April 2023

Northern Michigan University undergraduate and graduate students will share their academic contributions, ranging from research posters and oral presentations to creative writing and artwork, during the 27th annual Celebration of Student Scholarship on Thursday, April 20, in Jamrich Hall. The event is returning to an in-person format and is open to the public.

Northern Michigan University has earned a STARS Silver Rating—only 4.8 points shy of Gold—from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The AASHE's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) program measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. 

The Center for Forensic Anthropology (CFA) at Northern Michigan University, which includes the Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST), recently received a $30,000 National Institute of Justice subaward from Colorado State University to help validate a novel method for estimating human time since death, or postmortem interval. NMU students will be involved in the research.

When the spring thaw begins at Marquette's Presque Isle Park and there are a couple of rainy nights with temperatures in the 30s and 40s, blue-spotted salamanders suddenly emerge from their underground winter burrows. They migrate across remaining snow and the park's road to lay their eggs in a wetlands area behind the Moosewood Nature Center, then return to the other side. 

Two members of Northern Michigan University's mail services and warehouse department have won a Distinguished Team Award. Eric Marcott and Michelle Lane work to move “Public Surplus” items out of NMU's warehouse. With several renovations campus-wide, they have safely stored many items and posted them to the Public Surplus website.

Northern Michigan University's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) has won a Distinguished Team Award for its commitment as the backbone of animal research at NMU. The IACUC reviews research protocols that involve animals to ensure the study's correct animal treatment, scientific merit and proper ethical perspective.

The members of Northern Michigan University's Berry Events Center conversion team and their student employees earned a Distinguished Team Award for ensuring NMU's hockey and basketball games are played on schedule.

Northern Michigan University's Blizzard Response Team of 2022-2023 is awarded a Distinguished Team Award. The response team displayed effort and dedication to keep the campus open and safe during one of the worst winter storms in recent history.

The Educational Success Platform (ESP) development team at Northern Michigan University won a Team Innovation Award. Their efforts were designed to pull together services from across campus into a platform that would allow multi-unit communication and support strategies for NMU students.

Sean Penglase, equipment and stockroom manager for Northern Michigan University's Physics Department, received an Innovation Award. He uses practical knowledge and a deep understanding of electrical, mechanical, acoustic and other apparati to bring improvements to many labs.