College of Sciences and Arts Newsblog

Musings on the start of Spring Semester

Published January 28, 2022

Giving

Greetings from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

Spring semester started with a frigid blast of snow and ice that closed the K-12 schools for a couple days and unfortunately caused enormous headaches for students trying to get back into town, with multiple flight cancellations and closures of both Route 2 and 28 between here and the Mackinac Bridge. Undaunted, our PE skiing classes got underway as scheduled with below zero temperatures on Monday evening; Tech students are hardy!

In-Person Graduation Ends 2021

Picture of two graduates — Social Sciences MS graduates: Ryan Williams, (MS GIS) and Gary Spikberg (MS IHA)

Before the break we had an in-person graduation ceremony for the first time in two years! It was wonderful to don my regalia and congratulate the graduates walking across the stage in the Wood gym, including about 100 from our College. And, of course, the ceremony ended with a rousing performance from the Husky Pep Band! The graduation ended a successful semester of in-person instructions with only very limited disruptions from COVID. Fingers crossed we can repeat this success the semester without too many Omicron disruptions!

Applications to the College of Sciences and Arts continue to grow

Last Fall we welcomed our largest freshmen class since 1982, and our momentum is continuing with applications for Fall ’22 up 5.5% over last year’s already record-setting number. For the next five months our recruiters, faculty and students will focus relentlessly on convincing our incredible admits to join us in Houghton next Fall. Outreach includes personal notes to students, evening texting events, and some upcoming in-person events in Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis. If any of our alumni are interested in potentially helping, please let me know.

New H-STEM building coming soon!

Later this semester we will break ground on our new “H-STEM” building, which will house the departments of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, and the Health Research Institute. Our faculty can’t wait to move into this beautiful space. Find out more here https://www.mtu.edu/h-stem/

Deedra Irwin ’15 to compete in the Olympics

Picture of Deedra Irwin competing in biathlon — 2022 U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team member and MTU alum Deedra Irwin

We were excited to learn Deedra Irwin has been named to the 2022 U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team. She was at Michigan Tech from 2010 to 2015 while earning her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science with a Coaching minor.

Congratulations to Deedra! We are all wishing her the best of luck when she competes for gold February 5-19 at the 2022 Beijing Olympics in the Zhangjiakou Zone!

A return to teaching

And finally, I am back in the classroom, teaching “Combinatorial Representation Theory” this semester. I’ve always thought it was useful for administrators to teach on occasion, and I’ve greatly enjoyed teaching our students, although I could do without the mask!

Thank you for your continued support

Critical to everything we do are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! For CSA giving opportunities please visit: https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

If you are ever back in town I hope you will stop by, say hello, and share with me your MTU story. Please do not hesitate to email me any time at djhemmer@mtu.edu to share your MTU experience or offer suggestions.

February is almost here and it’s time to find that perfect match…to a career or internship, that is.

Published January 28, 2022

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Picture of students and employers at Michigan Tech Career Fair — Find a match to your perfect internship or job at Career Fair

Are you looking for a summer internship or full time employment? Find the perfect match by taking the following steps.

Update your profile in Handshake. This allows employers to find you and you to find employers. Internships and jobs are posted year-round.
Attend CareerFEST in-person from 11 am-2 pm January 31 and February 1 and 7. Register and schedule to meet with potential employers prior to the event. Plus, see a list of employers attending.
Attend Career Fair. Spring 2022 Virtual Career Fair will be held on Wednesday, February 16, from 10 am-7 pm. Register and schedule for employer meetings prior to the event. Plus, see a list of employers attending.
Get involved with a student organization on campus. Search the list here. Check with your advisor for ones within your major. With some organizations, you can attend conferences with job fairs, go on industry trips and more. This is an excellent way to network on multiple levels.
Talk with your faculty. Employers sometimes seek students to hire by contacting faculty.
Watch for emails from your department or academic advisor for employment opportunities.
Apply and search for positions in STEM fields in Michigan with STEM Forward.
Meet with Career Services staff or a Career Coach for one on one advisement.

Greetings and Happy Veteran’s Day from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

Published November 18, 2021

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SSgt Shaniqua S. McKnight, Dean Hemmer, and Lt. Col. Joseph C. Pulliam ready to take flight

November 11, 2021

One of the interesting parts of my job is that the College of Sciences and Arts includes our departments of Military Science and Aerospace Studies, i.e. our Army and Air Force ROTC programs. While our cadets hail from majors across the university, for academic purposes the programs are housed in CSA and the commanders, Major Gwosch from Army and LTC Pulliam from Air Force, bring a unique perspective to our College Council.

A flight out with Air Force and Army ROTC

On October 28 they invited me to join a large group of Air Force cadets and cadre, and a smaller group of Army cadets, on an “incentive flight” that rewards them for their performance. The Michigan Air National Guard flew in two KC-135 Stratotankers to Marquette. We had planned to refuel F16s and an A-10 that would take off from Wisconsin but, to my surprise, they were unable to take off due to icing conditions! (“The F16s are great in the desert,” quipped LTC Pulliam) Undaunted, we had a wonderful flight, circling Mackinac Island at low altitude, flying all the way back to campus, and then back to Marquette. Our plane hit a flock of birds just before we landed, sending the other plane screaming back up in the air to circle around and leaving the crew stranded in Marquette for the night until the engines could be inspected. The co-pilot was a great Tech alum who currently flies for Delta airlines.

The wonderful support we give to our military was one of the things that drew me to Michigan Tech, and our cadets continue to make us proud. Most recently business student Caleb Brulke was named the number one Army cadet in the nation! Read more here: https://bit.ly/3C6I4d7

Dr. Datta receives major grant to research toxin reduction

With everyone back on campus, I have resumed my efforts to hear about each of our faculty member’s research. I recently visited the lab of Biology Professor Rupali Datta. Dr. Datta is one of the stars of our department, an expert in plant biochemistry and molecular biology. She recently received a $700,000+ grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to continue her incredible research on using various plants to absorb toxic metals like lead and arsenic in the soil. Her work has been applied in settings ranging from backyards in New Jersey to former mine sites in the Southwest and, closer to home, to the land where the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community grows wild rice.

Dr. Datta recently received a large grant from HUD

Thank You for your support

Critical to everything we do, including the success of our ROTC programs, are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! For CSA giving opportunities please visit: https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

Early in the Fall Semester 2021

Published September 27, 2021

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News

September 16, 2021

Greetings from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

Our Fall semester is off to a wonderful start! The beautiful summer weather we had has continued into the Fall with abundant sunshine and mild temperatures. My family and I enjoyed a great afternoon of Huskies Football last Saturday at the recently dedicated “Sherman Field and Kearly Stadium”, which features a brand-new artificial turf field. Alas the Huskies fell 12-9 to Division I opponent St. Thomas. It was great to see the Husky Pep Band at full strength on the field.

Our aggressive recruiting efforts paid off with the largest freshman class (1480 students) since 1982 on campus, up more than 20% from last year and increasing our overall campus enrollment by more than 2%. Our president has laid out an ambitious growth agenda to get us to 10,000 students, and this large (and extremely gifted and diverse!) class is a great start along the way. Enrollment in the College of Sciences and Arts has been growing steadily for the last four years, and we are planning a large digital marketing campaign this Fall targeting some of our exciting new programs.

Two of these programs include our new BS in Human Factors, which is a sort of combination of psychology, computer science and engineering. Another is our recently introduced BS in Sustainability Science and Society. We are also targeting students interested in health careers, including medical school, dental school and physical therapy.

More than 95% of our classes this semester are face to face at full capacity. It is wonderful to see our beautiful campus once again full of students and to meet in person with all my colleagues. We are still working hard to keep our students and staff safe. Wastewater testing continues to show very low presence of COVID on campus, and we offer walk-in testing on campus, supported by our own campus testing lab.

Let me close by highlighting the achievements of Steve Techtmann, one of our star young faculty members in Biological Sciences. Steve was recently awarded the 2021 Future Insight Prize by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, along with research collaborator Ting Lu, professor of bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The prize is one million euros for unrestricted support of research. Techtmann is an environmental microbiologist who studies how microbes could be used to convert plastic waste into safe and edible proteins. His work has also been supported by several million dollars of funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). I had the opportunity to tour his lab and was blown away by his work!

Critical to everything we do are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. They will play an even bigger role over the next year with decreased state support expected. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! For CSA giving opportunities please visit: https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

If you are ever back in town I hope you will stop by, say hello, and share with me your MTU story. Please do not hesitate to email me any time at djhemmer@mtu.edu to share your MTU experience or offer suggestions.

Beginning of summer 2021 on campus.

Published June 30, 2021

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News

June 21, 2021

Greetings from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

Normalcy returned to Tech as this week marks the official return of face to face work. Our weekly Dean’s Council meeting was in person for the first time since March 4, 2020! Outside my office kids walk by from our in-person Summer Youth Programs. Michigan’s remaining COVID restrictions end tomorrow, and we are planning return to normal instruction this Fall.

Spring semester ended on a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon when we hosted an outdoor graduation parade of sorts. Graduates from the past two years and their family and friends walked to various stations around campus while we faculty lined the way in our academic regalia and the Husky Pep Band provided musical entertainment. In the Rozsa lobby, a replica graduation stage served for photo ops while Pomp and Circumstance played in the background. It was wonderful to see colleagues face to face for a change. Some, including my boss the Provost, I had not seen outside of Zoom in more than a year! More than one of my colleagues suggested we continue this tradition in future years in lieu of the lengthy formal ceremony.

Our incredible faculty finished the year strong with some really notable honors. Biological Sciences Professor Thomas Werner was awarded “Distinguished Professor of the Year” from the Michigan Association of State Universities. Thomas brings this award back to Tech after an eight-year hiatus. His outstanding work in the classroom, in the laboratory, and especially mentoring undergraduate researchers, made this a well-deserved honor.

Over in the Physics department, Professor Robert Nemiroff was named a “University Professor”, the highest honor we bestow on our faculty. There are currently four University Professors at Tech, and three are from the College of Sciences and Arts! I highly recommend checking out his Astronomy Picture of the Day website: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Finally, in Social Sciences, Dr. Nancy Langston received the Distinguished Scholar award from the American Society for Environmental History. This is the highest honor in her field, and recognizes a lifetime of scholarship.

At the recent Board of Trustees meeting, nine of our faculty received tenure and two others were promoted to Full Professor. Congratulations to them all!

As the May 1 deadline passed we got the exciting news that our deposits for new students are up 22% over last year and are the highest in 10 years. CSA outperformed even this number, with our deposits up 30%! We are looking forward to bringing in a record-breaking incoming class next Fall!

Critical to everything we do are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. They will play an even bigger role over the next year with decreased state support expected. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! For CSA giving opportunities please visit: https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

If you are ever back in town I hope you will stop by, say hello, and share with me your MTU story. Please do not hesitate to email me any time at djhemmer@mtu.edu to share your MTU experience or offer suggestions.

A Splendid Graduation, Faculty Honors and Looking Forward to Fall

Published May 19, 2021

By

News

Three faculty members with signs saying "you did it" and "congratulations." — MTU faculty holding congratulatory signs for the outdoor strolling celebration.

Greetings from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

Spring semester ended on a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon when we hosted an outdoor graduation parade of sorts. Graduates from the past two years and their families and friends walked to various stations around campus while we faculty lined the way in our academic regalia and the Husky Pep Band provided musical entertainment. In the Rozsa lobby was a replica graduation stage for photo ops while Pomp and Circumstance played in the background. It was wonderful to see colleagues face to face for a change. Some, including my boss the Provost, I had not seen outside of Zoom in more than a year! More than one of my colleagues suggested we continue this tradition in future years in lieu of the lengthy formal ceremony.

Our incredible faculty finished the year strong with some really notable honors. Biological Sciences Professor Thomas Werner was awarded “Distinguished Professor of the Year” from the Michigan Association of State Universities. Thomas brings this award back to Tech after an eight-year hiatus. His outstanding work in the classroom and laboratory, and especially mentoring undergraduate researchers, made this a well-deserved honor.

Over in the Physics department, Professor Robert Nemiroff was named a “University Professor,” the highest honor we bestow on faculty. There are currently four University Professors at Tech, and three are from the College of Sciences and Arts! I highly recommend checking out his site Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Finally, in Social Sciences, Dr. Nancy Langston received the Distinguished Scholar award from the American Society for Environmental History. This is the highest honor in her field, and recognizes a lifetime of scholarly achievement.

At the recent Board of Trustees meeting, nine of our faculty received tenure and two others were promoted to Full Professor. Congratulations to them all!

As the May 1 deadline passed, we got the exciting news that university-wide, our deposits for new students are up 22% over last year and are the highest in 10 years. CSA outperformed even this number, with our deposits up 30%! We are looking forward to bringing in a record-breaking incoming class in the Fall!

President Koubek has announced our intention to return to normal conditions and normal classroom capacities in the Fall, and planning is underway to do that. About 50% of the Western UP has already been vaccinated, and I was grateful to receive my second shot a few weeks ago.

Critical to everything we do are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. They will play an even bigger role over the next year with decreased state support expected. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! Our site has more about CSA giving opportunities. https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

Blizzard T. Husky mascot hugs a graduate. — A photo opportunity under balloons and with MTU mascot Blizzard T. Husky proved popular.

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

Published May 12, 2021

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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.

New Faculty Books and a Thank You to Donors — Spring 2021

Published April 16, 2021

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Greetings from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

Spring has arrived early here in the Copper Country. The last full weekend of skiing at Mont Ripley a few weeks ago featured sunshine and 60-degree temperatures and all across campus grass is showing through the remaining piles of snow.

Meanwhile students are back on campus after spring break, and our large COVID surveillance testing on their return has only detected 12 campus cases in the last 14 days. President Koubek has announced our intention to return to normal conditions and normal classroom capacities in the fall, and planning is underway.

More than a third of the Western UP has already been vaccinated, and I welcomed my first shot!

We recently received exciting news that our health research building (temporarily dubbed “H-STEM”), is back on track after a year of covid-induced uncertainty. Faculty across campus are currently working on designing the research and teaching lab spaces. Groundbreaking is tentatively slated for about a year from now. It would be finished near the end of 2022.

I have taken some time recently to read some of our new faculty books. Our professor emeritus Jim Spain, the founding chair of our biological sciences department, has a fascinating autobiography out, Perusing for Pioneer Pathways, documenting his incredible life, much of it here in the Copper Country. Dr. Spain will be inducted this fall into our distinguished Academy of Sciences and Arts.

As a mathematician I took particular interest in a new book from our Humanities Professor Andrew Fiss, titled Performing Math: A History of Communication and Anxiety in the American Mathematics Classroom, published by Rutgers University Press. The book is a wonderful combination of history and technical communication with relevance to today’s mathematics classroom.

In my ‘to read’ pile are two books from Humanities Professor Patty Sotirin, including Feminist Vigilance, with MTU colleagues Victoria Bergvall and Diane Shoos, and also Making Data in Qualitative Research, applying a humanities perspective to data collection.

Our recruiting season is well under way as hundreds of prospective students visit this week for “Preview Week” and many more are attending virtual events this week. Applications are at record highs! Our deposits are slightly trailing last year’s but rapidly catching up as financial aid packages go out. Many of these were delayed due to the difficulties students encountered with taking standardized tests.

Critical to everything we do are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. They will play an even bigger role over the next year with decreased state support expected. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! For CSA giving opportunities please visit: https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

If you are ever back in town I hope you will stop by, say hello, and share with me your MTU story. Please do not hesitate to email me any time at djhemmer@mtu.edu to share your MTU experience or offer suggestions.

Best wishes,

David Hemmer
Dean – College of Sciences and Arts

Return to the Classroom-January 2021

Published January 22, 2021

By

News

January 15, 2021

Greetings from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

Students return to the classroom next Tuesday after being forced to be remote for the first week of the semester to comply with the Governor’s Covid orders. We are trying to provide as much face to face instruction as possible this semester, including holding classes in the Rosza Center and the MUB ballroom!

Winter Carnival remains a go, and statue construction has begun. But, alas, there is a severe shortage of snow and it is currently raining outside my office window! Across the canal at Mont Ripley, only half the ski hill is open and warm weather has hindered snow making. The Tech Trails have just closed for cross-country skiing. For the first time since I arrived at Tech we are in desperate need of snow! Fortunately, the forecast calls for a shift to much colder weather next week, and hopefully some more of the white stuff.

Our faculty and staff continue their great work dealing with the pandemic. Despite the disruptions, Fall 2020 was a great semester for research and creative activities in the College of Sciences and Arts! Mary Cyr, Lecturer in Visual and Performing Arts, was the first honoree for the 2021 “Dean’s Teaching Showcase.” Cyr runs the costume shop, teaches our costuming classes, and oversees costuming for all our student theater productions. Her ingenious use of document cameras and monitors, as well as constructing take-home kits, allowed our students to preserve the essential hands-on experience that is part of every Tech education.

We are continuing our aggressive testing and contact tracing program, I hope for the last semester! A generous donation of equipment from the Portage Health Foundation has helped us double our testing capacity on campus, and the goal is to test almost all the returning students very early in the semester. Vaccinations are underway locally, with nursing homes, health care providers and first responders mostly complete.

Meanwhile our recruiting season is here, as we attempt to bring in another large, crazy smart and diverse class next year! Completed applications for CSA are up 40% from last year, with huge increases in students interested in health professions.

Some of you have already heard from our new Director of Advancement, Karin Van Dyke. Many of you have worked with Ben Larson over the years; Ben is now the Houghton County Administrator! Karin is a proud Tech alumna who was previously Director of Advancement at Finlandia University. She is looking forward to connecting with many of you in the months ahead.

Critical to everything we do are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. They will play an even bigger role over the next year with decreased state support expected. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! For CSA giving opportunities please visit: https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

If you are ever back in town I hope you will stop by, say hello, and share with me your MTU story. Please do not hesitate to email me any time at djhemmer@mtu.edu to share your MTU experience or offer suggestions.

Last Day of Fall 2020 Semester

Published January 12, 2021

By

News

December 18, 2020

Greetings from the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech!

It is the last day of this strange semester, and I am getting ready to don my full academic regalia for departmental graduation ceremonies over Zoom. When I last did this in May I would never have believed it would happen again in December. With COVID vaccinations underway, including in the UP, I’m hopeful that I will be shaking students’ hands at our commencement next May!

Despite our wonderful efforts and very low COVID numbers on campus, a spike in cases across Michigan led our governor to end face to face instruction early and students were mostly sent home before Thanksgiving. We will, hopefully, welcome them back January 11 and continue our success at providing Tech’s signature hands-on learning in a safe environment.

Across the canal the snow guns are blazing at Mont Ripley, which is fortunate as we’ve had only a few inches of natural snow so far. Opening day is tomorrow, with modifications including outdoor tents set up for warming up and eating. Heading into my third season of skiing, I’m looking forward to trying some of the scarier trails this winter!

I am so proud of the work of our faculty and students dealing with this pandemic. Despite the disruptions, fall 2020 has been a great semester for research and creative activities in the College of Science and Arts! Our superstar Physics Professor Petra Huentemeyer is principal investigator on a recently awarded $860,000 NSF grant to help design a $50 million Southern hemisphere gamma-ray observatory as part of a large collaboration of astrophysicists that she leads. Professor Huentemeyer is currently a leader in the HAWC observatory, https://www.hawc-observatory.org/, located high on a volcano in Mexico!

Our fall student theatre production of Miasma turned into a movie, ingeniously filmed in the McArdle theater with full COVID precautions. See how the students did it here https://youtu.be/y4dQZxHMBfs.

Both our Army and Air Force ROTC programs have new commanders, and eleven new 2^nd lieutenants will be commissioned tomorrow morning in our thriving Army and Air Force ROTC programs.

Some of you have already heard from our new Director of Advancement, Karin van Dyke. Many of you have worked with Ben Larson over the years; Ben is now the Houghton County Administrator! Karin is a proud Tech alumna who was previously Director of Advancement at Finlandia. She is looking forward to connecting with many of you in the months ahead.

Critical to everything we do are our alumni and friend donors. All your donations to our departments, scholarships, and the general fund are vitally important to our success. They will play an even bigger role over the next year with decreased state support expected. Thank you so much for supporting Michigan Tech! For CSA giving opportunities please visit: https://www.mtu.edu/sciences-arts/giving/

If you are ever back in town I hope you will stop by, say hello, and share with me your MTU story. Please do not hesitate to email me any time at djhemmer@mtu.edu to share your MTU experience or offer suggestions.

Best wishes,

David Hemmer