When large-scale natural or man-made disasters occur in the United States, such as Hurricane Helene or the recent Washington, D.C. plane crash, a Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) may be deployed at the request of the local medical examiner's office to help identify deceased individuals and store the bodies until they are claimed. DMORT has never deployed in cold weather, so to ensure its processes would function well in that environment, it held its first full cold-weather training exercise at Northern Michigan University last week, shortly after the blizzard. Organizers gave NMU high marks for the professionalism of students from various disciplines who participated, and for help facilitating the setup a disaster portable morgue unit in a Jacobetti Complex parking lot.

A trio of talented Northern Michigan University alumni collaborated on a short film shot in Marquette County about family members who have a falling out over addiction. “My Sister” will premiere at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, at the Marquette Regional History Center. It was written, produced and directed by Negaunee native Dan Aho, who has worked as an actor in Chicago and Los Angeles. His credits include “Contagion” and “Man of Steel.” Local thespians Jessica “Red” Bays and Han Numinen star as the sisters at odds with each other. All will participate in a discussion after the premiere screening.

This month's Northern Michigan University Jazz Festival will be preceded by a presentation on the history of jazz at NMU to coincide with the university's 125th anniversary and feature opening and closing concerts with guest artist Matt Wilson, a drummer, band leader and educator. The annual festival brings middle and high school students from throughout the region to campus for performances and clinics. 

Northern Michigan University hosted a March 8 visit by the touring group 1° of Separation, which presents a comedy show and suicide prevention program aimed at ending the stigma of mental illness. NMU Veterans Services Coordinator Mike Rutledge is on the board of Upper Peninsula Together With Veterans, the organization that brought the show to several U.P. locations. He also collaborates with other organizations that help area residents who have served in the military—outreach that extends beyond his role assisting student veterans and elevating NMU's position on national Military Friendly Schools rankings.

Northern Michigan University cybersecurity students took second place in the March 1 regional event of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) national competition. Five students spent 10 hours on a spring break Saturday working diligently in the Northern Center lab, showing they can compete with the best cybersecurity student across the country.