TechAlum News, February 5, 2007

February 5, 2007 (Vol. 13, No. 36)

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

In this issue:

How cold was it?
At Tech
Tech Sports
Around the Keweenaw
From the E-mailbag
Alumni Chapter Events
Job Opportunities

How cold was it?

It was so cold Friday (and all weekend), that I was handling a bolt from my snowblower, which broke (good timing), and the bolt almost froze to my hand. It was an easy fix, though, and I was back in business in no time.

It reminded me of one foray into statue building in the mid-1980s. We built one downtown in the community category, in the parking lot of what is now the Travelodge, the old King's Inn Motel. We had the best of intentions, and many people from our group, a local business, showed up the first night. But, after the weather changed to what it has been like this weekend (highs of –9, windchills of –30), more and more dropped off until there were just three of us.

We were dedicated, and we had expert instruction: one of the Delt Sigs gave us some pointers. After three consecutive nights of nearly unbearable weather, though, we'd had enough. I can't recall ever being so cold. It's a good thing we were able to make several trips to the Ambassador to warm up. When it was done, we were quite proud of it: Humpty Dumpty on skis.

So, when I tour the statues Wednesday night, at least I can say, "Yea, I did that (when I was much younger)."

Here's to a great Carnival. Go Huskies!

And, don't forget the web cams, including Statue Cam: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/cams/>

***

Snowfall Totals (from KRC)

Snowfall total: 90.75"
Depth on ground: 32.0"
Snowfall total last week: 71.25"
Depth on ground last week: 22.0"
Snowfall total last year: 147"
Depth on ground last year: 24.5"

At Tech

WINTER CARNIVAL 2007--MISS MICHIGAN, DOG-SLED RIDES, MORE: Along with the usual awe-inspiring snow statues and a variety of fun events, Winter Carnival will offer visitors something new: dog-sled rides and a visit from Miss Michigan. The Queen's Coronation, held Saturday, was emceed by Miss Michigan, Angela Corsi of Farmington. Visit <http://wintercarnival.mtu.edu/queenMug.html>. Ice fishing and other Special Events are also taking place.
MORE: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/news/media_relations/534/>

***

TWO GREAT SHOWS FOR CARNIVAL WEEK: Thanks to the Michigan Tech Student Entertainment Board (SEB), you can look forward to two blockbuster shows at the Rozsa during Winter Carnival week. On Friday, February 9 the ska-punk band Reel Big Fish, best known for their offbeat humor and sarcastic wit, are on stage, followed the next night by Jeff Dunham, the nation's premier comic ventriloquist, along with pals Peanut, Walter, and Jose Jalapeno on Saturday, February 10. Both shows start at 9 p.m. and neither is recommended for those under 18. Tickets are now on sale at the Rozsa Box Office (906-487-3200, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. or at www.tickets.mtu.edu). Remember that you must show your Michigan Tech ID when purchasing the tickets and when entering the performance hall. On the night of the show, anyone with a student ticket but without an Michigan Tech student ID will be sent to the box office to pay the difference in cost between a student and a general public ticket. Tickets for each show are $15 and $10 for Michigan Tech students and $20 and $15 for the general public. These two great shows are presented by the Michigan Tech Student Entertainment Board and made possible through Student Activity Fees and a special grant from the Undergraduate Student Government.

***

NEW ALUMNI RELATIONS DIRECTOR NAMED: Brenda Rudiger has been named director of alumni relations, Vice President for Advancement Shea McGrew has announced. Rudiger comes to Michigan Tech from the University of Windsor in Ontario, where she has served as alumni officer since 2003. This followed two years at Windsor as a communication officer for electronic media. Previously, she held positions in marketing and communications at Metro Community College in Edmonton, Alberta, at IKON Office Solutions in Edmonton, and in the Department of Music at the University of Alberta. She also has worked as a management consultant in publications and strategic communications. Rudiger holds an MBA from Athabasca University in Alberta; her thesis topic was "Strategic Planning for Alumni Associations." "Brenda brings to us an understanding of strategic issues in alumni relations, direct experience in the field and specialized technical skills that will fit well with our adoption of iModules, an online alumni community that we will launch on Feb. 12," McGrew said. Rudiger will assume her new position on March 1, though she will be on campus in February to meet with the Alumni Association Board of Directors and attend Winter Carnival events.

***

CHAVIS FEATURED IN FREE PRESS: Susan Alger wrote a great profile of Betty Chavis, Outreach and Multi-Ethnic Programs Director, in the Sunday, Feb. 4, edition of the Detroit Free Press. You can read "Detroiter Thaws Minority Students' Way to Michigan Tech" at <http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070204/COL02/702040536/1081/>

***

SCHULZ NAMED SPIE FELLOW: Tim Schulz, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been elected a Fellow in SPIE—The International Society for Optical Engineering. He was selected in part for his research in signal processing methods for sensing and imaging. Schulz's research programs have been supported by NSF, AFOSR, DARPA, the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Army Night Vision Laboratory and other government agencies. He currently serves as associate editor for the Journal of the Optical Society of America A and was previously associate editor for Applied Optics and IEEE Transactions on Image Processing. Schulz has been on the Michigan Tech faculty since 1992 and has chaired his department since 1999.
MORE: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/news/media_relations/533/>

Tech Sports

CARNIVAL WEEK IS HERE!: The best collegiate winter festival in the nation is Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival, and it commences this week on the Tech campus. Highlighting the weekend is Tech's hockey series against nationally ranked Denver. The team with the most combined goals in the two games will be awarded the John MacInnes Memorial Cup as Winter Carnival champion. The Huskies have not faced Denver for Winter Carnival since 1991 and are seeking their 40th Carnival title since 1950.
MORE: <http://www.athletics.mtu.edu/sport.php?sport=mho>

WOMEN'S HOOPS ON FOUR-GAME WIN STREAK: The Michigan Tech women's basketball team got a pair of double digit wins last week to run its winning streak to four games. On Thursday (Feb. 1), the Huskies drained a season-high 12 three-pointers to defeat Gannon with five of those coming from freshman Katie Zimmerman (Green Bay, Wis./East). On Saturday (Feb. 3), freshman Danae Danen (Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon) led a balanced team attack with a career-high 16 points in a 74-41 victory over Mercyhurst. Michigan Tech's next three games come against teams currently ahead in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division standings beginning Thursday (Feb. 8) at Ferris State.
MORE: <http://www.athletics.mtu.edu/sport.php?sport=wbb>

MEN'S TENNIS OPENS: The men's tennis team opened their 2007 spring season at the Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational over the weekend with three matches. The Huskies were 0-3 as a team, but got a good individual performance from Alan Parenteau (Milford, Mich.). The junior won two of three singles matches and two of three doubles tilts on the weekend. Michigan Tech will travel to the St. Cloud State Invitational on Saturday (Feb. 10).
MORE: <http://www.athletics.mtu.edu/sport.php?sport=mtn>

SHELAST CONTINUES POINT STREAK: Junior Tyler Shelast (Kelowna, B.C.) tallied a goal in each game of Michigan Tech's series at Minnesota State Mankato last weekend to extend his point streak to seven games. The streak is the longest such by a Husky since the 2004-05 season when Colin Murphy achieved a 12-game point streak. Shelast, who owns a team-leading 12 goals this season, has a total of 19 points in 2006-07.

***

Around the Keweenaw

Adapted from the Daily Mining Gazette and WLUC TV-6

HEALTH CLINICS DEALING WITH FLU VACCINE SURPLUS: A mild flu season has left local health care providers with refrigerators full of surplus flu vaccine. Between the Western Upper Peninsula District Health Department and the pharmacy department at Portage Health, there is enough unused vaccine to treat 1,650 people. The Health Department reported about 500 vaccinations have gone unused this season at its clinics, and another 300 are sitting in the refrigerator at their main office. Maureen Salo, community health coordinator for the health department, blames the surplus on late delivery of the vaccine. The delay caused the department to miss out on the peak vaccination period in the Copper Country. "The shipments were delayed, the bulk of our order didn't come until the end of November," Salo said. "People are used to getting their vaccines in September, early October. Our regular clinics didn't start till December which is extremely late."
MORE: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=5620>

***

TOWNSHIP TAX ROLLS SEIZED: The Michigan State Tax Commission has assumed control of the Torch Lake Township 2006 tax rolls because the agency claims the township is not in compliance with some procedural requirements. Terry Stanton, public information officer for the Michigan Department of Treasury, said the action regarding Torch Lake Township came about as a result of a 14-point review done in summer 2005. "We do random reviews, 83 per year," Stanton said. "The township score was 87 (out of a possible 140), which was a pretty low score, and which made them substantially noncompliant." Stanton said the problems found with the review of the township's tax situation include: The board of review didn't use the proper form to document valuation changes; The township doesn't maintain tax maps or land-value maps; The township doesn't maintain customary business hours for inspection and copying of records; Pricing was missing from appraisal record cards. The township board of trustees were told of the low score and told to remedy the situation, Stanton said.
MORE: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=5613>

***

LAYOFFS AT HARDWOODS: Scott Sapino is looking for ways to cut back, and maybe a new job elsewhere, now that he has been laid off from Northern Hardwoods. "Right now ... I'm going to have to cut back on a lot of things and I've already cut back because things are tight as it is in the economy today," Sapino said. His wife, Dawn, does not work. "She can't, my daughter has autism and she has to be there if the school calls and my son is only three, so she can't work outside the home," Sapino said. Sapino and 30 other hourly, second-shift production workers at Northern Hardwoods found out Tuesday they were laid off and the shift would be shut down. "We view it as a temporary layoff, but we need to get our sales back up to meet our production," Northern Hardwoods general manager Bill Check said. The plant dismissed eight salaried employees Monday. "From my understanding they're not coming back," Paul Ruotsala, president of United Steel Workers Local No. 7798, said of the salaried workers. The union represents the hourly workers.
MORE: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=5600>

***

COLD WEATHER MEANS GREAT ICE CLIMBING: Some outdoor enthusiasts gloried in the cold this weekend, as over 400 ice climbers from across the Midwest flocked to Munising for the Michigan Ice Festival. Michigan Ice Fest is the third largest ice climbing festival in the country. It's a great opportunity for beginners because equipment and instruction are free. And although it may look like a dangerous sport, experts say its easier than it looks. Organizers mentioned that the weekend was a success and that the cold weather wasn't too much of a concern because cold weather makes for great ice climbing conditions.

From the Emailbag

Hi, Dennis!
A little Winter Carnival Trivia- I was browsing the Tech Alum Site, and came across this picture in the Winter Carnival History in Pictures section <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/gallery/Winter%20Carnival%20History/index.htm>, with the caption "Women on Statue, 70's clothes." Since I lived and thrived up there at that time, I can tell you, that the women are: (1) in fur coat, Miss America of 1974, Rebecca Ann King, (2) in the background, in the white coat and pink outfit is the Homecoming queen from Southwest Texas State, and in front in the black coat is Janet Nyman, our own Michigan Tech Winter Carnival queen.

This was the era where we shipped snowballs to Southwest Texas every year, and they decided to lend their queen to our Carnival, that year. The queen from Texas didn't bring any warm clothes, so all of the clothing that she wore that weekend, for carnival, came from the Nymans. Dr. Nyman was a professor at the college, and he, his wife and daughters, Jill and Janet, were friends of my family.

Have a great Winter Carnival 2007!

Vicki (Mills) Betts, 1979

***

From another listserv:

Where did Heikki Lunta come from? Either I led a sheltered life in the dorm or that is something new since the late 50's.

Gail Richter '61

For a detailed answer see: <http://csumc.wisc.edu/exhibit/HeikkiLunta/>

M. C, (Mike) Albrecht, P.E.

Editor's Note: The song that started it all: <http://www.mtu.edu/alumni/heikki.mp3>

***

I'm confident that you can find a few folks who will enjoy this.......

Frank Shoffner

Editor's Note: Here's a clip many alums can relate to:
<http://www.mtu.edu/alumni/TheKnack.mpg>

***

Dennis,
It appears that the Syracuse area is trying to beat Tech's snow angel record. The sorry thing is that they do not mention who holds the current record.

<http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-3/117023839333820.xml&coll=1&thispage=2>

John McDaniel '87

***

Hi Dennis.

I was so sorry to hear about Chuck Hein. I had the good fortune to be taught by him during my undergrad years at Michigan Tech (1978-1980). He was soft spoken and came across as being shy, but he had a wicked sense of humor. He was a true gentleman and a great teacher. He will be sorely missed.

Louise Bos (1980, 1989)

Editor's Note: Chuck was, indeed, a great guy. I was going to have him survey my yard before I put up a fence. He came to my house, looked at the property, and said, "Instead of paying me, why don't you just ask your neighbor?" Which I did.

Alumni Association Programs

CARNIVAL EVENT: Alumni Relations and First-Year Programs will be hosting an Open House for Alumni, Parents and Tech Legacy Families during Winter Carnival. Please join us for light dessert and casual conversation from 3:00-5:00 p.m., Saturday, February 10, 2007 in the Noblet Atrium and Lecture Hall (Forestry Building #18). The Open House will feature "A History of Winter Carnival," a photographic presentation by Jane Nordberg, beginning at 4:00 p.m. For more information please visit the Michigan Tech Alumni and Friends site at: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni> click on the February 10 Alumni Events Link: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/front-back_2007.pdf> Questions? Please contact Kim Klender at kimk(at)mtu.edu, or call 906-487-3674.

***

OTHER 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>

February
10--Houghton, Tech Legacy Reception, Winter Carnival
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/front-back_2007.pdf>

16--Muskegon, Alumni Night with the UHL Muskegon Fury
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/Alumni_Night_with_the_Fury_07.pdf>

17--Sudbury, Ontario Chapter Michigan Tech Alumni Breakfast Meeting
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/Ontario_Breakfast_07.pdf>

March
3--Twin Cities, Michigan Tech vs. Minnesota Hockey
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/Michigan Tech_vs_Minnesota_flyer.pdf>

16--Grand Rapids, Michigan Tech Alumni Night: Hockey with the Griffins
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/Griffins_07.pdf>

26--Chicago, Chemistry Alumni & Friends at ACS National Meeting
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/events/Chemistry_Invite.pdf>

Job Opportunities This Week

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

System Administrator, Information Technology/Auxiliary Technologies

Assistant Research Accountant, Research Accounting

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

Operations Engineer, Oglebay Norton Company, Gulliver, Michigan (in the UP) Email Jim Weber: JWeber(at)mlo.onco.com