|
|
1. Dancing with Diversity |
by Kara Sokol and John Gagnon, university marketing and communications
Flamboyant twirling flags, colorful ensembles, hand clapping, hip shaking, people dressed like rainbows. Dance has been called one of the greatest forms of communication, and it told a lot at Saturday's Parade of Nations and Multicultural Festival.
"It's infectious," said one spectator, a Houghton woman bedecked in Michigan Tech garb and shaking a multi-colored pompom. "So many people, so much support—it's impossible not to get caught up in the enthusiasm of it all."
This annual celebration, with this year's theme of "Dancing with
Diversity," began with a parade that was not at all a quick affair. It halted often along the one-mile-long route to allow dancers to perform their most dramatic moves for applauding onlookers crushed onto the streets of downtown Hancock and Houghton. Children gathered along the street curbs, wide-eyed and drinking in the excitement.
This year's parade and festival featured people from Canada to Colombia, Thailand to Turkey—all awash in the vibrant colors of their native lands. Brazilian dancers wore vivid yellow and whirled flags to a heavy, passionate beat. Members of Tech's GLBTA student organization, Keweenaw Pride, sang and jived to the strains of "Dancing Queen"—disco ball included. A man from Thailand marched silently, raising two fingers in a sign of peace.
The beribboned Alessia Uboni, of Trieste, Italy, hit town four weeks ago and is a new doctoral student in SFRES. At the food festival in Dee Stadium, she served up a jam tart called crostata, a sweet roll called "chocolate salami," and a dessert laced with cocoa called tiramisu. She fit right in with the spirit of things. "Our culture is mainly food," she said. "Long meals are a big part of the day."
Cecilia Miranda, of Madison, Wisc., who has formed a song-and-dance group called Boliviamanta, had a bunch of ebullient youngsters gathered around her. She organized the group to give youngsters a chance to "do something other than games and drugs." Through song and dance, she and her charges show off Bolivian culture and folklore.
"We’re foreigners here," she said, "and we want to be part of this country. But we want to keep a taste of our own culture, too, so we don’t forget our roots."
Alice Brunk represented the KBIC's Youth Programs in Baraga. Her young charges wore dazzling regalia and danced like butterflies. "We love to have the kids involved," she said. "Share their culture."
"It's more than dancing," she added. "It's a way of life. Teach children to be proud of who they are and where they come from."
We asked Brunk to name one thing she wants people to know about native culture.
"Frybread," one of her youngsters chimed in.
Brunk laughed and then got serious: "Teaching honor and respect for all living beings."
Les Cook, of student affairs, summed up the celebration: "It's incredible—the energy and enthusiasm. We’re lucky to have such a variety of people from all backgrounds. It's many cultures emerging as one. We'll turn them all into yoopers."
* * * * *
The doings attracted Vandana Jhingan, a journalist from Chicago who works for TV Asia, which serves south Asia.
She met with Indian students the evening before the parade and festival. "I can feel their comfort," she said. "They're so happy with the school. You don't let them feel homesick. It's a second home. They feel that it was not a bad decision to come here."
People in Asia are interested in what goes on in Houghton, Michigan?
"The world is a small village now," Jhingan said.
She wears a bindi on her forehead—eight little stones arranged vertically. In Indian culture, they used to signify a married woman. "Now it's the fashion," she said. "It matches with my dress." |
|
|
2. Air Force ROTC Hopes to Have a Flyover at Saturday’s Football Game |
The US Air Force has scheduled a flyover at Sherman Field just before the start of the football game against Grand Valley State on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Lt. Col. Kerry Beaghan, commander of the Air Force ROTC detachment on campus, arranged the event.
"We request them every year," she says. "This year it’s a go."
However, she adds, "The weather has to hold."
If it does, one or two T-38 Talon jets will come from Whiteman AFB in Missouri and make the 800–mile trip to Houghton (in an hour, mind you).
The plane is a two-person craft, and the airmen have the technology and procedures to find little old Sherman Field in little old Houghton.
As well, the pilots will talk to Beaghan via radio, and she will coordinate the timing and also "talk them in."
After the national anthem, the plane or planes will zoom in, from south to north, then head back home.
Beaghan describes these events as "fun duty" for all involved.
The flyover is part of the athletic department’s military appreciation day. Folks in uniform or with a military ID will be admitted to the football game free. The game starts at 6 p.m. |
|
|
3. Personal Trainer Available at SDC |
The Sports and Recreation Department is now offering personal training with Sarah Nelson, a 2009 Tech graduate in psychology. Sarah obtained her personal training certification in May through the National Council on Strength and Fitness. She is currently pursuing accreditation as an advanced health and fitness specialist through the American Council on Exercise.
Nelson offers group training programs and one-on-one programs. She custom designs programs to help individuals achieve their personal fitness goals. Full body programs can be designed for weight loss and maintenance, overall fitness, flexibility, strength, muscle tone, or for sports-specific training.
Nelson designs programs that incorporate cardio, strength training and flexibility training to create whole-body and muscle-specific workouts. Programs can also be designed for pre- and post-natal women, children and the elderly. Nutritional counseling is also available.
Fees for SDC members (faculty and students) are $30 per one-hour session or $150 for a six-session package. Fees for nonmembers are $35 per one-hour session or $180 for a six-session package.
Now through Oct. 31, Nelson is offering free assessments to both members and nonmembers. These assessments include blood pressure testing, dietary analysis, muscle endurance assessment and more.
If you are interested, or if you would like to schedule a personal training session, contact Nelson at 269-930-0389, by email at samnelso@mtu.edu , or by visiting the SDC Ticket Office. Appointments are available daily. |
|
|
4. Family Adventure Day in the Keweenaw |
The Western UP Center for Science, Math and Environmental Education is hosting Family Adventure Day in the Keweenaw at five nature sanctuaries from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26.
Sanctuary stewards will be at each trailhead to greet families and provide information. Naturalists will be conducting hands-on outdoor activities. Families
can put their names into a drawing at each location for a chance to win a copy of the new guidebook, "Walking Paths and Protected Areas of the Keweenaw."
For more information and sanctuary locations, contact Michelle Miller at 487-3341, by email at michellem@mtu.edu or the center's website: wupcenter.mtu.edu . |
|
|
5. New Funding |
|
Robert Shuchman (MTRI) has received $111,591 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the first increment of a potential four year, $718,877 project, "Multi-Scale Assessment of Water Quality Using a Refined Chlorophyll, Dissolved Organic Carbon, and Suspended Minerals Algorithm for the Great Lakes Hydrologic System." |
|
|
6. Staff Job Postings |
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.
Staff Job Posting 09/21/09
Custodian
Facilities Operations (This position will be based at the Lakeshore Center)
AFSCME internal posting only
(Full-time, first shift)
Custodian
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
AFSCME internal and external posting
(Part-time; no base, first and second shift)
Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer. |
|
|
7. Proposals in Progress |
Reza Shahbazian-Yassar (MEEM/MuSTI), "CAREER: Real Time Multidimensional Studies in Nanomaterials," DOE
Eugene Levin (SOT), "Synchro-Imager: An Integrated Lidar and Fourband Dual Camera Aerial System for Acquisition and Processing of Timely and Spatially Synchronous 3-D and Visual Data," NSF
Gregory M. Odegard (MEEM/MuSTI), Tammy L. Haut Donahue (MEEM/MuSTI), "Computational Modeling of Skeletal Muscles," NIH
Tyler Erickson (MTRI), "Integrating Rain Gage, Precipitation Radar, and Over-Land Precipitation in the Great Lakes Basin," NASA
Tyler Erickson (MTRI), "Application of Geostatistical Inverse Modeling to Improve the Estimation of Water Quality Parameters in Nearshore Areas of the Great Lakes: Moving Beyond Pixel Based Remote Sensing Analysis," NASA
Louise Nelson Dyble (SS), "Tolls: Past Experience, Present Policy, and Future Prospects," Smith Richardson Foundation
James R. Wood (GMES), "Carbon-Capture and Sequestration from a Novel Biomass Plant Utilizing Multiple C02 Disposal Strategies: A Carbon-Negative Approach," DOE
Paul V. Doskey (CEE/SFRES/ESC), Rodney A. Chimner (SFRES), Judith A. Perlinger (CEE), Thomas G. Pypker (SFRES), Noel R. Urban (CEE), "MRI-R2: Acquisition of Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Instrumentation for Climate Change Research," NSF
Raymond Shaw (Physics/EPSSI), Will Cantrell (Physics/EPSSI), Claudio Mazzoleni (Physics/EPSSI), Lynn Mazzoleni (Chemistry/EPSSI), "MRI-R2: Development of a Multiple Turbulent Reaction Chamber for Laboratory Studies of Atmospheric Aerosol and Cloud Processes," NSF
Will Cantrell (Physics/EPSSI), Claudio Mazzoleni (Physics/EPSSI), "Measurement of Ice Nuclei in the Contact Mode," Dept. of Commerce-NOAA
Theresa M. Ahlborn (CEE/MTTI), Devin K. Harris (CEE/MTTI), "Center for Structural Durability at Michigan Technological University (CSD)," DOT-FHWA
Robert Froese (SFRES/ESC), James Pickens (SFRES/ESC), Chris Miller (SFRES/ESC), "Doctoral Dissertation Research in Economics: Energy Crop Availability and Landowner Willingness to Produce," NSF
Seong-Young Lee (MEEM/APSRC), Abhijit Mukherjee (MEEM/APSRC), "Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Flammability of Hazardous Materials under Varying Gravity, Flow and Orientation," NASA
Jacek Borysow (Physics), "ARI-R2: Infrastructure Upgrade and Integration of Physics Research Laboratories at Michigan Tech University," NSF
Qiuying Sha (Math/BRC), Shuanglin Zhang (Math/BRC), "Statistical Methods of Genome-Wide Association Studies," NIH
Chaoli Wang (CS), "Importance-Driven Extreme-Scale Data Analysis and Visualization," DOE
Dana Johnson (SBE), Junhong Min (SBE), "EcoCar Challenge Year Two 2009-2010 Communications Outreach/Marketing Graduate Fellowship," ASEE
Marta Wloch (Chemistry), "New Computational Methods and Software Development for Many Fermions Systems," DOE
Wenzhen Li (Chemical Engineering), "BES Early Career Research Program: Nanoengineered Catalysts for Direct Bioethanol Alkaline Fuel Cells (DBAFC)," DOE-Early Career Research Program
Dario J. Stacchiola (Chemistry/SFI), "The Nano-Interface between Material Science and Organometallic Chemistry," DOE
Desheng Meng (MEEM/MuSTI), "Dendritic Hybrid Nanosystems: New Preparation Routes, Architectures, Interfaces, and Functionalities," DOE
Yongmei Jin (MSE/IME), "Domain Processes in Giant Magnetostrictive Materials," DOE
Simon A. Carn (GMES/EPSSI), "Early Career: An Evaluation of Chemical Transport and Dispersion Models Using Satellite Observations of Volcanic Sulfur Dioxide Emissions," DOE
Fernando Ponta (MEEM/APSRC), "Advanced Algorithms for Fluid-Structure Multiphysics Analysis in Rotor Blades and Oscillating Bodies," DOE |
|
|
8. Giveaways |
SFRES has the following items at the Sands Building (just south of the campus):
*Several older filing cabinets (four and five drawer)
*Chemical metal hood
*Steel tank (self-fabricated)
*Vactacon pneumatic system (vacuum system)
*Westinghouse hood
*Blue M water bath
If you would like to see these items or find out more information about
their condition, contact John Forsman at 487-2890.
University property may only be transferred between departments; it may not be given or sold to individuals.
|
|
|
