Around NMU

Northern Michigan University's Health Center will conduct COVID-19 molecular testing for students, faculty and staff in advance of the Aug. 17 fall semester kickoff. Under clinical supervision, individuals will complete a shallow swipe of their nostrils and place the short swab in a test tube. The samples will be processed and sent to a Chicago lab capable of analyzing large quantities with timely results. After this initial mass screening, the NMU Health Center will be fully equipped to do in-house molecular, antibody and antigen testing and deliver quick results as the need arises.

As the number of COVID-19 cases trends upward in many locations, Northern Michigan University continues to offer 11 self-paced, online educational modules related to the pandemic free of charge.

NMU alumnus Aaron Payment and NMU Native American studies professor Martin Reinhardt are quoted in a recent Detroit Free Press story on perceptions associated with the use of Native American nicknames by Michigan high schools. The article has been published in other state media as well.

The Northern Michigan University Foundation is pleased to report more than $6.1 million in outright gifts, pledges and expectancies for Fiscal Year 2020, a nearly 11% year-over-year increase. New outright gifts grew by 17.6% and new pledge receipts more than doubled, to over $1.3 million.

Bill Leisenring has created the company U.P. Authentic to provide a selection of curated products from U.P. artisans and businesses and will give 50% of the profits to U.P. charities. Invent@NMU student employees assisted in the launch. U.P. Authentic is collaborating with Sayklly's Candies from Marquette, Shabby Chic Rustic from Gladstone and other artisans across the Upper Peninsula. 

A book co-edited by NMU public relations professor and alumna Jes Thompson has been named a Silver Winner in the national Nonfiction Book Awards. America's Largest Classroom: What We Learn From Our National Parks offers insight and practical advice for improving educational outreach at national parks, as well as suggestions for classroom educators on how to meaningfully incorporate National Park Service sites into their curricula.

Northern Michigan University's CDL truck driving program—temporarily halted by the COVID-19 crisis—will resume Monday, July 27, with new safety guidelines and procedures in place. Students who complete the intensive course should be ready to test for a Commercial Driver's License and begin their careers in five weeks.

NMU English professor Jaspal Kaur Singh is the author of the recently published monograph, Violence and Resistance in Sikh Gendered Identity. The publisher's description states that the book "explores the constructions and representations of male and female Sikhs in Indian and diasporic literature and culture through the consideration of the role of violence as constitutive of Sikh identity." 

Northern Michigan University continues to lead a collaborative effort to monitor data on weather and wave conditions at three locations along the southeastern shore of Lake Superior. The goal is to enhance safety among commercial and recreational users by generating real-time data that can aid in their decision-making. The first buoy was placed July 3 near Munising, 4.5 miles offshore. Two more will be deployed near Grand Marais and at Granite Island, about 12 miles north of Marquette.

Crissa Karavas, who earned her NMU degree in hospitality and tourism management with a minor in entrepreneurship in May, recently received the Martha Griffiths Award from the American Association of University Women Marquette Branch. The award is presented annually to a “high-achieving graduating female senior at NMU with high involvement in her discipline.”