Spring blood drive comes to Northern
NMU’s Volunteer Center and the U.P. Regional Blood Center will hold their annual Spring Blood Drive on Tuesday, April 14, from 12-5:45 p.m. in the lower level of the Learning Resource Center outside of Starbucks. Every year, the U.P Regional Blood Center, located next to Marquette General Hospital, joins NMU’s Volunteer Center for the Spring Blood Drive. Last year, with 115 attempted donors, they were able to collect 100 pints of blood. This year, the goal for student and community member donation has been set at least 110 pints of blood. “College students make a good target for blood drives because we tend to be healthy and have a lot of energy,” said Nicole Weber, Volunteer Center co-coordinator and senior Spanish major. In addition to being physically able to donate, those wishing to participate should drink plenty of fluids and eat iron-rich foods, like meat or fish, prior to and after donating to prevent deferral. Students must bring photo identification to ensure their ability to donate. Free pizza and refreshments will be offered to participants after they donate. For more information about the Spring Blood Drive, individuals can contact the Volunteer Center at [email protected] or 906-227-2466.
– Lucia Lopez
Students read “Paradise Lost”
To celebrate the 400th birthday of English poet John Milton, students in upper level Milton and Shakespeare English classes will host a reading of Milton’s masterpiece “Paradise Lost.” The epic poem, written between 1658 and 1664 by a blind Milton through dictation to a series of aides, reflects his personal despair during the failure of the English Revolution, but shows his overall optimism in human potential. Professor David Wood, who teaches the classes who have volunteered to read, said “Paradise Lost” is a crucial work of literature everyone should read to better understand their place in the world. “Milton’s views on liberty and freedom of government, of speech, of the domestic sphere and of individual free will, inform an awful lot of what makes up the American consciousness,” Wood said. “‘Paradise Lost’ has always found a willing ear in this country.” He added that Milton is no different than the big writers usually associated with the Western tradition, such as Homer, Virgil and Dante. “The palpable difference with Milton is that we are so immensely fortunate that he chose to write in English,” he said. The reading will take place over two days: Wednesday, April 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the Nicolette Room, located in the University Center; and Thursday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Pioneer B. All students who have an interest in literature or politics or a combination of the two are encouraged to come.
– Sarah O’Neill
Rutgers professor to speak on climate
Alan Robock, a Rutgers University professor and global climate change researcher, will speak at Northern Michigan University at 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, in West Science 2904. Robock’s presentation is titled “Global Warming Is Real, and What You Can Do About It.” Robock was a member of the intergovernmental panel on climate change that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. His current research involves several aspects of climate change: geoengineering, regional atmosphere-hydrology modeling, climatic effects of nuclear weapons, soil moisture variations, effects of volcanic eruptions on climate, detection and attribution of human effects on the climate and the impacts of climate change on human activities. Robock, who has published more than 250 articles, served as the state climatologist of Maryland from 1991-97. The NMU chapter of the Sigma XI Research Society is sponsoring the presentation. The presentation is free and open to the public.
– NMU News Bureau
