Graduate School Newsblog

Tag: Graduate School

GSG’s first Lunch and Learn – Community Safety

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GSG’s first Lunch and Learn of the year will be held on Monday, September 9th. It will feature a presentation on community safety for graduate students given by Reid DeVoge from Public Safety.  The presentation will include information on safety considerations, what to do in case of an emergency, and the residential officer program at Michigan Tech.  This Lunch-n-Learn is highly encouraged for graduate students new to the Houghton area or anyone who wants to learn more about community safety.

Please join us for this talk highlighting the importance of community safety and the innovative approaches taken by Michigan Tech’s Public Safety Department!

RSVP is required, register here.

Where: MUB Ballroom A

When: Monday, September 9th

Time : 12:00PM -1:00PM

MUB catered lunch will be provided for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

No Show Policy: People who register and do not show up may not be allowed to attend the next Lunch-n-Learn.  So if you register and can’t make it, email Howard Haselhuhn, hjhaselh@mtu.edu, at least two days before the event so that people on the waiting list can be invited.

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First Friday University Social Sept. 6

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First Friday Socials are getting under way again for 2013-2014. Faculty, staff and graduate students are invited to attend this year’s opener from 4 to 6 p.m., Sept. 6, at the Pat Nelson Graduate Conference Center on the 4th floor of the Administration Building.

The Graduate School and Graduate Student Government are once again sponsoring this month’s event. Last year’s was a huge success, so don’t miss out. Come and mingle with your colleagues and see the conference center and GSG offices. Along with the Graduate School and GSG, the conference center was funded by a donation from the late Patricia Nelson, wife of Michigan Tech Chemical Engineering graduate Charles J. Nelson (’36, deceased).

Complementary soda, beer and wine will be served along with some great appetizers.

See Auxiliary Services website schedule for other First Friday University Socials.

Published in Tech Today.

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Summer Seminar Series Announced

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce its Summer 2013 Professional Development Seminar Series.  Both seminars will be available on campus and online – streaming live and taped for viewing later.  Join us for one or both seminars, designed to help writers of dissertations, theses, and reports and the staff who assist them.

  • June 18 | An Office Full of Tips | 11am -noon
    Learn how to use Microsoft Office to automate many of the common tasks a writer must do, such as caption figures and tables, format text consistently and place page numbers correctly. Debra Charlesworth, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School will show you tips and tricks that will help you focus on your writing instead of your formatting.
  • July 24 | Copyright for Your Thesis or Dissertation | 11am -noon
    Who holds the copyright on your thesis?  Can you put part of journal article in your dissertation?  What if you wrote the article?  Nora Allred, Copyright Librarian from the J.R. Van Pelt and Opie Library will present the basics of U.S. Copyright and discuss the role it plays in writing and publishing a thesis or dissertation.

Please register online to attend either or both seminars on campus or online.  Once you register, you will receive an e-mail confirmation with the location or technical information needed to view the streaming video.

Past seminars offered by the Graduate School, as well as a calendar of our coming events can be found in our Seminar Archive.

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Fall 2013 Nominations for Finishing Fellowships Sought

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Applications for fall 2013 finishing fellowships are now being accepted, and are due no later than 4pm, June 20, 2013 to Dr. Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School. Instructions on the application and evaluation process are found online.  Please note that the required form and materials requested have changed slightly for this cycle of competition.

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 Only 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.

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Zinc: The Perfect Material for Stents?

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Patrick Bowen, PhD in Materials Science and Engineering
Stents can be lifesavers, holding open coronary arteries to allow a healthy supply of blood to flow to the heart. But they can also cause problems, because they stay in the body for a lifetime.

Researchers have been trying to solve the problem by designing a stent that will hold an artery open and then dissolve harmlessly after the blood vessel heals. Traditional metals have not had the right properties, however.

Now a team of scientists at Michigan Tech is experimenting with a novel material that may lead to a new generation of bioabsorbable stents: zinc.

For the full story, click here.

Published in Tech Today by Marcia Goodrich, magazine editor

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Facilitators Sought for Fall Graduate School Orientation

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Facilitators are an important part of the Graduate School’s orientation.  They lead discussion at a table with seven new graduate students, and help to answer their questions.  Faculty, staff, and graduate students are invited to participate this fall and help mentor the next group of scholars at Michigan Tech.

New facilitators will attend a training session on either August 22, 10 a.m.-noon, or August 26, 1-3 p.m.  The training will ensure everyone is comfortable and confident with the material being presented.

All facilitators will participate in orientation, 1-4:30 p.m. on August 28.  Please note that this is a time change from previous years, designed to accommodate students’ requests for an afternoon start.

To participate, please register online so we can include you in reminders and important notices as we get closer to the day:
http://www.gradschool2.mtu.edu/registration/events/index.php?session_id=171 .

Do you have questions?  Contact Deb Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) or Kristi Isaacson(kris@mtu.edu) for more information.

Published in Tech Today

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New Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) Patent Law Affecting Research Commercialization

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The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act ( AIA), also known as the Patent Reform Act of 2011, went into effect on March 16, bringing with it significant changes to the US Patent system.  The most important change from the AIA law moves the United States to a first-to-file system from the previous first-to-invent system.  Whereas the old system provided inventors with a mechanism to prove they were the first to invent and secure patent protection, the new system is essentially a race to the patent office.  If two independent researchers came up with the same invention at the same time, the first one to file a patent application will be awarded the patent.  In the past you could rely on dated lab notebooks and notes to prove you were the first one to invent.

The old system also provided a one-year grace period to file a US patent from the time the invention was publicly disclosed. Until the new patent laws are clarified through future court case rulings, researchers should consider any public disclosure a patent-barring event.

The increasingly stringent requirements for patents to include a complete and enabling written description, compounded with the effective loss of the one year grace period, makes it more important than ever to prepare and submit invention disclosure documents to the Office of Innovation and Industry Engagement well in advance of any planned public disclosures.  Early submission of invention disclosure documents will assist in the timely development of strategies related to technology validation and related patent-filing activities before conference presentations, manuscript publications, thesis/dissertation defenses, or other events.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Michigan Tech’s Innovation and Industry Engagement Office at 487-2228.

Published in Tech Today

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GTA’s at Tech – Coffee Chat

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Thursday, April 11 at 3:00 PM the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Graduate School will co-host a “Coffee Chat” called “GTAs at Tech” in the Library East Reading Room.

We’d like to give GTA’s a forum to discuss the instructional support they are being given and additional needs.  We hope to improve GTA orientation and support by the Center next fall.

Coffee and snacks will be provided to those who register by April 8.   We hope you’ll come and share your experiences so we can make being a GTA at Tech better for you and better for our students!

To register, call 487-2046 or register online.

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Evan Anderson represents Michigan Tech in Distinguished Thesis Competition

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Evan Anderson, Michigan Tech’s MAGS nominee
The Graduate School is pleased to announce that Evan Anderson is Michigan Tech’s nominee for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Distinguished Thesis Award.  Mr. Anderson was nominated by his advisor, Dr. Blair Orr of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.  His thesis, “The Impact of Balsamo (Myroxylon Balsamum L. Harms) on Coffee Yield and Household Income in El Balsamar, El Salvador,” investigated sustainable coffee production in El Balsamar.  His work was conducted during his time as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and was developed in response to local community needs.  The thesis integrated the biological, social, and economic role of the tree in the community.  Evan is currently an urban forester with Davey Tree in San Francisco, California.

Three other graduate students were also nominated for consideration.  Jean DeClerck was nominated by her advisors, Dr. M. Ann Brady and Dr. Wendy Anderson of Humanities, and committee member Dr. Victoria Bergvall of Humanities.  Nathan Kelley-Hoskins was nominated by his advisor, Dr. Petra Hüntemeyer of Physics.  Andrew Orthober was nominated by his advisor, Dr. Carol MacLennan of Social Sciences.  All of the nominations were noteworthy for their scholarship, and the evaluation panel had a difficult task in selecting one nominee to represent Michigan Tech.

The Dean’s Advisory Panel, representing each college or school at Michigan Tech, evaluated the nominees.  The faculty on this panel represent a broad range of graduate programs:  J. Gierke (Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences), S. Martin (Social Sciences), D. Flaspohler (School of Forestry Resources & Environmental Science), X. Wang (School of Technology) and G. Campbell (School of Business and Economics).  Next year’s competition will consider applicants who have completed their degrees between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013.  An application consists of an abstract of the thesis, recommendation letter from the advisor, and an electronic copy of the thesis.  Please consider nominating your master’s students next year.

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Michigan Tech Graduate Engineering Programs Climb in US News Rankings

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By Jennifer Donovan

Four Michigan Technological University graduate engineering programs rose in the latest US News & World Report graduate school rankings, released today.

Chemical engineering’s graduate program moved up to 60th in the nation, from 91st last year.  Electrical engineering’s ranking rose from 102nd to 89th.  Computer engineering was ranked 80th this year, compared to 91st last year.  And Materials engineering rose to 50th from 51st.

“Chemical engineering is definitely a program on the rise and it’s nice to get the external recognition we deserve,” said Komar Kawatra, chair of chemical engineering.

Dan Fuhrmann, chair of electrical and computer engineering was pleased with the higher rankings of both his programs. “We are delighted to see that our graduate programs in electrical and computer engineering are receiving this recognition,” he said. ” It is a reflection of our deliberate efforts over the past decade to increase the size and improve the quality and visibility of our graduate and research activity.  In particular, we are seeing renewed interest at the master’s degree level in our power programs, which have always been excellent.”

The new graduate school rankings place Michigan Technological University’s graduate engineering programs overall in the top 100 nationwide. The magazine’s latest rankings, released today, list Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering graduate programs at 89th

“This year’s rankings of Michigan Tech’s programs will help some of our programs get the national attention and recognition they deserve,” said Jackie Huntoon, dean of the Graduate School. “The increased ranking of chemical engineering and electrical and computer engineering are particularly notable. These rankings, while dismissed by some as highly imperfect measures of quality, are important because students and their families use the rankings to estimate the potential return on an investment in a Michigan Tech education.“

Michigan Tech’s other engineering programs are ranked as follows in the new report:

Tech’s Biomedical engineering graduate program was not ranked.

“We’ve seen some success in the short time that I’ve been here, and I’m glad for that,” said Bill Worek, dean of the College of Engineering. “The increase in some of the disciplines is encouraging, but there is more work to be done to further enhance the visibility of our graduate programs.”

US News says its rankings are based on two types of data: expert opinions about program excellence and statistical measures of the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. Graduate programs are reviewed annually in engineering, business, law, medicine and the sciences. This year, 199 engineering schools that offer graduate degrees were evaluated.

Statistical data considered includes the ratio of students to faculty, acceptance rate, average Graduate Record Exam score, the school’s total research expenditure and research expenditure per faculty member, graduate enrollment and number of PhDs granted.

Peer assessment data comes from deans of engineering schools, program directors and senior engineering faculty.

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