Applications for Summer 2021 finishing fellowships are being accepted and are due no later than 4pm, March 3, 2021 to the Graduate School. Please email applications to gradschool@mtu.edu.
Instructions on the application and evaluation process are found online. Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:
- Must be a PhD student.
- Must expect to finish during the semester supported as a finishing fellow.
- Must have submitted no more than one previous application for a finishing fellowship.
- Must be eligible for candidacy (tuition charged at Research Mode rate) at the time of application.
- Must not hold a final oral examination (“defense”) prior to the start of the award semester.
Finishing Fellowships provide support to PhD candidates who are close to completing their degrees. These fellowships are available through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD candidates who are in need of financial support to finish their degrees and are also contributing to the attainment of goals outlined in The Michigan Tech Plan. The Graduate School anticipates funding up to ten fellowships with support ranging from $2000 to full support (stipend + tuition). Students who receive full support through a Finishing Fellowship may not accept any other employment. For example, students cannot be fully supported by a Finishing Fellowship and accept support as a GTA or GRA.
What is Write D?
A dedicated time for graduate students to get work done and receive support on writing projects
within their discipline, such as manuscripts, research proposals, etc. Guest speakers from the
department or industry will visit to briefly present on research, writing, and publishing tips.
Fairbanks, AK – The University of Alaska Fairbanks today announced the opening of applications for its 2021 Arctic Innovator Program. The application deadline is January 8, 2021. To learn more or apply, visit: https://orise.orau.gov/arctic-innovators/.
The Arctic Innovator program provides early career innovators and entrepreneurs the opportunity to spend up to two years developing their technology at a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory and University of Alaska Fairbanks pursuing commercialization.
The Arctic Innovator program is open to early career professionals:
- who currently have or will have a graduate degree in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics related field before the program start date;
- with a technology or area of research that they are interested in developing toward real-world adoption; and
- whose technology or area of research addresses Arctic-based challenges and aligns with U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office Strategic Goals (energy.gov/eere/amo/about-us).
This program, formally titled the Arctic Advanced Manufacturing Innovator Program, provides selected Innovators with the resources and guidance to maximize their likelihood of success. Innovators receive: a competitive personal stipend, a travel and training allowance, health insurance, a mentor at University of Alaska Fairbanks and a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory, and space and collaborative support at each organization. Innovators also have the adventure of living in Alaska while working on Arctic-related challenges.
Nathan Prisco, a 2020 Arctic Innovator, is representative of the passion and skill that the Arctic Advanced Manufacturing Innovator Program is seeking in candidates. Prisco is working on ammonia-based technologies for improving energy production. He explained that the program offers him “a great way to get science out of the laboratory and into the world at large.” Prisco says he was attracted to the significant research and commercialization support while also being “intrigued by Alaska, both in its pristine wilderness and the feeling that there is an incredible opportunity in the last frontier.” To read more about Prisco’s experience, visit: https://uaf.edu/oipc/news/2020/Welcome-Arctic-Innovator-Dr-Nathan-Prisco.php.
To learn more or to apply, visit: https://orise.orau.gov/arctic-innovators/.
This program is sponsored by the Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing Office and is a collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
I arrived at Michigan Tech in 2017, after completing my bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota the previous year, deciding to pursue my graduate degree at Michigan Tech for its nationally ranked engineering program (and weather). I completed my masters at Michigan Tech in 2018 and am currently a Ph.D. student under my advisor Prof. Hassan Masoud.
My research consists of the study of complex fluids and transport phenomena; simply speaking I study the interactions of fluids with solid objects and how certain materials are transported within fluids by utilizing the combined tools of theoretical (mathematical), computational (computer simulation), and experimental analysis. Though to many people this may seem impractical or pointless, this research has numerous real-world applications. For example, for my master’s thesis, I researched the rate of evaporation of a liquid droplet when it rests on an inclined surface (sessile drop). Most people are familiar with sessile droplets from when it rains on your windshield or when you wash the dishes, however, most people don’t understand that it is these droplets that can lead to the stubborn stains on these surfaces. This is also known as the coffee ring effect. By understanding the way in which these droplets evaporate and deposit the suspended particles therein on these surfaces, we can develop ways to avoid this, or even utilize it to our advantage.
It is for this research and subsequent thesis that I have been nominated to represent the university for the MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Thesis Award Competition.
I am extremely grateful and humbled to be nominated for this competition, and I especially want to thank my advisor Prof. Masoud, Dr. Predebon, and the graduate committee for this nomination and for recognizing my hard work. It is times like these that I am reminded of the fantastic community at Michigan Tech and am glad I decided to come here for my graduate education.
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. Each graduate program may nominate one student at the MS and PhD level. Nominations are due to the Graduate School no later than 4pm, January 7, 2021.
Eligible students
- will have been enrolled at Michigan Tech during the 2020-21 calendar year 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.
Students schedule their final oral examination (“defense”) by submitting information about their dissertation, thesis, or report and defense though their Degree Progress Checklist.
When a defense request is submitted by the student, the committee will be notified of the details and the advisor will also be notified to review the request in Workflow. If the advisor is missing the appropriate roles to review the workflow, the Graduate School will be notified immediately and will initiate updating the faculty record. Banner access for advisors is described on our web page. Please contact the Graduate School if there are any technical issues.
The advisor will log into Banner Workflow and select the scheduling request to review from their worklist. It is expected that faculty will review these requests within two business days.
Advisors will review the information provided by the student.
After reviewing the information, select “Approve” or “Reject” at the bottom of the page.
Return to the top of the form and select “Complete” to save the approval decision.
The committee, advisor, and student will be notified of the advisor’s decision. If the decision is to approve the defense scheduling, the graduate program director and assistant will also be notified. Committee members who are not Michigan Tech employees may not be notified; please confirm details with them individually.
If the committee does not receive the dissertation, thesis, or report with sufficient time for review prior to the defense, the advisor may request that the defense be rescheduled. Please contact the Graduate School to reschedule the defense.
A final oral examination (“defense”) is a milestone for students completing a dissertation, thesis, or report. To schedule a defense, students arrange a date, time and location for their committee to meet following the procedures in their graduate program. Once this has been determined, students must notify the Graduate School of their defense information on our Michigan Tech app, the Graduate Degree Progress Checklist.
Log into the Graduate Degree Progress Checklist.
Select the degree of interest by clicking on the arrow next to the degree in the list. If a degree is missing, please contact the Graduate School.
As an undergraduate, I joined a nanomaterials research group through mere happenstance and found myself engrossed by it. Ultimately, it was that experience that led me to pursue my Ph.D. I joined Michigan Tech’s Physics Department in the Fall of 2018 and began working alongside Yoke Khin Yap shortly after. My research is focused on the synthesis and applications of nanomaterials — mainly molybdenum disulfide quantum dots. These quantum dots have incredibly useful properties; as such they’ve seen successful applications in electrocatalysis, solar energy, energy storage, advanced electronics, chemical sensing, bioimaging, drug delivery, and photothermal cancer treatment.
I am honored to be a recipient of the King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship. Upon the completion of my Ph.D., I will be seeking instruction positions at post-secondary institutions.
I came to MTU in 2017 to pursue my Ph.D. with Dr. Alex Mayer in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. This has been a great experience because I learned a lot, but also because I collaborated with amazing people and made very good friends. My research focuses on hydrology modeling to assess the effects of the Payment for Hydrological Services program in Veracruz, Mexico. This is one of the longest operating payments for ecosystem services in the World and the scientific results produced by our research group, contribute to better understanding the connections between social and ecological systems and to make more informed decisions in terms of Water Resources Management. My thanks and gratitude to the graduate school and to the Michigan Tech Community for your support to complete my research.