Month: January 2014

Tech Gives Minnesota Communities’ History Back to Them

A PhD candidate in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology at Michigan Tech has given the residents of Minnesota’s Cuyuna Range a unique gift–a glimpse into the history of their own communities. Fred Sutherland is researching the history of the Cuyuna Range, an iron mining region between Brainerd and Aitkin, Minn., for his PhD dissertation. Earlier this month, he presented a summary of findings from a survey of nearly 900 historic buildings and sites along the Cuyuna Range.

Sutherland had to inventory the locations to identify potential sites for archaeological fieldwork. His architectural inventory is a model for public research advocated by Michigan Tech faculty, according to Tim Scarlett, associate professor of social sciences and head of Tech’s Industrial Heritage and Archaeology program.

Read more at Tech Today, by Jenn Donovan.

Peace Corps Master’s International Director on National Webinar

Kari Henquinet (SS), director of Michigan Tech’s Peace Corps Master’s International programs, will be an invited presenter as part of a national webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Her topic is “Pulling Up Stakes: Preparing Master’ International Students to go overseas.”

The webinar is sponsored by the Office of University and Domestic Partnerships at the US Peace Corps in Washington, DC.

From Tech Today.

Learn to Model, Model to Learn

Social Sciences Colloquia Friday

John Arnold will present “Learn to Model, Model to Learn,” Friday, Jan. 31, 4 p.m., AOB 201. Arnold is a PhD student in Social Sciences and has an M.S. in Historic Preservation and M.Arch in Architecture from the University of Oregon. He will be talking about the applicability of building information modeling (BIM) as a tool to investigate and manage heritage resources.

From Tech Today.

IA Grads in Virgin Islands

IA Grads at Work in USVI

From David Hayes we hear that a number of MTU IA graduates are taking part in a monitoring project in the U.S. Virgin Islands this winter (yes, we here in Houghton are jealous).  In the photo the person on the far right in the maroon shirt is Alicia Valentino (IA ’03) and to her right is David Hayes (IA ’00)  They are working with a large team of archaeologists checking back dirt from an sewer line excavation in Charlotte Amalie on the island of St Thomas on 21 January 2014. This federally-funded project will allow  infrastructure improvement on Main Street, but it runs through a 1500-2000 year old site of the Saladoid people (for more on the ancient Saladoid sites, see this post from the V.I. Daily News last Feb.).  David Hayes  is the principal investigator on this project.

Summer Study Abroad in Cumbria Information Session

Cumbria Summer 2014
Cumbria Summer 2014

Study in Cumbria, England
Track B July 6 —Aug 3, 2014
4 Weeks, 9 credits, a life-time of memories!
Welcome Back to Spring? Still time to enroll

Come to the information session!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
5:30—6:30
Fisher 101

Now is the time, to get financial aid, get the courses, and get to England this summer! All that is missing is YOU

Contact Carl Blair for more information.

Cumbria Summer 2014

Fred Quivik Presents Fourth Thursday in History

Fourth Thursday in History: Comparing Butte, Montana, and Michigan’s Copper Country
Thursday, January 23, 2014, 7:00 pm
Keweenaw National Park Headquarters
25970 Red Jacket Road, Calumet

Fred Quivik
Associate Professor of History
Social Sciences, Michigan Tech

Butte and the Keweenaw Peninsula were the world’s two leading suppliers of copper in 1913. At the time, Butte miners had been unionized for three decades, setting a standard Michigan miners hoped to achieve when they went on strike that year. Join Fred Quivik as he compares the mining districts, exploring ways that two different mineral deposits helped to shape two distinct mining histories.

Read more at Tech Today.

Schelly Publishes on Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards

RPSChelsea Schelly (SS) has published the following papers: Schelly, C. “Implementing Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in a Two State Comparison.” Energy Policy. Article in press; Corrected proof available online.

Schelly, C., and Price, J. (2014). “Utilizing GIS to Examine the Relationship Between State Renewable Portfolio Standards and the Adoption of Renewable Energy Technologies.” ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 3(1), 1-17.

From Tech Today.

Nancy Langston Educates about Mining Recommendations

Professor Nancy Langston (SS) produced a webinar to help educate the public about new recommendations for mining in the Lake Superior Basin, issued by the Lake Superior Binational Forum, of which she is a US member.

From Tech Today.

Mining Recommendations Webinar with Nancy Langston

Dr. Nancy Langston explains the Lake Superior Binational Forum’s recommendations for responsible mining in the Lake Superior basin in this webinar produced in December 2013.

Watch the video from the Lake Superior Binational Forum.

Responsible Mining Recommendations from the Lake Superior Binational Forum

For two years, the Lake Superior Binational Forum has been examining all aspects of mining operations in the Lake Superior basin to see how mining affects water and land resources and whether mine operations can be responsibly conducted to minimize impacts.

Read more at the Lake Superior Binational Forum.