July 2020

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees on Thursday received updates on the extensive planning invested in COVID-19 safety protocols that are being implemented across campus before face-to-face instruction resumes for the fall semester.

Northern Michigan University is reconfiguring most classrooms to align with six-foot social distancing guidelines and installing plexiglass barriers in others to enhance student safety in advance of the fall semester.

In preparation for the fall semester, NMU facilities staff members are applying a unique antimicrobial coating with hospital-grade disinfectant to high-touch areas on campus. The product creates an impenetrable barrier that permanently bonds to any surface and retains its full strength in providing reactive protection against microorganisms, including COVID-19.

Northern Michigan University has implemented a centralized ordering and distribution system for personal protective equipment (PPE) to obtain bulk quantities of critical COVID-19-related items at a significant cost reduction.

Northern Michigan University has relied heavily on internal Information Technology (IT) support to streamline several procedures associated with returning to campus in the context of COVID-19.

NMU Native American Studies Professor Martin Reinhardt and his Decolonizing Diet Project are referenced in an article by Civil Eats, a daily news source for critical thought about the American food system. The article asserts that recent recommendations from an advisory committee that will help shape the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans don't reflect the nation's growing diversity, or the particular health and dietary risks faced by communities of color.

Upper Peninsula inventor Brenden Jacques partnered with the Invent@NMU program for 18 months to launch his product, The Lime Key. The dual-purpose bar tool is made of stainless steel, with a bottle opener on one end and a lime extractor on the other.

Six Northern Michigan University students and recent graduates are completing summer internships at Partridge Creek Farm in Ishpeming. They are helping to advance the farm's tri-fold mission: improving access to locally grown, affordable fresh produce; building a healthy community; and promoting education on sustainable food systems to area students and community members. 

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees will receive an update from the COVID-19 campus task force on preparations for the return to face-to-face instruction next month. The update will follow a brief formal/business meeting of the board at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 30. Both will be live-streamed on YouTube for public viewing at https://bit.ly/2UeD5Ex. 

Northern Michigan University's Health Center will conduct COVID-19 molecular testing for students, faculty and staff in advance of the Aug. 17 fall semester kickoff. Under clinical supervision, individuals will complete a shallow swipe of their nostrils and place the short swab in a test tube. The samples will be processed and sent to a Chicago lab capable of analyzing large quantities with timely results. After this initial mass screening, the NMU Health Center will be fully equipped to do in-house molecular, antibody and antigen testing and deliver quick results as the need arises.