Tag Archives: Scholarship

2024-2025 Named Grant Honoree

President Carol Steinhaus presents Laurie Lotter with this year’s Named Grant Award

The Marquette Branch of the American Association of University Women has chosen Laurie Lotter as the Named Grant Award Winner of 2024-2025.

Laurie willingly took on the job of Recording Secretary two years ago, and she proven to be a real treasure in this role. She is aware of deadlines and dates, and her minutes are complete and rarely need corrections or additions.

Since then, she has volunteered for additional duties. She attended the State Chapter meeting in 2024, bringing back helpful information and items to share as prizes for our game night. She represented us well, we are sure.

In March of this year, Laurie took on the duty of raising awareness about pay inequities between men and women. She made the display and staffed several events, including one on the NMU campus, labeled “Pay Day Pop-Up” and another at Ore Dock Brewing Company called, “Equity + Ales”. She gathered, printed, and distributed information about pay disparities, accompanied with “Pay Day” candy bars.

Laurie assists the board in several ways. In addition to taking minutes, she has offered her viewpoints during our board meetings. Often, she has been able to contribute clarifying wording which has helped us arrive at  concise and clear motions much more quickly. She is a very organized person who thinks about potential problems and offers solutions to those potential problems before they occur and the Branch president has greatly appreciated Laurie’s assistance in many thoughtful and appropriate ways. She has provided many hours of assistance to our book sales, bringing some new ideas and hours of effort.

Laurie, our Marquette branch members greatly appreciate your efforts, and we wanted to recognize you for your cheerful help, both in front of and behind the scenes. In your honor, a $500 contribution is being sent from our chapter to the national AAUW organization.

 

From Uganda to the UP: Innovative Research on Jackfruit Cultivation

Join us on Thursday, January 9th at 7:00pm at the Women’s Federated Clubhouse in Marquette for an enlightening program by Dr. Justine Nakintu, a distinguished researcher from Uganda’s Mbarara University of Science and Technology and current AAUW International Fellow. Dr. Nakintu’s groundbreaking research focuses on transforming jackfruit cultivation in Uganda from trial-and-error farming to science-based agriculture. Through innovative GIS analysis and laboratory studies at Northern Michigan University, she’s mapping optimal growing conditions to help Ugandan farmers maximize their yields of this nutrient-rich crop.

But Dr. Nakintu’s work goes beyond farming—she’s tackling one of jackfruit’s biggest challenges: its short shelf life. With the fruit spoiling within just five days of ripening, she’s developing value-added products to extend its usability, potentially creating new economic opportunities for Ugandan farmers.

Dr. Nakintu brings extensive expertise in ethnobotany, plant genetics, and agrobiodiversity conservation. Her research has been published in prestigious journals and supported by international organizations, making her presentation a unique opportunity to learn about sustainable agriculture in East Africa. Find more about Dr. Nakintu’s research at https://nmu.edu/eegs/justine-nakintu.

Don’t miss this chance to hear Dr. Nakintu share her fascinating research and experiences from Uganda to the Upper Peninsula. Her work exemplifies AAUW’s mission of advancing equity through education and research.