Research

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.

The Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, at Northern Michigan University. It will showcase developing trends in cannabis education and scholarship, share insights from industry leaders and experts at the forefront of the sector's evolving landscape, and summarize the state of the industry. Featured speakers and panels, including one composed of NMU alumni working in the industry, are scheduled throughout the day.

One of the largest studies on wildlife activity—involving more than 220 researchers 163 mammal species and 5,000 camera traps worldwide—reveals that wild animals react differently to humans depending on where the animals live and what they eat. Northern Michigan University Biology Associate Professor Diana Lafferty is among the coauthors of a paper that was published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution.