Faculty and Staff
Suezette Rene Bieri 
513 Clifford Hall
4149 University Avenue
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND
58202-9008
Phone: 701-777-4856
Biographical Information
I was born in 1947 in northwestern North Dakota and raised on a small ranch in that part of the state. The nearest town had a population of 33 people when I was growing up. The number of residents in the town has decreased drastically since then.
I graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1969 with an undergraduate degree in Sociology/Anthropology. I received a M.A. in Counseling and Guidance from UND in 1970. After working many years for state social service agencies and academic institutions, I returned to UND and received a M.S. in Space Studies in 1989.
I have been married to Michael Jacobs for 39 years. He is the editor and publisher of the Grand Forks Herald. We enjoy traveling and like to hike to the far ends of paths and trails.
We have four cats whose names are: Tess Mary McGregor McGahn aka The Divine Miss Tess; Squirt aka J.W. Coop aka Jessica Wilhelmina; Marley aka The Black Arctic Fox; and Modo aka Komodo Man.
Several years ago, my husband and I bought the Bieri family ranch in northwestern North Dakota. It has 200 acres of cultivated land and 800 of virgin prairie. We are operating it for beef production and for wildlife management. We have planted more than 16,000 trees. It is a place where the coyotes still howl.
In the spring of 1997 the city of Grand Forks was inundated by water when the Red River of the North overflowed its banks. Our home was one-half block from the dike which was not high enough to prevent devastating flooding. Shortly after that we purchased 54 acres in the country and built a new home. We are now 32 miles from the river and 240 feet above the river. We have planted hundreds of trees. And the place that we chose has coyotes who still howl.
I collect vinyl albums and 45s of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. I also collect teddy bears, cookbooks and ceramic cats. My main research interest is the Romanov family of Imperial Russia.
The North Dakota Space Grant Consortium
One of the goals of the NDSGC is to encourage college students in the state to become involved in research that is of interest to NASA. Thus Space Grant provides funding for scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students in North Dakota to do space-related research . Students at the state’s tribal colleges and public colleges and universities are eligible to participate. Space Grant also provides monies for projects in five Research Focus Areas: small satellite development; astronomical/planetary sciences; earth sciences; materials sciences; and human spaceflight development. For more information go to: http://www.ND.SpaceGrant.org
