March 30, 2001, Vol. 33, No. 28
Senate Looks at Residency Requirement, Distance Ed
Natural Gas: An Energy Crisis for the Twenty-first Century
Grad School Dean Search Committee Named
MyMTU: A Personalized Web Page Just for You
Michigan Tech Fund Merit Award Nominees Sought
Alumni Association Announces Honorees
Campus Campaign Matching-Gift Reminder
MTU Employee Gets $ Through HARP
We'll Be Cold Earlier This Year
Paper Recycling Is Back
New Rules for Getting Rid of Your Old Computers
Big-Time Used Book Sale April 5
GSC Election Results
Teaching at Tech: Why Students Don't Talk in Class
BeauSoleil: A Cajun Space Odyssey at the Rozsa
Tech Tea: MTU Librarians in Castro's Cuba
Computer Science Seminar April 2
Retirement
New Staff
In Print
On the Road
Calendar
Job Postings
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)
Natural Gas: An Energy Crisis for the Twenty-first Century
America's looming energy crisis doesn't have much in common with the 1970s version, epitomized by long lines of cars trailing out of gas stations and anti-big-oil rhetoric. It isn't even about oil, says Marlan Downey, president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and a long-time oil industry professional.
"We don't have a short-term problem with crude oil," Downey said March 22 during a visit to MTU. "We can always get it from somebody else, as long as we have money."
What we can't get from somebody else is natural gas. "It can't be transported; we can't get it from Mexico or Saudi Arabia," he said. "Why should we care about natural gas? Because it's the handiest thing for generating electricity."
Gas turbine generators are cheap and easy to install, and the least-polluting of all fossil-fuel electrical plants, he said. They could solve California's electrical energy problems in jiffy. The reason they haven't, Downey contends, is "institutional stupidity."
"In California, they haven't allowed anybody to build plants, and Washington and Oregon are getting tired of providing California's power," he said. In addition, the state has suppressed the construction of natural gas pipelines. "Now, Californians will have to solve the problem themselves."
Meeting the rising demand for natural gas and electricity will also mean more drilling. "We gotta get another thousand drilling rigs up and running to stay ahead of the curve," Downey said. Drilling for natural gas is the province of mom-and-pop companies operating in Michigan, Texas, and Oklahoma, not multinational giants, he noted. And to encourage drilling, Congress should adopt a more favorable tax structure to allow these smaller companies to quickly write off their expenses.
As for oil, Downey doubts that "our children will starve in the dark," thanks to advances in science and technology, he said. The Earth still contains huge reservoirs of oil, including the vast Orinoco Tar Bell in Venezuela, which contains over a trillion barrels. It may be "ratty" compared to the top-quality crude of the Middle East, but Downey is confident that new technologies will make it profitable to refine even low-grade petroleum.
"I'd like to see more conservation," he said. "But I have a test on sincerity. The biggest conservation measure would be to put a 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gas." Who's in favor? he asked. A few hands in the audience went up.
"You can't legislate conservation," he noted. "So how do you get people to drive little cars? You gotta hit them between the eyes" with higher costs.
In the realm of alternative fuels, Downey is most intrigued by methane hydrate, a frozen form of natural gas created by bacteria under the ocean floor. Methane hydrate, though it is not being mined commercially, contains more energy than all the coal, oil, and natural gas on earth, he said.
He also supports the use of nuclear power. "I'm a great fan of nuclear fuel," he said. "The rest of the world is smart enough to use it. We have to grow out of a generation of idiocy." When asked if he'd support having a spent nuclear fuel depository near his home town, Downey said he would, if he could design it.
Popular alternatives such as solar and wind power have a big disadvantage, he said, since they are "ephemeral" and rely on uncontrollable factors to generate energy. Hydrogen, which burns cleanly, could be the fuel of the future, he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if in fifteen or twenty years we were moving toward a hydrogen age," he said.
However, he stressed, it's unrealistic to suppose that alternative fuels can provide much energy in the short term, since they currently generate only about one-third of a percent of the nation's electricity.
Downey's visit was sponsored by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists with the support of the Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences.
Senate Looks at Residency Requirement, Distance Ed
The University Senate amended proposed new graduation residency requirements March 28, making allowances to accommodate a few specialized degree programs.
Under the new requirements, which are subject to Board of Control approval, undergraduates would have to complete 30 of their last 36 semester credit hours at MTU. In addition, they must complete 30 credits of 3000-level courses or higher at Michigan Tech.
Currently, the only residency requirement for graduation is that students be enrolled at MTU for their last two semesters. Senator Tom Snyder (Biological Sciences), chair of the Curricular Policy Committee, which developed the new requirements, noted that students could theoretically take two PE courses at MTU and qualify for a bachelor's degree.
For students enrolled in nearly all University degree programs, the new requirements would be easy to fulfill. However, some students could be affected. Many distance-learning students working on a BS in Engineering take three upper-division design courses provided by other universities. Thus, they complete fewer than 30 of their last 36 credits from MTU, said Professor Bill Shapton, director of distance learning for the College of Engineering. And Assistant Professor Larry Sutter (Technology) noted that technology students who transfer to MTU to pursue a bachelor's degree often take mainly lower-division MTU courses to meet University degree requirements. For them, it would be difficult to complete 30 units of 3000-level or higher courses.
Using language offered by Snyder, the senate approved an amendment that would allow the University president to grant programs an exemption from the requirement at the recommendation of the senate. The senate is expected to vote on the proposal at its next meeting. To read the proposal, visit www.sas.it.mtu.edu/usenate/propose/01/11-01.htm
Shapton gave a presentation on the College of Engineering's distance learning program. Michigan Tech has been offering an ABET-accredited, distance-learning BS in Engineering at General Motors for about ten years. The MS in Mechanical Engineering at Ford Motor Company was developed in 1998, and the PhD in Mechanical Engineering, also offered at Ford, started a year earlier.
Most courses are videotaped at Michigan Tech and sent to corporate sites, where they can be viewed by students, Shapton said. Usually, faculty are taped while they teach an actual class. In addition, teachers use Web sites, e-mail, and chat rooms to communicate with distance-learning students.
"We have very few ways to reach nontraditional students," Shapton said. A lack of large employers nearby means a lack of a large pool of potential students, and thus MTU doesn't offer many night classes. So distance learning is proving to be the best way for MTU to reach adults who want to expand their education while they stay on the job.
Generally, students enrolled in the distance-learning BSE program take basic math, science, and general education classes at local schools, transfer the credits, and then take upper-division courses from MTU faculty. However, Shapton said, GM is interested in having Michigan Tech offer some of those courses as well. Other universities would like to offer the courses, but Michigan Tech has the right of first refusal.
In addition, MTU is providing a Designing Engineer Certificate via distance education to give GM designers some engineering skills. And the University is developing an AAS in Engineering Technology for GM's Tech 2000 program. It will provide new skills to GM test drivers whose jobs are rendered obsolete as computer modeling takes the place of actual road testing of vehicles.
Senator Christ Ftaclas (Physics) said the PhD program should have a one-year residency requirement. "I'm very uncomfortable with this," he said, asking if the program included a publication requirement in a refereed journal.
Shapton said that, as with MTU's regular PhD programs, there was no publication requirement. However, the distance-ed doctoral students are likely to publish because their research is so good.
"We're not that uncomfortable," he said, noting that the corporate facilities for research are far better than MTU's and that the technical help was far superior. "GM doesn't want it's PhD students machining up fixtures," he noted. PhD students do spend a few weeks on campus. However, most of their contact with their advisors occurs when the faculty come to the corporate site and work with them one-on-one, often in the summer.
Senator Mike Roggemann (Electrical and Computer Engineering) asked if regular faculty taught the distance-ed classes. "Yes, hopefully the best faculty," Shapton replied. He noted that faculty share in the financial rewards from MTU's distance-learning program. The cost per credit hour in the degree programs ranges from $390 in the BSE to more than $900 for graduate programs.
Senator Ralph Hodek (Civil and Environmental Engineering) asked what GM hoped to accomplish by underwriting a PhD program. Shapton said that the company chooses its top experts in a field for an advanced degree, so that the company can have the best-educated people possible in leadership positions. "They're not interested in having the degree tacked on at the end of someone's name," he said. "They want the education."
Senator Bruce Barna (Chemical Engineering) asked who approved the degrees. They are developed in the departments, with the Graduate School approving the MS and PhD degrees and the senate acting on the bachelor's programs.
In other business, the senate
Grad School Dean Search Committee Named
Members of the Dean of the Graduate School Search Committee have been announced.
Representing the faculty are Song-Lin Yang (ME-EM), Leonard Bohmann (Electrical and Computer Engineering), associate chair John Jaszczak (Physics), Peg Gale (SFWP), Anil Jambekar (SBE), and Heidi Bostic (Humanities), nominated by the Graduate Faculty Council; and Pat Martin (Social Sciences) and Charles Kerfoot (Biological Sciences), nominated by the University Senate. Representing graduate students is Michelle Trimm, nominated by the Graduate Student Council, with Aimee Blanchard serving as alternate. Betty Chavis (Educational Opportunity) was nominated by Staff Council and represents staff.
Representing administrators and deans will be Glenn Mroz (SFWP); committee chair Robert Baillod (Civil and Environmental Engineering) represents department chairs. Both Baillod and Mroz were appointed by Provost Kent Wray.
Michigan Tech Fund Merit Award Nominees Sought
If you know an outstanding senior student at Michigan Tech, consider nominating them for a Michigan Tech Fund Merit Award.
The awards are presented annually to a senior man and woman who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and service to the University. Recipients are given a personal memento and a cash gift, and their departments each receive a $500 grant. Nominees must be full-time seniors in good standing with a minimum 2.5 GPA.
President Curt Tompkins will present the awards Friday, May 4.
The deadline for submitting nominations is Wednesday, April 18. Nomination forms are available at the Wadsworth Hall manager's office, the J. R. Van Pelt Library circulation desk, the Campus Store, and the Meese Center. You can also call Dorthey Behrend at 487-3324 to have a form sent to you.
MyMTU: A Personalized Web Page Just for You
By Ann West
Interested in having secure, on-line access to applications and information that you use most? Want a personal page that you can tailor to your needs? If so, try the Michigan Tech Portal at the following web address: https://mymtu.mtu.edu.
Similar to MyYahoo or MyNetscape, the MyMTU of the future could offer access to frequently updated information organized by topic and chosen by you. Called a channel, you add as many or as few of these that you wish to your portal page. For example, MyMTU may have channels on current weather conditions, available seats in specific courses, or University news. If you want to view this information everytime you access your MyMTU, add it to your page. Otherwise, leave it off. MyMTU also offers and applications and netlet channel to give you the ability to securely access your e-mail, calendar, files, and department applications, if available.
Best of all, you can use it from any java/cookie-enabled web browser. This means that you can access your MyMTU information, files, and applications services from your home, a conference kiosk, or a laptop connected to any Internet Service Provider, such as America Online.
Right now MyMTU is in its prototype stage. We're interested in working with an academic department or two to develop a conceptual portal for undergraduate students to pilot in the next year. If you're interested, please contact Ann West at awest@mtu.edu.
Otherwise, we'd like to hear your ideas about the portal. Please fill out the feedback form available in the menu on the main portal page or send e-mail to mymtu@mtu.edu.
Alumni Association Announces Honorees
Each year, the Alumni Association recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the success of the association and the University. The awards presentation will take place on Friday evening, August 3, during the annual Alumni Reunion Awards Dinner. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please contact the Alumni Association (487-2400) if you would like more information on the Awards Dinner or Alumni Reunion 2001.
Receiving Outstanding Young Alumni Awards are Jessica M. Kaiser '88 (Business Administration), regional general manager of OEM Solutions Group, Owens Corning in Louisville, Kentucky; Stacey E. Morrison '88 (Computer Science), deputy chief information officer at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas; and Peter A. Tapio '91 (Civil Engineering), principal of Rubicon Development in Vancouver, Washington.
The recipients of the Outstanding Service Award are former Board of Control member Daniel L. Rivard '59 (Mechanical Engineering), owner of DLR, Inc. in Michigan and a retired Ford Motor Company executive; and Howard A. Zollinger '51 (Electrical Engineering), president of Zollinger Associates, Inc., in Houghton.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is being presented to John F. Marshall '68 (Civil Engineering), president and general manager of Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad Company in Marquette.
An Honorary Alumni Award is being given to Board of Control Member Ruth A. Reck, director, National Institute for Global Environmental Change and professor at the University of California at Davis.
Jane F. Laird '68 (Electrical Engineering), best practices team leader at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, will receive the University Distinguished Alumni Award.
Campus Campaign Matching-Gift Reminder
Don't forget! Employees making first-time gifts to the University can have their contributions matched by an anonymous campus donor. If you still haven't made a gift in support of Michigan Tech programs, please consider doing so before June 30, the end of the fiscal year. If you do, it will mean substantial bonus dollars to the University and our students. If you need another Campus Campaign gift form or have any questions, contact Paula Nutini (487-3324, pjnutini@mtu.edu) at the Michigan Tech Fund.
MTU Employee Gets $ Through HARP
When an MTU employee scrutinized one of their Explanation of Benefits forms recently, they discovered a discrepancy.
"The University had been billed for a routine test that hadn't been performed," said Benefits administrative aide Maryann Wilcox, who coordinates the new HARP program. "It would have been very easy to overlook."
As a result of these efforts, the University saved some money and the employee became the first partipant in the new HARP program to receive a cash award.
The employee's identity remains confidential, and the amount of money involved is relatively small--less than $100--but Wilcox is pleased that someone took the time to look over their statement and report a problem. Considering the number of Michigan Tech employees who receive health insurance, many small problems can add up to big money for the University.
The employee reported the overcharge to the Benefits Office through HARP (Healthcare Audit Reward Program). Through the program, employees who discover mistakes on their Blue Cross Blue Shield Explanation of Benefits forms can be eligible for a cash award of up to $500 if those mistakes result in an overpayment.
If you think you may be eligible for a HARP award, or for more information about the program, contact the Benefits Office at 487-2517 or e-mail mawilcox@mtu.edu or iecheney@mtu.edu. You can also read about the program in the February 23 Tech Topics, http://www.sas.it.mtu.edu/urel/ttopics/textfiles/Feb-23-01.html#gen77
We'll Be Cold Earlier This Year
The annual Central Heating Plant maintenance shutdown will take place earlier this year, from Saturday, May 12, through Thursday, May 17.
That means no heat and no hot water, and distilled water from steam-driven stills may run out.
Maintenance is traditionally done a little later in the spring. "We apologize for having to shut the steam off at this potentially cool time of year, but with the current academic calendar, this is the only week available before the summer session begins," said Facilities Operations staff. "The other opportunity is just before fall semester begins, but we prefer to keep that time frame open, in case the spring shutdown brings to light a major item that will need repair before the winter heating season begins."
Notify Dave Taivalkoski at 487-2706 of any unforeseen difficulties with the above schedule.
In the near future, you should start noticing boxes being set up near printers and copy machines around campus. This is part of a pilot paper-recycling project being sponsored by two intrepid student groups.
Previous efforts at recycling on campus have failed, due in part to some folks' apparent inability to distinguish office paper from flotsam such as duct tape and banana peels. But the students, including the Society for Conservation Biology and Students Against Violating the Environment (SAVE), are undaunted and are giving us a second chance to put only the right stuff in the recycling box.
The students are working with the Copper Country Mental Health Center, which will be picking up boxes of paper in several of the buildings on campus, and then hauling them to Smurfit Stone in Ontonagon.
The list of things that can be recycled is pretty short: plain office paper (colored paper is fine). The list of things that can't be recycled is much longer, but here are some items to remember: no envelopes or sticky notes (glue and plastic windows jam machines), no tape, no glossy paper, no transparencies, no notebook bindings (take the plastic out if you recycle an old Campus Directory), and (need it be said?) no garbage.
The student organizers hope that MTU is on the verge of a recycling renaissance. "We only need a small amount of cooperation from all of you, and together, we can make this project a success!" they said.
If you have any questions, e-mail them to Jamie Sheahan at jasheaha@mtu.edu, or to recycle-l@mtu.edu.
New Rules for Getting Rid of Your Old Computers
It's now illegal under Michigan law for MTU to dispose of computers and lots of other electronic stuff in landfills. So the University has developed a new procedure for recycling computer monitors, televisions, rechargeable batteries, and other miscellaneous electronic devices.
Under the new program, the cost of recycling monitors, televisions, and other CRTs (cathode ray tubes) is 38 cents per pound plus a packaging fee of $3.50. A typical 17-inch computer monitor weighs about 40 pounds, which will cost $18.70 to recycle. Other electronic components are charged at 25 cents per pound, and the recycling charge for batteries varies by type.
Through June 30, the cost of recycling computers and monitors will be shared equally between Occupational Safety and Health Services, the Office of the Provost, and the department or unit getting rid of the old equipment. Beginning July 1, departments will be responsible for the entire cost of recycling.
Some electronic components can be recycled free as scrap metal if they meet certain criteria. Contact Al Niemi of Occupational Safety and Health Services (487-2118) if you have waste electronic components with substantial metal content or if you have other questions.
Contact Central Stores (487-2700) to request pickup of these items for recycling. Central Stores will keep records and recover the recycling costs via interaccount billing. Be sure to remove all University property tags as well as information stored on computer hard drives prior to collection.
This recycling program and all other campus waste disposal systems are for University wastes only. IBM has a computer recycling program that is available to home computer owners and businesses. They will send you a UPS shipping label to recycle any manufacturer's product for $30. For details about the IBM program, call 888-746-7426 or visit <www.ibm.com/environment>.
Big-Time Used Book Sale April 5
The Friends of the Library, in conjunction with the Van Pelt Library, Tau Beta Pi, and the Society of Intellectual Sisters, will be hosting their annual book sale on Thursday, April 5, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. in Memorial Union Ballroom A. Thousands of books will be on sale, all priced to go, from 25 cents on up. Volumes culled from the shelves of the Van Pelt Library will also be up for grabs. The last hour will be the $2-per-grocery-bag-full sale.
Can't wait? Come to the Members Only Pre-Sale on Wednesday, April 4, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Memorial Union Ballroom A. Members of the Friends of the Van Pelt Library will have first crack at the sale (except the library discard volumes). Not a member? Memberships are available at the door of the pre-sale for $10 for students, $15 for everyone else. If you only find one treasure for $2, it will be worth the price of membership.
All proceeds benefit the Van Pelt Library. The Friends support the library through renovations, acquisitions (the popular collection, special purchases), and grants (Archive Travel Grants, Local History Grants). Help support the library through this popular annual event.
The Graduate Student Council has announced the results of its recent election. Aimee Blanchard was chosen president; Michelle Trimm, vice president; Julie Estep, secretary; and Ryan Thompson, treasurer.
Teaching at Tech: Why Students Don't Talk in Class
by William Kennedy, director, Center for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Development
Ever wonder why so many students are so withdrawn and quiet in class? Ever try and then fail to actually get a discussion going in a class that has become accustomed to passive listening? Ever wonder why so few students ever respond when you close the hour with, "Any questions?" Students commonly cite a few key reasons they choose they keep their mouths shut.
Some students don't participate in class discussions or in answering the instructor's questions because they have figured out that there is little or nothing to be gained, and a lot to be lost, by speaking up. Surveys suggest that many students see their undergraduate education as a series of more-or-less disinteresting courses that need to be tolerated in order to collect the requisite chits to earn a diploma and a place at the Career Day table. Students know that the only lasting measure of their achievement in college will be a transcript of their grades. If grades are the true currency of higher education and job opportunity, and speaking up in class has nothing to do with grades, then what's the point of speaking up?
Which of us hasn't sensed some disappointment when, after laying out the lofty cognitive and affective goals of our favorite course, the lone question or two are along the lines of "Do you curve scores?" or "What do I need to do to get an A in this class?" or "Is the final cumulative?"
Another reason students don't speak up in class is that they don't want to take a chance on making fools of themselves. Many students refrain from speaking up simply because they don't like being the center of attention. Some years back, a survey of Americans suggested that public speaking was the number-one anxiety-producing activity on a list that included putting your hand in a box containing a poisonous snake. The desire to fit in and to conform to the social norms of remaining aloof and cool commonly conspire together mightily to stifle any desire to speak up in class. Nobody likes a suck up, and nobody wants to be identified as the nerd who answers all the questions; except, obviously, the nerd.
Another reason that many students refrain from participating in class is the subtly adversarial and testosterone-laden, alpha-male atmosphere which commonly underscores many faculty student interactions. I remember the very day and the moment that it finally occurred to me that I was actually enjoying arguing one of my students into a sort of a bloody pulp when he refused to accept my pontifical rejection of his point of view. I caught myself in mid-rant as it became clear to me that only a most pitiful bag of wind (present company excepted) would derive pleasure from bullying and piling on a student for having the gall to disagree with me.
I have developed a simple remedy to address this aspect of the problem. Whenever a student shows the courage and the interest to speak up in class, I will hear her or him out without interrupting or correcting. If I disagree with or wish to dispute anything that students says, I will do it with respect and in a way that I would expect a student to point out an error that I made in class. I will refrain from seeking the "right" answer from another student, choosing instead to help the original student, and probably a good proportion of the class, see why I'm arguing for another answer. This, probably more than anything else I have done, has encouraged students to participate and take some ownership in our common learning experience.
Entertainment and Enrichment (Back to Contents)
BeauSoleil: A Cajun Space Odyssey at the Rozsa
Submitted by University Cultural Enrichment
Grammy Award-winners BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet have traveled the globe, spreading the joyous sounds of their traditional Cajun heritage for twenty-five years. This year they celebrate this landmark in their careers by inviting four special guests to come along with them on their Anniversary Tour: 2001, A Cajun Space Odyssey. Along with Cindy Cashdollar, Carl Landry, Peter Ostroushko, and Daniel Thonon, BeauSoleil celebrates a quarter century of great music-making on stage at the Rozsa Center on Sunday, April 1, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available from Rozsa Center Ticketing Services (487-3200, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday) or online at http://www.tickets.mtu.edu.
Michael Doucet, founder, fiddler extraordinaire, songwriter, and lead vocalist, is joined by his brother, David Doucet, of whom he says, " . . . he's just an incredible guitar player . . . I love his style of playing and his leads." Multitalented Al Tharpe plays electric bass, second fiddle, banjo, and occasionally lead electric guitar, while drummer Tommy Alesi keeps it "all tied together no matter where the music goes." Percussionist Billy Ware plays just about anything the band needs, from the traditional frottoir (washboard or rub board), to the congas, with lots of triangles in between. The essential Cajun and zydeco accordion is played by Jimmy Breaux. BeauSoleil has always reflected the diversity of Cajun music, not just the two-steps, but ballads, blues, and jazz. Their influences come from traditional music, brass bands, country, and swamp pop.
Doucet has assembled a stellar group of friends for this tour. Cindy Cashdollar, who has performed and recorded with such artists as Lyle Lovett and Bob Dylan, plays lap steel guitar; triple-necked, nonpedal steel guitar; steel guitar; and various small guitars. After touring with Leon Redbone for five years, she joined Asleep at the Wheel and has won four Grammies with the group.
Lead alto, tenor, and baritone sax player Carl Landry has toured the world as a featured reed player in big bands, but, says Doucet, "back at home, he's the honking king of swamp pop and zydeco music."
Peter Ostroushko is known to many for his mandolin and fiddle playing on TV and radio shows such as A Prairie Home Companion and Austin City Limits. He's at home in a variety of genres from folk to jazz and classical, and he enjoys an international reputation as a versatile and dazzling master of instrumentation and composition.
Daniel Thonon is best known in North America as the founder of the French Canadian group Advielle que pourra. Born in Brussels, Belgium, he studied harpsichord in Switzerland and instrument building in Paris. He has built several hurdy-gurdies for Pink Floyd. He's performed as a soloist with symphony orchestras and has played with rock bands such as Groovy Aardvark. His numerous recordings include baroque music and solo albums on the accordion.
Michael Doucet, who is descended from Acadians, first developed his taste for Cajun music as a high school senior in 1969. He grew up speaking French, and his love for Acadian culture lead to an in-depth study of the traditional music of the immigrants from France who settled in Nova Scotia in 1604. Their New World community was overturned in 1775 with the invasion of the British, who forced the Acadians onto ships sailing south. Many of the survivors sought shelter in the remote bayous in Louisiana. Cajun music adapts old French language songs brought to the region by those Acadian political exiles two centuries ago. The fiddle, rather than the accordion, as in zydeco music, is the predominant instrument. Although the two cultures are intertwining, Cajuns and Creoles have been socially segregated. Recently, however, South Louisiana's zydeco clubs have seen an increasing numbers of non-Creole dancers drawn to the exciting beat, and with a recent landmark CD called Creole Crossroads, Michael Doucet and Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas (who performed at Tech two years ago), have combined their two traditional cultures by pushing musical boundaries without losing touch with their roots.
This concert was made possible by the James and Margaret Black Endowment and the Committee for Campus Enrichment. For further information, call the University Cultural Enrichment Department (487-2844).
Tech Tea: MTU Librarians in Castro's Cuba
"One of the few remaining rhetorical battlefields of the Cold War exists in the relationship between the United States and Cuba," says Thomas Swaner who, with his wife Sarah, visited the island a few weeks ago. "Periodic exoduses to Miami in search of greener pastures and the Helms-Burton Act tightening a forty-year-old embargo have all shaped our images of the island ninty miles south of Florida."
The couple visited Cuba to examine one venue of this rhetorical conflict--the libraries of Cuba. Thomas and Sarah Swaner are, respectively, the Government Documents and the Reference/Collection Development librarians at the J. Robert Van Pelt Library. As guests at Tech Tea Time on Wednesday, April 4, at 4:00 p.m. in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge, they will give a slide presentation about their tour of Cuban libraries
After receiving permission from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Swaners traveled to Santa Clara, Pinar del Rio, Havana, Cardenas (home of the famous Elian), and other smaller cities on the western end of Cuba. They experienced the decaying grandeur of houses, churches, schools, cemeteries, and civic buildings in Havana. They conversed with tobacco field workers, university professors, potters, musicians, editors, and librarians, gaining a variety of perspectives on the successes and failures of the Cuban regime. "Libraries offer a useful window for examining the unique brand of socialism that has evolved in Cuba," says Sarah. "Since the fall of the Soviet Union, these institutions have nicely framed the basic question of how an undemocratic, centralized state can survive in a technological world."
The Swaners read a lot about Cuba before their trip, but traveled with the sense that they still knew very little about the country. They wondered if the Internet would be censored and if the independent libraries that have developed in the last ten years pose a counterrevolutionary threat. They questioned what future these public spaces would have in a Cuba that is increasingly dedicated to obtaining U.S. dollars in order to survive. And they speculated about whether other institutions have arisen in Cuba to meet the needs that are not being filled by the state libraries. Join them for a lively discussion about a country and a culture that is, after so many years of silence, once again appearing in the U.S. media.
Tech Tea Time is coordinated by the University Cultural Enrichment Department. Anyone wishing to receive Tech Tea announcements on e-mail may subscribe to techtea-l. Call 487-2844 for more information.
Seminars and Workshops (Back to Contents)
Computer Science Seminar April 2
Peiyi Tang of the University of Minnesota Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will present "A Framework for Interprocedural Induction Variable Analysis" on Monday, April 2, at 3:00 p.m. in Fisher 328. All interested persons are invited.
Regular Features (Back to Contents)
Beverly A. Prieskorn retires from her position as executive secretary in the Office of Student Records and Registration on Friday, March 30. Her first day of work at the University was December 22, 1975, when she joined the staff of the metallurgy department. She then transferred to the chemistry department, the dean of engineering office, mechanical engineering, and lastly, Student Records and Registration.
"Meeting and working with people from the Michigan Tech community has been a wonderful experience, and my life has been greatly enriched by my association with them," Prieskorn said. "My fondest memories, though, are from my years in the office of the dean of engineering, when Dave Sikarski was the dean. He was a very special person who made our work a pleasure."
Prieskorn plans to write, sew, garden, and play with her computer during her retirement. She also expects to take up oil painting again, visit her children and grandchildren, and do genealogical research.
William Mitchell has joined the Facilities Management staff as supervisor of building operations. He was previously employed by the Air Force Base Conversion Agency at K. I. Sawyer AFB and has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Tech. Mitchell's wife's name is Diane, he has two children, Bill and Anne, and lives in Hancock. He enjoys golf, tennis, and bowling.
Associate Professor Sonia Goltz (School of Business and Economics) coauthored an article with Scott Seibert (Cleveland State University), "Comparison of Allocations by Individuals and Interacting Groups in an Escalation of Commitment Situation," which appeared in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, volume 31(1).
Associate Professor Sonia Goltz (SBE) presented a paper, "Using a Behavior Analysis of Power to Understand Resistance to Change in Organizations," at the 2001 Florida Association for Behavior Analysis Winter Meeting on January 18.
March
National Women's Month
| 29 | Thursday |
| 11:45 a.m.--Women's Week salad luncheon, Irene Wisniewski, "Lest We Forget"--Memorial Union Ballroom | |
| 12:45 p.m.--Women's Week slide presentation, Joe Kirkish, "Faces"--Memorial Union Ballroom | |
| noon--"WebCT on Trial: A Panel Discussion" | |
| 30 | Friday |
| 11:45 a.m.--Women's Week salad luncheon, Rachelle Bachran, "The 3 Rs of Change: Recover, Refocus, Regenerate"--Memorial Union Ballroom | |
| 3:00 p.m.--Mihai Ciocoiu, "On-Demand Ontology-Based Translator Generation"--Fisher 328 | |
| 8:00 p.m.--Free concert: Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble--Rozsa Center | |
| 31 | Saturday |
| 10:00 a.m.--Henry Charles Smith band masterclass--Rozsa Center | |
| 8:00 p.m.--College Band Festival--Rozsa Center | |
| April | |
| Fair Housing Month | |
| 1 | Sunday |
| 8:00 p.m.--BeauSoleil, 2001: A Cajun Space Odyssey--Rozsa Center | |
| 2 | Monday |
| 3:00 p.m.--Peiyi Tang, "A Framework for Interprocedural Induction Variable Analysis"--Fisher 328 | |
| 4 | Wednesday |
| 4:00 p.m.--Tech Tea: Thomas and Sarah Swaner in Cuba--Memorial Union Alumni Lounge | |
| 5 | Thursday |
| 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.--Friends of the Library Book Sale--Memorial Union Ballroom | |
| 1:00 p.m.--Barry Solomon, "Electric Power Deregulation and the Crisis in California"--EERC 214 | |
| 18 | Wednesday |
| all day--Undergraduate Research Exposition | |
Job descriptions will be 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
The following positions will be posted Friday, March 30, 2001, at 1:00 p.m. through noon, Friday, April 6, 2001, in the Human Resources Office.
Secretary N3--Residential Services (UAW internal and external posting)
Library Assistant N5--J. R. Van Pelt Library (UAW internal and external posting)
Building Mechanic--Student Development Complex (AFSCME internal posting only, second shift)
University employees are reminded to apply in writing prior to noon, Friday, April 6, 2001, 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 1:00 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.