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1. Funeral Arrangements Announced for Student Robert W. Smith |
Funeral arrangements have been announced for first-year-student Robert W. Smith, 18, of Norton Shores, who died Friday evening following a skiing accident at Mont Ripley.
Visitation will be held Thursday, Feb. 7, 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at the Clock Funeral Home, 1469 Peck St., Muskegon MI 49941. Services will be held on Friday Feb. 8, 11 a.m., at the Laketon Bethel Reformed Church, 1568 W. Giles Road, in North Muskegon. Condolences can be sent to the Rob Smith family, in care of the Clock Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions can be made in Rob's memory to the Mt. Ripley Ski Patrol in care of the Michigan Tech Fund, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton MI 49931.
Information on Rob's life will be at http://www.lifestorynet.com/memories/32760/ .
Smith, a mechanical engineering major, was an experienced skier and had been training to be a member of the Mt. Ripley Ski Patrol. |
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2. Tech Joins Science Debate 2008 |
Michigan Tech has signed on to Science Debate 2008, a grassroots effort encouraging presidential candidates to address science and technology issues as part of the campaign.
In doing so, the University became part of the “Science 57,” a group of leading universities and other organizations that have joined the effort to raise awareness of the impact of science and technology.
"As more and more demands are made on the Earth's resources, innovations in science and technology may determine our very survival," said President Glenn Mroz. "Increasing the standard of living worldwide will demand new technologies and innovations, and those are based in large part on research and education in the STEM disciplines, a key strength of Michigan Tech. A debate on these issues will not only help voters choose a president, it will also underscore how important support for science is to America's economic and environmental future."
In addition to Michigan Tech, Science Debate 2008 signatories include the universities of Minnesota, Washington, New York, Arizona, North Carolina, Columbia and others, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Council on Competitiveness, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the State Educational Technology Directors Association, the Semiconductor Industry Association, the Association for Women in Science, the Fox Chase Cancer Center, The Aspen Institute and many others.
“Science and engineering are responsible for half of our nation’s growth in GDP over the last 57 years, and have come to impact every aspect of our lives, our economy, our health, our environment and our decision-making processes. No other debate topic can claim anything close to that impact on voters’ lives,” said Shawn Lawrence Otto, a spokesman for the group and one of the debate’s organizers. "Collectively, the signers of this initiative represent millions and millions of American voters."
The effort is co-chaired by Congressmen Vern Ehlers, (R-Michigan) and Rush Holt (D-New Jersey) and is being championed by Bart Gordon, chair of the House Science and Technology Committee. It includes several former and current presidential science advisory council members from both major political parties and more than 12,000 scientists, engineers, and concerned citizens, including dozens of Nobel laureates and other top scientists and engineers, university presidents and business leaders. It is cosponsored by the AAAS and the Council on Competitiveness.
For more information on Science Debate 2008, visit www.sciencedebate2008.com. |
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3. Winter Carnival 2008: Curling in the Drill House |
by Dennis Walikainen, senior editor, University Marketing and Communications
Four teams of Michigan Tech students were curling as part of Winter Carnival in the ancient Drill House in Calumet on a frosty Sunday morning. Actually, it was frostier inside than out.
“Twenty-two in, 24 out,” said Mike Maksimchuk, a veteran of curling and a member of Mu Beta Psi music fraternity, which was competing against the Concrete Canoe team in the Student Organizations division.
On the adjacent sheet, the DaWGs, members of the Pep Band, were challenging Circle K in an eerie silence this morning. Perhaps it was the early hour, or maybe it was the surroundings and the ghosts of miners and engineers past.
The students were playing in the mine-rock-walled facility, now operated by the Copper Country Curling Club, that used to house drills and other items to be repaired for the local copper mines. Large, rusty motors that were used to lift the parts remain above the players, as does a crude observation deck. Before the Drill House, they used to curl at the Dee Stadium in downtown Houghton.
The building is a gem, with walls so thick that, according to Maksimchuk, if it gets above freezing outside, the thick stone walls keep it plenty cool inside for the ice not to melt.
“There’s actually more problems with cracking if it’s too cold,” Maksimchuk said. And there’s more work to the ice than meets the eye. The red and blue bull’s-eyes were actually plastic targets placed under about an inch of ice, and the black boundaries were plastic ribbons.
And they have to “pebble the ice,” said Stephanie Lindstrom, a biomed major from Red Wing, Minn., who was helping run the contests for Blue Key Honor Society. “They scatter water droplets around the sheets so they are not totally smooth,” she said. The pebbling allows for the stone to “curl,” or turn.
Lindstrom was watching over the 12 student organizations competing for Carnival Special Events points, and the fraternity and women’s groups champions were already crowned: Delta Sigma Phi and Alpha Gamma Delta, respectively.
She was also getting into the lingo of the sport: players put a “slider,” a vinyl/teflon slipper, under their sliding foot when they slid their “stone,” about 44 pounds of granite with a plastic handle attached. They kicked off from a “hack,” a pad to place their non-sliding foot. And, they listened to the “skip,” the teammate on the other end that told them where to aim and whether to curl the stone left or right.
The skips also barked out the instructions to the sweepers, teammates who ran out to sweep in front of the stone to speed it up and attempt to change its path.
Shouts of “Sweep that thing!”; “Leave it; no sweep it!”; “Dang it!”; and, since these were Tech students: “Transfer kinetic energy!” broke the Sunday silence.
Jill Garrity of the Circle K team said she would use her “powers of accounting” to her advantage. She had the look of a newbie, and she was not alone.
Dana Gray, who graduated last spring in education and was headed to graduate school, struggled with putting the slider on and maintaining her balance, but by her third stone was already getting the hang of it. The granite rock stopped in the outermost blue circle. “Not too bad,” she was pleased to say.
I had to give it a shot, first sitting, as Gray did, to get the slider on. Then, under instructions from Lindstrom, I held a broom in my left hand to steady myself, attempted to rise after releasing the stone, and fell on my backside.
The stone barely cleared the halfway point, and I couldn’t let that be my legacy. My second stone slid a bit further, and I was more relaxed in my backwards fall from grace. Finally, on the third attempt, my stone edged into the far-right blue of the circles, aided by some student sweepers on the other end, and I slide forward on my knees, more like ice bowling.
They didn’t laugh out loud too much, and I left the Drill House chilled and with a new respect for a sport that’s much harder than it appears. I could have sworn I heard a chuckle from above though, and the observation deck was empty. |
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4. Library Closing Early for All Nighter |
The J. R. Van Pelt/Opie Library, including the 24-hour space, will close at 9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 6.
Regular hours resume Thursday, with the library opening at 7:45 a.m. |
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5. Undergrads Invited to Register for Undergraduate Expo |
If you know any undergraduates involved with Enterprise, Senior Design or undergraduate research projects, consider encouraging them to register for the 2008 Undergraduate Expo at http://www.expo.mtu.edu . All majors are welcome.
Registration ends on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
The Expo showcases student research, design and independent study projects. Participants also compete for cash prizes. A panel of judges made up of University faculty members and corporate representatives critique the projects. Guests from campus, community and industry are invited to view the work.
This year's Undergraduate Expo will take place Thursday, April 17, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Memorial Union.
The Undergraduate Expo is sponsored by the College of Engineering and the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies and is hosted by Educational Opportunity.
For more information, contact Lori Witting, lori@mtu.edu , 370-3109. |
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6. Tech Renews Membership in Sustainability Organization |
submitted by Denise Heikinen, SFI
Michigan Tech has renewed its membership in the Association of Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. AASHE is a network of over 500 colleges and universities, businesses and nonprofits working to achieve a just, equitable and ecologically sound future. Michigan Tech's membership allows all students, faculty, administrators and staff access to the organization's online Resource Center at http://www.aashe.org .
The center provides news and research data about campus sustainability efforts throughout the US and Canada, which may be used for networking, information sharing, collaboration and professional development. The Resource Center includes a policy bank with over 300 sustainability-related policies organized by category (e.g., building, procurement, energy, general policies, etc.) to help staff and administrators make operations decisions.
One of the resources, “Certificate Programs in Sustainability,” lists Michigan Tech among only four US universities offering interdisciplinary certificate programs in sustainability. The University is also mentioned in the link “Strategic Plans that Incorporate Sustainability” and “Courses on Campus Sustainability."
Other resources include a directory of full-time campus sustainability professionals; campus solar electric and wind turbine installations; and articles, reports, fact sheets and books related to campus sustainability.
New resources are added regularly to these lists, and AAHE welcomes additional submissions from members.
Individuals can subscribe to several e-lists, including the weekly AASHE Bulletin, an e-newsletter with the latest campus sustainability news, announcements, resources and job opportunities for graduating students. AASHE provides member discounts to its conferences and workshops. AASHE administers a professional award program to recognize outstanding efforts in advancing campus sustainability, as well as the Student Sustainability Achievement Award, given each year for superior work in campus sustainability by an undergraduate.
The campus community can learn more about local campus sustainability efforts by joining the Michigan Tech Environmental Sustainability Committee. Contact one of its members listed at their website http://www.esc.mtu.edu/ . In addition, the Sustainable Futures Institute offers a weekly newsletter with information on funding for sustainability research, as well as announcements about jobs, internships, events, resources and outreach education. To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@mtu.edu with “subscribe sfi-l” in the text.
For more information, contact Denise Heikinen, dmheikin@mtu.edu ,
487-0044. |
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7. Entries Sought for Regional Art Exhibit |
submitted by the Department of Visual and Performing Arts
Professor Mary Ann Beckwith (Visual and Performing Arts) has announced the return of a regional juried art exhibition open to artists in all media, to be held April 28-May 4 in Michigan Tech’s McArdle Theatre. Entries for the Great Lakes Art Showcase are due by March 10, according to the Artists’ Prospectus issued this week.
The prospectus is available by mail by calling 487-2067, at the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock, from Copper Country Associated Artists, other area galleries, and on the web at www.fa.mtu.edu .
The juror for the exhibit will be Katie Crotteau, executive director of the Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau, Wis.
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts plans to continue the new Great Lakes Showcase on an annual basis.
“This is an inclusive show which will feature many regional artists,” Beckwith says. “Our model is the Copper Country Gallery Exhibition, which was such a popular community event for 25 years.” The Gallery Exhibition drew artists and visitors from throughout the Keweenaw, the U.P. and surrounding states from 1976 through 2000.
The exhibit will feature more than a dozen awards of merit determined by the juror, including Best of Show awards of $500 for both two- and three-dimensional work, a People’s Choice award, voted by visitors to the exhibit, plus purchase awards by individual and corporate sponsors.
More information, including the prospectus and information on sponsoring a purchase award, is available from Beckwith ( mabeckwi@mtu.edu ) and the Visual and Performing Arts office (906-487-2067).
The Great Lakes Showcase will open with a reception for the public, artists, and sponsors on Monday, April 28, and close at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 4. Guided tours for school groups and individuals will be available by arrangement. |
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8. Sports in Brief |
What’s Happening This Week
Wednesday, Feb. 6
Huskies Drive Time, 7:30-8 a.m. on WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM
Thursday, Feb. 7
#23 Women’s Basketball at Grand Valley State, 6 p.m. (Live Radio, WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM)
Men’s Basketball at Grand Valley State, 8 p.m. (Live Radio, WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM)
Friday, Feb. 8
Blueline Club Luncheon, 12 noon (Grant Hockey Ed Center)
Hockey hosts Wisconsin, 7:07 p.m. (Live Radio, WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 9
Nordic Skiing at Northern Michigan, TBA
#23 Women’s Basketball at Ferris State, 1 p.m. (Live Radio, WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM)
Men’s Basketball at Ferris State, 3 p.m. (Live Radio, WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM)
Hockey hosts Wisconsin, 5:07 p.m. (Live Radio, WKMJ Mix 93.5 FM)
Winter Carnival Gala, 7:30 p.m. (at Franklin Square Inn)
Sunday, Feb. 10
Nordic Skiing hosts Winter Carnival Finale, TBA
All times Eastern
Last Week’s Results
Hockey (10-12-4, 6-9-3 WCHA)
2/1—at Alaska Anchorage 4, Michigan Tech 0
2/2—Michigan Tech 2, at Alaska Anchorage 2, OT
Women’s Basketball (17-4, 10-2 GLIAC)
2/2—#23 Michigan Tech 64, at Lake Superior State 58
Men’s Basketball (11-9, 6-6 GLIAC)
2/2—Michigan Tech 83, at Lake Superior State 71
Men’s Tennis (1-2, 0-0 GLIAC)
2/2—Wheaton 9, Michigan Tech 0 (at Whitewater, Wis.)
2/2—Michigan Tech 9, Concordia 0 (at Whitewater, Wis.)
2/3—at UW-Whitewater 9, Michigan Tech 0
Nordic Skiing did not compete.
Top News of the Week
WINTER CARNIVAL WEEK IS HERE
This week is Winter Carnival 2008 with a flurry of activity on Michigan Tech’s campus. Events will take place all week long, culminating with the Huskies’ hockey series with Wisconsin Friday and Saturday. Faceoff Friday is set for 7:07 p.m., with Saturday’s game to begin at 5:07 p.m. Michigan Tech athletics will hold its annual Winter Carnival Gala at the Franklin Square Inn Saturday following the hockey game. For a full list of events, visit www.wintercarnival.mtu.edu .
WOMEN’S LEAD IN GLIAC NORTH GROWS; TOUGH WEEK AHEAD
No. 23 Michigan Tech defeated Lake Superior State last Saturday (Feb. 2) to move to 10-2 atop the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball standings. Coupled with losses by Grand Valley State, Ferris State and Northwood, Tech’s lead in the GLIAC North Division is now two full games. The Huskies have a tough week ahead with games at GVSU Thursday (Feb. 7) and FSU Saturday (Feb. 9).
HOCKEY BEGINS FOUR-GAME HOME STAND FRIDAY
Michigan Tech has 10 games remaining on its 2007-08 regular season schedule. Six of those 10 will come at home including each of the next four. Tech is 5-5-1 overall and 4-3-1in WCHA games at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena this season.
MEN’S TENNIS OPENS SEASON AT WHITEWATER
The Michigan Tech men’s tennis team went 1-2 at the UW-Whitewater Invitational to open its 2008 spring season. The Huskies defeated Concordia and lost to Wheaton and UW-Whitewater during the weekend. Tech will have a week off before traveling to Indianapolis for more non-conference matches Feb. 15-16. |
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