1. NEW FILTER WILL FRY CAMPUS SPAM

By Laura Walikainen, student writer

Unsolicited email, also known as spam, has become the daily headache for many. But sufferers should take heart as relief is on the way in the form of a new campus-wide spam filter system.

While the university has had a spam filter in place for several years, the decision to launch a new filter came with a recent jump in the number of spam messages appearing in campus inboxes.

"Within the last year, specifically the last six months, there has been an explosion in the number of spam messages as well as an increase in the ineffectiveness of the spam filtering technology that we currently have on campus," said Dan DeBeaubien, director of distributed computing services.

  DeBeaubien surmises that this could be due to the public availability of the current spam filter software, Spam Assassin.

"The spam people are becoming very clever," he said. "They figured out how Spam Assassin worked and are basically engineering their spam to get past it. When we initially installed the spam filter, it was getting 90 percent of the spam; it is now missing too much of the spam."

The new filter will use more advanced algorithms and focus on email web links that are more stable than the former keyword searches. The new filter also has hourly updates, in the same manner that anti-virus software is updated.

"Testing of the new system so far has shown it to be over 95 percent accurate," says DeBeaubien. "Everyone who has tested it has really liked it."

This new system is in the final stages of testing and should be up and running for the fall semester.

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2. BOARD OF CONTROL MEETS THURSDAY

Michigan Tech's Board of Control will meet at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 5, in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Among the agenda items are the Capital Outlay Budget Request, which is made annually by the university to the state, and a report on the university's finances.

While the general fund showed a $2.4 million deficit at the end of the fiscal year, as predicted by CFO Dan Greenlee, the current fund, which includes all MTU revenues and expenditures, was $1.4 million in the black as of June 30.

Board of Control meetings are open to the public, and all members of the MTU community are welcome.

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3. WHAT'S COVERED, WHAT'S NOT: KNOW YOUR HEALTH BENEFITS

Employees enrolled in Michigan Tech's Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan health insurance plan should be aware of the following issues that have been addressed recently by the Michigan Tech Benefits Office. If you have any questions, call 487-2517.

Colonoscopies/Sigmoidoscopies

Colonoscopies are only paid by BCBSM when you have a specific medical diagnosis or a diagnosis of family history. Colonoscopies are not paid by BCBSM as part of your annual wellness exam or with a diagnosis of "routine" or because you are over age 50. Your BCBSM plan, however, does pay for a flexible sigmoidoscopy. This procedure is covered 100 percent as part of your routine annual wellness exam, and it is done right in the doctor's office.

Bone Density Scans

BCBSM will pay for a bone density scan only with a specific diagnosis, such as osteoporosis, and it will not be paid as part of your annual wellness exam or with a diagnosis of "routine."

Once-per-Week Prescriptions

Michigan Tech's prescription plan normally pays for most medications up to a 34-day supply, or 100 pills, whichever is greater.  However, many drug companies have come out with "once-per-week" medications that you take only once a week. Our BCBSM plan will not dispense 100 once-per-week pills. At most, you will receive a three-month supply, or 12 pills.

Out-of-State Prescriptions

When traveling outside of Michigan, remember to have your prescription filled at a PAID network pharmacy. Most larger drug chains and independents are in the PAID network. Your pharmacist must use the PAID group number BCBSMLG, not the five-digit group number on your card. If your pharmacist needs assistance, he or she may call the PAID Provider Help Desk at 1-800-922-1557.

Oral Surgery

Most oral surgeons in the Upper Peninsula are not part of the BCBSM network. For any type of medical surgery, such as removal of a cyst, tissue sent for lab work, re-setting of your jaw bone, etc., you will need a referral from a BCBSM PPO physician. If you do not obtain a referral dated prior to services, the charges will be subject to an out-of-network deductible.

For dental services, such as root canals and wisdom tooth extractions, out-of-network oral surgeons may charge above the BCBSM approved rate, and, unfortunately, you will be responsible for paying that difference, along with your 50 percent co-payment.

PPO/Participating/Not Approved

There are three different approval levels in Michigan Tech's BCBSM plan. In most cases, your cost will be lowest within the BCBSM PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) network. The PPO network offers the greatest discount on services, and you do not need a referral to see any BCBSM PPO doctor or facility.

"BCBSM Participating" doctors and facilities are not part of the PPO network, but they do accept the price that BCBSM sets for the particular medical service. You will need a referral from a BCBSM PPO doctor dated prior to your visit; otherwise a deductible will be applied to the claim.

The last level is "Not Approved," and this is something you want to avoid because BCBSM will not pay a facility that is not approved by BCBSM. Fortunately, there are very few "not approved" facilities, but they are out there. A facility that is not approved may not meet the criteria or standards set by BCBSM; therefore, BCBSM will not pay for any of their services. A referral will not help. Personnel at these facilities will try hard to skirt around this issue because they do not want to lose you as a customer. Your best assurance is to call BCBSM at 1-800-562-7884 or log on to the website http://bluecares.com/ to find out if the facility is BCBSM-approved. Keep in mind that a BCBSM PPO facility would not require payment up-front for services.

Massage Therapy

Instructions for massage therapy can be obtained on the Benefits Office website http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/benefits/index.shtml . Pay particular attention to the statement "independent, certified massage therapist." That means your massage therapist may not be employed by a physical therapy rehabilitation center.

Nutritionist

An outpatient visit with a nutritionist is only paid for by our BCBSM plan with a diagnosis of diabetes. If you visit a nutritionist because your doctor has recommended it to treat other conditions such as high cholesterol, anemia, general weight loss, etc., the service will not be paid by your BCBSM plan.

Telemedicine (Conference Appointments)

An outpatient doctor visit is only paid for by BCBSM when a patient is seen in person. Your BCBSM plan will not pay for a video or teleconference with a doctor.

Physical Therapy

Michigan Tech BCBSM members will pay a 25 percent or 35 percent co-payment for physical therapy services. This co-payment can add up to several hundred of dollar over the course of treatment, and facilities often wait until the end to bill a patient. The Benefits Office is suggesting that employees ask their physical therapy provider to bill more often to avoid an unmanageable bill at the end of treatment.

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4. UAW RAISES $1,200 FOR HUMANE SOCIETY

During a campus-wide campaign last spring, UAW Local 5000 raised $1,223 for the Copper Country Humane Society to support their effort to build a new animal shelter.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new building was held on July 29. The facility will be located on Enterprise Drive in Houghton.

"We would like to thank the MTU community for their heartwarming generosity in supporting our local area organizations," organizers said.

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5. NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH RECEIVES A BIG BOOST IN FEDERAL FUNDING

By Laura Walikainen, student writer

Bigger isn't always better. In fact, Associate Professor Craig Friedrich (ME-EM) and fellow researchers may soon be awarded $1 million from the federal government to study just how small they can make electronic devices.

As part of a $417.5 billion defense spending package that recently passed both houses of Congress, Michigan Tech's Center for Nanomaterials Research could receive the $1 million grant for research in nanotechnology for military equipment. The bill awaits the president's signature for its final approval.

"Nanotechnology allows electronic systems to be smaller and use less power," said Friedrich.

Friedrich's research in nanotechnology could also have implications beyond the military. "This is clearly critically needed research in the defense arena, but so frequently research like this often has applications in a variety of other areas," said Dale Tahtinen, vice president for governmental relations. "His work is really cutting edge."

Friedrich and his associates (Paul Bergstrom, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; Ashok Goel, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; Miguel Levy, associate professor of physics; Owen Mills, senior engineer for materials and science engineering; and Peter Moran, assistant professor of materials science and engineering) are focusing on creating nanoelectronics and communication nano-devices, connecting nano-devices with micro-devices and integrating protein sensors with nanoeletronics to develop complete nanosensing systems.

"Like so many research projects at Michigan Tech, this will have enormously positive results," said Tahtinen. "And Michigan Tech's reputation as a superb research university, doing world-class work, will be additionally enhanced."

This grant will be the latest of three grants the center has received from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Department of Defense. In August 2003, MTU received $1.4 million, and in June 2004 another $2.8 million was given to the university for research in nanotechnology.

"The type of nanotechnology we are currently doing is taking existing things and making them smaller," said Friedrich. "With this third appropriation, we will start the other approach to nanotechnology, in which we will be building things from the atomic level up."

Friedrich hopes that this research on these small devices will have a big impact in the future.

"It has been a challenge, but also very exciting because we are working in an area in which it is difficult to make, measure and work with the materials," said Friedrich. "It's interesting to dream up new applications for what we are doing. We are asking ourselves the 'what if' kinds of questions on a daily basis."

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6. AQUA TERRA ENTERPRISE DOES GOOD IN BAD WEATHER

"A lot of the work we do is in bad weather," John Gierke says proudly of his Aqua Terra Tech team.

Out in the woods, often in snow or pounding rain, the students test water wells and perform geophysical surveys to figure out what's going on under their feet. Their goal is to characterize unseen groundwater resources and predict how the water might be affected by human activity and natural climatic variability.

Their most-recent client is the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Over the past three years, funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Aqua Terra Tech Enterprise has been developing and testing a hydrological model of the Silver River watershed. They have analyzed the region's geology and topography, studied the river and the water table, looked at precipitation and even tracked temperature in order to estimate evaporation.

They use special software that can determine with reasonable certainty what will happen to the water table under current conditions-and even forecast what could happen if, say, a development were to be built somewhere in the watershed.

"It lets us do 'what-if' tests," said Gierke, an associate professor of geological and environmental engineering. For a proposed future project they plan to analyze the impact of placing septic fields near lakes.

"If the model shows the flow is fast in a certain area, commonly closest to a lake, then you should keep the septic fields farther from the shore, because if they do not operate as designed they could contaminate the lake," he said.

Marc Slis, the water quality specialist for the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, says the model shows promise in predicting the effects of development on the reservation. "They have created a powerful tool that could have a lot of value in helping the tribe make future land-use decisions," he said, adding, "The KBIC's support for this project shows their commitment to the environment. It's part of their culture and philosophy."

Next, Aqua Terra Tech hopes to take their expertise to another part of the world that has another set of problems: Nicaragua. The city of Boaco has a good water distribution system, but the water, drawn from a nearby river, is iffy at best. "We could try to find a groundwater supply and design a system for them," Gierke says. "The city wouldn't have to pay the engineering costs, and the students would get tremendous experience in engineering as well as working in a very different cultural setting."

"We wouldn't be competing with any local engineering design firms," he adds, anticipating the question. In such a poverty-ridden region, "nobody's competing."

It sounds like another perfect project for the team whose slogan reads like an SUV ad: Rugged. Dependable. Weather resistant.

 

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7. ALBERTA CELEBRATES GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY AUG. 7

Michigan Tech and the Alberta Village Museum Association will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the acquisition of the Ford Forestry Center at Alberta on Saturday, Aug. 7.

The sawmill was the key part of Alberta, a model community built by Henry Ford in the 1930s and named after the daughter of H. C. Johnson, the supervisor of Ford's U.P. operations. The mill and the people who ran it provided wood for Ford cars, but as the company's demand for wood decreased, it scaled back its Alberta operations. In 1954 the Ford Motor Company donated Alberta and 1,700 acres of surrounding forest to Michigan Tech. The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science has been running the Center since. The School now uses the center for their Fall Practicum for juniors in Forestry and Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences degree programs, teaching, outreach, and research efforts. The Alberta Village Museum Association also runs tours of the sawmill.

A short program will be held at 1 p.m. including a talk by MTU alumnus Roger Rogge, the former manager of the Ford Forestry Center. Michigan Tech President Glenn Mroz and Margaret Gale, dean of forest resources and environmental science, will also be featured.

Bill Kreipke, Ford's corporate historian, will present a bust of Henry Ford to be displayed in the Alberta Museum. He will also sign copies of his book, "Ford Motor Company: The First Hundred Years," after the program.

The event also includes tours of the Alberta village, a car show, which will include vintage cars to the MTU Ford FutureTruck and cookout. The cookout, featuring hamburgers and brats, starts at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $11 and include tours of Alberta and the Ford Historic Sawmill. Anyone planning to attend the luncheon who has not already preregistered is asked to contact the MTU Alumni Association at 487-2400. Alberta is located about eight miles south of L'Anse on U.S. 41.

Anyone with vintage cars-especially Fords-is invited to bring their vehicles to the Forest Forestry Center the morning of Aug. 7 by 10 a.m. The show is slated to begin at about 11 a.m.

Forty-five minute tours of the mill and its surrounding buildings will be held every 20 minutes starting at 2 p.m., with the last tour starting at 4 p.m. The cost for those not attending the luncheon is $5 for adults, $3 for school children and free for preschoolers.

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8. INTERNATIONAL FOOD FEST SATURDAY AT THE HEIGHTS

Come and experience food from around the world at the Sixth Annual Daniell Heights International Food Festival on Saturday, Aug. 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Booths will be set up near 2012 Woodmar Dr., in the park. In case of rain, the festival will be held in the community room (MTU Preschool), near building 2001.

The food festival is sponsored by the Daniell Heights Residents Council.