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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
The Graduate School is pleased to announce it’s spring seminar series. Designed to help students prepare for careers as researchers in an academic community, attendees will learn about publishing, proposals, and project management.
Please join us on one or all of the following dates for a brown-bag lunch and learn (noon – 1pm). Light snacks and beverages will be provided. Seating is limited; please register to reserve a seat and receive the room location. Students may also choose to view the seminar online (live streaming or recorded).
The Graduate School is pleased to announce the recipients of the fall 2012 finishing fellowships. The fellowships were made available by the support of the Graduate School.
The recipients were:
Finishing fellowship applications for summer 2013 are due no later than 4pm on March 6, 2013. Application procedures and photographs of recent recipients can be found online.
| The MBA online program in Michigan Tech’s School of Business and Economics placed 47th of 197 online graduate business programs in new rankings released today by US News & World Report. Tech’s online master’s degree program in engineering also made the magazine’s 2013 national rankings, earning 41st place among 66 online graduate programs in engineering that were ranked.
“The Tech MBA Online program was created to provide an innovative curriculum guided by experienced and knowledgeable business faculty,” said Gene Klippel, dean of the School of Business and Economics. “Professionals looking to advance their career, even in a challenging economy, can benefit from learning and understanding technology and innovation within organizations. A ranking in the top 50 from US News confirms that our program is on track for continued success for students, our School and Michigan Tech.” Bill Worek, dean of the College of Engineering, said: “The master’s program in the College of Engineering continues to be highly ranked with other premiere engineering schools. This online program gives students with full-time jobs the ability to complete an advanced degree. This is essential for the state of Michigan to further enhance the quality of the engineering work force in the state.” US News defines an online education program as one for which all the coursework can be completed via distance education courses that incorporate Internet-based learning technologies. Among criteria evaluated were graduation rate, class size, one-year retention rate, time to degree, graduate entrance exam scores and grade point averages of students, percentage of PhD and tenured faculty, and technologies and services available to students. For the first time this year, US News added a peer assessment survey of deans and top distance learning higher education academics employed by schools ranked in 2012. “It is a wonderful testament to the dedication of our faculty and staff that we have achieved these rankings,” said Graduate School Dean Jackie Huntoon. “I am happy to see that both the business and engineering online programs are getting the positive attention they deserve.” “Michigan Tech’s online MBA program is really quite young, and already it is ranked in the top third of all ranked programs nationwide. This is a remarkable achievement,” Huntoon went on to say. “The number and quality of offerings in engineering continues to grow each year. I am continually impressed by the comments I hear from students and employers who tell me that they chose Michigan Tech because of our focus on real-world applications and because of the quality and commitment of our faculty.” Posted in TechToday by Jenn Donovan, Public Relations Director |
During the 2012 – 2013 academic year, the King-Chavez-Parks Initiative is piloting a partnership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity, an independent faculty development center that is 100% dedicated to supporting graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members in making successful transitions throughout their academic careers.
The NCFDD provides the following opportunities for Fellows:
DISCUSSION FORUM
Provides Fellows with access to private, moderated discussion forums. This is the online community where members gather to discuss skills and strategies that will increase productivity and work/life balance, as well as problem-solve, exchange support, and experience peer-mentoring. The NCFDD’s most popular forum is the Monthly Writing Challenge. It’s a great place to go if Fellows want support in establishing a daily writing practice.
MONTHLY TELE-WORKSHOPS
Each month, the NCFFD hosts a tele-workshop that digs into one of the 10 Keys to Thriving in the Academy. Additionally, each month they host a guest expert on the topics that members have requested. If Fellows are unable to attend the workshops live, don’t worry. The NCFDD records each one and provides access to the audio, slides and transcripts. That way, Fellows can enjoy the materials at their convenience.
MONDAY MOTIVATOR
Fellows will receive a weekly email that includes a productivity tip as well as a little electronic support and encouragement.
MONTHLY BUDDY MATCH
For Fellows who would like a writing buddy, the NCFFD will match members at the beginning of each month.
Please consider joining this online community where you can share, connect, exchange, and grow in the skills that will help you to truly thrive in your academic career.
Contact Michelle Snitgen of the Lansing, MI, KCP Intiative, with any questions (517-373-0273) or snitgenm@michigan.gov.