August 2020

NMU alumni Paul Millenbach ('84) and Stephen Lowney ('80), who represent the Michigan law firm Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 edition. According to a press release, the list is compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Inclusion is considered a singular honor because attorneys are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed.

NMU alumnus Andrew Adamski ('15 BS) was featured in a video that aired Wednesday night during the Democratic National Convention. He spoke from Full Circle Community Farm, a certified-organic operation that his family has owned for five generations in Seymour, Wis. Adamski addressed more sustainable farming practices and joined other activists in touting Joe Biden's proposed Clean Energy Revolution.

Northern Michigan University Education Professor Mitchell Klett is one of five faculty from Great Lakes region universities who led a recent professional development workshop to help K-12 teachers effectively engage their students in researching the water quality of the Great Lakes as it relates to harmful algae blooms.

The Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center, a collaborative effort between NMU, UP Health System-Marquette and the Superior Health Foundation, received a $5,000 check from IncredibleBank as the title sponsor of the Hope Starts Here Challenge. The annual challenge raises funds and awareness for the UMBTC, whose mission is to empower patients and families dealing with brain tumors through advocacy, research, education and treatment.

Carter Nielsen, a December 2019 graduate and Greco-Roman wrestler with the NMU National Training Site, had qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. But with his athletic dreams deferred by COVID-19, Nielsen needed to quickly pivot from full-time training to full-time employment. His Plan B came in the form of a real estate school scholarship, which led to a job in the Twin Cities market.

NMU psychology alumna Kelsey Segerstrom ('16 BS) is the new foster care case manager for Catholic Social Services of the Upper Peninsula. 

NMU's School of Health and Human Performance continues to have a major influence on the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports as it marks 20 years of involvement in the organization. At the 2020 ISBS conference, held virtually because of COVID-19, NMU faculty, students and alumni contributed papers and video presentations, coordinated events, and were elected to serve in leadership roles.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU is hosting a new exhibition in its Gries Hall gallery titled “Through the Years: Mount Mesnard to Mount Marquette.” Students in an anthropology course taught by Scott Demel created and installed the exhibit. It features dozens of artifacts collected during many years of archeological digs at the site, photographs of the excavation and other artifacts, and interpretive panels.

Northern Michigan University will open its Superior Dome to students when classes begin Monday, Aug. 17. Free community access to walk and jog in that facility, as well as the Berry Events Center, will be postponed until Oct. 1.

NMU's fall convocation, an annual gathering of faculty, staff and students that features a keynote address by the president, is typically held the Wednesday before classes begin. The kickoff to Northern's 121st academic year occurred a week earlier than usual and was presented for the first time in a virtual format. Both changes were prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.