IT Connect

HuskyCard Printing Events for Orientation Week

Orientation is coming. In the next few weeks there will be a lot of new students on campus. Many of you will likely assist students and answer questions.
One of the top initial questions asked is where they can pick up HuskyCards. Direct students to the MUB Ballrooms at the following times:
  • Friday, Aug. 19 from 1 to 3 p.m.

  • Saturday, Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Sunday, Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. -noon

Students can expedite the process of picking up their HuskyCard by pre-submitting their HuskyCard photo to mymichigantech.mtu.edu.

Thank you for helping us welcome new students during Orientation week. If you or the students have any questions about HuskyCard printing, contact us at it-help@mtu.edu or call 7-1111.

Nominations open for the 2016 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award

Nominations are now open for the 2016 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award. Please submit nominations to the Graduate School no later than 4pm, June 20, 2016, following our online instructions. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
  2. Social Sciences (note: history is classed within the humanities and is not a field of competition in 2016)

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2016, are eligible. The fields of competition for 2017 will be humanities/fine arts and biological and life sciences.

Nominations must be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 20, 2016; e-mail nominations to gradschool@mtu.edu are preferred.  Contact Debra Charlesworth (gradschool@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.

Fall 2016 PHF Graduate Assistantship Nominations Open

Applications for fall 2016 PHF Graduate Assistantships will be accepted beginning June 1, 2016, and are due no later than 4pm, July 7, 2016 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.). Preference will also be given to applicants who will complete their degree during the funding period.

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.

Fall 2016 Finishing Fellowship Nominations Open

Applications for fall 2016 finishing fellowships being accepted beginning June 1, 2016, and are due no later than 4pm, July 14, 2016 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.
  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.

Formatting Assistance for Summer 2016

Are you working on formatting corrections for your dissertation, thesis, or report? Do you need help? Join Harriet King (gscap@mtu.edu), coordinator of the Graduate School Communications Assistance Program for group work hours. These workshops are provided at no charge to students working on a dissertation, thesis, or report. Harriet is skilled with MS Office, Open Office, and Adobe Acrobat Pro. These rooms are equipped with PCs with University software, or you may bring your own laptop. Distance students may contact Harriet about remote assistance during these times via web conferencing.  If you need additional help outside of these times or prefer one-on-one assistance, please contact Harriet to arrange for times and pricing for the services available.

All workshops will be held in Dillman 213 from 1-4pm on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, July 27, 2016
  • Wednesday, August 3, 2016
  • Wednesday, August 10, 2016
  • Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Seminar on Dissertation, Thesis, or Report submission

Students planning on finishing a dissertation, thesis, or report in summer or fall 2016 are invited a seminar designed to help students understand the submission process and answer questions about it. Faculty and staff who assist students with submissions are also welcome to attend. Changes were made to the submission process in fall 2015, so we encourage everyone to attend who will be planning to submit.

If you are unable to join us, this seminar will be taped and available online after the event.

Information on submitting, formatting, and more can be found online for dissertations and theses or reports.

Choosing an advisor – tips to getting the advice you need

Choosing an advisor is one of the most important decisions a graduate student makes in their career.  Having an advisor whose goals support your aspirations is essential to ensuring your success as a student and young professional in your chosen field.

This article from the Journal of Higher Education illustrates some of the ways students can shape their advisor experience by putting their goals first and leveraging each other’s strengths to get the most out of the partnership.  One idea, for example, is to ensure you get career feedback by asking for it.  Although good advisors are willing to give this advice, most simply don’t have the time to plan to provide this feedback at regular intervals.

Thesis, dissertation, presentation, and proposal writing support

The MTMC will also be offering dissertation boot camps on May 23 – June 2 and July 11 – July 21. Dissertation boot camps are writing focus sessions where graduate students can set writing goals to make progress in long projects. Coffee and snacks will be provided, and an MTMC coach will facilitate the event. The bootcamps run the entire time the MTMC is open for two weeks in track A and track B. Graduate students should come ready to write, bringing a laptop and headphones (if needed). Students should expect to research sources outside of bootcamp times. Each grad student will be given a goal of 2 thousand words to reach before the center closes for the day. An MTMC coach will be present to keep writers on task and answer any questions. Anyone interested in signing up for a boot camp can contact me (wedeherd@mtu.edu).

 In addition, the MTMC will offer online appointments, so graduate students can find writing support anytime, anywhere.Online appointments are conducted through asynchronous email interactions between students and coaches. After signing up for an online appointment, writers will automatically be contacted by “mtmc-coach@mtu.edu” (please allow up to one hour for the email to arrive). Writers reply to the email with their attached document (Word and Google Doc are acceptable file formats). Online appointments last 30 minutes. Sessions conclude with coaches returning students’ papers with written comments inside comment bubbles in the document. Students must sign up for online appointments at least 24 hours before the requested appointment time, and be prepared to respond to an email from the MTMC when prompted.

Those interested in signing up for a group can do so by clicking the following link:

https://docs.google.com/a/mtu.edu/forms/d/1xfcphPAN23A6OV8c8WP3X_yc1Q_fXpENDAv6n50DNKM/viewform?usp=send_form

 

GradSWE Workshop — Developing Confident Leadership Skills

Join the Graduate Society of Women Engineers (GradSWE) at 6 p.m. tomorrow (March 17) in Chem Sci 215 for a professional development workshop,”Developing Confident Leadership Skills”, led by Ruth Archer.

Archer is the Manager of Process Improvement at Michigan Tech and the president of the Superior Leadership Institute. The workshop will help improve your leadership skills and confidence as you take on these roles in the future.

For more information on GradSWE, visit our website. To join our mailing list, email gradsweadmin@mtu.edu.

by GradSWE