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Registration Open for Safe Place Training

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There is still room to register for the fall 2014 Safe Place training. The Michigan Tech Safe Place program is a comprehensive resource to better prepare faculty and staff to address the needs of students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (GLBTQ).

The training program addresses a wide range of terms that GLBTQ students use to define their identities, issues that they often deal with during the coming out process, concerns that they face both in and out of the classroom, ways that faculty and staff can create inclusive classroom and office environments, and refer students who need to report harassment, and the on-and off-campus resources available to students.

View the fall 2014 training times and register online.

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Report from Provost’s Committee on issues impacting graduate students

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Dear students,

In early April, the Provost convened an ad hoc committee to look into issues impacting graduate students. This committee submitted a set of recommendations to the Provost concerning employment, Daniell Heights graduate student housing, fundraising, and communications. The outcome of those recommendations is the subject of this email.

Employment

The committee recognized that a number of students have had their on-campus working hours reduced or eliminated entirely. The committee recommended that these students be supported for the hours they were unable to work. Across-the-board compensation is not possible at this time due to the wide variability in student situations and need. Federal Work-Study students will continue to be paid for the number of hours they were allowed. Students experiencing financial hardship as a result of lost hours are encouraged to apply for assistance through the emergency funds listed later in this email. 

Daniell Heights Housing

The results of recommendations made in regard to Daniell Heights are below: 

  • There will be no evictions as long as a student has a payment plan in place and is meeting their obligations.
  • Accounts Receivable will offer zero-interest payment plans. Please contact them to set one up: mtu.edu/fso/office/contact/
  • Late fees were waived in April. At this time and going forward, normal late fees will be applied. Students are encouraged to set up a payment plan if they are having trouble making rent payments.
  • Students having trouble making their payments should reach out to Accounts Receivable to discuss their situation. Accounts Receivable will work with individuals to discuss future plans and expectations. Additional communication will be coming from Accounts Receivable and Housing.
  • Previously planned rent increases are included in the budget for 2020-2021. It is not anticipated that these increases will change. 
  • If a hold is placed on your account, please contact Accounts Receivable to discuss your situation. 

Fundraising

As the demand for emergency funds has increased, the committee recommended that fundraising for these emergency resources be made a priority. The dean of the Graduate School and Advancement and Alumni Engagement are putting together a plan to raise funds that will be specifically set aside for grad student support. These funds will be prioritized for students who are not eligible for other forms of emergency resources. 

Communications

For information of particular interest to graduate students, visit the MTU Flex website, which addresses questions and concerns from students, faculty, and staff.

Emergency Funds

There are a number of emergency resources available to students. Please see below for a list of available resources.

  • Husky Emergency Assistance Fund – Emergency funds for students and staff experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19. These funds do not need to be paid back.
  • Graduate School Emergency Fund – Zero-interest loans provided by the Graduate School. Currently capped at $500 per application. Very flexible repayment options.
  • International Student Emergency Fund – Available to international students experiencing financial hardship. Currently limited to $500 per student, but other amounts may be considered on a case-by-case basis. The funds do not need to be paid back. 
  • Betty Chavis Emergency Fund – Emergency funds for students—now including graduate students—experiencing financial hardship.
  • HuskyFAN – Food resources available for students experiencing food insecurity. No-cost meal packets can be picked up from Public Safety. Please schedule a pickup ahead of time.

CARES Act funds will also be available to eligible students. We are awaiting University guidance on how the funds will be disbursed. Official communication on this matter is forthcoming. 

The Graduate School recognizes the difficulty of the situation and urges any graduate student who is experiencing hardship or who feels their concerns are not addressed by the information in this email to reach out by emailing gradschool@mtu.edu. We are here to help.

Take care,

Pushpa Murthy
Associate Provost and Dean, Graduate School

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Graduate Student’s VISTA Broadens as She Earns a Degree Through Volunteer Service

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A graduate student at Michigan Tech, Rhianna Williams, is earning a master’s degree far from the ivory tower of the classroom. She’s working as a volunteer with the US Office of Surface Mining VISTA program, helping residents of the Uncompahgre Watershed learn about protecting their water resources.

“I joined for the opportunity to practice what I’d learned in the class out in the field,” she says.

Williams conducts watershed education programs in the schools and monthly water sampling for Riverwatch, a group that monitors the river’s conditions along a 10-mile stretch of the Upper Uncompahgre River.

“I’ve enjoyed working with kids,” she says. “We work with local third-grade teachers to take the class out water sampling every month. They were really excited to know that the data they collected would be used to make decisions about their river.”

VISTA, originally Volunteers in Service to America, was founded in 1965 as a national service program designed to fight poverty in the US. In 1993, VISTA was incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs.

The OSM/VISTA and Peace Corps Coverdell programs offer graduate students the opportunity to combine academic study with supervised, practical field experience and research. Michigan Tech has partnered with OSM/VISTA programs since 2012

For the full story, see Michigan Tech News.

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NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Overview Session

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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.

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Postdoc Nanotech Fellowship

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A fellowship opportunity is currently available with the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) at the Arkansas Regional Laboratory of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The selected participant will be located at the Nanotechnology Core Facility, which was developed to support the technical needs of scientists involved in determining the toxicity, safety, and characterization of nanomaterials.

Who: PhD in chemistry, materials science, microbiology, or physics with an emphasis in nanotechnology (awarded within the last five years).
What: 1 year, full-time research position
Where: near Jefferson, Arkansas

Under the guidance of a mentor, the selected participant will collaborate with multi-disciplinary research efforts within the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR)/ORA Nanotechnology Core Facility.

Additional information may be found here.

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Seminar to develop a competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship application

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The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) solicitation has been published and the NSF GRFP website has been updated. Jessica Brassard and Natasha Chopp from the Research Development Office will be sponsoring a series of seminars as well as a guided Canvas course aimed at advising Michigan Tech students in developing competitive GRFP application packages.

To be competitive, students encouraged to apply will have:

  • a 3.5 GPA or higher

  • research and outreach experience

  • strong faculty references – letters of recommendation will need to be exceptional

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.

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 an NSF-supported field

  • be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, by fall 2018

  • have completed no more than twelve months of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent) as of August 1, 2017, 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

Award benefits:

  • a three-year annual stipend of $34,000

  • $12,000 cost of education allowance for the cost of tuition

SOLICITATION 16-588

The first information session will be held on Wednesday, September 13 at 5:00 pm in Admin 404 (Graduate School Conference Room). This session will be a general overview of the NSF GRFP.
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Flu Shots Available

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Flu shots are still available at Portage Health in all three locations (SDC, Fast Care, Main Office in Hancock).

All shots are $25 and insurance is accepted. Please call Portage Health at 483-1000 or go to the website for more information on locations and appointments. Supplies are very limited.

Look for flu clinics fall semester during October and November on campus brought to you by Portage Health.

Published in TechToday
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STAR Announcement LIBS Sensor for Water Quality

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Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) this posting seeks motivated, post-graduates (MS and PhD) interested in research as part of the geologic and environmental sciences focus area research team at NETL.  The optical sensing team within the Material Characterization Division of NETL is looking for a candidate to perform continuing research on the development of a laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) sensor for water quality measurements.  NETL’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) conducts research to advance the clean production and efficient utilization of domestic energy resources.

 

For more information, please visit http://www.orau.gov/netl/open-projects/projects.html.

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GLBTQ Workshops Scheduled

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Robyn Ochs, writer, speaker and activist, will present two free lectures on Tuesday, Oct. 18, as part of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (GLBTQ) history month.

The first workshop, “Loosening the Gender Girdle: How Gender Affects You,” will be held at 3 p.m. in Memorial Union Ballroom A. Ochs will discuss the cultural implications of gender and the ways gender helps shape our perception of the world.

The second workshop, “Beyond Binaries: Identity and the Sexuality Spectrum,” will be at 7 p.m. also in Ballroom A. Ochs will explore sexual identity–its construction, our own self-perceptions and perceptions of others.

GLBTQ history month is sponsored by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Keweenaw Pride, oSTEM, the Michigan Tech Safe Place Program, the Tech Parents Annual Fund, Housing and Residential Life, the Affirmative Programs Office and the Arcus Foundation.

For more information, contact Renee Wells, coordinator of GLBTQ outreach, at 487-2920 or at rrwells@mtu.edu.

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