The Graduate School is switching to imaged documents for students’ Masters forms on July 1, 2009. Before that date we have scheduled two training sessions conducted by Jarrod Karau.
Session 1: Monday June 15th from 10-11am in MUB Ballroom B
Session 2: Thursday June 18th from 3-4pm in MUB Ballroom A1
Graduate Assistants and any other department members are welcome to attend.
Please RSVP to Patt Ross (peross@mtu.edu) for the session you plan to attend.
Applications for fall Finishing Fellowships are now open. The Graduate School anticipates funding up to 10 fellowships per semester with support ranging from $2,000 to full support (stipend plus tuition). Applications are due to the Graduate School no later than 4pm on June 26th.
Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:
Refer to our web page for full details regarding eligibility, application procedure, and evaluation criteria. Our online presentation also provides some tips to prepare your application.
Contact Debra Charlesworth or Heather Suokas with additional questions.
Update: View this seminar online. See the 2009 Archives. It will be online for approximately one year.
Are you planning on finishing your thesis or dissertation this semester or next semester? Do you assist students submitting theses or dissertations? If you answered yes to either of those questions, please join the Graduate School at our next seminar designed to help students, faculty, and staff better understand current procedures and have all of their questions answered.
Join Debra Charlesworth of the Graduate School for a description of online submission of a thesis or dissertation from start to finish. This seminar will be useful to students preparing their documents as well as faculty and staff who assist students. We will also introduce a new dynamic form, which is part of our continuing effort to reduce the number of forms students need to complete and make them easier to complete correctly. The seminar will be May 21st at 2:00pm.
Please register for the event at our online registration site:
http://www.gradschool2.mtu.edu/registration/events/
Once you register, you will receive a confirmation with the location and a reminder of the date and time. Space is limited, so register early! The seminar will be taped and available online for those unable to join us at this time.
To graduate in the spring semester 2009, graduate students must have all final paperwork submitted and approved no later than May 11th by 4pm. All forms are online with a detailed list for each degree type. Final items typically include:
Students should contact Nancy Byers Sprague for questions related to degree auditing, and Debra Charlesworth for questions related to theses and dissertations.
by Jennifer Donovan, public relations director
Some of the most pressing problems facing the world today–climate change, earthquakes and volcanoes, energy and water resources–are in a field of science most Americans haven’t studied since their middle-school earth science class. So Michigan Tech is partnering with the Grand Rapids Public Schools and other groups in Michigan, Washington, DC and Colorado to help students learn more about the earth.
The new program, called MiTEP (Michigan Teaching Excellence Program), is funded by a $4 million, five-year National Science Foundation Math Science Partnership grant. It brings university geoscience researchers and middle-school teachers together to identify ways to make earth science more exciting and meaningful to middle-school students.
In the process, the project hopes to motivate more young people to consider further education and careers in science, technology, engineering and math, fields known collectively as STEM. Educators nationwide have expressed concern about a declining interest in STEM among today’s students. STEM professionals are in high demand and are viewed as critical in our nation’s effort to maintain its leadership role in the world’s economy.
“Middle school earth science is a particularly important area because it is often the first secondary science course taken by students,” said Jacqueline Huntoon, dean of the Graduate School. The MiTEP partners believe that if students have a good experience in their middle-school course, they will be enthusiastic about taking more science in high school. Students who like science are more likely to do well in their science classes, so improving attitudes early on may have long-term benefits.
MiTEP will use an innovative approach to improving student learning by bringing together practicing scientists and Grand Rapids teachers to collaborate on improving instruction. Active partners in addition to Michigan Tech and the Grand Rapids Public Schools include the Grand Rapids Area Pre-College Engineering Program (GRAPCEP), the American Geological Institute, the National Park Service, Grand Valley State University and the Colorado School of Mines.
Sleeping Dunes National Park and Keweenaw National Historical Park will also be key players. “We recognize and want to fully utilize the power of place in teaching,” Huntoon explained.
Ann Benbow, director of education and outreach at the American Geological Institute, is excited about participating in the new program. “This new research-based program will help those in the geoscience education community to make better-informed decisions when designing earth science curricula, implementing instruction and providing professional development opportunities for teachers,” she said.
Unlike many educational fix-it projects, MiTEP researchers will work closely with the classroom teachers and school district representatives to collect information to help them identify effective ways to improve student learning and attitudes. Teachers have a real leadership role in the project. Teachers’ input is being used by the researchers to develop professional development activities that are tailored to meet the needs of the Grand Rapids schools. Curricula and teaching methods developed for the MiTEP project will be carefully evaluated to determine which are most effective in improving student learning.
“We’re talking about a fundamental and much-needed study of how to best reform science education, one that could make an enormous difference to the future of our nation,” said Huntoon.
“This project has tremendous potential because Michigan’s educational issues are typical. This project could serve as a template for improving STEM education throughout the country,” added Bill Rose, a professor of geology and lead researcher on the project.
Grand Rapids Public School science teachers are being recruited now for two weeks of intensive training in June, one week on the Michigan Tech campus and the other in Grand Rapids. The grant will cover substantial teacher stipends, travel funds, equipment and supplies and release time for professional development. Participating teachers can also earn up to 20 graduate credit hours at no cost.
“We are pleased to be part of an opportunity that allows our great teachers to strengthen their content knowledge and bolster our curriculum with real-life experiences,” said Bill Smith, science curriculum supervisor for the Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Announced in Tech Today.
The Michigan Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors has announced the recipients of the 2009 Alumni Association Awards:
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Michelle Boven ’99
BS in Mechanical Engineering
Honorary Alumni Award
Betty Chavis, recruiting consultant, Graduate School
Outstanding Service Award
John Calder ’67, ’76
BS in Mechanical Engineering, MS in Business Administration
Distinguished Alumni Award
Frank Pavlis ’38
BS in Chemical Engineering
For more information, click here.
Effective summer session 2009, binding fees for a thesis, report, or dissertation will increase due to increased charges from our bindery. Students completing their degree requirements in summer 2009 will need to discard any old bindery forms (TD-Bindery) they have downloaded and complete the new form that will be available beginning May 12, 2009.
Summary of fees beginning in summer:
To support campus visits for leading graduate student candidates, the Graduate School has set aside $1,000 per department, with a maximum of $500 per student. Students who have applied for the highest degree offered by the program are eligible. Multiple requests may be submitted to utilize the $1,000 any time prior to June 1. Special consideration will be given to requests that contribute to meeting the University’s strategic goal of attracting and supporting a world-class and diverse student population.
Requests for campus visit funding can be submitted online.
The Graduate School is available to assist departments with campus visits. For more information, contact Jodi Lehman or Jacque Smith at 487-2327.
We are excited to launch our new web site. We hope that you enjoy the new features and find it easy to find the information you need.
The Graduate School is accepting nominations for Summer and Fall 2009 Doctoral Finishing Fellowships. The Graduate School anticipates funding up to 10 fellowships per semester with support ranging from $2,000 to full support (stipend plus tuition).
Applications are due Monday, March 16th at 4pm in the Graduate School.
Full details can be found in Tech Today or on the web.
Please direct any questions to Debra Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) or Heather Suokas (hlsuokas@mtu.edu).
