**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 302(a) OFTHE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002**

 

I,G. Patrick Lynch, certify that:

 

1.                             I have reviewedthis quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Northern Technologies InternationalCorporation;

 

2.                             Based on myknowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material factor omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, inlight of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.                             Based on myknowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information includedin this report, fairly present in all material respects the financialcondition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, andfor, the periods presented in this report;

 

4.                             The registrant’sother certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing andmaintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined inExchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant andhave:

 

(a)      Designed such disclosurecontrols and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures tobe designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relatingto the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to usby others within those entities, particularly during the period in which thisreport is being prepared;

 

(b)      Designedsuch internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal controlover financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to providereasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and thepreparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes inaccordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

(c)      Evaluatedthe effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures andpresented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of thedisclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by thisreport based on such evaluation; and

 

(d)      Disclosedin this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financialreporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (theregistrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that hasmaterially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, theregistrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and:

 

5.                             The registrant’sother certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recentevaluation of internal controls over financial reporting, to the registrant’sauditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (orpersons performing the equivalent function):

 

(a)       Allsignificant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation ofinternal controls over financial reporting which are reasonably likely toadversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize andreport financial information; and

 

(b)       Anyfraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees whohave a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting.

 
| Date:  July 15, 2010 |   |                                        |
|---------------------------|--------|----------------------------------------|
|                      |   | G.  Patrick Lynch                      |
|                      |   | President  and Chief Executive Officer |

 

----