Tag: Biological Sciences

New Dissertations in the Library

The Graduate School is pleased to announce new dissertations are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Chemical Engineering
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Engineering Physics
  • Forest Science
  • Geophysics
  • Industrial Heritage and Archaeology
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Rhetoric and Technical Communication

2014 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

The 2014 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Solicitation has been posted.  Faculty play a critical role in encouraging our most competitive students to apply for fellowship opportunities like the NSF GRFP.  Michigan Tech’s Research Development Office has for the previous three years offered a seminar for all interested applicants.  Based on an internal screening process recommended by the NSF GRFP office, this year the seminar series will only be open to students identified by faculty as competitive applicants.

As you identify students, please keep in mind that competitive applicants are often students who have or will most likely be awarded university teaching or research assistantships. Students who have internal graduate support should still be encouraged to apply.  While fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $32,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), which in turn frees up internal funding for other graduate students, the fellowship is more about prestige.  As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers.  The reputation of the GRFP follows recipients and often helps them become life-long leaders that contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching.  Likewise, students who receive the GRFP call attention to the high-quality graduate education and research ongoing at Michigan Tech.

Names and emails of faculty-identified students should be emailed to Jodi Lehman (jglehman@mtu.edu) by Wednesday, September 11th.

Eligibility for the GRFP:

  • be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident
  • be planning to pursue a research-focused Master’s or Ph.D. program in an NSF-supported field
  • be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution by Fall 2014
  • have completed no more than twelve months of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent) as of August 1, 2013.

Moreover, competitive students should have:

  • a strong academic record of 3.5 GPA or higher
  • the ability to obtain 3 exceptional reference letters– due November 14th
  • previous professional (e.g., internship/enterprise), research (e.g., SURF),  and educational outreach (e.g., K-12, international, community) experiences
  • future research, professional and outreach goals that will potentially benefit society

Michigan Tech’s Research Development Office will formally invite faculty-identified students to participate in a NSF GRFP seminar series.  This eight-week series will help applicants develop submission material (Personal Statement, Relevant Background and Future Goals and Graduate Research Statement) and request letters of reference in a timely and helpful manner.  Speakers include experienced NSF GRFP reviewers and panel chairs, Dr. Pushpathala Murthy who is currently serving as program officer for the NSF GRFP, and previous NSF fellows.

Summer Finishing Fellowships Announced; Fall Fellowships Due Soon!

The Graduate School is pleased to announce that the following students earned a finishing fellowship for summer 2013.

  • Xiaobao Geng, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Ali Mirchi, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Bryan Murray, PhD candidate in Forest Science
  • Khatereh Vaghefi, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Andrew Willemsen, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Huan Yang, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
  • Nazmiye Yapici, PhD candidate in Chemistry

Profiles of current recipients can be found online.

Nominations for fall 2013 fellowships are due no later than 4pm  June 20, 2013 to the Graduate School.  See our webpage for nomination information.

New Theses and Dissertations Available in the Library

The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors
  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Forest Ecology and Management
  • Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Geology
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Physics

DeVlieg Recipients Announced

The Graduate School is pleased to announce that two students have earned fellowships from The DeVlieg Foundation.  The DeVlieg Foundation has generously provided support for graduate students pursuing research in engineering, wildlife, and biology at Michigan Tech.

The recipients this year are:

  • Anthony D. Matthys, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
  • Renee C. Oats, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering

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

Spring 2013 BRC Travel Awards

The Biotechnology Research Center announced its Spring 2013 Travel Grants. Recipients include:

Post-doctoral Research Scientist Presentation:
*Kaela Leonard (ECM) Advances in Microfluidics and Nanofluidics (podium)

Graduate Student Presentations:
*Patrick Bowen (EMSE) 2013 Minerals, Metals and Materials Society Meeting (podium)
*Katrina Bugielski (SCH) 245th ACS National Meeting and Exposition (poster)
*Weilue He (EBE) Gordon Research Conference-Nitric Oxide (poster)
*Na Hu (SCH) American Geophysical Union 2012 (poster)
*Robert Larson (SBL) Experimental Biology (poster)
*Yiping Mao (SBL) Keystone Symposia on Molecular & Cellular Biology (poster)
*Sandra Owusu (FMGB) ASPB: 2013 Midwestern Section Annual Meeting (poster)
*Alison Regal (SACS) North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity (poster)
*Rafi Shaik (SBL) Plant and Animal Genome XXI (poster)
*Ashley Shortz (SACS) IEE Annual Conference and Expo (podium)
*Amy Sieloff (ECM) AIChE 2012 Annual Meeting (poster)
*Srinivasa Rao Sripathi (SBL) Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (poster)
*Huan Yang (SBL) Experimental Biology (poster)
*Nazmiye Yapici (SCH) 245th ACS National Meeting and Exposition (podium)

Published in Tech Today

Two Michigan Tech Students Win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded graduate research fellowships to Michigan Tech students Julie Jarvey and Daniel Cerminaro.  Jarvey, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Management from Tech, is currently completing a certificate program in Geographic Information Systems and is about to start work toward a master’s degree and a PhD.  Cerminaro will receive his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Commencement May 4.

NSF also named three Michigan Tech students for honorable mentions in the competitive research fellowship program:  Mary Jubinski, chemical engineering; Kendall Gruzul, a science teacher who plans to attend Michigan Tech; and Byrel Mitchell, mechanical engineering.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions.

NSF received more than 13,000 fellowship applications this year and made 2,000 awards. Benefits of the fellowships include three years of support, including a yearly stipend, a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the student’s university, international research and professional development opportunities and access to a supercomputer.

Published in Tech Today

ESC/BRC Student Research Forum Winners Announced

The Ecosystem Science Center and the Biotechnology Research Center announced award recipients of the Ninth Annual ESC/BRC Student Research Forum, held March 27.

For the graduate students, two Grand Prize Awards and six Merit Awards were presented. They were selected from among the 59 posters and abstracts submitted by graduate students conducting research related to ecology, the environment and biotechnology at Michigan Tech.  Posters will continue to be on display in the atrium of the Forestry building through April 12.

Graduate Research
$500 Grand Prizes
Biotechnology Research Center
Ramkumar Mohan (SBL) for, “miR-483, a Novel MicroRNA Expressed in Pancreatic Beta Cells but not in Alpha Cells,” Advisor: Xiaoqing Tang

Ecosystem Science Center
Adam Coble (FFS) for, “Comparison of Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) Leaf Morphology in a Closed-canopy and Canopy Gap,” Adviser: Molly Cavaleri

$100 Merit Awards
Biotechnology Research Center
Komal K. Bollepogu Raja (IBMB) for, “The Role of Toolkit Genes in the Evolution of Complex Wing, Thorax, and Abdominal Color Patterns in Drosophila guttifera,” Advisor: Thomas Werner

Maria Tafur (ECM) for, “Reduction of Porcine Parvovirus Infectivity in the Presence of Protecting Osmolytes, ” Advisor: Caryn Heldt

Ecosystem Science Center
Brian Danhoff (SBL) for, “Manistee River Tributaries as Potential Arctic Grayling Habitat,” Advisor: Casey Huckins

Anthony Matthys (SBL) for, “Estimating Physical Habitat Characteristics and Fish Habitat Preference within Streams: A Tool for Restoration Monitoring,” Advisor: Casey Huckins

James Olson (SBL) for, “Evaluating the Impact of Culvert Designs on Hydrologic Connectivity and Nutrient Uptake in Northern Wisconsin Streams,” Advisor: Amy Marcarelli

Julie Padilla (EEN) for, “An Evaluation of the Proposed MDEQ Water Quality Standard for Copper in the Upper Peninsula Using Two Multimetric Approaches,” Advisor: Noel Urban

Published in TechToday

New theses available in the Library

The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Policy
  • Geology
  • Industrial Archaeology
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Rhetoric and Technical Communication