Category: News

During a recent visit by U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, a tour of the Advanced Technology and Development Center was arranged to discuss the doctor of physical therapy program coordinated between Michigan Tech and Central Michigan University (CMU). Dr. Jason Carter, Chair of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, met with Dan Benishek in person while CMU was represented via videoconference.

Benishek visits Copper Country

Benishek said, “Many of the local hospitals contributed to the creation of this facility so that they would have students training here in Northern Michigan and know what Northern Michigan is like, grow to love the area and be able to have more of those people stay here in Northern Michigan and work here and provide for the care of the people living here.”

Read more at ABC 10 News, by Mike Hoey. WATCH THE VIDEO

Benishek pays visit to Michigan Tech

The program shares CMU faculty with Tech and gives undergrads at Tech access to CMU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

“We have a cohort of 12 students per year that enroll into that program and graduate with a doctorate in physical therapy from Central Michigan, and hopefully stay here in our Upper Peninsula to become physical therapists.” said Jason Carter, Department Chair of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology.

Read more at Upper Michigan’s Source, by Nick Brennan. WATCH THE VIDEO

Benishek Tours U.P.

Tuesday began with a tour of the Doctor of Physical Therapy space at the Advanced Technology Development Center on the campus of Michigan Tech.

Read more and listen to the audio interview at The Keweenaw Report.

Benishek pays a visit

Carter said both universities have given their full support to the program.

“I think it’s a great example of universities being more efficient with resources,” he said.

During Tuesday’s stop, Benishek and Carter talked via videoconference with program head Pete Loubert and professor Tim Zipple.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese.

The College of Sciences and Arts is very pleased to announce the appointment of Linda Ott as associate dean for special initiatives, focusing on diversity in computing. Ott’s appointment signals a renewed effort to increase the diversity of students in computing and information. The under-representation of women and ethnic minorities has been little affected by significant national efforts to introduce changes—indeed, there has been some backsliding on earlier gains.

National attention for the difficulties came from recent attention to the poor record of largest firms in Silicon Valley in recruiting and retaining women in these firms. Michigan Tech, like many universities, has worked steadily to increase the number of women enrolled in computer science, software engineering and computer engineering, but the five-year average enrollment of women stands at only 7.5 percent of the total student population in computer-related degree programs. Morevoer the situation has changed only a little since 2009. Clearly, progress is elusive.

Ott’s appointment will bring much more energy to efforts to recruit a more diverse population of students into computing fields. Bruce Seely, dean of the college, notes how the appointment builds off Ott’s long-standing commitment to addressing the lack of diversity in the field. Over the past two years, Linda led the effort to bring Michigan Tech into the Pacesetters progam of the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT). And for a much longer time she has engaged in activities with the Summer Youth Program and other outreach efforts at the state-level to raise the awareness of female students concerning the opportunity in computing. Seely noted that “Linda is perfectly positioned to explore and help implement ways to bring more students from diverse backgrounds to campus. This is her true passion.” She will continue these programmatic efforts and outreach initiatives while also studying the lower retention and persistence rates for all students—not just women—pursuing Tech degrees in computer science, computer engineering, network and systems administration and software engineering. In addition, she will compare and benchmark Tech’s efforts against other schools and national patterns, understand the retention of students in computing-related fields and seek external funding to support programs to address these issues.

Because many groups on campus are working on these questions, Ott will collaborate with different groups on campus, including academic departments, schools and colleges, admissions, development, alumni relations, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and WISE.

By allowing her to devote all of her time and effort to these tasks, Seely added, he hopes Michigan Tech can make real progress on diversity. “I am thrilled Linda is going to devote her time and energy to these important and challenging problems.”

She will begin her efforts Monday, March 16.

From Tech Today, by College of Sciences and Arts.

Tech appoints Ott as Associate Dean for Special Initiatives

Though the job title may be new, Linda Ott, Associate Dean for Special Initiatives in the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Technological University, is no stranger to promoting diversity in computer-related programs.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Meghan Marquardt (subscription required).

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.