Shipwrecks, farming and conservation in the U.P. will be a few of the many topics discussed by scholars from NMU and other institutions as well as independent academics during the 18th annual Sonderegger
Symposium.

The Center for U.P. Studies (CUPS) will be hosting the Symposium on Friday, Sept. 7, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Whitman Hall and will feature 10 scholars, each with a 30 minute presentation of their research during this one-day event.

The event is free and open to the public and will begin Friday morning with a continental breakfast followed by an opening address from NMU Dean of Arts and Sciences Robert Winn, before transitioning into the presentations, beginning at 9:15 a.m., according to the CUPS website.

“As we like to say; come to one session or stay for the day,” Gabe Logan, history professor and CUPS professor, said.

This symposium is made possible because of the generous donation from the Sonderegger family, and will feature research about history, life and culture throughout the U.P., Logan said.

He added how CUPS provides an outlet for U.P. research through this symposium, as well as for the yearly publication, Upper Country: A Journal of the Lake Superior Region and an oral history collection.

“Sadly, Upper Michigan history is under-researched or often overlooked compared to the rest of the state or upper Midwest,” Logan said. “CUPS seeks to address this oversite by hosting such events and intellectual endeavors. [T]he Sonderegger [being] in its eighteenth year speaks to the continual interest in the region’s story.”