Graduate School Newsblog

Limited Space Available for Community ESL Class

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Only a few spaces remain for spouses of international faculty, scholars and grad students interested in registering for Tech’s 7-week ESL and culture class known as Community English.

Open to those of all skill levels, the class will meet from 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesdays, Oct. 14 to Dec. 2, at the Van Pelt and Opie Library, Room 243. The program highlights American social customs, everyday English and conversation with local residents. Registration fee is $10.

Those interested should email comlanguage@mtu.edu for details as soon as possible. The program is supported by the Michigan Tech Office of the Provost and sponsored by the Dual Career Program.

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Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) Class Begins Oct. 21

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Master self-defense tactics and safety techniques through a comprehensive course designed specifically for women ages twelve and up. The course begins with a focus on awareness, prevention and risk reduction/avoidance and progresses to the basics of hands-on defense training.

RAD is offered by Michigan Tech’s Department of Public Safety and Police Services through Community Programs, and the course is taught by Public Safety officers. The class combines both classroom instruction and hands-on physical
training.
  • Dates: Oct. 21 to Nov. 13
  • Days/Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 to 8 p.m.
  • Location: SDC Racquetball Court #5
  • Cost: $30 for Michigan Tech students, $50 for non-students

Women only please. Minimum age of 12.

Registration and payment may be completed online, by phone at 7-2073 or at the SDC Ticket Office.

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Nominations Sought for 2015 MAGS Thesis Award

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The Executive Committee of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) is soliciting nominations for the 2015 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, 2012 to June 30, 2014 in Social Sciences or Physical Science/Engineering (including mathematics)
    • Michigan Tech may nominate one thesis in each category
    • The 2016 competition will seek nominees in Biological/Life Sciences and the 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

Please see the website for complete details on eligibility and application procedures.

Nomination packets are due by 4 p.m., Friday Oct. 17, 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.

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Nominations sought for 2015 MAGS Thesis Award

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The Executive Committee of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) is soliciting nominations for the 2015 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, 2012 to June 30, 2014 in the field of Social Sciences or Physical Science/Engineering (including mathematics)
    • Michigan Tech may nominate one thesis in each category
    • The 2016 competition will seek nominees in the fields of Biological/Life Sciences and the 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

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

Nomination packets are due by 4pm, October 17, 2014 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.

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Graduate Student Government Travel Grant Deadline

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There is still time to apply for the Fall 2014 Graduate Student Government Travel Grants. Travel grants t help subsidize the cost of attending and presenting at conferences. These awards are sponsored by GSG and the Graduate School. For more information, visit the Travel Grants web page.

Applications must be completed before 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10. As part of the application, advisors are sent an email to verify eligibility and approval for student conference attendance. A response to this email is necessary for the application to be considered complete.

For questions, contact GSG Treasurer Jennifer Winikus at jawiniku@mtu.edu.

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Required Online Course Addresses Harassment and Discrimination

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At the recommendation of the US Department of Education, Michigan Tech is establishing an online course on harassment, discrimination and retaliation.  All University employees and graduate students will be required to complete the course by Dec. 31.

The course will replace a previous course on sexual harassment that has been required of all incoming employees since 2009. It also satisfies the federal requirement for training mandated by the Violence Against Women Act and Title IX and aligns with the Campus Clarity courses that incoming first-year students must complete.

“The new course is extremely informative regarding harassment and discrimination and suggests best practices in the workplace,” said Jill Hodges, director of the Office of Institutional Equity. Regarding the sexual harassment portions of the course, President Glenn Mroz said: “Despite the significant progress made in reducing violence against women, there is a long way to go. It is our responsibility as a university community to work towards eliminating sexual misconduct and sexual violence, and to do so, we must be well informed.”

Employees and graduate students will receive email notification when the course is assigned and reminders if they have not completed the course. The course requires audio. Employees or graduate students whose computers do not have audio capability can use campus computers designated for training purposes.

If you have questions, contact Title IX Coordinator Beth Lunde in the Office of Institutional Equity at titleix@mtu.edu.

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Tips for a Winning Research Proposal

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The American Society of Engineering Education recently published a short article, “Tips for a Winning Research Proposal.”  This clear article gives concrete tips and additional resources for common pitfalls to avoid when preparing a research proposal. For example, did you know that for some agencies, half of the research proposals are rejected simply because they didn’t adhere to the proposal requirements? These tips could help your proposal be funded. These tips can be applied to fellowship proposals as well as research proposals.

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Physics Department Recognized Nationally for Percentage of Women PhDs

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The American Physical Society–an organization that works to advance and spread knowledge of physics through research journals, scientific meetings, education, outreach and advocacy–just issued a report listing the universities that awarded the highest percentages of PhDs in physics to women between 2010 and 2012.  Michigan Tech placed 12th in the nation with 42 percent of physics PhDs earned by women.

“This is a well-deserved recognition of the physics faculty members who are committed to diversity at Michigan Tech,” said Ravindra Pandey, chair of the Department of Physics.

Michigan Tech has made increasing the numbers of women students and graduates a key part of its strategic plan.  Due to a number of recruitment and retention initiatives, the percentage of women has been rising at the University, now nearing 25 percent, and Tech’s goal for 2035 is a student body that is 40 percent female.

“The Physics Department has already met and surpassed that goal, which is a great accomplishment,” said President Glenn Mroz.  “This is awesome recognition of the work of Ravi and his faculty.”

The College of Engineering also has been recognized recently for its percentage of overall doctoral degrees awarded to women. In its latest Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology Colleges, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) ranked Michigan Tech 10th in the nation in percentage of engineering doctorates earned by women. According to the ASEE, engineering doctorates received by women at Michigan Tech totaled 31.9 percent of all engineering doctoral degrees awarded by the University in 2013.

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Copyright Workshop

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The Van Pelt and Opie Library is offering a workshop, “Copyright and Your Thesis or Dissertation.” on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 2:00pm.

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.  

The workshop will be held in room 242 of the Van Pelt and Opie Library and is limited to 25 attendees. Visit at the library’s Workshops site and view the calendar to select and register.  For questions, please contact Nora Allred, Scholarly Communications and Copyright Librarian at nsallred@mtu.edu.

 

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Graduate School Announces Summer 2014 Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Awardees

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce that the following students have earned the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship:

  • Douglas Banyai, PhD candidate in Physics
  • Rasika Kishor Gawde, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering
  • Ryan Lemmens, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Seyedmehdi Morazavi Zanjani, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Ranjeeth Naik, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Ruiqiang Song, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Ehsan Taheri, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Khrupa Vijayaragavan, PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering
  • Anqi Zhang, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
  • Yunzhu Zhao, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering

Photographs and details of awards and fellowships coordinated by the Graduate School can be found online.

Nominations are currently being accepted for spring 2015 finishing fellowships. Nominations are due Oct. 21 by 4 p.m. to Debra Charlesworth. Please see the website for full details.

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