Psychology and Human Factors News

Free Rides on the Agassiz at Strawberry Fest Saturday

The public is invited to see first-hand how scientists assess the health of Lake Superior, during free half-hour rides on Michigan Tech’s research vessel Agassiz this Saturday afternoon during the Copper Country Strawberry Festival in Chassell.

“Copper Country residents and visitors are encouraged to learn how scientists study the Great Lakes and what factors contribute to a healthy lake,” said Joan Chadde, education program director of the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education, a sponsor of the event along with the GLRC.

Read more at Tech Today.

65th Annual Copper Country Strawberry Festival Schedule of Events

Preparing for the Chassell Strawberry Festival

The 2013 Copper Country Strawberry Festival will be held Friday and Saturday, July 12 and 13, in Chassell. The event is also known as the Chassell Strawberry Festival.

Read more and watch the video at Upper Michigans Source, by Sarah Blakely.

Chassell readies for 65th Copper Country Strawberry Festival

Many of today’s events, such as the quilt show, wagon rides, and arts and crafts, continue into Saturday. They’re joined by other events, including the parade at 11 a.m., the Friends of Fashion show, a chicken barbecue, a pancake breakfast, children’s games and 45-minute voyages aboard the Agassiz research vessel.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese.

Strawberry Festival to feature free Agassiz rides

During each ride, a Great Lakes scientist will demonstrate the use of sampling equipment to collect plankton, sediment and other water quality information that provide data about the health of the lake, or in this case, Chassell Bay.

Microscopes aboard will enable participants to view the organisms collected.

Read more at the Mining Gazette.

John Irwin (SoT) has received $212,026 from the Michigan Department of Education for an 18-month long project “Improving Teacher Quality-Educators’ Professional Development Institute Series (EPDIS)-Biological Sciences.”

From Tech Today.

Katelyn Sutton has received the Outstanding Teacher award for Spring 2013. The Outstanding Student Teacher award recognizes excellence in student teaching.

Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program

Seven middle and high school teachers will arrive at Michigan Tech on July 8 for a 6-week research experience for teachers program, an NSF-funded project run out of the Sustainable Futures Institute and directed by David Shonnard (ChE), Robbins Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. The focus of the research experience is on forest-based biofuels (Wood-to-Wheels) in three research thrusts.

Teachers will also help develop laboratory exercises and “kits” to take back to their schools and implement in their labs. Other faculty participants on the project include Bradley Baltensperger (CLS) and Kedmon Hungwe (CLS) as well as Shawn Oppliger (CLS), the director of the Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education.

Read more at Tech Today.

Copper Country Youth Invited to Ride the Waves on Michigan Tech’s Agassiz

Copper Country school students in grades 4-12 are being invited to participate in guided explorations of Lake Superior and its tributaries this summer, on Michigan Tech’s research vessel Agassiz. The program, called “Ride the Waves with GM,” is sponsored by General Motors and Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center.

For more information or to make reservations, contact Joan Chadde, jchadde@mtu.edu, 7-3341.

Read more at Tech Today.

Schoolchildren Ride the Waves on the Agassiz

Schoolchildren in grades 7-12 will get a hands-on look at Great Lakes research during free rides on Michigan Tech’s Research Vessel Agassiz next week. Ride the Waves is a science education project sponsored by General Motors and the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Tech.

On Monday, July 1, 9th and 10th graders will ride the waves on Keweenaw Bay, learning about remotely operated vehicles. Four-hour trips will leave the South Entry at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

A mine waste remediation and Torch Lake restoration tour is scheduled for Wednesday, July 3, for 7th and 8th graders.

On Friday, July 5, 11th and 12th graders will take two 4-hour Lake Superior Ring of Fire excursions. The Agassiz will leave from Lily Pond at 8:30 a.m. and again at 1 p.m.

Trips are scheduled for 4th, 5th and 6th graders later in July. So are more trips for 7th through 12th graders.

For more information, contact Joan Chadde, jchadde@mtu.edu, 906-369-1121.

From Tech Today.

The 2013 Great Lakes Maritime Transportation Summer Institute takes place July 23-26. The theme is maritime transportation and ship-building in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Application deadline is June 14, 2013.

See the other Summer Institutes for Teachers.

The Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education has extended the application deadlines for its Summer Teacher Institutes to June 14, 2013.

These institutes include:

• Great Lakes Investigations
• Global Change
• Forest Ecology and Resources
• Great Lakes Maritime Transportation

Tech choir tours Eastern Europe

The former area of Yugoslavia conjures up images of war and civil unrest for many people, but for some members of the Michigan Tech Concert Choir, the Eastern European region is where many great memories were recently made.

Seeing first-hand the region’s sad history was an eye-opening experience for many choir members, including the 15 student-age singers, many of whom had taken a class prior to going on the trip taught by Tech professor Brad Baltensperger about the region.

“I thought the trip was an absolutely fantastic experience,” said third-year biology major Emily Jarvi, who has been singing with the choir since her first semester at Tech. “We saw a lot of different places and were able to share our music with the people there.”

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Stephen Anderson.

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