Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008
Northern Receives Merck/AAAS Grant
NMU has received a grant for research that could lead to a more effective influenza vaccine and a better understanding of autoimmune diseases. Fifteen universities nationwide were selected for funding through a competitive program sponsored by the Merck Institute for Science Education and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The NMU project involves undergraduate students and encourages collaboration between the biology and chemistry departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Marquette General Hospital. Full Story
NMU has secured a three-year, $185,000 grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health for research on a new class of medications that might offer a better treatment for schizophrenia.
Adam Prus (Psychology) will lead the study. He said schizophrenia medications are generally effective in controlling paranoia and hallucinations—the most common symptoms associated with the disease—but they are less successful in targeting cognitive deficits. Full Story
Peer-Assisted Learning Helps Students Succeed
The Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) program at NMU, which began as a pilot last semester, offers intensive tutoring for the more challenging introductory courses – those with the highest percentage of Ds, Fs and withdrawals. Preliminary data suggests that students who elected to participate had a higher success rate than those who did not. Full Story
Education Aligns with TEAC
Northern’s teacher education programs are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Instead of proceeding with the next scheduled NCATE review in the spring of 2009, Northern plans to seek accreditation from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). Full Story
Several faculty-led study abroad experiences are scheduled for this spring and summer. They provide students with a wide range of opportunities to add an international dimension to their academic careers. Most are relatively short in duration – three to four weeks, on average – but the meaningful impact on students and the memories they generate last much longer. A recent example involved a group of students who took a field trip to Greece last March and spent two nights at Rafti, a mountain village in the middle of the Peloponnese (pictured). Wildfires ravaged the area in August, killing more than 60 people. The students were so moved by the destruction and motivated to help because of their positive experience there months earlier, that they raised money to help any Rafti resident directly affected by the fires. Full Story |
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Faculty-led Study Abroad Programs Planned
Two nationally recognized speakers will visit NMU on Wednesday, March 19. John Stossel of ABC's 20/20 will discuss gun control, secondhand smoke and gas prices in a presentation titled "Freedom and Its Enemies" at 4 p.m. in Jamrich Hall room 102.
CORRECTION: The Feb. 15 issue reported that 13 faculty research grants totaling $82,210 were approved by an Academic Senate committee. Academic Affairs is funding 10 of those projects, for a revised total of $66,573. We apologize for any inconvenience. |
Master’s in public administration courses were offered at the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base early in Dave Carlson’s (Political Science) NMU teaching career. He recalls that In the early '80s, Air Force bombers were kept on alert in case World War III started, but pilots and navigators were allowed to attend class while on “alert duty.” Full Story |
Stossel, Kennedy Visit NMU 
