Megan Gilge, 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.

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SENATE TO CONSIDER CHILD CARE CENTER

The University Senate has been asked to support a university child-care center.

Professor Sue Beske-Diehl (GES), chair of the Child Care Board, told the senate Oct. 22 that the benefits of having on-site day care for MTU employees and students would outweigh the costs.

More and more applicants for faculty positions are asking about the availability of child care, she said. In addition, having child care reduces turnover, which can be costly. Replacing a faculty member can cost up to twice their annual salary, considering the entire price tag, which can include travel, advertising and start-up costs.

Also, child care is important in recruiting and retaining grad students, Beske-Diehl said. Most top universities have child-care subsidies or discounts for graduate students.

A child-care center can also benefit the institution through reduced absenteeism, since parents won't have to stay home with a mildly sick child, and by improved morale.

She noted that no full-service child-care centers, which take all children under the age of five, exist within two miles of campus, and that the BHK Headstart program is now only serving low-income families.

As conceived, the 10,000-square-foot Child Development Center would house 50 to 75 children and be built on land that is currently vacant between Daniell Heights and the SDC. Construction of the $2.5-million building would be funded by private donations. Center programs would be supported by an additional $2.5-million endowment and fees paid by parents.

"The presence of a high-quality child development center will change the culture of Michigan Tech, making it even more attractive to faculty, staff and students," Beske-Diehl said. "It will bring us close to the goal of becoming a national university of choice."

The matter was referred to the senate Fringe Benefits Committee, which is expected to develop a resolution in favor of the center.

Senate secretary Craig Waddell presented a series of proposals relating to enrollment. He supported the idea that students in nonengineering disciplines pay lower tuition, a practice that is essentially in place now, as engineering and computer science majors pay an annual surcharge.

Noting that Michigan Tech has the fewest majors of any public university in the state, he said the administration should encourage faculty to develop new majors, which in turn would attract new students.

"Don't add programs just to add programs," said Senator Jim Turnquist, director of the Career Center. Having more majors is important for retention, particularly among students who come to study engineering at the behest of their parents or who realize later that engineering is not for them. But it's important that majors prepare students for jobs; he noted that employers now rely less on computer science graduates and more on less-skilled technicians who complete certification courses, largely because the latter are cheaper to hire.

Waddell said the university "should further enhance and better promote the campus and the surrounding community," noting that students need additional incentives to travel the long distance from their homes to Michigan Tech. Senator Terry Monson (SBE) said many students have told him they chose MTU because of the outdoor opportunities, including hunting, fishing and skiing.

The university has a long-established marketing campaign that highlights the area's scenic and recreational attributes.

Waddell also said MTU should support marketing and student recruitment advertising, which underwent budget cuts last spring.

In other business, the senate

* approved the proposed 2004-05 academic calendar. You can see it at http://www.sas.it.mtu.edu/usenate/propose/04/1-04.htm

* went on record opposing a proposal regarding the University Catalog. Currently, course descriptions list the semester in which the course is usually offered; the proposal would eliminate references to terms. Senators said that cutting that information would make it more difficult for students to plan their course schedules.

* tabled action on the proposed minor in municipal engineering, which would be offered primarily through distance learning. The matter is expected to be acted upon at the next meeting.

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NEW CHAIR OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING HOPES TO ESTABLISH TIES WITH LOCAL MEDICAL FACILITIES

by Megan Gilge, Tech Topics editorial assistant

The Department of Biomedical Engineering has a new chair.

Michael Neuman has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and is also an MD. But, he said, "Don't come to me for medical care unless you need help delivering a baby. It's been a long time since I did any clinical work."

He comes to MTU from the Memphis Joint Program in Biomedical Engineering, a collaboration between the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis, where he was Herff Professor of Biomedical Engineering. While there, he emphasized the value of clinical experience for biomedical engineers, and, when teaching medical students, stressed "underlying principles and how to interpret results, not just read them." He said it's easy to look at a machine and "not look at the baby and see that it's blue."

Neuman received his PhD from Case Institute of Technology in 1966 and afterwards taught electronics in Case's electrical engineering department. He developed a strong interest in medical electronics, which was a new field. He was particularly intrigued by fetal monitoring, but he knew nothing about obstetrics.

"My colleagues teased me," he said, "and asked me why I didn't go to medical school. So I did." He even was able to "take" a course he taught, an elective course on medical instrumentation available to students in the medical school.

Neuman enjoys using his engineering skills to solve practical problems. As a medical student, he was sometimes required to stay up all night to monitor air tubes in a neonatal ward. He had to make sure that water condensing from humidified air didn't block the tubes or drip on the babies' faces. He replaced an existing tube with a new one into which he inserted a hypodermic needle attached to a bottle. As he had hoped, the water dripped through the needle into a bottle beneath it rather than blocking the tube, and he was able to sleep.

He completed his MD in 1974 and began teaching in the medical school, in the Departments of Reproductive Biology and Biomedical Engineering.

Neuman actually taught his first class at Tech last spring. He was asked if he could move to Houghton immediately when he accepted the position last December, but he couldn't move his farm animals in January. So he taught the course, Biomedical Instrumentation, from Tennessee. His video lecture schedule was once delayed when Memphis was shut down due to a half inch of snow.

He hopes to make biomedical engineering one of Michigan Tech's strengths. Since Tech doesn't have clinical facilities, he plans to build relationships with local medical facilities. He also hopes to work with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as well as other departments on projects such as the microfabrication of structures to be used in biomedical sensors.

Neuman edited the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering from 1989 to 1996 and is currently editor of the British journal "Physiological Measurement."

He and his wife, Judy, live on a farm in Portage Township with his three dogs, four horses, two goats and four cats.

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TECH FUND, OTHERS MOVE TO HANCOCK

The Michigan Tech Fund, the Special Events office and the International Advancement office will all move to the Republic Bank Building in Hancock. The move will take place Oct. 30-31.

The Michigan Tech Fund, currently in the UPPCO building, will occupy the sixth, seventh and eighth floors in the Republic Bank building. The Tech Fund's main receptionist will be located on the seventh floor.

The Special Events office will be on the sixth floor (612) and International Advancement will be on the eighth floor (807).

The postal service mailing address for all of these entities will remain the same (1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton), and Mail Services will provide daily campus mail delivery. Phone numbers will also remain the same. The Tech Fund will add some numbers which will be printed in the 2003-04 campus directory.

All of these offices will be closed for business on Oct. 30-31, but many staff members will be available by phone. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please call 487-2310.

Other university offices located in the UPPCO building, including Internal Audit and Institutional Analysis, are not moving.

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FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP GRANT APPLICATIONS SOLICITED

Applications for the 2003-04 Faculty Scholarship Grant (FSG) are being solicited from all eligible faculty members.

The Contents of Application and FSG Application may be accessed on the web at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/research/vpr/internal/faculty.html .

Submit eight copies of your application to the vice president for research no later than Nov. 20. You can also e-mail them to jpolzien@mtu.edu .

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STUDENTS PREPARE HALLS FOR TRICK-OR-TREATING

You are invited to bring your children ages 0-15 to Michigan Tech's residence halls on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. for a safe trick-or-treating experience with age-specific halls. A Michigan Tech van will be available to shuttle trick-or-treaters between buildings. The Arnold Air Society will be having an Egyptian Pyramid in the DHH Center Lounge for children 0-7 years old.

Safehouse 2003 is sponsored by the Inter-Residence Hall Council.

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COPPER COUNTRY UNITED WAY THANKS MTU

Michigan Tech's Mail Services has helped the Copper Country United Way 2003-04 campaign by stuffing over 18,000 envelopes at no cost. "Once again we are indebted to the Mail Services crew for getting our mass mailing envelopes stuffed and ready to be adressed on time," said Frank Stipech, president of Copper Country United Way. "It went very smoothly. Thank you for all your help."

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CAMPUS CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY

submitted by Paula Nutini

Participation, participation, participation! You hear it over and over again in regards to the university's Campus Campaign. The resounding message has always been to get as many people as possible to participate (at the level of their choosing) in this annual effort. Two current Michigan Tech employees truly believe in this message of participation. So much so that both have made annual gifts to Tech for the past 33 years. They are Jim Mattson and Martha Sloan.

Mattson received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Tech in mechanical engineering. He worked for the US Forest Service after leaving Tech and retired in 2000. He joined the mechanical engineering department as an academic advisor in July 2000. He feels strongly about his Tech education and the help he received.

"When I started at Michigan Tech back in the '60s, I received a scholarship for $250 per year. This scholarship covered my tuition for the year and was a great help in my completing my degree. I subsequently received other scholarships and fellowships from the university, and I was always appreciative of the assistance I received from Michigan Tech. When I went to work and started to enjoy the benefits of my education, I felt (and continue to do so) it was only proper that I return to the university the interest on the investment they had made in me. Hopefully, in this way the process can be continued and future students can enjoys the same benefits I did."

Sloan, a professor in the electrical and computer engineering department and chair of the Campus Campaign, also believes strongly in supporting our university.

"I donate to Michigan Tech to increase my feeling of participating in the Michigan Tech community. I like feeling that I had a small part in the Rozsa Center and the Walker Theater and have a continuing part in the Huskies Club and the library. In these difficult times for both the state and the university, I find satisfaction in helping Michigan Tech."

Campus Campaign continues throughout the entire 2003-04 year. If you haven't made a gift yet, there is still time to participate. If you have any questions, contact Paula Nutini at the Michigan Tech Fund. She can be reached at 487-3324 or pjnutini@mtu.edu .

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TEACHING AT TECH: EDUCATING THE "TWITCH GENERATION"

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

Larry Spence, director of undergraduate learning initiatives at Penn State, suggests that students "raised in the visual and in the highly interactive environments of today's sophisticated computer games are used to this mode of learning and its joys. Expecting learning to be about doing, to relate to their interests, to be fun and to pay off immediately, they strongly resist traditional teaching. Instead, they treat typical classroom assignments like the throwaway instructions you get with a new computer."*

Referring to the present generation of students as the "Twitch Generation," author John Katz remarked, "Their world is much more vital, colorful and engaging than their educational one." Consequently, Katz says most traditional educational tasks we put before our students seem meaningless and desperately boring to many of them. They set out about getting their diplomas with as little effort and time as possible.**

James Gee, professor of cognitive science applied to education at the University of Wisconsin, argues that the current generation of video games have "built into their very designs . . . learning principles, principles supported, in fact, by cutting-edge research in cognitive science, the science that studies human thinking and learning. Many of these principles could be used in schools to get kids to learn things like science, but, too often today schools are returning to skill-and-drill and multiple-choice tests that kill deep learning."***

Gee's recent book, "Escape from the Planet Jar-Gon: Or What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy," identifies 36 learning principles employed by video game designers. For example, Gee observes that we know that people are not good at learning lots and lots of verbal information before they are given a context within which to utilize that information. Sophisticated video games, he says, provide necessary information "just-in-time," an instant before it must be applied, or "on-demand" when the player requests it in order to complete a task or overcome a challenge.

Second, Gee notes, contemporary game designers constantly keep the immediate challenge facing the players just outside their current comfort zone but firmly within the range they consider doable. This creates what Gee calls a sense of "pleasurable frustration" that encourages continued enthusiasm for participation.

Gee observes that game designers cleverly build a "cycle of expertise" into their games. Players confront each difficult but surmountable challenge by using some variation or combination of what they have already learned. Eventually, players overcome the new challenge, routinize their newly acquired ability through the repetition of similar challenges and then are presented with a fresh challenge requiring creative problem solving. This cycle repeats itself over and over as the player learns and progresses.

Good games, Gee says, enable players to viscerally empathize with the virtual characters that they control, using a broad range of their own senses and emotions. Creating learning experiences that utilize these sorts of active and changing roles might encourage our "twitch generation" students to genuinely connect with what a real scientist or a mathematician experiences as they work to sort out some mystery or solve some problem.

*The Case Against Teaching, Change, New Rochelle; Nov/Dec 2001.

**Geeks: How Two Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho, New York, Villard, 2000.

***Bedigian, Louis, News: Professor James Paul Gee shows the world the importance of video games, Game Zone Online

FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SPEAKS AT THE ROZSA

submitted by University Cultural Enrichment

Leon Fuerth, former national security advisor, visits Michigan Tech on Tuesday, Oct. 28, to deliver the 2003-04 Van Evera Distinguished Lecture. His public address, "The Future of U.S. Foreign Relations," is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Rozsa Center. Admission is free, and there will be an informal reception following the lecture.

Few people have had the opportunity to develop expertise in as many areas as Leon Fuerth. His career in government spanned 30 years, and included positions in the State Department, the House and Senate, and the White House. During his 12 years as a foreign service officer, Fuerth served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the U.S. Consulate General in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, and the Political Military Bureau in several capacities in the Bureau of European Affairs. He became a known resource for strategic intelligence (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons), arms control, Soviet and Warsaw Pact affairs and NATO.

On the Hill, Fuerth worked for the late Les Aspin as subcommittee staff director in the House Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as for Al Gore during the last two years of his time as a member of the House and throughout his term in the Senate. In the course of this 12-year period, Fuerth was the Select Committee's expert on arms control verification in addition to operating as its primary staff resource for monitoring covert action. He was deeply involved in the development of arms control positions by Congressman Gore and served as Gore's staff link to both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Committee on Science and Technology (space subcommittee). He was responsible to Senator Gore for all aspects of national security, including international trade.

In the White House, Fuerth served as Vice President Gore's national security advisor. During this time he participated directly and continuously in the formation of all national foreign policy and in advising both the vice president and the president on these matters. He was the senior administration official responsible for the operation of bi-national commissions with Russia, Ukraine, Kazakastan, Egypt, South Africa and the U.S.-China Environmental Forum.

Fuerth's visit is coordinated by the MTU Great Events Series Office. Please call 487-2844 for more information.

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KEWEENAW SYMPHONY CONCERT OCT. 25

The Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra opens its 33rd concert season on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rozsa Center, with a new music director and a concert featuring the music of Chopin, Berlioz and Dvorak. Alton Thompson, in his first concert as the KSO's principal conductor and music director, will conduct Symphony No. 8 in G Major by Antonin Dvorak, "Trojan March" by Hector Berlioz, and the Second Piano Concerto in F Minor, by Frederic Chopin, featuring soloist Jeongwon Ham.

To enrich the concert experience, Thompson will present the first in a series of informal pre-concert talks, "Meet the Music," at 6 p.m. in the concert hall. After "Meet the Music," audience members are invited to enjoy refreshments in Café Rozsa, in the Rozsa Center lobby, before the 7:30 concert begins. A reception honoring Thompson and Ham will be held in the lobby after the concert.

Ham earned degrees in piano performance in Berlin and Essen, Germany, and her doctorate at the University of Kansas. She made her New York City debut at Merkin Hall in 1998 and has performed as soloist and with orchestras throughout the United States as well as in France, Germany, Italy, Korea and the Netherlands. She has won numerous competitions, including the Arthur-Schnabel, Bartok/Kabalesvsky International, Epinal International, Hindemith and Simone Belsky piano competitions. She is currently on the music faculty at the University of Oklahoma, having previously taught at the University of Northern Iowa, University of Arkansas and Midwestern Music Camp. She has also served as adjudicator at many prestigious international piano competitions.

Ham is married to Dongwook Kim, a faculty member in the School of Business and Economics.

Alton Thompson, a Florida native, comes to Houghton from Baltimore, where he completed doctoral studies in conducting at the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University. He served as principal guest conductor of Maryland's Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra, and has conducted numerous other orchestras, choirs and ensembles. He recently served on the artistic planning committee of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. During the initial planning sessions for Martin Scorcese's film "The Age of Innocence," he advised the Columbia Pictures production team about period details for the film's opera sequences.

At Michigan Tech, Thompson conducts the Wind Symphony, Huskies Pep Band, KSO and small ensembles, in addition to teaching classes in music history and theory. He serves on the executive board of the Conductors Guild and as webmaster for Orchestralist, an on-line newsgroup for orchestra professionals. His writing projects include the "Topical Guide to Classic Music," slated for publication by Scarecrow Press, and "Baltimore Nocturne," a novel whose first chapter won a recent Baltimore Writers Alliance award.

Tickets for the concert are available from the Rozsa Center Box Office (487-3200), on the Web at http://www.tickets.mtu.edu , and at the door for $15 general, $6 students.

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"TRICK OR TROUPE" ON OCT. 29

For extra fun this Halloween, the fine arts department invites everyone to enjoy "Trick or Troupe," a free show staged by The Troupe, Michigan Tech's improv comedy group, in the Memorial Union commons from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29. It's free, open to the public and designed for everyone from Michigan Tech students to community families.

This is the fourth annual "Trick or Troupe" presented by the 12-member acting ensemble, directed by Associate Professor Sue Stephens (Fine Arts). For more information, call fine arts, 487-2067.

PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM THURSDAY, OCT. 23

Professor Michael A. Waxman of University of Wisconsin-Superior will present a physics colloquium, "Using Evanescent Waves to Initiate the Drift of a Gas," Thursday, Oct. 23, 4-5 p.m, Fisher 139.

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MEEM GRADUATE SEMINAR THURSDAY, OCT. 23

Sridhar Kota of the University of Michigan will present "Exploiting Elasticity in Engineering Design--Design Methods and Applications" Thursday, Oct. 23, 3-4 p.m. in MEEM 112.

IN THE NEWS

An interview with Professor Barbara Lide (Humanities) was featured in the spring issue of the Bulgarian theater journal Teatr. The interview took place in connection with a lecture on performing Strindberg that Lide presented at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, in November 2002.

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NEW FUNDING

Associate Professor Judith Perlinger (CEE) has received a $74,989 grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for her project, "Comparison of Technologies for PBT Flux Determination."

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ON THE ROAD

Associate Professor Ulrich H. E. Hansmann (Physics) presented an invited talk, "Computer Simulations of Small Proteins," at the international workshop "Advances in Nanostructural Genomics III" hosted by the Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, Oct. 15-18.

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Calendar: October

24--Friday

  7:30 p.m.--"Rashomon"--McArdle Theatre

25--Saturday

  1 p.m.--Football, Hillsdale at MTU--Sherman Field

  7:30 p.m.--Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra--Rozsa Center

  7:30 p.m.--"Rashomon"--McArdle Theatre

28--Tuesday

  7:30 p.m.--Leon Fuerth Lecture--Rozsa Center

29--Wednesday

  7:30 p.m.--"Trick or Troupe"--Memorial Union commons

31--Friday

  5 p.m.--Women's Volleyball, Lake Superior State at MTU--SDC Gym

  7:05 p.m.--Men's Hockey, Vermont at MTU--MacInnes Student Ice Arena

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No New Positions This Week

No new positions are posted this week at Michigan Tech. 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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