Northern Michigan University's annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, where NMU graduate students present their research in a condensed format, returns Tuesday, Feb. 21. The public is invited at 4 p.m. in the Lydia M. Olson Library Atrium.

Four Northern Michigan University alumni will participate in a Black History Month panel discussion, sharing insights into how their NMU education prepared them for their careers, obstacles they have overcome, and ways they are impacting the communities in which they live. This "Northern Now" digital event is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 22. It is free, but pre-registration is required.

Northern Michigan University's Seaborg Center will offer College for Kids Jr., hands-on and minds-on STEM classes for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The classes are from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 25, and/or Saturday, April 15, at the Seaborg Center. Pre-registration is required with a $10 fee per class.

Northern Michigan University's Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE) launched the Wildcat Economics Reading Program last semester, and students selected to participate who attended regular meetings received $500 CEEE Scholar Awards when it ended. A second installment of the program started in January. Students from all academic majors and backgrounds read and discuss non-technical selections on contemporary topics ranging from health care, property rights and freedom of speech to the environment, economic systems and discrimination. 

The UP200 sled dog race, established in 1990, is powered by Northern Michigan University, both in terms of sponsorship and volunteer support. Darlene Walch, president of the U.P. Sled Dog Association, estimates as many as 500 students will volunteer for this weekend's UP200 Powered by Northern Michigan University, Jack Pine 30 and Midnight Run. They help with everything from selling merchandise to vet checks for the dogs and crowd control, with several student organizations involved in the process.