Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Fall 2019 Recipient – Christina Welch

Christina Welch
Chemistry

In 2015, I joined Dr. Tarun Dam’s lab where the research is centered around Glycobiology. This field of study highlights the importance of glycoproteins in human health. Currently, we are focused on the discovery and characterization of a plant-derived bioactive molecule that has the potential to target pathogenic cells. This molecule can also help in drug delivery processes. In addition, we are studying the biological functions of a prominent heart failure and cancer biomarker.

My experience in Dr. Dam’s lab has been exceptional and I am truly grateful for all of the guidance and growth I’ve received over the years. I would also like to thank the Chemistry department and the graduate school for their never-ending support. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Portage Health Foundation, with their help I am able to continue my research with the hope of concluding my research projects soon.

Formatting Workshops for Fall 2019

Are you working on formatting corrections for your dissertation, thesis, or report? Do you need help? Are you unsure where to submit your dissertation, thesis, or report?

Join the Graduate School (gradschool@mtu.edu) for group work hours. These workshops are provided at no charge to students working on a dissertation, thesis, or report. Staff will be able to help with the changes required by the Graduate School for these documents in MS Office. Assistance will also be available for converting documents to PDF from Word and how to make simple corrections and check your document in Adobe Acrobat. The workshops will be in rooms with PCs with University software, or you may bring your own laptop. Distance students may contact gradschool@mtu.edu about remote assistance during these times via web conferencing.  If you need additional help outside of these times, please contact the Graduate School.  On a limited basis, one-on-one assistance may be available.

Last day to submit a post-defense document to successfully complete your degree in fall is December 9, 2019 by 4pm EST!

All workshops will be held on the following dates at the mentioned time:

  • Monday, November 11, 2019 | 12:05pm – 01:55pm  | Library 0242
  • Monday, December 02, 2019] | 12:05pm – 01:55pm  | Library 0242
  • Friday , December 06, 2019 | 10:05am – 11:55am  | Library 0242

Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Fellowships

The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Fellowships:

 Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship

The DOE NNSA SSGF is open to any U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien planning full-time, uninterrupted study toward a doctoral degree at an accredited U.S. university. Those eligible to apply include senior undergraduate students and first- and second-year graduate students focusing their studies on high energy density physics, nuclear science, or properties of materials under extreme conditions and hydrodynamics.

 Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship

The DOE NNSA LRGF is open to U.S. citizens engaged in full-time, uninterrupted study toward a doctoral degree at an accredited U.S. university. Students must be in their second (or later) year of doctoral work in one of the supported fields of study at the time they apply.

New editing services from English Language Institute

The English Language Institute now provides editing services with the following options:
  • Copy editing (grammar, spelling, punctuation, flow, readability) – when quick turnaround is needed
  • Face-to-face editing conferences – for longterm writing improvement
  • Editing workshops for small groups and research teams, tailor-made for your writing context
Editing services are provided by highly qualified English language instructors with expertise in grammar, writing, and language instruction.  Service rates are $25 per hour.
Request a workshop by emailing eli@mtu.edu (1.5 hours of preparation billed for each hour of workshop).

Three Minute Thesis

GSG is pleased to announce that registration for this years Three Minute Thesis competition is currently open. This year’s competition is on Wednesday, November 6th. This competition offers a great opportunity for graduate students across the university to present their research to a general audience. This contest is open to all grad students – PhD/MS (thesis, report, or coursework.)

Registration closes October 23rd, at 11:59 PM.

Preliminary rounds: MUB Ballroom, 12-4 PM

Final round: Continental Fire Co, 6-8 PM.

We invite and encourage all graduate students to take advantage of this amazing competition and help make it a success. For full event information and the registration link please visit http://gsg.mtu.edu/3mt.

Graduate Student Government

Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Fall 2019 Recipient -Christa Meingast

Christa Meingast
Environmental Engineering

My current research at Michigan Technological University aims to determine mechanisms of pathogen inactivation in both clinical and wastewater applications. Pathogenic infections are prevalent throughout the world, and effective and sustainable public safety measures to prevent these diseases are desirable. During this past year, I have been researching the mechanisms and optimal conditions of inactivating viruses in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Throughout my career as a PhD student in the field of environmental engineering, I have found a passion for teaching and researching.  After I graduate my PhD I want to obtain a career in post-secondary education to continue to spread scientific knowledge and an understanding of environmental sustainability.

I am very grateful for being awarded the Portage Health Foundation Fellowship to support my Ph.D. research for Fall 2019. This funding allows me to focus my attention on my research so I can graduate by the end of the academic year. I also want to thank my advisors Dr. Caryn Heldt and Dr. Veronica Webster for their help and support throughout my graduate career.

Embedding fonts in Microsoft Word

Embedding fonts in a dissertation or thesis is a requirement for ProQuest and the Graduate School.  We recommend using Adobe Acrobat to embed fonts for files created in Microsoft Word.  If you do not have access to Adobe Acrobat, this alternative method will allow you to embed fonts directly from Microsoft Word.

Step 1. Click the file tab at the top of the page and select the “Options” menu from the bottom left.

Screen shot showing how to navigate to Word Options.
Screen shot showing how to navigate to Word Options.

Winter Data Science Fellowship Opportunity

Program: The Data Incubator is an intensive 8 week fellowship that prepares masters students, PhDs, and postdocs in STEM and social science fields seeking industry careers as data scientists. The program is free for Fellows and supported by sponsorships from hundreds of employers across multiple industries. In response to the overwhelming interest in our earlier sessions, we will be holding another fellowship.

Who Should Apply: Anyone who has already obtained a masters or PhD degree or who is within one year of graduating with a masters or PhD is welcome to apply. Applications from international students are welcome. Everyone else is encouraged to sign-up for a future session.

Locations: In addition to the below in-person locations, we will have a remote online session:

  • New York City
  • San Francisco Bay Area
  • Boston
  • Washington, DC.

Dates: All sections will be from 2020-01-13 to 2020-03-06.

Application Link: https://www.thedataincubator.com/fellowship.html#apply?ref=wbWpzdGV2ZW5AbXR1LmVkdQo=

Early Deadline: 2019-10-14.
Regular Deadline: 2019-10-21.
We are assessing and interviewing candidates who apply for the Early Deadline first and then based on remaining availability, will take candidates who applied for the Regular Deadline on a first-come first-serve basis.

Data Science in 30 minutes: Learn how to build a data-science project in our upcoming free Data Science in 30-minutes webcast. Signup soon as space is limited.

Learn More: You can learn about our fellows at The New York Times, LinkedIn, Amazon, Capital One, or Palantir. To read about our latest fellow alumni, check out our blog. To learn more about The Data Incubator, check us out on Venture Beat, The Next Web, or Harvard Business Review.

Nominations sought for 2020 MAGS Thesis Award

The Executive Committee of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) is soliciting nominations for the 2020 MAGS Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards to recognize and reward distinguished scholarship and research at the master’s level.  Michigan Tech may nominate one candidate in each disciplinary category.

Eligible students:

  • will have earned a master of science degree between July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019 in the fields of
    • Biological/Life Sciences OR
    • Humanities (history is considered with humanities)
  • will have completed an original thesis that makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline
  • will not have earned a PhD (or comparable research degree) in any discipline prior to the writing of the master’s thesis

The 2021 competition will seek nominees in the fields of Social Sciences or Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering.

Please see our web page for complete details on eligibility and application procedures.

Nomination packets are due by 4pm, October 3, 2019 to the Graduate School via e-mail (gradschool@mtu.edu) or campus mail (address to Debra Charlesworth). Eligible students with a complete nomination packet will be evaluated by a panel of faculty from the University.

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Fall 2019 Recipient – Hemanth Kumar Vemprala

Hemanth Kumar Vemprala
Electrical Engineering

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical Engineering, working with my advisor Dr. Bruce A. Mork. Currently, my research focuses on the time-domain modeling approaches for addressing disturbances such as Transformer Inner winding faults and also external events such as Geomagnetic Disturbances (GMD) causing GIC to flow in Bulk Transmission systems. Both these disturbances have an adverse impact on the normal operation of the power system. My research had lead to development and enhancement of the approach to accurately estimate the fault currents which is then used to study and improve the sensitivity of transformer protection. Similarly, GIC/GMD event is intricate and involves complex interaction in the physical world, using EMTP time-domain approaches, various tools and methodologies are developed that helps understand the behavior, study the consequences and to find effective mitigative strategies.
I am very grateful to the grad school and the funding panel for awarding me the finishing fellowship. This will certainly help me to focus on completing the dissertation and publishing my research papers.