Share Tweet Share Email
Tag: EIGERlab
Idea on a napkin
Do you have a great idea for a new or improved product but are unsure where to start? Whether your “next big thing” is currently at the “idea on a napkin” stage or beyond, join NIU EIGERlab to discuss moving it forward: The Innovation Tuesday Meetup for July 12 will cover “Commercializing Your Product: Where...
Want to learn about funding your venture or business through traditional bank funding? How about crowdfunding, such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo? Or perhaps an angel investment group? NIU EIGERlab’s Innovation Tuesday Meetup for May 10 will cover “Show Me the Money,” where a panel of experts will share insights into each funding avenue. All are...
Photo of hands typing on a computer
NIU EIGERlab’s Innovation Tuesday Meetup for April 12 will cover “Creating a Website with WordPress.” One key to effective web presence is finding the right website-building platform. In the digital age, having a personal website is the final step in establishing a solid web presence, but there are dozens of sites begging users to pick...
NIU EIGERlab’s Innovation Tuesday Meetup for March 8 will cover “Circuit Building 101: Intro to Electronics.” The printed circuit board (PCB) is one of the key concepts in electronics is the printed circuit board. The evening’s guest speaker will discuss the fundamentals of a PCB, including composition, terminology, methods of assembly and the design process....
Students fortunate enough to be in one of NIU’s mechanical engineering classes with Federico Sciammarella can look forward to being on the cutting edge of 3D printing and manufacturing. Sciammarella uses his personal experiences with 3D printing to enrich the classes he teaches. That has helped him earn the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering...
Rena Cotsones
Since its grand opening in 1995, the NIU-Rockford Education Center at 8500 E. State St. has welcomed hundreds of thousands of students, clients and community members for classes, meetings, community gatherings and special events. As part of its 20th anniversary celebration today, the university launched the NIU EIGERlab Coworking Space in what was formerly the...
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin
NIU’s deep commitment to strengthening the Rockford economy vaulted into a national spotlight Monday with the announcement that the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute will locate its first chapter in the city. Called a “momentous day in the history of Rockford” and “a big win for the Rockford community and manufacturers across the country,”...
Celebrating creators, designers, builders, makers and dreamers, 38 entrepreneurs put everything on the line during the 9th Annual FastPitch Competition last week at NIU-Rockford. FastPitch was created nine years ago to identify, support and celebrate creators, designers, builders, makers and dreamers. The competition embodies the heritage of the region—the innovators, entrepreneurs and risk takers that built...
Tracie Burress, seen here with her husband, Glen, and EIGERlab’s Sherry Pritz, was awarded $5,000 and named the winner of the 2014 FastPitch competition for sockTABs.
Tracie Burress earned $5,000 for her winning idea of sockTABs at last year’s EIGERlab FastPitch competition. What has happened since then for the Rockford resident can only be described as priceless. “Winning FastPitch meant everything,” said Burress, whose product addresses the age-old problem of mismatched socks. “It legitimized that what I had was a very...
Federico Sciammarella: 3D printing ultimately will have a huge impact on the way things are manufactured.
Maybe you’ve seen one at your child’s school, in a downtown museum or even at the local big box home store. 3-D printers are popping up everywhere, getting cheaper, and are easier to use than ever before. Advances in 3D printing are actually allowing researchers and average folks to print everything from car parts to...
Rockford Engineering Job Fair
Regional partners reported results and progress achieved during the first year of the federal Jobs & Innovation Accelerator Challenge (JIAC) grant, which is focused on four major areas – branding, product innovation, work-force pipeline and business entrepreneurship. Examples of innovative and unique services introduced include a new engineering internship program, an integrated marketing strategy and...
A photo of blue, green, red, yellow and brown markers
One year ago, as Sean Dwyer celebrated a few days off from his NIU classes during the Thanksgiving holiday, the first-year student in the College of Engineering & Engineering Technology got to work. It wasn’t finishing the leftover turkey, braving the Black Friday chaos or  watching as much football as humanly possible. It was the...
1 2