NMU alumna Stacy Schwenke ('07 MAE) has joined the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth. She fills a new position dedicated to strategic management of the organization's grants and contracts, which comprise about 55 percent of NRRI's research funding. NRRI's mission is to "deliver research solutions to balance our economy, resources and environment for resilient communities." Schwenke's previous research administration work experience included positions with University of Wisconsin System campuses and the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Ronnie Tucker, a former weightlifter at NMU's Olympic Training Site, helped to save the life of an unresponsive newborn outside the Michigan State Police Jackson Post. He has been a state trooper for eight months. Tucker was first on the scene to assist a couple in an SUV parked outside whose baby emerged feet first and wasn't breathing. With CPR equipment from his vehicle and the training he underwent in the police academy, he kept the newborn's airway open and tried rubbing her chest for stimulation, eventually finding success.

Northern Michigan University is listed first in a Forbes article titled "From Chemistry to Culinary: 10 Educational Programs for Students Eager to Learn About Cannabis." The description for NMU states that there is renewed and enthusiastic interest in medicinal plant chemistry as it relates to the herbal extract market and, more recently, to the emerging cannabis market. "The degree balances coursework in chemistry and biology with lab experience.