Research

Improv Training Can Ease Social Anxiety

Jul. 7, 2023 —
Some people are apprehensive about participating in improv comedy because of its unscripted format that requires quick thinking to play off unpredictable ideas presented by others on stage or in the audience. But Northern Michigan University assistant professor Peter Felsman is the lead author of a published study providing the first evidence that improv training can significantly reduce a common trait of social anxiety and depression: discomfort with uncertainty.

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 Alumna, Faculty Coauthor Published Wildebeest Study

Jun. 18, 2025 —
The largest remaining migratory population of brindled wildebeest in southern Africa serves as a cornerstone prey species for large predators. Yet it has been understudied because of its remote location in the Greater Liuwa Ecosystem in western Zambia and Angola. Northern Michigan University alumna Steph Szarmach, along with Biology faculty members Alec Lindsay and Katherine Teeter, worked with collaborators in Zambia to explore the wildebeest's genetic diversity and demographic history. They are among the coauthors of a recently published paper on the study's findings.

Visiting Scholar, Students Develop Jackfruit Products to Extend Shelf Life

Jun. 16, 2025 —
While growing up in central Uganda, Justine Nakintu regularly ate jackfruit, the largest edible fruit on the planet, which grew in abundance year-round on trees surrounding her home. Beneath its bumpy green rind is a stringy flesh that yellows and sweetens to a tropical taste as it ripens. Unripe, it has a mild flavor and is used as a meat substitute in tacos and a variety of savory dishes. But because this nutrient-rich fruit spoils within five days of being harvested, Nakintu has spent her one-year research fellowship working with NMU students on two goals: creating jackfruit products with extended shelf lives to reduce waste and help Ugandan farmers; and mapping the best locations for cultivating the commodity based on suitable climate and soil conditions.

May Graduate is Fifth Fulbright Recipient in NMU History

Students Receive Provost Travel Funding

May. 29, 2025 —
Six Northern Michigan University undergraduate students and six graduate students each received up to $2,000 for travel expenses to present their research or creative work at various conferences, beginning last semester and continuing through fall 2025. NMU Provost Anne Dahlman, in alignment with the university's Our Compass strategic plan, elected to use donor funds to support student travel. 

Cho Receives Magnaghi Grant to Study Yooper Dialect

May. 22, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University graduate student Jenny Cho has received a $1,300 Grace H. Magnaghi Research Grant from NMU to explore the “history of the Yooper dialect and its role in the English language.” The project combines her previous master's degree in anthropology from Seoul National University with her current pursuit of a master's degree from NMU's English Department in TESOL, or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Johnson Interviews Education Pioneers

May. 16, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University history professor Kathryn Johnson has conducted four oral history interviews with global pioneers in open, distance and digital education. They include Professor Asha Kanwar, former president of the Commonwealth of Learning,; Professor Alejandro Pisanty, a Mexican scholar and early advocate for educational technology; Dr. Tony Bates, whom she describes as one of “the godfathers of distance education in Canada”; and Professor Rosibel Vicquez Abarca, a prominent leader in the field in Costa Rica. All will soon be published in scholarly journals, including one for which Johnson serves as the oral history section editor.

Resolving Nile River Conflicts Through Science

Apr. 11, 2025 —
Grand Ethiopian Resonance Dam (GERD), the largest hydropower dam in Africa, has caused intense energy and water conflicts between Nile River countries. Scientists from around the world have conducted research and proposed solutions to help mitigate these conflicts. Dr. Jongeun You, assistant professor from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Northern Michigan University, contributed to these scholarly efforts and co-authored a publication in Communications Earth & Environment, a Nature journal. It was recently selected as one of the Top 25 papers of 2024 by the journal.