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2013 ANNUAL REPORT FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

FACILITIES FELLOWSHIP

PAGE 6 Learn how PhD candidate Nazmiye Yapici’s can potentially impact millions of people worldwide.

IT ALL ADDS UP. Message from the Dean

Fall 2013 Graduate Student Enrollment Sets Another Record!

For the fifth year in a row, graduate enrollment has reached a record high. This is STAFF very exciting because it means that Nancy Byers-Sprague Tech’s research and graduate programs are [email protected] getting the attention they deserve. As in Debra D. Charlesworth previous years, students from around the [email protected] world are coming to Houghton to pursue Shellie M. Crisman advanced degrees. [email protected] Bonnie A. Gagnon Students come to Michigan Tech [email protected] because they know that they will Kristi L. Isaacson receive a high-quality at [email protected] Jacque C. Smith a reasonable price. [email protected] Having more students on campus has forced Heather L. Suokas us to change the way we do many things in [email protected] the Graduate School. During the last year, we Carol T. Wingerson moved to an electronic system for graduate [email protected] application processing, and we are moving Learn more about toward full electronic processing of forms our staff online: mtu.edu/gradschool/ and other paperwork. administration/staff/ Having information available in

digital format helps us improve I have personally spent a great deal Graduate School 2013 ANNUAL REPORT the service we provide students, of time talking with students about FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

faculty, and staff because the data what they want to learn more about. FACILITIES FACULTY FELLOWSHIP

we all need will be readily available. A highlight of last year’s offerings was a panel Increased use of technology will allow us to discussion led by members of the ’s PAGE 6 executive team. Our students asked for this Learn how PhD candidate Nazmiye Yapici’s research can potentially spend even more time providing services impact millions of people worldwide. because they wanted to find out how one to students. I am proud to say that we IT ALL ADDS UP. now have an outstanding professional prepares for a as a vice president or development series that is coordinated president of a university. Clearly, our students Thanks to the faculty, by the Graduate School and the Graduate are thinking big thoughts! facilities, and fellowships Student Government. This series helps that enhance the graduate student students succeed in school and prepare for educational experience, life after . students like Nazmiye Yapici can make an Jacqueline E. Huntoon impact with their research on topics like Associate Provost and early cancer detection. Dean of the Graduate School Administration Building 411A 906-487-2327 [email protected]

2 About the School

Graduate students Accelerated ’s Programs enrolled at Michigan 1,358 Tech in fall 2013 To provide additional opportunities for students, Michigan Tech has continued to add to its growing list of accelerated master’s programs. Through participation in one of the thirteen programs, undergraduate Percent increase in students can earn a master’s degree one year after receiving their first-time master’s bachelor’s degree. Students have the option to seek 21.8 students in fall 2013 through a doctoral program following completion of the accelerated master’s program. While earning a master’s degree, students have the potential to hone their professional skills and develop new competencies. With a master’s degree, most students will earn higher than with a Graduate degree programs offered bachelor’s degree alone. 70 at Michigan Tech The accelerated master’s programs available include:

• Biomedical • Engineering Mechanics Percent placement • Chemical Engineering • Environmental Engineering of graduate students immediately after • Chemistry • Forestry 98 graduation, 2012-13 • Civil Engineering • Integrated Geospatial Technology • Computer Engineering • Materials Science and Engineering Largest Peace Corps • Computer Science • Mechanical Engineering Master’s International • Electrical Engineering 1 Program in the country

Not Supplied Multiracial International White/Non-Hispanic Graduate Student African American/ Non-Hispanic Enrollment American Indian/ PERCENT BY ETHNICITY Alaskan Native FALL 2013 Asian/ Asian American Hispanic/ Hispanic American

The number of international graduate students increased from those reported in fall 2011, due in part to the University’s extensive offerings in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. Graduate students identifying themselves as multiracial also increased, while the number of graduate students not supplying race/ethnicity information significantly decreased. 3 Research DEVELOPING DIVERSE AREAS OF EXPERTISE JAMES ALEXANDER PhD Candidate, Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors (Spring 2016) James Alexander graduated from Northern Michigan University with a BS degree in Criminal Justice and earned his Master of Arts degree in Administrative Service with an emphasis in public administration from the political science department at NMU. His research interests include decision making during challenging and stressful events, situation assessment, and response selection process. He has done work in these areas relative to criminal justice and is presently working on a meta-analysis on training and decision making.

AMBERLEE S. HASELHUHN PhD Candidate, Materials Science and Engineering (Spring 2015) Amberlee Haselhuhn received a BS degree in Materials Science and Engineering and a BS degree in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 2011. She is advised by Paul Sanders, assistant , materials science and engineering. Her research goal is to understand mechanisms responsible for the stabilizations of metallic foams and to produce metallic foams with elongated pore formations that are stabilized with functional self-assembling colloidal particles. These functional stabilizers can be tailored to develop novel materials with fewer processing steps, including bioactive bone implants and catalytically active filters for industrial or vehicle emissions.

MICHAEL PREMER PhD Candidate, Forest Science (Fall 2014) Michael Premer received a BA degree in Environmental Studies from Northeastern Illinois University in 2009 and a Master of Forestry from Michigan Tech in 2011. He is co- advised by Robert Froese, associate professor; and Linda Nagel, assistant professor; both of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. He seeks to assess forest ecosystem response to increased biomass use for biofuel production, in addition to the removal of merchantable timber products. He is evaluating the viability of woody biomass as an alternative feedstock while maximizing forest carbon sequestration potential and long-term forest productivity.

MELANIE L. TALAGA PhD Candidate, Chemistry (Fall 2015) Melanie Talaga completed her in chemistry with a minor in mathematics from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2011. She is working under the supervision of Tarun K. Dam, assistant professor of chemistry. Her doctoral research is in glycobiology, which is an exciting new field at the forefront of biochemistry. Glycobiology deals with the structures, biosynthesis, and activities of glycan and its role in life processes. Glycobiology is an essential branch of modern biological science. Her research goal is to characterize potential cancer biomarkers and the binding interactions between known cancer biomarkers. 4 News

Grad School Colloquium The Graduate Research Colloquium, hosted each spring by the Graduate Student Government, serves as an opportunity for graduate students to share their research with others on the Michigan Tech campus. Students can develop a poster describing their research, give an oral presentation to a group of judges and their peers, or both. During these presentations, GEM GRAD Lab graduate students receive valuable feedback from the judges and In 2012, the Graduate School hosted the GEM GRAD Lab on the Michigan audience members that improves Tech campus for the first time in the University’s history. (GEM is the National their presentation skills. Cash Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science.) prizes are awarded for the top three In hosting the event, Michigan Tech welcomed students from presentations in both the poster and across the state and invited them to learn about opportunities for students with oral categories that are awarded at graduate degrees in the STEM fields. the Graduate Research Colloquium GEM developed the GRAD Lab to encourage and recruit these students to apply banquet. to master’s and PhD programs in STEM fields. Michigan Tech is a member of the GEM Consortium, along with Fortune 500 companies, government laboratories, and many of the nation’s top research universities.

GRAD Lab stands for Getting Ready for Advanced Degree Lab, which is precisely what the program aims to help students do.

At Michigan Tech, the program also served as a networking opportunity for students and industry professionals. During the event, workshops were held on various topics to encourage participants to apply to graduate school in STEM disciplines. The workshop focusing on “Why Graduate School?” was led by Howard G. Adams PhD, founder and president of H. G. Adams & Associates and former executive director of GEM. This workshop looked at the financial and career implications of not obtaining an advanced degree. Other workshops focused on applying to and obtaining funding for graduate school. Those in attendance also heard directly from students through a panel presentation led by GEM , PhD candidates, and alumni of Michigan Tech. In the “Voices from the Field” workshop, participants heard real-life stories about what graduate school is like today and what to expect of life after graduate school.

5 Class of ’44 Endowed Fellowship Supports Cancer Research

Thanks to the support of Doctoral Finishing Fellowships from when she was granted a Doctoral Finishing Fellowship from the the Graduate School, students like Nazmiye Yapici are able Graduate School, funded by alumni donations. to focus on completing their research and contributing their innovations to society. “Thanks to this fellowship, I was able to complete Yapici, from Turkey, came to Michigan Tech to study my analysis, writing nonstop on my dissertation,” organic chemistry under her faculty advisor, Lanrong Bi. Her said Yapici. “I wouldn’t be finished if I were inspiration started with a bottle of perfume. teaching in parallel. I am thankful to my advisor “When I was young I was interested in perfume, so I thought if I studied chemistry I could make perfume,” said Yapici. and alumni donors for this fellowship.” “But later I grew interested in the biomedical industry.” Thanks to faculty, campus facilities, and alumni donors, Yapici Initially sustained with funding from multiple sources, has realized her dream. She received her PhD this winter and including NASA and the Michigan Tech Research Excellence is currently a postdoctoral scholar working in the physics Fund, Yapici and Bi developed florescent probes to detect department at Michigan Tech. Her research continues through unhealthy cells, such as those associated with cancer, the Michigan Tech Transfer Talent Network, an organization Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. assisting entrepreneurs in the campus community to improve “In normal, healthy cells our florescent probe will not marketing, find funding sources, apply for patents, and seek activate, but in cells with damaged mitochondria, the probe commercial partnerships. Her ultimate goal is to see the illuminates, making it a novel early detection method,” product become commercially available and lead to improved said Yapici. “We are refining the process and looking at the health outcomes for countless people. possibility of commercialization, which is when the impact for society is broadly realized.” Near the end of Yapici’s experimental research, the grants Tell Your Grad School Story expired, forcing her to seek other sources of funding. How has your graduate education at Michigan Tech Although she had previously funded part of her education helped you? Did a fellowship support you along the by teaching, she was worried that trying to teach while way? Share your story with us at www.mtu.edu/ completing her degree would delay her graduation. That’s gradschool/share.

6 On behalf of the numerous graduate students who were aided through your donations, we thank you. With this support, you not only inspired our students, but also improved the lives of countless others who are impacted by their research.

New Endowments—Making a Difference

DAVID A. NIEMEYER ROBERT AND KATHLEEN LANE GRADUATE SCHOOL ENDOWMENT FUND ENDOWED FELLOWSHIP This fund supports graduate students traveling to This fellowship has just been established and will provide professional conferences to present their research, where for students pursuing graduate degrees in chemistry. they can also network with colleagues and employers. Robert Lane received his PhD from MIT in 1976 and is an The Graduate Student Government decides how to alumnus of Michigan Tech’s Department of Chemistry (BS spend the funds, allowing students to request funding 1972). He recently retired from a successful career with one time each year. the Shepherd Color Company in Cincinnati.

7 Support Types

PHD MASTER’S

2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 2013

Self 31% 32% 32% Self 76% 82% 86%

External 33% 31% 29% External 11% 8% 5%

Internal 36% 37% 39% Internal 13% 10% 9%

Internal financial support includes teaching and research The -only master’s degree programs assistantships provided by Michigan Tech. External funds at Michigan Tech are designed to meet the career- include fellowships, grants, and contracts. Self-supported development needs of self-supported graduate students pay their own way or have support from an students, a group that has been on the rise. In both employer or another organization, and their support is not 2012 and 2013, the number of master’s students administered through Michigan Tech. receiving external and internal support decreased slightly.

Degree by Gender

FIRST-TIME MASTER’S FIRST-TIME PHD

224 29% Female 61

36 1,358 Students in the 89 Graduate School in fall 2013

71% Male Male Female Male Female

Of the 313 students enrolled as first-time master’s degree- seeking students, 28 percent are female, while 37 percent of the students enrolled as first-time PhD candidates are females (fall 2013).

8 Students ENROLLMENT The number of students applying to graduate programs at Michigan Tech Nondegree has continued to increase, with the PhD 25 550 number of applicants rising above Master’s 3,000 for the past two years. The Graduate School enrolled more than 400 students in 2013 reaching a 68 420 total enrollment of 1,358. 783

Applications Accepts 496 Enrolled

2,090 962 265 2008 2008 2013

The number of graduate students enrolled in PhD programs has remained constant over the past two years, while the number of students seeking master’s degrees 2009 has increased, and the number of nondegree-seeking students has decreased.

DEGREES 2010 75 PhD Master’s 282 2011 54

196 2012

3,727 1,499 424 2013

2007-08 2012-13 From fall 2005 to fall 2013, the Graduate School has experienced a 213 percent increase in In 2012-13, Michigan Tech granted 282 master’s and 75 PhD the number of applications. Each year, the degrees. This means the Graduate School has reached the Graduate School continues to modify their University’s 2012 goal of granting 65 PhD degrees per year process for compiling, completing, and and has exceeded the master’s goal of 225 by 25 percent. reviewing prospective students’ applications. The 2012-13 academic year produced the most graduate degrees in Michigan Tech’s history. 9 Survey of Earned

(WWW.NSF.GOV/STATISTICS/SRVYDOCTORATES/)

STEM Focused Post Graduation Plans

80.7% 31.3% 25.7% vs. 13.7% of Michigan Tech’s of PhDs from High PhDs obtain a post- Research Universities doctoral research with postdoctoral associateship research associateships Michigan Tech High Research Universities

80.7 percent of Michigan Tech’s PhDs focus on More than 25 percent of Michigan Tech’s PhDs engineering or physical science as their primary continue as research associates, compared to field of study, compared to only 31.3 percent of PhD only 13.7 percent at High Research Universities. recipients from other High Research Universities.

Less Time-to-Degree Real Research

1.2 years Michigan Tech 45.5% The difference between Michigan Tech High Research Universities 27.5% and other High Research Universities in the time-to-degree

7.5 years since starting graduate school is the Over 45 percent of Michigan Tech’s PhD median time to degree for Michigan Tech’s graduates are involved in research and PhDs. This compares to all High Research development, while only 27.5 percent of PhD Universities’ time-to-degree of 8.7 years. recipients from High Research Universities are involved in these activities.

THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS BASED ON 2012 DATA REPORTED IN 2013.

10 Graduate Tuition Resident Engineers Nonresident Engineers FULL-TIME TUITION FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-13 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000

$4,078 Texas A&M Station $10,396

Michigan Technological University

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Michigan State

New Jersey

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Colorado School of Mines

Purdue University

$21,914 $41,232

Graduate Stipend NORMALIZED MINIMUM STIPENDS FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-13 $5,000 $10,000 $15,000

Texas A&M College Station $10,000

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Purdue University

Michigan State

Colorado School of Mines

Michigan Technological University

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology

University of Michigan $18,600

11 Michigan Technological University Graduate School 1400 Townsend Drive Houghton, MI 49931-1295

GSG Orientation Picnic Each year the Graduate Student Government (GSG) sponsors a picnic following Orientation for new graduate students at Michigan Tech. This year’s social was held in August at Hancock Beach. Food was provided and Blizzard T. Husky even made an appearance. The orientation picnic is one of the many ways GSG and the Graduate School encourage other graduate students to get to know each other in relaxed, nonclassroom environments. Another event the Graduate School and GSG host to support socialization among graduate students is the First Friday Social. To get involved, check out Graduate Student Government on Facebook.

Michigan Tech is a leading public , conducting research, developing new technologies, and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers Contact Us more than sixty graduate degree programs in engineering, forestry and environmental Telephone: 906-487-2327 sciences, computing, business and Fax: 906-487-2284 economics, natural and physical sciences, Email: [email protected] , social sciences, and technology. www.mtu.edu/gradschool Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity / equal opportunity employer, which includes providing equal opportunity for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.