IIASA’s Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) opportunity

Each summer, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), located in Schloss Laxenburg near Vienna, Austria, hosts a selected group of graduate students, primarily doctoral, from around the world in its Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP).  These students work closely with IIASA’s senior scientists on projects related both to their thesis research and one or more IIASA research programs.

Application deadline is January 13, apply online.

For students selected to participate, funding is available for travel and living support, principally from IIASA’s twenty-one National Member Organizations (NMOs), who fund primarily students from NMO countries.  However, applicants from all nations are eligible to apply, and some unrestricted fellowships  are available.

IIASA is an international, nongovernmental research institution located just outside Vienna, Austria, supported by its twenty-one National Member Organizations.  IIASA is known for its interdisciplinary research, combining natural and social sciences with integrated assessment techniques and advanced mathematical methodologies, with a goal of providing policy insight on issues of regional and global importance in the following fields:

GLOBAL PROBLEM AREAS

  • Energy and Climate Change
  • Food and Water
  • Poverty and Equity

PROGRAM AREAS

  • Energy
  • Transitions to New Technologies
  • Advanced Systems Analysis
  • Ecosystem Services and Management
  • Mitigation of Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases
  • Evolution and Ecology
  • World Population
  • Risk Policy and Vulnerability
  • Water

Michigan Tech Online Programs Rise in US News Rankings

Michigan Tech’s online graduate programs in business and engineering rank in the top 40 of such programs nationwide. Best online rankings released today by US News and World Report rated Michigan Tech’s online graduate engineering program 35th of 74 programs and Tech’s online MBA program placed 36th of 239 programs.

“This is very good news for Michigan Tech,” said Jacqueline Huntoon, dean of Michigan Tech’s Graduate School. “Given our remote location, our efforts to provide graduate education online allows us to reach a larger number of students than we can otherwise.

“We at Michigan Tech know that we have high-quality offerings, and it is great to see that we are beginning to receive the recognition we deserve,” Huntoon went on to say. “Of course, the faculty members involved in teaching the courses and advising the students are the ones who deserve the most credit for these achievements.”

Office of International Climate Change Policy and Technology Fellowship

The Office of International Climate Change Policy and Technology within the Office of International Affairs (IA) is now accepting applications for talented, committed fellows to support efforts related to the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), which is a high-level forum to promote policies and programs that advance clean energy technology, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to encourage the transition to a global clean energy economy.

Application deadline:  Wednesday January 15, 2014

Eligibility:

  • Applicants must have received an undergraduate (BS/BA) or graduate (MS/MA or PhD) degree from an accredited institution within the past five years.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen to apply.
  • Must be available for full-time commitment for one-year appointment in Washington, D.C., starting in February/March 2014; appointments may be renewed for a second year.

Stipends range from $60,000 to $90,000 depending on academic level, skills, and experience.  Additional allowances for medical insurance or transportation may be provided.

Participating governments include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  The Fellowship position would involve frequent interactions with international counterparts and some international travel.

More information can be found at www.cleanenergyministerial.org.

Nominations open for MAGS Excellence in Teaching Awards

Nominations are now open for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Awards.  Michigan Tech may nominate one student at the MS and PhD level.  Nominations are due to Debra Charlesworth no later than 4pm, January 14, 2014.

Eligible students

  • will have been enrolled at Michigan Tech during the 2013 calendar year and have a teaching appointment
  • will have earned the Michigan Tech Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
  • will have an excellent teaching portfolio and student evaluations

See the application page for complete details on what is required for a nomination.

Help with English Language Skills Is Here

Registration is now open for the next Michigan Tech Community ESL class set to run weekly, from 7 to 9 p.m., Feb. 13 through April 10.  While the class is targeted to the spouses of international scholars, there is also limited space available for spouses of international graduate students.

Depending on the needs and wishes of the participants, the course will be similar to the pilot program held during fall 2013. During the upcoming term, field trips are planned to help acquaint participants with the Keweenaw.

Due to the success of the pilot class, the course will again be sponsored by the Michigan Tech Office of the Provost with support from the Dual Career Program.

The registration fee is $10. Those interested should begin the registration process by emailing comlanguage@mtu.edu for details.

Published in Tech Today.

To Russia with Code: Tech Students Make World Finals in Computer Programming

Only 120 teams of 10,000 worldwide are going, and Michigan Tech is one of them. They earned the right to go to Russia to compete in the world finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest next June by finishing fifth in the North Central regional qualifying contest.

Computer science students Tom Holmes and Eric Rinkus and math major Ryan McNamara will be making the trip to Ural Federal University in Ekaterinburg with coach and computer science PhD student Jason Hiebel.

According to longtime coach Dave Poplawski, professor of computer science, it is a great accomplishment just to get this far, especially given the quality and size of other universities that have qualified and the number of schools Tech had to beat. US teams the likes of MIT, University of California-Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, Virginia Tech, NYU and others will be crunching 0s and 1s in Russia.

2014 James Smithson Fellowship Program

The Smithsonian Office of Fellowships and Internships (OFI) is currently accepting applications for the 2014 James Smithson Fellowship Program.

Named after our founder and funded through the generosity of past Smithsonian National Board Chair Paul Neely, this premier fellowship offers post-doctoral scholars in the fields of science, the humanities and the arts an opportunity to study the intersection between research and public policy in our nation’s capital.

This program combines the best of the Smithsonian’s vast scholarship and collections with its unparalleled access to leading thought leaders and policy-makers.

Fellowships last one year and include a stipend of $50,000.

Application deadline for the 2014 cycle is January 15, 2014.

Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and not more than five years beyond receipt of their Ph.D. degree by December 31, 2013.  Candidates with professional degrees are also eligible to apply.

2014 Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program

The Smithsonian Office of Fellowships and Internships (OFI) is currently accepting applications for the 2014 Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program.

Through this flagship fellowship program, graduate, pre-doctoral, and post-doctoral students – as well as conservationists and senior scholars – have the opportunity to delve into independent research and study across an incredible range of disciplines.

Smithsonian Institution Fellows have access to unparalleled collections, world-class scholars, and state-of-the-art facilities to explore science, art, history, and culture.

Fellowship awards range from 10 weeks to 2 years with stipends ranging between $6,500 to $50,000.

Application deadline for the 2014 cycle is January 15, 2014.

The program is open to US citizens and Non-US citizens. Applicants whose native language is not English are expected to have the ability to write and converse fluently in English.

2014 Nominations open for The DeVlieg Foundation Fellowships

Nominations are now open for the DeVlieg Foundation Fellowships.

All graduate programs may nominate one eligible PhD student per program.  There will be two recipients – each will receive a stipend for summer 2014 plus support for one credit of tuition.  Eligible students will meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Must be a graduate student in one of the fields supported by the DeVlieg Foundation:
    1. Engineering or a closely related field, OR
    2. Wildlife/biology (2014 Summer Research Award in Biology/Wildlife/Natural Resources)
  2. Must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
  3. Must be enrolled in a PhD program.
  4. Must be nominated by student’s graduate program.  Each PhD program may nominate one student.

Nominations are due no later than 4pm on January 29, 2014 to the Graduate School. Please address to the attention of Debra Charlesworth.

Please see our web page for details on the application procedure and materials needed.  Each program may determine its own internal selection procedure.

Please contact Debra Charlesworth with any questions.