NMU 2019 environmental science alumnus Scott Culbert was recently appointed forest ecologist and climate change coordinator with the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota. Covering three million acres, it is the largest national forest east of the Mississippi and includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Payton Jacobson of Northern's Greco-Roman wrestling program is preparing for his first Olympics in Paris. The competition in his 87kg weight class begins at 5 a.m. EST Aug. 7. According to an Olympics.com feature story, the Elkhorn, Wis. native is named after the late NFL legend Walter Payton, who once lived down the street from Jacobson's mother in a Chicago suburb. The wrestler has embraced the connection, incorporating the football player's 34 jersey number into his Instagram handle and his renowned work ethic into his training regimen.

“We all just did something pretty epic in a tiny town.” NMU 2001 alumnus Mike Picotte texted that message to NMU faculty members Dan Zini and Mark Shevy after the conclusion of The Big 3 concert Saturday night in Gwinn. Picotte was referring to the fact that they had successfully produced a high-quality, large-scale concert that would usually require a much larger team and the support of a bigger city's infrastructure. They did it with a crew of six—all with NMU connections—in a town with a population under 1,500.

The third annual North Coast Dance Festival will be held July 24-26 at Northern Michigan University. It will feature a free master class and two performances by professionals from across the country, along with NMU's CO/LAB Dance Company. Ballet dancers Mate Szentes, Julia Feldman and Ava Chatterson will return to the event. Giordano Dance Chicago, “America's original jazz dance company,” will make its first appearance at the festival, performing a new work, Gershwin in B, by Emmy-winning choreographer Al Blackstone.

Northern Michigan University will study the feasibility of developing and sustaining a dental hygiene education program in Marquette to meet workforce needs of regional offices and enhance oral health services for Upper Peninsula residents. The closest existing program in the state is about 350 miles south in Big Rapids. NMU successfully applied for a $71,500 grant from the Delta Dental Foundation to conduct the study. All U.P. dental societies joined in signing a letter of support.