Research and Innovation

Yooper Steez: 9,000 Year-old tool discovered in Hermansville

Yooper Steez Wednesday, July 27, 2011

A 9,000-year-old tool was discovered by researchers in Delta County not too long ago, as noted in this post that originally appeared on Yooper Steez. How much you want to bet it was used for either cutting venison or making pasties?

MTU researcher studies strong bones in bears, which could eventually help humans

Kathy Jennings Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A Michigan Tech University researcher may be making strides toward helping people with bone problems thanks to the work he has done studying hibernating black bears. Second Wave's Kathy Jennings dives deep into the world of researching sleeping bears and what it may lead to.

UPside of Life: Cleaner, greener snowmobiles invade Houghton

Sam Eggleston Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Snowmobiles are practically part of the scenery here in the Upper Peninsula during the winter months. You can't help but hear them, see them and smell the plumes of their exhaust--a complaint of many Yoopers. The folks over at Michigan Tech, and other colleges, are meeting up for a snowmobile challenge in the Keweenaw this week in hopes of making sure the sounds and the smells are the last thing snowmobiles are remembered for.

Despite Pioneer's global presence, it strives to be a U.P. company first and foremost

Kim Hoyum Wednesday, February 09, 2011

When you think of medical orthopedic production, you might think of big, multi-national corporations. But Marquette's Pioneer Surgical Technology is doing it with U.P. workers and U.P. roots. Upper Peninsula Second Wave writer Kim Hoyum goes one on one with CEO Jeff Millin to find out why the company chooses to do it here.

Marquette serial entrepreneur creates unique ski

Lucy Hough Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Interested in a new ski that can climb up snowy hills and then glide down them? Marquette inventor Dave Ollila has produced the Marquette Backcountry Ski. It does just that while pumping about $75,000 into Michigan's economy.

Ishpeming Wastewater Treatment Plant leaps to forefront of industry innovation

Becky Korpi Wednesday, January 12, 2011

When you flush the toilet, do you ever sit back and wonder where it all goes? Well, if you live in Ishpeming, it may end up as a renewable resource at a farm or even a yard near you. U.P. Second Wave feature writer Becky Korpi headed over to the Ishpeming Area Joint Wastewater Treatment plant to find out just how the facility has stepped to the innovative forefront of the industry.

Big project in small town of Kinross: World�s largest ethanol plant being built in eastern U.P.

Neil Moran Wednesday, December 01, 2010

The eastern U.P. town of Kinross will soon be home to the world's largest cellulosic ethanol plant. Frontier Renewable Resources, LLC has formed partnerships with some big investors as well as tapped the expertise of Michigan's universities to bring this green technology to the region. Second Wave writer Neil Moran reports from the forest floor.

UPside of Life: The gales of November and the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Sam Eggleston Wednesday, November 10, 2010

One minute it was there and the next it wasn't. The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in a wintry November storm still reverberates as one of the most tragic ever on the Great Lakes. Today marks the 35th anniversary of the ship's demise, and acts as a reminder that though the lakes that surround the Upper Peninsula are beautiful, they are as equally deadly.

Mine remnants used in creative ways by U.P. entrepreneurs

Kim Hoyum Wednesday, November 03, 2010

It's no secret that mines leave behind plenty to contend with once they dry up and the companies that owned them move on. But here in the Upper Peninsula--where mining not only runs deep in the area history, but is still a major employer today--people are coming up with new and innovative ways to deal with what has been left behind. Second Wave's Kim Hoyum outlines three projects that have made the best of the situation at hand.

Marquette County landfill paving the way for future of solid waste with one-of-a-kind wet process

Kim Hoyum Wednesday, October 20, 2010

What can we do with all this garbage? That's the question asked since humanity first started creating solid waste and, unfortunately, we have yet to come up with the perfect answer. Second Wave's Kim Hoyum talks to Marquette County Solid Waste Authority director Rick Aho to find out just how one landfill is attempting to trash the old ways in favor of more innovative, sustainable methods.