Megan Gilge, Tech Topics editorial assistant, 906-487-2343

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1. MONSON TO LEAD SENATE

The University Senate elected Terry Monson as its next president April 28. He replaces the current president, Robert Keen, who did not seek reelection after leading the senate for four years.

Monson is a professor in the School of Business and Economics and has been serving as senate secretary since January.

Becky Christianson was re-elected vice president. She has held the position since the resignation of Chris Williams earlier this year. Christianson is the chair of Staff Council and the assistant director for human resources, classification, training and compensation.

Biological sciences professor Janice Glime was elected secretary by acclamation. She previously served four years as senate secretary, from 1995-96 through 1998-99.

The senate approved several degree programs and concentrations, including the Master of Forestry, Master of Science in Forest Ecology and Management, a Master of Science in Applied Ecology and a Master of Science in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.

It also approved the Department of Humanities' proposal for a BA in Communication and Culture Studies with three different concentrations: contemporary culture, communication in human interactions and global contexts, and communication media.

The senate passed a resolution that the Dickmeyer Report did not satisfy the issues it raised in Proposal 10-04, which asked for an independent review of MTU's financial problems. However, it added that such a review is not immediately necessary, and asked MTU's new administration address the issues.

In other business, the senate

* heard a report from Graduate Dean Bruce Rafert on the implementation of distance learning. Administratively, financial issues will be handled through the office of the vice president for research, while curricular issues will be addressed through Rafert in his capacity as dean of distance learning. Rafert reported that the distance learning program expects to see a net gain of about $200,000 this year.

* learned that Larry Sutter (Technology), Craig Waddell (Humanities) and Marty Janners (Biological Sciences) had been elected senators at large.

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2. BRANAGAN TO DELIVER SPRING COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

Nanotechnology pioneer Daniel Branagan will be the speaker at Michigan Tech's spring commencement.

Nearly 900 graduates will be honored at the May 8 ceremony, including 762 bachelor's degree candidates and 14 graduates receiving associate degrees. Twenty-eight doctoral degrees will be awarded, as well as 89 master of science degrees and three master of engineering degrees.

Branagan, a 1990 graduate of Michigan Tech, is the founder and chief technical officer of The NanoSteel Company, LLC, and heads NanoSteel's Institute of Nanomaterials Research and Development located in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

In 2002, Forbes Magazine recognized him as one of the important innovators of our time, one of 15 people who will reinvent the future. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has named him one of the top 100 "brilliant young innovators" in the world whose work will have "a deep impact on how we live, work, and think in the century to come."

Branagan and his work have also been recognized by the World Technology Summit, the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society, Lockheed Martin, the Science Coalition, Basic Energy Science, R&D Magazine and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The NanoSteel Company's focus is on exploiting advances in materials and on taking new materials across the great technological divide from basic discovery to near-term, large-scale industrial production and commercial utilization. NanoSteel currently manufactures thermal spray and hardfacing materials to protect the surfaces of parts that are under attack from wear, erosion, corrosion and/or cavitation.

Branagan developed the material while working as a staff scientist at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, where he worked for seven years before founding NanoSteel in 2002.

After receiving a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from MTU, Branagan earned a doctorate in metallurgy from Iowa State University in 1995.

Branagan has authored or co-authored 40 scholarly papers and is the co-inventor of seven patents with 14 additional pending. In 2003 he received Michigan Tech's Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

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3. CHOWDHURY TO RECEIVE HONORARY DOCTORATE

Author and quality strategist Subir Chowdhury will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering by Michigan Tech at its spring commencement ceremonies May 8.

Chowdhury is chairman and chief executive officer of ASI Consulting Group, of Livonia, a world leader in achieving quality in a wide range of areas, including manufacturing, social interaction, products and services. His clients include global Fortune 100 companies as well as small organizations in both the public and private sectors.

Hailed by the New York Times as a "leading quality expert," Chowdhury is the author of nine books, including international bestseller "The Power of Six Sigma," which has been translated into more than 20 languages and has sold more than a million copies.

Chowdhury has received numerous international awards for his leadership in quality management and his major contributions to various industries worldwide. He was honored by the Automotive Hall of Fame, and the Society of Automotive Engineers has presented him with its prestigious Henry Ford II Distinguished Award for Excellence in Automotive Engineering.

He also has been recognized by Congress and has received and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' Gold Medal. The American Society for Quality honored him with the first Philip Crosby Medal for authoring the most influential business book on the quality methodology Six Sigma.

In 2004 Chowdhury will be inducted into the Hall of Fame for Engineering, Science and Technology (World Level), and the International Technology Institute will honor him with its prestigious Rockwell Medal for Excellence in Technology.

Chowdhury has an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India, and a graduate degree in industrial management from Central Michigan University (CMU). In 2003, during its golden anniversary, IIT featured Chowdhury as one of its top 15 eminent alumni, and CMU awarded him its Distinguished Alumni Award (which has been bestowed only 21 alumni in its 100-plus year history).

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4. GRANT WILL SUPPORT TREE GROWTH STUDIES: FACULTY MEMBER LOOKS AT MODIFYING WOOD PROPERTIES

Stronger paper and wood products could be the result of tree growth and modification studies at Michigan Tech.

Victor Busov, assistant professor of forest resources and environmental science, has received a grant from the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research to continue these studies. He shares the grant with Steven Strauss, professor of forest science at Oregon State University.

"We are looking at increasing the fiber length in trees, for stronger paper and structural wood products," Busov explained. "Such modifications of wood properties can also improve the ability to pulp the wood and decrease the need for use of expensive and environmentally hazardous chemicals.

Strauss and Busov will identify ways to modify growth and wood properties in trees through genetic modification of gibberellic acid metabolism--one of the main hormones controlling plant development. The researchers have already isolated a major gene in the gibberellic acid metabolic pathway and demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach to control tree size.

Altering the wood's economic properties such as the fibers and tree height can increase not only the availability of the product but its market value.

Busov is part of Michigan Tech's Plant Biotechnology Research Center, which focuses on the molecular make-up of trees and tree properties that contribute to improved wood production and conscientious forest stewardship.

According to the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research (CPBR), world demand for pulp and paper products is expected to increase by 50 percent in the next 15 years. Nearly all of this increased demand will be met through the use of plantation-grown trees. Improving growth and quality factors of these trees will be instrumental in meeting the demand while at the same time preserving natural forests for environmental and biological diversity.

"The research project proposed by Drs. Strauss and Busov is innovative, the science is strong and the potential commercial, economic and environmental values are great," said Dr. Dorin Schumacher, chair and president of the consortium.

This project, as well as others funded by CPBR, will generate economic development through new jobs and value-added crops. The research will also support environmental preservation by encouraging the use of renewable resources.

The consortium is a national, nonprofit organization matching US research universities with companies interested in developing improved products and processes.

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5. UNDERGRAD EXPO WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Last Thursday over 70 teams displayed senior design projects, undergraduate research projects and Enterprise projects in the Memorial Union Ballroom. These projects represented the work of over 700 Michigan Tech students. The top three teams in each category received cash prizes.

For undergraduate research, first went to Meghan McGee (Biomedical Engineering) for "The Effects of Annual Hibernation on the Mechanics and Histology of Black Bear Bones." Sakiko Suzuki (Biomedical Engineering) received second for "Effects of Osteoarthritis on Moose Femoral Head Subchondral Bone Thickness." Rebecca Foster (Biomedical Engineering) received third for "Quanitification of Type I Collagen."

For Enterprise projects, first place went to Integrated Microsystems Enterprise, second went to Automotive Systems Enterprise and third to Alternative Fuels Group.

"Ion Implantation Induced Layer Separation" took first for senior design projects. The group's advisor was Professor Stephen Hackney (MSE) and team members were Ben Almquist, Kaajal-Raj Juggernauth and Dale Anderson. Second went to SEM Four-Point Bend Test. Team members included Andrew Bjorne, Erin Gore, Sara Flessert, John Thompsen, Ryan Little, Nathan Gries, Trevor Roose, Robert Taylor, Dereck Kowalski and Steven Mursch. The group's advisor was Associate Professor Jeffrey Burl (ECE). Third went to "Remote Vehicle Data Acquisition." Team members included Marcus Haney, Luke Barron, Bryan Eisen, Jacek Spiewla and Mark McCormick. The group's advisor was Assistant Professor Brian Davis (ECE).

Undergraduate Expo is a combined effort of Educational Opportunity and the College of Engineering. For more information please contact Mary Raber at 487-2005 or mraber@mtu.edu or Randi Woodward at rkwoodwa@mtu.edu.

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6. TICE RECEIVES UDALL SCHOLARSHIP

Environmental engineering junior Aaron Tice has become the first Michigan Tech student to receive a Udall Scholarship.

The $5,000 national scholarship is one of 80 awarded nationwide by the Morris K. Udall Foundation. Each year, the foundation gives scholarships to juniors and seniors in fields related to the environment, and to Native American and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care or tribal policy.

Tice's name was put forward by Associate Professor John Gierke (GMES) advisor of the Aqua Terra Tech Enterprise, which is modeling the hydrology of a watershed on the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community's L'Anse Reservation. Under Michigan Tech's Enterprise program, teams of students undertake to solve real-world engineering problems posed by industry or, as in this case, a tribal community. Tice, the first MTU student to receive a Udall Scholarship, is the Enterprise's leader.

"Mr. Tice has excelled in terms of the project leadership, as well as in the long-term vision for growth in the ATT Enterprise," Gierke said. "In addition, he has been spearheading a new activity that will help poor communities in countries such as Nicaragua in the development and protection of water supplies."

The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to honor Udall's 30 years of service in the House of Representatives. Udall, who was first elected in 1961, was one of the most productive members of Congress in the latter part of the 20th century. Chief among his accomplishments was the Alaska Lands Act of 1980, which doubled the size of the national park system and tripled the size of the national wilderness system.

Interim President Glenn Mroz is the Udall representative at Michigan Tech. You can find out more about the Udall Foundation and its scholarship and fellowship programs at http://www.udall.gov/ .

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7. SBE STUDENTS RECEIVE 25 AWARDS IN STATE BUSINESS COMPETITION

Twelve SBE students were finalists in Phi Beta Lambda's Wisconsin State Leadership Conference held April 17 in Madison, Wis.

First place went to Web page design team members Tim Messar, Jake Miller and Nick Jacoby; multimedia presentation team members Tim Bailey and Cindy Blumhardt; desktop publishing team members Robyn Marinelli and Amy Dorvinen; Ryan Layton for finance, impromptu speaking and international business; Tim Messar for telecommunications and networking concepts; Josh Pawlak for computer concepts; and Marcus Wood for information management.

Second went to Bailey for finance; Pawlak for networking concepts and telecommunications; Wood for computer concepts; Jacoby for business law; and Jessica Omtvedt for accounting principles.

Third place went to Wood for Java programming, Dorvinen for business law and Miller for telecommunications.

PBL and SBE alumnus David Beaudette and Assistant Professor Brent Lekvin (SBE) attended as judges.

Students who placed are eligible to compete in the nationals held in Denver July 9-12. Appromixately 60 students from six chapters competed at the Wisconsin State Conference.

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8. POST OPENINGS FOR STUDENT JOBS ON CAREER CENTER WEB PAGE

Need student workers? The University Career Center can help you in your search by advertising your on-campus/local student employment opportunities on its Web site at no cost. Your postings will be on-line for a full month, and candidates will apply directly to your designated contact person.

To complete the on-line submission form, visit http://www.ucc.mtu.edu/ and click on "Post a Job" on the left side of the page.

The Career Center job posting system is available for all non-work-study position postings. All work-study position requests must be completed through the Financial Aid Office. Visit http://www.admin.mtu.edu/finaid/finaid.htm for more information.

For more information regarding on-campus employment, please visit http://www.ucc.mtu.edu/students/jobpostings/resources.asp or contact the Career Center at career@mtu.edu.

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9. CORRECTION

The April 23 Tech Topics article addressing the University Senate's discussion of copyright issues stated incorrectly that faculty writings are not considered "works for hire" under copyright law. The 1976 Copyright Act does not exclude faculty works from the "work for hire" category. However, Section 11.1 Patent and Other Proprietary Rights of the Michigan Tech Operating Procedures Manual specifies that "Books, articles, manuscripts, and works of art (except to the extent that they contain proprietary information related to inventions or computer software) are not included in this policy." Thus these categories of works are exempt from its provisions.

The article also stated that the task force has developed the following statement to guide its work: "We affirm the right of creative faculty members and others to retain primary control over their new works. We also recognize that sharing knowledge is central to the success of academic institutions." The statement originated with the Consortium for Educational Technology for University Systems.

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10. TEACHING AT TECH: GIFTED OR GLIA-FULLY ENDOWED?

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

Neuroscientists had long thought that the brain's much more numerous (9:1) glial cells served primarily as plumbing and support for the neural cells that did the actual thinking. Researchers have long held that human thinking occurred when neurons communicated electrically across small gaps called synapses.* Neurons did the real work while glia served as fertile soil.

Now, modern imaging techniques are showing that glial cells probably play a much more integral and complex role in human thinking and learning processes than once thought. Scientists now believe that glia profoundly influence the ever-changing formation of neural connections and may actively affect the strengthening or weakening of those connections over time. Establishing and maintaining neural connections is thought to be the very stuff of learning and remembering.

The most intriguing news may be that glial cells chemically communicate with one another and then create environmental conditions that influence the functioning of neural cells. Glial communications, it turns out, have long fallen under the radar screens of investigators because of the very fact that they are chemical, rather than electrical, in nature. Unraveling the complex chemistry of glial communication is presently engaging several teams of neuroscientists.

Members if class of glial cells, astrocytes, have been shown to chemically communicate with one another using ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as their chemical messenger. ATP is an ideal substance for this purpose in that it is highly abundant inside cells, rare outside of cells, small and rapidly diffused, and it breaks down quickly; all features that would allow for more timely and unambiguous chemical communications.

Chemical cascades across glia have already been shown to profoundly influence the nature of functioning in distant neural cells but the extent and nature of this parallel chemical communication process remains largely unknown. Most recently, researchers have observed that these chemical cascades can be quite localized, meaning that rather complex messages could be chemically encoded in our brains. These results suggest that a parallel network of discrete chemical circuits built of glial cells may exist in our brains and may greatly influence learning and remembering. "The working hypothesis . . . is that communication among astrocytes helps to activate neurons whose axons terminate relatively far away and that this activity, in turn, contributes to the release of neurotransmitters at distant synapses. This action would regulate how susceptible remote synapses are to undergoing a change in strength, which is the cellular mechanism underlying learning and memory."*

Researchers liken the brain's neural connections to a hard-wired telephone system that uses fixed wires and a network of interconnected switches to send messages from discrete senders to specific receivers. Glial connections, by comparison, may be more like a cellular phone system in which encoded messages are broadcast across an entire network and then selectively decoded by intended receivers at a myriad of distant locations.

Intriguingly, autopsies revealed that Einstein's brain exhibited a completely normal distribution of neural cells but a startling abundance of glial cells. Equally intriguing is the fact that the proportion of glial cells to neural cells appears to increase greatly as animals move up the evolutionary ladder.

* The Other Half of the Brain, R. Douglas Fields, Scientific American, April 2004.

11. MICHIGAN TECH PRESENTS MOZART REQUIEM

The Mozart Requiem, one of the masterpieces of European music, will be performed by the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and the Michigan Tech Concert Choir on Saturday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rozsa Center, with fine arts chair Milton Olsson conducting.

The Requiem, one of Mozart's most beautiful works, was also his last. Working at the height of his powers, Mozart was composing the Requiem at the time of his death in December 1791 at age 35. One of his students, Franz Süssmayer, to whom Mozart dictated sections of the Requiem, completed the work after Mozart's death with the help of others. Twentieth-century scholars have revised the orchestration and perfected the work based on Mozart's notes and sketches.

In July 1791, a mysterious courier visited Mozart to deliver the commission for the Requiem from an anonymous benefactor. Mozart undertook the commission with enthusiasm, full of ideas for a ground-breaking sacred work, but was delayed by other projects, including two operas, The Magic Flute and La Clemenza di Tito, which were scheduled to premiere that fall. Mozart devoted himself to the Requiem only in the two months preceding his death, working rapidly in spite of his deteriorating health.

In the famous play (and movie) "Amadeus," Peter Shaffer dramatized the super-human effort Mozart made to compose the Requiem (spurred in part by his need for money), sublime music overflowing his mind in the midst of his raucous, chaotic life. The movie also explores Mozart's relationship with the famous Viennese court composer Antonio Salieri, a prolific but less talented musician. After Mozart died, rumors spread that Salieri, envious of the younger man, had poisoned him. This colorful but completely unfounded story generated a legend which persists today, an image of the dying Mozart haunted by the sinister Salieri as he feverishly composes the immortal Requiem.

Soloists for the May 1 concert are Victoria Walker, soprano, Lorna March, mezzo-soprano, Anthony Beacco, tenor, and Wayne Hanmer, bass. Walker is an active recitalist and teacher from East Lansing and teaches at Alma College. March, an active professional soloist who lives in Iron Mountain, has appeared several times with the KSO in performances of Messiah, the Gundlach Mass and other works, as well as with the Pine Mountain Music Festival. Beacco and Hanmer, from Negaunee and Marquette, respectively, are well-known soloists who have appeared in concerts with the KSO, Marquette Choral Society and other musical organizations.

 This concert is sponsored by the Copper Range Abstract & Title Agency of Houghton. The Mozart Requiem was last performed by the KSO in May 1991 with Olsson conducting. Tickets are available from the Rozsa Center Box Office (487-3200), other Michigan Tech ticket outlets, and http://www.tickets.mtu.edu for $15 general, $6 students.

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12. FINE ARTS PRESENTS "TECH-XPOSITION"

Student accomplishments in painting, drawing, sculpture and theatrical design, including sound, lighting, set and costume design, will highlight the fine arts department's first annual "Tech-Xposition: Student Showcase, Sight and Sound" to be held in Walker 210 and adjacent spaces April 30-May 2.

"Tech-Xposition" opens with a public reception at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 30. Exhibit hours are 4-9 p.m. Friday, noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The event is free and open to the public.

"Tech-Xposition" will display a variety of student projects completed this year by students enrolled in courses in visual arts, sound design, recording, and technical theater offered by the Department of Fine Arts All these students major in other disciplines, so the exhibit underlines the outstanding creativity of Michigan Tech's students in areas not directly related to their majors. Some of the exhibits represent final projects for minors in art, music technology, theatre arts and technical theatre.

More information is available from the fine arts office, 487-2067.

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13. SPRING CLEANING? CHECK OUT DUMP-N-RUN

submitted by the Environmental Sustainability Committee

We've all heard the phrase "One person's trash is another's treasure," but few people ever go so far as donating the items for which they no longer have uses. The Environmental Sustainability Committee is sponsoring the area's first Dump-N-Run (a.k.a. The Green Exchange) to help you find treasures in the midst of items that might otherwise end up taking up space in the dump.

Students and the community are encouraged to drop off unwanted items on Friday, April 30, between 3 and 7 p.m. at the Rozsa parking lot or on Saturday, May, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Dee Stadium.

Items to bring include art work/posters; bedding, bins, baskets, Rubbermaid containers, etc.; books, binders and other school supplies; CDs, tapes, movies and video games; cleaning supplies; clean clothes and shoes; non-perishable food; furniture (tables, chairs, futons, desks, etc.); holiday lights, clean kitchen items; laundry supplies; lumber (dorm lofts, etc.); pet supplies; plants; sports equipment and recreational items such as games; toys; TVs, stereos, CD and tape players; and white boards, bulletin boards, cork boards, etc.

You should not bring broken items; computers; dirty, stained or torn clothing; flammable items (gasoline, oil, etc.); halogen lamps; mattress; tires; toxic items and weapons. We reserve the right to refuse any item.

On Saturday, May 1, the donated items will be up for sale at the Dee. Proceeds of the Dump-N-Run sale will go to the City of Houghton and ESC. Any lumber donated will be given to the Copper Country Cycling Club for trail improvements. Other items will be donated to the BKG Shelter Home for Abused Women and Children, St. Vincent de Paul, Goodwill, the Salvation Army and the Humane Society.

Dump-N-Run is sponsored by ESC, Chi Epsilon, the City of Houghton, Copper Country Cycling Club and the Students for Environmental Sustainability (SfES). For more information, visit the ESC website at http://www.esc.mtu.edu or contact Shalini at shalini@mtu.edu.

14. NANOTECHNOLOGY LECTURE THURSDAY

Doug Lowndes, scientific director, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will present a lecture, "Nano-Solutions to a Tera-Challenge: Energy," 7:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, April 29, in Fisher 139.

This is the final public talk in the MTU NUE nanotechnology lecture series.

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15. MEEM GRADUATE SEMINAR THURSDAY

Vijay K. Dhir, PhD, dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA, will give a MEEM graduate seminar,  "Is the Prediction of a Nucleate Boiling Heat Transfer a Hopeless Task?" Thursday, April 29, 3-4 p.m. in MEEM 112.

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16. PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM THURSDAY

Doug Lowndes, scientific director, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will present a phsyics colloqium, "Catalytically Controlled Growth and Assembly of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers: Basic Studies and Nanotechnology Applications," Thursday, April 29, at 4 p.m. in Fisher 139.

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17. GEMSTONES OF BURMA LECTURE SATURDAY

Bill Larson, president of Pala International, will be the first featured speaker for the Seaman Mineral Musuem Society's 2004 lecture series. His talk "Gemstones of Burma" will take place on Saturday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. Dow 642. A reception with refreshments will be held in the Seaman Mineral Museum from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Fifth floor EERC ). The lecture is free and open to the public.

Larson is a renowned dealer and collector of fine gemstones and minerals. He formed Pala Properties (now Pala International) in 1968, and purchased three gem mines in San Diego County, Calif. One of these, the Himalaya mine, is famous for producing some of the finest gem tourmaline crystals in the world.

MTU NOTABLES

Ted Bornhorst, A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum and College of Engineering, has recently been invited to participate in two state-level working groups related to metallic mining in Michigan. The director of Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality invited Bornhorst to serve on the "Regulation of Metallic Mineral Exploration and Mining" work group which evaluates existing laws and regulatory processes to identify changes that may be needed to assure adequate protection of the environment, natural resources and public health. The second work group was formed by the Michigan DNR at request of the Natural Resource Commission to review the metallic mineral lease contract and the associated leasing process. This group seeks to ensure that leases adequately protect the state's interest in natural resource protection and mineral production. Both of these work groups have been prompted by recent mineral exploration in the western Upper Peninsula. Kennecott Exploration has identified a significant resource of nickel and copper in northern Marquette County.

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IN THE NEWS

Professor Glenda E. Gill (Humanities) contributed an entry on Ethel Waters in "African American Lives" (Oxford UP), March 2004. Henry Louis Gates, editor, appeared on CBS's Early Show on April 27 and announced this compendium of 600 lives is but the beginning, since the project entails chronicling the contributions of 10,000 African Americans, the largest such endeavor in American history.

Professor S. K. Kawatra's (Chemical Engineering) guest editorial on a proposed EPA policy on mercury pollution for power utilities appeared in the Detroit News on April 25. He discusses how the plan would help utilities regulate themselves by establishing an industry-wide cap on mercury pollution that would be gradually lowered and would allow utility companies to trade pollution credits. Utilities would have to achieve a 29 percent reduction in mercury by 2010 and a 70 percent reduction by 2018. You can read the article at http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0404/26/a17-132517.htm .

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NEW FUNDING

Professor Brian Suits (Physics) has received a $59,597 award from the United States Department of Defense--Navy, Naval Research Laboratory, for his project, "Scientific Support for NQR Explosive Detection Development."

Research Scientist I John Erickson (SFRES) has received a $4,500 award from the USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station, for his project, "Design and Test of Technologies to Locate Incipient Decay in Standing Hardwood Timber."

Assistant Professor Luc Gilles (ECE) has received a $45,000 award from the University of California-Santa Cruz for his project, "Closed Loop ExAO and MCAO Sparse Minimum--Variance Performance Evaluation."

Associate Professor Gordon Parker (MEEM) has received a $27,204 award from BMT Designers & Planners, Inc. for his project, "System Identification of Hydrostatic Transmission for Penulation Control System Implementation & Simulation."

LTAP Director Terry McNinch (CEE) has received an $87,514 award from the Michigan Department of Transportation for his project, "2004 Video Production Completion."

Assistant Professor David Watkins (CEE) has received a $48,515 award from the United States Department of Defense--Army Corps of Engineers for his project, "Research on Overlake Rainfall Estimation for Lake Michigan and Lake St. Clair."

Professor Donald Beck (Physics) has received a $50,000 award from the National Science Foundation for his project, "Bound and Continuum Properties of Lathanide and Actinide Anions and Atoms."

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ON THE ROAD

Professor Emerita Barbara Lide (Humanities) currently "Visiting Professor of Scandinavian" at Brigham Young University, attended the annual meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study, held April 15-17 in Redondo Beach, Calif. Lide presented an illustrated paper, "The Stockholm Stadsteater Production of Ibsen's ETT DOCKHEM," chaired a session, "Strindberg and Genre," and attended a meeting of the executive committee of The Ibsen Society of America. She also was nominated for the executive council of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study."

Professor Barry D. Solomon (Social Sciences) gave an invited seminar, "Will There be a Hydrogen Energy Revolution in Your Lifetime?" at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. on April 23. He also presented a lecture, "History of Energy in Geographic Thought," to the George Perkins Marsh Institute.

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CALENDAR: April

30--Friday

  3-7 p.m.--Dump-N-Run dropoff--Rozsa Center parking Lot

May

1--Saturday

  10 a.m.-noon--Dump-N-Run dropoff--Dee Stadium

  7:30 p.m.--Mozart "Requiem"--Rozsa Center

4--Tuesday

  7 p.m.--Women's Tuesday Evening Golf Group organizational meeting--PLGC Club House

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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, April 30, 2004, at 1 p.m. through noon, Friday, May 7, 2004, in the Human Resources Office or at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/

User Support Specialist--East Engineering Computing Network, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Office Assistant 4--Human Resources (UAW internal and external posting)

Assistant Hockey Coach--Athletic Department

University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, May 7, 2004, 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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