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1. Up the Hill and Underwater with a High School Enterprise Team |
By Dennis Walikainen, senior editor
"I've learned about BASIC programming while working on the control system," says Jon Nielsen, a junior from Traverse City Central High School who was steering a remote-operated vehicle underwater in Michigan Tech's diving pool.
"In a minute or two, I can improve the steering," he says, "and I’ve learned how to solder, too."
Nielsen's High School Enterprise team was on campus Thursday as part of the Undergraduate Expo. He and his teammates were putting two ROVs through the paces under the watchful eye of their Coach Keith Forton. Three motors, a light and a camera were on board the PVC-pipe-based, propeller-driven creations.
Everyone took turns driving, and, as the two tethered ROVs slithered at each other from opposite sides of the pool, they received much advice from their teammates.
"Don’t hit the wall."
"Go down and right."
"Tie a bow line."
"Go backwards."
Ignoring or following each suggestion were high school freshmen through juniors who have gotten their ROVs into the waters of Traverse Bay before the ice melted. "They cut a hole and dropped it down," said Forton, a physics teacher.
"They've learned so much," he continued. "Besides all the engineering, there's optics, propulsion and problems with depth. If it works at three feet, sure enough, it won’t work at ten feet."
"And we use it to do other things," he continued. "We can study water quality, look for invasive species, do species counts."
In fact, they've discovered zebra mussels during their testing, and they have recently been hired to examine a six-foot-wide drainage pipe in their local marina, one of what Forton calls "courtesy ventures": they do it for free.
Junior Mike Roskelley has enjoyed being able to "take what I learn in class, the math and physics, and really use it."
Meeting after school and on some weekends, the enterprise team has built several ROVs now, and Roskelley, too, has done some programming. "Everyone has specialties, too," he says. His were the controllers and the cameras.
He said they also operate a larger ROV to emulate submarine rescue missions. They must open a hatch, insert airline tubes, dock on top, and perform other complex maneuvers as part of their Enterprise competitions.
Forton wants to bring the ROVs to shipwrecks when they get them to successfully submerge to 200 feet. One of the subs exploring the pool had made it down to 60 feet.
"They become so excited in what they are doing," Forton adds. "They love the research, and they are immersed in the STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] disciplines. That's what got me involved with Doug [Oppliger, director of the overall High School Enterprise program at Tech]."
"They are the eyes of the future," Roskelley said, referring to the head-lighted ROV that was broadcasting crystal clear video back to a laptop.
And he might have been talking about himself: he is coming back up for a Youth Program engineering exploration this summer and has Michigan Tech in his sights. |
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2. Retirement Social for Alan Brokaw Set for Next Week |
The School of Business and Economics invites you to a reception for Professor Alan Brokaw, from 3 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, in the Academic Office Building.
Brokaw, who has served the school as a professor of marketing, will retire August 31, after 33 years of service.
Join faculty, staff and students in wishing him the best in his retirement.
Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Diane Benda at 487-2668 or at dmbenda@mtu.edu .
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3. Milt Olsson, Tech's Music Man, Will Be Honored |
Visual and Performing Arts will host a retirement social honoring Milton Olsson, professor of music, from 3 to 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 29, in the Rozsa Lobby.
Olsson joined the faculty in the Department of Humanities in 1976 and became the first chair of the Department of Fine Arts when it was formed in 1993, a position he held until 2006.
In addition to organizing and conducting Michigan Tech's choirs, he has been music director of the Keweenaw Symphony for many years.
He has helped to sustain and enlarge the tradition of both instrumental and choral music for the Western UP and for
Michigan Tech's students.
During his tenure at Tech, the Concert Choir grew from fewer than 20 members to almost 100, and it has toured on four continents. Olsson will lead the choir on one more tour in Argentina and Chile for two weeks in August.
He was instrumental in planning and raising financial support for Michigan Tech's performing arts center--a dream realized when the Rozsa Center opened in 2001.
In addition to his work as teacher, conductor, and leader, he is an accomplished composer of both choral and orchestral music, a board member and past president of the American Choral Directors Association of Michigan, and a sought-after choral adjudicator for high school music festivals throughout the state.
For more information, contact Karen Snyder at 487-3094 or at kasnyder@mtu.edu . |
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4. Haggenmiller Receives Another Coaching Award |
Joe Haggenmiller, men's Nordic ski coach, was named the 2009 NCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. Previously, he was named 2009 Central Collegiate Ski Association Coach of the Year.
"The team deserves the bulk of the honor for this award," said Haggenmiller. "They did the hard work to bring our team to a new level."
The award also recognizes the program that produces the most success at the regional and national meets.
Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret said, "Many teams struggled at the end of the year, but we were able to ski the most consistent. I am really proud of the work Joe and assistant coach Jason Cork have done with the ski team. The team is competitive not only in the region but at the national level as well."
Haggenmiller received the award for the first time.
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5. Pick Up Those Free Fleece Vests |
If you ordered a fleece vest as part of the Promotional Support Program, you can pick it up at the Memorial Union between Monday, April 20, and Thursday, May 1.
Go to the Buy-Back window, which is on the first floor, east of the Campus Bookstore, across from the Datolite Room.
You will also receive a coupon, valid through Thursday, April 30, that is good for 25 percent off one apparel item.
No vest exchanges can be made. With permission, you may also pick up vests for others.
For more information, contact Becky Christianson at 487-2416 or at rwchrist@mtu.edu . |
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6. Next Campus Forum Scheduled for April 23 |
President Glenn Mroz will host a campus forum from 2 to 4 p.m., Thursday, April 23, in the Memorial Union Ballroom.
Release time will be provided for the hourly staff with the approval of their supervisor. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
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7. Tech Is Linked to New York Foundry |
Michigan Tech's archaeological work at the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, N.Y., continues to garner recognition.
The Times Union.com, which serves the Albany, New York, area, recently singled out Tech's website on its preservation work at the foundry in a broader story on foundries in that state.
The West Point foundry began operation in 1817 and turned out artillery for the Civil War and later produced steam engines, locomotives, and mill equipment.
The foundry closed in 1911. A conservation group bought the 87-acre site in 1996. Tech archaeologists in the Department of Social Sciences have led efforts to preserve the site since 2001. |
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8. Sexual Assault Report Is False |
The individual who reported being sexually assaulted March 23 has said that the assault did not take place.
The case was resolved following a three-week investigation by the Department of Public Safety and the Michigan State Police, with assistance from the Houghton County Sheriff's Department.
The woman, a Tech student, originally reported March 25 that she had been forcibly assaulted in Lot 12 near the J. R. Van Pelt/Opie Library late in the evening of March 23.
Public Safety is forwarding the report to the Houghton County Prosecutor's Office and the University's Office of Judicial Affairs for review. |
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9. A New, Simpler Grading Tool Is Available |
In response to concerns from about 20 percent of the instructors that the electronic grade submission process is too complicated, the University has purchased and installed a faculty/advisor self-service module of Banner.
This new tool will allow instructors to manually enter grades into a simple website. Documentation is at:
http://www.mtu.edu/oit/docs/grade_self_serve.pdf .
Instructors who prefer the original process, linked to Blackboard, may continue to use it.
"The new self-service module has a wealth of information
in addition to the grade submission component," says Walt Milligan, chief information officer in the Provost's Office. "Instructors may access every course they have taught since Banner was installed in 1994, including rosters, grades, and photos. Advisors will also get added functionality."
For more information, contact Milligan at 487-2015 or at milligan@mtu.edu . |
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10. Rose Honored at Geological Society Meeting |
A recent regional meeting of the Geological Society of America held a special session in honor of Bill Rose, professor of petrology in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES).
The session of the annual meeting of the North-Central Section of GSA, held April 2-3 in Rockford, Ill., was titled "Central American Volcanism—A Tribute to Bill Rose." Rudiger Escobar Wolf, a current graduate student at Michigan Tech, was one of the session chairs.
Wayne Pennington, chair of GMES, says that Rose has long been recognized as one of the world's leading experts in volcanism, particularly concerning volcanoes in Central America, and this is the latest in a string of honors he has received.
"We are proud to be able to work with Bill and see his accomplishments praised by the scientific community," said Pennington. A number of graduate students and faculty traveled to the meeting to present their own work, and to take part in honoring Rose.
Assistant Professor Greg Waite (GMES) discussed the session: "Much of Bill's research has been conducted in Central America, and he has had dozens of collaborators in the US and in Central America. The session on Central American volcanism brought many of these people in from across the country and felt more like a national meeting session than a regional meeting." |
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11. Forum Addresses LGBT Rights in Michigan |
The Safe Place Program will host a community forum on LGBT rights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23, in Memorial Union Ballroom A2.
Julie Nemecek, codirector of Michigan Equality, will lead a discussion about the initiative in Michigan; current and pending legislation; and the future efforts of the organization.
Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to ask questions and participate.
Michigan Equality is a statewide organization that strvies to promote equality and eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
More information can be found at: http://www.michiganequality.org/ . |
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12. Student Artists Show Their Work |
Visual and Performing Arts presents the annual Walker Art and Design Show, an exhibit of work created by students during the 2008-09 school year.
The event will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 21-24, in McArdle Theatre.
The show features nearly 200 pieces of art--painting, drawing, ceramics and sculpture--by students in the classes of Mary Ann Beckwith and Susanne Kilpela.
For more information, contact Karen Snyder at 487-3094 or at kasnyder@mtu.edu .
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13. Last RSI Seminar Features NASA Scientist |
The next Remote Sensing Seminar, the last one of the semester, will feature Laura Iraci, of NASA's Ames Research Center, who will give a talk, "Vapor Deposition of Water Ice on Surrogates of Martian Dust: Implications for Cloud Formation and the Hydrologic Cycle," at 4 p.m., Monday, April 20, in M & M U113.
For more information, contact Will Cantrell at 487-2356 or visit the website: http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~cantrell/RSIseminar.html .
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14. Job Postings |
Job Posting
Staff job descriptions are available in Human Resources 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 www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/facpers/facvac.htm . For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.
Faculty Job Posting
Non-Tenure-Track Visiting Assistant Professor--Mathematical Sciences
Non-Tenure-Track Lecturer--Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Staff Job Posting
04/17/09
Departmental Coordinator, Humanities
Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer. |
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