The grant supports two cohorts for in-depth training by an outside consultant to deepen Lean knowledge and culture and apply it throughout campus.

The two cohorts are:

Lean Facilitators

This cohort will be comprised of half represented (union) employees and half nonrepresented employees. This group will develop an understanding of what makes a Lean organization, the key principles of Lean, as well as various tools and concepts. After training, the group will help implement on-campus improvements.

Lean Implementation Leaders

This training is for nonrepresented staff who are positioned in their departments or work areas to plan and implement a Lean transformation. The training will give them a working knowledge to become Lean practitioners and the hands-on experience to apply Lean problem-solving methods.

Training for both groups is anticipated to start in May 2012 and continue for seven months.

Several information sessions will outline what Lean is, what the grant is for, the role of the two groups, the training commitment and service expectations, and why employees should consider participating. The schedule for these information sessions is:

Friday, Feb. 17, 1:30 p.m.--open to all

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 9:30 a.m.--open to all

Tuesday, March 6, 1:30 p.m.--open to all

Friday, March 9, 11 a.m.--open to all

Monday, March 12, 1:30 p.m.--nonrepresented employees only

Friday, March 16, 9:30 a.m.--union employees only

Tuesday, March 27, 9:30 a.m.--open to all

All sessions will be in Memorial Union Alumni Lounge A.

The application deadline to be considered for the groups will be Friday, March 30.

For more information, a schedule of the information sessions, or an application, contact Wendy Davis at 487-3180, at wmdavis@mtu.edu , or see Lean.

Ben Sperry, of Texas A&M University, will present a public seminar, "Research on the Impacts of Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation in the Upper Great Lakes Megaregion," at 2 p.m., today, in Rekhi G06.

Assistant Professor Haizhong Wang, of the Reiners Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Trine University, will present a public seminar, "Stochastic Modeling of the Equilibrium Speed-Density Relationship: A Behavioral Perspective," at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14.

The committee encourages faculty and staff to interact with the SFHI candidates and evaluate them.

The seminars will be recorded and made available for viewing on the SFHI website, where applications, abstracts and itineraries can also be reviewed. See SFHI.

More than 25 people gathered in mid-January for the inaugural meeting of the Pregnant and Parenting Students Network, a new campus resource.

Organizers are seniors Jen Van Domelen and Raeanne Madison, both of the scientific and technical communications program. Since becoming mothers three and four years ago, both women have celebrated, and lamented, the responsibilities involved in parenting while attending Michigan Tech. They recognized that the experiences of students with children are often unique compared to traditional students.

Van Domelen and Madison approached Don Williams, director of Counseling and Wellness Services (CWS), with the idea of creating a group for pregnant and parenting students. He was agreeable, and Erica Thompson, a graduate intern at CWS, helped to coordinate the formation of the group.

"We were relieved that Counseling and Wellness Services was so open and supportive of our idea," Madison says. "Before, we always felt alone and anomalous, but now we know that there are many parents here who need support. We are happy to be able to reach out to others through this effort."

At the first meeting, parents and their families connected with each other (often for the first time); were introduced to community resources that could help them; and offered ideas on how to improve the experiences of parents at Michigan Tech.

Van Domelen and Madison hope to continue working with the University to bring awareness of the needs of these students--and help make their University experience enjoyable and successful.

The network meets at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Daniell Heights Community Room. The next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 14; special Valentine's Day activities will be provided for children. All meetings are free and open to students and their families.

For more information, contact CWS at 487-2538.

The initiative is being supported by the Michigan Tech Parents Fund and Housing and Residential Life.

In town? Be a guest. There will be hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, and prizes, including:

* An iPad 2

* Copper gifts, including a paperweight, a UP ornament, and a UP wall hanging

* Valentine's prizes: a gift bag of sweets, a gift certificate for flowers, and sweet strawberry wine

* A 20- by 30-inch northern lights print

Business After Hours events are the area's premier networking opportunities, offering guests the chance to meet fellow professionals and establish long-lasting relationships in a relaxed, social setting.

Business people are encouraged to attend and be prepared with a number of their business cards to pass.

This event is open to all.

For more information, see After Hours.

This opportunity will consist of six classes. Information on the topics of each class, as well as the dates and time, are detailed on the application. Class size is limited. If there are more applications than spots, Benefits will choose participants on a random basis.

Applicants must be able to attend four out of the six classes offered (indicate classes on the application form). Those chosen for this first session will be notified by Thursday, Feb. 16.

For more information, contact Benefits at 487-2517 or at benefits@mtu.edu .

In recent years, outreach, education and community impact have become increasingly important aspects in grant and research proposals.

In this session, participants will learn easy ways to strengthen the broader impacts of their proposals. As an example, they can include a component of Summer Youth, Women in Engineering, Engineering Scholars or Mind Trekkers in their proposals to fill a K-12 outreach requirement.

The Center brings 39 years of experience to this task, and can offer cut-and-past templates. The Center can recruit students and provide supervision and residential aspects of these initiatives; writers provide the content and instruction.

Bring your lunch. Chips, dessert and coffee will be available.

Presenters will be Director Steve Patchin (Pre-College Outreach and Youth Programs) and Manager Peter Larsen (Sponsored Programs Enhancement)

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The Great Lakes Innovation and Technology Report and CBS Detroit reported on Associate Professor Andrew Burton's (SFRES) research on the ability of trees to find the nitrogen they need despite increasing levels of carbon dioxide. See Trees.

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Professor K. Michael Gibson, chair, biological sciences, has received $40,000 from the National PKU Alliance for a project, "Non-Physiological Amino Acid Therapy in Phenylketonuria."

Neuman also attended the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems in Paris, France, Jan. 29 to Feb. 2. He presented a poster, "Micro-Rotational Electromagnetic Generator for High-Speed Applications," by recent PhD graduate Edwar Romero (senior author), coauthors Robert Warrington and Michael Neuman, and colleagues.

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 postings for Feb. 13, 2012:

Food Service Helper

AFSCME internal and external posting

Dining Services

Office and Account Assistant (N6)

UAW internal posting only

J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library

Staff Assistant (N6)

UAW Internal Posting Only

J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library

Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer.