Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Fall 2018 Recipient – Xueling Li

Xueling Li
Mathematical Sciences

I am currently a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. My research focuses on developing statistical methods and computational tools to identify genetic variants that influence the susceptibility to complex diseases. I also work with professor Dana Johnson of the School of Business and Economics to better understand service quality and patient satisfaction, and identify opportunities for improved service delivery in rural healthcare using data provided by Aspirus Keweenaw about patients in the local area.

I feel extremely honored and very grateful for the support provided by the Portage Health Foundation, which allows me to pursue such cutting-edge research here at Michigan Tech.

 

Workshops on Using an Individual Development Plan (IDP)

The Graduate School is pleased to have Dr. Joerg Schlatterer and Dr. Corrie Kuniyoski visit our campus on November 7, 2018 to conduct two workshops on using Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to assist in career development for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

Please register online so that we can plan for your attendance.

Workshop for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars

Planning for Your Career using an IDP
10-11:30am, MUB Alumni Lounge

Join the Michigan Tech Graduate School and the American Chemical Society (ACS) for a 1.5h interactive career planning workshop geared towards graduate students and postdocs. Workshop participants will learn about the four critical components of career development and planning, how they can relate to their individual situation, and finding their career “sweet spot”. Participants will be introduced to the Individual Development Plan (IDP) concept and how IDPs can help set clear goals toward a desired career path. As an example for online IDPs, the ACS tool ChemIDPTM(ChemIDP.org) will be introduced.

Workshop for Advisors

Individual Development Plan Assisted Mentoring
3-4pm, MUB Alumni Lounge

Adequate preparation of the future workforce is essential for the survival of the U.S. as an economic and innovative powerhouse in the world. Numerous reports from organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) have highlighted the importance of mentoring for the successful navigation through college, graduate school, or postdoctoral training and towards securing satisfying jobs. Federal funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation strongly recommend the use of Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and postdoctoral mentoring plans for trainees, respectively.

This 1 hour interactive workshop will introduce the IDP process as a mentoring tool and share related resources available to advisors. The IDP process consists of four components: 1) self-assessment, 2) career exploration, 3) skill strengthening, and 4) goal setting. ChemIDPTM, the IDP tool and workshop developed by the ACS for trainees in the chemical sciences, will serve as an example of how use of IDPs has the potential to prepare faculty and trainees for efficient mentor-mentee discussions.

Speaker Biographies

Joerg Schlatterer, PhD

Joerg Schlatterer leads the ACS Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars Office. Dr. Schlatterer studied chemistry in Berlin and received his PhD in Heidelberg (Germany) in 2004. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Florida before moving on to become a research associate and subsequently a faculty member in biochemistry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Schlatterer published more than 16 peer-reviewed articles and filed 4 patents and patent applications. At Einstein Dr. Schlatterer also co-created and directed the Career & Professional Development Program for Graduate Students & Postdoctoral Researchers. Dr. Schlatterer worked as Assistant Dean of Faculty Professional Development at Columbia University Medical Center before joining the National Science Foundation in summer 2014 as a National Science Foundation Program Director for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Joerg joined the American Chemical Society to lead the Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars Office in March 2017.

Corrie Kuniyoshi, PhD

Corrie Kuniyoshi is a Senior Program Manager in the ACS Graduate & Postdoctoral Scholars Office in the Learning and Career Development Department of the ACS. She received her Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, examining oxidation pathways of guanine and cycloaddition reactions of fullerenes. Dr. Kuniyoshi’s work and interests focus on the intersection of STEM graduate career development with innovative technology. Dr. Kuniyoshi has gained over 10 years of work experience, organizing career workshops, symposia, and events for graduates and postdocs searching for academic jobs and acting as managing editor for a newsletter and executive editor of a magazine focused on graduate education. For the last 4 years her work has focused exclusively on strategic development and delivery of career planning resources in the creation of technology tools, programs, and articles focused on the myriad career options available to scientists with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Two of the projects she is most proud of include co-leading the development and implementation of ACS’s ChemIDPTM (ChemIDP.org), a comprehensive interactive individual development plan platform available (free) online, and developing the Graduate Postdoctoral Chemist Magazine (www.acs.org/gradchemist). As a Myers-Briggs certified facilitator (and INTJ) she greatly enjoys facilitating personality assessment workshops and discovering more about how personality plays a role in career choices and the workplace environment.

Nominations sought for 2019 MAGS Thesis Award

The Executive Committee of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) is soliciting nominations for the 2019 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, 2016 to June 30, 2018 in the fields of
    • Social Sciences OR
    • Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
  • 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 2019 competition will seek nominees in the fields of Biological/Life Sciences or Humanities.

Please see our web page for complete details on eligibility and application procedures. Each department or school may nominate one student from either or both categories.

Nomination packets are due by 4pm, October 18, 2018 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.

EndNote Basic and Cite While You Write Workshop

Use EndNote software to manage your citations and save time during this workshop from 1 to 2:30 p.m. tomorrow (Oct. 4) in Library 242. In this session, you will:

  • Add references to an EndNote library
  • Import references from databases and PDFs
  • Organize your citations
  • Use the Cite While You Write tool to incorporate references into Microsoft Word

No prior knowledge of EndNote is required for this workshop. Register online.

Copyright for Graduate Students

Who owns the copyright to my dissertation? When using an image from another work, do I need copyright permission? If I do, how much does it cost? What are the benefits of making my thesis open access? Get the answers to these and other questions at the library workshop, “Copyright and Your Dissertation, Thesis or Master’s Report.”

This workshop will examine the role U.S. Copyright law plays in the thesis or dissertation writing and publishing processes. The use of copyrighted material, publishing agreements and the role of the Digital Commons at Michigan Tech repository will be explored.

Join us at 12:05 p.m. tomorrow (Sept. 26) in Library 242. Registration is required.

(Note: for students of UN0500, this will be the same workshop presented to your class on Sept 11.)

EndNote Workshop in the Library

Use EndNote software to manage your citations and save time. The workshop will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday (Sept. 17) in Library 242.

In this session, you will:

  • Add references to an EndNote library
  • Import references from databases and PDFs
  • Organize your citations
  • Use Cite While You Write tool to incorporate references into Microsoft Word

No prior knowledge of EndNote is required for this workshop.

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Fall 2018 Recipient – Huaguang Wang

Huaguang Wang
Materials Science and Engineering

Huaguang WangMr. Huaguang Wang received his BS and MS degrees in Metallurgical Engineering from Central South University in China. Currently, he is pursuing her Ph.D. degree at MTU from Fall 2015 under the supervision of Dr. Bowen Li. His Ph.D. research focuses on nano-composite materials synthesis, mineral processing, and microwave technology. After the completion of his Ph.D., if an opportunity arises from his hometown university, he would be interested to take on a faculty position to perform research and teach. Secondary to that is to find R&D positions in the United States.

Spring 2019 PHF Graduate Assistantship Nominations Open

Applications for spring 2019 PHF Graduate Assistantships are being accepted and are due no later than 4pm, October 16, 2018 to Dr. Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School. Instructions on the application and evaluation process are found online.

Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:

  1. Must be a PhD student participating in health-related research that is aligned with the PHF’s mission.
  2. Must be eligible for or in Research Mode at the time of application.
  3. Must be 2 years after starting the graduate program at the time of application.

Priority will be given to students originally from Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, or Ontonagon counties. Non-resident students and international students are encouraged to apply if their health research is applicable to health needs and job shortages of our local community (obesity research, rural health, medical informatics, drug delivery and lab testing, physical therapy, etc.).

These assistantships are available through the generosity of the Portage Health Foundation. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD talent in health-oriented research areas. Applicants should be a catalyst for promoting and improving the overall health of Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, and Ontonagon communities through one of the following:

  • health research and technology development
  • health education or preventive and wellness initiatives
  • rural healthcare access, informatics, and assessment of care

Students who receive full support through a PHF Graduate Assistantship may not accept any other employment. For example, students cannot be fully supported by a PHF Graduate Assistantship and accept support as a GTA or GRA.

Spring 2019 Finishing Fellowship Nominations Open

Applications for spring 2019 finishing fellowships are being accepted and are due no later than 4pm, October 18, 2018 to Dr. Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School. Materials emailed to gradschool@mtu.edu is preferred. Instructions on the application and evaluation process are found online.

Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:

  1. Must be a PhD student.
  2. Must expect to finish during the semester supported as a finishing fellow.
  3. Must have submitted no more than one previous application for a finishing fellowship.
  4. Must be eligible for or in Research Mode at the time of application.

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.

Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Fall 2018 Recipient – David Rosen

David Rosen
Biomedical Engineering

David Rosen I started my graduate study in the spring of 2015, which was the semester after finishing my undergraduate study at Michigan Tech.  Early on in my undergraduate study, I became fascinated with the general topic of biomechanics and the technologies associated with it. This fascination is what drew me to pursue graduate level research in Dr. Jingfeng Jiang’s lab. There I focus on a medical ultrasound technology called elastography, an imaging technique used to assess soft tissue elasticity in vivo.  I am particularly interested in understanding how the complicated mechanics of soft tissue manifest in elastography measurements and what that can tell us about how best to use elastography to characterize various disease states in soft tissue.

The opportunity to pursue this line of research for my graduate study has been a privilege. I am immensely grateful for the support that the Portage Health Foundation has provided me in this pursuit.