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1. Wolves, Moose Struggle on Isle Royale |
A plague of ticks, stifling hot summers and relentless pressure from wolves have driven the moose population on Isle Royale National Park to its lowest ebb in at least 50 years.
Their numbers have sunk from last year’s record low of 450 down to 385, the lowest since researchers began tracking their numbers on this wilderness Lake Superior archipelago. Now in its 49th year, the project is the world's longest-running study of predator-prey relationships.
“Along with this is an even more impressive decline in wolves, from 30 to 21,” said Assistant Professor John Vucetich (SFRES). “The main reason is a lack of food.” For wolves, that translates into a lack of moose.
In 2002, the island was home to more than a thousand moose. Since then, unusually warm summers have dealt a double whammy to the big herbivores: They lose their appetites and seek shelter from the heat, putting them in a worse position to survive winter. And the climate change also seems to favor ticks, causing a massive infestation that has yet to abate. Fortunately for human visitors to the island, the ticks have no interest in people.
A single moose, however, can host tens of thousands at a time, and each tick can suck up about a cubic centimeter of blood. Rather than browse, the moose scratch themselves against trees or bite their hair out trying to remove the parasites. Weight and blood loss often prove deadly.
Wolves are responding to the dwindling of their food supply as they have in the past: with internecine warfare.
Last year, Vucetich witnessed members of the island’s East Pack attack and kill the alpha male of the neighboring Chippewa Pack. This year, they got his widow, the alpha female.
“All we found were the skull and a radio collar,” said Rolf Peterson, a research professor of wildlife ecology. “It was nice they left the skull; foxes tow them around, and we might never have found anything.”
The pair that were killed were founders of the Chippewa Pack. Their lupine love affair began in 2000, when Peterson witnessed the female fleeing into the icy waters of Lake Superior to elude members of another pack intent on her demise. The attackers finally left her for dead on the shoreline; then a lone male roused her, licked her wounds and helped get her on her feet. In the years hence, the happy couple had raised seven litters of pups.
“That’s way above average in terms of progeny,” Peterson said. “She’s the number two all-time breeder in the study.”
“Amazingly, the Chippewa Pack has hung on; they are now under new leadership,” Vucetich said.
Hard times are cascading down to other carnivores. With a shortage of moose meat, wolves are consuming virtually every morsel. “Out of a 900-pound animal, all that remained was a couple of bones. Even the skull was eaten,” Vucetich said. “That’s a sign of tough times for wolves.”
Thus, almost nothing is left for smaller predators and scavengers. “Foxes are having a very hard time,” Peterson said. “Hares are at a cyclical low, and there’s very little left for the foxes to scavenge.”
Yet, in the midst of great privation, there are indications that a new pack may be forming.
“A couple is showing territorial signs, scent marking, and has killed about three moose,” Vucetich said. “It doesn’t really count until they breed, but it’s kind of interesting that in the middle of all these hardships, they are setting out on their own.”
“Someone,” says Peterson, “is always trying to enlarge their footprint.”
The Isle Royale wolf-moose study is funded by the National Park Service, the National Science Foundation and Earthwatch. |
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2. It's Daylight Saving Time. Do You Know Where Your Computer Is? |
From Cynthia MacDonald, DCS & System Administration Services
Daylight Saving Time comes early this year, at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11. The extra hour of evening light may be great for hosting backyard barbecues in long underwear, but it could also cause minor quirks for some computers because their clocks might be an hour slow.
System administrators have worked for many weeks to make the change as trouble free as possible for all computers on campus, and hopefully, no problems will arise. But just in case . . .
If something isn't working right, or if your computer clock reads the wrong time, contact your departmental system administrator to reset your clock. Examples of clock-related problems would be difficulty logging in, having to login to websites that you normally access instantly, or general quirkiness.
Home users should be sure their machines are up to date for the change. Windows users should visit http://update.microsoft.com and follow instructions on the website to apply all the current updates to their home PCs. Mac OSX users should click the Apple Logo on the top left corner of their screen and choose "Software Update" and follow the instructions presented to patch their machines. Some of the patches from both Microsoft and Apple are quite sizable and will take quite a while to download on a modem.
One more thing to be aware of: devices such as cell phones, fax machines, multi-function scanner/print/fax machines depend on time. Some of these may not update themselves on March 11. If you change the date on any device by hand on March 11, you'll have to pay attention again on April 1 to make sure the device does not jump its time ahead an extra hour. |
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3. Submit Your Nominations for the Clair M. Donovan Award |
Submitted by John Aho, president, Blue Key Honor Society, Clair M. Donovan chair
The Blue Key Honor Society is seeking nominations for the Clair M. Donovan Award. The award honors the person who has demonstrated the most outstanding service to Michigan Tech in nonacademic areas during the last year. Any member of the faculty, staff or student body may receive the award.
The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, March 21, by 5 p.m. Completed forms should be dropped off at the Blue Key office, MUB 106.
The link for the form is http://bluekey.students.mtu.edu/exe/CMD/CMD_Nomination_Form.pdf . Please make the accompanying forms readily available and feel free to nominate anyone who deserves to be recognized. If additional forms are needed or if you have any questions, call the Blue Key office 487-2818. |
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4. Three SFRES Honor Academy Members Pass Away |
Submitted by Carrie Richards, SFRES staff assistant
The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science has suffered three losses within the last two months. Two former faculty members and one outstanding alumnus have passed away since January. All three were members of the school’s Honor Academy.
Charles “Chuck” Hein graduated from Michigan Tech with a bachelor's degree in forestry in 1953, and in 1973 he received his MS in Forestry, also from Michigan Tech. He taught forestry and surveying at Tech for 23 years, serving as acting head of the school in 1981. He played a key role in the surveying program and was surveying coordinator within the School of Technology. Chuck was inducted into the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science’s Honor Academy in 1996. Chuck passed away on Jan. 17.
John “Jack” Hornick graduated from Michigan Tech in 1950 with a BS in Forestry. Jack's career as a forester included over 30 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC, from 1957 until his retirement. In his retirement, Jack was an active advocate for the Alberta Village Museum and Sawmill at the Ford Forestry Center. In 2000, Jack was named the school’s Outstanding Alumnus, and in 2001, he was inducted into the school’s honor academy. Jack passed away on March 5.
After earning BS and MS degrees in Forestry in 1944 and 1947 from the University of Michigan, James “Jim” Meteer Sr. came to Michigan Tech in 1965 as a professor of forest research and forestry at the Ford Forestry Center. He moved to the main campus in 1980, where he helped establish the school's first microcomputer teaching lab. He earned professor emeritus status in 1984, and in 1998 he was named to the School of Forest Resouces and Environmental Science’s Honor Academy. Jim passed away on March 6.
“We feel these losses deeply," said Peg Gale, dean of forest resources and environmental science. "All three of these gentlemen were an integral part of the school. They are of the generation that melded our traditional forestry education with the integrated programs we enjoy today.”
More information is available in obituaries posted at the following sites:
Chuck Hein: http://www.petersonfuneralservices.com/view.php?index=54 .
Jack Hornick: http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=6095 .
Jim Meteer: http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=6094 . |
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5. Reminder: Nominations for the Fredrick D. Williams Instructional Innovation Award Due March 16 |
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Nominations for the Fredrick D. Williams Instructional Innovation Award are due Friday, March 16. Information about the award and the nomination form can be found on the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Development's webpage, http://www.admin.mtu.edu/ctlfd/awards/williams_nomination_form.php . |
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6. Volunteers Needed for Library Usability Test |
Volunteers are needed to participate in a usability study of the J. R. Van Pelt Library website. The study will be conducted this spring and will consist of a usability test followed by a focus group discussion. The study will take no longer than 25 minutes, and the group discussion is around 35 minutes.
Participants are needed from three user groups, faculty/staff,
graduate students and undergraduate students. The study will be held in the library instruction room 242.
The schedule is as follows:
Faculty/Staff Sessions
Monday, March 12, 10 a.m.
Wednesday, March 21, 2 p.m.
Graduate Sessions
Monday, March 12, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, March 21, 10 a.m.
Undergraduate Sessions
Thursday, March 22, 10 a.m.
Friday, March 23, 2 p.m.
If you are interested in being a part of the study, complete the following registration form at http://www.lib.mtu.edu/surveys/usability.aspx . If you have questions, contact Hans Kishel at hfkishel@mtu.edu . |
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7. Learn Some of Michigan Tech's Best Kept Secrets Wednesday |
By Theresa Coleman-Kaiser, director, Memorial Union and Rozsa Center Operations
Ever wondered what the guest rooms in the Memorial Union and Wads actually look like or where the DHH Ballroom is? Never had time to visit the Tech Adventures Rental Center? Never even heard of the Cherry Room? Then the "Best Kept Secrets Sampler" is for you.
The "Best Kept Secrets Sampler" will run from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14. Start your visit at the new Tech Express counter in the Campus Bookstore around 1 p.m., where you can pick up a passport with the list of places to visit. Take the tour in any order you'd like, but end by 3 p.m. at the Campus Café in Wadsworth Hall. The tour is open to all interested staff and faculty members. No need to RSVP.
The tour will give you a personal look at some of the great meeting rooms, guest rooms, rental spaces and services available on campus, with free hors d'oeuvres and desserts at each location and the chance to register for a fun prize in each area. Those who have their passport stamped at every stop will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift certificate good at the Campus Bookstore. |
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8. KEDA Sponsors Managing Conflict Seminar |
The Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance, the Michigan Technical Education Center at Bay College and the School of Business and Economics are teaming up to offer a half-day professional development seminar, "Managing Conflict at Work," to be held on Thursday, March 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The registration deadline is Monday, March 12. Cost of the workshop is $136 per person. Organizations sending three or more participants will receive a 15 percent discount.
The seminars will be held in the community room of the Upper Peninsula Power Company headquarters located on the Houghton waterfront. For more information, contact Phil Musser, KEDA, at 482-6817 or pmusser@kedabiz.com . |
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9. Job Postings |
Staff job descriptions are available in the Human Resources Office or at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings . For more information regarding staff positions, call 487-2280 or email jobs@mtu.edu .
Faculty job descriptions can be found at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/facpers/facvac.htm . For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.
Staff Job Postings 03/09/07
Assistant Football Coach-Linebacker/PE Instructor
Athletic Department
Assistant to the VP for Student Affairs
Student Affairs
Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer. |
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10. In the News |
The AP story by environmental writer John Flesher on the wolves and moose of Isle Royale made the national wire Wednesday night and ended up in places such as ABC.com and the LA Times. Here's a link to the Washington Post story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/08/AR2007030800298.html .
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11. Teaching at Tech: Bottom Lines |
by William Kennedy, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development
Twenty-five years into the process of defining and enforcing educational standards and insisting on mandatory standardized testing in America’s high schools, the U.S. public education system is proving to be amazingly resistant to change. According to a recent article in the Atlantic Monthly, although per pupil spending in the public school systems in constant 2004-05 dollars has doubled in the period of time from 1970 to today, the number of teachers has increased by 60 percent, the student teacher ratio has decreased from 23:1 to 16:1, and the number of public school teachers with master’s degrees has doubled (now 58 percent), reading scores and math scores on standardized tests have remained essentially flat.
Last week brought the news that although more U.S. high school students are enrolling in "more demanding" courses (31 percent in 1990 and 51 percent in 2005) and average high school GPAs have actually increased three tenths of a grade point (2.68 to 2.98) over the same period, scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress Test have declined slightly in reading with no gains in math scores. In plain terms, the NAEP scores indicate that 27 percent of high school seniors tested in 2005 scored below the level of basic competency in reading compared to 20 percent in 1990. In math, 39 percent of those tested in 2005 scored below the basic proficiency level.
How do these poor performance levels affect educational processes at colleges and universities? We don’t know, but anecdotal indications are troubling. The National Survey of Student Engagement data comparing Tech student reports of levels of academic challenge from 2001 to 2006 suggests that instructors may be gradually making coursework less challenging (perhaps in response to diminishing levels of student preparedness). The most recent NSSE scores suggest we are producing a lower level of academic challenge than peer institutions both at the first-year and senior levels. Tech students reported fewer opportunities to interact with faculty members, with first-year students reporting that our campus environment is less supportive of their success. On the positive side, first-year Tech students reported solid opportunities for active and collaborative learning experiences, and seniors said many opportunities exist for enriching educational experiences outside of class like internships, capstone courses and service learning.
Again, on the anecdotal front, the most frequent expression of concern I hear from faculty members has to do with increasingly frequent student complaints about workload and excessive rigor in their courses. Over and over again, I hear professors complain about students who want more time spent on exam preparation sessions and more frequent practice sessions where professors work out problems "just like the ones that are going to be on the exam."
I have come to fear that the present emphasis on testing uber alles has created such a powerful hypnotic effect that we have all become consumed with teaching to the test and equating test scores and grades over instances of deep and transformative learning.
My most discouraging day was when I asked a room jammed packed with harried-looking senior design students how many of them would have simply preferred to pay their tuition, avoid all the lectures and the homework, get their degree and take their chances by learning what they need to know on the job, and nearly every hand went up.
If schooling has increasingly become equated with drudgery, grade chasing and finding the least squares solution to getting a diploma, as many students attest, then all the tinkering in the world won’t help raise scores or improve learning. If their hearts aren’t in it, their heads will be absent, as well.
Perhaps, somewhere down the road, we’ll come to realize that the price of "high stakes testing" is higher than we ever imagined.
* "Reading, Writing, Resurrection," Amy Waldman, Jan/Feb 2007. |
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12. Bookshelf Needed |
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The University Senate office needs a bookshelf. If anyone has a surplus bookshelf approximately 36 inches wide, 12 inches deep and 84 inches tall, with four or five adjustable shelves, contact Judi Smigowski at jjsmigow@mtu.edu . |
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