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1. Daring to Help: Tech Students Rise to a Different Sort of Challenge |
by Marcia Goodrich, senior writer
Dozens of Michigan Tech students opened their hearts and emptied their wallets Thursday, not for iPhones, concert tickets or even textbooks, but to build schools for the poorest of the poor.
They did it freely and exuberantly, on a spontaneous dare. About 75 hand-picked undergraduates were preparing to mentor 1,400 incoming students arriving for orientation when leadership trainer Paul Wesselmann issued a challenge based on Michigan Tech's Summer Reading selection. They all had read Greg Mortenson's bestseller, "Three Cups of Tea," about his struggle to educate the poor, especially girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"Mortenson talked about the difficulties of raising money, and I said, ‘It would be so cool if you guys had a basket of money to hand him when he comes to visit,'" said Wesselmann, founder of the Ripples Project in Madison, Wis., which is dedicated to "the extraordinary power of tiny actions." Adding a carrot, Wesselmann promised the students that if they raised $1,000 by 3 p.m., he would match it. It was noon.
"He got us all fired up and pulled this challenge," said senior Nick Puroll, a civil engineering major from Clarkston. "We've been in training 12 and 14 hours a day, and the only time we really had to do this was during the lunch hour. It was intense."
"We had people run over to the Wadsworth dining hall with a bowl," said senior David Walters, a mechanical engineering major from Wixom. "When they found out what we were doing, they opened their wallets." One student after another pulled out 10- and 20-dollar bills. "They said, ‘I don't need this,'" Walters said. "One wrote a check for $300."
It quickly became clear that they would stampede over their $1,000 goal, and the students expanded their fundraising to the University's professional staff. When the dust cleared, they counted their money once, twice, three times and took it to the bank, where they got a cashier's check for $2,915.62.
"I heard so many times from Tech staff that these students are amazing," Wesselmann said later. "What they did was remarkable. I don't know if I could have done it."
Blown away by their effort, he upped his original $1,000 pledge and matched the students' total dollar for dollar, raising the donation to nearly $6,000.
"The Michigan Tech students have basically funded half a school in just a few hours," he said. "That says something to me about Tech students' determination. In their minds, there was never a question that they would do it. And even after we announced that we'd made the goal, students were still giving money."
Even the students were a little surprised. "It's amazing the difference you can make as a small university, compared to Michigan State or the University of Michigan," said sophomore Wesley Grundemann, a chemical engineering major from Albion. "I can't wait to see the look on Greg Mortenson's face when we hand him the money."
Sophomore Haki Kiema, a software engineering major, came to Tech from Nairobi. The 62 cents in the donation is probably her doing, she said, because she gave all the money she had in her wallet, including loose change.
"I've seen the same things in Kenya [that Mortenson addresses in his book], and as one person, sometimes it feels like your efforts are futile," she said. "After reading 'Three Cups of Tea,' I can see one person can make a huge difference.
"It's great to feel you are making a change," she added. "Some girl from Pakistan will be educated, will make a difference in her community, because we helped her out.
"It's a really good feeling." |
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2. Environmental Engineering Ranks 13th in Nation According to US News Best Colleges Rankings |
by Jennifer Donovan, director of public relations
Michigan Tech undergraduate education has moved up in the top tier of national universities, according to the latest edition of America's Best Colleges, published annually by US News & World Report.
This year, Michigan Tech ranked 121st among 262 national universities, both public and private, compared to 124th last year. Among 162 public national universities, Michigan Tech ranked 60th.
The annual rankings were released online today and are scheduled to hit newsstands on Monday, Aug. 25.
"We are proud that Michigan Tech’s national ranking is rising and that we are steadily improving in the indicators that US News & World Report uses," said President Glenn D. Mroz. "We know that Michigan Tech offers an outstanding education."
The University's environmental engineering program ranked 13th in the nation. The College of Engineering’s undergraduate program overall ranked 70th among universities offering doctoral degrees, the same ranking it received last year.
"The environmental engineering program at Michigan Tech was one of the early programs of its kind, and it has, over the years, continued to maintain high quality and have significant visibility, enabling it to be a top-ranked program," said William Bulleit, chair of civil environmental engineering.
Michigan Tech improved this year in four of the 10 categories that US News calls "indicators of excellence." The University's scores rose in average freshman retention rate, actual graduation rate, acceptance rate and percentage of entering freshmen who are in the top 10 percent of their high school class, an indicator that the quality of students is rising. Peer assessment of Michigan Tech, entering freshman SAT/ACT scores and average annual giving by alumni remained the same as last year.
The US News rankings also recognized Michigan Tech as one of 25 national universities whose students finish college with the least amount of educational debt. The average owed by a Michigan Tech graduate is $14,223, the least of any public university in Michigan. Nationwide, 66 universities averaged student debt more than twice that high.
Michigan Tech is one of three public universities in Michigan to make the top tier of the magazine's undergraduate education rankings. The other two are the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
Each year, US News & World Report ranks public and private undergraduate colleges and universities. This year, they evaluated the undergraduate programs at 1,400 institutions.
The rankings are based on criteria such as retention, which is the proportion of freshmen who return for their second year and graduate within six years; faculty resources, including class size, faculty salaries, student-faculty ratio and proportion of professors holding the highest degree in their fields; student selectivity, based on entering freshmen SAT or ACT scores and their high school class rank; amount of money spent on academic programs; and the percentage of alumni who gave to their school. Peer review—a survey of presidents, provosts and deans of admissions—also plays a key role.
For more information on the rankings, see www.usnews.com/colleges . |
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3. New Program Will Help Students Be "Financially Savvy" |
by John Gagnon, promotional writer
Where there's money, there’s supposed to be stewardship, prudence and practicality.
These skills in money management comprise in part a new program at Michigan Tech that will help students grapple with the financial aspects of their lives.
"Financial management is really critical to long-term success," says Brenda Rudiger, director of alumni relations. "If you can’t manage your money, it doesn’t matter how much you make."
Called the CashCourse, the program is a collaboration of the Alumni Association and Financial Aid. Bill Roberts, senior associate director of financial aid, unveiled the new service Sunday at an orientation session for incoming students and their parents.
Rudiger describes the program as a "self-service" because it's essentially a website customized for institutions like Tech and sponsored by the National Endowment for Financial Education.
The website has scores of links that address such matters as renting an apartment, managing a credit card and adopting a budget.
The wide range of links is exhaustive, and browsing through them is instructive. "You don't even know what you don't know sometimes," Rudiger says. "We believe this information will be very useful."
The service is for all students, but particularly those coming to college and leaving college—two different "periods of transition" when they face "a whole other financial landscape."
"Different things apply to students at different times in their college careers," Rudiger says. A first-year student might need guidance on renting that first apartment, but a senior might need direction on buying that first house.
The program can also serve as a guideline for parents to direct or coach their student about financial responsibility.
"This is knowledge that parents want their children to have," Rudiger says.
The initiative started with the Alumni Association’s board of directors and its desire to be a "support network" for students. "The more things we do to help students, the better job we’re doing," Rudiger says.
"There’s a demand for this," Roberts adds. "It's a complex world, and there is more and more financial pressure on students. This will help them, and it’s a service that we can provide at no cost."
The goal, he says, is to help students be "financially savvy."
"We just want to help out," Roberts says. "We want them to have an awareness."
Financial Aid will promote the service; Alumni Relations will manage the website.
Roberts says the initiative doesn't involve corporate sponsorships. He describes it as "neutral" in that regard. The program, rolled out nationally in January, has been lauded as "a good advocacy piece."
The service will be promoted in the Lode and elsewhere on campus, and the website will be a part of the syllabus for UN1010, Frameworks for Success.
To learn more, visit www.cashcourse.org/michigantech . |
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4. 110 Youth Take Part in Free Football Camp |
by Wes Frahm, director of athletic communications and marketing
The Michigan Tech football team hosted 110 junior-high youth at a free camp Thursday at Sherman Field. Huskies players and coaches took a break from their pre-season practice to instruct the youth on the basics of offense, defense, equipment and conditioning.
Tech has hosted the junior high football camp five times since 2002, but today’s camp was the first held on Sherman Field, thanks to a new synthetic turf that was installed over the summer.
"We had a great turnout, and it was nice to be able to let the kids run around on our game field," said head coach Tom Kearly. "They had a great time, and I think our players enjoyed it just as much.
"Hopefully the kids learned some things as they begin their football careers and head into their junior high seasons."
Tech plans on hosting the camp every three years to give all youth entering grades six, seven and eight an introduction to football. |
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5. Everyone Asked to Stay Off Banner, Discoverer, Oracle Reports and Admin1 Aug. 28 |
Administrative Information Services is requesting that everybody limit their use of Banner, Discoverer, Oracle Reports and Admin1 on Thursday, Aug. 28, between 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Over 1,400 first-year students will be registering for their fall courses as part of their orientation. Because this registration needs to take place during the day, we want to assure that adequate computing resources are available.
Use for necessary business functions is acceptable.
If curtailing system use is an issue, please notify Jarrod Karau at jlkarau@mtu.edu or 487-3577.
If you have questions regarding what may be considered a production job, you should contact your functional or technical leader or Jarrod Karau. |
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6. "Three Cups of Tea" Author to Address Teachers, Finlandia Students, Tech Community |
Greg Mortenson, the author of the New York Times bestseller "Three Cups of Tea," will present a talk and a question-and-answer session Wednesday, Aug. 27, in Room 641 of the Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building.
Mortenson's book, about his quest to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, is the Summer Reading selection for the University's incoming students, who arrive this weekend for orientation.
He will discuss his book from 11 a.m. to noon in a talk geared toward first-year students from Finlandia University, in Hancock, and students from the Conserve School, a private high school in Land o' Lakes, Wis. Both schools have also selected the book for their summer reading programs.
In a 1:30 p.m. presentation aimed at educators from Michigan Tech and the local community, Mortenson will respond to questions from the audience.
Both events are free and open to the public. Mortenson’s visit to Michigan Tech is funded by a donation from David Brule, CEO of Northern Star Industries Inc. of Iron Mountain and a member of the University’s Board of Control. |
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7. New Funding |
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Peter Moran received $65,000 from the University of Michigan (MIIE program) for "IME: A Proposal to the MIIE Industry and Economic Engagement Fund for Forming a Partnership Between Tellurex, Corp. and Michigan Tech to Engineer Materials for High-Efficiency Thermoelectric Power Generators." |
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8. Memorial Union Menus |
Monday, Aug. 25
The Grill--Breakfast, Mushroom and Herb Omelets, Toast and Coffee) $3.95; Lunch, Mini Corn Dogs $2.50 (make it a value meal add a small fry and a 20-ounce soda for $2.50)
Union Buffet--Up to one large Plate and One Small Plate or Bowl–$6.95, One Large Plate–$5.95, Entrees Ala Cart–$3.95, Salads and Sides–$2.00 small, $3.50 Medium, $4.95 Large
Chicken Caesar Salad Served Daily 11 a.m.–1 p.m. $4.75
Mubsterz Pizza--Pizza Slice and a 20-ounce Fountain Soda $3.99
Peppers and Pickles Deli--This Week's Featured Sandwich, Bagel Sandwiches (your choice of meat, cheese and toppings on a delicious bagel) $3.50
Tuesday, Aug. 26.
The Grill--Breakfast, Blueberry Pancakes $2.95; Lunch, Two-Fer-Tuesday $3.99 (two cheeseburgers, small fry and a 20-ounce fountain soda)
Union Buffet--Up to one large Plate and One Small Plate or Bowl–$6.95, One Large Plate–$5.95, Entrees Ala Cart–$3.95, Salads and Sides–$2.00 small, $3.50 Medium, $4.95 Large
Chicken Caesar Salad Served Daily 11 a.m.–1 p.m. $4.75
Mubsterz Pizza--Two Pizza Slices for Just $5.50
Peppers and Pickles Deli--Hot Campbell's Soup Served Monday–Friday $2.99 per Cup
Wednesday, Aug. 27
The Grill--Breakfast, Breakfast Pizza $3.25; Lunch, Sourdough Bacon Cheese Burger $2.59
Union Buffet--Up to one large Plate and One Small Plate or Bowl–$6.95, One Large Plate–$5.95, Entrees Ala Cart–$3.95, Salads and Sides Only–$2.00 small, $3.50 Medium, $4.95 Large
Chicken Caesar Salad Served Daily 11 a.m.–1 p.m. $4.75
Mubsterz Pizza--Pizza slice and two Cheese Sticks $4.95
Peppers and Pickles Deli--Try One of Our Low Carb Friendly Wrap Sandwiches $3.99
Thursday, Aug. 28
The Grill--Breakfast, Breakfast Croissants $2.99; Lunch, Fish Sandwich $2.95 (make it a value meal add a small fry and a 20-ounce soda for $2.50)
Union Buffet--Up to one large Plate and One Small Plate or Bowl–$6.95, One Large Plate–$5.95, Entrees Ala Cart–$3.95, Salads and Sides Only–$2.00 small, $3.50 Medium, $4.95 Large
Chicken Caesar Salad Served Daily 11 a.m.–1 p.m. $4.75
Mubsterz Pizza--Pizza Slice and Small Salad $4.95
Peppers and Pickles Deli--Make any sandwich a value meal and get a 20-ounce fountain soda, chips or a jumbo cookies for just a $2.00
Friday, Aug. 29
The Grill--Breakfast, Breakfast Calzones $2.95; Lunch, Bacon Ranch Chicken Wraps $3.99
Union Buffet--Up to one large Plate and One Small Plate or Bowl–$6.95, One Large Plate–$5.95, Entrees Ala Cart–$3.95, Salads and Sides Only–$2.00 small, $3.50 Medium, $4.95 Large
Chicken Caesar Salad Served Daily 11 a.m.–1 p.m. $4.75
Mubsterz Pizza--Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, by the slice $3.25
Peppers and Pickles Deli--This Week's Featured Sandwich, Buffalo Chicken Subs $3.95 |
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9. Proposals in Progress |
Donna J. Michalek and William W. Predebon (MEEM), "Engineering Equity Extension Program Grant," National Academy of Engineering/Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education
Joan Schumaker Chadde (CEE/Transportation Institute/MTTI), "Great Lakes Maritime Education for K-12 Teachers," University of Minnesota-Duluth/Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute
William Bulleit (CEE) and Yue Li (CEE/MTTI), "Reliability-Based Evaluation of Loading Configurations for Long-Span Bridges," MDOT
Casey Huckins (Biological Sciences), "Scope of Work for Genetic Study of Coaster Brook Trout in the Salmon Trout River," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Gregory M. Odegard (MEEM/MuSTI), "CAREER: Computational Modeling of the Effects of Degradation on the Properties and Failure of Biodegradable Polyactide Composites," NSF; and "Multiscale Modeling of Failure and Damage of Thermosetting Polymer Networks (Polymer Matrix Composites: Dr. Charles Lee)," Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Judith Perlinger and Mark Rowe (CEE/RSI), "Accounting for Fetch and Stability in Atmospheric Toxic Loading Estimation," U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Protection Office
Martin Jurgensen (FRES/ESC), "Effects of Red Pine Thinning and Stand Age on Ecosystem Carbon Pools and Fluxes," U.S. Forest Service
Robert Shuchman (MTRI), "Center for Global Environmental Change," Southern University-Baton Rouge; and "New MODIS Algorithm for Retrieval of Chlorophyll, Dissolved Organic Carbon and Suspended Minerals in the Great Lakes," NOAA
Linda M. Nagel and Andrew J. Storer (SFRES/ESC), "Multicriteria Risk Models and Management Studies for Invasive Plants at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: Development, Validation and Implementation," National Park Service and CESU
Reza Shahbazian Yassar (MEEM/MuSTI), "Failure and Mechanics of Hydrogen Storage in Inorganic Nanostructured Materials," ACS-Petroleum Research Fund
Kyle Cooper (MTRI), "Robust Wideband Waveforms for SAR and GMTI Applications," Helios Remote Sensing Systems, Inc.
Robert E. Mark (CenTILE), "CenTILE Entrepreneur Education and Development," Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Paul L. Bergstorm, Christopher T. Middlebrook and Jindong Tan (ECE), "Engineering Development of Future Generation Wireless Integrated Systems for Point of View Wearable Video Systems with V.I. O. Inc." Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MIIE)
Jim Baker (Technology and Economic Development), "U-TEAMED Expansion to FSU and LSSU," Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Raymond Shaw (Physics/RSI), "Laboratory Measurements of the Aerosol-to-Ice-Crystal Transformation Process: Simultaneous Microphysical and Radiative Measurements," NASA
Spandan Maiti (MEEM), "Grain Size Dependence of Fracture Toughness for Geological Materials," ACS-PRF
Terry McNinch (MTTI), "Chambers County RoadSoft Tech Support," Chambers County, Alabama
Margaret Gale (SFRES) and Ann May-Kiely (IRI/SFRES). "Isle Royale Institute Parks as Classroom Project: Join the Pack!" US DOI National Park Service
Kathleen Halvorsen (Social Sciences/CWS) and Alex Mayer (GMES/CWS), "Enhancing the Capacity for Sustainable Forest Management in Chiapas and Oaxaca," Higher Education in Development and USAID
Robert Pastel (CS), "CAREER: Human-Robot Interaction Design and Evaluation for One, Few or Many Robots," NSF
Michael R. Gretz (Biological Sciences), "The Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) of Everglades Periphyton Mats: Role in Calcium Carbonate Deposition," South Florida Water Management District
Maria Janowiak (SFRES/ESC), "Woody Biomass Utilization for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula," National Association of Conservation Districts
C. P. Joshi (SFRES/BRC), "Deconstruction of Wood Cellulose for Improved Biofuel Production," CPBR
Jason Blough and Gordon Parker (MEEM/MuSTI), "Crane Pendulation Control System Development and Demonstration," BMT Designers and Planners
Karla Kitalong (Humanities), "Interconnections: Revisiting the Future," University of Central Florida
Laura Bourgeau-Chavez (MTRI), "Vernal Pools," Michigan Natural Features Inventory; and "Assessing Structural Complexity of Mesic Northern Forests Using Simulated DESDyn I Data," NASA
Roshan M. D’Souza (MEEM/MuSTI), "SGER: Exploring Data Parallel Techniques for Mega-Scale Agent Based Model Simulations on Graphics Processing Units," NSF
Jason R. Carter (Exercise Science/BRC), "Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Neural Control and Autonomic Regulation in Humans: Do Sex Differences Exist?" American Heart Association-National Center
Andrew J. Storer (SFRES/ESC), "2008 Emerald Ash Borer Risk-Based Detection Survey in Wisconsin and Northern Michigan," U.S. Forest Service
Ossama Abdelkhalik (MEEM/MuSTI), "Optimal Space Orbits Design for Small Satellites in Reconnaissance Missions," National Reconnaissance Office; and "A New, More Accurate Sequential Filter for Online State Estimation with Applications to Target Track Estimation," USDOD–AFRL
David Hand (CEE), Karl Peterson (CEE/MTTI), Lawrence Sutter (VPR/MTTI), Elizabeth Hoy (CEE/MiSTI) and Evie Johnson (Humanities), "Greatly Increased Use of Fly Ash in Hydraulic Cement Concrete (HCC) for Pavement Layers and Transportation Structures," Federal Highway Administration
S. K. Kawatra (Chemical Engineering), "FeMET Curriculum Development Proposal," American Iron and Steel Institute
Bradley Baltensperger (Cognitive and Learning Sciences/SCLS), Terry Reynolds (Social Sciences) and Heather Simpson (Education Opportunity), "Improving Teacher Quality Educators' Professional Development Institute Series: World History and Geography," Michigan Department of Education Title II Improving Teacher Quality
Paul Charlesworth (Chemistry), Kedmon Hungwe (Cognitive and Learning Sciences), John Irwin (School of Technology), Michael Meyer (Physics) and Doug Oppliger (Engineering Fundamentals), "Improving Teacher Quality–Educators' Professional Development Institute Series (EPDIS) Physical Sciences–Physics and Chemistry," Michigan Department of Education Title II Improving Teacher Quality
Shiyue Fang (Chemistry/BRC), "Synthesis of Medium- and Large-Cycles Through Tandem Soft Lewis Acid Catalyzed Isomerization of Oxo-Alkynes and Sigmatropic Rearrangements," American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund |
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