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Present at international conferences. Meet experts in your field. Open yourself up to new possibilities and discover how you want to impact the world. There's no end to where your NMU research can bring you.
Research at NMU
Northern Michigan University prides itself on the numerous opportunities we provide to undergraduate and graduate students to engage in high-level research projects. From uncovering the mysteries of the Aurora Borealis to conducting brain tumor and genetics research, students are able to participate in meaningful, hands-on learning that supports their educational and personal goals.
Research Centers and Labs
NMU students and faculty engage in scholarship and research in all academic departments.
Northern's Progressive Research and Innovative Mutual Exploration (PRIME) Fund provides seed money for large projects that span disciplines. The BotEco project aims to create a sustainable community space in the old ore dock. NMU faculty from many departments collaborated on this multi-faceted project.
At NMU, you’ll receive the perfect mix of fundamental theory and hands-on research, all wrapped up in our unique learning environment. With partnerships in place with community businesses and organizations, your research will span beyond our traditional classroom environments and into real-world settings.
While NMU has numerous state-of-the-art lab facilities right on campus, our research opportunities frequently bring students beyond our traditional walls and into the beautiful, diverse environment of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
A collaboration between Northern Michigan University and Upper Peninsula Health Systems - Marquette, the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center exists to train the next generation of research and medical professionals, while improving patient outcomes by better understanding how brain cancer works.
The Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage Center is a historical museum and educational facility on the campus of Northern Michigan University.
The Biology Department houses zoological collections that cover the breadth of diversity of the animal Tree of Life, ranging across most major groups of invertebrate and vertebrate animals. Established in 1974 by J. Kirwin Werner and Lewis Peters, the museum is an important resource for NMU students and faculty in their research pursuits.
Upcoming Research Events - A Day in the Life of a Neurosurgeon w/ Dr. Sonia Geschwindt
Dr. Sonia Geschwindt, a neurosurgeon at UPHS- Marquette will be speaking about her journey from her undergraduate degree to her career in the operating room and beyond.
NMU Research Spotlight: Blue-Spotted Salamander Migration
NMU Alumni Eli Bieri ('21), was recently featured in a story by the Washington Post on his research on blue-spotted salamanders.
Bieri, alongside Dr. Jill Leonard, lead a study to quantify roadkill during the breeding migration of blue spotted salamanders at Presque Isle Park. They discovered that over 400 salamanders were hit by cars, representing 10-20% of the migrating population. Bieri teamed up with the Superior Watershed Partnership and petitioned the City of Marquette to close the stretch of Peter White Drive where the salamanders were crossing. Since 2020, the road has closed at night during the migration season to allow the salamanders to safely cross.
NMU Undergraduate Research Spotlight
Darren Simmons, a Medicinal Plant Chemistry major from Houston, Texas conducted a McNair Research Internship this summer with Dr. Wilson from the Department of Chemistry. Together they completed a one of a kind project about medicinal properties in the plant Radula complanta (Flat-leaved liverwort). He originally planned on observing the application of ultraviolet light in the lab to see if that would increase concentration of beneficial chemicals, but ended up identifying pathogens and microbes in the plant. Discovered a fungus that grows within liverwort that was not mentioned in the few studies that have been conducted on the plant, and found similar microbes in both C. sativa and R. complanata. With the help of Dr. Wilson, Darren submitted the continuation of this research as a NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Program (GRFP) proposal.
NMU Research Spotlight: Chemistry Research Project Receives National Grant
Professor Yu "Leo" Liu is among 14 professors nationwide who were recently awarded two-year summer research grants from Organic Synthesis Inc., advancing "green chemistry" by eliminating the use of metal-based catalysts.
