Graduate School Newsblog

Nominees for 2018 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award

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The Graduate School would like to congratulate and recognize Lauren Schaefer and Erin Pischke for being nominated for the Council of Graduate Schools / ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards, the nation’s most prestigious honors for doctoral dissertations.

Two awards are given annually in two different broad areas (mathematics, physical sciences and engineering; and social sciences; and the biological sciences; and humanities and fine arts). The winners of the awards will be announced during the Fall 2018 Semester.

The 2018 fields of competition are:

Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering

Mathematics and Social Sciences

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EndNote Workshop at the Library

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Save time by using EndNote software to manage your citations. No prior knowledge of EndNote is required for this workshop. The session will cover: how to create and build an EndNote library, how to add references from online databases and PDFs, best practices for organizing your citations and incorporating references into a Microsoft Word document using EndNote’s “cite while you write” tool. The workshop is at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 10 in Library 242 Register here.

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Important Communication from the Graduate School

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Dear Students,

As we’re sure you’re aware, Houghton County experienced extreme weather this weekend.  Although much of campus and the surrounding area is back to normal, the Administration Building is closed for an undetermined amount of time.  Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our community members impacted by this disaster.

For the short term, here is how you can communicate with the Graduate School:

  • Graduate School staff will be operating in rooms 112 and 113 of the Library.  Please go to room 112 for assistance beginning at 1pm on Tuesday, June 19th. Not all staff will be present at all times, but we will be able to direct you appropriately.
  • Current students with forms to submit should scan them and upload them to Canvas.  If you need assistance, we have an online tutorial.  Please only use Canvas to upload forms; do not also email and/or submit paper copies.
  • Current students should email gradschool@mtu.edu with any questions they have about their degree.  Please do not copy other staff; one email will alert everybody.  Graduate directors and assistants with questions about current students should also use this email.
  • If you call the Graduate School, messages will go to voicemail.  Staff will respond as they can.
  • Diploma pickup and diploma mailing will not be available this week.
  • Transcript submission is not available this week.  Students with a missing degree hold may request a waiver using our form.
  • Students who need assistance with housing can contact Housing or Public Safety.  Rooms, meals, and showers are available.

Michigan Tech will be updating the emergency website  with information important to our community.  Please monitor that website for ways that you can contribute to the relief effort and stay in touch with other offices on campus that are displaced.

Sincerely,

The Graduate School

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Tips for success in starting a new class

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Graduate students and faculty teaching their first course will find this recent post from Tomorrow’s Professor a quick and interesting read.  It offers practical advice on how to set up your class for success from day one, and gives advice on how to balance teaching with research responsibilities.  It’s important to have balance in our careers, and advance planning is one part of it.  Although everything about teaching a class can’t be planned in advance, the more advance planning you can do, the smoother your semester will be.

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MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Masters Thesis Award 2018 Nominee – Alexis Newton

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Alexis Newton
Rhetoric, Theory and Culture

Alexis Newton 201708While in the Rhetoric, Theory and Culture Master’s program at Michigan Technological University, my thesis research focused on the relationships between hardware, software, and wetware – namely, looking at how video games virtually and physically effected the way we understand and engage with play. By defining and distinguishing between “gamespaces” (the virtual spaces players engage with to play a game) and “playspaces” (the physical spaces players inhabit while playing a game), I explored the various ways in which hardware constrains, encourages, and/or politicizes play. This research not only guided my work as a student, but also informs my work as an instructor of Rhetoric and Composition, where I focus on teaching students to be critical readers and writers of culture, both popular and otherwise. In the future, I plan to expand upon my thesis work and explore how these concepts apply to and flourish specifically in museum and gallery spaces.

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MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award 2018 Nominee – Nadun Dissanayake

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Nadun Dissanayake
Mathematical Sciences
Nadun Dissanayake 201801

I’m a PhD Student in Computation and Applied Mathematics at MTU. I am also a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Mathematical Sciences teaching Pre-Calculus during fall and Calculus II during spring. Teaching is my favorite hobby because I enjoy being with students and helping them. Mathematics is a subject students often struggle with, and I love to teach mathematics in a way that makes sense to students. I interact with students in and outside of class and make them work hard. The students at MTU are very talented and smart, and I consider myself lucky to teach them. I want every student to reach their full potential. Teaching well raises the standards of my university and department, and I always keep that in my mind when I teach. We all have a responsibility to represent our university well and to produce successful students from our classes. I consider teaching to be not just a job, but the greatest service to the world.

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Portage Health Foundation Graduate Assistantship Summer 2018 Recipient – Matt Kilgas

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Matthew Kilgas
Integrative Physiology

Matt KilgasI am a Ph.D. candidate in Integrative Physiology at Michigan Tech. My line of research involves adapting new types of exercise to different clinical and healthy populations. I have worked on many projects including the development of a new exercise device for wheelchair users and creating a home-based rehabilitation program for those with ACL injury. I have been living in the Upper Peninsula for the past 9 years. When I’m not working on my research you can find me out exploring the Keweenaw with my wife and dog. We love hiking, skiing, and biking on the many trail systems in the area.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Summer 2018 Recipient – Janarjan Bhandari

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Janarjan Bhandari
Atmospheric Sciences

Janarjan BhandariBefore joining the Physics Department as a Ph.D. candidate in Atmospheric Sciences, I earned my BS and MS in Physics from Tribhuvan University. My research with Dr. Claudio Mazzoleni focuses on the morphology and mixing state of absorbing aerosol particles in the atmosphere and their optical properties. The effect of absorbing aerosols on climatic forcing is large and highly uncertain. A detailed study on the morphology and mixing state of individual aerosols is necessary to reduce uncertainty in climatic forcing by these aerosols.

During my years at Michigan Tech’s Physics Department has provided me full support of my studies. I am thankful to the Michigan Tech Graduate School for the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship award that will help me finish my degree this summer. I am also very grateful to my advisor Dr. Claudio Mazzoleni, who not only mentored me since 2013 in research, but also allowed me opportunities to participate in a collaborative research campaign, and to participate in different conferences that provided a nice platform to interact with the community people and exposure to different instrumentations. I feel proud be a student in the Atmospheric Sciences program at Michigan Tech.

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Summer 2018 Recipient – Shanshan Hou

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Shanshan Hou
Chemistry
Shanshan Hou

I came to Michigan Tech in January, 2013 and work in the chemistry lab with my advisor, Dr. Lanrong Bi. I earned my BSc. Degree in Pharmacy in my home country, China. Currently, my research focuses on the design and synthesis of fluorescent dyes. These fluorescent dyes could target and label the organelles, thus shining light on cell’s inner workings. I learned and got a lot in my five-year PhD life, I feel so proud to be a student at Tech.

I want to give my sincere thanks to Graduate School for providing me with the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship. With this fellowship, I will be able to focus on my dissertation so that I could expect to graduate this semester. I am also greatly thankful to my advisor and department for their big support.

 

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Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Summer 2018 Recipient – Hans Lechner

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Hans Lechner
Geology

Hans LechnerI first came to Michigan Tech as a Peace Corps Masters International student in 2005. After finishing my Peace Corps service in El Salvador I returned to MTU in 2010 to complete my thesis on volcano geodesy. I started down the PhD path in the Fall of 2011 in geology but wanted to put a stronger emphasis on “social geology.” My doctoral research focuses on volcano geodesy, risk communication and evacuation behavior. It straddles the interface of geophysics and social vulnerability in an effort to better understand magmatic systems, volcanic hazards, and risk behavior. Under the guidance of Dr. Greg Waite my research has been conducted at volcanoes Pacaya and Santiaguito, Guatemala and has employed both physical and social science methodologies. I use GPS geodesy to measure surface deformation and model magmatic storage locations and plumping systems in volcanoes. I also use structured questionnaire-surveys and statistical methodologies in an endeavor to better understand the causal relationships between volcanic eruptions and evacuation behavior. By integrating both physical and social sciences my aim is improve volcano monitoring strategies and hazard communication to vulnerable populations so that people in at risk communities can make more informed protective action decisions.

I would like to thank the Graduate School and all the benefactors for providing me with financial support through the Finishing Fellowship. This opportunity allows me to focus my energy on completing my dissertation without the stress and worry about where funding comes from. It is truly and honor and privilege to have this support.

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