October 26, 2001, Vol. 34, No. 9
GM Donates EV1 to Michigan Tech
Campus Campaign Fast Facts
Plan Ahead! Help Students and Get a Great Deal on a Christmas Tree
RFP for Faculty Scholarship Grants
Mixed Media Art Exhibit at the Library
Teaching at Tech: Developing Course Websites
Legendary Singer-Songwriter Comes to the Rozsa
Spirit of the Harvest Powwow Nov. 3
Speakers' Forum Features Buffy Sainte-Marie
Bresette Memorial Walk/Run Nov. 3
Trick or Troupe this Halloween
November Computer Classes
Weight Watcher Meetings Start Monday in the MUB
Seminar Nov. 1 on X-by-Wire Technology
In Print
On the Road
Calendar
No New Job Postings this Week
Bill Curnow, director, University Relations
Marcia Goodrich, Tech Topics editor
Gail Sweeting, electronic marketing assistant
Information to be included in Tech Topics should be submitted to the Tech Topics editor in one of the following ways:
By electronic mail--send information to ttopics@mtu.edu
By interdepartmental mail--send double-spaced, typed copies to the attention of Tech Topics editor, University Relations.
Each week, the deadline for submitting information is Friday at 5:00 p.m. for the following Friday distribution.
News (Back to Contents)
GM Donates EV1 to Michigan Tech
One of the most significant vehicles of the 20th century has rolled out of a semi and onto a parking lot at the Harold Meese Center.
Michigan Tech is among 40 universities and museums nationwide to receive an EV1 from General Motors through its GM EV1 Research Donation Program. As its name suggests, the EV1 is an electric vehicle, but it is far more than a battery-powered car.
The EV1 was produced with a host of innovations and was awarded 23 patents for its advanced features. While it's no longer being marketed, it is still the most energy-efficient vehicle ever to be mass-produced.
This first modern-day, state-of-the-art electric vehicle represents breakthrough engineering, using technologies from areas such as military research and aerospace.
The donated EV1s do not include the vehicle's standard 1,310-pound battery pack. General Motors' primary objective in donating EV1s to museums and universities is to encourage continued education, R&D of advanced technology and environmentally sustainable transportation systems.
Kevin Geshel, director of corporate development, says the EV1 will have an intrinsic appeal to students.
"While the primary job of engineering students is to learn the fundamentals, it's the application that students usually find the most interesting," he said. "If Michigan Tech engineering students have a passion, it's usually for the car, the plane or the engine, not the equations."
Jay Meldrum, director of the Keweenaw Research Center, helped run tests on the EV1 several years ago, before coming to the University.
"It's the first American-made electric vehicle, and it has a whole bunch of cool technologies in it," he said.
The EV1 should be of interest to materials researchers at the University as well as mechanical and electrical engineers. The body is made out of aluminum, with space-age adhesives and rivets, "so it's very light yet very strong," Meldrum said. Like GM's Saturn, the EV1 has plastic body panels designed to bounce back from minor impacts. "You could walk up to a body panel, hit it with a hammer, and no one would ever know it had been hit."
It is also the most aerodynamic vehicle ever to be mass produced, thanks to a tear-drop design in which the rear wheelbase is narrower than the front. Its tires are designed to be inflated to 50 psi, almost as much pressure as a bicycle tire, and they repair themselves if they are ever punctured.
Michigan Tech plans to use the EV1 as the basis for a team learning project, and may eventually put it on display in the lobby of the R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building.
As Michigan Tech received its EV1, the General Motors Foundation also presented a check for $200,000 to support a variety of programs, ranging from student labs to diversity enhancement.
The annual Campus Campaign got under way on Sept. 24. Here are some things you may not know about this yearly effort:
RFP for Faculty Scholarship Grants
Applications for 2001-02 Faculty Scholarship Grants are being solicited from all eligible faculty members. The grants are used to fund professional development activities.
Information on applying is available at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/research/fsgrant/
Submit eight copies of your application to the vice provost for research no later than December 14.
Plan Ahead! Help Students and Get a Great Deal on a Christmas Tree
The Forestry Club and Xi Sigma Pi National Forestry Honors Society will be selling Christmas trees this year the weekends of Nov. 30-Dec. 2 and Dec. 7-9. Take advantage of discounted prices by ordering your Christmas tree before Nov. 16.
Pick out your tree species and height and e-mail Michelle Niemela at mmniemel@mtu.edu with your order. You'll be notified when your tree arrives. Payment will be due when you pick up your tree.
Balsam and Blue Spruce
6 ft.--$15
7 ft.--$15
8 ft.--$20
9 ft.--$20
10 ft.--$25
11 ft.--$30
12 ft.--$30
Pine: A French blue color unsprayed (can be sprayed a dark green at no extra cost)
6 ft.--$15
7 ft.--$15
8 ft.--$20
White Spruce: The white spruce this year appear perfect. They have a surprisingly bluish color.
6 ft.--$15
7 ft.--$15
8 ft.--$20
9 ft.--$22
Fraser Fir
6 ft.--$28
7 ft.--$32
8 ft.--$36
Douglas Fir
3-5 ft.--$12
5-6 ft.--$15
6-7 ft.--$18
7-8 ft.--$20
8-9 ft.--$25
9-10 ft.--$32
10-12 ft.--$40
12-14 ft.--$55
Table top trees (4 ft. and under)--$8 (no Fraser firs available).
Mixed Media Art Exhibit at the Library
A mixed-media exhibit by Phyllis Fredenall is on display through October in the Friends Lounge at the J. Robert Van Pelt Library.
The pieces were created to honor trees. The artist says the process of gathering her materials is both intentional and spontaneous. The act of making serves to center her as she considers anew these changing forms.
This exhibit is sponsored by the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock. For more information, contact the center at 483-2333.
Teaching at Tech: Developing Course Websites
By William Kennedy, director, Center for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Development
Orit Hazzan, a senior lecturer in the Department of Education in Technology and Science at the Technion (the Israel Institute of Technology) recently enumerated some key issues that faculty members might consider as they contemplate creating a Web site to support a course.* The full article, cited below, also contains examples of course Web pages to help fertilize the imagination.
First, Hazzan suggests that instructors carefully consider how putting material on a Web page might actually benefit their students. Putting only the course syllabus on the Web, for example, probably serves no real purpose other than inconveniencing students and increasing printing costs as students run off multiple copies of the document throughout the term. Posting course grades on the Web is very popular, but does it improve learning?
Hazzan says the course home page should clearly identify resources and provide students with easy access to information associated with that page. Course shells, like WebCT, make building in recognizable navigational tools on the homepage almost automatic. Figuring out which tools will be beneficial and weighing that benefit against the time and effort in building and maintaining Web pages are critical steps in the process.
Faculty members must determine early on what types of materials will be included on the course Web page. Types of Web resources include 1) static documents (like class notes or course readings), 2) interactive objects, such as simulations or online experiments that allow students to experience course content in new ways, 3) external references (like links to other Web sites), and 4) communications tools (e.g., e-mail, listservs, newsgroups or other discussion tools).
Hazzan suggests that instructors should consider the students' perspective. Does the Web site add value to a student's learning? How often will the students return to the site? What incentives are there to use the site? Will the site provide additional opportunities for students who are struggling with the course or additional challenges for high achievers?
Next, designers must decide if the Web site will be publicly accessible or limited to enrolled students. Will students be permitted to conduct open discussions using unmonitored chat rooms, or will interaction be mediated by a gatekeeper? Will opening up the site raise copyright concerns? Decisions about these access and policy considerations may unintentionally determine if and how students will actually use the site.
Facilitating communication among students outside of class and providing opportunities for students who are reticent to communicate in class are other benefits of Web-based instructional tools.
Ongoing maintenance of the site needs to be addressed early on in the design process. URLs in Web links tend to change frequently and unexpectedly and must be regularly updated. Monitoring student Web discussions or chat rooms is very time consuming and may alienate some students. Discussion groups that are moderated by the faculty member will quickly grind to a halt if the faculty member is not virtually glued to the computer night and day.
Finally, Hazzan suggests, instructors should keep this whole course Web site thing in perspective. In every field, there are literally thousands of interesting links that an instructor can build into a course Web page. It's easy to get carried away. Students can quickly become distracted from course tasks as they wander through an endlessly chaining series of links.
Bottom line: Plan carefully before you leap. I haven't heard anyone bragging about how much time they are saving by using a course Web site.
* "Aspects of a University Course Website," College Teaching 49 (2), 2001, 55-60.
Entertainment and Enrichment (Back to Contents)
Legendary Singer-Songwriter Comes to the Rozsa
Submitted by University Cultural Enrichment
Once you've heard the distinctive timbre of singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie's voice, you don't forget it. From soft and poignant love songs like "Until It's Time for You to Go" to hard-hitting, powerful, militant songs like "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," Sainte-Marie's range is amazing. This legendary artist, whose folk/pop songs of love and conscience first rocketed her to fame in the 1960s, visits Michigan Tech to give a performance at the Rozsa Center on Friday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available from Rozsa Center Ticketing Services (487-3200, Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. or online at http://www.tickets.mtu.edu.
Buffy Sainte-Marie was born on a Cree reservation in Saskatchewan and was adopted and raised in Maine and Massachusetts. She received a PhD in Fine Art from the University of Massachusetts and also holds degrees in both Oriental philosophy and teaching, a background that has influenced her music, her skill as a visual artist and her social activism. Whenever possible on her concert tours, she likes to connect to the local Native American tribe. Her Friday performance will begin with a few minutes of drumming and singing by the Woodland Singers. Later in the program, Buffy will invite some dancers on stage to join her in a special song.
Sainte-Marie's most recent CD, "Up Where We Belong," the title of the Oscar-winning theme song she wrote for the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman," has been acclaimed by the critics and celebrated by thousands of her worldwide fans. The CD, which won a JUNO award in the Music of Aboriginal Canada category, is a compilation of some new numbers, and her "most asked for songs," which date back to her protest songs in the 1960s. She was a highly visible figure in those days, a leader in the peace movement, a prolific writer and a dynamic performer. Today she is a little more mellow and a little less visible; however, her great voice and song-writing skills are as strong as ever. Above all, she has not lost her passion for social justice for all peoples and works hard to improve access for better educational opportunities for all Native Americans with her Cradleboard Project, the focus of her talk at the Speakers' Forum.
In 1976, Sainte-Marie left her recording career behind to become a mother and did not return to show business until she and son Dakota Wolfchild Starblanket worked as semi-regulars on Sesame Street.
Sainte-Marie continues to perform all over the world and is now also recognized as a digital artist of great merit. Her huge paintings were among the first large-scale digital works to be exhibited in museums and galleries in North America. A teacher long before she started singing, she has always been an educator, active in her performance career, and in the teaching positions she has held in electronic media and Native American Studies at various colleges in the US and in Canada.
Sainte-Marie's performance is held in conjunction with the Spirit of the Harvest Festival, sponsored by Educational Opportunity (487-2920). She is also a featured speaker at the annual Speakers' Forum. Her presentation, "Science through Native American Eyes," is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Admission to the lecture is free.
For more information about Sainte-Marie's Friday evening performance, contact the Great Events Series Office (487-2844).
Spirit of the Harvest Powwow Nov. 3
The Sixth Annual Spirit of the Harvest Powwow will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Gates Tennis Center.
The powwow begins at 1 p.m., with the first of two grand entries featuring the Lac du Flambeau Color Guard from Wisconsin. The final grand entry begins at 6 p.m.
"The Lac du Flambeau Color Guard is made up of native people who served our country," said Lori Sherman, Native American outreach worker. "They represent many branches of the armed forces."
Donald and Karlene Chosa of L'Anse will be head dancers, and the Woodland Singers, also of L'Anse, will be the host drum.
The Chosas, along with their children, participate in powwows throughout the region and lead a traditional life, Sherman said. The Woodland Singers will be joined by four other drums (groups of drummers) throughout the powwow.
In addition, dancers in full regalia will participate in both grand entries. Ted Holappa, a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, will serve as master of ceremonies.
Vendors at the powwow will offer a wide variety of native jewelry and crafts as well as food, including the ever-popular frybread. The annual feast is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
In association with the powwow, singer Buffy Sainte-Marie will perform in concert at the Rozsa Center on Friday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m. She will also give a talk during the Native American Speakers' Forum, set for the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 1 in the Memorial Union Ballroom.
For more information, contact Sherman at 487-2920.
Speakers' Forum Features Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie will be among the guests at the Sixth Annual Native American Speakers' Forum set for Thursday, Nov. 1, in the Memorial Union Ballroom.
Sainte-Marie's talk is entitled "Science through Native Eyes," after an educational CD-ROM of the same name produced by the Nihewan Foundation. This nonprofit organization, which she founded, is devoted to teaching about America's first cultures as well as advancing the education of native people.
Sainte-Marie's Nihewan Foundation funds college scholarships and creates Native American curricula through the Cradleboard Teaching Project. A teacher before she started singing, Sainte-Marie uses her talents in art, music and technology to educate both onstage and in the classroom. In 1998, Sainte-Marie received the Louis T. Delgado Award as Native American Philanthropist of the Year and was the 1999 recipient of the American Indian College Fund's Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also been named an Officer in the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honor that country can bestow.
The Speakers' Forum begins with Barb Nolan and Rosella Kinoshameg, who will give their presentation "Native Language" from 10:30 a.m. to noon. These two sisters from Canada are devoted to preserving native languages and ways of life. They make their native language come alive with their vibrant personalities and unique teaching methods.
Lunch, from noon to 1 p.m., features flute music by Jessica Dakota, a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
Sophia Cleland, a PhD student at Cornell, will discuss "American Indians: Philosophy and Science" from 1 to 2 p.m. The field of genetics is rapidly affecting the definition of life. Cleland says that American Indians should play a greater role in influencing current thought on the issue and how life can or should be manipulated.
The forum is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend lunch, call Lori Sherman at 487-2920.
Bresette Memorial Walk/Run Nov. 3
The Third Annual Walt Bresette Memorial Walk/Run begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Michigan Tech Ski Trails.
The three-mile walk/run to the Gates Tennis Center is open to all. It is being held in connection with the Spirit of the Harvest Powwow, which begins at 1 p.m. at the tennis center. The walk/run honors the late environmental activist and writer Walter Bresette, a member of the Red Cliff Lake Superior Band of Chippewa. Bresette was a visiting scholar at Michigan Tech and taught the course Indigenous Perspectives of the Environment.
The registration fee for walk/run participants is $5 and includes a T-shirt. Shirts are also available to nonparticipants at a cost of $10.
The event is sponsored by the Michigan Tech Native American Association and Educational Opportunity. For more information, contact Sandra Harting at slhartin@mtu.edu or 487-2662.
The MTU Ski Trails are located next to the MTU softball fields, on Sharon Avenue in Houghton.
Trick or Troupe this Halloween
Submitted by the Department of Fine Arts
For extra fun on Halloween, the fine arts department invites the community to "Trick or Troupe," a free Halloween show presented by The Troupe, MTU's improv comedy group, in the Memorial Union Commons at 7-8 p.m on Wednesday, Oct. 31. "People can come after trick-or-treating and before other Halloween parties start," says Sue Stephens, director of the comedy group. "It'll be fun for everyone, from Tech students to community families, and we hope they'll join us." The event is free, with no tickets needed.
The Troupe, a 12-member student ensemble, writes its own comedy skits and presents them in an annual Campus Comedy Show. The group performs throughout the year for local schools and service organizations. "Trick or Troupe" is their second Halloween show.
More information on "Trick or Troupe" is available from the fine arts office, 487-2067.
Seminars and Workshops (Back to Contents)
Michigan Tech offers computer classes in collaboration with dL Education. To register, send an e-mail to the Center for Professional Development and Quality Improvement at rwchrist@mtu.edu. Include the class(es) in which you want to enroll, your phone number and account number to which the class(es) should be charged. The charge is $60 for three-hour (half-day) classes; $120 for six-hour (full-day) sessions. Charges will be billed to your account the month following attendance. dL Education is located in the E. L. Wright Plaza, Suite 201A at 801 N. Lincoln Drive in Hancock. The Plaza is located on Quincy Hill, just below Pat's IGA.
Weight Watcher Meetings Start Monday in the MUB
Weight Watchers is offering its "At Work" program at Michigan Tech in cooperation with the Benefits Office and Wellness program.
The weekly meetings begin on Monday, Oct. 29, in Memorial Union Ballroom B2 and will be held from noon to 1 p.m.
Cost for the entire 14-week program is $113 (14 weeks for the price of 12) with your Blue Cross Blue Shield card. You can pay at the first meeting, either by credit card or check. If you like, you can split the payment by providing two checks for $56.50, one to be deposited immediately and the other postdated five weeks later.
For more information, contact Nancy Bykkonen at nabykkon@mtu.edu or 487-2517.
Seminar Nov. 1 on X-by-Wire Technology
Mark Rauchfuss will give a talk, "The Impact of X-by-Wire Technology: Issues, Opportunities and Scenarios," on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 1:05 p.m. in Dow 641.
X-by-Wire refers to replacing the traditional mechanical and hydraulic components of any control system (system X) with computer-controlled electro-mechanical components. Automotive X-by-Wire systems are about to make their appearance in safety-critical automobile systems such as steering, braking, damping, throttle, etc.
Rauchfuss will address the far-reaching and disruptive changes that this technology will impose on the mix of engineering and science majors hired by the auto industry, the skills needed by those employees and the business model of the entire industry.
Following the presentation, an informal reception will be held in EERC 122. For more information, visit http://www.ee.mtu.edu/faculty/rmkieckh/MR-ad.pdf
Regular Features (Back to Contents)
Associate Professor Ulrich Hansmann (Physics) authored a paper, "Protein Energy Landscapes as Studied by a Generalized-Ensemble Approach with TsallisStatistics," published in "Chaos, Solitons and Fractals," Vol. 13 (2001).
Professor Elizabeth Flynn (Humanities) gave a keynote address, "What's in a Name? Reconfiguring Feminist Traditions," at the third biennial Feminism(s) and Rhetoric(s) Conference sponsored by the Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition, held at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill., Oct. 18-20.
October
National Disability Awareness Month
| 25 | Thursday |
| 9 a.m.--Seminar on mail-order prescription drugs--Wadsworth Annex | |
| 10 a.m.--Seminar on mail-order prescription drugs--Memorial Union Ballroom A | |
| 2 p.m.--Seminar on mail-order prescription drugs--Memorial Union Ballroom A | |
| 7 p.m.--Mark Rowe on the "City of Bangor" wreck--Eagle Harbor Community Center | |
| 8 p.m.--"Talking With"--McArdle Theatre | |
| 26 | Friday |
| 11 a.m.--Eugene Meieran, "Making Use of Innovative Ideas"--Dow 642 | |
| 8 p.m.--"Talking With"--McArdle Theatre | |
| 27 | Saturday |
| noon--Football, Grand Valley State at MTU--Sherman Field | |
| 5-7 p.m.--Halloween Safehouse--all residence halls | |
| 6 p.m.--Copper Ball--Franklin Square | |
| 8 p.m.--"Talking With"--McArdle Theatre | |
| November | |
| Native American Month | |
| 1 | Thursday |
| 10:30 a.m.--Native American Speakers' Forum: Barb Nolan and Rosella Kinoshameg, "Native Language"--Memorial Union Ballroom | |
| 1 p.m.--Native American Speakers' Forum: Sophia Cleland, "American Indians: Philosophy and Science"--Memorial Union Ballroom | |
| 1:05 p.m.--Mark Rauchfuss, "The Impact of X-by-Wire Technology"--Dow 641 | |
| 2 p.m.--Native American Speakers' Forum: Buffy Sainte-Marie, "Science through Native Eyes"--Memorial Union Ballroom | |
| 2 | Friday |
| 5 p.m.--Volleyball, Lake Superior State at MTU--SDC | |
| 7:05 p.m.--Hockey, Minnesota at MTU--Student Ice Arena | |
| 8 p.m.--Buffy Sainte-Marie--Rozsa Center | |
| 3 | Saturday |
| 9 a.m.--Walt Bresette Memorial Walk/Run--Michigan Tech Ski Trails | |
| 11 a.m.-2 p.m.--Ski Swap--Mt. Ripley | |
| noon--Football, Saginaw Valley State at MTU--Sherman Field | |
| 1 p.m.--Spirit of the Harvest Powwow--Gates Tennis Center | |
| 2:30 p.m.--Volleyball, Northern Michigan at MTU--SDC | |
| 8:05 p.m.--Hockey, Minnesota at MTU--Student Ice Arena | |
| 9 | Friday |
| 7:05 p.m.--Hockey, Denver at MTU--Student Ice Arena | |
Job descriptions are available at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, or by e-mail at <JOBS@MTU.EDU>. For a complete listing of available jobs, visit http://www.admin.mtu.edu/hro/postings/index.shtml
No new positions are posted this week at Michigan Tech. Vacancy announcements are normally posted every Friday at 1:00 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.