Category: Research

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.

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.

Two CSA Faculty Recognized for Outstanding Contributions to Michigan Tech

Brick two story building with concrete walkways in front, surrounded by green grass, shrubs, and trees.
The Social Sciences Department, home department of University Professor Kathy Halvorsen is housed in the AOB Building on the Michigan Tech campus.

Kathy Halvorsen and Quiying Sha have been honored for their substantial contributions to teaching, research, and service and are among seven professors recognized through Michigan Tech’s Distinguished and University Professorships. They represent a small percentage of faculty recognized with these awards by the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

University Professors represent no more than two percent of the total number of tenured and tenure-track faculty at Michigan Tech. Since its inception in 2020, four of the seven University Professors have hailed from the College of Sciences and Arts, including three from the Department of Physics. Halvorsen is the first recipient from the Department of Social Sciences.

Distinguished Professors represent no more than 10 percent of the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty in a specific college or school. Since its inception in 2018, four of the 11 Distinguished Professors have been chosen from the College of Sciences and Arts. Sha is the first recipient from the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Image of Kathy Halvorsen has been named a 2024 University Professor for outstanding contributions to the university
Kathy Halvorsen has been named a 2024 University Professor for outstanding contributions to the University.

This is the second time Halvorsen has been honored as a University Professor. She first received the award in 2019. Halvorsen serves as the University’s associate vice president for research development and a professor in the Department of Social Sciences and College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. The nomination materials commended Halvorsen’s ability to maintain an active research program while holding an administrative position. Halvorsen has published more than 55 papers.

Image of Qiuying Sha has been named a 2024 Distinguished Professor for outstanding contributions to the university
Qiuying Sha has been named a 2024 Distinguished Professor for outstanding contributions to the University.

Sha, named a 2024 Distinguished Professor, is a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. The nomination materials commended Sha’s excellence in teaching, research, and service. Sha is an internationally recognized leader in statistical genetics, developing statistical methods for understanding the genetic basis of human diseases and traits. Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and she has published over 70 papers. Sha has also been previously selected as a member of NIH’s review panel and an editorial board member for Scientific Reports. She has served on early career management committees and many other committees at Michigan Tech.

Learn more about Sha’s recognition on the Michigan Tech Mathematical Sciences Blog.

Learn more about Halvorsen’s recognition on the Michigan Tech Social Sciences Blog.

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

Steve Mintz is the marketing and communications manager for the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech.

2024 Songer Research Award for Human Health Recipients Announced

Exterior of the H-STEM building on the Michigan tech campus, with the husky statue and yellow and red flowers in the foreground.
The H-STEM Complex offers state-of-the-art teaching and research labs for health-related STEM studies.

The College of Sciences and Arts congratulates the recipients of the Songer Research Award for Human Health for the 2024-2025 academic year cycle.

  • Xinqian Chen (PhD student in Integrative Physiology), project titled “Exploring the role of brain-derived extracellular vesicles in salt-sensitive hypertension”;
  • Vaishali Sharma (PhD student in Biological Sciences), project titled, “Antiviral efficacy of amino acid-based surfactants: A proposal for advancing human health by breaking the chain of viral infection.”

“Chen and Sharma proposed innovative medically-oriented research projects in human health,” said Dean LaReesa Wolfenbarger. “Their projects are exciting, potentially improving human life and health outcomes. I look forward to learning more about their findings in the coming months. And I appreciate the generosity of the Songers for making these research opportunities possible for these exceptional graduate students.”

Xinqian (Sherry) Chen
Songer Research Award winner Xinqian Chen

Xinqian Chen to Make Impact on Hypertension Research

Chen proposes to test the hypothesis that injection of brain extracellular vesicles (EV) harvested from rats with salt-sensitive hypertension will result in hypertension with neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in cardiovascular control regions of otherwise healthy rats. EVs are lipid bilayers released by cells and carry proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites to transmit signals between cells.  Chen’s proposal exhibits promising connections to human health.  Strong preliminary data isolating and characterizing brain EVs and their influence in cultured cells and cardiovascular control regions of the brain demonstrate a high likelihood of success with the project. Jenny Shan (Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology) serves as Chen’s advisor.

Vaishali Sharma Seeks to Eliminate Harsh Chemicals

Vaishali Sharma
Songer Research Award winner Vaishali Sharma

By lowering reliance on harsh chemical disinfectants, Sharma’s proposal seeks to identify sustainable amino acid-based antiviral surfactants with the potential for effective performance and minimal negative effects on human health and the environment. Sharma plans to evaluate the antiviral efficacy and toxicity of amino-acid-based surfactants, with a strong connection to human health. If Sharma’s proposal is successful, a more ecologically friendly surface disinfectant could be made available. Stephen Techtmann (Biological Sciences) and Caryn Heldt (Health Research Institute) serve as Sharma’s advisors.

Songer Research Award for Human Health Celebrates 7 Years

For seven years, Matthew Songer ‘79, BS Biological Sciences and Laura Songer ‘80, BS Biological Sciences have generously donated funds to the College of Sciences and Arts to support a research project competition, the Songer Research Award for Human Health. The Songers’ gift supports two graduate awards of $6,000 each. Conducted over the Summer of 2024 and/or the following academic year, students pursue research in consultation with faculty members within the College of Sciences and Arts.

The Songers fondly recall their excitement to engage in research. As a result, the Songers established the award to stimulate and encourage opportunities for original research by current Michigan Tech students. The College is grateful for the Songers’ continuing interest in, and support of, Michigan Tech’s programs in human health and medicine.

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

Academic Alchemist: Chemistry Professor Named Associate Dean of Graduate Research and Education

The College of Sciences and Arts is pleased to announce Ashutosh Tiwari as our first Associate Dean for Graduate Research and Education. He officially started in this brand new position on July 1 and will be working closely with Interim Dean of the College of Sciences and Arts Ravindra Pandey.

In this new role, Dr. Tiwari serves as the College’s primary point person for issues related to graduate education, identifying interdisciplinary research opportunities and online graduate certificate programs within the University.

Ashutosh Tiwari
Ashutosh Tiwari, Associate Dean for Graduate Research and Education

A broadly trained protein chemist and cell biologist, Dr. Tiwari is a professor of chemistry at Tech. His research is in the area of ‘protein aggregation diseases’ with emphasis on age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), prion diseases, and Huntington’s disease (HD). He has received numerous grants as PI or as Co-PI  from the National Institutes of Health, the ALS Therapy Alliance, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALSA), and the MTU Research Excellence Fund.

“I have served the University for almost 14 years and am excited to be Associate Dean,” said Tiwari. “The College has a number of exciting research initiatives crossing disciplines such as turning plastics into protein for use as an emergency food source; investigating physics and chemistry of cloud formation; understanding the impacts of multitasking on cognitive performance; using hydropower to store energy in old hard-metal mines; and understanding the ways in which new media technologies can facilitate the spread of misinformation. I want to seek out other exciting collaborations. Plus, the College is a diverse and productive unit with a strong record of excellence in graduate research and education. I will use my experiences mentoring successful graduate students to advance the goals of our college.”

Needless to say, we are pleased to have Dr. Tiwari lead this important initiative.

Michigan Tech Opens COVID-19 Testing Lab

Researchers in a lab doing covid-19 testing.

Starting this week, Michigan Technological University will begin testing patient samples for COVID-19, working alongside regional health care providers. With delays in testing across the nation, rural and remote regions like the Upper Peninsula have been hard pressed to get enough tests for patients. But there is hope.

Michigan Tech has partnered with local hospitals to begin receiving and testing patient samples on campus to save doctors and health care providers at least 24 hours, and up to a week, of waiting for COVID-19 test results. The lab has the capacity to run 40 samples per hour on two machines, and the team has plans to expand with more equipment and staffing.

Read the full story on Michigan Tech News.

Call for Applications: Songer Research Award for Human Health Research

2018-19 Songer Award Recipients. Pictured Left to Right: Abby Sutherland, Billiane Kenyon, Jeremy Bigalke, Rupsa Basu, Matthew Songer, and Laura Songer.

Matthew Songer, (Biological Sciences ’79) and Laura Songer (Biological Sciences ’80) have generously donated funds to the College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) to support a research project competition for undergraduate and graduate students. Remembering their own eagerness to engage in research during their undergraduate years, the Songers established these awards to stimulate and encourage opportunities for original research by current Michigan Tech students. The College is extremely grateful for the Songers’ continuing interest in, and support of, Michigan Tech’s programs in human health and medicine. This is the second year of the competition.

Students may propose an innovative medically-oriented research project in any area of human health. The best projects will demonstrate the potential to have broad impact on improving human life. This research will be pursued in consultation with faculty members within the College of Sciences and Arts. In the Spring of 2019, the Songer’s gift will support one award for undergraduate research ($4,000) and a second award for graduate research ($6,000). Matching funds from the College may allow two additional awards.

Any Michigan Tech student interested in exploring a medically related question under the guidance of faculty in the College of Sciences and Arts may apply. Students majoring in any degree program in the college, including both traditional (i.e., biological sciences, kinesiology, chemistry) and nontraditional (i.e., physics, psychology, social science, bioethics, computer science, mathematics) programs related to human health may propose research projects connected to human health. Students are encouraged to propose original, stand-alone projects with expected durations of 6 – 12 months. The committee also encourages applications from CSA students who seek to continue research projects initiated through other campus mechanisms, such as the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, Pavlis Honors College activities or the Graduate Research Forum (GRF).

Funds from a Songer Award may be used to purchase or acquire research materials and equipment needed to perform the proposed research project. Access to and research time utilizing University core research facilities, including computing, may be supported. Requests to acquire a personal computer will be scrutinized and must be fully justified. Page charges for publications also may be covered with award funds, as will travel to appropriate academic meetings. This award may not be used for salary or compensation for the student or consulting faculty.

To apply:

  • Students should prepare a research project statement (up to five pages in length) that describes the background, methods to be used, and research objectives. The statement also should provide a detailed description of the experiments planned and expected outcomes. Students must indicate where they will carry out their project and attach a separate list of references/citations to relevant scientific literature.
  • The application package also should provide a concise title and brief summary (1 page) written for lay audiences.
  • A separate budget page should indicate how funds will be used.
  • A short letter from a consulting faculty member must verify that the student defined an original project and was the primary author of the proposal. The faculty member should also confirm her/his willingness to oversee the project. This faculty letter is not intended to serve as a recommendation on behalf of the student’s project.

Submit applications as a single PDF file to the Office of the College of Sciences and Arts by 4:00 p.m. Monday, April 22. Applications may be emailed to djhemmer@mtu.edu.

The selection committee will consist of Matthew Songer, Laura Songer, Shekhar Joshi (BioSci) and Megan Frost (KIP). The committee will review undergraduate and graduate proposals separately and will seek additional comments about the proposed research on an ad-hoc basis from reviewers familiar with the topic of the research proposal. Primary review criteria will be the originality and potential impact of the proposed study, as well as its feasibility and appropriateness for Michigan Tech’s facilities.

The committee expects to announce the recipients by early May of 2019. This one-time research award will be administered by the faculty advisor of the successful student investigator. Students will be expected to secure any necessary IRB approval before funds will be released. Funds must be expended by the end of spring semester 2020; extensions will not be granted. Recipients must submit a detailed report to the selection committee, including a description of results and an accounting of finds utilized, no later than June 30, 2020.

Any questions may be directed to Megan Frost (mcfrost@mtu.edu), David Hemmer (djhemmer@mtu.edu) or Shekhar Joshi (cpjoshi@mtu.edu).