Northern Michigan University has announced its outstanding graduating seniors and graduate students from each academic department. Most honorees will receive their degrees at NMU’s spring commencement on May 5.

Posture Plank, the recent invention of Marquette chiropractor Brian Kulbieda, puts a new spin on an old idea to help improve posture. With 16 years of experience running his own practice, Axis Chiropractic, Kulbieda knows the demands people put on their bodies on a daily basis and the poor posture and injuries that can result from being bent over a desk or standing on one’s feet all day.

Alex Camarillo-Lugo of Lake Forest, Calif., will serve as the student speaker at Northern Michigan University’s spring commencement on Saturday, May 5. She will receive a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and was named the department’s outstanding graduating senior.

The School of Health and Human Performance held an open house April 30 for the NMU Kinesiology and Exercise Oncology Research Laboratory on Washington Street near the new hospital. Faculty and students will conduct clinical-based research on the value of exercise in helping individuals with a cancer diagnosis recover more efficiently and effectively. Other projects will address concussions, multiple sclerosis (MS), outdoor recreational therapy and athletic training. NMU plans future collaborations with Advanced Orthopedics, UP Rehab and Perform4Life, which are housed in the same building.

The NMU Wildcat Battalion will celebrate the graduation of seven new Second Lieutenants as they take their oath of office and have their bars pinned on them. The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in John X. Jamrich 1100.