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              Michigan Tech
              Articles of Interest
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				| Can Snowmobiles Adapt 
				in the Age of Ethanol? |  
				| by Marcia 
				Goodrich, senior writer
 |  |  
				| Houghton January 5, 2010
 
				By 2022, federal regulations will require a 400-percent increase 
				in the amount of renewable fuel in America's gasoline, from 9 
				billion to 36 billion gallons.
 
 Cars and trucks are being designed to run on these ethanol-rich 
				fuels. But can a snowmobile?
 
 "Now, the maximum amount of ethanol in most fuel is 10 percent, 
				or E10," says Scott Miers, an assistant professor of mechanical 
				engineering-engineering mechanics. "What if it goes to E15? How 
				will that affect snowmobiling?"
 
 For the owners of the 1.7 million snow machines registered in 
				the US, it's a serious question. Miers will begin to answer it 
				this winter. He will test snowmobile emissions and fuel economy 
				on E15 fuel, both in the lab and on the trail. He will also 
				study how well snowmobiles start at low temperatures on the 
				higher-ethanol blend. "If you can't start in the cold, you can't 
				snowmobile," Miers noted.
 
 The research will be conducted in cooperation with the SAE Clean 
				Snowmobile Challenge, hosted annually by Michigan Tech and set 
				for March 15-20.
 
 The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is a collegiate design 
				competition of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Engineering 
				students from participating schools take a stock snowmobile and 
				reengineer it to reduce emissions and noise while maintaining or 
				boosting performance. In 2009, teams adapted their engines to 
				run on flex-fuel, with varying ratios of ethanol and gasoline.
 
 "This study is a great fit for the Challenge," said Jay Meldrum, 
				who co-organizes the event as executive director of the Keweenaw 
				Research Center. "The snowmobiling community is wondering what 
				will happen if ethanol increases to E15 or E20."
 
 The $69,000 project is funded in part by a $25,000 grant 
				provided by the Bureau of Energy Systems, part of the Michigan 
				Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. Gage Products 
				of Ferndale is providing fuel, and Yamaha is donating a 
				snowmobile. Emissions testing equipment will be provided by the 
				Clean Snowmobile Challenge.
 
 Coprincipal investigators on the project are Meldrum and Jason 
				Blough, associate professor of mechanical 
				engineering–engineering mechanics.
   |  
			
				| Tech Receives Kennedy Center Honors |  
				| 
				 |  
				| VPA Plays Receive Kennedy Center/ACTF honor by Dennis 
				Walikainen, senior editor The two one-act plays recently produced by the visual and 
				performing arts department--"The Bald Soprano" and "The 
				Lesson"--have been selected to be performed at the Kennedy 
				Center/American College Theatre Festival. The Region III 
				festival will be held at Saginaw Valley State University from 
				Jan. 5 to 9. The two Eugene Ionesco plays were evaluated along with all 
				other plays entered since January of this year in the four-state 
				region of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. They 
				selected the most outstanding eight performances of the year to 
				be presented at the January festival. "It's immensely unusual for a school with the resources of 
				Michigan Tech to be able to compete in the marketplace with the 
				finest schools in the Midwest," said Roger Held, chair of VPA. 
				"Region III is the largest of the eight KC/ACTF regions. To have 
				a production selected for performance at the annual festival is 
				very difficult, because the competition is intense." Since the announcement early this month, the actors, 
				designers, and crew members had to immediately go back into 
				rehearsals, redesigning them to be moved to a 550-seat 
				proscenium theatre at Saginaw Valley State. In announcing the awards, the KC/ACTF selection committee 
				cited director Patricia Helsel's creative interpretation of the 
				Ionesco plays and her unique stylistic choices, as well as 
				"outstanding production values and use of technology," 
				particularly the play's use of projections, and its scenic, 
				sound and lighting designs. Forty students from Michigan Tech were already scheduled to 
				attend the Region III festival in January to compete for awards 
				in several categories, from acting to sound and costume design. 
				They'll now be joined by the casts and crews of the plays, which 
				will be fully staged in the new venue, with strict limits on the 
				amount of time allowed for setting the stage and all the 
				technical aspects of the play. Helsel, assistant professor of theatre, joined Michigan 
				Tech's faculty in 2006 and has directed several plays, including 
				the spring 2009 musical, "The Robber Bridegroom." Set designer 
				Brock Nummerdor, lighting designer Frank Sopjes, costume 
				designers Simone Boicourt and Esther Chuah, sound designer David 
				Nichols and stage manager Mike McKeller, plus the crew and eight 
				of the nine actors, are Michigan Tech undergraduates.   |  
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		| MSU trustees give authorization to proceed with art 
		museum construction |  
		|  |  
		| EAST LANSING, Mich. — Authorization to proceed with the construction 
		of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum has been approved by the Michigan 
		State University Board of Trustees at its Dec. 11 meeting. 
 The university will break ground on the museum on March 16, 2010. Eli 
		Broad, who donated the naming gift for the project, and Zaha Hadid, the 
		internationally known architect who designed the building, are expected 
		to attend.
 
 The groundbreaking will be followed by 23 months of construction and a 
		2012 museum opening.
 
 In June 2007, philanthropist and MSU alumnus Eli Broad and his wife, 
		Edythe, donated $18.5 million toward the construction of the museum. 
		They gave an additional $7.5 million to commission a signature sculpture 
		and to provide funding for acquisitions, operations and endowment for a 
		total gift of $26 million, the largest gift ever made to the university.
 
 Hadid, a prize-winning architect from London, was selected as the winner 
		of an international design competition for the Broad Art Museum in 
		January 2008. Teams from Hadid’s firm worked with university 
		representatives as well as local architectural and construction firms to 
		complete the design and building plans.
 
 For more information about the Broad Museum, visit
		
		www.broadmuseum.msu.edu.
 
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		|  |  
	
		| MTU Receives Funding For 
		Forest Health |  
		| 
		 |  
		| Houghton - December 12, 2009 New Funding - Andrew 
		Storer (SFRES) has received $651,539 from the USDA Forest Service
		for a multiple-year project, "Forest Health Cooperative."
 Yu Wang (MSE/IEM) has received $69,008 from the National Science 
		Foundation for the first increment of a potential two-year, $207,008 
		project, "Computational Study for Optimizating Microstructures and 
		Properties of Polymer-Matrix Magnetostrictive Composite Materials."
   |  
		|  |  
	
		| Former Husky Berger Starts at Center for
 NFL's Miami Dolphins
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		 |  
		| 
			
			
				December 9, 2009 Former Michigan Tech football player Joe Berger started his 
				first career game in the National Football League on Nov. 29. 
				The Newaygo, Mich., native, who played for the Huskies from 
				2001-04, started at center for the Miami Dolphins in their game 
				at the Buffalo Bills. Berger was an All-American and Academic All-American in his 
				time at Tech. The former Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic 
				Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year was drafted by the 
				Carolina Panthers in 2005. He was signed by the Dolphins from 
				the Carolina practice squad prior to the 2005 season and spent a 
				season and a half with in Miami before being claimed off waivers 
				by the Dallas Cowboys in 2006. Following the 2008 season, Berger 
				was re-signed by Miami to a multi-year contract as an 
				unrestricted free agent. Until the Nov. 29 game, Berger had spent his career as a 
				backup on the offensive line. Because of an ankle injury to 
				starting center Jake Grove, Berger got his chance to start. Dolphins coach Tony Sparano was quoted in a Miami Herald 
				feature story on Berger that ran before the game as saying, “If 
				Joe ends up starting in the game, and Jake doesn’t play, then 
				I’m absolutely fine with that.” “Joe’s ready to go, got a lot of work,” he said. “He’s a 
				solid player, smart guy, going to get us lined up the right way, 
				and I know exactly what Joe will do in the game. I think that 
				that’s a good thing.” The feature story on Berger from the Miami Herald can 
				be found at the following link.http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/story/1354872.html
 
 
 Michigan Technological University (mtu.edu) 
				is a leading public research university developing new 
				technologies and preparing students to create the future for a 
				prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 
				130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; 
				forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; 
				natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; 
				and social sciences.Original URL: 
				http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2009/december/story20905.html   |  
		|  |  
			
				| Tech's 
				Wallace Wins Fulbright Scholarship to Chile |  
				| 
				 |  
				| December 10, 2009 Charles Wallace, associate professor of computer 
				science, has been named a Fulbright Scholar. He will spend six 
				months teaching and conducting research at the Pontificia 
				Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile.
 The highly competitive Fulbright Program is the flagship 
				international exchange program sponsored by the US government. 
				It is designed to increase mutual understanding between the 
				people of the US and other countries.
 
 Wallace's research interest is in software engineering, 
				particularly the challenges of communicating about software.
 
 The full story about the
				
				Fulbright winner is 
				online.
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				|  |  
			
				| Student-Athletes Collect Winter Hats 
				and Gloves for Charity |  
				|  |  
				| Michigan Tech Athletics is partnering with Houghton 
				Rotary to collect winter hats, gloves and mittens to donate to 
				local charities. At the next three home athletic events, members 
				of Tech's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) will have bins 
				for people to make donations. 
 Those contributing items at an event will be entered into that 
				day's drawing for a $50 gift certificate to University Images.
 
 The items should be new or nearly and of all sizes, for children 
				and adults.
 
 SAAC president Beth Geerer, a member of the women's track and 
				field team, is helping to coordinate the program. "We wanted to 
				come up with a way for athletics to give back to the community," 
				she said. "Having people donate winter hats, gloves and mittens 
				seemed appropriate for our climate."
 
 The dates and times for donations are below.
 
 * Saturday, Dec. 5--basketball vs. Northwood (women's at 1 p.m., 
				men's at 3 p.m.)
 
 * Friday, Dec. 11--hockey vs. Minnesota, 7:07 p.m.
 
 * Saturday, Dec. 12--Hockey vs. Minnesota, 7:07 p.m.
   |  
				|  |  
			
				| 
				
				"Messiah" Will Put the Campus, Community in the Holiday Mood
				 |  
				|  |  
				| by Dennis Walikainen, senior 
				editor 
 On the night of the first full rehearsal of "Messiah," two 
				student Concert Choir members and I fought the cold wind as we 
				found the stage entrance of the Rozsa Center.
 
 They were going to warm up their voices; I was going to warm up.
 
 Seeing members of the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra (KSO) in their 
				street clothes was a bit shocking, but when they ran through 
				sections of Handel's "Messiah," they transported the few of us 
				watching to another place. A good place.
 
 The trumpets sang out high and true and were complemented by 
				violins and then cellos to round out the bass.
 
 "Since 1741, this music's never been out of vogue," new director 
				Joel Neves told the performers. "Think about that when you hit 
				that first note." The orchestra responded.
 
 As they pursued perfection on another section, Neves talked 
				about the "stop and pop," and if you listened closely, you could 
				hear Handel's influence on modern music.
 
 They sounded more polished as they proceeded, and, in one spot, 
				to get them to better understand the music, he had them sing 
				their parts. The orchestra became a sonic engine. "Now that's 
				rhythm," Neves said, as the music enveloped the Rozsa.
 
 One observer noted how young the musicians were, and when the 
				Concert Choir joined them, it became a nice mix of hair, some 
				grey, some long.
 
 When both groups were assembled, Neves discussed his goal of the 
				performance: "We want to breathe fresh air into it," he said, 
				making sure it is not too heavy. When the soloists, and then the 
				full choir, joined in, his lightness was achieved, but still 
				possessed the power of the music. The harpsichord and organ 
				helped.
 
 "I know it's the holidays and finals are coming up, but I want 
				us all to put everything we’ve got into this," he said.
 
 Judging by this rehearsal, the KSO and Concert Choir are doing 
				just that--taking on the masterpiece.
 
 We asked Neves about the task of tackling this monumental piece.
 
 "Whenever an orchestra and choir perform a masterwork on the 
				scale of Handel's 'Messiah,' it is a massive undertaking," he 
				said. "There's the choir, there's the orchestra, there's the 
				collaboration with four vocal soloists, there's the addition of 
				a harpsichordist and organist, there's the almost forty separate 
				musical movements that need to be coordinated: it's a real party 
				when this musical behemoth joins together on stage!"
 
 He said that one of the challenges involves the choir and 
				soloists rehearsing for several months, but with only three 
				joint rehearsals before the concert. When they finally do get 
				together, it can be "a real challenge to make a cohesive 
				product."
 
 "There needs to be really good communication and, most 
				importantly, a sense of humor about it all," he said. "It's 
				really a miracle that everything comes together so nicely at the 
				concert. (Knock on wood!)"
 
 And why did we choose to perform "Messiah" for this season?
 
 "The KSO and Concert Choir have traditionally performed 
				"Messiah" once every four or five years, and this production 
				meets that expectation," Neves said. This way, it prevents 
				overexposure, he added. "It needs to seem like a brand-new 
				composition, something that is fresh and appealing, not a 
				musical albatross forced upon everyone each Christmas season."
 
 He noted that the main reason why the KSO ("and every other 
				community and professional orchestra in the western hemisphere") 
				performs "Messiah" so frequently is, the quality of the music 
				"that seems to awaken the most elevated feelings in the human 
				soul.
 
 "How many compositions written 265 years ago can be hummed by 
				virtually every person on the planet today? Will we still be 
				talking about "Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" or 
				"Stairway to Heaven" or "I've Got Friends in Low Places" in the 
				year 2274? I can't say. But I do know that Handel's canny 
				compositional craft and spiritual sense makes his 'Messiah' one 
				of those rare experiences where an audience member walks away 
				both emotionally charged and spiritually enlightened."
 
 "Messiah" will be performed at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5, in 
				the Rozsa Center.
   |  
				|  |  
	
		|  | Buy Your 
		Michigan Tech Blanket Now! |  
		| Order the Michigan Tech blanket as a 
		unique gift for friends, students, and alumni. Images of our rich 
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 The blanket  
			Yours for only $65!is a generous 4 feet by 5 feet. 
  			is woven in the USA of 100% cotton (machine 
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  			is adorned with images of buildings on 
			campus, past and present.  The blanket is a fund-raising project of the 
		Friends of the Van Pelt Library, and all proceeds go to projects for 
		Michigan Tech's J. Robert Van Pelt and Opie Library. Order your blanket 
 
		
		Return to Friends of the Library Home Page
		 
		Return to J. 
		Robert Van Pelt and Opie Library Home Page
		 |  
	
		| Beckwith Honored with Gallery at Central Michigan
 |  
		|  |  
		| by Dennis Walikainen, senior editor 
		Houghton - November 28, 2009Mary Ann Beckwith, professor of art in the visual and performing 
		arts department, has had an art gallery named in her honor, thanks to a 
		donation of artwork from Arlee Tampas, a Central Michigan University 
		alumna, and Pete Tampas, former faculty member in the School of 
		Technology.
 
 
 The Mary Ann Beckwith Gallery, in the new Education and Health Services 
		building on the Central Michigan campus, is so named "because of all she 
		has taught me and others about papers, artists, techniques," said Arlee. 
		"And she shares her knowledge so freely with everyone in the community."
 
 The gallery is actually located in a hallway, and that was on purpose, 
		according to Arlee. "The windows along the 110-foot hallway give natural 
		light and actually open up on a computer lab across the way, so even 
		more people can enjoy the art," Arlee said. The gallery will focus on 
		local and regional artists, including an exhibit of Beckwith's work, for 
		all of spring semester 2010.
 
 "It really struck me out of the blue, and I am extremely honored," 
		Beckwith said. "I’ve never dreamed of this happening to me. It really 
		goes along with my belief that art should be part of everyday life."
 
 Kathy Koch, interim dean of the College of Education and Health 
		Services, also appreciates the utilitarian display of artwork.
 
 "Having the gallery in our new building is a perfect way to communicate 
		with our students and the community at large that learning is more than 
		what happens in the classroom," she said. "The gallery exhibitions 
		expose students to new ways of thinking about the world around them, and 
		we hope it will stimulate their own creativity as they prepare for 
		future careers and becoming informed citizens."
 
 The first exhibit, "Dream of a Landscape," features Jens Carstensen, 
		whose work is heavily influenced by the Michigamme area of the UP, 
		according to a news release from Central Michigan.
 
 The staff in the education and health services is also pleased with the 
		"casual and serendipitous gallery" and the artwork.
 
 "The gallery helps soften the very industrial steel, glass, bamboo, and 
		slate of the new building," said Anne Miller, coordinator of outreach 
		and marketing for the college. "The south-facing windows lend themselves 
		to a gallery, and we can fit some 25 or so paintings. We look at it as a 
		platform for outreach, too. We would like to do an on-campus art walk, 
		for example."
 
 Miller was impressed with the talent of, and her talks with, Beckwith.
 
 "She seems remarkable," Miller said. "She’s a true superstar."
 
 Although the gallery opened this fall, the grand opening will be on 
		Saturday, Mar. 20, so Beckwith can visit.
 
 The Beckwith Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 
		and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The venue is handicapped- accessible. For 
		additional information, call 989-774-7528 visit
		www.cmich.edu/ehs 
		.
 
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		|  | MTU Physicist Produces Digital Art
 |  
		| by John Gagnon, promotional writer 
 Houghton - November 28, 2009
 
 We visited the Vertin Gallery in Calumet this week and discovered that 
		Max Seel, a disciplined scientist and a structured administrator, has a 
		fanciful side.
 
 Seel takes pictures and manipulates them with design software. The 
		results are engaging and comprise an exhibit, which runs through Dec. 2, 
		at the gallery.
 
 Picture this:
 
 A pig with a soup can for a snout.
 
 A Duesenberg with fenders like wings.
 
 Martini glasses like so many bubbles in the air.
 
 From flowers to casinos, these are what Seel calls "digital realities." 
		"Take a piece of reality and make something different," he says. "Make a 
		new world."
 
 Seel committed to the show a year ago, when he stepped down as a dean 
		and returned to the faculty and had more time to devote to the 
		avocation. He enjoys this work but is uncomfortable with the attention. 
		We prevailed on him to talk about it; he did so grudgingly.
 
 Seel has been doing this work for about seven years. He starts with a 
		simple camera and a snapshot. "You get nicer pictures if you buy a 
		postcard," he says. Then he gives the pictures a heavy dose of whimsy. 
		"See what happens," Seel says. "Sometimes it never works out and I just 
		give up. Other times you see something working. Each result is almost 
		unique."
 
 He has no set schedule with this work. It's a rainy afternoon deal.
 
 Where does this endeavor come from in a physicist?
 
 "Oh, to be a good scientist, you need to be creative," he says. "You 
		need to have ideas. You need to be playful, I think."
 
 There’s no message with this business. "Absolutely not," he says.
 
 He describes the process as a translation. "Take reality, translate it, 
		make art of it. It becomes a different reality."
 
 When it comes to translations, he's an old hand, for he likes to read 
		them. He is schooled in his native German, as well as Latin, Greek, 
		French and English. He can still recite Virgil's Aeneid in Latin, which 
		he learned in his boarding school days.
 
 An artistic bent is not new territory for Seel. He played cello in the 
		Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra for 20 years. Science and music go hand in 
		hand, he says. They share "structure and creativity."
 
 Seel also paints with oil. He describes that work as "mainly copying" 
		and allows, "I'm not good enough and I don't have time enough." But he 
		enjoys it. "You smell the mess. You smell the paints and the turpentine. 
		It's very different from digital."
 
 Making his digital compositions is diverting. "It takes your mind off 
		everything else."
 
 Artist, scientist, scholar, and musician: Are they the makings of a 
		Renaissance man?
 
 "I don’t think so," Seel says. "No. It’s just fun."
     |  
	
		| Artist Eydi Lampasona
		 |  
		| to 
		Visit MTU Campus |  
		| submitted by Visual and Performing Arts 
 Eydi Lampasona, an award-winning artist specializing in watermedia, 
		papermaking and collage using natural and found objects, will present a 
		Guest Artist Residency at Tech from Wednesday, Dec. 2, through Saturday, 
		Dec. 5. She will present four two-hour lecture demonstrations titled, 
		"Urban Archeology: Collage and Mixed Media," in the McArdle Theatre at 2 
		and 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2, and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 3.
 
 Her current work involves collage techniques such as altering, rusting, 
		making opulent papers and investigating unusual assemblage materials, 
		including found and salvaged objects and natural objects. Lampasona 
		combines media as she applies layering, glazing, painting, texturing and 
		other three-dimensional methods. "My goal is to unleash each student's 
		creativity," Lampasona says. "Students from beginners to professionals 
		enjoy learning news ways to experiment, creating works based on their 
		life experiences, personal themes and goals."
 
 Mary Ann Beckwith, professor of art and coordinator of the annual Guest 
		Artist Residency, says "Eydi is an astonishingly gifted artist and 
		teacher."
 
 Lampasona is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, 
		National Collage Society, International Society of Experimental Artists 
		and Society of Layerists in Multi-Media. Her work can be viewed at 
		eydilampasona.com .
 
 In addition to the free public lectures, Lampasona will present a 
		two-day workshop for artists--limited to 20 persons--on Friday and 
		Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5. Preregistration and a fee are required for the 
		two-day session. Enroll by calling the Visual and Performing Arts Office 
		at 487-2067 or by submitting the registration form at: 
		
		www.vpa.mtu.edu . For more information, contact 
		Beckwith at 487-3285.
 |  
		|  |  
								
									| State 
									Moves Ahead with |  
									| Great 
									Lakes Research Center |  
									|  |  
									| by Jennifer Donovan, director of public 
									relations Houghton - November 16, 2009 The Michigan Legislature's Joint 
									Capital Outlay Committee meeting in Lansing 
									Thursday authorized Michigan Tech to seek 
									construction bids for its planned Great 
									Lakes Research Center (GLRC). The $25.3-million facility will be built 
									on the waterfront adjacent to the campus. 
									The state will pay 74 percent of the cost. 
									The University's share is 26 percent or 
									$6.58 million. "As Michigan moves toward a blue-water 
									economy, this Great Lakes Research Center 
									will play a vital role in helping the state 
									understand and use its freshwater 
									resources," said President Glenn Mroz. "It 
									is a strategic investment in the future, for 
									the state and for the University." The GLRC will include aquatic 
									laboratories, a hydraulics lab, coastal 
									research instrumentation, boathouse 
									facilities, offices and conference 
									rooms--all of it providing a home for 
									interdisciplinary research and education 
									related to the Great Lakes. It will also 
									house a research and educational partnership 
									between Michigan Tech and the US Army Corps 
									of Engineers' Research and Development 
									Center Environmental Laboratory in 
									Vicksburg, Miss. The Vicksburg lab is the 
									Corps of Engineers' water resources research 
									facility. At the GLRC, Michigan Tech and the Corps 
									of Engineers will conduct cross-disciplinary 
									research and education focusing on 
									protection and restoration of the Great 
									Lakes. Vicksburg scientists will work 
									collaboratively with Michigan Tech 
									researchers and students in both locations. "We are appreciative of the strong, 
									continuing support of Sen. Michael Prusi and 
									Rep. Michael Lahti," said Dale Tahtinen, 
									vice president for governmental affairs. 
									"They played a significant role in making 
									this happen." The Board of Control will now be asked to 
									authorize the seeking of construction bids 
									for the 49,466-square-foot center, based on 
									a schematic design already approved by the 
									state. Groundbreaking could occur in spring 
									2010. |  
										
									| Rozsa Center Welcomes |  
									| Virtuoso Simon 
									Shaheen |  
											|  |  
											| submitted by the Rozsa 
											Center 
 The Rozsa Center presents the 
											internationally-acclaimed and 
											Grammy-nominated instrumentalist 
											Simon Shaheen, at 7:30 p.m., 
											Wednesday, Nov. 18. Shaheen is one 
											of the most significant Arab 
											musicians, performers and composers 
											of his generation. His work 
											incorporates and reflects a legacy 
											of Arabic music while it forges 
											ahead to new frontiers, embracing 
											many different styles in the 
											process. Shaheen dazzles his 
											listeners as he deftly leaps from 
											traditional Arabic sounds to jazz 
											and Western classical styles. His 
											soaring technique, melodic ingenuity 
											and unparalleled grace have earned 
											him international acclaim as a 
											virtuoso on the 'oud and violin.
 
 A Palestinian born in the Israeli 
											village of Tarshiha in the Galilee, 
											Shaheen's childhood was steeped in 
											music. His father, Hikmat Shaheen, 
											was a professor of music and a 
											master 'oud player. "Learning to 
											play on the 'oud from my father was 
											the most powerful influence in my 
											musical life," Shaheen recalls. He 
											began playing on the 'oud at the age 
											of five and a year later was 
											studying violin at the Conservatory 
											for Western Classical Music in 
											Jerusalem. "When I held and played 
											these instruments, they felt like an 
											extension of my arms."
 
 
 |  
											|  |  
											| Most recently, Shaheen has 
											focused much of his energies on 
											Qantara. The band, whose name means 
											"arch" in Arabic, brings to life 
											Shaheen's vision for the unbridled 
											fusion of Arab, jazz, western 
											classical and Latin American 
											music--a perfect alchemy for music 
											to transcend the boundaries of genre 
											and geography. The group's release, 
											"Blue Flame," earned eleven Grammy 
											nominations and high accaim by the 
											Los Angeles Times as "stunning" and 
											"meticulously conceived." While Qantara has been the focus of 
											Shaheen's recent attention, he 
											continues to lead the Near Eastern 
											Music Ensemble which remains active 
											performing more traditional concerts 
											in museums and art centers and 
											participates in Shaheen's Arab Music 
											Retreat. This year, Shaheen directed 
											the multi-faceted orchestral program 
											Aswat (Voices)--Celebrating the 
											Golden Age of Arab Music and Cinema, 
											in association with the John F. 
											Kennedy Center for the Performing 
											Arts and the University Musical 
											Society at the University of 
											Michigan.
 
 A retrospective program of Shaheen's 
											contemporary and traditional Arab 
											music styles is offered in his most 
											available North American touring 
											format--a five-piece ensemble of 
											master musicians. Shaheen also tours 
											as a solo artist internationally and 
											as a lecturer throughout the 
											academic world promoting awareness 
											of Arab music through numerous 
											workshops and presentations.
 
 This event is sponsored by the James 
											and Margaret Black Endowment.
 
 Ticket prices for the general public 
											are $20 and $15; for Tech students 
											$15 and $10 (student ID required).
 
 To purchase tickets, contact the 
											Rozsa Box Office at 487-3200, the 
											Central Ticket Office at 487-2073, 
											Tech Express at 487-3308 or visit 
											tickets.mtu.edu .
 
 No refunds, exchanges or late 
											seating.
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