Research

Northern Michigan University will host the 2025 Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Northern Center. The event will showcase developing trends in cannabis education and research, featuring insights from industry leaders and experts at the forefront of the evolving sector. The schedule includes speakers, an NMU alumni panel discussion, a networking lunch and student oral presentations/research posters.

Over spring break, 43 Northern Michigan University students and faculty members traveled to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, for immersive field courses in marine and terrestrial ecology, research, and destination catering. The experience provided hands-on learning opportunities in diverse environmental and culinary settings and fostered interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Student Scholarship Summit held Feb. 20 as part of the Peak25 professional development conference at Northern Michigan University offered a new opportunity for NMU students to showcase their research, scholarly activity and creative inquiry through poster presentations. A pool of judges representing academia, community and industry awarded financial prizes to these top three presenters:

Northern Michigan University has announced the winners of its 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. NMU graduate students and McNair scholars presented their original research in only three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience, and with only one static PowerPoint slide. 

Northern Michigan University faculty, graduate students and alumni are represented on a collaborative research project with the DNR and Keweenaw Bay Indian Community titled “Factors limiting moose population growth in the western Upper Peninsula.” Expanding upon traditional DNR winter aerial surveys used to estimate the moose population, this collaborative initiative will begin by fitting 20 moose with GPS collars this winter, with additional moose being collared next year. The precise location data will help researchers better understand challenges the animals confront that impact their survival.

Northern Michigan University Assistant Professor Jongeun You has been awarded one of nine Future Shocks Challenge Grants for his case study on the integration of land use and water planning in Colorado. The Future Shocks initiative, led by the IBM Center for The Business of Government and the National Academy of Public Administration, is designed to help governments identify and develop core capabilities critical to building resilience.

Bear baiting—a harvest practice authorized in 12 states, two territories and eight provinces in North America—poses several potential risks, and associated mitigation measures have been inadequate, according to a study published in the PLOS One peer-reviewed scientific journal. The article focuses on Alaska, where more than 70% of National Park Service-managed lands and preserves are open to some form of hunting. The authors' goal is to use expert opinion to inform decision-making in that state and other areas where bear baiting is allowed.

Northern Michigan University assistant professor Jongeun You was invited to serve as the 2024 Harold Hotelling Memorial Lecturer at Lawrence Technological University. Named for the accomplished economist, the lecture series marked its 14th anniversary on Oct. 17. It addresses timely and relevant topics in the guest speaker's area of research. Dr. You, who teaches in NMU's Political Science and Public Administration Department, presented “Policy Conflict in U.S. Energy Infrastructure Siting.”

NMU assistant professor of social work Vikash Kumar recently attended a "Research Academy on Migration, Health & Rights" in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has also been appointed to serve on an advisory committee for the International Consortium for Social Development's (ICSD) 24th Biennial International Conference, and reappointed as director of information technology for the ICSD.