NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Overview Session

The Research Development Office will be sponsoring a  NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) overview session on Thursday, September 17 at 6:00 pm. in Admin 404.

To be eligible for the NSF GRFP, students must:

  • be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident
  • intend to pursue a research-based Master’s or Ph.D. program in a STEM field (see Solicitation (NSF 15-597) for eligible fields of study.  Many areas of Social Sciences, STEM education and learning research, and Economics are eligible)
  • be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, by fall 2016
  • have completed no more than twelve months of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent) as of August 1, 2015, or meet the criteria for the extenuating circumstance described in Section IV of the Program Solicitation.
  • meet all other eligibility requirements as set forth in the current Program Solicitation

To be competitive we encourage students to apply who have:

  • a 3.5 GPA or higher
  • research and outreach experience
  • strong faculty references – letters of recommendation need to be exceptional

Award benefits:

  • a three year annual stipend of $34,000
  • $12,000 cost of education allowance for the cost of tuition

Note – students who already have internal University/department funding are strongly encouraged to apply.  This in turn will free up internal funds for less competitive students.

Spring 2016 Finishing Fellowship Nominations Open

Applications for spring 2016 finishing fellowships are now being accepted, and are due no later than 4pm, October 21, 2015 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.

Seminar on Submitting your Dissertation, Thesis, or Report

Students planning on finishing a dissertation, thesis, or report in fall 2015 or spring 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. We will introduce changes to the submission process in the fall to make it easier for students to submit, including eliminating the binding services offered through the University, so please plan to attend if you are completing your degree in the fall.

Once you register, you will receive a confirmation with the location and a reminder of the date and time, or information on how to join us online.

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.

Graduate School Orientation!!

Michigan Tech looks forward to welcoming our new graduate students. All new degree seeking students will be invited to orientation on August 26th. 

Registration is currently full, we will fill slots to students on a first-come, first-served basis that day (if you have not already registered):

Schedule and Description

  • 11:00am – 1:00pm: Registration Check-In and seating assignments for students on the Wait List in the Memorial Union Commons (1st floor).
  • 11:00am – 1:00pm: Use your lunch ticket to purchase food in the Commons, and meet with Graduate Student Government representatives and staff from the Human Resources Department (Student Insurance) and Michigan Tech IT. You might even get to meet Blizzard T. Husky!
  • 1:00 – 4:30pm: Orientation program in the Memorial Union Ballroom (2nd floor)
    Attend to learn about Michigan Tech policies, and obtain the required Basic Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training

Students not able to attend orientation can complete their RCR training online or choose to attend Spring orientation.  More information will be sent to those students by email during the Fall semester.

In addition to the orientation session sponsored by the Graduate School, students may also be required to attend sessions sponsored by:

Questions about Graduate School orientation may be directed to Debra Charlesworth or Nicole Rubino.

Graduate School Announces Award Recipients for Fall 2014 and Spring 2015

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the following students have earned:

Doctoral Finishing Fellowships:
Spring 2015
Adam Coble, PhD Candidate in Forest Science
Khanh Cung, PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics
Jie Zhou, PhD Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering
Fall 2014
Yaoxian Huang, PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering
Gary Kaunonen, PhD Candidate in Rhetoric and Technical Communication
Sandra Owusu, PhD Candidate in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
Venkata Ramana Pidatala, PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences
Jingtuo Zhang, PhD Candidate in Chemistry
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.

Council of Graduate Schools/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award
Azad Henareh Khalyani, PhD Candidate in Forest Science

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Distinguished Thesis Award
Xu Yang, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering

Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Award
Elaheh Gorgin, PhD Candidate in Mathematical Sciences
Amanda Shaw, MS Candidate in Physics

??Dean’s Fellowships

??DeVlieg Foundation Fellowships

??King-Chaves-Parks Future Faculty Fellowships

Recipients for fall 2011 were:

Irfan Ahmed, PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering
Surendar R. Dhadi, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
Neluka K. Dissanayake, PhD candidate in Engineering Physics
Shu Wei Goh, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
Amber M. Roth, PhD candidate in Forest Science

Recipients for spring 2012 are:

Zeyad T. Ahmed, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering
Kefeng Li, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
Charles L. Lawton Endowed Fellowship
Saikat Mukhopadhyay, PhD candidate in Physics
Zhiwei Peng, PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering
Doctoral Finishing Fellowship
Lindsey M. Shartell, PhD candidate in Forest Science
Neil V. Hakala Endowed Fellowship

Nominations are currently open for summer 2012 finishing fellowships. Materials are due no later than 4pm, March 14th. See complete details online about the application and review procedure.

Formatting help available for dissertations, theses, and reports

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

Join Harriet King, coordinator of the Graduate School Communications Assistance Program for group work hours on campus. 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, and can provide group tutoring and assistance during these open times:

  • Monday, July 6, 2015, 1-4pm – Fisher 330
  • Wednesday, July 8, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 213
  • Monday, July 13, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 213
  • Wednesday, July 15, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 213
  • Monday, July 20, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 213
  • Wednesday, July 22, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 213
  • Monday, July 27, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 213
  • Wednesday, July 29, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 213
  • Thursday, August 13, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 211

These rooms are equipped with PCs with University software, or you may bring your own laptop.  Harriet can also assist you via distance at those times with Skype.  Contact Harriet for more information.

If you need additional help or prefer one-on-one assistance, please contact Harriet to arrange for times and inquire about the services available and pricing for these sessions.  Please note that Harriet will be unavailable July 30 – August 10th.

Formatting help available for dissertations, theses, and reports

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

Join Harriet King, coordinator of the Graduate School Communications Assistance Program for group work hours on campus. 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, and can provide group tutoring and assistance during these open times:

  • Tuesday, June 16, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 211
  • Tuesday, June 23, 2015, 1-4pm – Dillman 213

These rooms are equipped with PCs with University software, or you may bring your own laptop.  Harriet can also assist you via distance at those times with Skype.  Contact Harriet for more information.

If you need additional help or prefer one-on-one assistance, please contact Harriet to arrange for times and inquire about the services available and pricing for these sessions.  Additional workshop times for summer will be announcing pending room assignments; please note that Harriet will be unavailable July 30 – August 10th.

Graduate Student Writing Groups

At the Multiliteracies Center, in Walker room 107, we offer Graduate Student Writing Groups for graduate students at any level.

The groups are available for working on projects (planning and writing), proposals, conference papers, posters, presentations and defenses. They are discussion based to allow students to explain their project to other students and get feedback from peers. Evidence shows that we retain 75 – 90% of what we teach others as opposed to only 10% of what we read.

These groups are there to help motivate students, to overcome procrastination, provide organizational strategies, to provide accountability and deadlines and ultimately to help students progress with their projects and get writing done!

We offer two writing groups which will meet once a week for one hour. In addition, we provide the option of attending a Thesis and Dissertation Bootcamp for students who wish to accomplish significant amounts of research and writing this summer. The Bootcamp will meet four times a week for an hour to discuss progress, give and receive feedback, and address challenges and issues together.

If you have any questions or would like to make another type of appointment you can reach us at mtmc@mtu.edu or 906-487-2007.

Please select the group that works best for you by submitting it  in Google Forms.