Michigan Tech’s College of Sciences and Arts welcomes Rodica Curtu as the new chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, effective July 1. Curtu comes to Michigan Tech from the University of Iowa, where she recently brought the math graduate program into the Internship Network in the Mathematical Sciences and served as faculty senate president.
Michigan Tech’s psychology program celebrated its 20th anniversary in academic year 2024-25—and also marked its best year yet for research funding.
Michigan Tech chemistry alumna Amiee (Larchar) Modic ’84 earned the 2025 James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching for her authenticity, enthusiasm, and ability to inspire.
Mary Christine Stevens, undergraduate student speaker for the 2025 spring commencement, has sampled much of what Michigan Tech has to offer during her time as a student—a philosophy she happily passes on to current and future students. As Stevens prepares to graduate from Michigan Tech and Pavlis Honors College, she looks back on the time spent earning her bachelor of arts in English with a minor in French, she recalls the advice she received from her father when she first started her college journey.
“He told me to try everything,” Stevens said. “College is the last time in life you’ll have this much freedom and these few responsibilities.”
Thomas Werner, a North American fruit fly expert, entomologist and biological sciences professor of genetics and developmental biology is celebrating the release of his latest volume documenting fruit flies across the continent—and Huskies are invited.
Whether it’s a rave in the hot sun throwing beach balls and sipping fruity drinks or a long, relaxing week on the couch, the spring-breaker stereotype doesn’t typically involve long hours of learning and labor. But thanks to Michigan Tech Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI), Huskies have options. Alternative Spring Break (ASB) gives students across campus the opportunity to spend their time off serving communities around the world—and having a different kind of fun in the process.
Nyasha Milanzi wasn’t entirely surprised to win the Rising Black Scientists Award. She had a feeling. And she’d worked hard on her application.
“This is probably coincidental, but I actually wrote in my diary that I was going to win the prize after I submitted it,” said the graduate research assistant, who is slated to receive her master’s degree in sustainable communities this year. “I felt my essay was well written and thought I was going to win the prize, so I wrote it down.”
Michigan Tech visual and performing arts students explore big questions through art. Allison Lewis ’26, a theatre and entertainment technology major and art minor, approached the final project for her art and design class by inviting others to share their experiences. The project prompt, “the human condition,” inspired Lewis’ interactive mural of her mother.
The size of the project is deliberate.“My mom is a really large influence in my life and I feel like I carry her with me the most,” said Lewis, “I wanted to not only celebrate her but let people celebrate the people in their lives who influenced them and who they are made up of.”
Discrete mathematics student McCoy Ziehl and fellow Michigan Tech Class of 2025 member Emily Ruf, who is double-majoring in statistics and discrete mathematics, share an inside look at what MTU math majors do in and out of the classroom.
Every year students come together to turn Michigan Tech’s snowy campus into a wonderland of snow statues during Winter Carnival. For many years, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) has provided the soundtrack for the traditional All-nighter, bringing the energy with their signature snow speakers and a rotating cast of volunteer DJs.
Built in the center of the action on Walker Lawn between broomball courts and Husky Plaza, the snow speakers spread music across campus, livening the spirits of statue builders, volunteers, and visitors.