Category: Academics

The Dean’s Teaching Showcase nominee for this week comes from the College of Sciences and Arts. Dean Bruce Seely has chosen to recognize Scott Kuhl, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science with an adjunct appointment in Cognitive and Learning Sciences. Dean Seely values “what Scott Kuhl attempts to accomplish as a teacher mainly for the mindset he employs, and less for the specific teaching techniques has adopted.” He notes that Scott “does not differentiate between regular classes, summer youth and support for Enterprise activities as educational venues—but approaches all with the goal of creating a fun and motivating environment.”

In his more traditional courses, Scott does attribute his teaching success to specific techniques, like providing detailed assignment descriptions with numerous tips to “help get students going in the right direction.” He also provides numerous examples, some of which he walks through in class in detail, and encourages students to share additional examples with each other. Finally, he emphasizes prompt feedback for his students. He has accomplished this by creating an automatic grading program which provides a “provides a transparent, well-defined set of expectations for assignments” and a score that can be adjusted by an instructor or grader as necessary. He’s even willing to share this tool with those interested.

Kuhl is also focused on continual improvement. Though the Husky Game Development (HGD) Enterprise he leads is focused on games, he attributes its dramatic growth under his leadership to a careful cycle of feedback, change and evaluation. He sees the value of interdisciplinary teamwork, communication, development and management for students in HGD, and has led the group in both publishing academic papers and receiving sponsorship from both Chrysler and the Department of Labor.

Scott will be formally recognized with the 11 other Dean’s Teaching Showcase nominees at a luncheon near the end of spring term. Please join Dean Seely, computer science chair Min Song and the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning in thanking Scott for his outstanding contributions to the teaching mission of the College of Sciences and Arts.

From Tech Today, by Mike Meyer, director, William G. Jackson CTL.

Bruce Seely (CSA), “ADVANCE: Advancing Science and Engineering Women into Leadership,” Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Read more at Tech Today.

The College of Sciences and Arts welcomes new faculty and congratulates existing faculty who have now accepted tenure-track and lecturer positions.

For more about new faculty, see the PowerPoint slides presented at the New Faculty Orientation.

Biological Sciences
Ebenezer Tumban, PhD

Chemistry
Xiaohu Xia, PhD

Cognitive and Learning Sciences
Amy Lark, PhD

Humanities
Leyre Alegre-Figuero, MA
Carlos Amador, PhD
Sara Amani, PhD
Andrew Fiss, PhD
Dana Van Kooy, PhD
Marcelino Viera-Ramos, PhD
Audrey Viguier, PhD

Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
Steven Elmer, PhD

Mathematical Sciences
Seokwoo Choi, PhD
Cecile Piret, PhD
Yeonwoo Rho, PhD

Physics
Jae Yong Suh, PhD

Social Sciences
Donald Lafreniere, PhD

Visual and Performing Arts
Lisa Johnson, MFA

Read more at Tech Today.

Associate Professor Charles Wallace (CS) has been chosen as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador. Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors are selected competitively for two-year terms. During that time, they present information on their Fulbright experience at campus workshops, academic conferences and other venues.

Read more at Tech Today.

Provost Max Seel has announced that he will be returning to the faculty as soon as a successor is found and can begin work. Seel has served as Michigan Tech’s provost since February 2010.

“Max has done an outstanding job as provost during what is arguably a tipping point for Michigan Tech,” said President Glenn Mroz. “Well over half the tenured and tenure-track faculty have been hired on his watch, and working with the deans, chairs, exec team, Board of Control and Senate, he’s moved the University toward our long-range goal and vision.”

Read more at Tech Today, by Jenn Donovan, director of news and media relations.

Physical therapy doctoral program offered at Michigan Tech

So far, 12 students are registered for the program at Michigan Tech and will receive their degree from Central Michigan University. Michigan Tech administrators say the partnership will be a good demonstration on how universities can work together.

“They more importantly have a strong connection of what are called clinical sites because students do hands-on training in real hospitals and clinics and offices and it takes a long time to build a clinical network,” says Bruce Seely, Dean of the College of Science and Arts at Michigan Tech. “So we have that to gain from central. They have our research reputation.”

Read more at Upper Michigans Source, by Sarah Blakely.

See also Michigan Tech, Central Michigan University Launch Collaborative Physical Therapy Doctoral Program in Michigan Tech News.

Last spring, the Center for Teaching and Learning’s second annual Creative Canvas Course Contest (C-4) saw students nominate Canvas courses from almost every department that they felt were intuitive and easy to navigate, provided convenient access to course information and materials, and offered resources and activities that helped them succeed.

Of the nine courses were selected, three were by faculty in the College of Sciences and Arts:

* HU3151, Assistant Professor Lauren M. Bowen (HU) 
* CH1160, Associate Professor Paul Charlesworth (Chem)
* FA3650, Assistant Professor Kalen Larson (VPA)

Read more at Tech Today.

Senior Lecturer Erin Smith, director of the Humanities Digital Media Zone, and alumna Suzanne Jurva ’82 have been named the Finlandia Foundation National’s Lecturers of the Year for 2014. The filmmaking team produced the documentary, Yoopera!

The film’s title combines the word for UP residents–Yoopers–and the Finnish word for opera–ooppera. The documentary tells the story of the collaboration of Finnish and American talent in the making of “Rockland: the Opera,” an opera that focuses on events around the shooting deaths of two Finnish miners during a labor strike in the UP mining town of Rockland in 1906. “Rockland: the Opera” premiered in Houghton and in Finland in 2011.

“Our film looks at how our small, remote community was able to commission a major opera and build an audience for it through the efforts of community artist Mary Wright and her Story Line Project,” says Smith. “We are just completing a new edit of the film for submission to film festivals and are screening the film at various Finlandia Foundation chapter events around the country this year.”

Jurva, an award-winning filmmaker and Michigan native who now lives in Atlanta, directed and produced the documentary. Smith, who teaches digital media and film at Michigan Tech, is its editor.

From Tech Today.

Professor Emeritus Robert H. “Bob” Mount, a longtime member of the physics faculty, passed away July 2 at his home in Hancock. He was 86 years old.

Mount came to Michigan Tech in 1954 from Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co., where he was employed as the chief geologist. He retired from the University in 2000. For much of his career, he taught introductory physics courses. “His 46 years of service is the second-longest in department history—the longest being James Fisher,” said physics professor Bryan Suits.

His colleagues remember Mount as health conscious. “His extensive early-morning exercise routine was very important to him,” Suits said. “He would retire early so he could get up at 3 or 4 a.m. to do his workout. Hence, he often passed when it came to attending the department’s evening events—they were past his bedtime.”

Read more at Tech Today.