Dillman hired as Kent County Waste Reduction Educator
December 18, 2024
NMU alumna Emma Dillman (BS Environmental Studies and Sustainability, 2021) was recently hired as a waste reduction educator for the Kent County Department of Public Works. She is featured in a Waste Today publication story. Emma will help area residents and businesses learn how to reduce and repurpose waste. Dillman has worked in solid waste for years, most recently in Indiana as an environmental educator, where she helped students of all ages understand recycling, waste and their roles in protecting the environment. She previously was an intern shared between the Western Michigan Environmental Action Council and the Kent County Department of Public Works' Recycling & Education Center.
Please visit Northern Today to learn more about Emma.
Solberg returns to NMU as the MI Healthy Climate Corps’ Climate Action Coordinator
November 23, 2024
Dr. Anna Solberg BS '15 majored in Environmental Studies and Sustainability with a minor in Art and Design. She then ventured to Kent State University to earn Master's and Ph.D. degrees. After working in community engagement for the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and PennFuture, Anna seized the opportunity to return home to the U.P. She is NMU's first MI Health Climate Corps' Climate Action Coordinator, housed in SHINE, the Sustainability Hub for Innovation & Environment. Read more about Anna's new role here. Welcome back, Anna!
Robison joins senior success advisors on Team Science
November 19, 2024
In her new role as a Senior Success Advisor for the Physical and Natural Sciences Cluster, Susan Robison will advise students in EEGS, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Susan has a lot of experience working in student affairs at NMU, especially with Housing and Residence Life. Before Thanksgiving break Susan shared the following information to help students and colleagues get to know her. Welcome, Susan!
Where are you from?
I’m from Clarkston, Michigan, in the Metro-Detroit area.
Describe the pathway that led you to your position as a Success Advisor at NMU.
It started as a student at NMU, living in West Hall. I got involved as a student leader in that residence hall, and I was hired as a resident adviser (RA) when The Woods opened. After I graduated from Northern I went to graduate school at Missouri State University, where I studied Student Affairs in Higher Education. As part of my studies, I did a practicum with MoState’s advising department. COVID-19 unfortunately shut down that opportunity, but I got a taste of advising as a job. After grad school, I worked at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, before returning to NMU to be a Resident Director (RD) in Van Antwerp Hall for the past two years. I always liked making my class schedule as a student—it was a fun puzzle—and I decided to apply for an advising position.
What are you looking forward to most in this position?
Learning and building relationships. I have a good understanding of the sciences from friends and other students, and I look forward to learning more. As an RD I didn’t have as many opportunities to build relationships with faculty and staff.
What would you like students to know about you?
As an undergraduate at Northern, I double majored in Creative Writing and Photography. I have a Bernese Mountain Dog named Moon, and a cat named Zero. Moon is a Wildpup. I am passionate about inclusivity, accessibility, diversity, and sustainability. I was in an International Baccalaureate (IB) program and the National Honor Society in high school, and am a lifelong learner.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I love reading and writing and making art. I enjoy hiking as a break from other things. I love plants and will start a garden in the spring to grow vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs. I love baking, especially homemade bread. I’d like to raise butterflies, and eventually will get into beekeeping.
Mittlefehldt named 2024 Peter White Scholar
November 19, 2024
The EEGS Department congratulates Dr. Sarah Mittlefehldt as the recipient of the 2024 Peter White Scholar Award. Dr. Mittlefehldt will focus on Biofuels & BTUs: The Development of Upper Peninsula Forests as Energy Resources. This research fits within her broader interests in forest-based biofuels. In Summer 2024 she received a grant from the National Endowment for Humanities to explore the topic of American Wood Sugar: A Social and Environmental History of Forest-based Biofuels in the US.
Recently Dr. Mittlefehldt and collaborators received news that NMU's SISU Innovation Fund will support their Northern Woodshed Project—a venture to explore the challenges and opportunities of heating with local wood, and broader issues pertaining to sustainable wood-based biofuel production. The team plans to present a poster for Innovation Week event February 21–23, 2025.
EEGS Department welcomes visiting scholar Dr. Justine Nakintu from Uganda
November 15, 2024
Dr. Justine Nakintu is conducting research at NMU for ten months, supported by a fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW). She will engage students in lab and GIS analysis related to her study of jackfruit. Dr. Nakintu seeks to help Ugandan farmers determine where soils are suitable for jackfruit cultivation, which they have started planting by trial and error as a possible cash crop. Another of her goals is to develop “value added” products to extend the shelf life of the fruit that is nutrient-rich, but typically spoils within five days of ripening. We are pleased to introduce her to you.
Dr. Nakintu was born in Mityana District in Central Uganda. Her primary and secondary schooling was in Mityana. When Justine was little her father, a businessman, motivated her to learn to read English (Uganda’s official language) so that she could translate newspaper articles and read to him in their native language. His friends, some of whom were doctors, would say, “Please come read for us.” They inspired her to learn more, and soon she was helping her friends with their homework. “My dad is my hero,” Dr. Nakintu said as she recalled how he believed in her from a young age.
Eventually Justine’s love of learning propelled her to the university in Mbarara, where she initially wanted to study medicine, but she was given the opportunity to study biology and chemistry. Graduating at the top of her class meant that the university retained her to continue studying for a Master’s degree while teaching labs. Justine’s dad had taught her to look for opportunities so she jumped at the chance to pursue a Ph.D. and to gain international experience in molecular biology in Germany. She attended Justus Liebig University in Giessen, and then was in a research institute in Frankfurt for three months. Justine explained, “I wanted an international fellowship because it is important to connect with the outside world—to build international connections.” She became fascinated by how other countries run their educational systems.
Back in Uganda Dr. Nakintu was appointed lecturer in the Department of Biology at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. She was eager for more international experience and applied to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) for the fellowship that would bring her to Northern Michigan University in September 2024. A connection between her advisor and Dr. Robert Legg led her to apply to spend the year in Marquette, Michigan.
What are Dr. Nakintu’s first impressions? She has found that people at Northern and in Marquette are welcoming. “Everyone is willing to help,” she said. “If they don’t have the answer they will find out who can assist.” She appreciates that NMU’s faculty, staff, and administrators worked hard to meet tight deadlines to finalize the fellowship arrangement, and NMU affiliates who offered housing. Dr. Nakintu has also benefitted from the mentoring program for international faculty that Dr. Weronika Kusek launched as Provost Fellow.
While at NMU, Dr. Nakintu seeks to discover how jackfruit can provide nutrition and economic benefits to Uganda. Jackfruit provides fresh food year-round in her home country, but the fruit spoils within five days of being harvested so Dr. Nakintu seeks ways to preserve or add value to the crop. She explained, “In Africa people are hungry because food is wasted.” We need to preserve it so it can be eaten later.” Mapping the best locations for cultivating jackfruit, based on soil suitability and climate, is another goal. To help with this ambitious project, Dr. Nakintu offered ten EEGS students the opportunity to participate in this international research.
When asked what some of her favorite experiences have been so far, Dr. Nakintu mentioned the nature walks and picking up colorful leaves. “Fall is so beautiful here! To watch the leaves, turn from green to red to maroon and yellow was impressive.” She then joked, “I’m not sure about the coming weather, though.” Maybe this winter she’ll spend more time cooking—a favorite pastime for her. Dr. Nakintu also wants to learn more about the culture here, including how to make sausage. “Making sausages is an example of value addition. The food can be preserved for a long time.”
The EEGS Department is excited to have the opportunity to learn from Dr. Nakintu, and grateful that she is mentoring students as they help explore the possibility of jackfruit becoming a more important food source and value-added commodity in Uganda.
EEGS students and faculty attend East Lakes/West Lakes Division of American Association of Geographers fall meeting
October 24, 2024
The EEGS Department brought 15 students to the 2024 Meeting of the West Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers held on October 17-19. Western Michigan University hosted this year’s event. NMU student participation at this conference was supported through gifts made by generous alumni and friends of EEGS. Members of Dr. Weronika Kusek's Urban Geography class, students collaborating with Dr. Jelili Adebiyi, and other NMU undergraduates participated.
Avery Case and Julia Janssen, Environmental Studies and Sustainability students, were recognized with second place in the West Lakes undergraduate paper award competition for their collaborative presentation on University Campus Food Waste Reduction Strategy: Perceived Effectiveness of Different Messaging and Framing Campaigns.
Isabelle Honkomp earned third place in the same competition. Her paper was titled Marquette 2049: Preparing the Community for the Future.
Please visit the East Lakes/West Lakes AAG feature news article to learn more.
Freed serves as NMU's native plant intern
October 11, 2024
Grace Freed, a junior majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability, recently helped revive NMU’s Campus Nursery. As the first native plant intern for the Sustainability Hub for Innovation & Environment (SHINE), Freed helped prepare the area for new plantings. To celebrate NMU’s 125th anniversary, a new maple sapling was planted at a public reception. The goal is to nurture young perennials and trees until they are large enough to be transplanted into gardens around campus. Learn more about the benefits of the Campus Nursery.
Kuhn’s video promotes Green Athletics initiative
October 11, 2024
Master of Interdisciplinary Science (MIS) student Makaylee Kuhn (BS '23 Environmental Science) produced a seven-minute video titled “Serving as an Example: Small Sustainability Steps to Make a Big Difference” that will be screened at the upcoming Fresh Coast Film Festival on October 18 and 19. The documentary features the sustainability efforts of the NMU Women’s Volleyball team. Dr. Mark Shevy, head of the Communications and Media Studies Department, provided the technical expertise to bring this project to fruition. Makaylee’s goal is to inspire other teams in NMU Athletics to adopt more sustainable practices. Read more about it here, and watch it on Youtube!
Students participate in Gichigaming Water Walk
October 11, 2024
On Saturday, Sept. 14, members of Dr. Sarah Mittlefehldt’s GC 424 Environmental Justice class joined students from the Center for Native American Studies and the Biology Department to participate in the Gichigaming Water Walk. This experience was part of an Anishinabe ceremony to honor water and those who work to protect it. The group walked a copper pail of water from the Montreal River at the border between Wisconsin and Michigan thirty miles to the mouth of the Presque Isle River in Porcupine Mountain State Park. At the end of the ceremony/walk, there was a potluck feast. Students learned about Indigenous approaches to environmental protection and met many new friends and collaborators.
Environmental Studies and Sustainability major Leah Cody wrote of the opportunity, “I have been able to take so much out of my experience at the Water Walk. The most impactful part for me was how I was able to be a part of something bigger than myself. It was inspiring to be surrounded by folks who were there for a collective reason--to protect and celebrate water. Attending a ceremony such as this has created a lasting impact on my personal life and educational journey. It was inspiring to be around such passionate people, and they have reminded me how much I value the natural world and [I will] continue to fight for clean water and accessibility to the wondrous parts of the world.”
Naito receives Faculty Emerging Leadership Award
Dr. Adam Naito is the recipient of the 2024-2025 NMU Faculty Emerging Leadership Award. The award "recognizes and honors junior faculty who since coming to the university have demonstrated exceptional leadership attributes on campus and the broader community." He previously was one of two recipients of the 2023-2024 NMU Excellence in Teaching Award.
Naito joins Dr. Ryan Stock as one of two EEGS faculty members that have received the Faculty Emerging Leadership award.
