Research

NMU Researchers Study Alaskan Brown Bears

A Northern Michigan University alumna and her NMU faculty mentor contributed to a published paper on a recent study of Alaskan brown bears that found significant variations in their gut microbiomes, depending on where they live. The finding advances scientific understanding of the relationship between wildlife habitat, diet and gut microbiome diversity, and facilitates more informed decisions to support the health of wildlife species.
Alaskan brown bear photo by Sarah Trujillo

26th Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship to be held at NMU

The Northern Michigan University Celebration of Student Scholarship will be held on April 14 on the NMU campus and online. The annual event recognizes the academic contributions of undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines. Students share their work with the NMU and Marquette communities by presenting research posters, recording oral presentations, and submitting creative written work, and artwork. 
Celebration of Student Scholarship

Horn's Next-Gen Computing Project Funded

Northern Michigan University associate professor Jeffrey Horn has been awarded $92,500 from the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Innovation Hub for Advanced Computing for a next-generation computing project. Horn received the funding for a Deep-Scale Evolution (DSE) algorithm that he invented that has practical implications for minimizing material waste in industrial production. 
Horn

3MT Winners Announced

Northern Michigan University has announced the winners of its recent Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Caro Els of the School of Health and Human Performance won both first place and people's choice in the graduate student category for her presentation titled “Maximum External Load During Max Squat Protocol with Different Abdominal Stabilizing Maneuvers.” Mandy Bonesteel of Sociology won first place and people's choice among McNair Scholar participants with “The Case Against Meritocracy.”
Caro Els

Rinsland Presents NPS Webinar

NMU biology graduate student Hilary Rinsland will participate in a Science Behind the Scenery Webinar Series cohosted by Rocky Mountain National Park and Rocky Mountain Conservancy at 1 p.m. EST Tuesday, Feb. 15. She will present  “Pika surveys to test climate-based predictions of population loss” with Chris Ray from the University of Colorado-Boulder. The series is free and open to the public.
Rinsland with a pika (University of Richmond photo)

NMU Partners on Mink Microbiome Study

A recent study found a dramatic difference between the microbial diversity in guts of female and male American minks, suggesting an unexpected sexual distinction in the gut microbiomes of carnivores. Diana Lafferty, assistant professor of wildlife ecology at NMU, was first author on the paper. She said the finding is critical to informing future study design. 
Mink (Photo by Chuck Homler

Shipping Container Aids Indoor Ag Program

Northern Michigan University's indoor agriculture program has received a special delivery to enhance education, research and partnership opportunities. A new shipping container that houses a state-of-the-art growing center is located just outside of the Jacobetti Complex. Its operation will be supervised by students and the produce it generates will be distributed to NMU's hospitality management program and campus dining facilities.
The container being delivered