Sue McDaniel, Tech Topics editorial assistant, 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.

Subscribe to e-TechTopics: majordomo@mtu.edu
message: [UN]SUBSCRIBE TECH-TOPICS-L

BOARD OK'S 14 WEEKS, ASKS FOR LONGER THANKSGIVING BREAK

The Board of Control has approved in principle an academic calendar featuring 14-week semesters. But it has asked for a week-long Thanksgiving break.

Associate Professor Robert Keen, president of the University Senate, said the faculty had voted overwhelmingly for the proposed calendar.

He presented the calendar as a shared-governance issue. For example, since Curt Tompkins was named president of MTU, Board of Control meetings have moved out of a small conference room and into the public eye, Keen said. The Budget Reduction Advisory Committee is not developing its recommendations unilaterally, but is considering input from the University community.

"This isn't a fuss between students and faculty," Keen said. "And this isn't a case of faculty getting 14 weeks because they haven't had a pay raise. The hours of work from faculty should remain the same."

This issue is whether the Board was sincere when it assigned responsibility for developing the academic calendar to the faculty, he said.

Matt Sayler, president of the Undergraduate Student Government, said that the 14-week semester was less critical to students than the three-day Thanksgiving break. Because many students travel to their homes downstate, having a full week to travel and visit friends and family is important.

"I very much support 14 weeks," Tompkins said. "I also think it's reasonable to accommodate a Thanksgiving vacation."

Board Member Kathryn Clark said the senate should be able to find two extra days somewhere in the calendar to allow a full week break at Thanksgiving. "These issues need to be ironed out," she said.

Provost Kent Wray said that the administration's primary concern was that the end of the semester not be closer to Christmas. This could pose problems for students, who need information on financial aid and their academic progress to complete their enrollment in spring-semester classes. "We've had staff processing grades on Christmas Eve," he said.

Sayler and Board members questioned the need for a 26-day break between semesters. Keen said that the longer break was requested by the faculty. "It's mainly to let faculty churn out research proposals without students around," he said.

Board Member Rodger Kershner questioned whether the Board should be attempting to amend the faculty-approved calendar at this point, suggesting that the Board was "substituting our judgment for theirs."

Keen said that developing the calendar is a complicated process, but that the senate could present an alternative with a week-long Thanksgiving break.

The Board is expected to consider an amended calendar June 25.

In other business, the Board

* approved the purchase of three lots near the Houghton County Memorial Airport for a total of $31,000. Two of the three lots were leased and located within the Keweenaw Research Center's vehicle test course, and the third is near KRC buildings, allowing room for expansion.

* agreed to increase the application fee for prospective students from $30 to $40. The fee for international students was raised from $35 to $45.

* amended the Academic Excellence Award, which benefits nonresident students. The Board removed the 10-semester limit on the award and voted to allow high school students with a 3.0 GPA or higher who do not meet the other requirements of the award to receive a partial award of $4,000 per year.

__________

GM GIVES $175K TO SUPPORT MTU PROGRAMS

The General Motors Foundation has donated $175,000 this year to support a variety of programs at Michigan Tech.

The gift underwrites 10 programs in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics and Electrical and Computer Engineering, the College of Engineering and Educational Opportunity.

This is the second year of GM's managed partnership with Michigan Tech, which is designed to maximize the company's objective of supporting a high-quality, diverse workforce of the future. The program's goals include curriculum improvement, upgrading quality and enhancing the diversity of educational programs.

"With its generous donation, the General Motors Foundation is targeting programs that not only benefit the University, but also prepare our students for careers in the automotive industry," President Curt Tompkins said. "This partnership truly contributes to the success of all the participants."

Bob Freimuth, the GM-Michigan Tech university relations team coordinator, agreed.

"These funds represent a commitment to continue the longstanding partnership between Michigan Tech and General Motors," he said. "We are confident that the projects supported through this grant will strenghten MTU's academic programs as well as foster a technically strong and diverse student body."

__________

BOARD APPROVES TENURE, PROMOTION RECOMMENDATIONS

The Board of Control approved May 9 the tenure and promotion recommendations submitted by the administration.

Faculty promoted from assistant professor without tenure to associate professor with tenure were Amy Hietapelto, Dean Johnson (SBE), William Cooke (Biomedical Engineering), Kris Mattila (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Jaroslaw Drelich (Materials Science and Engineering), Paul Charlesworth, Rudy Luck (Chemistry), Jean Mayo, Adrian Sandu (Computer Science), Raymond Shaw (Physics) and Todd King (Technology).

Untenured associate professors receiving tenure were William Endres and John Gershenson (MEEM).

Faculty promoted from associate professor without tenure to professor with tenure were Kathleen Feigl and Franz Tanner (Mathematical Sciences).

Tenured associate professors promoted to professor were David Hand, Richard Honrath (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Timothy Schulz (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Susan Bagley (Biological Sciences), Jianping Dong (Mathematical Sciences), Robert Nemiroff (Physics) and Barry Solomon (Social Sciences).

__________

MICHIGAN TECH PROFESSOR TO RECEIVE ASME STUDENT SECTION ADVISOR AWARD

By Jana Jones, student writer

Professor Ghatu Subhash (MEEM) has been selected to receive the 2003 Student Section Advisor Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

The award, established in 1990, is given to a member of ASME who has contributed, through leadership and service, to the program and operations of a student section of ASME. The award consists of a $1,000 honorarium, a silver medal, a certificate and a travel supplement. The award will be presented at the 2003 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, to be held Nov. 16-21 in Washington, D.C.

The award letter cites Subhash "for initiating numerous activities at Michigan Technological University to promote ASME, enhance the art and science of mechanical engineering, and strengthen the camaraderie and professionalism between students and faculty."

Subhash has been teaching at Michigan Tech for 10 years. He has served as the advisor for the student chapter of ASME for over four years. ASME is one of the largest professional organizations in the country. In Subhash's time as advisor, Michigan Tech student membership has grown from about 50 members to almost 200.

Michigan Tech has participated in several of the student design competitions run by ASME, including their flagship competition, the Human Powered Vehicle. Under Subhash's guidance, the Michigan Tech team placed sixth nationally in the 2001 Sip and Puff competition, a competition to design a fishing pole for a quadriplegic, and has placed in the top three multiple times in the HPV competition.

"The students are very enthusiastic," Subhash said. "Without them I couldn't have done any of this. "He also credits the ASME officers, especially the past presidents, for the success of the society.

Subhash admires Tech students for their hands-on ability and capacity to build anything. "The students here . . . can build anything we need or want . . . [Michigan Tech] students in that sense are great."

Subhash has already planned what to do with his award when he receives it in November. "I am not keeping even a penny of the prize money," he said. "I am giving away all the prize money to the ASME student chapter [at Tech]."

__________

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING DEGREE ON TAP AT MICHIGAN TECH

The Board of Control has given the go-ahead for a new bachelor's degree in software engineering. University officials hope students will be able to enroll in the program as early as this fall.

Software engineers are involved in the entire software development process, from conceiving a product to taking it to market. Michigan Tech students will be able to concentrate in various fields, ranging from computer games to medical devices to the automotive industry.

While the U.S. Department of Labor projects that software engineering will be the fastest-growing profession during 2000-10, bachelor's degree programs in the subject are a rarity. If approved by the State Board of Academic Officers, which includes representatives from Michigan's 15 public universities, MTU's program could begin in fall 2003.

__________

BOARD OF CONTROL SETS ROOM-AND-BOARD RATES

Michigan Tech's room-and-board rates will rise from 5 percent to 6.1 percent next fall, reflecting the cost of safety improvements to the University's residence halls.

The Board of Control approved the new rates Friday, May 9. About half of the revenue from the increases will be used to fund a $3.1-million safety-improvement project, in which sprinklers, smoke detectors and new alarm systems will be installed in two university residence halls. The remainder of the new revenue supports increases in expenses ranging from the cost of food to an anticipated increase in heating bills.

Under the new 2003-04 rates, students on the 19-meal-per-week plan will pay $5,775 for a triple-occupancy room, an increase of $330, or 6.1 percent. At the high end of the scale, students in single-occupancy, suite-type rooms will pay $7,623, an increase of $363, or 5 percent.

Students choosing plans with fewer than 19 meals a week will see annual savings ranging from $99, with the 14-meals-a-week plan, to $1,221, with the five-meals-per-week plan.

The Board also approved rent increases of up to 3.5 percent for MTU Apartments. For students, monthly rentals will range from $386 for a one-bedroom apartment to $556 for a three-bedroom unit. Utilities are included.

The Board also awarded a $2.4 million construction contract to Gundlach Construction, of Houghton, to build the Advanced Technology Development Complex. The building is funded through a $2.5 million grant from the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, with the Ford Motor Company Fund providing a $1.1-million match.

The complex, to be located on Sharon Avenue, will initially house the University's Corporate Services office and staff from the Keweenaw Research Center. In addition, space will be available for rent, particularly for technology development projects associated with Michigan Tech.

In addition, the Board reelected David Brule as chair and Rodger Kershner as vice chair for the upcoming year.

__________

GROUNDBREAKING MOVES INDOORS

Groundbreaking for the new Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology was driven indoors by rain May 9, but the ceremony went on, a testimony to the tenacity that has characterized the building's planners since the beginning.

President Curt Tompkins reviewed the center's history. "We got the project through the legislature twice and had it vetoed twice by the governor," he said. The third time was the charm, when the University split the construction into two phases and finally received its first nod. The state has appropriated $25 million for the structure, with two alumni each providing $5 million to fund the $35 million project.

Phase 1 includes a new wing of the J. R. Van Pelt Library, named the John and Ruanne Opie Library; and new space for the Department of Computer Science, the Kanwal and Ann Rekhi Computer Science Hall.

John Opie '61, the retired vice chairman of the board and executive officer of General Electric Company, told the crowd in Fisher 138 how his mother graduated from Painesdale High and his father from Hancock High. And, though he was raised in Detroit, every summer he came "up home."

"When I come up now, I remember the old Tech," he said, with its sandstone buildings and Highway 41 running through campus. "Even though I remember the old Tech, we should all be proud of the Tech we have now."

He praised the center's planners. "They've done an incredible job of integrating learning and technology," Opie said. "It will be a pretty nice-looking facility, and it will serve the whole campus."

Kanwal Rekhi '69, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, told how his family had left Pakistan when he was two years old, during Pakistan's separation from India. In a sense, the upheaval was good practice. "I've always considered myself a refugee," Rekhi said. Early in his career, he was faced with negotiating a quick series of jobs, moves and layoffs, which taught him a valuable lesson.

Employers are not in business to take care of you, he realized. "So I made sure I wouldn't be laid off again."

He struck off on his own, and in 1982, Rekhi founded Excelan, a pioneering computer networking company and one of the first to commercially develop the TCP/IP protocol. "I've never looked back," he said.

"I'm proud to be where I am," Rekhi concluded. "And I'm very happy to be able to give back to society."

David Brule, chair of the Board of Control, expressed the University community's gratitude toward the Opie and Rekhi families. "Thanks so much for your generosity to Michigan Tech," he said.

__________

LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COMPETE IN MICHIGAN TECH BIO-ATHLON

Fifty-six high school biology students from throughout the Upper Peninsula competed in the 14th annual Department of Biological Sciences Bio-Athlon, May 14. The Bio-Athlon aims to encourage interest and promote the skills of students in biology.

Participating high schools included A. D. Johnston, Baraga, Bark River-Harris, Calumet, Chassell Township, Dollar Bay, Forest Park, Gladstone Area, Hancock, Houghton, Jeffers, Lake Linden-Hubbell, L'Anse and Westwood.

Each four-student team tackled four problems involving dissection, field identification, population ecology and microbiology/mycology.

Each member of the first-place team receives a $200 U.S. Savings Bond. The second-place team receives a $100 U.S. Savings Bond; and the third-place team receives a $50 U.S. Savings Bond. Each student participating in the competition also receives a Bio-Athlon T-shirt.

During the Bio-Athlon, workshops for the students' biology teachers were also held.

Funding for Bio-Athlon is provided by the Admissions Office, the Department of Biological Sciences, the Michigan Tech Fund and MTU alumni Mark Cowan, M.D., Olive Kimball, D.Ed., Ph.D. and Robert DellAngelo, M.D.

MTU faculty and staff organizing and participating in the Bio-Athlon include Lab Supervisors Jeff Lewin and Mike LaBeau, Department Chair John Adler, Professors Janice Glime and Tom Snyder, Associate Professor Ron Gratz (Biological Sciences) and Joan Schumaker-Chadde, coordinator of the Western U.P. Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education. Kevin Kruger of Westwood High School also lead a workshop.

__________

NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Four Michigan Tech graduate students have been selected to receive either a National Science Foundation or Department of Defense Graduate Fellowship award.

Recipients of the National Science Foundation Fellowship are Jennifer McConville (Environmental Engineering), Jacob Fugal (Physics) and Angela Arpke (Civil Engineering). Michael Larsen (Physics) received a Department of Defense Graduate Fellowship.

__________

MEMORIAL UNION ANNOUNCES SUMMER OPERATING HOURS

The Memorial Union has announced its summer operating hours, May 19-August 9.

The building will be open Sunday, 3-11 p.m. and Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; closed on Saturday except for special events.

 The Manager's Office will be open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Food Mall will be open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (hours for individual food shops will vary); closed Saturday and Sunday.

The C-Store will be open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday.

The Campus Store will be open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

The Tech Express/Box Office will be open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Bowling Alley and Pool Room will be closed for the summer.

"IL POSTINO" IS NEXT CLUB INDIGO FEATURE

by Joe Kirkish

A heartwarming, bitter-sweet Italian movie and a home-style Italian buffet complete MBY music fraternity's monthly Club Indigo event at the Calumet Theatre, Friday, May 23.

In 1995, British director Michael Radford created Il Postino (The Postman), the award-winning film, based on an actual incident. Its simple, affectionate story took over the hearts of movie goers the world over as it captured one international award after another, including an Oscar for Best Foreign Film the following year.

A shy villager becomes the personal postman of poet Pablo Neruda, who has left his beloved Chile for political reasons in 1992, and has been granted asylum by the Italian government. The poet finds himself an isolated villa high up on a mountain above a tiny fishing village on the island of Negra. There he befriends the tongue-tied, lonely Mario, who has fallen in love with a barmaid and seeks help from the poet in wooing the dark-eyed beauty.

What happens after that becomes a complex mix of warm friendship, love, political intrigue and even tragedy in a film that has been labeled "too good to be true" and "a heartwarming, sentimental movie that could only be made in Italy" by its fond critics.

The movie will be shown at 7:15 p.m., while the buffet preceding it will be at 6 p.m. Chef Bill Caputi from the Hancock Keweenaw Co-op will repeat the six-course, all home-style Italian buffet, made from family recipes, as he did last year for "Cinema Paradiso." The movie is sponsored by Italian movie lover Jody of Copper Harbor's North Station gift shop.

Cost for both buffet and movie is $13. Movie alone is $3.50. Reservations for the buffet may be made by calling in advance to the theater at 337-2610.

FACULTY AND STAFF RECEIVE FUNDING

Associate Professor Michele Miller (MEEM) has received $15,000 from Boston University for her project, "Investigation of Electrostatic Micromirror Dynamics."

Professor Vladimir D. Tonchev (Mathematical Sciences) has received $167,607 from the National Science Foundation for a three-year project, "U.S.-Russia Collaborative Research: Codes for Multiple-Access Channels, Genetic Testing, Deletion-Insertion Correction, and Synchronization."

__________

ON THE ROAD

Presidential Professor John C. Crittenden (Civil and Environmental Engineering) chaired the May 5 meeting of the External Advisory Board for the NSF Science and Technology Center on Advanced Materials for Water Purification, held at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Crittenden also presented a lecture, "The Photo-Catalytic Oxidation Process: Development and Commercial Applications," and discussed Michigan Tech's current work on the preparation of titanium dioxide nanotubes and its potential applications.

__________

PROPOSALS IN PROGRESS

Researchers, their proposals and their potential sponsors are

*Corina Sandu (MEEM), "Mobility and Vehicle Design Workstation," ThermoAnalytics, Inc.

*Nilufer Onder (Computer Science), "Integrating Planning and Diagnosis Using Explicit Device Models," NSF

*H. P. Dharmasena (Electrical and Computer Engineering), "Sensors: Development of an Autonomous, Micro-Fabricated Gas Chromatograph Sensor Network," Louisiana State University

*William J. Sproule (Civil and Environmental Engineering), "Market Demand/Financial Feasibility for an Alternative Transportation System-Keweenaw National Historical Park," National Park Service

*Casey Huckins (Biological Sciences), Ed Baker (Michigan DNR), "Distribution, Composition and Influence of Stocking on Recruitment of Brook Trout in Coastal Tributaries of Lake Superior," Great Lakes Fishery Commission

*Patrick E. Martin, Susan R. Martin, Timothy J. Scarlett (Social Sciences), "Archaeological Survey, Coal Creek Drainage, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve," National Park Service

*Jaroslaw Drelich, Calvin White (Materials Science and Engineering), Edward Nadgorny (Physics), "Laser-Based Technology for Nanoparticles Patterning of Environmental Sensor Arrays," NSF

*Zhi Tian (Electrical Engineering), "Sensors: Distributed Robotics for Situation Awareness," University of Minnesota

*Seungjin Park (Computer Science), "Sensors: Managing Sensors Using Parallel Algorithms and Architectures," NSF

*Lyon B. King, Craig Friedrich (MEEM), "Sensors: Micrometer-Scale Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer," NSF

*Sudhakar M. Pandit, Steven G. Mattson (MEEM), "Sensors: Data-Based Diagnostic Health Monitoring Systems," NSF

*Jindong Tan (Electrical and Computer Engineering), "Sensors: A Hybrid Perceptive Frame Approach for the Integration of Sensing, Communication and Cooperation of Distributed Mobile Sensor Networks," NSF

*Gordon Parker, Lyon King (MEEM), "The Use of Spacecraft Coulomb Forces and Moments for Formation Flying and Attitude Control," NASA-Goddard

*Eric Blough (Biological Sciences), "Sarcopenia, Signal Transduction and Muscle Plasticity," NIH

*Ashok K. Goel (Electrical Engineering), "Inductance Modeling in ICs with Multipath Interconnects," NSF

*William J. Endres (MEEM), "Modeling Fixed Interface/Joint Dynamics Under Generically Time-Varying Multi-Dimensional Loading," NSF

*Robert Nemiroff (Physics), "Supporting Astronomy Picture of the Day 2003," NASA

*Chung-Jui Tsai, Scott Harding (SFRES), "Modeling Phenylpropanoid Metabolism and Dynamics in Cultured Populus Cells via High Throughput Transformation and Chemical Profiling," NSF

*Casey Huckins (Biological Sciences), Edward Baker (Michigan DNR), "Abundance, Distribution and Composition of Brook Trout in Coastal Tributaries of Lake Superior," Great Lakes Fishery Commission

*Ann L. Maclean, Andrew J. Storer, Linda M. Nagel, Christopher R. Webster (SFRES), "Restoration of Spotted Knapweed Invaded Ecosystems," US EPA

*Will Cantrell (Physics), "Laboratory Studies of Mechanisms Underlying Heterogeneous Nucleation of Ice," NSF

*Jian Liu, Haiying Liu (Chemistry), Stephen A. Hackney (Materials Science and Engineering), "Novel Hybrid Fluorescent Nanosensors for Chemical and Biological Sensing," REF-RS

*William I. Rose (GMES), "Numerical Modeling of Processes in the Magma Conduit at Santiaguito Volcano, Guatemala," US Civilian Research and Development Foundation

*William M Bulleit, John W. van de Lindt, David W. Watkins (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Mary H. Durfee (Social Sciences), "The Broken Link: Modeling Social Implications of Disrupted Infrastructure Systems," NSF

*R. Christopher Williams (Civil and Environmental Engineering), "Testing Wisconsin Asphalt Mixtures for the AASHTO 2002 Mechanistic Design Procedure," Wisconsin DOT

__________

CALENDAR: MAY

22        Thursday

            Noon-1 p.m.--Weight Watchers meeting--Memorial Union Red Metal Room 105B

23        Friday

            6/7:15 p.m.--Club Indigo, Dinner/Movie, "Il Postino"--Calumet Theatre

__________

MICHIGAN TECH POSITION 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, May 16, 2003, at 1 p.m. through noon, Friday, May 23, 2003, in the Human Resources Office or at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/

Assistant Hockey Coach--Athletic Department

University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, May 23, 2003, 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.

News  |  Entertainment and Enrichment  |   Seminars and Workshops  |  Regular Features  |  Calendar  |  Top

Tech Topics Home

[Top]

[Top]

[Top]