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Northern Michigan University has added an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiving station to the university's Mt. Mesnard tower in South Marquette as a safety tool to help boaters detect marine traffic they are likely to encounter.

The Asian Student Union at Northern Michigan University will host an interactive workshop and panel discussion on building individual resilience, dealing with collective grief, discussing post-traumatic growth and sharing cultural competency practices. It is scheduled from 3-5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, in 1313 Jamrich Hall.

Northern Michigan University Education Professor Kristen White is among collaborators from 10 partner universities and K12s—including Marquette Area Public Schools—to receive an award from the National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) to participate in its Family Engagement Educator Preparation Innovation Project. Only nine collaboratives were selected from a nationwide pool of 76 proposals to receive grants totaling more than $150,000. 

SISU: The Innovation Institute at Northern Michigan University and Innovate Marquette are partnering to present their inaugural Innovation Week, a professional development conference bringing together thought leaders and creative minds in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Registration is now open for the event, which will be held May 8-10 at NMU's Forest Roberts Theatre. The schedule features keynote speakers from Trend Hunter and Virginia Commonwealth University, interactive workshops, innovation quests with curated tours of various U.P. industry sectors, and networking opportunities.

After a three-year hiatus, Poetry without Borders will return to Northern Michigan University. Students, faculty, staff and community members will present either original or published poetry in languages other than English. The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, in the Peninsula II room of the Northern Center.  

A Northern Michigan University biology lab is researching burbot, an understudied native cold-water fish that exists throughout the Great Lakes. Graduate students, undergraduates and even a high school intern are gaining biological knowledge of the species' development and characteristics.

Due to deteriorating weather conditions and concern for the safety of mushers, dogs, spectators and volunteers, the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association has canceled all three races this weekend: the UP200 Powered by Northern Michigan University, Midnight Run and Jack Pine 30 and Midnight Run.

Northern Michigan University's annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, where NMU graduate students present their research in a condensed format, returns Tuesday, Feb. 21. The public is invited at 4 p.m. in the Lydia M. Olson Library Atrium.

Four Northern Michigan University alumni will participate in a Black History Month panel discussion, sharing insights into how their NMU education prepared them for their careers, obstacles they have overcome, and ways they are impacting the communities in which they live. This "Northern Now" digital event is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 22. It is free, but pre-registration is required.

Northern Michigan University's Seaborg Center will offer College for Kids Jr., hands-on and minds-on STEM classes for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The classes are from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 25, and/or Saturday, April 15, at the Seaborg Center. Pre-registration is required with a $10 fee per class.

Northern Michigan University's Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE) launched the Wildcat Economics Reading Program last semester, and students selected to participate who attended regular meetings received $500 CEEE Scholar Awards when it ended. A second installment of the program started in January. Students from all academic majors and backgrounds read and discuss non-technical selections on contemporary topics ranging from health care, property rights and freedom of speech to the environment, economic systems and discrimination. 

The UP200 sled dog race, established in 1990, is powered by Northern Michigan University, both in terms of sponsorship and volunteer support. Darlene Walch, president of the U.P. Sled Dog Association, estimates as many as 500 students will volunteer for this weekend's UP200 Powered by Northern Michigan University, Jack Pine 30 and Midnight Run. They help with everything from selling merchandise to vet checks for the dogs and crowd control, with several student organizations involved in the process.

Northern Michigan University's Pre-Vet Club continues to play an important role in three sled dog races taking place this weekend: the UP200 Powered by NMU, Jack Pine 30 and Midnight Run. Eight to 12 members from the club are expected to be volunteering at the events, helping the veterinarians to make sure the dogs' hearts and lungs are good for the journey, as well as checking on the condition of their paw pads, muscles and joints.

Writers with Northern Michigan University connections are well-represented on the 2023 listings of Michigan Notable Books and U.P. Notable Books. Phyllis Michael Wong, a campus and community fixture during her husband Les' tenure as NMU president, earned both distinctions for her historical account of the Gossard Girls, who sewed corsets and bras at factories in Ishpeming and Gwinn from the early 20th century to the 1970s. Several NMU alumni and faculty members contributed to a poetry anthology that was also named a U.P. Notable Book.

Northern Michigan University students in a social entrepreneurship special topics course last semester worked with refugees in Greece to improve their businesses. The students collaborated with Global Brigades, a nonprofit based in the United States with satellite offices that help communities reach health and economic goals. Global Brigades picks the businesses run by clients from different countries and connects them with students.

Northern Michigan University's College of Business will host its annual New Business Venture Competition on Thursday, March 16. The event features a trade show and business after hours event, followed by two “Shark Tank”-style competitions: the Mini Pitch, which students of any major can apply for by the Friday, Feb. 24 deadline; and the Big Pitch. The campus and Marquette communities are encouraged to attend.

"Drake and Josh" star Josh Peck, who has appeared in many other TV shows and movies and wrote his newly released memoir, "Happy People are Annoying," will visit Northern Michigan University. A moderated Q&A sesion, titled A Conversation with Josh Peck, will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, in the Northern Center Grand Ballroom. 

Northern Michigan University's choral ensembles will perform a demanding piece—both musically and emotionally—that pays homage to a Wyoming college student whose violent death in 1998 made national headlines and played a key role in the later expansion of federal hate-crime legislation. Most of the NMU singers were not born when Matthew Shepard was lured from a bar by two men, tied to a split-rail fence and beaten unconscious because of his sexual orientation. But they are fully invested in doing justice to his story and its broader messages.

Northern Michigan University senior Anthony Gonzalez offered his professors a rare excuse for missing the first two weeks of the semester. He was in Nepal, successfully completing the iconic trek to Mount Everest Base Camp. By traveling during the off season—his only option before graduating in May and starting his career—Gonzalez encountered very little traffic on the route and was treated to “blue skies and crystal-clear views every day.” But consistent sub-zero overnight temperatures and the high altitude took a physical toll that required extra recovery time upon his return.

Northern Michigan University students, faculty and staff are invited to provide feedback on broadband barriers impacting internet access across the state during a community listening session hosted on campus by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and the Michigan High Speed Internet Office (MIHI).