Hulstrom engages in agricultural research as part of URFP experience
January 17, 2026
Alex Hulstrom (BS, Environmental Science, GIS Certificate) is currently a fellow in the Undergraduate Research Fellowship program under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew Van Grinsven. His project "Assessing soil water conservation and climate resilience implications among reduced tillage practices" is part of a broader project comparing common tillage and reduced tillage practices used by organic farmers, including the use of soil-tarping, to terminate cover crops to prepare soils for vegetable production. This research will provide organic farmers with guidance for managing cover crops and reducing their tillage practices. Dr. James DeDecker at the Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center is a key collaborator on the project.
Alex shared that "From crop production to scientific methods in field research, I learned a great deal. This experience gave great insight into what a graduate program may look like and what's needed to get to that point. Plus, it has allowed me to narrow down my academic and career interests post-graduation. Most importantly, though, it has emphasized the curriculum NMU has offered me through real-world experiences that cannot be replicated in the classroom."
Read more about Alex's URFP experience here.
EEGS alumni leading effort to reduce e-cigarette waste
January 17, 2026
The Director of Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior, Jane Fitkin (BS, Environmental Studies and Sustainability, 2022), and CSCLS Wetlands Coordinator Alex Berrones (BS, Environmental Science, GIS Certificate, 2025) were recently featured in an article in The Mining Journal for their efforts to reduce e-cigarette waste.
For the past year, CSCLS collected thousands of disposable nicotine vapes from a single convenience store in downtown Marquette or proper recycling and disposal of their batteries. Now, the operation has expanded to Circle K convenience stores in Ishpeming, Negaunee, Marquette, and Harvey. Fitkin notes that the vapes are "super hazardous” and "contain a lithium battery which leaches heavy metals when littered and can cause landfill fires when thrown in the trash. Along with the leftover liquid nicotine concentrate, a hazardous substance, e-cigarettes pose significant environmental impacts when improperly disposed of.” Proper recycling of the vapes and disposal of the batteries will reduce soil, groundwater, and surface water contamination.
In the near future, Fitkin hopes to expand the collection project to collect cannabis vapes through cooperation with The Fire Station Cannabis Company.
Be sure to read the full article in The Mining Journal.
EEGS, Biology, and Outdoor Rec students contribute to academic service learning project with UPLC
January 17, 2026
This past fall, EEGS, Biology, and Outdoor Recreation students in Dr. Adam Naito's GC 401 - Biogeography course continued contributing to a multi-year academic service learning project involving the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy's Dead River Community Forest. Through an integration of drone-based lidar and field measurements, this project aims to characterize forest composition and estimate the aboveground biomass of the Bridges Parcel of the Community Forest. The data the students have collected have been assisting UPLC in making informed land management decisions by better understanding the terrain and forest health.
A short video of the forest represented as a lidar point cloud can be found here.