Research

NMU's $2.5 Million NIH Grant Addresses Addiction, Employment and Poverty

From left: Forrest Toegel, Cory Toegel and grad student Haillie McDonough
Dec. 19, 2024 —
Northern Michigan University has assumed oversight of a $2.5 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate an intervention approach that provides wage supplements—contingent upon documented drug abstinence—as a way to combat drug addiction, promote employment and reduce poverty among people living with opioid use disorder. The project is a collaboration involving NMU's Department of Psychological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and REACH, a substance abuse recovery program in Baltimore, Md.

Improv Training Can Ease Social Anxiety

Felsman (left) doing improv with a house team called Brenda at Pointless Brewery & Theatre in Ann Arbor, which is now closed.
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

Ottem and Prus
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.

Resolving Nile River Conflicts Through Science

Dr. Jongeun You
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. 

NMU Celebration of Student Scholarship April 17

Photo from the 2024 Celebration of Student Scholarship
Apr. 3, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University will host its 29th annual Celebration of Student Scholarship on Thursday, April 17, beginning with an opening ceremony at 9 a.m. and continuing throughout the day in Jamrich Hall. This year's event will feature a broader range of presentation formats beyond the traditional research posters and 10-minute oral presentations. Students were also invited to submit projects in the form of film and video, readings, roundtables, performances, publications, artistic displays and more.

Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference April 22 at NMU

Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference logo
Mar. 25, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University will host the 2025 Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Northern Center. The event will showcase developing trends in cannabis education and research, featuring insights from industry leaders and experts at the forefront of the evolving sector. The schedule includes speakers, an NMU alumni panel discussion, a networking lunch and student oral presentations/research posters.

Biology, Culinary Students Spend Spring Break in USVI

NMU biology students on the shore
Mar. 20, 2025 —
Over spring break, 43 Northern Michigan University students and faculty members traveled to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, for immersive field courses in marine and terrestrial ecology, research, and destination catering. The experience provided hands-on learning opportunities in diverse environmental and culinary settings and fostered interdisciplinary collaboration.

Student Scholarship Summit Winners Announced

People's Choice winner Paige Dolph, a psychology major
Feb. 26, 2025 —
The Student Scholarship Summit held Feb. 20 as part of the Peak25 professional development conference at Northern Michigan University offered a new opportunity for NMU students to showcase their research, scholarly activity and creative inquiry through poster presentations. A pool of judges representing academia, community and industry awarded financial prizes to these top three presenters:

NMU Announces 3MT Winners

McNair Scholar 1st place and People's Choice winner Trinity Valentin presents her research before the judges
Feb. 21, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University has announced the winners of its 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. NMU graduate students and McNair scholars presented their original research in only three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience, and with only one static PowerPoint slide.