The Vice President for Research Office is accepting nominations for the Bhakta Rath Research Award. The award offers an opportunity to promote and reward excellence in scientific and engineering research in the fields of physical and natural sciences and engineering. For complete submission guidelines, see Rath Research Award.
The Vice President for Research Office is also accepting nominations for the Michigan Tech Research Award, which offers an opportunity for an individual to be recognized for outstanding achievements in research. For complete submission guidelines, see Michigan Tech Research Award.
Nominations should be submitted electronically in PDF format per the guidelines on the web pages no later than 4 p.m. on Mar. 10. All nominations should be sent to Cathy Jenich at cmjenich@mtu.edu.
by Cathy Jenich
Published in Tech Today
By Marcia Goodrich, senior writer
Nine new degree programs–most of them in computer engineering and business–were approved last Friday at the Board of Control meeting.
The board’s action included final approval for a Master of Science and a PhD in Computer Engineering, which were initially approved at the Board’s March meeting and sent to the State Academic Affairs Office for review and endorsement. Computer engineering is a hybrid discipline born of computer science and electrical engineering.
One of the seven new degree program proposals approved to advance to the State Academic Affairs Office is a Master of Science and PhD in Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors.
Applied cognitive science applies the principles of cognitive psychology to develop practical solutions for real-world problems such as effective teaching methods.
Human factors is a multi-disciplinary science within the framework of cognitive science that focuses on human needs in the design of products, work processes and technological systems. It is an emerging discipline critical to technological advancement.
The six remaining new degree proposals are all for bachelor of science degrees with majors in various business disciplines, including accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and operations and systems management.
The new BS degrees replace the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with concentrations in specialty areas, which the School of Business and Economics now offers. The BS adds recognition to the degree and should help increase the job placement rates at graduation.
“These new degree programs will enable Michigan Tech to remain ahead of the curve–academically and in terms of preparing students for a changing job market,” said President Glenn Mroz.
Today at the Library: Grand Opening of the Patent and Trademark Resource Center.
Even if you were not able to register for the day’s events, please consider joining some of the events including the ribbon-cutting in the Opie Reading Room at 11 a.m. Lunch to follow offers the opportunity to meet representatives from the U.S. Patent Office as well as representatives from the offices of Michigan’s congressional delegation. The full schedule of events may be found online.
The Van Pelt and Opie Library’s new distinction as a patent and trademark resource center was featured on the US Patent and Trademark Office website.
Published in Tech Today.
The Van Pelt and Opie Library at Michigan Tech is now a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC). A PTRC is a library officially designated by the Department of Commerce’s US Patent and Trademark Office to freely provide to the University and independent people and businesses the best and most up-to-date databases and other tools, workshops, online guides and assistance with patent and trademark searching.
The NC State University Building Future Faculty (BFF) Program is a two day all-expenses paid workshop for doctoral students and post-doctoral scholars who are interested in pursuing academic careers, who are committed to promoting diversity in higher education, and who are one to two years away from beginning a job search.
Application deadline: Sunday, November 10, 2013
Program dates: Wednesday, April 2 – Saturday, April 5, 2014
For more information on the workshop, http://oied.ncsu.edu/faculty/building-future-faculty-program/
The School of Business and Economics hosts Rebecca Gonzales, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, for two events that are open to the campus community. Gonzales will be on campus Thursday, April 12, and Friday, April 13, as part of the Visiting Women and Minority Lecturer/Scholar Series.
She will address a class, Economic Decision Analysis, at 12:05 p.m., Friday, April 13, in Dow 641.
She will give a research presentation, “Credit and Finance Perceptions in Latino Community Enclaves,” at 1:30 p.m., Friday, April 13, in AOB 101.
“This is an excellent networking opportunity,” organizers say. For more information, see Scholar Visits. Gonzales’ visit is funded by the President’s Office and a grant to the Office for Institutional Diversity from the State of Michigan’s King-Chavez-Parks Initiative.
by John Gagnon, promotional writer
“Service is the rent we pay to occupy the earth,” said Otha Thornton Tuesday night when he addressed about fifty people on an ethic of leadership that focuses on helping others.
“Take care of your people,” the popular military man counseled the group of mostly students. “Listen to your people.” Such service, he said, “can lead to great things.”
It was Thornton’s first trip back to Tech since helping lead the Army ROTC program from 1999 to 2001, when he also earned a master’s degree in rhetoric and technical communication. He will return to campus in May as Spring Commencement speaker.
He is visiting Tech in part to participate in Black History Month. He is scheduled to speak at noon today, Thursday, Feb. 26, about what the military means to African Americans. The session is at noon in the Memorial Union Red Metal Room. The King-Chavez-Parks Visiting Scholars Program, through the Office of Institutional Diversity, supported Thornton’s visit, as did Omicron Delta Kappa, the national student leadership society.
Thornton, a lieutenant colonel, joined the army simply to serve his country for four years. He says that the opportunities have stretched that stint to 20 years. “No regrets,” he said.
His duties have taken him from Hawaii to Upper Michigan, from Germany to Washington DC, where he now works as a presidential communications officer in the White House Communications Agency, located in the Executive Office Building. The agency numbers 1,200 people. He supervises 26.
He has had such duties as traveling to Arizona as part of an advance team to set up all the communications for a fundraising visit by former president Bush on behalf of John McCain during the run for president. In his two years in his current position, he has worked directly on four presidential events.
Asked how he felt about a black president, Thornton responded: “If you work hard and have your things in order, America is a great land of opportunity.”
When he was stationed in Texas, Thornton, a native of Georgia, was overjoyed to get orders for the ROTC program at Georgia Tech. At the last minute, his assignment switched to Michigan Tech.
He looked up Upper Michigan on the web and found out the winter would be the same as he had encountered in northern Japan: cold and snow, which he hated. He begged, “I’ll go to Kuwait. I’ll go to Korea–anyplace but northern Michigan.” His pleas were unanswered, and he was bummed. Then he came to Michigan Tech. “I’m glad I did. It was wonderful. The people are so friendly.” He singled out Associate Professor Patricia Sotirin and Professor Robert Johnson.
Early in his career, Thornton was in intelligence. Lately, he has been in human resources. In May he will go to Afghanistan as a personnel officer, basically helping to direct the “flow of people” who are being deployed there as part of the surge in the number of troops being sent to that country. He will leave behind two children, one in high school and one in college, and his wife, Caryn, a high school administrator.
It’ll be his first posting in a war zone, if you don’t count anti-drug and anti-human trafficking operations in Latin America.
He takes his new duty in stride, for he believes that where he is, is where he’s supposed to be.
His community service includes the National Board of Directors of the Parent Teacher Association and the Boy Scouts.
He told the students that, despite the ailing economy, there are many job opportunities in government and the military. He personally knows a dozen Tech alumni who work in the National Security Agency.
One student at Thornton’s speech definitely got message. Joe Scheinkoenig, a senior in electrical engineering from Waukesha, Wis., and a member of ODK, summed up the gist of the presentation: “You should put your workers first, then what you need from them will come.”
Simon Carn and William Rose (GMES/RSI), “CDI-Type II Proposal: VHub: Collaborative Research: Cyberinfrastructure for Volcano Eruption and Hazards Modeling and Simulation,” NSF, Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) Program
Eugene Levin (School of Technology/RSI) and William Helton (Cognitive and Learning Sciences), “CDI-Type I: Multidisciplinary Research: From Geospatial Data to Knowledge,” NSF, CDI
Andrew J. Storer (SFRES/ESC), “Evaluation of Sugar Maple Dieback in Upper Michigan,” GMO Renewable Resources
Judith Perlinger, Noel Urban (CEE/RSI) and Shiliang Wu (GMES/RSI), “Predicting Effects of Climate Change on Atmospheric Loading of Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxicants to the Great Lakes,” Great Lakes Commission
Ulrich H. E. Hansmann (Physics/IEM), “Probing Folding and Assembly of Proteins through High-Performance Computing,” DOE
Elizabeth J. Hager (Biological Sciences), “Role(s) of the Mevalonate Pathway in Embryogenesis,” NIH
David Reed (VPR Office), James Heikinnen (Facilities), Bradley Baltensperger and J. Christopher Brill (Cognitive and Learning Sciences), “Complex Human Systems Research Center,” NIH
Germain Rivard, Joanne Polzien (VPR Office) and Greg Richards (Facilities), “Green Vivarium Expansion at Michigan Tech,” NIH
Patrick Martin (Social Sciences), “Archaeological Monitoring, Wastewater System Improvements, Franklin Township, Quincy Hill Area,” Franklin Township
Claudio Mazzoleni (Physics/RSI), “Analysis of Aerosol Optical Property from Data Collected during ISDAC (Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign), Fairbanks, Alaska, April 2008,” Los Alamos National Laboratory
S. K. Kawatra (Chemical Engineering), “State of the Art Modeling of Steelmaking Raw Materials Production,” American Iron and Steel Institute
Carl Anderson, Leonard Bohmann (College of Engineering), Jeffrey Naber, John Beard and Chris Passerello (ME-EM/APSRC), “An Interdisciplinary Program for Education and Outreach in Transportation Electrification,” DOE
Michele H. Miller, John K. Gershenson, Ibrahim Miskioglu, Gordon G. Parker and Charles H. Margraves (ME-EM), “Fundamental Manner in Which Students Solve Problems,” NSF
J. Y. Hwang and J. W. Drelich (MSE/IMP), “Design and Evaluation of a Novel Process Strategy for Water and Energy Conservation in the Oilsand Processing Industry,” Canadian Oil Sands Network for Research and Development (CONRAD)
Dana Johnson (SBE/SFI), William Endres (ME-EM), James Pickens (SFRES), David Shonnard (Chemical Engineering/SFI) and John Sutherland (ME-EM/SFI), “Development of Supply Systems to Handle and Deliver High Tonnage Biomass Feedstocks for Cellulosic Biofuels Production,” DOE
Terry McNinch (LTAP/TDG MTTI), “City of East Tawas–Sign Data Collection Project,” City of East Tawas, Mich.
Brad King (ME-EM), “Hall Thruster Plume Studies,” Aerophysics Inc.
Victor Busov and Yordan Yordanov (SFRES/BRC), “Role of LOB Domain Transcription Factors in Regulation Wood Formation in Populus,” USDA
Chandrashekhar P. Joshi (SFRES/BRC), “Wood Cell Wall Analysis of Transgenic Poplars Altered in Cellulose Synthesis Genes,” USDA-AFRI: Plant Growth and Development
Abdulnasser Alaraje and Aleksandr Sergeyev (School of Technology), “Developing an Industry-Driven Digital Logic Design Curriculum for Electrical Engineering Technologists” and “Promoting Robotics Education: Curriculum and the State-of-Art Robotics Laboratory Development,” NSF
Jean Mayo and Steven Carr (Computer Science), “Exploring Access Control,” NSF
Ching-Kuang Shene (Computer Science), “The Design of Course Materials and Visualization and Programming Environment for an Undergraduate Cryptography Course,” NSF
Zhanping You, Shu Wei Goh (CEE/MTTI) and Qingli Dai (CEE/ME-EM/MTTI), “Development Guidelines for Warm Mix Asphalt Construction and Maintenance,” MDOT
Devin K. Harris, Jacob Hiller and Yue Li (CEE/MTTI), “Development and Validation of Deterioration Models for Concrete Bridge Decks,” MDOT
Devin K. Harris and Theresa M. Ahlborn (CEE/MTTI), “Evaluation of Constructed, Cast-in-Place (CIP) Piling Properties,” Wisconsin DOT
Rudy L. Luck, Sarah Green, Shiyue Fang and Dario Stacchiola (Chemistry), “Implementing Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction throughout the Chemistry Undergraduate Curricula at Michigan Tech,” NSF
Zhanping You (CEE/MTTI) and Qingli Dai (CEE/ME-EM/MTTI), “Alternative Materials for Sustainable Transportation” and “Cost Effective and Sustainable Recycled Asphalt Mixtures in Michigan,” MDOT
Amlan Mukherjee, Yogini Deshpande and Jacob Hiller (CEE/MTTI), “Sustainable Recycled Materials for Concrete Pavements,” MDOT
Timothy Colling (LTAP/TDG MTTI), “Impact of Non-Freeway Rumble Strips–Phase 1,” Texas Transportation Institute; and “Cost Effectiveness of the MDOT Preventative Maintenance Program,” Applied Pavement Technology Inc.
Zhanping You, Shu Wei Goh, Julian Mills-Beale and Baron Colbert (CEE/MTTI), “Extending Life of Asphalt Pavements,” MDOT
David Watkins and Veronica Griffis (CEE/MTTI), “Snowmelt Intensity-Duration-Frequency Analysis for Highway Drainage Design,” MDOT
Jacob Hiller (CEE/MTTI), “Extending Life of Concrete Pavements,” MDOT
Timothy Colling (LTAP/TDG MTTI), “Educating the Public to Negotiate Michigan Roundabouts,” MDOT
Nikola Subotic (MTRI), “Comprehensive Infrastructure Reconnaissance (CIR),” Foster-Miller
Andrew J. Storer (SFRES/ESC), “Project Coordinator for the Slow Ash Mortality (SLAM) Project”; “Phloem Reduction in Support of the Slow Ash Mortality (SLAM) Project”; and “Ash Inventory, Trapping and Treatment in Support of the Slow Ash Mortality (SLAM) Project,” USDA Forest Service
The STEM Chateaubriand Fellowship targets outstanding PhD students enrolled in an American university who wish to conduct part of their doctoral research in a French laboratory for a 4 to 9 month period. The Office of Science and Technology provide a stipend of up to 1,400 €/month (depending on other sources of funding) and cover the cost of travel and student health insurance.
STEM Chateaubriand fellows are selected through a merit-based competition. Priority is given to candidates working toward a “double degree” (cotutelle) with their host institution.
All Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) and Health disciplines are eligible. The required level of French remains at the discretion of the host laboratory.
The application deadline is January 31, 2014, for a stay which can begin from September 1, 2014 to April 1, 2015.
Please visit the OST’s website to see other open calls for proposals : http://www.france-science.org/-Career-opportunities-.html
For more information, candidates and American/French research teams can contact the OST in Washington, DC:
Office for Science and Technology
Embassy of France
4101 Reservoir Road, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Email: stem.coordinator@chateaubriand-fellowship.org
Phone : (202) 944-6252
Diwali Night, the Indian festival of lights, has become a tradition far from its Indian roots—at Michigan Tech. This Saturday, Dec. 6, is Diwali Night at Tech, hosted by the Indian Students Association (ISA).
Dinner, served from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Commons, will include Hara Bhara Kabab—a vegetable patty stuffed with spinach, potatoes and green peas; Chicken Mughlai—a cashew curry chicken; Paneer Kadai—a vegetarian entree of cottage cheese in tomato-based curry; pita bread; Kashmiri Pulav—Basmati rice cooked in Indian spices and dried fruits; and Vermicelli Kheer—a dessert of flavored vermicelli pudding with milk and sugar.
After dinner, there will be a performance at 7:30 p.m. at the Rozsa Center, on the theme “The Wonder Years,” focusing on college life with friends. The Indian Students Association band will play Indian music. Drama and dance will include Indian classical Bharatnatyam, from southern India; folk dances including Bhangra or Punjabi from North India, and Lavani, which is Maharashtrian folk dancing from the West of India, and the Western hip-hop.
There are various legends about the origin of Diwali. Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal, the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali, the dark goddess of strength. Ganesha, the elephant-headed god who is the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom is also worshipped in most Hindu homes during Diwali. The festival also commemorates the return of Rama, along with Sita and Lakshman, from his 14-year exile and the vanquishing of the demon-king Ravana.
Tickets include dinner and the performance. The cost is $15 for the general public and $8 for ISA members.
Tickets for the event are available at the following:
Originally posted in Tech Today (12/3/2014)
