College of Sciences and Arts Newsblog

Category: Chemistry

CSA Students Observe Climate Issues and Initiatives  at United Nations Conference

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A large three-dimensional sign saying #COP29 stands in front of a green interior wall. The wall above the sign reads, “In solidarity for a Green World”.
Four Huskies attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP 29, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

For the fifth year, Huskies attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference to observe the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change, also known as COP 29. COP 29 stands for the 29th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a landmark international treaty agreed in 1992, and parent treaty to the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Lexi Tater stands in front of an exterior glass arch, a sign which reads, “COP29 Baku Azerbaijan.”
Lexi Tater was one of two students who observed COP29 in Azerbaijan.
A few hundred attendees attend an indoor panel discussion at COP29.
Around 40,000 registered participants attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference each year.

Michigan Tech was granted observer status in 2019 after a year-long admittance process, and has sent students and faculty to every COP held since. Around 40,000 registered participants attend the conference each year. Entry to the U.N.-regulated Blue Zone offers Michigan Technological University students the opportunity of a lifetime to observe negotiations and connect with global policymakers. 

The conference took place November 11 to 22. Chemistry professor emerita Sarah Green and social sciences interim chair Mark Rouleau accompanied PhD candidate Jessica Czarnecki and Lexi Tater ’25, who is studying for a master’s degree in sustainable communities, to Baku, Azerbaijan for the event. 

COP29 brought together world leaders and negotiators from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from around the globe. Business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society shared insights and best practices to strengthen global, collective, and inclusive climate action.

About the College of Sciences and Arts

The College of Sciences and Arts is a global center of academic excellence in the sciences, humanities, and arts for a technological world. Our teacher-scholar model is a foundation for experiential learning, innovative research and scholarship, and civic leadership. The College offers 33 bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences, chemistry, humanities, kinesiology and Integrative physiology, mathematical sciences, physics, psychology and human factors, social sciences, and visual and performing arts. We are home to Michigan Tech’s pre-health professions and ROTC programs. The College offers 24 graduate degrees and certificates. We conduct approximately $12 million in externally funded research in health and wellness, sustainability and resiliency, and the human-technology frontier.

Follow the College on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn,  X and the CSA blog. Questions? Contact us at csa@mtu.edu.

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Five Alumni Inducted Into College of Sciences and Arts Academy

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From left, Leann Nitschke, Carly Robinson, Ping Yang, CSA Dean LaReesa Wolfenbarger, Gary Karicky, and Kimberly Hilton
at the College of Sciences and Arts Academy induction ceremony on Sept. 19. (Image courtesy Kelly Steelman).

Earlier this fall, the Michigan Tech College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) gathered to celebrate the induction of five remarkable and accomplished alumni into the CSA Academy.

Dean LaReesa Wolfenbarger hosted the ceremony honoring these alumni and their contributions to a better tomorrow, which run the gamut from advancing scientific discovery to serving the nation and their communities through defense readiness, healthcare, education, and public engagement.

This year’s CSA Academy inductees are Kimberly Hilton; Gary A. Karicky M.D.; Leann Nitschke, M.D.; Carly Robinson; and Ping Yang.

Kimberly Hilton, '91
Kimberly Hilton, ’91

Hilton, a professor of chemistry at Southwestern Florida State College, is a distinguished science education influencer known as Chemical Kim. Hilton, who makes frequent media and TV appearances, has amassed a following of millions on social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Chemical Kim is dedicated to enhancing chemistry education at community colleges and high schools, leveraging technology in science education, and fostering inclusion within the field. Hilton, who earned a BS in chemistry and secondary education certification at Michigan Tech in 1991, was featured in the 2024 issue of Tech Magazine.

Learn more about Hilton in her Michigan Tech Alumni profile.

Gary Krasicky, ’77
Gary Krasicky, ’77

Dr. Gary Krasicky, M.D., graduated from Michigan Tech with high honors, earning a BS in chemistry in 1977. Krasicky went on to complete his studies at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he took specialty training in radiology and nuclear medicine before a four-year Air Force tour as chief of nuclear medicine at Malcolm Grow USAF Medical Center in the Washington, DC area. A Michigan Tech Alumni Board of Managers member from 1982-86, Krasicky entered private practice in 1990, starting a nuclear medicine service at Inova Fairfax Hospital in the radiology practice at Fairfax Radiological Consultants in Northern Virginia. He served as director and radiation safety officer until his retirement in 2004.
Learn more about Krasicky in his Michigan Tech Alumni profile.

Leann Nitschke, ’84
Leann Nitschke, ’84

Dr. Leann Nitschke, M.D., graduated from Michigan Tech in 1984 with a BS in biological sciences. She and fellow ’84 alum Matthew Nitschke married three weeks after graduation and were together for nearly 31 years before Matthew’s passing in 2015. 

She joined the Army National Guard in 1987, serving as a company commander and assistant state surgeon/acting deputy commander of the Illinois state health directorate.

Nitschke earned her M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1988 and a master’s of business administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2004. After completing her general surgery residency in 1994, Nitschke became board-certified in general surgery, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a certified physician executive, and a fellow in the American College of Physician Executives.

Nitschke entered private practice in Effingham, Illinois, serving as chief of surgery and chief of staff. She was on active duty from 2003-2008 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and Fort Drum, New York.

Nitschke retired as a soldier in 2008 with the rank of colonel and entered civil service as a Department of the Army civilian employee. Her civil service career started at Fort Drum, New York as medical director of the Warrior Transition Unit and Medical Evaluation Board service. Next, she served at Fort Carson, Colorado as director of the integrated disability evaluation service, and then at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington as a physician adjudicator for the Physical Evaluation Board. During her tenure at Fort Carson, she served as a member of Rapid Process Improvement / Lean Six Sigma project combining assets from the Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA), Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA), and Department of Defense (DoD) to develop, test, and fully implement the new integrated disability evaluation process which became the standard across the Army and Veteran Affairs.
Learn more about Nitschke in her Michigan Tech Alumni profile.

Carly Robinson, ’07
Carly Robinson, ’07

Dr. Carly Robinson graduated from Michigan Tech in 2007 with a BS in applied physics. Robinson is the assistant director for information products and services in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information. She leads multiple teams, including those overseeing the management of DOE research and development (R&D) search tools; curating DOE-funded R&D results and associated information; and providing persistent identifier services for DOE and other federal agencies. Robinson was an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Robinson continues to co-author publications on open science practices and gives invited talks in the US and internationally about open science.
Learn more about Robinson in her Michigan Tech Alumni profile.

Ping Yang, ’05
Ping Yang, ’05

Dr. Ping Yang earned her PhD in chemistry at Michigan Tech in 2005. The deputy director of the G.T. Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science and a staff scientist in the Physics and Chemistry of Materials group of the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Yang has extensive experience in computational approaches to modeling electronic structure and reactivity of actinides, surface chemistry, and nanomaterials in solution environments. She has published more than 140 papers and given over 90 invited presentations.

Learn more about Yang in her Michigan Tech Alumni profile. 

The inductees join a distinguished group of alumni selected as members of the Michigan Technological University Academies. The honor acknowledges their extraordinary achievements as educators, mentors, catalysts, visionaries, and creators that personify the University’s commitment to excellence.

Inductees, nominated by current and emeritus faculty, are selected by consensus based on noteworthy, impactful accomplishments including exemplary public service, outstanding leadership in civic affairs, leading-edge professional performance, and other outstanding contributions to the growth and development of their disciplines within the University and throughout the world.

About the College of Sciences and Arts

The College of Sciences and Arts strives to be a global center of academic excellence in the sciences, humanities, and arts for an increasingly technological world. Our teacher-scholar model provides the foundation for experiential learning, innovative research and scholarship, and civic leadership. The College offers 33 bachelor’s degrees and 25 graduate degrees and certificates. The College conducts approximately $12,000,000 in externally funded research in health and wellness, sustainability and resiliency, and the human-technology frontier.

Follow the College on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn,  X and the CSA blog. Questions? Contact us at csa@mtu.edu.

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CSA Researchers Participate in first TechTalks

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Screen Shot 2016-11-16 at 11.55.24 AMOn Thursday, November 10, 2016, several researchers gave two minute presentations for the inaugural TechTalks session of the Michigan Tech Research Forum. Seven of the 13 researchers presented work from CSA disciplines, including the Distinguished Lecture:

  • Steven Elmer– Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Exercise As a Form of Medicine
  • Yang Yang – Department of Mathematical Sciences, Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations
  • Selin Philip – Department of Coginitive and Learning Sciences, Creating a Culture of Better Mental/Behavioral Health among the American Indians in the Keweenaw
  • Loredana Valenzano– Department of Chemistry, Molecules, Surfaces, Crystals: A Quantum Chemical Quest from Fundamentals to Applications.
  • Nabanita Saikia – Department of Physics, Emergent Frontiers in 2D Nanomaterials for Biomolecular Recongition and Self-Assembly.
  • Lynn Mazzoleni– Department of Chemistry, Introducing the New 2D-Liquid Chromatograph and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer in the Chemical Advanced Resoulation Methods (ChARM) Core Facility at Michigan Tech.
  • Tarum Dam – Department of Chemistry, Enriching Health-Related Research Through Glycobiological Approaches.

Michigan Tech Research Forum events are presented by the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in coordination with the Office of the Vice President of Research. Additional TechTalks sessions are coming up in Spring 2017. Interested in nominating yourself or others? Use this online form.

Browse the Twitter conversations in “TechTalks 2016: Take One,” by Allison Mills.

Distinguished Lecture –image151928-pers

Richelle Winkler gave the inaugural Michigan Tech Research Forum Distinguished Lecture on Thursday, October 13 at 4:00 p.m. in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge. She discussed Making Research Matter: Democratizing Science and Other Lofty Goals.

Professor Hugh Gorman nominated Winkler, an associate professor of sociology and demography, for “community engaged scholarship” that extends across the Michigan Tech campus. Examples of Winkler’s projects include examining the feasibility—social and technical—of using mine water for geothermal heating systems in Calumet and examining the social, economic, and technical aspects of improving recycling in Houghton County. Both projects involve students and community members, and both have real impact in the communities. Winkler also conducts research on the changing demographics of anglers and hunters—and the implications for policy. She presented on this subject at the Department of Biological Sciences last spring.

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