and rail industries. IBM already has researchers and consultants working on high-speed rail projects around the world, including Australia, China, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
IBM chose Beijing as its rail innovation hub because of China’s rapid advances in rail. In China, investment in railway transportation has tripled over the last year and is expected to reach 600 billion yuan (approximately $88 billion) by 2012.
The National Research Council of the National Academies sponsors a number of awards for graduate, postdoctoral and senior researchers at federal laboratories. These awards provide generous stipends ($42,000 – $74,000 per year for recent Ph.D. recipients and higher for additional experience), and the opportunity to do independent research in some of the best-equipped and staffed laboratories in the U.S. Research opportunities are open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and for some of the laboratories, foreign nationals.
Applications now available. Submission deadline is August 1. Support Document deadline is August 15th.
For more information visit Research Associate Programs
Applications for fall Finishing Fellowships are now open. The Graduate School anticipates funding up to 10 fellowships per semester with support ranging from $2,000 to full support (stipend plus tuition). Applications are due to the Graduate School no later than 4pm on June 26th.
Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:
Refer to our web page for full details regarding eligibility, application procedure, and evaluation criteria. Our online presentation also provides some tips to prepare your application.
Contact Debra Charlesworth or Heather Suokas with additional questions.
Are you or do you know of a student who would be a competitive applicant for a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship?
The Graduate School is sponsoring a series of seminars to help students apply for a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. The first is June 18, 11am and will discuss:
Once you register, you will receive a confirmation with the location and a reminder of the date and time. Space is limited, so register early! The presentation will be available online for those unable to join us at this time.
Join the Graduate School and Research and Sponsored Programs for a seminar on “How to Write a Competitive, Fundable Proposal” June 16, 11 am.
Seniors and current graduate students interested in applying for external funding or a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship will gain:
Once you register, you will receive a confirmation with the location and a reminder of the date and time. Space is limited, so register early! The presentation will be available online for those unable to join us at this time.
Update: View this seminar online – see the items listed for June 4, 2009. It will be online for approximately one year.
Join the Graduate School and Research and Sponsored Programs for an “Introduction to External Funding” seminar June 4, 2 pm. Learn how to:
To illustrate some of these concepts, we will discuss the criteria and evaluation process for Finishing Fellowships and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
Once you register, you will receive a confirmation with the location and a reminder of the date and time. Space is limited, so register early! The seminar will be taped and available online for those unable to join us at this time.
submitted by Sponsored Programs
Due to an expected increase in Grants.gov submissions relating to the processing of Recovery Act proposals, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has authorized agencies to use alternative methods for proposal submission and acceptance.
Effective immediately, new funding opportunities issued by NSF will require the use of FastLane to prepare and submit proposals. NSF plans to revise existing funding opportunity documents to reflect this change and to remove all active application packages from Grants.gov APPLY. Updated NSF information about available funding opportunities will be posted to Grants.gov FIND.
Once you have identified a grant opportunity, be sure to carefully read the instructions to ensure you are following proper submission procedures for that application, even if you have applied before. Grants.gov will still be the website to find all available federal grant opportunities, and all opportunities will include specific application instructions, including instructions for submitting applications outside of Grants.gov.
The following agencies will accept applications outside of Grants.gov: Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Education (DOED), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Treasury, Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Air and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Science Foundation (NSF). Pay close attention to the grant announcements and application instructions for these agencies.
Detailed instructions regarding the technical aspects of proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at www.fastlane.nsf.gov/ .
If you have any questions, contact the Sponsored Programs Office at 487-2226.
Ryan Gilbert (Biomedical Engineering) has received $164,521 from the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, for the first year of a potential two-year project totaling $388,708, “Development of Biomaterials that Release Therapeutic Agents to Modulate Inflammation Following Spinal Cord Injury.”
