Achievements

Dale Kapla (Criminal Justice) was chosen as a peer reviewer for the Higher Education for Development, based in Washington, D.C. He reviewed two $450,000 grants for the U.S.-Mexico Training, Internships, Exchanges and Scholarships (TIES) initiative, specifically related to the "rule of law" in Mexico, as that country has been moving toward a judicial system that is somewhat similar to the United States. The grants are the result of a cooperative agreement between the U.S Agency for International Development and the American Council on Education. Kapla is now included in the database of reviewers for upcoming "law" grants.

Sheri Giordana (Nursing) received a $40,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable children by equipping nurse practitioners with clinical tools and programs to assess individuals from birth to 20 years of age.

Several chemistry students recently attended the 38th Great Lakes Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society. They presented the results of research conducted this past year at NMU. Caitlin Cienkus, working with Tom Getman (Chemistry), presented the results of her study on the “Reactions of Amines with the Anion [2-(CH3CN)B10H9]-." Colleen Mikelson presented her research done in collaboration with Lesley Putman (Chemistry) on “Enzyme Detection in the Roots of Little Bluestem as a Possible Means of Phytoremediation." Beth Webb presented a poster entitled “A Phytoremediation Study with Hycrest Crested Wheatgrass (Agropyron sp): A Root Association Assay Using Green Fluorescent Protein”." She is working jointly with Donna Becker (Biology) and Putman. Two students conducting research under the direction of Mark Paulsen (Chemistry) also presented: Avni Nimani, “Modeling of the Variable Regions of an Anti-N6-Methyladenosine Monoclonal Antibody”; and Juliana Hagembe (pictured), “Modeling the Effect of Multiple Mutations on the Interaction of Hemagglutinin with a Neutralizing Antibody." 

NMU spring graduate Ashlee Lambart was a finalist in the 29th Annual College Photography Contest, sponsored by Photographer’s Forum magazine and Nikon. Lambert's photo, along with those of other finalists, honorable mention and cash award winners, will be published in the Best of College Photography Annual 2009, scheduled to be released at the end of June.

An illustration by NMU student Cory Fountaine was published in the Summer 2009 issue of Tribal College Journal. The drawing, which depicts a scene from the traditional story, "How the Fawn Got its Spots," accompanied a news story about the launch of the Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools (DETS) Consortium's "Health is Life in the Balance" program. Fountaine created the artwork when he was a student at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, before he transferred to NMU to pursue an illustration degree with a minor in Native American studies. He is a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

Four NMU students are participating in the 2009 Merck/AAAS summer research program. With faculty from the biology and chemistry departments, they are working on an interdisciplinary project to understand the interactions between carbohydrate molecules and proteins in the arthropod cuticle. The exoskeleton, or cuticle, of all arthropods is a composite material composed of microfibrils of the polysaccharide chitin embedded in a matrix of cuticular proteins. The students will gain experience in the areas of DNA manipulation, site-directed mutagenesis, protein purification, isothermal calorimetry, bioinformatics and molecular modeling. The project is funded through a grant from the Merck Foundation and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. This is the second year that summer fellowships have been awarded through this program. The student participants and their majors are: Elisabeth Backer, forensic biochemistry; Jessica Krol, physiology; Oliver Ryan, physiology; and Lacey Wallace, chemistry.

Alysa Diebolt, a sophomore marketing major from Rock, Mich., won the $4,000 first prize in the second New Business Venture Competition for her business, M@M (pronounced "madam"), which designs, produces, and sells jewelry and home decorating products made from fusing glass. She also won the 60-second elevator pitch and best display at the trade fair. Christina Brazinski, a graduate elementary education student from Lisle, Ill., won second place and $2,500 for her proposal, Hand Struck, a venture to design and sell a line of handmade clothes for winter weather wear. Brittney Alden, a senior entrepreneurship major from Lansing, won the third prize of $1,500 for her business idea "Cool Cakes," making and selling ice-cream cakes.

Ten NMU students or recent graduates received outstanding student service awards from Michigan Campus Compact for their community service efforts. All participate(d) in the Superior Edge. Pictured from left to right (front row) are: Nicole Weber, community health education, Heart and Soul award; Stephanie Felton, athletic training, Commitment to Service award; and four additional Heart and Soul award recipients: Kady Adams, community health education; Danielle Brandreth, English/writing; (back row) Jason Richards, nursing; and Nicole Stumpf, psychology/grad prep. Other winners not pictured were: Trista Buzzo, nursing, Outstanding Community Impact Award and Heart and Soul winners Ashley Bollwahn, public administration; Robert Vest, Spanish; and Richard Anderson, English/writing.

A spring reception honored 44 graduates of the Superior Edge program (not all were available for the photo). About half completed the 400 hours required to fulfill all four edges—citizenship, diversity, leadership and real world—earning the Superior Edge distinction. The remainder completed one to three edges. The program is open to anyone regardless of major, class status or grade point average, at no additional cost. It is also self-designed to match students' interests.

As the recipient of a U.S. Senate Youth Leadership Scholarship (only two are awarded to each state), Erica Wozniak had the opportunity to meet President Obama in Washington, D.C., last semester.

At the time, Erica was a dual-enrolled student, taking classes at NMU while still attending Marquette Senior High School. By the time she graduated from MSHS earlier this month, she earned about 36 college credits, mostly in physics and calculus. Wozniak said the president talked informally to the group for about 10 minutes and then shook everyone’s hand.