Category: Faculty and Staff

Physicist’s Search for a New Project Leads to Discovery and Publication

View of the HAWC Observatory with mountains in the background
Data from the HAWC Observatory, shown here, was central to the research project. (Image credit: Jordan Goodman/HAWC Collaboration)

When postdoctoral scholar Xiaojie Wang of the Michigan Technological University Physics Department went looking for her next research topic, she found a previously unexplored region and a path to publication.

Wang is lead corresponding author of the article, “Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Bubble around Microquasar V4641 Sgr” recently published in Nature journal. The findings highlighted in the article offer new insights into how microquasars might contribute to the cosmic-ray energy spectrum—a long-standing puzzle in astrophysics.

“While reviewing the sky maps in search of my next project, I noticed a region five degrees away from our galactic plane with bright emissions that had not been visible in previous datasets,” said Wang, who works with Petra Huentemeyer, a distinguished professor of physics at Michigan Tech. “No gamma-ray source has been identified nor analyzed in this region—so I seized the opportunity and led the analysis.”

Xiaojie Wang
Xiaojie Wang, who describes the project as both groundbreaking and challenging, relied on collaboration with the close-knit physics community, including other researchers from Michigan Tech.

Huentemeyer’s group focuses on high-energy astrophysical phenomena and low-level data analysis at the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-ray Observatory (HAWC). The map that caught Wang’s attention was produced by Dezhi Huang, a ’23 Michigan Tech alumnus and previous graduate student in Huentemeyer’s group. Huang was responsible for producing the maps from newly available datasets. Now a postdoc at the University of Maryland, Dezhi continues to work closely with HAWC.

“I shared the discovery with Dezhi and Dr. Huentemeyer, and we were all excited about the potential significance of this new source, especially since no other gamma-ray instruments had reported it. This made the project both groundbreaking and challenging,” said Wang.

“Dr. Huentemeyer has been very supportive, and with the guidance of Dezhi’s current supervisor, Dr. Jordan Goodman, they have contributed greatly to the project’s success,” said Wang. “My role has been central in analyzing the HAWC data, interpreting the results, and collaborating with colleagues from UM-Madison and the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences. Together, we’ve worked to better understand the high-energy emissions from this fascinating source. This project provides new insights into particle acceleration mechanisms in binary systems, and I’m thrilled to have played a key role in this groundbreaking research.”

High-Energy Emissions from a Newly Sighted Microquasar

Wang said the most exciting aspect of the results is the discovery of ultra-high-energy gamma-ray emissions from the microquasar V4641 Sgr. “Microquasars are systems where a black hole or neutron star is pulling material from a nearby star, creating intense radiation and shooting out jets of particles at nearly the speed of light. They’re smaller versions of quasars but still incredibly powerful,” Wang explained. “This is something no other gamma-ray instruments had detected before and marks a major leap in our understanding, as V4641 Sgr is now the first microquasar to show emissions above 200 TeV.” TeV is the abbreviation for teraelectronvolts, a unit of energy equal to one trillion electron volts.

Wang said the discovery pushes the boundaries of what is known about particle acceleration in such systems. “The fact that we detected this using HAWC’s unique capabilities—its wide field of view and continuous sky monitoring—raises new questions about how particles are accelerated in extreme environments like this one,” she said.

Wang said a peanut-shaped emission region researchers observed was another surprising aspect of the findings. “When we analyzed the two parts of this shape, we found nearly identical energy spectra, which strongly suggests they share a common origin—likely the jets or lobes of the microquasar. The photon energies are incredibly high, exceeding 200 TeV, challenging existing models of particle acceleration in microquasars and opening new possibilities for understanding these systems.”

The most current discovery follows previous revelations, including HAWC’s detection of the first discovered microquasar, SS 433, in 2018. That discovery was also led by a Michigan Tech physics research group.

Tracing the Trajectory of the Study

The study started with data from HAWC, the gamma-ray observatory that continuously scans the sky to pick up signals from objects in space, including cosmic rays. When the rays reach Earth’s atmosphere they collide with particles in the atmosphere and create showers of smaller particles known as EAS, or extensive air showers. “Our detectors—large tanks filled with pure water—capture the “Cherenkov lights” produced by these particle showers,” said Wang. “By recording the time and charges, and using advanced techniques like neural networks, we can figure out the type, direction, and energy of the original particles. Once all this is done, tools developed by our team at HAWC help create sky maps, showing where the signals came from and how strong they are. The people responsible for making these maps in HAWC are called map-makers, and Dezhi is one of them.”

Discovering a region in the sky where no gamma-ray studies had been conducted was both exhilarating and challenging. “I applied different statistical models to get a better understanding of the region, estimating how powerful the signal might be. I also spent a significant amount of time searching for possible counterparts—other objects or signals detected in wavelengths like radio, X-ray, and infrared. After carefully reviewing all available data, the microquasar V4641 Sgr emerged as the most likely source responsible for the emissions,” said Wang.

She noted that collaboration was crucial throughout the process. Researchers worked closely with theoretical experts including Huang, Brenda Dingus and Goodman, from the University of Maryland; Ke Fang from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Sabrina Casanova from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences sharing data and insights to refine their interpretations.

Wang was recently a guest on the Nature podcast. Listen to the episode “Star-eating black hole could power cosmic particle accelerator.

“Our findings highlight how collaborative efforts and cutting-edge observational tools can push the frontiers of astrophysics,” said Wang. “But we definitely encountered a few surprises and challenges along the way.”

One of the biggest surprises was the extreme energy of the gamma-ray emissions from the microquasar. Wang said it forced researchers to rethink their understanding of how particles are accelerated and transported in such systems. “On the challenge side, the complexity of the emission region was a major obstacle,” she said. Researchers needed more data in order to confidently determine the best-fit statistical model for the peanut-shaped emission. “The HAWC outrigger array—an upgrade to the current detector—or the future SWGO observatory could provide the additional data needed.”

Impact of the Findings Now and In the Future

“Our findings contribute a new piece to the cosmic-ray puzzle, offering valuable insights into how particles are energized and transported across vast distances,” said Wang. “Understanding these processes is crucial not only for advancing astrophysics but also for unraveling the origins of cosmic rays, which have intrigued scientists for over a century.

“While we don’t see immediate real-world applications, the discoveries we make could have long-term and unforeseen impacts. Often, breakthroughs in basic science lead to technological innovations in surprising and unpredictable ways.”

– Xiaojie Wang, Michigan Tech physicist

Next steps for the research include more detailed physical modeling of V4641 Sgr’s emissions, using multi-wavelength data from X-ray, radio, and gamma-ray observatories. “I successfully proposed follow-up observations with the APEX radio telescope in Chile and am now working on another proposal for follow-up observations using NASA and ESA’s X-ray instruments. We also plan to analyze more extensive observation data with the HAWC outrigger array,” said Wang. “These efforts will help refine our understanding of the source’s emission mechanisms and bring us closer to answering long-standing questions about the origins of the universe’s highest-energy particles.”


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, LinkedInX and the CSA blog. Questions? Contact us at csa@mtu.edu.

Statewide Billboard Campaign, Michigan Words, Features Michigan Tech Associate Professor

One of M. Bartley Seigel’s billboards along US Highway 41 between Negaunee and Marquette.

If you’re traveling through Escanaba, Marquette, Flint, or the metro Detroit area, keep an eye out for a familiar Michigan Tech Humanities Department faculty member. M. Bartley Seigel will be hard to miss. He’s larger than life thanks to Michigan Words, a statewide billboard campaign celebrating contemporary Michigan poets.

A meta moment: M. Bartley Seigel snags a roadside selfie.

The billboards are the capstone project of state of Michigan Poet Laureate, Nandi Comer, who was recently awarded an Academy of American Poets (Mellon Foundation) fellowship in support of her work—Seigel is also a former recipient of this prestigious fellowship. The project also features the work of poets Brittany Rogers, of Detroit, and Jonah Mixon-Webster, of Flint.

How does it feel to be featured on billboards? “Weird and wonderful,” said Seigel. “Being on billboards along Michigan highways is not where I ever expected to find my work, nor my giant face. It’s one of life’s pleasant absurdities. I’m really grateful to Nandi and the Library of Michigan for including me, and I hope it helps bring new and unexpected readers to the magic of poetry.”

Seigel is an associate professor of creative writing and literature in the Department of Humanities, director of the Michigan Tech Writing Center, and faculty advisor to the Michigan Tech Lode, the oldest student organization on campus. His latest poetry collection, In the Bone-Cracking Cold, is forthcoming from Wayne State University Press in March 2025. The 2021-22 Poet Laureate of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Seigel is a long-time advocate for creative writing projects on campus, as well as at the local, state, and national levels, especially in support of emerging and underrepresented writers.


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 FacebookInstagramLinkedIn,  X and the CSA blog. Questions? Contact us at csa@mtu.edu.

Abe Stone: Making a Difference and Making Headlines

Undergraduate researcher Abe Stone records inoculation data in his notebook.

Michigan Tech undergraduate researcher Abe Stone has been garnering headlines for his work. The ecology and evolutionary biology major demonstrates the adage that science isn’t done until it’s communicated. He also illustrates how the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program helps students conduct impactful interdisciplinary research.

Stone was most recently quoted by The Cool Down in a story about SuperPurp, his unconventional fungus-based treatment aimed at controlling the spread of invasive buckthorn trees that threaten to engulf forest landscapes in the Midwest. The story referenced the research’s debut on Michigan Tech’s Unscripted Research Blog, and was picked up by Yahoo! News. Stone was also interviewed by ABC-10 in Marquette.

Stone was a guest on the Mushroom Revival podcast in June to talk about his research journey to Michigan Tech, where he worked to develop a sprayable fungus as a more efficient way to propagate chondrostereum purpureum, the pathogen that causes silverleaf disease in trees. Nicknamed SuperPurp and developed in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science’s forest microbiology lab, it’s a locally sourced chemical-free alternative to control buckthorn that could help to slow the spread of invasive buckthorn without harming nearby species.

Stone received the 2024 Provost’s Award for Scholarship. He was recognized for both exceptional academic success and his depth of research involvement.

Stone, a state-certified expert in mushroom identification, has been communicating his research and sharing information to help others understand issues surrounding native species almost since he arrived at Tech. Back on Aug. 12, 2022, Stone was interviewed by Michigan Daily for a column about morality and philosophy surrounding invasive species. And, along with other students he has worked with one of his advisors, Sigrid Resh, coordinator of to Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area (KISMA), to co-author articles for the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette that help citizens identify and help to address invasive species in their own backyard.

The Institute will run for one year, beginning in January 2025. It will operate virtually throughout the year and also includes an immersive, two-week on-site component that will take place at Michigan Tech in July 2025.

Winner of the 2024 Provost’s Award for Scholarship, Stone has been a principal investigator (PI) on six awarded proposals and was a co-PI on a Michigan Space Consortium Grant. His most recent research adventures have taken him to Isle Royale. The recipient of the Garden Club of America Joan K. Hunt and Rachel M. Hunt Summer Scholarship in Field Botany, Stone surveyed invasive yellow hawkweeds encroaching on the island’s unique bedrock glades. His 2024 Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium entry “A Botanical and Ecological Profile of Isle Royale’s Invasive Hawkweed Complex,” earned an excellence in presentation acknowledgement.

As Stone shares his research, he also shares his proactive approach to the challenges posed by invasive species. “There are few miracle fixes in the world, so when we are presented with no alternative other than working on the stuff in our own backyards, then we have to take what we are given and make the most of it.”


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 FacebookInstagramLinkedIn,  X and the CSA blog. Questions? Contact us at csa@mtu.edu.

New Institute Brings Keweenaw Time Traveler to the World—And New Researchers to Keweenaw

Two children viewing the time traveler demo with an researcher

Deep-mapping projects like Keweenaw Time Traveler can engage communities in meaningful, multi-generational explorations. (Image courtesy KeTT)

An advanced institute in the spatial and digital humanities is coming to Michigan Tech.

Don Lafreniere, a professor of geography and geographic information science (GIS) in Tech’s Department of Social Sciences is leading a team of researchers, staff, and students from Michigan Tech and Wayne State University on project that will develop the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Community Deep Mapping Institute. The project is supported by a $250,000 NEH grant.

Don Lafreniere
Michigan Tech’s Don Lafreniere, who will lead the Institute, said available fellowships are designed for early career to senior scholars, and professionals in history and heritage who work with public audiences.

The Institute will run for one year, beginning in January 2025. It will operate virtually throughout the year and also includes an immersive, two-week on-site component that will take place at Michigan Tech in July 2025.

Co-hosted by Tech and Wayne State University, the Institute will bring 40 people from around the world to Houghton and the surrounding region to learn about deep mapping and the other technologies used in the award-winning Keweenaw Time Traveler and the subsequently developed Hamtramck Explorer.

The grant is further evidence of the power and potential of deep maps like the Keweenaw Time Traveler, which enables citizen researchers to both explore history and add the layers of their own historical community knowledge to the interactive platform, providing a model that can be adapted anywhere where people are interested in how their communities developed.

“This institute will teach people around the world how to integrate spatial technologies together with historical information about their local places to help communities learn more about their geography, history, and cultural heritage,” said Lafreniere.

The Deep Mapping Institute was one of four projects in the nation awarded funds totaling $963,499 as part of the NEH’s Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities. The intent of the four projects in this category center on providing scholars, advanced graduate students, and practicing professionals with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of advanced technology tools and methodologies relevant to the humanities and social sciences and to increase the number of scholars using digital technology in their research. The institutes are part of the recent NEH funding cycle that included $37.5 million in grants overall for 240 humanities projects.

A Collaboration Between Two State Universities

The project springs from a collaboration between MTU and Wayne State University that began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, MTU and WSU faculty and students started working together on the Hamtramck Spatial Archaeology Project, another NEH-funded initiative focused on the small industrial city within the boundaries of Detroit.

Project co-directors include Sarah Scarlett, associate professor of history, Mark Rhodes, assistant professor of geography, and Dan Trepal, senior geospatial research scientist, all from Michigan Tech, and Krysta Ryzewski, professor of anthropology at Wayne State University.

Confronted by the challenge of restricted access to archival, museum, and archaeological resources, Ryzewski, Trepal, and Lafreniere were inspired to partner with Hamtramck Historical Museum to construct the explorer prototype. The Hamtramck Explorer includes more than 130 digitized historic maps cross-linked to historical museum collections, along with related archaeological data.

“This deep map has since grown into an invaluable research, preservation, and storytelling resource that makes historical information accessible to the public and encourages community dialogues around the themes of preservation, immigration, and local history,” said Ryzewski. “Today, the team continues to work on expanding the Hamtramck Explorer to cover the entire area of the two-square-mile city, and to equip it with capabilities that allow the public to contribute content.”

The newly funded NEH Community Deep Mapping Institute takes the dual-university collaboration to an expanded level. Starting in January 2025, dozens of Michigan Tech and Wayne State students, faculty, and staff will participate, alongside 40 social science, humanities, and heritage-focused professionals from around the world.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to share the benefits of our state-level collaboration with more colleagues as we create new digital resources and amplify the impacts of deep mapping internationally,” said Ryzewski. “Institute fellows from across the US and around the world will develop projects that increase public access to historical data, advance community engagement, and foster innovation in the digital and spatial humanities.”.

The NEH Community Deep Mapping Institute in-person component will take place July 7-18, 2025 at Michigan Tech, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the shores of Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Peninsula.

Fellowship Application Deadline is November 22

The Institute seeks to fund fellows or teams of fellows who wish to learn the range of skills necessary to create their own public-facing deep map. “The intent is to create a diverse group of fellows including students, early career to senior scholars, and professionals in history and heritage who work with public audiences including public historians, interpreters, and those who work in museums, parks, and historic sites and houses.

Lafreniere said fellows will “learn a wide range of technical and professional skills that are needed to successfully develop their own deep mapping projects including basic GIS skills, digital spatial storytelling, public engagement strategies, and how to integrate deep maps with augmented and mobile technologies.”

Fellows will also benefit from developing new partnerships with other deep- mapping scholars and public-facing professionals. “They will have access to a team of experts in a wide variety of fields, including the digital and spatial humanities, archaeology, geography, GIS, history, heritage interpretation, library and archives, public history, and experts in community-based researchers,” Lafrieniere said
Applicants selected to be fellows will receive a stipend to support travel to and from the Keweenaw and meals Fellows will be in residence at the Laurium Manor Inn during their time in the region.

You can learn more about the criteria and apply for a fellowship on the Deep Mapping Institute website.


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 FacebookInstagramLinkedIn,  X and the CSA blog. Questions? Contact us at csa@mtu.edu.

Tech’s Workshop Brass Band Gets a Musical Education in New Orleans and on the Road

Earlier this year, members of Michigan Tech’s Workshop Brass Band got a taste of the jazz musician’s life on the road.

Preston Dibean performs a solo, showcasing musical education with MTU’s Workshop Brass Band at the Broadway Oyster Bar in Saint Louis.
 Preston Dibean blows a solo in front of MTU’s Workshop Brass Band at the Broadway Oyster Bar in Saint Louis. (All photos courtesy of Michigan Tech’s Workshop Brass Band)

Huskies tested their mettle by embarking on a five-day road trip to New Orleans. Even more than that, they discovered — through practice, through performance, through instruction — how to be a musician’s musician by being faithful to the original music, open to learning and willing to make mistakes.

Adam Meckler, associate professor and director of jazz studies, and visiting instructor Drew Kilpela led 16 jazz students on a 2,000-mile odyssey that began on New Year’s Day 2024. Meckler coordinated gigs, workshops with jazz legends and opportunities for Tech students to teach high school band students. The journey began with a rehearsal before the musicians set out. What they learned on the road can’t be taught in a classroom.

Learning By Ear

Workshop Brass Band members gain musical education as they pose after a gig at 3 Sheeps Brewing Company in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Workshop Brass Band members pose for a photo after a gig at 3 Sheeps Brewing Company in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

With Meckler “driving the bus,” the Workshop Brass Band couldn’t have been in better hands. A master musician and teacher with an extensive background in classical and jazz education, he’s the quintessential band leader, with 20 years of experience playing nationally and internationally as a top-call trumpeter with Youngblood Brass Band, Cory Wong, the Hornheads, and Steve Cole. A prolific songwriter, he leads the Adam Meckler Orchestra, an 18-piece big band.

At Tech, Meckler encourages his students to learn music by ear. For many first-year band students, this concept can be daunting.

Understanding that many of his students have come to Tech from small, underfunded music programs, Meckler encourages his first-years to join the Workshop Brass Band in order to gain confidence and experience. In the band, he introduces them to Black American music, or BAM, a term advanced by contemporary trumpeter Nicholas Payton. “Black American music is wildly expressive music,” Meckler said, and this expressivity helps his students learn to “jump off a musical cliff” and not worry about how they land. Many of his Workshop Brass Band students go on to join larger bands at Tech and become leaders in their sections. Meckler said one of his students, Haylah Buell ’24, is a perfect representation of this musical growth mindset.

Buell has been a part of Tech’s band program her entire undergraduate career. A senior electrical engineering technology student, she’s the lead alto saxophone player and works part-time as the Michigan Tech Jazz program’s jazz librarian. “Haylah has been a huge part of building community through a jazz broomball team, after-hour hangs and other events,” said Meckler.

Buell said the New Orleans trip taught her what it’s really like to be part of a band on tour, describing two-hour gigs played after six hours of driving: “Everyone was exhausted and running on pure adrenaline, but it was all worth it.”

Of New Orleans, Buell described sitting at Café Du Monde eating beignets as a brass band played out front. While she intellectually knew she was going to see live bands perform on the streets of New Orleans, a moment that first morning brought it powerfully to life. Playing a solo, the band’s saxophone player walked down the middle of the group of Huskies, “looking at each of us in a way of talking to us through his music,” she described.

Workshop Brass Band members provide musical education by teaching high school students from Biloxi, Mississippi, to play a song by ear.
Workshop Brass Band members teach high school students from Biloxi, Mississippi, to play Rebirth Brass Band’s “Hurricane George” by ear.

As the days went on, the students met the founder and leader of the Stooges Brass Band, Walter Ramsey, performed new songs such as Ramsey’s “Wind It Up,” and discovered how the culture of New Orleans is a lifestyle, Buell said. “The music we play is more than fun and exciting. It has history and meaning. It’s how people make a living; it’s how they worship.”

Learning By Heart

Meckler makes sure his students understand the cultural and historical roots of New Orleans brass band music, explaining how it started in funeral music. “Brass band music historically started with a dirge,” he said. “It was somber. Meditative. But the second line (when the casket is lowered) is celebratory.” This is why the celebratory nature of today’s New Orleans jazz music doesn’t belie its funereal roots to the average listener. Bands like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Rebirth Brass Band were among the first to take it from street parades to the stages of festivals, bars and rock venues.

Bass drummer Jos Olson ’26 perceived this connection deeply. Olson recalls the Workshop Brass Band playing their show at the Oyster Bar in St. Louis, Missouri, driving back from New Orleans. He felt it was his first real gig as a musician. The feedback from the crowd made the audio production and technology major feel both intensely proud of the band and grateful for the opportunity to play for the crowd. What’s more, the show happened to fall on Jan. 6 — marking the three-year anniversary of his grandfather’s passing. “My grandpa was a jazz drummer and my biggest inspiration,” Olson said. “It felt like that show was for him.”

And Olson is right. Jazz music is all about legacy, hard work and heart. On the trip, he experienced how New Orleans culture is heavily rooted in music. “Whether it’s traditional jazz, brass band music or any other type — everywhere you go there is music. And if there’s music, there’s a crowd,” he said. “No matter where the bands were, what time it was, what the weather was like — there were people out listening to the bands, singing along, making it clear that they love the music and the culture.”

Play Michigan Tech Workshop Brass Band — Grazing in the Grass (live on the street in New Orleans) video
Preview image for Michigan Tech Workshop Brass Band -- Grazing in the Grass (live on the street in New Orleans) video

Michigan Tech Workshop Brass Band — Grazing in the Grass (live on the street in New Orleans)

Watch Jos Olson’s video of Michigan Tech’s Workshop Brass Band playing “Grazing in the Grass” on the streets of New Orleans.

Many traditional brass band songs — like “I’ll Fly Away,” “Lord, Lord, Lord,” and “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” —are rooted in gospel music. “If you had told me two years ago I’d be listening to religious music regularly today, I would have never believed you,” Olson said. “You don’t have to be religious to understand the importance of music … it still touches you in a way that nothing else can.”

Learning By Doing

Workshop Brass Band trombone player Ethan Deur ’25, a senior majoring in human factors, said his favorite part of the trip was playing on the streets of New Orleans. “For the last four years I’ve been a part of this band, and playing on the street has always been described as this major event for brass bands,” said Deur. “Back when I started, I never figured I’d get the chance to play there, so to see that come true was crazy. There’s a different energy from playing concerts to playing the streets.”

Miles Lyons enhances the band's musical education by working with the Workshop Brass Band on new harmonies and parts.
Grammy-award-winning multi-instrumentalist Miles Lyons (New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Youngblood Brass Band) works with the Workshop Brass Band on adding new harmonies and parts to their songs.

Deur was grateful for the chance to learn from legends of the NOLA scene. “We met with Walter Ramsey (the band leader of Stooges Brass Band), Eric Gordon (trumpet player for Rebirth Brass Band), and Miles Lyons (sousaphone player for Youngblood Brass Band),” he said. These players taught the group “a lot about the backstory of their music and how they came up in the city and culture. They also taught us some ways to make our music more authentic.”

Part of this authenticity was learned by rebuilding songs. The students had already learned these traditional brass band gospel hymns from the early 1900s, and even some 1960s Temptations songs, but Lyons taught them how to restructure them. The students later demonstrated these new arrangements by performing on Frenchman Street and Washington Square. Meckler said the locals were surprised to see Midwestern college students playing their music, but the pleasure of and acceptance by the crowds confirmed what Meckler believes to the highest goal of performance: honoring the music and its roots. “We were there in good faith to learn,” he said. “We were there because we love this music.”

Respecting Black American music is paramount to Meckler and his students. One of Meckler’s proudest moments was when Ramsey, a jazz legend, held up his cell phone and recorded the band playing his Stooges Brass Band songs “Old Man” and “Bourbon Street Parade” in his studio to share with fellow musicians.

Workshop Brass Band trumpeters Gabe Smit, Michael Tarske, Sydney Nelson, Robby Pause, and Reid Beckes highlight their musical education by striking a pose.
Workshop Brass Band trumpeters strike a pose. From left: Gabe Smit, Michael Tarske, Sydney Nelson, Robby Pause and Reid Beckes.

“Our playing on the street the day before, though extremely fun and enjoyable in real time, sparked quite the discussion online,” said Meckler, referring to a since-deleted Facebook post by an unknown person at their Frenchman Street performance, in which commenters debated who should and should not be performing New Orleans brass band music. But when the Huskies left Ramsey’s studio that day, Meckler got a message from Gordon thanking him for spreading the culture of New Orleans music to his students. Meckler continues to remind and reassure his students that “real brass band musicians in New Orleans are glad we love their music and want to learn it. ‘The internet isn’t real life’ is something I’ve been saying a lot to them since then,” he said.

Learning By Teaching

During their journey, the Huskies taught jazz workshops at two schools in Wisconsin and Biloxi High School in Mississippi. At Biloxi, the students met Mark Mitchell, a Tech alum and jazz program donor. Mitchell rehearses with the Biloxi High School Band, which has a robust jazz program because of strong donations from Tech jazz alumni. “Workshop Brass Band played for Biloxi High’s students first, then we taught them to play a tune by ear,” said Meckler. They taught “Hurricane George” to the high school students in both Wisconsin and Mississippi.

At the Oyster Bar in St. Louis, the Workshop Brass Band students jammed with a local drummer from the Funky Butt Brass Band. This was yet another exhilarating moment for Meckler and Kilpela, as they watched their students make connections with St. Louis musicians who also love New Orleans music. 

After returning from their epic musical journey, Workshop Brass Band students showcased their new skills and educated the wider Michigan Tech community about New Orleans music at this year’s jazz Mardi Gras event on Feb. 8 at the Rozsa Center. Lessons learned through practice, performance and life on the road gave each band member a new appreciation of their responsibility as musicians: to mindfully honor the cultural heritage of the music they love to play.


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 FacebookInstagramX and the CSA blog. Questions? Contact us at csa@mtu.edu.

Doctor Kemmy Taylor: Dynamic Dedicated Pre-Health Professions Director Debuts

Kemmy Taylor
Doctor Kemmy Taylor

Michigan Tech’s College of Sciences and Arts has hired Dr. Kemmy Taylor as the Director of Pre-Health Professions. In her role, Dr. Taylor is responsible for advising and mentoring students and creating opportunities for shadowing, internships and professional school admissions. She began her duties on May 15.

“We are very excited to hire someone with Dr. Taylor’s clinical experience for this role,” Interim Dean of the College of Sciences and Arts Ravindra Pandey said. “She knows exactly what the student journey is like to get into medicine, from the pre-health professions program as an undergraduate to the application process, graduate school, residency and clinical experiences they will encounter along the way. Plus, her connections to the local medical community helps our students to find shadowing and clinical opportunities. I look forward to working with her as we continue to grow Michigan Tech’s Pre-Health Professions program.”

Read more about Dr. Taylor at the Pre-Health Professions Blog.

For VP of Diversity Gersie, Progress Won’t Be Complete Without Sense of Belonging

Wayne Gersie
Wayne Gersie

Most are familiar with the shorthand “DEI” for diversity, equity and inclusion. But when he speaks on the topic, Michigan Tech Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Wayne Gersie almost always adds something. “Sense of belonging.”

“We can be successful on many metrics for diversity, equity and inclusion,” he says. “If students don’t have a sense that they belong — that they are welcomed and valued — then numeric gains won’t mean as much and may even be temporary.”

Shortly after coming to Tech as its first VP-level diversity officer, Gersie said that making progress on campus would require the efforts of many.

“In the words of Helen Keller, ‘Alone, we can do so little. Together we can do so much,’ “ he said. “Campus culture will be enhanced as we work together with respect and openness towards a community where differences are valued, where equal access, opportunity, and representation are achieved, and where we are able to sustain an inclusive environment where all feel a sense of belonging.”

And, he stresses in a recent interview, that involves following a process.

“We need a definite plan so that we can be intentional in our implementation of it.”

Wayne Gersie, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion

In getting DEI buy-in from faculty, students and staff, he says it can’t be won with strictly top-down initiatives.

“The thoughts must come from leadership, yes, but also from the grassroots,” he says. “If this effort is too top-down, there will never be enough buy-in. The happy plan is something that lies between the two.”

“That’s why I want to focus on sense of belonging,” he said. “Because everyone has a stake in that process.”

It’s also why he didn’t arrive and immediately impose a series of decisions or programs. So, overall, how does he view his role?

“I’m here to help set the 10,000-foot tone, perhaps some goals, and see what we can accomplish together,” he said.

A complete program he says, will create efforts and success in three primary areas:
• High-impact practices
• Recruitment and retention
• Communications and branding

Gersie hopes that current and prospective students see his hiring last fall as a “promissory note” from the university, representing clear intent to make progress on DEI issues.

He is currently working with the President’s Council Task Force for Diversity and Inclusion to perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis that they will use to generate a plan that will be shared transparently.

“We first need to know what we’re doing now. Then we can plan the things we’re going to do and say ‘here are the metrics,’ and hold ourselves to these actions a year from now,” he said. “We need a definite plan so that we can be intentional in our implementation of it.”

“I know many students, faculty and staff want to see action,” he said, adding that he wants to be able to list steps that will provide immediate benefit while working on the longer-term process.

“I’m happy, for instance, that CSA and other colleges will form groups that will say, “This is what our plan looks like.’ “He said he was also encouraged that some schools and departments had already taken the initiative to publish statements affirming commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Beyond that, though, he said the possibilities are endless. “Maybe we should have a statement on every syllabus,” he said.

He also said that much of the process could be about teaching the skills and benefits of self-reflection and consideration of one’s own heritage, privileged or not. “Maybe part of this is the need to show students how to value their own identity as well as commit to valuing it ourselves.”

Among the measurable outcomes he hopes to improve: The fact that the six-year graduation rate for all underrepresented minority students is less than 62%, compared with 72.2% for all students (based on the freshman class of 2014).

“Representation has an effect on so many things, from recruitment to retention,” Gersie said, adding that one way to increase representation is to ensure blind screening to eliminate unconscious bias in admissions.

“We will be judged in the things we do day-to-day,” he said. “For instance, we can write job postings that have inclusive language. We must do enduring things. It’s clear that people here at Michigan Tech have the passion to create change. But we need to direct that.”

He said the successful dialogue (he had already talked with more than 100 students in March) on diversity has five key components:
• Active listening
• The suspension of judgment
• Leaning into discomfort
• Understanding one’s own privilege
• Having and showing compassion.

Asked about possible resistance to change, including those who would argue that diversity efforts somehow negatively affect quality, Gersie is firm: “The underlying truth is that diversity and excellence are not mutually exclusive,” he said.

Gersie’s Ph.D. is from Penn State University and is in workforce education and development. Previous to becoming Michigan Tech’s first VP for Diversity and Inclusion, he was the chief diversity officer and director of diversity enhancement, student programs and outreach at Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory. Before that, he was director of the multicultural engineering program there.

Learn more about Gersie.
Follow Michigan Tech’s diversity efforts.
See the College of Sciences and Arts’ diversity statement.