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1. Social Sciences Instructor and Students Are Headed Abroad |
by John Gagnon, promotional writer
Carl Blair last week was comfortably folded into his office chair, feet on his desk, arms crossed, the picture of repose. But his mind was wandering--all the way to England, where he will take twelve study-abroad students in July.
Their destination: the town of Carlisle, in the county of Cumbria, in the northwest part of the country--just shy of the border with Scotland, and just inland from the Irish Sea.
Blair describes the area as "bucolic," but it once was an important hub of the Industrial Revolution. What tin was to Cornwall, and coal to Wales, lead, silver, coal, and iron were to Cumbria--all there, but not in great quantities.
Blair has been going to Cumbria for ten years to investigate settlements and the smelting of iron, which is one of his passions. "It's exciting to look at the past and see techniques and technology," he says. "There is a relationship between nature, business and society."
His interest in smelting has led to investigating the making of charcoal, which was used in the smelting process. He waxes enthusiastically and exhaustively about charcoal, its makeup and its uses. It is one of the embers of his curiosity.
The study-abroad group will travel to a part of the world that was peopled by the Romans, the Vikings, and the Celts. He will teach three classes there--history, archaeology, and culture--and take students on field trips.
They will visit the remnants of a fort in Carlisle, Birdoswald, which was built 1,800 years ago. They also will go to York, south of Carlisle, where the York Minster, a gothic cathedral built in 1361, stands. It is a history book: it sits on top of a Norman cathedral; which is on top of an Anglo-Saxon cathedral; which is on top of an early Angle-Saxon church; which is on top of a Roman garrison.
"Cumbria is full of interesting twists in history," Blair says. "They all tie together." St. Patrick was born in Carlisle. Not far to the southwest, there is a port town of Whitehaven. During the American Revolutionary War, John Paul Jones invaded that settlement. Blair says it was an unsuccessful foray; it seems the American sailors got sidetracked in a tavern.
Blair has an ear for such yarns and a penchant for stimulating students. He not only teaches them, he engages them. His students have made charcoal; smelted iron; fire-cracked rocks as a mining technique; fashioned wooden, fire-hardened, Paleolithic spears; and built a trebuchet--a Medieval siege device, a kind of catapult, that was used to smash masonry walls or to lob projectiles, including bodies, over them. The small-scale implement could hurl a ten-pound rock three hundred feet.
The point of these projects: "Don't just read about something. Understand how it worked and build it or use it."
Take making charcoal: "They'll never do it again," he says, "but it's a very interesting way of learning things. The students like it. They get broad knowledge that tells a bigger story."
In the case of the north of England, that means unearthing a past that stretches back to the Vikings 1,000 years ago and Romans long before that.
Blair says that students often have the notion that history is all about dates. "It's not memorizing 75 dates," he says. "I doubt if I would know them. That's what books are for."
Archaeology, he says, is a disparate science: a blend of anthropology, history, and physical culture. "They are all intertwined."
As a youth, he loved reading and the outdoors—what he calls "a blend of books and dirty hands." Archaeology, he adds, was "the natural outgrowth."
It's an important inquiry. "If you keep asking what happened before, you will run out of historical record," he says. There comes a point, he explains, where "you can't do history--you have to do archaeology."
This is his first study-abroad excursion. He plans more. "I have great hopes for the future," he says.
"Michigan Tech," he adds, "is a great school--and a nice place to get away from. It's useful to go abroad." |
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2. Reminder: Get Your Tickets for Staff Recognition Luncheon |
Friday, June 11, is the deadline to purchase tickets for the annual Staff Service Recognition Luncheon to be held at noon, Wednesday, June 16, in the Wads Commons.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at any Michigan Tech ticket outlet (Tech Express, the Rozsa and the SDC) or online (credit card only) at http://www.tickets.mtu.edu .
The luncheon will feature the Asian inspiration buffet, followed by the presentation of awards to retirees and to more than 100 staff members for their five-year anniversary dates of service to the University.
See the list of this year's recipients at:
http://www.admin.mtu.edu/staff_council .
If you are unable to attend the lunch, you are welcome to the awards presentation only, which begins at 12:30 p.m.
Contact one of the following Staff Council members for questions or a special dietary requirement:
* Bev Auel, Institutional Diversity, 487-2474, blauel@mtu.edu .
* Arlene Collins, University Marketing and Communications, 487-1779, acollins@mtu.edu
* Peggy Gorton, School of Technology, 487-2260, pagorton@mtu.edu . |
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3. Candidate Presentation--Center for Diversity and Inclusion Position |
All members of the campus community are invited to attend a presentation by Shezwae Fleming, a candidate for the position of director in the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.
Her presentation will be from from 10-11 a.m., Friday, June 11, in Memorial Union, Alumni Lounge A.
Her previous professional experience includes positions at Big Picture Learning, the University of Maine and the University of Minnesota, Morris. Fleming holds a Master of Arts in Communication Education from the University of Iowa. |
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4. Vlaisavljevich Earns Two Academic Awards |
Senior Eli Vlaisavljevich was recently awarded two academic recognitions. The Shoreview, Minn., native was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American Second Team and was awarded a WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship.
Vlaisavljevich was a four-year competitor and defenseman for the Huskies who compiled a 4.0 grade-point average while playing in 111 collegiate games (2006-10).
He was named the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior and graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering. He was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete three times and earn All-Academic Team honors three times. He has been awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship and Michigan Tech's Provost Award for Scholarship.
"Eli is the true example of a student-athlete," said head coach Jamie Russell. "He had an amazing academic career and was a terrific ambassador for Michigan Tech hockey.... He was an outstanding role model and a shining example of all that is good about collegiate athletics."
Vlaisavljevich plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in medical research. |
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5. Students from Pavlis Institute host Pancake Breakfast |
Students from the Pavlis Institute for Global Technological Leadership are hosting a pancake breakfast from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Sunday, June 20, at St. Al's Catholic Church, 411 MacInnes Drive. There is no set cost; it is a free-will offering.
Proceeds will be used to purchase computers, school supplies and books for a community center that the students are founding in Ghana, Africa, and to purchase solar panels for a school in Malargüe, Argentina.
The students have raising support for their projects for eight months. This is their final solicitation before they leave on July 11.
For more information or to make a donations of money or supplies, visit the students from 2-5 p.m. at Econo Foods on Thursday, June 17, or contact them at pavlis4ghana@gmail.com . |
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6. Reminder: Hike with a View |
The public is invited to join an interpretive and challenging hike at the Grinnell Memorial Nature Sanctuary, Bare Bluff, from 2-5 p.m., Saturday, June 12.
Bare Bluff, a Michigan Nature Association sanctuary, is one of the most prominent landmarks on the south shore of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Interested hikers should meet at 2 p.m. at Lac La Belle Marina parking area to carpool to the sanctuary trailhead, or at 2:15 p.m. at the trailhead (2.5 miles up the Smith Fisheries Road).
Come prepared with sturdy shoes, a backpack, plenty of water, snacks, rain gear, sun hat, sunscreen and insect repellent. Bring a camera, binoculars and an extra layer for windy weather. Allow two to three hours round-trip for the hike.
For more information, contact Western UP Center for Science, Math and Environmental Education at 487-3341 or wupcenter.mtu.edu .
To reach the Grinnell Nature Sanctuary, drive 15 mile north from Calumet on US 41 and turn right at the sign for Lac La Belle. Drive five miles to Lac La Belle, turn left, and look for the marina sign on the right. |
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7. New Hires |
Gerald Anzalone joins the Transportation Institute as a research scientist I and lab supervisor. Previously, he was a graduate student in the civil and environmental engineering department. He has a bachelor's degree in extractive metallurgy from the Colorado School of Mines.
Colin Neese joins the School of Business and Economics as a technology specialist. A student in mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics, he previously was coordinator of the Engineering Information Technology Center. |
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8. Giveaways |
The Chemical Engineering Department is giving away eight metal computer tables, with wheels.
Contact Jerry Norkol at 487-2204 or jnorkol@mtu.edu .
The Administration Building has the following:
* desks
* file cabinets
* tables
* corkboards
* white board
* partitions
Items are on the third floor. Contact Jim Schultz at 487-2904 or jschultz@mtu.edu .
The Property Office has the following:
* printer--Kyocera KM-1810
* scanner--HP Scanjet 5590
* fax machine--Xerox Workcenter 555
Contact Traci Bishop at 487-2252 or trbishop@mtu.edu .
University property may only be transferred between departments. It may not be given or sold to individuals. |
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9. On the Road |
Professor emeritus, Karol Pelc (School of Business and Economics), served as visiting scholar at Japan Center for Michigan Universities in Hikone, Japan, in May. During his visit, Pelc presented an intensive course on "Japanese Innovation Management" and conducted research in the Japanese manufacturing industry.
Professor Ulrich H.E. Hansmann (Physics) organized with Associate Professor Michael Feig (Michigan State University) a three-day workshop, "From Computational Biophysics to Systems Biology (CBSB10)" in Traverse City, June 6-8.
The meeting has its roots in a series of workshops under the same name that began in 2006 at the Forschungszentrum Julich (Germany); it was organized for the first time in the US with the support of Michigan Tech and Michigan State.
The purpose of the workshop was to bring together researchers from physics, biology, and computer science to acquaint each other with current trends in computational biophysics and systems biology; to explore avenues of cooperation; and to establish together a detailed understanding of cells at a molecular level.
Almost 100 scientist from the US and abroad participated. Hansmann plans to continue this series of annual workshops in the next year. |
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10. In Print |
Professor Bob Johnson (Humanities) published an article, "Craft Knowledge: Of Disciplinarity in Writing Studies," in College Composition and Communication, Vol. 61, No. 4: June 2010, pp. 673-690.
Also, Johnson published, "Out of Proportion: Toward a Balance Among Science, Technology, Humanities, and the Arts," in the Pantaneto Forum, an international journal of science and communication published out of the UK. It can be viewed at: http://www.pantaneto.co.uk/issue38/johnson.htm . |
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