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1. Patrick Martin Appointed Chair of Social Sciences |
Professor Patrick Martin, who has been at Tech since 1977, is the new chair of the Department of Social Sciences.
"Pat will bring drive and energy to the department," said Bruce Seely, dean of the College of Sciences and Arts. "No department will have a stronger advocate."
Seely, the former chair of social sciences, has worked with Martin for more than 20 years. He calls Martin "the driving force" behind Tech's industrial archaeology program, which has gained worldwide stature.
Martin now leads a department that has experienced steady growth. Undergraduate enrollment in social sciences has doubled in the last five years, from 40 to 80. The program also supports 30 graduate students. As well, the department delivers a large percentage of the University's general education classes.
Over 32 years, Martin says that he has seen the department expand by adding an undergraduate degree in anthropology; a certificate for secondary education in social sciences; a master's and doctoral degree in industrial archaeology; a master's in environmental policy; and the addition soon of a doctoral degree in environmental policy.
"It's a strong, successful department," Martin says. "I'm pleased to be able to help lead it into the future, and I welcome the challenges."
One of those will be reshaping the faculty. "We're facing some turnover because we're graying," Martin notes, with several of the tenure-tack faculty of 15 likely to retire over the next five years. "I hope to make an impact on how we accomplish that transition and move the mission forward. That's not something I identify as a goal--it's simply something we must do and do carefully."
Renowned in the field of industrial archaeology, Martin is the US representative to the International Committee on the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage, which is an affiliate of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. He also is the executive secretary of the Society for Industrial Archaeology, which is headquartered at Tech, and has been editor of its journal since 1995, a job he will now give up. Martin has served as director of the department's graduate program. He will continue to teach and mentor graduate students. "That's central to my life in the University," he says.
His own research and investigations of historic sites have taken him from Copper Harbor to Isle Royale, from Alaska to the Virgin Islands, from New York to Svalbard, Norway's arctic archipelago.
Martin has three degrees in anthropology: a bachelor's from Miami University, a master's from the University of Arkansas, and a PhD from Michigan State University.
The chair is a three-year appointment. |
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2. Correction: Location of Mathematical Sciences Seminars on Emerging Technology |
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The first installment of a weekly seminar series on emerging computational tools, hosted by the Department of Mathematical Sciences, will be held Thursday, Feb. 12, at 10 a.m. in Fisher 222, not the location previously published in Tech Today. For more information, contact Allan Struthers at struther@mtu.edu . |
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3. New Email List Available for Faculty, Research Staff |
Michigan Tech faculty and research staff are invited to sign up for a new email list, limitedsubmisson-l@mtu.edu , which will be used to notify subscribers of new limited submission funding opportunities that are posted on the Vice President for Research website. In limited submission programs, the sponsor restricts the number of applications or proposals Michigan Tech can submit to the agency. The guidelines for these programs require institutions to screen pre-proposals to determine which applications will be submitted for competitions.
The link to the list subscription request, in addition to program guidelines and current opportunities, can be found here.
If you have any questions about limited submission programs or know of any announcements not currently listed, feel free to contact Cheryl Gherna, coordinator of Research Integrity and Compliance, at 487-2902 or cagherna@mtu.edu . |
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4. Biochemistry Candidate to Make Presentation |
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Biological Sciences will host a one-hour seminar, "Biochemistry of the Visual Cycle: A New Approach to Treat Eye Diseases," at 1 p.m., Thursday, in Chem Sci 102. Wan Jin Jahng, of the University of South Carolina, will make the presentation as part of a consideration for a faculty position in biochemistry. |
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5. On the Road |
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Rob Bishop, associate director of Student Judicial Affairs and Student Development, co-presented three sessions on restorative justice in higher education at the 21st International Conference of the Association of Student Judicial Affairs in Clearwater, Fla., last week. |
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6. In Print |
Assistant Professor Zhanping You (CEE), Ala R. Abbas (University of Akron) and Linbing Wang (Virginia Tech) edited a book, "Pavements and Materials: Modeling, Testing and Performance," the proceedings of the Symposium on Pavement Mechanics and Materials at the Inaugural International Conference of the Engineering Mechanics Institute, held May 18-21, 2008, in Minneapolis, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
This Geotechnical Special Publication contains 16 papers addressing a variety of issues on the testing and modeling of pavement materials and structures. For more information, visit www.asce.org/bookstore/book.cfm?isbn=9780784410080 . |
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