Graduate School Newsblog

Email from the Dean to Graduate Students

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Dear Colleagues,

As you have heard from the President Koubek, the health, safety, and security of our campus and our community is most important to us.  We need to make substantial changes in how we go about our daily lives in response to the evolving COVID-19 threat. This is a rapidly changing situation so we will, no doubt, need to continuously adjust our responses as we learn more.  For comprehensive and up-to-date information please see the University’s COVID-19 web page. 

In response to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the Graduate School is committed to doing all we can to make the rest of the semester as healthy and productive as possible.  Here are some issues the Graduate School is asking faculty to consider. 

I.  Research progress

Per the President’s memo, all instruction at Michigan Tech must be delivered virtually till 17 April 2020.  I am sure you are wondering how this will impact progress in your research group. How should ongoing research involving graduate students be handled?  This will undoubtedly vary with research group and depend on the nature of research, the need for physical presence in the laboratory, and the individual group members comfort, attitude and tolerance in this rapidly evolving situation. The Vice President for Research’s Office will be posting guidelines to help clarify general expectations soon.   Please see the email from Kathleen Halverson, VPR, for additional information regarding research labs.

The University campus is not closed. Students, faculty, and staff can be on campus, and people can interact in small groups (less than 25). Under those guidelines, research and interactions among advisors, students, and staff may continue. 

However, appropriate precautions should be taken and the option to continue research and research-related meetings remotely must be accommodated.  In particular, remote attendance (e.g. via Zoom or Google Hangout) for group meetings among students, advisors, and staff is strongly advised. For research requiring physical presence in a laboratory, lab schedules and social distancing practices should minimize interpersonal exposure. 

Please communicate with your graduate students about how you plan to organize your research group, no later than March 18.   Clearly communicate your expectations and timelines with your students.  Be creative with regards to how to accomplish research work, meetings, writing projects and other activities so that students make research progress in a positive educational experience. 

If you have students returning from travel, please follow the university guidelines University guidelines and ask anyone who has traveled in the past 14 days to fill out the University’s Returning Travelers form. Social-distancing, self-isolation, and self-monitoring are the best ways to contain the spread of COVID-19 (Sections IV and V).

II.  Defenses, research proposal examinations, and qualifying examinations

Spring (and especially mid to late spring) is a time when many graduate students schedule dissertation/thesis/report defenses, research proposal examinations and qualifying examinations.   These milestones typically include a public presentation followed by an in-depth examination by the advisory committee members.  Commensurate with the current policy of virtual instruction until April 17, all oral examinations and defenses must be conducted virtually (for example, via Zoom) to allow all interested to participate.  Please make arrangements well in advance to accommodate this need.  The student should contact IT (it-help@mtu.edu, 906-487-1111) for assistance at least 5 business days in advance to appropriately schedule staffing and potential equipment usage. The in-depth examination with some or all of the advisory committee members can be conducted face-to-face if it is agreeable to those participating.  

Michigan Technological University IT Department offers Zoom (log in with Michigan Tech ID and password) for Web conferencing support. Zoom will allow you to share your screen, webcam and microphone with up to 100 participants.  The IT Knowledge Base on Conferencing includes helpful information on web conferencing options and support.

III.  Graduate School Emergency Fund

Funds from the Graduate School Emergency Fund is available to assist graduate students with emergencies and financial hardships. 

Stay healthy and follow the guidance from the university and CDC.  If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email me or Will Cantrell (cantrell@mtu.edu) or Jacque Smith (jacque@mtui.edu).  The Graduate School and the University will do our best to keep you apprised as new developments occur at University’s COVID-19 web page.     

With best wishes,

Dean Pushpa Murthy

Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI-49931
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Michigan Tech Graduate School
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Resources for current students:
http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/resources-for/students/

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Volunteering as a graduate student

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An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education recently advocated for volunteering as a graduate student. While it might seem counter-intuitive to work for free while being a student, the author presents several great reasons why volunteering can help you build your professional skills and expand your professional and personal network.

Participating in activities outside of graduate school can help refresh your mind and spirit. There is nothing quite like the “real world” to remind you that your graduate school experience is special and that you are doing amazing things. Whether it is volunteering or participating in a campus activity, a small amount of time away from your studies can have a big impact on your frame of reference and mood.

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How to prepare for a career beyond academia

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Whether your goal is an academic or non-academic position after attainment of your graduate degree, building skills outside of your degree requirements is an important part of your career preparation.

In this interview with Dr. Paula Chambers, founder of The Versatile PhD, Dr. Chambers explores:

  • Whether an academic career is a realistic expectation
  • Skills that you can build in graduate school that will strengthen your job applications
  • How to make your resume concrete by counting everything

As you build your non-academic skills, such as marketing or web development, you may find out more about yourself and projects you enjoy. This can further your professional development by helping you to explore new career opportunities.

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Graduate School Announces New Tradition to Celebrate PhD Students Achieving Doctoral Candidacy

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Advancement to candidacy is a major milestone for doctoral students. PhD students who have advanced to candidacy are deemed to have completed all formal requirements of their program, except the dissertation. Advancement to candidacy is an acknowledgment that the student is ready to undertake independent dissertation research and has the potential to successfully complete their PhD program. Formal requirements vary by program, they generally take two to three years after starting the program and include coursework, qualifying exams, and research proposal. To celebrate this milestone, the Graduate School at Michigan Tech has introduced a new tradition to recognize, applaud and celebrate doctoral students who attain this feat.

This new tradition will take the form of a ceremony that brings together candidates, their advisors and their families in celebration of students who have advanced to this stage in their studies. Candidates will be presented with certificates at the ceremony.

Commenting on this new tradition, Graduate School Dean Pushpa Murthy said, “The advancement to candidacy is a major milestone in PhD programs, it is an acknowledgment by the program that the PhD student has acquired the necessary advanced knowledge of the subject and demonstrated the ability to conduct research necessary for a dissertation.”

To be eligible for participation in this ceremony, doctoral students should have submitted the Petition to Enter Candidacy form. This form is submitted once the student has fulfilled the following requirements:

  • Submitted an approved degree schedule • Completed all relevant courses and course credits
  • Completed Basic and Advance RCR Training
  • Passed qualifying exams
  • Passed research proposal exams
  • Formed an advisory committee

Planning for the debut ceremony, which is scheduled for Feb. 26, is ongoing. More information about the new tradition and ceremony will be coming soon.

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Nominations open for summer 2020 fellowships from The DeVlieg Foundation

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Due to the generous support of The DeVlieg Foundation, the Graduate School is happy to accept nominations for 2020 summer fellowships.

All graduate programs may nominate one eligible PhD student per program.  The recipient will  receive a stipend for summer 2020 plus tuition support (one credit or three research credits for PhD candidates).  Eligible students will meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Must be a graduate student in the field supported by the DeVlieg Foundation:
    1. Biology/wildlife (2020 Summer Research Award in Biology/Wildlife)
  2. Must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
  3. Must be enrolled in a PhD program.
  4. Must be nominated by student’s graduate program.  Each PhD program may nominate one student.
  5. Must not be supported by another funding mechanism while supported by The DeVlieg Foundation (part-time job, fellowship, GTA, GRA, etc.).

Nominations are due no later than 4pm on February 26, 2020 to the Graduate School. Please submit as a PDF file sent to gradschool@mtu.edu.

Please see our web page for details on the application procedure and materials needed.  Each program may determine its own internal selection procedure.

Please contact the Graduate School with any questions.

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Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Spring 2020 Recipient – Avik Ghosh

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Avik Ghosh
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

I joined Dr. Tanasova’s Lab as a PhD student in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Fall 2017. My research focuses on exploring the impact of nutritional deprivation in cancer cells. Nutritional deprivation has been of interest to the research community as an approach to sensitize cancer cells towards chemotherapy. While many strategies have been undertaken, it is still not clear whether such an approach can be safely applied to all types of cancers. As a researcher in the Tanasova laboratory, I am aiming to understand the outcomes of fructose deprivation in different cancer types.

Our recent development of fluorescent probes that can specifically target cancer-relevant fructose transporter GLUT5 made it possible to conduct targeted studies on assessing the role of this transporter in cancer. Through preliminary assessments, I have found that depriving cancer cells in fructose through GLUT5 inhibition induces different responses in different cancer types. I discovered that in aggressive breast cancer phenotypes, such deprivation causes long-term stress that could positively contribute to the outcome of chemotherapy. In contrast, at an early stage, cancer cells appear to adjust to the induced deprivation and gain resistance. This observed difference provides an essential insight into the diverse nature of cancer and allows us to rationalize the choices of treatment better.

However, considering a required high-level experimental rigor, I still need to perform a large number of experiments that will validate the discovery from different angles. The work will include couple of challenging analyses that are known to be time-consuming and require tuning of conditions to achieve results.

Thus, I sincerely thank Portage Health Fellowship for the support. The award has not only taken care of my tuition/stipend support but also has bought me time from my daily teaching responsibilities to focus on my research better. I would also like to thank my advisor Dr. Marina Tanasova and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for the constant support and guidance.

 

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Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Spring 2020 Recipient – Pegah Kord Forooshani

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Pegah Kord Forooshani
Biomedical Engineering

I joined Dr. Bruce Lee’s lab in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in Fall 2016, where we focused on designing biomimetic materials for different biomedical applications. The overall objective of my research is to manipulate a unique reduction-oxidation chemistry found in mussel adhesive proteins to create novel biomimetic model systems for robust antibacterial activity and enhanced wound healing. Specifically, I have been developing biomimetic hydrogel/microgels which can be activated to release Reactive Oxygen Species such as hydroxyl radical (OH˙) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). OH˙ is an extremely potent oxidizer which, unlike H2O2, no known enzyme can detoxify it in the bacteria cells, leading to fast and efficient antibacterial activities. H2O2 is a mild oxidizer, which effectively functions as a broad-spectrum biocide and disinfectant in many biomedical applications. The biological responses to H2O2 are highly dependent on its concentration. The introduction of a relatively high concentration of H2O2 is antimicrobial and a relatively lower concentration promoted wound healing. We are anticipating that our H2O2-releasing hydrogels can serve as a simple and inexpensive approach for the treatment of healing-impaired wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers.

I would like to thank Dr. Lee for all of his valuable guidance and support which have provided me with the opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills. I am also incredibly grateful to the Portage Health Foundation for awarding me this assistantship which will enable me to concentrate on my research and complete my doctoral project.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Spring 2020 Recipient – Mingyang Li

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Mingyang Li
Mechanical Engineering- Engineering Mechanics

I am a Ph.D. candidate studying design for reliability in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. In Fall 2014, I came to Michigan Tech as a master student in Material Science and Engineering department, and Dr. Yu Wang was my advisor for the research regarding ferroelectric materials. I joined MEEM to pursue Ph.D. after finishing my master degree in 2016. Fortunately, I decided to work with Dr. Zequn Wang, and our research interests are mainly focused on reliability analysis, uncertainty quantification, and machine learning techniques. During the past three years, we have done lots of work for improving the efficiency and accuracy of reliability analysis, and deep learning methods have been integrated for dealing with the curse of dimensionality.

I am extremely grateful to the Graduate School for the award of Doctoral Finishing Fellowship, which ensures that I can fully devoted myself to my dissertation and complete my degree within next semester. I would like to thank the guidance from my master and Ph.D. advisors. I cannot achieve my goals without the massive support from them.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Spring 2020 Recipient – Samerender Nagam Hanumantharao

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Samerender Nagam Hanumantharao
Biomedical Engineering

I moved to the city of Houghton to pursue my M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering in Fall 2015. I completed my Masters’ thesis, titled “ A 3D Biomimetic Scaffold using Electrospinning for Tissue Engineering Applications” under the guidance of Dr. Smitha Rao in Spring 2017. I continued to work with Dr. Rao in pursuit of my Ph.D. My PhD work focuses on understanding and exploiting the role of biomechanical cues in chronic wound healing and cancer. Interestingly, these two diseases share some common factors that can be used to make bandages that can accelerate wound healing or trap metastatic cancer cells.  I want to thank the Graduate School for the funding during the last stage of my research.

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