Sue McDaniel, Tech Topics student writer, 906-487-2343

You can reach us via e-mail at ttopics@mtu.edu The deadline for submitting information for Tech Topics is 5:00 p.m. the Friday before anticipated publication.

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TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP 14-WEEK SEMESTER CALENDAR

Senate President Robert Keen, hearing no objections from the University Senate Aug. 28, is assembling a task force to develop a new academic calendar with 14-week semesters.

In 1999, the senate backed 14-week terms as part of the changeover from quarters to semesters. At the recommendation of the administration, which cited promises to the student body, the Board of Control instituted 15-week semesters. However, the Board indicated it was willing to revisit the issue.

In May, President Curt Tompkins told the senate that the administration would support a 14-week calendar if the senate supports one.

Objections to the 15-week calendar, which started in 2000–01, have been heard from both students and faculty. Students have complained that their peers at the University of Michigan, which has 13-1/2-week semesters, get a jump on summer jobs. And MTU faculty say their colleagues are already writing grants while they are still completing classwork.

A new 14-week semester calendar could go into effect as early as 2003–04.

Professor Christa Walck (SBE), the new conflict of interest coordinator, reported on changes to the senate’s proposed conflict of interest procedures. The changes were developed by the administration, the former conflict of interest coordinator and the University attorney. Among the significant revisions, the new procedures would require that members of the MTU community submit a report to the conflict of interest coordinator only if a conflict exists, a change that would drastically reduce the office’s paperwork. Such disclosures would allow any conflicts to be resolved up front.

The new procedures also require MTU employees and students to inform their supervisors of any outside professional activities, even if no conflict of interest exists. And the supervisors may require members with such outside activities to submit to special oversight.

Senator Don Beck (Physics) asked why the changes shouldn’t be sent back to senate committee for consideration before being acted upon by the senate.

Keen said that sending it to committee could result in another round of review by the administration and the attorney, delaying adoption for an indefinite period. Walck noted that the content changes were not major and that these procedures have been labeled “interim” for seven years.

Senator Cindy Selfe (Humanities) asked why the proposal included a statement that the Board of Control could change them at will. Keen said that, while the senate had objected to such statements in the past, they were true, and the language had been inserted by the University attorney. Beck asked why the senate should be involved in the proposals at all. Keen said senate involvement in developing University policy was a key element of shared governance.

In other business, the senate postponed the election of Conflict of Interest Committee members because nominees had only been sought from among the faculty, even though staff were also eligible to serve.

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FOUNDING MEMBER OF BIOLOGY DEPT. DIES

Professor Emeritus Robert T. Brown, who retired in 1983 from the department he helped create, died Sunday, Aug. 25, of natural causes after a swim in Rabbit Bay.

Brown, 78, came to Michigan Tech in 1951 as a member of the forestry faculty and was instrumental in establishing the Department of Biological Sciences in 1962. He received the Medal of Forestry from Finland, for his research on coniferous tree growth, and three Fulbright Fellowships: to Turkey, Finland and Trinidad. In addition, he served as an educational consultant in India, courtesy of the Agency for International Development, and traveled to the former USSR.

While he had an active professional life, Brown was known equally well for his kindness and activism.

“He was the person who first helped me find housing,” remembers Professor Eunice Carlson (Biological Sciences), who joined the MTU faculty about 30 years ago. “He and his wife, Vi, invited me into their home and made me feel at home at a very difficult time.”

“He was a peace advocate, and he retained his convictions. He never compromised,” Carlson said. “When the government was considering putting [the proposed Navy submarine communications network] Seafarer into the U.P.--it would have covered large portions of four or five counties--we worked very hard against that. And we felt we played some role in the fact that it didn’t come about.”

While at Michigan Tech, Brown received grants totalling $500,000 from several organizations, including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and the Committee for International Exchange of Scholars.

“He remained active right up until he died,” Carlson said. “He was always doing wonderful things; he was always involved.”

Brown earned two BS degrees, in chemical engineering and botany, plus MS and PhD degrees in Botany from the University of Wisconsin. He was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and served as the Sigma Xi regional lecturer in 1975. Brown had served as president of the Michigan Tech Credit Union, the Faculty Association, the MTU Sigma Xi Club and the local chapter of AAUP, and was a member of the Faculty Senate.

He is survived by his wife, Vi; three daughters, Linda (David Dupont) Brown of Bowling Green, Ohio, Cynthia Brown of Boston, Mass., and Lisa Valdez of Duluth, Minn.; a son, Erik (Barbara) Brown of Duluth; seven grandchildren; a sister, Alberta (Gerald) Swanson of Hayward, Wis.; a brother, Don Larson of Chevy Chase, Md.; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, Aug. 31, at 11 a.m. at Portage Lake United Church.

Memorial gifts may be given to the Michigan Nature Association, the Keweenaw Land Trust or the charity of your choice. The Memorial Chapel in Hancock is in charge of arrangements.

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WHILE YOU WERE OUT . . .

The pace at MTU slows down over the summer, but things continue to happen. Here’s what you may have missed if you weren’t here; read more about it in the “Tech Topics” editions listed below.

June 7

Professor Mike Roggemann (Electrical and Computer Engineering) was named to receive the 2002 Research Award. The Distinguished Teaching Awards will be given to Assistant Professor David Flaspohler (SFWP) and Associate Professor William Sproule (Civil and Environmental Engineering).

June 14

Librarian David Bezotte, Office Assistant Kathlee Dorvinen (Central Ticket Office) and Public Safety Officer Douglas Jones are the 2002 Employee Excellence Award recipients. The School of Technology will not merge with the College of Engineering.

June 21

Associate Professor Blair Orr (SFWP) receives the Distinguished Service Award.

June 28

Professor David Karnosky (SFWP) took some very special elms to China. Michigan Tech’s FutureTruck team took the silver in national competition.

July 12

Professor Michael Mullins was named chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering. Associate Professor James Frendewey is the new associate dean of the SBE.

July 19

The U.S. Economic Development Agency awarded a $2.4 million grant to construct an Advanced Technology Development complex at MTU.

August 16

A fire at the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity house took the life of second-year student Andrew Maas, of downstate Holland.

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GET GREAT ART AT A GREAT PRICE

MUB Print Sale 2002 is taking place this week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Memorial Union 105. This is a great opportunity to pick up fabulous art prints for your room/office at bargain prices. The sale will run through Friday, Aug. 30.

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HUSKIES DRIVE TIME RETURNS FOR SECOND SEASON

Huskies Drive Time, a fast-paced, weekly 30-minute radio show covering the ins and outs of Michigan Tech athletics, returns for its second season on Mix 93 (93.5 FM).

"We were really quite happy with the way things went the first year of the show and we look forward to another great season of Huskies Drive Time," said Athletic Director Rick Yeo.

Guests on the first show of the 2002-03 season will include Yeo, football coach Bernie Anderson and women's volleyball coach Krista Mikesch.

The show, hosted by Mix 93's Dirk Hembroff, will air each Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. through March 2003.

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MTU BLUELINERS PRESENT MOONBALL

The MTU Blueliners’ Moonball Three-Person Golf Scramble will take place on Saturday, Sept. 14. The cost for the nine-hole event is $45 per team (three person). The top teams in each flight will win prizes! No drivers are allowed, and participants are asked to bring a flashlight. Nite-lite balls will be supplied, and snacks and refreshments will be provided.

You can register at the Portage Lake Golf Course or call Suzanne at 487-2990.

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FACULTY AND STAFF AWARDED FUNDING

Miguel Levy (Physics) has received $33,000 from UES, Inc. for his project "Development of ION Beam Techniques for Layer Splitting of Oxide Materials."

Lloyd A. Heldt (Materials Science and Engineering) has received $299,633 from Daimler Chrysler for his project “Fastner Material Susceptibility to Stress Corrosion Cracking.”

Jaroslaw Drelich (Materials Science and Engineering) has received $80,000 from the American Chemical Society-Petroleum Research Fund for his project “Determination of the Surface Free Energy of Solids from Pull-Off Force Measurements Fusing Atomic Force Microscopy.”

Terry McNinch (C&EE) has received $77,263 from MDOT-Traffic & Safety for his project “MCLS Testing and Development 2003” and $20,000 from MDOT-Design Division for his project “Maintenance for Electronic 802P System.”

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INVENTORS AND ENTREPRENEURS CLUB TO MEET

Faculty, staff and students interested in someday starting a business or developing an invention are invited to an organizational meeting of the MTU Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 5 p.m. in Fisher 101.

For information, contact Paul A. Nelson (SBE) at 487-2809.

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TEACHING AT TECH: LEARNER CENTERED TEACHING

by William Kennedy, Director, Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development

Professor Maryellen Weimer, long one of the most highly regarded authorities on effective college teaching, has released a new volume, “Learner Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice.”* The premise of this book is that educators should learn more about how human beings actually learn rather than cycling through an endless stream of new teaching techniques that sound like good ideas.

Coming to terms with what we understand about human learning is a daunting problem for a variety of reasons. First, the literature is vast and varied, traversing many disciplinary lines. Educators, psychologists, engineers, mathematicians, philosophers, social critics and many others have weighed in since the modern study of human learning commenced with John Dewey. Second, these disparate strands of research remain largely unreconciled. Finally, Weimer notes, the practical implications of what is known about human learning remain largely unexplored.

Based on her own extensive review of the learning literature, Weimer concludes that we should carefully reconsider five traditional classroom practices that may actually impede student learning. First, she argues that teachers should carefully reconsider the rigidity and narrowness that defines much of classroom teaching. If our goal as educators is to encourage our students to explore, innovate, engage in lifelong learning and make critical decisions in a rapidly changing, complex environment, why then do we relegate them to the role of powerless, passive observers in a one-size-fits-all classroom? If our students need to learn to work cooperatively, why do we routinely employ evaluative procedures that discourage cooperation? If we acknowledge that different students learn differently, why, then, do we offer only one avenue for achieving a passing grade in a course?

Second, Weimer says we should reevaluate the degree of emphasis that our evaluative systems and traditional teaching techniques place on the simple recall of course content rather than on encouraging our students to develop deeper, richer understandings of the ideas being presented. We know that being a geologist or an engineer goes well beyond knowing geological or engineering facts, just as being an accomplished pianist involves more than knowing the notes and the fundamentals of music theory. Instead, Weimer says, we should design educational experiences that encourage students to wrestle with the kinds of problems that gave rise to the disciplinary knowledge that we routinely impart, allowing students to proffer hypotheses, experience the joy of discovery, deal with the frustrations and weigh the consequences of their own work.

Third, Weimer says that we should reconsider the impact of how we wield power in the classroom environment. If our goal is to encourage students to think and take ownership of the ideas associated with the course, then perhaps the teacher should move from sage-on-the-stage to guide-on-the-side from time to time.

Fourth, Professor Weimer asks whether our traditional pedagogical practices encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning throughout their lives, or if they create a sense of dependency that stifles future development. I have long believed that one of the reasons young people are so much better at learning to use computers and their associated programs is that they don’t read manuals and are not afraid to wade in and try things. Could this be because most of them learned computers on their own and not through some codified training regimen?

Finally, Weimer asks us to seriously rethink our testing and grading procedures as these are the course elements that have the most profound effect on focusing our students’ attention and efforts. She concludes, “Evaluation is not just something used to generate grades; it is the most effective tool a teacher has to promote learning.”

* Jossey Bass, 2002.

TRADITIONAL COUNTRY AT THE ROZSA

submitted by University Culture and Enrichment

His husky voice is warm and engaging, and he has a gift for elegant melodies. His songs include a nice balance of good-humored barnburners, topical ballads, love songs, shuffles and even a spiritual or two. Brad Paisley, dubbed “the darling of the Grand Ol’ Opry,” brings his special charm and unique brand of traditional country to the Rozsa stage on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m. Tickets are available from the Rozsa Center Box Office (487-3200), 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Paisley is a picker, a writer, a singer and a real master of all three skills. Reviewers compare his work to the best of Alan Jackson and George Strait. He became the most-awarded new country artist in the year 2000, and he’s been going strong ever since with several of his singles topping the Billboard charts. A partial list of Paisley’s numerous awards includes the Grammy Award for Best New Artist (2001), “Male Artist of the Year (2000)” by TNN and CMT, and “Collaborative Event of the Year (2000)” for “Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife,” which he wrote with Chely Wright.

Paisley has made over 80 appearances since his Opry debut in 1999, and his induction as a member of the Grand Ol’ Opry last year was the fulfillment of one of his wildest dreams. That night he borrowed something to wear from his idol Buck Owens, the same Nudie jacket Owens wore on the cover of Paisley’s favorite album, “Live at Carnegie Hall.”

Paisley’s critically acclaimed debut album, “Who Needs Pictures,” was certified platinum (sales in excess of 1 million) and included two subsequent hits, “He Didn’t Have To Be” and “We Danced.” Paisley went on to author 10 of the 13 songs on his next album, “Part II.” His songs tell stories, and he describes them as “very cinemagraphic . . . very visual . . . with still photographs and snapshots of life.”

Paisley was born and raised in a small town in West Virginia and started playing guitar when his grandfather gave him one on his eighth birthday. He wrote his first song at 12 years old and performed it in church. He soon became a popular local singer, often opening radio shows for some of the big name artists such as Roy Clark, George Jones, Steve Wariner and others. It wasn’t long before he went on to bigger and better gigs, moving slowly but surely to Music City. The rest, as they say, is history. A comment from a letter George Jones sent to Paisley, which was read at his Grand Ol' Opry induction, says it all: “I am counting on you to carry on the tradition and make folks sit up and listen to what good country music should sound like.”

The visit of Brad Paisley is sponsored by the James and Margaret Black Endowment, the MTU Committee for Campus Enrichment, and the MTU Student Entertainment Board (SEB). SEB is funded by the MTU Student Activity Fee. For more information about the performance, please call the Great Events Series Office at 487-2844.

ME-EM PRESENTS GRADUATE SEMINAR ON BODY ARMOR

James Q. Zheng of the U. S. Army Soldier Systems Center in Natrick, Mass., will be presenting a seminar entitled "Personal Body Armor Systems--Materials, Performance, Testing and Evaluation" on Thursday, Sept. 5, 3-4 p.m. in ME-EM 112.

For more information, contact Ghatu Subhash, 487-3161.

NEW STAFF

Edwin W. Tulppo Jr. has joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as an assistant research engineer. He was previously employed with MDOT for 32 years as an engineering technician in the bituminous lab in Lansing.

Tulppo lives in Copper Harbor with his wife, Joanne, and their children Eric and Jamie.

Kellie Elston has joined Extended University Programs as distance learning material coordinator. She has worked in EUP since her graduation from MTU in December 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.

Elston enjoys volleyball, downhill skiing and working out at the gym. She lives in Hancock.

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MTU NOTABLES

Danielle Visser, a materials science and engineering major, has been awarded a TMS Light Metals Division (LMD) scholarship for the 2002-03 academic year. The award consists of a $4,000 scholarship, $400 of LMD-sponsored books for her personal use, and $300 of LMD-sponsored books for the Van Pelt Library. It also includes a travel allowance to attend the upcoming 132nd TMS Annual Meeting in San Diego, where she will be honored at an awards luncheon.

Associate Professor Ulrich H. E. Hansman (Physics) has coauthored three papers: “Helix Formation and Folding in an Artifical Peptide,”  with N. A. Alves (FFCLRP, USP, Brasil) in the Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 117; “Solvation Model Dependency of Helix-Coil Transition in Polyalanine,” with graduate student Yong Peng (Physics) in the Biophysical Journal, vol. 82; and ”Energy Landscape Paving for X-Ray Structure Prediction of Macromolecules” with H. P. Hsu and S. C. Lin (Academia Sinica) in Acta Crystallographia A, vol. 58.

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ON THE ROAD

Archives Staff Assistant Cathy Greer (Library) presented a program on genealogical records at the MTU Archives as part of the Rapakon Takaa Finnish Genealogy Seminar at Finlandia University on Aug. 17.

Associate Professor Ulrich H. E. Hansmann (Physics) received a travel grant from the Brasilian agency FAPESP and visited the Department of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brasil, July 27-Aug.18.

During this time, he also presented seminars in Ribeirao Preto and San Carlos at various institutes of the University of Sao Paulo.

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MICHIGAN TECH POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Job descriptions will be available at 1 p.m. on Friday, or by e-mail at <JOBS@MTU.EDU>.

The following positions will be posted Friday, August 30 2002, at 1 p.m. through noon, Friday, September 6, 2002, in the Human Resources Office.

Web Application Developer--J. R. Van Pelt Library

Coordinator of Library Instruction Services--J. R. Van Pelt Library

University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, September 6, 2002, to be considered as internal candidates for bargaining unit positions only. Applicants from the recall pool will be given first consideration for non-bargaining-unit positions only. Vacancy announcements are normally posted every Friday at 1 p.m. in the Human Resources Office. Complete job descriptions are available in the Human Resources Office or by calling 487-2280. More information regarding employment opportunities is available by calling the Job Line at 487-2895. Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer.

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