Research

Student Scholarship Celebration April 11

Apr. 5, 2019 —
The 24th Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship at Northern Michigan University will be held from on Thursday, April 11, in Jamrich Hall. The event kicks off with an awards presentation at 9 a.m. in room 1320. Posters and art will be on display in the first-floor common areas of Jamrich Hall. Presentations are scheduled in Jamrich 1320 and 1311 from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The public is invited.

NMU Hosts Three Minute Thesis Competition

Jan. 18, 2019 —
Northern Michigan University presents the Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT, competition. This annual competition is held at over 600 universities in more than 65 countries. It gives graduate students the opportunity to showcase their theses. Competitors will have one slide and three minutes to explain their original research in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. The top three competitors earn a cash prize and the graduate winner will win $500 and travel to the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools competition in St. Louis.

Prychitko Co-edits Economics Book

Jan. 9, 2019 —

NMU Economics Professor David Prychitko co-edited The Market Process: Essays in Contemporary Austrian Economics. The book was published in December by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and covers issues ranging from equilibrium theory and free banking to public choice and the problems of contemporary social reform. It is an introduction to the diversity of contemporary Austrian economics and its innovative trajectory of research in the late 20th century economics.

Biologists with NMU Ties Find Wolves Eat Fish, Berries

Dec. 20, 2018 —

A team of biologists, including NMU alumnus Tom Gable ('16 MS) and master's student Austin Homkes, has documented a pack of wolves in Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park that hunts fish as a seasonal food source. They even captured some night-vision video of the activity (link provided below). This discovery, along with earlier studies through the Voyageurs Wolf Project, suggests the animals' diets are more varied than previously thought.

Carlson Receives Award

Dec. 19, 2018 —

NMU Psychological Science Professor Josh Carlson has been selected as the sixth recipient of the Quad-L Early Career Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of learning, memory and cognition. The Quad-L trust was founded at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque by Professor Frank Logan and his wife, Julie. It recognizes the scholarly contributions of one scientist each year.

Alumnus Coauthors Paper on Permafrost Thaw Risks

Dec. 13, 2018 —

NMU alumnus Frederick “Fritz” Nelson (BS ’73) is coauthor of a paper published by Nature Communications that suggests permafrost thaw due to global warming may damage critical infrastructure by 2050, even if the Paris Agreement targets are met. This could pose a serious threat to the utilization of natural resources and the sustainable development of Arctic communities.

Researchers Assess Animal Model of Mental Illness

Nov. 29, 2018 —

A chance discovery of unexpected behavioral changes in genetically modified mice prompted two Northern Michigan University researchers to embark on an interdisciplinary project. If their collaboration reveals the mice more closely replicate mental illness in humans than existing animal models, it could lead to increased understanding of human psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and more effective drug treatments. Erich Ottem of Biology and Adam Prus of Psychological Science received a Northern PRIME grant to support their research.

NMU's BEAR Center Partners with Schools

Nov. 14, 2018 —

Students who present behavioral difficulties in western Marquette County schools will gain greater access to applied behavior analysis services through a new collaboration with the Behavioral Education Assessment and Research (BEAR) Center at Northern Michigan University. NMU students will also gain practical experience before they graduate and become practitioners. The Western Marquette County Health Foundation (WMCHF) spearheaded the project.