Research

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.

Immunizations are an essential component of public health against infectious diseases. A Northern Michigan University assistant professor co-authored a recent publication that contends the COVID-19 pandemic provides a case study for how social equity is a global issue. Dr. Jongeun You in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration examined vaccine sharing policies across nations and found a significant imbalance in the international distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income nations, leading to severe disparities in access and vaccination rates.

NMU's Biology Department will host Diversity in STEM Week activities Feb. 5-9. On a related note, Associate Professor Diana Lafferty and NMU alumni Tru Hubbard and Sarah Trujillo co-authored a recent scientific journal publication titled “A Path Forward: Creating an Academic Culture of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” They analyzed faculty hiring data and practices, addressed how a lack of diverse representation impacts STEM disciplines—particularly ecology, evolution and conservation biology (EECB)—and suggested a model for change. 

Northern Michigan University faculty and student researchers are testing a regional company's new Zone One basketball flooring system to determine whether its design goals of enhancing athletes' safety, performance and comfort are supported by science.

As hunters throughout the Midwest gear up for the deer hunting season, new research from the Voyageurs Wolf Project in northern Minnesota—a collaborative team that includes a Northern Michigan University professor and two alumni—sheds light on how humans are having a profound impact on wolf-deer relationships by altering forest ecosystems.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, drawing attention to potential threats and the importance of having adequate safeguards in place to thwart hackers. Critical infrastructure components can be primary targets because any disruptions in their operation can have a widespread impact. Northern Michigan University assistant professor of political science Jongeun You recently wrote an article for the IBM Center for the Business of Government that contends the U.S. water sector is particularly vulnerable.