NIU Today

by David Hedin, NIU Board of Trustees Professor of Physics NIU physicists and students played a major role over the years in the design and construction of elements of a detector at Fermilab used to identify subatomic particles known as muons. That science is now helping scientists shed new light on what the New York...

Not only does NIU English instructor John Bradley have a new collection of poetry, but he also has another award to go along with it. The Cleveland State University Poetry Center has given its 2009 open competition award to Bradley for his latest book, “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know.” “It’s an honor to...

Trained by experts at NIU, community organizers from a conflict-torn region of the southern Philippines are now teaching their neighbors to look at the bigger picture, resolve differences peacefully and be more active in mainstream society. The activists participated in a three-week summer workshop led by NIU faculty who have expertise in conflict resolution and...

A pair of May NIU graduates have received Fulbright grants to teach and study in Austria. Brandi Smith, 27, of Chicago, and Melissa Shalter, 27, of Ottawa, will travel to Austria in September to begin their teaching assignments. Shalter, who earned her certificate to teach in secondary education, will work with high school students. Smith...

Matthew Streb, an associate professor of political science at NIU and frequent expert source in the news media on political matters, has been appointed to a year-long post serving as associate to President John Peters. Patterned after American Council on Education fellowships, the new NIU one-year position is designed to provide a leadership development opportunity...

by Matt Streb, Associate Professor of Political Science If you have paid even minimal attention to coverage of the upcoming midterm elections, then you have probably heard an anchor, reporter or pundit refer to 2010 as the “year of the anti-incumbent.” It is understandable why such a perception exists. Consider the high profile losses in...

NIU History Professor E. Taylor Atkins has a written a new book that explores the complex history of Japanese colonial and postcolonial interactions with Korea, particularly in matters of cultural policy. Atkins will deliver a talk on the book – titled “Primitive Selves: Koreana in the Japanese Gaze, 1910-1945” (University of California Press) – at...

The Academic Convocation took place on Friday, August 20 at the NIU Convocation Center. Academic Convocation is a formal ceremony to officially welcome and celebrate incoming students to Northern Illinois University. Students learned about the many academic opportunities and campus traditions of NIU. President John G. Peters and members of the faculty and staff celebrated...

Sudhir Gupta, professor in NIU’s Division of Statistics, has been conferred the prestigious 2010 Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA) award, an award bestowed annually upon no more than one-third of 1 percent of the association’s membership. The award was presented at an Aug. 3 ceremony during the ASA’s Joint Statistical Meetings held at...

For NIU archaeology students, learning means getting some dirt under your fingernails.

Location, location, location. The mantra of real estate agents also could be the motto of the NIU Department of Geography, which kicked off a new academic program this semester leading to a doctorate degree. NIU is now the only university in northern Illinois and one of only two statewide offering a Ph.D. in geography. It’s...

Nine teachers from DeKalb High School and nine future teachers from NIU will launch a new era in District 428 this fall – a full year before the new high school opens on Dresser Road. The 18 are participating in a pilot “co-teaching” program expected to transform the old student-teaching model into something more dynamic,...