TechAlum News, March 6, 2006

March 6 , 2006 (Vol. 12, No. 39)

A weekly electronic newsletter for alumni and friends of Michigan Technological University

Edited by Dennis Walikainen (MS ’92), Director, Web Development, University Marketing and Communications
dkwalika@mtu.edu

For past issues, see our archives.

Junior Olympics

Instead of a lull on campus for spring break week, we are being treated to the 2006 Junior Olympics of cross-country skiing. Our trails are a bevy of activity, and you can catch the action on webcams from the JO site <http://www.2006juniorolympics.org>and our own Tech trail cam <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/cams/trails1/still.html>. You can see the finish to the races on the latter link, and there's also a scoreboard cam on the JO site.

I learned yesterday that it's cool to call it "JO (Jay-Oh)." They had a march across campus to the Rozsa Center where they had the opening ceremonies. A beautiful copper torch was carried and they lit a copper bowl near the Rozsa. Inside, 400-plus athletes, coaches, family, and staff listened as the different teams were introduced. It was quite impressive. There were teams from Alaska, the Northeast, far West, everywhere across the nation. They all had their team jackets and hats on, and it looked every bit like Turino.

Today, the competition begins, and the Tech Trails are fixed up accordingly. There is a blue fence running through the woods, and there are grandstands festooned with the flags of many nations.

It's putting Tech and the Keweenaw on the national map as a cross-country skiing hot spot, so to speak. And, it's a nice addition to snowmobiling. The so-called "silent sports": running, hiking, skiing, kayaking, etc., are a great benefit to our area. And, living near the Maasto Hiihto trail system in West Hancock, I am witness to increased usage, in all four seasons, in my hometown.

So, we hope the weather holds (no rain, please), and the visitors find our area to their liking. I think I'll run up the hill to check out the action . . .

Snowfall Update
(Website http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/snowfall/)
As of March 5, 2006

Snowfall to Date, On the Ground

This Week: 193"     36 "
Last Week: 190"     45 "
Last Year: 135 "     38 "

ALUMNI BULLETIN BOARD: Remember the alumni bulletin board for you to use for discussions related to this newsletter, Tech sports, or anything else: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/pps-cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl>

At Tech

TED ROZSA PASSES: Ted Rozsa '36, passed away Thursday in Calgary, Alberta at the age of 90. In addition to providing funding for the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts on the Tech campus, he and his wife, Lola, contributed to the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences and sponsored numerous scholarships over the years.

"I will always remember Ted for a conversation he and Lola and I had two years ago," said Michigan Tech President Glenn Mroz. "We were talking about all the students who were benefiting from their scholarships and the thank you cards those students sent to them. He loved reading them. As we were saying our goodbyes, Ted and Lola's generosity and their commitment to Michigan Tech's students was summed up in one simple request they made--'Please let those students know we think of them all as our grandchildren.'"

A full obituary can be found here: <http://www.legacy.com/CAN-CALGARY/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=16912144>

***

CAMPUS RENOVATIONS TO BEGIN IN MAY: Tech received a Christmas gift Dec. 19 when the governor signed an appropriation bill providing the university with $10 million for general campus renovations. And on Friday, Feb. 24, the Board of Control gave its final approval to the laundry list of improvements. The state is allocating $7.5 million toward the project, with the university providing $2.5 million in matching funds. Energy savings are expected to more than make up the cost of the university's investment. The major projects included are classroom upgrades in Fisher and Chemical Science and Engineering; lighting upgrades in most academic buildings; public area spruce-ups in Fisher, Chem-Sci and Dillman; new roofs for the Academic Office Building, Noblet, Walker, the Administration Building, the Central Heating Plant and the Service Building; and heating and air conditioning energy control improvements. At $3.4 million, the largest single item will be interruptible power generators, which will be able to provide electricity to the university in the event of a blackout. Having such a system in place qualifies the university for lower electrical rates, and the savings will offset the cost of the bond issue.

Tech Sports

WOMEN'S HOOPS HEADED TO 12TH NCAA TOURNAMENT! The Michigan Tech women's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the second year straight and 12th time overall. The Huskies (19-8) received an at-large bid as the #6 seed to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, and will face third-seeded Northern Kentucky (26-4) in the first round. Drury, located in Springfield, Mo., is the top seed and host for the regional. First round games are set for Friday (Mar. 10), with the semifinals Saturday (Mar. 11) and championship Monday (Mar. 13). Game times will be announced tomorrow (Mar. 6).

HOCKEY HEADED TO MADISON FOR WCHA PLAYOFFS: Michigan Tech (7-23-6, 6-16-6 WCHA) wrapped up the regular season in eighth place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings with 18 points. The Huskies will travel to third-seeded Wisconsin next weekend for a best-of-three series against the Badgers in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs. Opening faceoff is slated for 8:07 p.m. (EST) Friday (Mar. 10). Tech posted a 1-2-1 record vs. UW this season including a 4-2 victory over the then #1-ranked Badgers in Madison (Dec. 9).

OWEN AND DITTY SET TO RACE AT NCAA SKIING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Kristina Owen and Aaron Ditty have qualified for the 2006 NCAA National Collegiate Skiing Championships after finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, on the final Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) Qualification Points List. The field of 78 participants (39 women, 39 men), which includes seven women and six men from the CCSA region, will compete for an NCAA title in Steamboat Springs, Colo., beginning Thursday (Mar. 9).

BARNES COACH OF THE YEAR; THREE OTHER HUSKIES LAUDED: Michigan Tech women's basketball skipper John Barnes was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year by the league last week. In addition, Catherine Rottier earned All-GLIAC North Division First Team accolades, Amanda Sieja was picked to the All-GLIAC North Second Team, and Sarah Magee and Rottier were both named to the North Division All-Defensive Team.

RICHARDSON ALL-GLIAC FIRST TEAM: Junior Radayl Richardson of the Michigan Tech men's basketball men basketball team has been named to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division First Team. The 6-3 guard paced the team in scoring (15.9 points per game), steals (34) and blocks (18) and was second in rebounds (4.7 per game). In addition to his first All-GLIAC North First Team selection, Richardson gained GLIAC North Division All-Defensive Team laurels for the second straight year.

For up-to-date standings, go to the following links:
Hockey: http://www.collegehockeystats.net/standings/wcham
Women's Basketball: http://gliac.org/womens/basketball/default.asp
Men's Basketball: http://gliac.org/mens/basketball/default.asp

Around Town
(Adapted from the Daily Mining Gazette)

LAMBDA CHIS BUY HISTORIC HOME: The fraternity members moving into Helen Sullivan's former three-story lakeside bed and breakfast mansion on College Avenue made her one promise: They will take their shoes off when they enter. The Georgian-style home, built in 1900 and most widely known as the Charleston House Historic Inn, was recently purchased for about $330,000 by the Phi Phi Zeta House Corp., which is the alumni of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at Michigan Tech. "It's a huge step forward for us," said James Holden, vice president and secretary of Phi Phi Zeta House Corp. "We're really excited to be moving into that house." The house, now in its fifth hands of ownership, began with Allen Rees' construction in 1900 where it stayed with the family until 1962, when Michigan Tech professor Lawrence Remington purchased it. The Sullivans bought it from the Remington family in 1995. John Sullivan said he and wife Helen ran it as a bed and breakfast until May 2004. The house was then purchased by Priti Cholan of New York, who put it back on the market after a year when plans to move to Houghton changed. The fraternity then purchased it.

APPLEBEE'S CONSTRUCTION ON TARGET: Construction of the new Applebee's is on target and residents will be eating there before the end of the year, franchise owners Miller Apple say. "There isn't a set date yet," Marketing Director Martha Sanford said, "It will be sometime in 2006." Building work has gone without complication and work on the restaurant interior will start in March say construction workers for Moyle Inc., contractors for the project. "We certainly could finish quite early at our current pace, but we can't pave the lot until spring," said Kevin Geshel, director of development for Moyle Inc. He gave the tentative opening date for the restaurant as June 1. Restaurant interiors typically feature furnishings which tribute hometown heroes, local schools and area history. As building work progresses, Miller Apple will work with specialist companies who produce the decor for the interior, Sanford said. "They'll coordinate with the high schools, universities, chamber of commerce and local historical societies," she said. Customers could end up surrounded by anything from their old Houghton High School football helmet, or a picture of their great grandfather, to a photograph of themselves.

From the E-mailbag

Dennis - I have silently followed the roundabout discussion as long as I can, since it reminds me of the old saying "Better to keep quiet and let them think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

The bottom line is roundabouts save lives! The crash reduction experience by agencies that have replaced signalized intersections with roundabouts is astonishing. The State of Maryland did quite a bit of study on this, and recently the State of Minnesota has gotten on board with them. As a transportation engineer with a local highway agency in that state I worked closely with them to design and build their first rural roundabout at a County Highway/State Highway intersection. We also currently have our own roundabout under design. What I find so fascinating about the discussion has been it mirrors my experience in the transportation field - EVERYONE is a highway engineer! As a civil/transportation engineer, I understand that a roundabout is a tool in the toolbox, to be used in the right application to correct specific problems. The criteria and methodology has come a long way since most of the ones your readers have had experience with were built.

If all the ME's, EE's, ChemE's, and others will stop practicing traffic/transportation engineering, I promise not to design automobiles, circuit boards, or adhesives J.

Greg Ilkka, BSCE '86, MSCE '92

P.S. I am writing this from Kuwait while I am serving an 8-month recall to active duty as a Navy Facility Engineer supporting the Army over here.

***

Dennis,
Roundabouts do require courtesy, but that is a two-edged sword. Many people (in America) treat the entrance to a roundabout as a stop sign, disrupting the entire operation with misplaced consideration, when a more aggressive approach would help everyone get through the thing more smoothly. This same behavior can make 4-way stop signs a hassle, when inappropriately courteous people don't go first even though they've arrived first, resulting in a lot of false starts and hand-waving.

Thanks to this type of courtesy, navigating any intersection takes longer for everyone. Not that wasting 4 seconds is a tragedy or anything, but still...

The real and prevalent danger at a roundabout is the #1 bugaboo on everyone's list: cell phones. I'd rather see Mr. Magoo approaching a roundabout that I was using than Ms. Minivan Cellphone. Roundabouts and cell phones are a much more dangerous combination than stop signs/lights and cell phones. If there's a silver lining here, it's that your average cell phone idiot isn't driving around drunk, but that's another story.

Dave Feryus '81

***

Regarding the Olympics...

If you can find the time/money, go - at least once. My brother and I went to the Calgary games and had a blast. We didn't know it at the time, but we were there at the last Winter Olympics for the USSR--by 1992, they were called the Unified Team, and after that they were broken down by republics (Russia, Latvia, etc.). Advice - try not to get too caught up with collecting pins--that'll get expensive, unless you can get a supply of pins (like for a sponsor) ahead of time to use as trade bait.

Be ready to burn film (or memory sticks, or whatever), too. I've attached some hockey pictures taken by my brother while we were there--hopefully, they come through OK. The players in the "face-off" photo are Corey Millen and Alexandre Tchernykh. He got a decent photo of Tim Watters in action. I'm not sure if the Stiles photo is during the game or warm-ups. Finally, a little Finnish love with goaltender Jarmo Myllys.

Tom Boyd, '74

***

Dennis,
First, thanks for keeping up the newsletter. Practically every issue brings back memories of my days at Tech. Now living in Switzerland, it sometimes seems like Tech is a long way away...but when the memories flood back, I know it will always be a part of me.

Besides the thanks, I wanted to comment on your "Olympic Memories". This year the Huskies were again well represented. This time by a player in your (and my) other team, Finland. Jarkko Ruutu, who now plays for Vancouver, helped the Finns almost take the gold. I remember watching him in '96, along with the Mikesch brothers, and cheering them on as a member of the Pep-band all the way to the championship game of the Final Five. What a great season!

Scott Perala, EE '99

Alumni Association Programs

CHAPTER EVENTS: For more information on alumni chapter events,
e-mail mtu_alumni at mtu.edu or see the alumni chapter site on the web.

March 2006

10 - Grand Rapids Muskegon Fury Hockey/Alumni Event
15 - Pittsburgh Presidential Reception
16 - KAC After Hours Social St. Urho's Day @ KBC
21-22 - Buffalo National College Fair
24-25 - Green Bay- Hockey Regionals @ the Resch
25 - Grand Rapids Griffins Hockey/Alumni Event
30 - Houghton/Hancock Spotlight Night @ Wadsworth Hall

April 2006

2 - Houston National College Fair
4 - Iron Mountain Spotlight Night
4 - Seattle Presidential Reception
5 - Portland Presidential Reception
5 - Green Bay Spotlight Night
6 - Chicago Spotlight Night
11 - Denver Presidential Reception
12 - Student Expo - Alumni Night
18 - Ontario/Inland Empire National College Fair
19 - Honolulu National College Fair
20 - San Diego National College Fair
22 - Orange County National College Fair
23-24 - Greater LA National College Fair
25 - Ventura National College Fair
27 - San Francisco National College Fair
29 - Spring Commencement

May 2006

3 - Grand Rapids Spring Dinner/Presidential Reception
09 - Boston Presidential Reception
10 - Philadelphia Presidential Reception
10 - Duluth Spotlight Night
11 - Minneapolis Spotlight Night
16 - Saginaw/Bay City/Midland Spotlight Night
17-18 - Detroit Spotlight Night
22 - Marquette Spotlight Night
23 - Traverse City Spotlight Night
24 - Grand Rapids Spotlight Night
24 - Green Bay Golf Outing
24-26 - Washington DC (MTF Board Meeting), Presidential Reception
25 - Kalamazoo Spotlight Night

http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/new/events.htm

Job Opportunities This Week

ON CAMPUS: Complete job descriptions are available by e-mailing jobs at mtu.edu

No job postings this week.

OFF CAMPUS: For off-campus positions, visit the alumni section of the career center's web site ( http://www.career.mtu.edu/alumni.php)