Technical Writer, Center for Technology and Training

When I first began at Michigan Tech, I was very daunted by the idea of presenting a portfolio in order to graduate, but my internship with the Center for Technology & Training in the Civil Engineering Department at Tech has given me many opportunities to work on meaningful projects that help build that portfolio.

As a technical writer intern, the projects I work on directly relate to my STC degree and are building confidence in my abilities as a technical writer while affirming my decision to pursue my major. My supervisor and all the full-time staff that work for the CTT are all super patient and extremely nice. It is also great to work with so many interns from all corners of the college because it allows me to learn from their skills and make connections.

This semester there are 12 interns working at the CTT, including three STC students, software-related majors, mechanical engineers, and civil engineers. All of us Humanities students have a comradery from working and taking classes together, although the projects we work on at our internship are very different from each other. The CTT seems to have endless amounts of work involving a spectrum of projects. I primarily work to design manuals, flyers, workbooks, presentations, and other teaching materials aimed towards educating local agencies and civil engineers on the latest research, information, and practices. I also write articles for The Bridge newsletter, which is distributed throughout the state. It is rewarding to see my writing and designs in print. 

The CTT is a great place to work because they know their workload is huge and that they need a strong team of interns in order to accomplish everything, so interns and the work they do are truly valued. This also means they are always looking for additional interns, so venture across to Dillman 309 and see what they’re all about like I did!

— Sarah Lindbeck, STC

Virtual Semester-End Party

HU Virtual Graduation

Graduating Seniors:

Faculty, staff, students, families, and friends gathered virtually on Thursday, April 30th to celebrate the graduation of 11 undergraduate majors and 2 Masters students as well as to honor retirees Dr Karla Kitalong and Dr. Dieter Adolphs. Advisor Maria Bergstrom was the commencement speaker and Dean David Hemmer congratulated the graduates. Dr. Ramon Fonkoue, RTC Graduate Director, announced

Communication, Culture, and Media

  • Britni Ashburn
  • Sam Clement (Cum Laude)
  • Serena Fournier
  • Abby Kuehne (Cum Laude)
  • Vrushabh Malgatte

English

  • Rebecca Barkdoll (Summa cum Laude)
  • Mariah Clement

Scientific and Technical Communication, BA

  • Liam Andersen (Magna cum Laude
  • Sarah Lindbeck (Magna cum Laude)
  • Ted Nachazel
  • Jayleen Rossi (Summa cum Laude)
  • Piper Schlaeppi
  • Alex Smith
  • Cori Van Ostran

Scientific and Technical Communication, BS

  • Joell Erchul
  • Lynde Oddo
  • Paige Short (Summa cum Laude)
  • Scott Sviland

Masters degree in Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture

  • Erin Terbrack
  • Neh Claudia Soh

Reid DeVoge Graduates from FBI Academy

by Administration

The Department of Public Safety and Police Services announced that Detective Lieutenant Reid DeVoge recently graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy (FBINA) in Quantico, Virginia.

The graduating class consisted of men and women from 49 states and the District of Columbia. The class included members of law enforcement agencies from 32 countries, five military organizations and eight federal civilian organizations. Of the 250 graduates, seven are from institutions of higher education.

The FBI National Academy is a professional course of study for U.S. and International law enforcement leaders that serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide.

Internationally known for its academic excellence, the National Academy offers 10 weeks of undergraduate and/or graduate college courses in the following areas: law, behavioral science, forensic science, understanding terrorist mindsets, leadership development, communication and health/fitness.

DeVoge has served with the Department of Public Safety and Police Services since November 2009. He is also a student in the Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture

RTC Student Officers in GSG

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) has elected its Executive Board for the 2020-2021 session. The new Executive Board members include two RTC students: Aaron Hoover will serve as Secretary and Marina Choy will continue as Public Relations Chair. The roster of officers is below.

  • Nathan Ford (MEEM), President
  • Michael Maurer (ECE), Vice-President
  • Aaron Hoover (Humanities), Secretary
  • Laura Schaerer (Biological Sciences), Treasurer
  • Sarvada Chipkar (Chemical Engineering), Research Chair
  • Yasasya Batugedara (Mathematical Sciences), Professional Development Chair
  • Eric Pearson (Chemical Engineering), Social Chair
  • Marina Choy (Humanities), Public Relations Chair

The new Executive Board will assume office on May 1.

11th Annual Feminists Reading Feminists

closeup of a young caucasian woman in pajamas reading a book in bed

Join us for the 11th annual Feminists Reading Feminists event hosted by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) and the Humanities Department. Help us pay homage to the contributions of diverse feminist scholars and activists who have inspired us and continue to shape our evolving world.

The event will be held at 4 p.m. tomorrow (March 31) via ZOOM. We encourage you to sign up through our Google form ahead of time (or submit a video/picture through the Google form if you cannot attend) and at our virtual event via ZOOM, be prepared to share a chosen passage from your favorite text, your favorite video/audio clip, or simply participate by listening and engaging with those sharing.

Your selection should take five minutes or less to read or view. Prose, poetry and media are welcome. There will be time at the end for those who did not sign up ahead of time to participate in an open reading, ALL are welcome. Please join us virtually to engage in meaningful dialogue and celebrating the women’s history month – near and far – as a community. If you’re part of the dialogue, you’re part of the solution.

Modern Languages Spring Film Series Tonight

The Modern Languages program in the Humanities Department has the honor to present this year’s Spring Film Series with the theme of “New Classics”. The first screening will be the French film La Vie en Rose (in French La Mome) at 7 p.m. tonight (Feb. 27) in Walker 134.

In this film, Marion Cotillard portrays Edith Piaf, the legendary French singer who was raised by her grandmother in a Normandy bordello and then discovered on a French street corner by cabaret proprietor Louis Leplée (Gérard Depardieu). Despite her success, Piaf’s life was filled with tragedy.

This event is free and open to the public. 

Our next two films on March 19 (Spanish) and April 2 (German) are cancelled.

GSG Merit Awards – Winners Announced

This years awardees for the Graduate Student Government Merit Awards have been decided. A total of 88 nominations were received from departments all across campus. The decision process was not an easy one as there was a very strong pool of nominations this year. We are very grateful to all of our nominees for all of the work they put in to improve and enrich the life of our graduate students.

Without further ado, here are the award winners:

  • Exceptional Staff Member – Claire Wiitanen, Administrative Aide from the Physics Department
  • Exceptional Graduate Mentor – Victoria Bergvall, Associate Professor of Linguistics, Humanities
  • Exceptional Student Leader – Jacob Blazejewski, a PhD student from Mathematical Sciences
  • Exceptional Student Scholar – Nancy Henaku, a PhD student from Humanities

Congratulations to our winners and all you have done for our graduate students!

PhD Candidates Celebrated at Advancement to Candidacy Ceremony

RTC PhD candidates were celebrated at the first annual Advancement to Candidacy Ceremony conducted by the Graduate School for all ABD students. Attending the ceremony with their advisors were the following:

Gabriel Edzordzi Agbozo (advisor Dr. Vicky Bergvall)
Nada Mohammad A. Alfeir (advisor Dr. Patty Sotirin)
Joshua Chase (advisor Dr. Abraham Romney)
Marina Choy (advisor Dr. Patty Sotirin)
Geethu Madeckal Jose (advisor Dr. Patty Sotirin)
Sara T. Potter (advisor Dr. Patty Sotirin)
Hua Wang (advisor Dr. Marika Seigel)