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The Feb. 14 university forum focused on upcoming and ongoing construction projects, their timelines for completion and the impacts some will have on parking, traffic flow and entry points into impacted buildings.

Northern Michigan University English Professor Amy Hamilton was recently elected co-president of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment. ASLE is an international, interdisciplinary community of scholars interested in the natural world, its representation in language and culture, and the complexities of humans' relationships with their surroundings.

Two Northern Michigan University undergraduate students are engaged in immersive, project-based internships with Marquette and Manistique city governments as part of NMU's new Rural Leadership Fellowship Program. They receive a paid, scholarship-supported applied learning experience that will enhance their career prospects in rural economic development and public sector fields, while the municipalities benefit from fresh perspectives and assistance in advancing key community priorities.

Northern Michigan University's Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is opening a new photography exhibition, “Extracting History: Mining and Marquette County.” The grand opening with hors d'oeuvres will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday Feb. 16, and the display will remain available to view through March 1. This exhibition showcases local artist Lexie Belles, historic images from Jack Deo's collection and artifacts from the Cliff Shaft Mine Museum.

Northern Michigan University has announced the 16 students who comprise the 2024 cohort of McNair Scholars. The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is designed to increase graduation rates and post-baccalaureate success among first-generation students with financial needs, and students who come from a minority population that is underrepresented in graduate education. 

Northern Michigan University's Jazz Band and jazz combos will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The event will feature about 20 student musicians, including music majors and students from other areas of study. Jazz band and high brass director Mark Flaherty will lead the NMU Jazz Band, and music theory, jazz and improvisation professor Patrick Booth will coach two smaller jazz combos. 

Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University choral groups will present a joint concert titled "Music for a Sacred Space" in each of their respective locales: at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lake Linden; and at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 in St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette.

Innovate Marquette SmartZone and SISU: The Innovation Institute at Northern Michigan University have revealed the full itinerary for the second annual Innovation Week to be held on NMU's campus in Marquette Feb. 21-23.

NMU alumna Mia Cinelli recently published her first book, "Giving Type Meaning: Context and Craft in Typography." As an associate professor in the School of Art and Visual Studies at the University of Kentucky, she engages with textbooks and resources surrounding the subjects of type and design. But she could not find a book that focused on the layers of meaning behind typography and answered her own question: “When we look at typefaces— when we look at words in the world and what they look like—how do we understand what they mean?” So she wrote her own.

Northern's outdoor recreation leadership and management program (ORLM) hosted a delegation from Detroit Outdoors, which aims to inspire the city's youth to spend more time outside in local natural spaces. The groups spent Feb. 3 together on campus and at Marquette's Presque Isle Park. NMU students gained career-preparation insight on facilitating more diversity and inclusion in nature. The Detroit Outdoors youth gained a greater appreciation for the U.P.'s pristine environment, and learned about NMU and its related program.

Northern Michigan University student Luke Tschumperlin of Beaver Dam, Wis., is in the Disney Professional Internships Program. He applied to be a digital content intern, along with 400 other applicants. After three rounds of rigorous interviews, Tschumperlin was the one selected for the role, which aligns with his major in art and design with a concentration in digital media, and his minor in hospitality systems.  

The Festival of the Sled Dog: Powered by Northern Michigan University is returning to downtown Marquette on Friday, Feb. 16, due to the second-straight cancelation of the UP200. Festivities will take place on Washington Street between Fourth and Front Streets, with opening ceremonies beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Northern Michigan University will present the comedy "Puffs" Feb. 22-24 and Feb. 29-March 2. The play parodies the book and movie series about “a certain boy who attended a certain school of wizardry and conquered evil,” but from the perspective of the students who sat next to him in class. 

Northern Michigan University will host a student-focused “Making it in Michigan” event that will highlight the value of work-based learning as part of the college experience. It is scheduled from 2-3:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, in the Northern Center Grand Ballrooms. The agenda includes opening remarks by NMU President Brock Tessman and panels of business/industry partners and students.

Marquette native and Northern Michigan University music education student Jaymes Winn will perform her senior recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, at Reynolds Recital Hall. This performance is being presented in collaboration with NMU Department of Music faculty members Theresa Camilli and Barbara Rhyneer. Admission is free.

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's Biology Department will host Diversity in STEM Week Feb. 5-9. Several events and activities will be presented that “highlight and celebrate the many, often unacknowledged, ways that people from diverse walks of life contribute to the STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The department will also display entries in the Diversity in STEM Art Contest in the 2nd floor atrium of Weston Hall from noon, Feb. 7 through Feb. 9.

Mike Oswald, a 2003 Northern Michigan University construction management alumnus and former Wildcat football player, has been promoted to CEO of Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors in Richardson, Texas. He joined the firm as a project engineer shortly after earning his NMU degree. His solid performance fueled rapid promotions through various leadership roles over the past 20 years. Prior to being elevated to CEO, Oswald served as chief operating officer, managing field operations for all divisions.

Audio/visual services at Northern Michigan University has a secret rock star in its ranks. Matt Herbig, operations supervisor, played bass guitar in his high school/college heavy metal band, Indecision, as well as the band Pseudocell. They had a few shows around the U.P., with Herbig recalling the shows they put on at an old church in Iron River and at Corner Zone (now The Dance Zone) on Lincoln Avenue.