1. RUPPE TO SPEAK AT MIDYEAR COMMENCEMENT
Former congressman Philip Ruppe will address graduates at Midyear Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 11.
The university will honor the achievements of more than 400 graduating students, including 295 bachelor's degree candidates and seven graduates receiving associate degrees. Eighteen doctoral degrees will be awarded, as well as 81 master of science degrees and two master of engineering degrees.
Also at the ceremony, Ruppe will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Forest Resources and Environmental Science in recognition of his stewardship of the natural resources of northern Michigan. While representing Michigan's First Congressional District, from 1967 to 1979, he championed Great Lakes protection and played a key role in designating most of Isle Royale National Park as wilderness. He also helped gain passage of the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, which helps reclaim and restore mined lands.
The Loret Miller Ruppe Peace Corps Master's International Program, named for his late wife, gives students essential training before they undertake environmental and natural resources assignments with the Peace Corps in developing countries.
Ruppe, now of Palm Beach, Fla., was born in Laurium and graduated from Yale University. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he returned home to become president of the family business, Bosch Brewing Company.
As U.S. representative, he was a member of the Interior Committee and ranking member of the Merchant Marine Committee.
Ruppe served as a director of Houghton National Bank, Commercial National Bank of L'Anse and R. L. Polk & Company of Detroit.
His has been active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, and served on the Michigan Tech Fund Board of Trustees. He is a member of the university's Second Century Society.
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2. ZEKAVAT RECEIVES NSF FUNDING FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION
Assistant Professor Seyed "Reza" Zekavat (Electrical and Computer Engineering) has received two National Science Foundation grants totalling more than $800,000.
With a $350,000 grant, he aims to conduct fundamental research on wireless local positioning systems. With a $462,000 award, he will develop a new multidisciplinary version of the traditional course, "Introduction to Electrical Engineering for Non-Electrical Engineers."
Global positioning systems provide you with your location on the planet, while wireless local positioning systems (WLPS) tell you where others are positioned with respect to you. Unlike GPS, however, WLPS can operate indoors and in urban areas.
Zekavat gives an example. "Say you have 10 robot firefighters in a burning building," he says. "They should know where the others are." WLPS could also be used to improve road safety. "If you had transceivers in all vehicles, you could know the position of the other cars and help drivers avoid accidents," Zekavat said. The Department of Transportation has been encouraging automakers to develop such safety devices to install in all vehicles.
Wireless positioning systems have two main components: the dynamic base station and the transceiver. The base station sends a signal out asking, in effect, "Is anybody there?" The transceiver responds with a "Here I am" signal. From the direction of the signal and the time it takes to get an answer, the base station can tell where the transceiver is.
Such information would be a godsend for the military. "Every soldier could have a simple transceiver that costs less than 5 cents strapped to his wrist," Zekavat says. "It could help keep us from bombing our own troops."
The project will support a new lab and three graduate students and will involve about 15 undergraduates through the Wireless Communications and Integrated Systems Enterprise. Zekavat will be collaborating with researchers at George Mason University on the project.
Wireless positioning systems are an example of the type of technology he plans to consider in his new curriculum teaching electrical engineering to non-majors. With his second NSF grant, he will address shortcomings in the current teaching approach.
"Every type of engineering uses electronic devices," he notes. But there's a hitch. While engineers in all fields need to know the fundamentals of electrical engineering, what chemical engineers need to know may have little in common with what's important to mechanical engineers.
That's the main problem with most EE-for-nonmajors courses. Students complain that the one-size-fits-all approach doesn't give them the information they need.
Over the next four years, Zekavat plans to address that shortfall by developing a basic lecture and lab course for all the students. In addition, anything that isn't important for all non-major students would be taught via a Web-based teaching system. "So we'd tell the civil engineering majors they need to look at a lesson on the Web specifically designed for them that wouldn't be necessary for mechanical engineers," he said. "Some topics we might not cover in class at all, but we'd tell chemical engineering majors to review them independently."
The project involves a team of researchers from all of Michigan Tech's engineering departments, as well as the Department of Education. The first version of the curriculum, due out in January 2006, will serve as the basis for a new textbook.
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3. BOARD OF CONTROL TO MEET DEC. 10
Michigan Tech's Board of Control will meet at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, in the Memorial Union Ballroom.
Agenda items include a proposed university legal counsel, new furniture for Douglass Houghton Hall and a closed session for a periodic evaluation of the university president.
Board meetings are open to the public, and all members of the MTU community are welcome.
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4. Y'ALL COME: ATTRACTING COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS TO MTU
The number of students transferring to Michigan Tech this year was up about 9 percent, and the majority are from community colleges.
That's no accident. Mark Provoast, assistant director for recruitment in Admissions, spearheads the ongoing effort to attract qualified transfer students to the university.
Much of the work is one on one. He and the Admissions staff visit most community colleges in Michigan at least once a year, and also cross the border to meet with students in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. "I did go to a Florida transfer fair at Miami Dade Community College. They have around 60,000 students," he says.
Provoast and other Admissions staff attend transfer fairs at community colleges, where students can get information from representatives of four-year colleges and universities. "We also make regular visits, when wel set up a booth and talk with students," he says. "Sometimes, we'll go into classrooms." Prime examples are Northwestern Michigan College and Alpena Community College, which have strong preparatory programs for students interested in engineering. For students who can't leave their communities, Michigan Tech also offers distance learning programs at Northwestern Michigan, Delta and Henry Ford community colleges.
It's become a truism at MTU that students who visit here, come here. So the Admissions staff work with community colleges to organize trips to campus. Every year, Michigan Tech hosts van loads of students from five to eight community colleges, who visit campus and spend a night or two in the residence halls. "This lets them get a first hand look at MTU," says Provoast.
Nothing is more frustrating for transfer students than to find out that the courses they took at a community college won't count toward their bachelor's degree. "They are a very cost-conscious group," he observes. So Provoast attends meetings sponsored by the Michigan Engineering Colleges/Community Colleges Liaison Committee that address how well community college curricula are preparing students to continue their engineering education and see if any changes are in order.
"We also work with community college counselors and attend conference that address transfer issues, so students can make a smooth transition," he says. "We try to be proactive through the whole process."
He credited Nancy Gagnon, a senior staff assistant in Student Records and Registration, for her work in evaluating transfer courses. "She does a lot of work behind the scenes," he said. In addition, Admissions maintains an online guide for potential transfer students, so they can see what courses they need to prepare for various bachelor degree programs.
To attract stellar transfers, Admissions buys lists from the Phi Theta Kappa honor society that track some of the nation's best community college students. These students will receive a packet of information about Michigan Tech, including the Academic Excellence Award, which provides reduced tuition for out-of-state students with a high GPA.
"And we are looking at advertising in community college newspapers," Provoast says. Since community college students typically begin applying to four-year institutions during their last semester, those ads will probably be placed early next year.
Provoast is a big fan of new degree programs, since they give transfer students one more reason to come to Michigan Tech. "We've been receiving a lot of inquiries about the BS in Computer Network and System Administration offered through the School of Technology," he says. Programs such as this one can give MTU an edge. That's especially important, since the number of universities offering engineering programs in the region has skyrocketed in the past 20 years.
Provoast is optimistic that the number of transfer students coming to MTU will continue to rise. "We hope to go up another 10 percent next year," he says. "We definitely want that area to grow."
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5. MEMORIAL SERVICE SUNDAY
As most of you know, Peck and Christina Cho were both injured last weekend in a traffic accident that claimed the lives of their two children. Peck is a professor in the MEEM department, and Christina is an adjunct assistant professor in the education department. A memorial service for their son and daughter, Hann and Dani, will be held Sunday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church in Houghton.
Flowers may be sent to them care of their neighbors at the following address:
Julia and Alex Friend
21860 Woodland Road
Houghton, MI 49931
Cards and other expressions of sympathy may be sent to
Peck and Christina Cho
21863 Woodland Road
Houghton, MI 49931
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6. SLOW-BREAKING NEWS: 1901 PHYSICS FACULTY GET A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD
Michigan Tech's entire physics faculty will be recognized by Guinness World Records in the next edition of its famous book, a mere 103 years after their record-shattering feat.
While researching the department's history, physics professor Bryan Suits discovered that four former faculty members, including James Fisher, Nathan Osborne, Elmer Grant and Fred McNair, had built several 4,000-plus feet (1.3 km) pendula in the old Tamarack Mine shafts near Calumet back in 1901.
Impressed, Suits contacted Guinness and found that their current record pendulum was only 22.5 meters, about 75 feet. "I said, 'Maybe you'd like to hear about ours,'" Suits recalls.
McNair, who was president of the then-Michigan College of Mines, and his colleagues did not build their pendulum to set any records. "The whole reason they were doing this was to map out what was going on in the mines," Suits said. The mining company had just dug a new shaft, the No. 5--at over 4,000 feet deep, the Tamarack shafts were then the deepest in the world--and they wanted to dig a tunnel between the new shaft and a tunnel from another shaft.
That maneuver, while common in underground mines, had never been tried at 4,000-plus feet. The shafts were hundreds of feet apart, the copper was somewhere in between, and the risk was that miners would tunnel in the wrong direction and miss completely.
For help with the problem, the mine engineers called the experts, and the physics faculty put together a plan. Using steel piano wire, they would hang two plumb lines in each shaft, with 50-pound weights at the bottom. This would allow them to establish reference lines at the bottom of the shafts, so that miners could dig tunnels at the bottom and eventually link up.
"This was standard mining stuff," Suits says. "It's just that no one had ever done it anywhere near this deep before."
Once the lines in No. 5 were in place, McNair's party was lowered to the bottom of the shaft. "I saw a picture of how they actually got down there; it was called a man cage," Suits says. "It's not very big, and it doesn't actually have doors on it or anything."
Once they got there, one of the first things McNair's team did was measure the distance between the plumb bobs at the bottom. Theoretically, they should have been the same distance apart as the lines at the top or perhaps slightly closer, given the curvature of the earth. McNair was surprised, then, to find that they were about an inch farther apart.
The second thing they did was to push the bobs aside and let them swing, "exactly what you would expect a physicist to do," said Suits. A full swing took a bit over one minute.
The group also tried experiments with falling objects and performed ultra-precise measurements of the force of gravity as a function of depth. The group addressed the mining problem using pairs of plumb lines in the No. 2 and No. 4 shafts, finding similar results. The longest pendulum they reported was 4,440 feet in shaft No. 4, and it is this pendulum that will be memorialized by Guinness World Records.
The story was picked up in the popular press, including the Daily Mining Gazette, which reported that forces such as magnetism, or even some new physical phenomenon, might have caused the plumb lines to diverge.
"In the early 1900s, people were really into science," Suits said. "It was quite amazing. The Gazette article was very technical. People then were just seeing technology in their daily lives and were very interested in how science was going to affect them in the future."
Then as now, people were also into pseudoscience. "This got the hollow earth people excited," Suits said. "They thought we were living on the inside of a sphere rather than on the outside."
The pseudoscientific interpretations still exist, apparently. If you run a search on the Web for the words "Tamarack mine" and "plumb," you can find references to the experiment along with arguments that, for example, the earth's center of gravity is 4,000 miles out in space.
After making extensive measurements, the actual explanation of the diverging plumb bobs proved a bit more pedestrian. McNair published his findings in Science, concluding that the natural air currents circulating in the shaft caused the lines to hang a little off center.
For Suits, the charm of the story lies less in identifying the world-record pendulum as in visualizing MTU's former president poking around in a hole almost a mile deep in the rock. "Here you have Fred McNair, the president of the college and a Fellow in the American Physical Society, and three other good physicists. And they are all at the bottom of this mine making measurements and getting dirty."
They didn't even go down there to do science, he notes. They were just helping to solve a mining problem. "But it became curiosity-driven research," he says. "So they did what any good scientists would do. They thought, 'No one's been down this deep before; let's see if there's anything unusual going on.'"
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7. CHRISTMAS SALE AT THE MINERAL MUSEUM
The Seaman Mineral Museum gift shop is offering a 20 percent Christmas sale discount on all merchandise from Thursday, Dec. 9 to Wednesday, Dec. 15.
This is the only time all year that all merchandise is 20 percent off. The shop features a wide selection of distinctive gifts: decorative native copper, locally handcrafted gemstone jewelry, agate bookends and polished slices, crystal growing kits, gem tree kits, natural candle holders, amethyst, and great books about dinosaurs, rocks and minerals, volcanoes and more. Maybe you just need a stocking stuffer? Then stop by and purchase a ponderstone, a geode, or an embossed felt bag with tumbled stones.
Drop in at the museum and pick up something that will surprise your friends and family. And you can look around "The Mineralogical Museum of Michigan" during your visit.
The museum and gift shop are open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. During the Christmas sale, hours are Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
The A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum is located on the fifth floor of the Electrical Energy Resources Center. Access is by elevators only. Tell your friends about our weekend hours, as weekend parking is free anywhere on campus.
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8. CHRISTMAS CRAFT BAZAAR SUNDAY
The 34th Annual Tech Christmas Craft Bazaar (formerly the Tech Wives Bazaar) will be held Sunday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the SDC Varsity Wood Gym. Admission is one nonperishable food item.
All proceeds will be donated to local charities in the spirit of Christmas giving. Over $70,000 has been donated over the past years.
The bazaar features many local crafters and wonderful handmade gifts of all kinds.
The bazaar is sponsored by the Daniell Heights Residents' Council. For more information, call Catherine Webster at 483-8256.
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9. MUSHROOMS IN THE MOUNTAINS
Mycologist Dana L. Richter chronicles multitudes of remarkable mushrooms from the Huron Mountains in Michigan Botanist, Vol. 43, No. 2.
Richter, a research scientist II in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, has been surveying mushrooms on the 20,000-acre Huron Mountain Club property for years, concentrating on the 7,000 acres of old growth forest near the south shore of Lake Superior. His article, "Rare and Unusual Fungi (Basidiomycota) of the Huron Mountains, Marquette County, Michigan," builds on the works of the late Alexander H. Smith of the University of Michigan, who collected extensively in the Huron Mountains in the 1960s and 1970s and named many new species.
"The area is comparable to the Sylvania Tract or the Porcupine Mountains wilderness areas," Richter says. Throughout most of the property, there are no vehicles and few feet, so the land is very quiet and undisturbed.
Plus, the region has some unusual geology. "This is unique," Richter said. "It's an area of ancient mountains."
As a result, you can find mushrooms there that you're not likely to find anywhere else around here, at least not in great numbers.
"It makes it quite a special field research station," Richter said.
Among the 23 mushrooms he characterizes is Laetiporus huroniensis, a ruffled, bright yellow-and-orange sulfur-shelf mushroom. It was recently named a separate species, based in part upon Richter's collection.
Another of his favorites is Tricholoma magnivalare, which he describes as "a robust, firm, cream-colored mushroom with a sharp fragrance." Says Richter, "It's a very special mushroom out West," where it's made into a gourmet paste used in Japanese cuisine. "But it's very uncommon here."
And there's Volvariella bombycina, a mushroom so rare that Richter himself has only seen it twice. With it's velvety, alabaster caps and stems growing out of light brown, scalloped cups, it is, as he says, "strikingly beautiful."
Richter's work is made possible by the Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation, which facilitates scientific research within the Huron Mountain Club. Yes, he says, it's an extraordinary place to study these fascinating fungi.
"They are so diverse in their textures and colors," Richter says, adding, "It's truly a wonderful world."
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10. MORE INFO ON TECHSELECT
If you would like detailed information about the 2005 dental plans and about the 2005 TechSelect open enrollment process, visit the Benefits website at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/benefits/index.shtml .
If you do not turn in a TechSelect form by the Dec. 13 deadline, your health insurance plan will default to the Standard Plan, and your flexible spending accounts will be zeroed. All other benefits will remain the same.
If TechSelect forms are turned in late, through Friday, Dec. 17, a $25 late fee will be charged if you want to keep the Premium Plan health insurance and your flexible spending account, or if you want to make any other changes. No TechSelect forms will be accepted after Dec. 17.
If you have any questions or need help filling out your TechSelect form, call Maryann Wilcox at 487-3309 or 487-2517, or email mawilcox at mtu.edu.
Department coordinators, administrative aides and secretaries should contact any faculty or staff in their departments who are on a leave of absence or sabbatical to inform them that TechSelect forms are due in the Benefits Office no later than Monday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m. You may have to forward their TechSelect forms to them. The Benefits Office can accept completed TechSelect forms via fax, 906-487-3220, from employees who are away from campus.
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11. INTERLIBRARY LOAN HOLIDAY DEADLINE COMING UP
Due to the upcoming holidays, the last day to order books through interlibrary loan at the Van Pelt Library is Dec. 17; the last day to order articles is Dec. 21. The interlibrary loan regular ordering schedule resumes Jan. 3.
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12. BLAIR ORR HONORED BY PEACE CORPS
Blair Orr, an associate professor in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, has received a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Recognition Award, Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez has announced.
Orr received Peace Corps's individual award for returned volunteer service for his contributions in creating educational opportunities for returned volunteers. In 1995, Orr developed the first Master's International program at Michigan Tech and is currently the program's coordinator. He has also helped initiate two other Master's International programs at MTU and helped establish the university's Fellows/USA program. For more information on the Master's International programs at MTU, visit http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/
Orr started the tradition of a monthly pizza night where returned volunteers in the area could meet current Master's International students. These meetings have allowed returned volunteers to share their experiences with potential volunteers who are going through the Peace Corps application process.
As coordinator of the forestry Master's International program, Orr offers preparation and support to his students. One returned volunteer commented, "Professor Orr is truly an incredible, tireless and supportive advisor. He is one of the main reasons I feel my program was fulfilling, challenging and successful."
From 1978 to 1981, Orr served as a volunteer in Lesotho, where he worked on agro-forestry projects. Upon his return to the U.S., he received his master's degree in economics and his PhD in Forest Economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
The Peace Corps presented its group service recognition award to the Chicago Area Peace Corps Association. Periodically, the Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association select an outstanding returned Peace Corps volunteer and returned volunteer group for special recognition. For more information on recent award winners, visit http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.former.staycon.rpcvmonth .
Since 1961, more than 171,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, information technology, business development, the environment and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a two-year commitment.
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13. NEW TENANT IN THE SMARTZONE
SHAFI, Inc., a company developing and implementing 3D vision and robot guidance software, has become the seventh tenant of the Powerhouse incubator in the Michigan Tech SmartZone.
The company's headquarters are located in Brighton, but company president Adil Shafi was interested in establishing an office in Houghton to develop stronger ties with Michigan Tech and its students.
"The SmartZone provided us with a way to establish an office in Houghton easily and quickly," Shafi said. "Michigan Tech has terrific students and educational programs that can amplify our ability to experiment, innovate and enhance our products. We will initially hire students to work and will manage them on a part-time basis; at the same time, we are planning for our operation in Houghton to grow and to employ full-time team members."
SHAFI, Inc. is known for its work in the field of flexible factory automation. "SHAFI will be a terrific addition to the area," MTEC's CEO Alan West said. "This is a good example of how the SmartZone can assist high-tech companies from outside the region to set up offices here."
The SmartZone's mission is to foster the creation of technology start-up companies, attract outside high-tech companies to the region and to assist the growth of local technology companies.
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14. TEACHING AT TECH--TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
by William Kennedy, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development
The Educause Center for Applied Research recently released the results of a national survey of students at 13 colleges and universities.* Generally, students expressed concern with the manner in which instructors employed educational technology in the classroom. Complaints ranged from cramming too many words on PowerPoint slides, to wasting time fumbling with LCD projectors and getting software to work, to devoting too much time to learning how to use a quirky Web tool, to requiring students to spend out of class time participating in unmoderated and largely unintegrated chat rooms. Ironically, other surveyed students complained about professors who fail to employ technology when it would actually facilitate student learning. Ever get the feeling you can't win?
My own experience with technology in the classroom may be somewhat instructive in this regard. In my College Teaching course, I encourage students to employ whatever tools they feel that they need to foster student learning in the mini-lessons that they prepare and deliver to their classmates. Being digital show-offs at heart, many want to use elaborate PowerPoint-based concoctions with oodles of embedded mpeg, jpeg and bmp files. The classroom I teach in has all the toys but, for apparently metaphysical reasons, it won't let me access any Microsoft software unless I additionally log into my office computer using something called Remote Desk Top. Because my office computer is in a different building, students need to provide me with their PowerPoint megafiles via a series of email attachments prior to the commencement of the class session. Sending multipart files via email is another adventure on its own. In the end, getting all of this running at the exact moment that students need it requires that I arrive at class at least 15 minutes early and remember an equivalent number of steps and passwords to those I would need to initiate a remote launch sequence for the Starship Enterprise. Imagine my joy during class, the other day, when I asked a student to turn off the room lights so that we could better see the projected computer image and instead, he accidentally flipped off the wall-mounted circuit breakers that control the classroom computer system.
PowerPoint presentations, it turns out, bore the brunt of student complaints in this survey. On the positive side, students admitted some instructors use computer-generated slides in useful ways, and most said the slides were easier to read than the chalkboard scrawls of some professors.
On the negative side, students complained about instructors who simply dump pages of notes into PowerPoint and then read them out loud in class. Students said this discourages them from coming to class. Many choose, instead, to retrieve copies of the slides from other students or from the Web. Some professors have taken to leaving critical gaps in their PowerPoint presentations to discourage students from missing class. Students observed that, unlike old-fashioned overhead transparencies, PowerPoint does not easily allow for customizing the order of presentation, nor does it allow for annotation using a marking pen.
Most students liked the online discussion forums in classes using course shells like WebCT, but many say that unless the instructor regularly participates in those forums they quickly lose interest. Many students commented that the course shells provide several avenues for engaging students that typically remain unused.
In the end, it's probably safe to say that incorporating technology into our teaching is a time-consuming process fraught with perils and promises. Learning what works and refining our practice takes time, patience, and a willingness to listen to our students.
*ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology, 2004: Convenience, Connection, and Control.
15. A WINTER WONDERLAND NOW AT THE ROZSA
Submitted by University Cultural Enrichment
Through Dec. 8, the Rozsa Center will be decked out for the holiday season as never before, as 18 beautifully lit and decorated Christmas trees add a brilliant sparkle to the lobby. Created by area artists and businesses, the trees (many with handmade ornaments) will be sold to the highest bidders in a silent auction to benefit the Class Acts outreach program for area schools and programming at the Rozsa. Purchase a tree and decorate your home or business with an original work of art that you can enjoy for years to come.
Trees range in size from tabletop to full size. Some are elegant and gorgeous, others fun and funky. All are unique. From Frosty Keweenaw by Nancy Leonard of the Einerlei to A Merry Fitness and a Happy New Rear by the ACE Group of the Keweenaw Memorial Fitness Center, from Festive Aviary Neighborhood by Mary Ann Predebon of Portage Lake Clayworks to Deck the Waves by Skipper Deb Kinzi and First Mate Mike Irish, there is a special tree to delight everyone.
The lobby will be open for public viewing during the following hours:
Wednesday-Friday, Dec. 1-3: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 4: 5:30-9:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 5: Closed
Monday-Tuesday, Dec. 6-7: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 8: 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. (approximately)
The auction will close after the intermission of "A Christmas Carol" on Dec. 8, and the results will be posted by the end of the show that evening. The highest bidders will be notified by the Rozsa Center Box Office.
This event is organized by the Friends of the Rozsa. Benefits from all Friends memberships, fundraisers and galas support Class Acts and programming at the Rozsa and help to keep ticket prices affordable. For more information, please call the MTU Great Events Series Office (487-2844).
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16. LUNCH-N-LEARN FRIDAY ON LYMPHEDEMA
Learn more about lymphedema and how to treat it at the Benefits Office's next lunch-n-learn on Friday, Dec. 3, in the Memorial Union Red Metal Room from noon to 1 p.m.
Lymphedema is swelling as a result of obstruction of lymphatic vessels or lymph nodes. The speaker will be Sharon Fisher, an occupational therapist with Keweenaw Memorial Rehab and Fitness Centers. Bring your lunch; water and beverages will be provided. Show your Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan ID card, Group 55248, and be eligible to win some great prizes.
This event is being held cooperatively with Keweenaw Memorial Medical Center.
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17. "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" WEDNESDAY AT THE ROZSA
Submitted by University Cultural Enrichment
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is a merry show and an excellent choice for the whole family. You couldn't wish for a more festive opening for the Christmas season. The Rozsa lobby will be a forest of sparkling Christmas trees, and choirs from Houghton Elementary and Hancock High School will welcome the audience with carols of their own. And in the true spirit of the season, the Superior National Bank in Hancock has generously rewarded the choristers with complimentary tickets so that they can join the audience.
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 8, performance are on sale at the Rozsa Box Office (487-3200, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) or online at http://www.tickets.mtu.edu. The lobby trees are part of the Friends of the Rozsa Christmas Tree silent auction and are open to all for viewing during lobby hours from Wednesday, Dec. 1, through the Christmas Carol performance. "A Christmas Carol" is sponsored by the MTU Student Entertainment Board with funding from the MTU Student Activity Fee and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
The magic on stage begins when the curtain opens on a busy street in London at Christmas time in the 1880s. For a few seconds--long enough for the audience to appreciate this colorful scene peopled with colorfully dressed shoppers and merchants displaying their wares--nothing moves. It looks like an old-fashioned Currier and Ives Victorian Christmas card. Is it real? Indeed yes! The characters come to life, and thus begins this joyful musical adaptation of Dickens' beloved classic tale of the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from miserable miser to happy philanthropist.
The Nebraska Theatre Caravan Company has been touring Charles Jones's adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" since 1979, performing it annually to more than 100,000 people in 50 cities across the country. Remarkably faithful to the original text, this lively ensemble delivers up a true Christmas feast.
Come early to the performance to enjoy the singing in the lobby and stroll among the forest of beautifully decorated trees for the Friends of the Rozsa Christmas Tree Silent Auction. You could leave the Rozsa having had not only an enjoyable evening in the theater, but also a fully decorated and unique tree that will be a lasting memento for years to come. Bids for the auction will be closed after intermission.
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18. THE MESSIAH COMES TO THE ROZSA SATURDAY
Submitted by the Department of Fine Arts
Handel's "Messiah" will be presented by the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, the Michigan Tech Concert Choir and four guest soloists at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, in the Rozsa Center. Continuo accompaniment will be performed on the Johannus organ by Michigan Tech alumnus Eric Hepp and on harpsichord by Concert Choir accompanist Susan Byykkonen. Conducted by Milton Olsson, chair of the Department of Fine Arts, this concert continues the department's tradition of performing "Messiah" every four years. This performance is made possible by a grant from the Copper Range Abstract & Title Agency of Houghton and by funding from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Soloists will be four distinguished concert artists: Victoria Walker, soprano; Lorna March, mezzo; Siddhartha Misra, tenor; and Wayne Hanmer, bass. Walker has performed extensively in the U.S. and Europe in opera, oratorio and art song. Her two previous performances with the KSO received rave reviews. March is well known to local audiences for her acclaimed performances with Pine Mountain Music Festival and with the KSO. She is an active soloist in both operas and oratorios.
Misra first performed in the Keweenaw last summer as a resident opera artist in the Pine Mountain Music Festival, singing the role of Ernesto in Don Pasquale. He is a highly acclaimed and active musician with a burgeoning career as a recitalist and operatic tenor. Hanmer has been principal soloist with the Marquette Choral Society for more than 20 years. A member of the Carnegie Hall Festival Singers since 2000, he conducts the Marquette County Chamber Chorale, which he founded, and the Marquette Male Chorus. He has sung frequently with the KSO, including the premiere of the Gustav Gundlach Mass in A and previous performances of "Messiah".
The 2004 performance of "Messiah" marks the eighth presentation of this masterwork by Michigan Tech's ensembles. The 2004 performance in the Rozsa Center will include all three parts of "Messiah," abridged to retain the integrity of the oratorio within a concert of approximately 100 minutes in length.
Tickets are available for $15 general, $5 students from the Rozsa Center Box Office, 487-3200 and http://www.tickets.mtu.edu, the SDC Central Ticket Office, Tech Express in the Memorial Union, and the Calumet Theatre.
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19. FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS CELEBRATION DEC. 7
Join the Michigan Tech community, the City of Houghton and MTU's Inter-Fraternity Council for a celebration of the winter season on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.
Everyone is invited to help decorate the Tree of Peace from 6 to 7 p.m. in the main lobby of the J. R. Van Pelt Library. Messages of peace may be written on origami cranes to be displayed on the tree. President Glenn Mroz will offer a few words of peace and then light the campus tree at 7 p.m.
The Department of Fine Arts will provide music. Cocoa and hot cider will be served. Afterward, everyone will be encouraged to walk across campus and down College Avenue to see the decorated trees and homes. After your walk, take a drive through Houghton to see the decorated homes in the community.
For more information, contact the Office of Student Life at 487-1963.
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20. PRAISE IN EFFECT GOSPEL CHOIR CONCERT SUNDAY
Michigan Tech's Praise in Effect Gospel Choir will hold a concert on Sunday, Dec . 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Evangel Baptist Church, at 1114 College Ave. in Houghton. The event is free and open to the public.
21. PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM THURSDAY
Associate Professor Igor Kliakhandler (Mathematical Sciences) will present a physics colloquium, "Following G. I. Taylor: Simple Experiments with Interesting Theory," on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 4 p.m., in Fisher 139.
Kliakhandler will conduct four simple fluid mechanics experiments: 1. the flow of viscous oil down a fishing line; 2. chain of bubbles in polymer solution; 3. lifting Hele-Shaw flow; and 4. slow rupture of a polymer film.
His current research interests are fluid mechanics and finance. For more information, contact Yoke Khin Yap (ykyap@mtu.edu, 487-2900) or Ranjit Pati (patir@mtu.edu, 487-3193).
