May 21 , 2007 (Vol. 13, No. 51)

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

Edited by Dennis Walikainen (MS ’92), Senior Editor, University Marketing and Communications
dkwalika@mtu.edu

For past issues, see our archives.

In this issue:

"Thanks"

A pair of F-16s cut low through the fog on an overcast Saturday, sending sonic chills up the spines of the people assembled along the streets of Houghton and Hancock. It was the second annual Parade of Thanks, in honor of Armed Forces Day.

It has become the biggest parade in the Keweenaw, and more than 200 local organizations participated. And, it was great to see the support the local area gives those who served or are serving in the military.

I always get goose bumps from the jets, as I do with the ROTC swearing-in ceremony at Commencement. I've got a lot of veterans in my family: my dad was stationed in India in World War II, my two brothers were in Vietnam, and my sister was an Army nurse before joining the private sector.

Later Saturday, we put some flowers on my dad's and brother's graves. We'll be out of town for Memorial Day, but we wanted them to know we'll be thinking of them.

Just a small way of saying we love them, we miss them, and "thanks."

 

At Tech

SAE AERO TEAM WINS EAST COMPETITION: After years of hard work, Michigan Tech's SAE Aero team has truly taken off. The students flew their radio-controlled plane to a third-place finish in the Society of Automotive Engineers' Aero Design West, held in March in Van Nuys, Calif. Then they soared to first place in Aero Design East, held May 4-6 in Ft. Worth, Texas. The Michigan Tech team competes in the regular class; awards are also given in the open and micro classes. "Our SAE Aero team has really progressed over the last four or five years," said their advisor, Stephen Stackhouse, associate director for corporate development.
More: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/news/media_relations/575/>

***

COPPER GIFT TO THE GOVERNOR: Governor Jennifer Granholm's residence in Lansing will be brightened by a dramatic specimen of native Keweenaw copper shot through with pistachio-green epidote, a mineral characteristic of the region. Michigan Tech President Glenn Mroz and Kathryn Clark, chair of the University's Board of Control, presented the specimen to the Governor at the Capitol Wednesday evening. Geologists believe that the copper specimen presented to the Governor was formed over 1 billion years ago, when molten lava oozed up repeatedly from huge cracks in the earth's crust and spread out over the region that is now the Keweenaw Peninsula. This series of lava flows was compressed into an enormous trough in which Lake Superior now sits. Then mineral-rich hot water seeped up through the cracks and fissures, depositing great amounts of elemental copper.
More: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/news/media_relations/573/>

***

MEEM HONORED FOR EXTINGUISHER INNOVATIONS: The Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics' Capstone Design Program has received an Award of Excellence from Ansul Inc., of Marinette, Wis., a business unit of Tyco Safety Products. In particular, Ansul was impressed with the students' improvements to its high-expansion foam generator. A super-sized fire extinguisher, the device is about five feet square and is used in aircraft hangers and similar sites. Essentially, the Capstone Design team figured out how to make it generate more foam, and the company is adopting their innovations.
More: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/news/media_relations/574/>

Tech Sports

TECH ANNOUNCES 2007-08 HOCKEY SCHEDULE--Huskies Open Slate With Seven Consecutive Home Dates: Regular-season-opening games against Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State in the battle for the inaugural Superior Cup, a Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) clash with 2007 NCAA Champion Michigan State at Joe Louis Arena, and a pair of duals with Wisconsin in the annual Winter Carnival series highlight the 36-game 2007-08 Michigan Tech men's ice hockey schedule announced today by Tech head coach Jamie Russell. In addition to the standard 28-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) schedule, the Huskies will play eight non-conference tilts. "As usual, we have one of the toughest schedules in the country," said Russell. "We expect to compete against the best teams every year, and it will be no different in 2007-08." Among Tech's 17 regular-season home games, six will come in the first three weeks of the slate. The Huskies host the University of Toronto Oct. 6 in their lone exhibition outing of the year, which pushes their total number of home dates to 18. The 19-game road schedule doesn't begin until Nov. 2-3 when Michigan Tech travels to the Kohl Center for a series with Wisconsin.
More: <http://www.athletics.mtu.edu/news.php?source2=news&source=0705160444mho.txt&PHPSESSID=8fb5d0229666cb1c22e6471e3228560b>

***

HAYNES QUALIFIES FOR NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS--Michigan Tech Track and Football Athlete Will Race in 100 and 200: Michigan Tech sophomore Robert Haynes (Lansing, Mich./Sexton), who owns school records in the 100 and 200 meters, will represent the Huskies in both events at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 24-26, hosted by Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. "This is a tremendous accomplishment for Robert," said fourth-year head coach Joe Haggenmiller. "He is a very gifted athlete, and now has a chance to showcase his talent at the top level of Division II."
More: <http://www.athletics.mtu.edu/news.php?source2=news&source=0705151145mtr.txt>

***

DERNOVSEK AND KASZA TO PLAY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AT TECH: The Michigan Tech women's basketball team today announced that Lucy Dernovsek (Holcombe, Wis./Lake Holcombe) and Maria Kasza (Rapid City, Mich./Kalkaska), a transfer from Northern Michigan, join the Huskies next fall. Dernovsek (pronounced DUR-no-sek) was an all-state selection as a senior at Holcombe Lake High where she averaged 26 points, 11 rebounds and five assists per game. The 5-11 guard earned All-Lakeland Conference honors three times and first team all-county twice during her career. Dernovsek averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds as a junior and just missed averaging a double-double as a sophomore (18 points, nine rebounds). The class valedictorian has been selected to participate in the state all-star game in June.Kasza played the last three years at Northern Michigan, where she appeared in all 80 games and started 41 contests. The 5-7 guard tallied 774 career points for the Wildcats. At Kalkaska High, Kasza was a two-time all-state selection and the school's all-time leading scorer. She also finished with the second-most three-pointers made (250) in the state record book.

***

STEVE NORDSTROM NAMED DIRECTOR OF ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT--Tech Alum Replaces Recently Retired Rick Yeo: Michigan Tech Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret today announced the hiring of Steve Nordstrom, former assistant athletic director and women's basketball coach at Finlandia University, as Tech's Director of Athletic Development. Nordstrom replaces Rick Yeo, who retired last week. "We're really excited to have Steve joining us," Sanregret said. "He has been around Michigan Tech his entire life, and the knowledge and passion he has for Huskies Athletics will be a great asset for us."

***

Upcoming Events
Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26: Track and Field NCAA Championships, Charlotte, NC.

Around the Keweenaw

Adapted from the Daily Mining Gazette

ARCHIVES EXHIBIT DEBUTS: Whether through a quick stroll or a mouse click, it's getting easier to see the sights in the Michigan Tech University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections. The Archives debuted an exhibit of historical photographs culled from its collections Thursday in the Archives reading room at the J. R. Van Pelt Library. Selections in the exhibit, called "Images of the Keweenaw: Selections from the Archives Staff," range from an 1880s photo of the Rock School in Houghton to a 1960s shot of boys playing hockey in Laurium. This is the first public display for many of the prints, some of which were transferred from fragile glass plate negatives. The results run the gamut of the Copper Country experience, said archivist Erik Nordberg. "We wanted to give you a taste of the kind of things we get to look at every day," he said.
More: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7064>

***

TRAILS EXTENSION UNDER CONSTRUCTION: The Michigan Tech Trails will have their first official link to the Nara Nature Park Trails through a network of bike paths scheduled to be completed this summer. The new trails use a Michigan Tech recreational easement through a 400-foot triangular section of private land, which links two diagonally bordering sections of Tech land. The easement became available when the piece's new owner asked Tech if they'd be willing to cross his land. Tech had previously had a 40-acre interior piece near the site with no access. In December, Tech also closed on a 58-acre parcel sitting between the University's property and the Nara Nature Park and Portage Golf Course. "The intent is to use that piece for recreational purpose, to expand our recreational holdings," said Mike Abbott, Tech's director of sports and recreation.
More: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7065>

***

INVESTIGATING PORTAGE LAKE ON THE AGGASIZ: Eighty local students and adults recently participated in four scientific excursions led by Marty Auer of civil and environmental engineering. Nancy Auer of the biological sciences provided lake trout stomachs for children and adults to dissect. They found smelt, whitefish, salmon, a bird's foot, sculpin, and many insects. Michigan Tech graduate students Mark Rowe and Lauren Fry guided participants in viewing live zooplankton, phytoplankton, and bottom-dwelling organisms through microscopes. Robert Kahl, a fisheries biologist with US Fish and Wildlife Service, presented on aquatic invasive species that threaten the Great Lakes: sea lamprey, rusty crayfish, zebra mussels, and more.
More: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7006>
and <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7005>

 

From the Emailbag

ALUMNI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The Admissions Office is looking for dynamic alumni volunteers to assist in presenting scholarship certificates to accepted students at upcoming high school awards ceremonies. See the listing below for schools that have requested an alumni/ae volunteer at their program. To participate in this excellent outreach opportunity, please contact Kathy at kross(at)mtu.edu or call 888-688-1885.

Michigan
All Saints Central Catholic, Bay City, 6/5, 9:00 AM
Crossroads Charter Academy, Big Rapids, 5/24, 7:00 PM
Dollar Bay/Tamarack City, Dollar Bay, 5/22, 9:00 AM
Edwardsburg, Edwardsburg, 5/24, 7:30 PM
Fremont, Fremont, 5/22, 7:00 PM
Johannesburg-Lewiston, Johannesburg, 6/6, 8:00 PM
Manistee Catholic Central, Manistee, 5/31, 7:00 PM
Reese, Reese, 5/30, 9:00 AM
Saint Francis, Traverse City, 5/30, 9:30 AM
Saint Mary Cathedral, Gaylord, 5/31, 6:30 PM

Minnesota
Caledonia, Caledonia, 5/22, 7:30 PM
Mayo, Rochester, 5/23, 6:45 PM

Oregon
Ontario, Ontario, 5/24, 6:30 PM

Virginia
Floyed E. Kellam, Virginia Beach, 6/6, 8:00 AM

West Virginia
Hedgesville, Hedgesville, 5/23, 8:00 AM

Wisconsin
Park Falls, Park Falls, 6/1, 9:00 AM
Potosi, Potosi, 5/23, 7:30 PM
Saint Catherine's, Racine, 5/23, 6:00 PM
Waukesha West, Waukesha, 5/23, 6:00 PM

***

I have some software called "depopper" that I use to clean up recordings that I am converting from LP to digital. I have an 8 ft long stack of LP's and we only use digital for entertainment.

I ran your old fight song through this after converting it to a "wav" file then converted the result back to mp3. I am attaching the result. I think it is a little more listenable.

Bruce Kelly 68

Thanks Bruce! I've made a link to the new version here: <http://www.mtu.edu/alumni/OldFightSongNEW.mp3> And I was tempted to start marching around my office!

***

Dennis; If memory serves at this late date, the MCST name change was already scheduled to occur when I was a lowly frosh in the Fall of 1963. Other events that quarter (Dallas Schoolbook Repository) may have crowded out the actual events, but my recollection is that the "campus fathers" realized that it would be easier to change to "university" status immediately rather than wait for at least a year after adopting the Michigan College of Science and Technology moniker. I have a dim recollection (hey, at my age I don't even buy green bananas) that Tech was indeed "officially" MCST for a few short weeks, and that those weeks might have been crammed in after the end of the Fall 1963 quarter and before the start of the Winter 1964 quarter.

That said, I'm sure that somebody out there will soon show up with documentation showing that the whole sequence actually occurred at the end of 1964!  In my defense, it's been either 43 or 42 years of other memories.

Pete Dohms, '67

***

Hi Dennis - The comments about the Weed Room resonated with me a lot. Like my classmate Larry Doyle, I too had some problems with staying on the straight and true path while at Tech. The study atmosphere at the KD house wasn't always conducive to good grades! However, studying in the Weed Room until 0'dark thirty many nights helped me out a great deal and finally resulted in a degree. I would study one of several different subjects each night until I became tired, lay my head down on the table for 15 or 20 minutes or until I recharged my battery and then was up and at 'em again until early morning. This was pretty much standard operating procedure for many of us who used this facility in the 1960's. I also did this regularly after some "encouragement" from Dean Meese. He helped many of us overcome some negative behaviors with his fatherly advice and, sometimes, useful kicks in the pants. He is probably responsible for more Michigan Tech students getting their degrees than most of us realize. And please add my thanks to the Weed brothers.

Bill Deephouse
Class of 1963/64 and 1971
Houghton

***

Hi Dennis,
This is a little off-topic for the alum newsletter, but as I was reading it, it just occurred to me that you might be able to help give some direction.

My daughter is an ice dancer and this year the music/rhythm category for the original dance is folk/country. The skaters are encouraged to select music to skate to that reflects their country or national origin. She's got as much Finnish as anything in her and I thought it might be interesting to at least listen to some Finnish folk music but I'm having a hard time finding anything.  Would you have any ideas on who to ask? I thought that surely someone up there in the Copper Country might have some ideas! We'd really appreciate it!

Thanks,
Beki

Beki: I've learned that there is not much "off-topic" where Techalum is concerned! I'm tossing this out to the list to get their ideas.

***

Regarding the location of Chuck's Bar in downtown Houghton:

I can picture, in my 65 year old mind, Chuck's being on the south side of Sheldon Ave. in the first block coming into downtown, just east of the post office.

Keep your good writing coming.

Larry Doyle

 

Alumni Association Programs

ALUMNI EVENTS

For more information on other alumni chapter events, e-mail mtu_alumni(at)mtu.edu or see the alumni chapter site on the web:
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/chapters/index.htm>

May
22, Grand Rapids, Spring Dinner for the West Michigan Chapter
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/Annual_Spring_Dinner_2007.pdf>

23, Green Bay, Annual Golf Outing
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/GB_Golf_07.pdf>
Contact Suzanne Berkovitz sberkovitz(at)new.rr.com

June
2, Grand Rapids, West Michigan Annual Golf Outing
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/WestMI_Golf_Outing_07.pdf>

7, Keweenaw, Progressive Social, A Midsummer's Night Journey into Laurium
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/Laurium_Poster_2007.pdf>

9, Detroit, Annual Golf Outing
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/Detroit_Golf_07.pdf>

July
13, Saginaw, Annual Golf Outing at the Sawmill

August
2-4, Houghton, Alumni Reunion
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/reunion/>

Job Opportunities This Week

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

Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate/Professor, Center for Service Systems Engineering, College of Engineering

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

CPA OWNER: Local one-owner CPA firm in Houghton, MI is seeking future owners/entrepreneurs to succeed present owner. A minimum of 10 years of practice and management experience in the CPA profession is considered minimal.   Experienced CPA Auditor is initially desirable however eventual complete succession to new ownership will require a minimum of two future owners to maintain current client base. Current practice employs 5 CPA's (including owner), 4 degreed accountants, 1 paraprofessional and two administrative staff.  Current owner has operated and owned practice for 22 years.  Current practice is technology oriented with an excellent staff that highly utilizes flex time.  Total years of experience for current staff, excluding owner, is estimated at around 65 years. More info: <http://www.brucerukkila.com> or email bruce(at)brucerukkila.com

 

Michigan Tech is on the web at <http://www.mtu.edu>. For the alumni pages, click on "Alumni/Friends" at the top of the home page.

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University Marketing and Communications
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