“Understanding Social Motivation in Autism” is the topic of the next presentation in the Your Health Lecture Series at Northern Michigan University. Barbara Thompson of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine will be the presenter. Attendees will learn about the brain mechanisms involved in social motivation, gain awareness of individual differences in social behaviors and recognize the need for individualized interventions for disorders of social behaviors. The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Admission is free.

More than 300 donor-funded scholarships are available at NMU through the generous financial support of alumni, faculty/staff and friends of the university. The application system will be open Monday, Jan. 28, through Monday, Feb. 18. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently appointed two NMU alumni to posts in her administration. Mark Burton (’99 BS) is her chief strategist. Capt. Joe Gasper (‘97 BA) is the new director of the Michigan State Police.

Northern Michigan University will present its second annual Snowfest, a winter semester kick-off event, on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Free activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. include snow biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing demos on the academic mall. NMU students receive free access to the Noquemanon Trail Network’s interconnected year-round, non-motorized land and water trail system. They can also check out bikes, skis and snowshoes for use on the NTN at no charge. 

Northern Michigan University will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a week-long celebration. A Day of Service will be held on Monday, Jan. 21. The event kicks off with a campus march for equality. Participants will assemble at noon in the lobby of the Forest Roberts Theatre. The march will proceed to the Lodge at The Woods student housing complex for a program titled “Poetry Without Borders: Let Freedom Ring” and light refreshments.