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1. Career Fair: “Something Happening” |
by John Gagnon, promotional writer
Representatives of 185 companies and a throng of expectant students filled the Multipurpose Gym Tuesday for the fall Career Fair. Companies were looking for talent; talent was looking for opportunity.
Director Jim Turnquist (Career Services) always says the most important part of a resume is job experience, especially through co-ops. That observation was echoed by Cheryl Graff, of Kohler.
"We concentrate a lot on co-ops," she said, "and Tech's co-op program is excellent. We have very good success with Tech students. They are high-caliber. We try them, and they try us--see if there's a fit for both of us."
Graff's colleague, Jim Heldt, said Kohler's co-ops "give students a good experience." "It's not grunt work," he said. "It's meaningful projects. Students see what they'll encounter in the working world." He is in Kohler's engine division; in just that unit, he's looking to fill 18 co-ops.
Heldt recruits around the country. "If I had to choose one place to go, it would be Michigan Tech," he said. He allows, though, that he's prejudiced. He is an alumnus, class of '86, a Houghton native, son of a former faculty member, and a member of the Career Services Corporate Advisory Board.
He and other company representatives had the familiar litany of praise for a Tech education: practical, hands-on, rigorous.
Jason Biehl '94, senior manufacturing engineer, was one of nine recruiters from General Motors. They had to be alumni to be on the team, which was looking for 40 employees for internships, co-ops, and direct hires. Tech graduates, Biehl said, are simply "fantastic." Tech's reputation, he added, extends from "Virginia to Texas, from the US to Europe." "That’s why we’re here," he said.
He talked like he's still on campus. "We’re not just the small-town college that some people think we are," he said. He works in GM’s powertrain division, and he says eight of the ten people in his unit are alumni. His boss, his former boss, his father and brother--are all Tech grads.
Students, resumes in hand, most dressed formally, lined up to talk to him and other recruiters, looking to make a favorable impression. Meanwhile, company representatives asked questions and took notes. One was overheard to say to a colleague: "Single him out. He carries himself extraordinarily well."
Alumni Relations had a presence at the fair. The staff handed out 300 water bottles and some guidance: steering students to the online alumni directory, a service that students have had access to for about a year. Associate Director Brent Burns said the theme of the alumni office's message was "Explore Your Network"—that is, a database of 68,000 alumni, more than 200 of whom want to be mentors for students.
Turnquist also says that, in these stringent economic times, companies are looking for employees who have more than one skill.
Stacey Delvecchio, of Caterpillar, says it's not just market conditions; it's now the way of the world. "We need good engineers who are articulate," she said.
She and her team find them at Tech. "We've been coming here a long time," she said. The more they do, the more reason to return, for one successful alumnus leads to another. "It's a self-fulfilling prospect after that first step," she said.
David Mellon fits that bill of multiple talents. He is majoring in chemical engineering and has a minor in economics.
"Smart," we suggested of his situation.
"That's what I'm thinking and hoping," he said.
Meanwhile, bystanders at the fair picked up on all the energy. "There's a buzz," said Pete Cattelino. "A sense of something happening." |
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2. Workshop Monday for Faculty Search Committee Members, Deans and Chairs |
Provost Max Seel is encouraging anyone serving on a faculty search committee to take part in STRIDE training on Monday, Oct. 11, as part of the University's effort to recruit more faculty from underrepresented groups, including women. The initiative is primarily for those who have not attended a training session in the past.
"I am committed to the goal that everyone who serves on a search committee receive training in STRIDE and on the legal aspects of hiring once every three years," Seel said. All existing committees should have at least one trained person, he said.
The University of Michigan's Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE) program helps committee members avoid unconscious bias and apply consistent standards throughout the hiring process. Tech's STRIDE workshop is funded through Michigan Tech's NSF ADVANCE grant.
"Making STRIDE: Faculty Recruitment for Diversity and Excellence" will be held Oct. 11, from 10 to 11:45 a.m., with lunch provided from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., in Memorial Union Ballroom A. J. Wayne Jones, the associate director of the U of M College of Engineering, will lead the workshop.
Jones will discuss ways to better the campus environment through improved faculty recruitment and retention policies and practices.
To register, contact Randy Harrison at rsharris@mtu.edu by Friday, Oct. 8. |
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3. Nominations for Spring 2011 Finishing Fellowships Now Open |
Nominations for spring Finishing Fellowships are now open. Applications must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 20.
Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:
* Must be a PhD student.
* Must expect to finish in spring 2011.
* Must have submitted a Petition to Enter Full-Time Research Only
Mode .
No Finishing Fellowships will be awarded to students who fail to receive approval of their petition. Previous recipients are not eligible.
For details on the application procedure, see the application page .
For questions, contact Debra Charlesworth, assistant to the dean, Graduate School, at 487-1989 or ddc@mtu.edu . |
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4. Gala Latina: Noche de Máscaras |
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers will host the 6th annual Gala Latina--a time of music and dance--from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 16, in the Memorial Union Ballroom.
The Noche de Máscaras, Night Masks, will bring a live 16-member Latin band, "Veneno," from Milwaukee, Wisc.
Free professional dancing lessons will be offered, courtesy of Danny Balderas of Salsabrosa Dance Co., from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 14; from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 15; and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 16, in the Memorial Union Commons. Classes will include; cha-cha, merengue, salsa and a Latin line dance called "Rueda de Casino."
The event is sponsored by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Undergraduate Student Government.
Tickets are $10 per person at the door. For more information, contact the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at 487-2920. |
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5. BME Graduate Seminar |
Assistant Professor Andrew Anderson '01, of the orthopaedics department at the University of Utah, will present "Combined Approaches to Estimate Hip Joint Biomechanics In-Vivo: Patient-Specific Application to Hip Dysplasia and Femoroacetabular Impingement" at 3 p.m., Friday, Oct. 8, in M&M U113.
Anderson was a member of the first graduating class in biomedical engineering in 2001.
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6. Physics Colloquium |
Ming Zheng, of the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), will present "DNA-Carbon Nanotubes Interaction: Fundamentals and Applications" at 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 7, in Fisher 139. The seminar will cover Zheng's breakthrough results published in Science, Nature, and Nature Materials.
For more information, contact Petra Hüntemeyer at 487-1229 or at petra@mtu.edu , or Claudio Mazzoleni at 487-1226 or at cmazzoleni@mtu.edu . |
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7. Updated Sponsored Programs |
Professor Tibor Hortobagyi, of East Carolina University, will speak for the Sponsored Programs workshop, "National Institutes of Health (NIH)," from noon to 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 7, in Memorial Union Ballroom B.
Some topics will include:
* Understanding NIH--divisions, institutes, etc.
* How to choose which program to apply to--particularly useful for first-time writers.
* General proposal writing tips.
* New NIH proposal guidelines, an overview of what is most important.
* What is a review panel like? What are reviewers most concerned about?
* How does NIH writing differ from that of other federal agencies, like NSF?
In addition to Hortobagyi, other guest speakers include Chair Jason Carter (Exercise Science), Chair Sean Kirkpatrick (BME) and Chair Mike Gibson (Biological Sciences).
This session is geared toward more specialized information and will be of interest to those who plan to apply for external funding through NIH. To enroll in the session, see NIH .
Desserts and beverages will be available. Bring your lunch.
For more information, contact Kristin Beck, of Sponsored Programs, at 487-2226 or kgbeck@mtu.edu . |
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8. On the Road |
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Professor Emeritus Karol Pelc (School of Business and Economics) presented an invited lecture series, "Managing Innovation in Global Networks," from Sept. 27-Oct. 1, as part of the International Business and Technology Management Program at the Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland. |
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9. New Funding |
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Assistant Professor John Hill (ME-EM) has received $79,988 from the Federal Highway Administration for a one-year project, "Integrating Clarus Weather Station Data and State Crash Data into a Travel Decision Support Tool." |
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