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1. High School Teachers Attend Summer School |
High school teachers from across Michigan are doing a little summer school themselves, attending the Research Experience for Teachers. In the program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), they are doing multi-disciplinary research in, "Wood-to-Wheels," in the forest-based biofuels transportation enterprise.
The teachers will use their research experiences to help them develop rich, classroom-relevant teaching units that incorporate multi-level engineering content into high school courses.
"Our goal for this project is to provide in-depth, multidisciplinary research experiences and concurrent curriculum development activities for 21 high school teachers over a three-year project," said Robbins Chair Professor David Shonnard (ChE), who mentors the teachers' research in bioconversion to cellulosic ethanol.
The six-week research experiences focuses on three technical areas: Shonnard's bioconversion; forest plant biotechnology, mentored by Professor Chandrashekhar Joshi (SFRES); and combustion in next-generation engines, mentored by Professor Jeff Naber (ME-EM), head of the Advanced Power Systems Research Center.
The RET program includes comprehensive laboratory research activities, teaching unit development/refinement, and opportunities for knowledge integration and information sharing among the teacher participants, graduate students and faculty mentors.
After the summer research experience, Tech faculty will visit select high schools to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching units. The project also supports travel for the teachers to present their outcomes at regional and national conferences, and ongoing communication among teachers and Tech faculty through web enabled technology including a project web page and document sharing.
Effectiveness of the RET experience will be assessed at each high school by surveys of student attitudes toward STEM education and likelihood of the students pursuing engineering and science careers at universities.
One day recently, the teachers who had chosen biofuels combustion as their research area were huddled around a flex-fuel engine in the depths of a Michigan Tech building one recent morning.
"We have a very steep learning curve," said Karl Balke, a physics teacher and robotics coach at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. "It was bewildering at first. We received some preliminary papers to read, which we diligently did. Then Dr. Naber scheduled us to observe the experiments that his graduate students are performing."
For the full story, see summer school. |
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2. Historian Discusses Life of Pioneer Resident Lucena Brockway |
submitted by Shannon Brodeur, Library
The life and experiences of Lucena Brockway will be the topic of a public presentation at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, July 28, in the East Reading Room of the J.R. Van Pelt Library and John and Ruanne Opie Library. The presentation is part of the "Archival Speakers Series" and is free and open to the public.
Kathleen Warnes, an independent scholar based in Allendale, will discuss her research into the life of Lucena Brockway, an early pioneer resident of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
A native of New York State, Lucena arrived in the Lake Superior region in 1843 with her husband, Daniel Brockway, as one of the first white families to settle the area. Initially living in L'Anse, where Daniel worked as a government blacksmith, the Brockways moved to Copper Harbor in 1846 and remained linked to the Keweenaw until their deaths in 1899.
Details of Lucena's life are captured in a series of personal diaries, photographs, and family and business papers preserved at the archives. As her children matured and left home, and as her husband spent more and more time at his various business ventures, Lucena found herself increasingly isolated and alone. Brockway's diaries document her daily activities and struggles, pointing out the type of independent character required of women in the copper-mining frontier.
Warnes's research is supported by an Archives Travel Grant, with funding provided by the Friends of the Van Pelt Library. Since 1998, the program has assisted more than 25 scholars with their research.
For more information, call the archives at 487-2505, email copper@mtu.edu or visit pioneer. |
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3. 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.
Assistant Professor in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Tenure track position
Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer. |
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4. In Print |
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Assistant Professor Amy Marcarelli (Biological Sciences) recently published a manuscript, "Quantity and quality: unifying food web and ecosystem perspectives on the role of resource subsidies in freshwaters." The paper appeared in the journal Ecology (92: 1215-1225), and was coauthored with colleagues from Idaho State University and the University of Wyoming. |
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5. On the Road |
Associate Professor Mary Durfee (Social Sciences) has completed the International Law Summer Course on Public International Law from Hague Academy. The course takes place on the grounds of the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, from July 4 to 22.
Topics included "Protecting the General Interest," "State Secession," "UN Peacekeeping," "The work of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights" and the "Multiplication of International Courts." Durfee will use the experience in her public international law course in fall 2012. |
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6. Healthy Tip of the Week |
brought to you by HuskyPAW
Whole grain ideas for every meal: oatmeal, whole grain pancakes, a rye bread sandwich, barley mushroom soup, oatmeal cookie, popcorn, wild rice and whole grain pasta. |
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