For the second year in a row, NIU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has been recognized by the national professional organization CSHEMA (Campus Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association).
The 2017 award recognized the department and the Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Safety for developing a laboratory safety course. This year’s award honored chemistry graduate students for their work in enhancing the safety culture of the department.
“Our graduate students believe that in order to affect change in the department’s safety culture, they need to be agents of change,” said Ralph Wheeler, chair of the department. “They know what needs to be done. They just needed to be empowered to act.”
The students formed the Student Advisory Safety Committee, co-chaired by Kathy Hoerchler and Travis Mackoy, and advised by two members of the Lab Safety Team – Michele Crase, lab safety manager in the Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Safety, and Andy Small, retired lab manager in Chemistry and Biochemistry. Then the students jumped into action.
In their first year alone, the committee undertook 14 initiatives. Some of the committee’s work involved improved signage and adding communication tools. Other projects involved regularly laundering lab coats, periodic testing of the safety shower and eyewash station, and the creation of the Annual Laboratory Spring Cleaning Event.
Among their projects, several are ongoing – tracking safety audit observations/statistics, planning events involving industry safety professionals, conducting safety training or doing presentations and coordinating efforts to improve the safety of undergraduate teaching labs.
“In a short time this group has made quite an impact,” Crase said. “We are very proud of this group and supportive of their efforts.”
The committee will continue working on last year’s initiatives while focusing on undergraduate teaching laboratories and the hazards in those labs.
The committee is always looking for students who are willing to get involved. The first introductory meeting for all graduate students is Friday, Aug. 31, at 3 p.m. in LaTourette, room 201.
Date posted: August 22, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry recognized with a CSHEMA Award
NIU School of Music Professor and Director of Percussion Studies Greg Beyer and retired School of Music faculty member Robert Fleisher are featured on “Long Roll: A Tribute to Composer-Percussionist Michael Manion” by Albany Records. The release features a solo malletKAT composition of Fleisher’s written specifically for Manion. The project is a collaboration between the NIU and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign music faculties. The tracks are taken from a pair of live performances recorded in Urbana in 2009.
Albany Records newly released “Long Roll:A Tribute to Composer-Percussionist Michael Manion” features a repertoire that includes Alexander Tcherepnin’s “Vivace from Symphony No. 1 in E Major;” Amadeo Roldán’s “Ritmica No. 5 and Ritmica No. 6;” Stephen Lett’s “Junta;” Henry Cowell’s “Ostinato Pianissimo;” Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Entr’acte from The Nose;” John Cage and Lou Harrison’s “Double Music;” Michael Manion’s “Long Roll II” and Robert Fleisher’s “Maniondala.” Gregory Beyer, malletKAT performs “Maniondala” and the remainder of the compositions are performed by the University of Illinois Percussion Ensemble with William Moersch, Adam Walton and Mark Eichenberger, conductors.
Michael Manion (1952-2012) composed solo, chamber and electroacoustic works that have been performed in Europe and the United States. Manion earned a B.Mus. degree from the Oberlin Conservatory (1977), where his composition teachers included Randolph Coleman, Dary John Mizelle and Gary Lee Nelson. He received his M.M. degree from the University of Illinois (1980), where he studied with Ben Johnston and Salvatore Martirano. He also attended seminars with Robert Ashley at the Mills College Center for Contemporary Music (1977-1978), studied with Mauricio Kagel at the Musikhochschule in Cologne (1980-1981) and with Jonathan Harvey at the University of Sussex (1985-1988). As a percussionist, Manion performed with orchestras, new music ensembles, jazz bands and rock groups. As a soloist, he appeared at venues in Ghent, Amsterdam, The Hague and Cologne. During his two decades (1980-2000) studying, composing and performing in Europe, Manion also served as an assistant to the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928- 2007). His music has been broadcast on National Public Radio, the NonPop International Network and the West German Radio. In 2013, Manion’s family entrusted his scores, recordings and related materials to the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois.
Fleisher writes in the notes accompanying the recording that, “Nearly 25 years after we were graduate students at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), Michael Manion asked me to compose a work for him to perform on the malletKAT, a MIDI controller well suited to the interests of this composer-percussionist specializing in electronic music. As the new work neared completion in 2008, Michael suffered a severe, disabling stroke. The following year, my NIU colleague Gregory Beyer premiered ‘Maniondala’ during a University of Illinois Percussion Ensemble concert in Manion’s honor, arranged by its director, William Moersch. This recording presents a broad spectrum of percussion music written between 1927 and 2009, including some of the earliest percussion ensemble compositions and the first commercially released recordings of three 21st-century works: my ‘Maniondala,’ Manion’s ‘Long Roll II’ and Stephen Lett’s ‘Junta.’”
Fleisher’s music is regularly performed in the United States and abroad. He is professor emeritus of music theory and composition at NIU.
The University of Illinois Percussion Ensemble was established in 1950 and specializes in the performance of traditional and contemporary repertoire for small and large groups. Commercially released (LP) recordings feature performances under the baton of previous directors Paul Price, Jack McKenzie and Thomas Siwe. Under the direction of Moersch, the Percussion Ensemble may also be heard on “Banana Trumpet Games” (CRI CD 849, 2000), featuring the music of P.Q. Phan.
Moersch is professor and chair of Percussion at the University of Illinois. Internationally renowned as a marimba virtuoso, chamber and symphonic percussionist, recording artist and educator, he has appeared as soloist with orchestras and in recital throughout North and South America, Europe, the Far East and Australia. A regularly featured artist at international percussion festivals, Moersch has performed on more than 70 recordings and is perhaps best known for commissioning much of the prominent modern repertoire for marimba.
Beyer, a Fulbright Scholar, composer, educator and “prodigiously talented percussionist” (Chicago Classical Review), is a contemporary music specialist who blends the disciplines of orchestral, jazz and world music into a singular artistic voice. He is the artistic director of Arcomusical, a resource dedicated to the Afro-Brazilian berimbau musical bow. Beyer is professor and head of Percussion Studies at NIU. He is a core member of the Chicago-based new music ensemble, Dal Niente.
Date posted: August 22, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on School of Music’s Beyer and Fleisher part of CD tribute to composer-percussionist Michael Manion
New and returning NIU students are encouraged to educate themselves about the new city of DeKalb parking regulations for neighborhoods surrounding the university.
Under the city’s Safe Streets program, street parking that many students have utilized in the past will no longer be available and overnight parking is banned in certain neighborhoods.
Students who live in the affected neighborhoods have three options:
1) Purchase a parking permit from their landlords and park in private lots assigned to their building. 2) Purchase a permit for an NIU lot. 3) Purchase a DeKalb street parking permit if they can prove that their apartment does not provide an off-street parking space for them.
City street parking permits cost $25 and must be purchased at the DeKalb Police Station, 700 West Lincoln Highway. These permits allow street parking only in approved areas near the applicant’s residence, and may not be used to park on city streets in other restricted areas.
Students hosting overnight guests must purchase a guest parking pass at $5 per car. Both the regular and guest parking permits must be purchased at the police station for now, but DeKalb officials are developing an online purchasing system that will debut later in the fall.
The affected neighborhoods are as follows:
West of Annie Glidden Road (Regent, Fotis, Aspen, Spiros, Varsity, Pappas, Eco Park, etc.) — No parking 2 a.m. – 6 a.m.
East of Annie Glidden Road (Edgebrook, Kimberly, Greenbrier, West Hillcrest, Blackhawk, etc.) — No parking 2 a.m. – 6 a.m.; Permitted Parking only.
Russell Road and Crane Drive — No parking 10 p.m. – 6 a.m.
Ellwood Neighborhood (Augusta, Park, College, Thornbrook, Miller, Harrison, John, etc.) — No parking any time; Permitted Parking only.
To clarify, those neighborhoods with parking restrictions and the phrase “Permitted Parking Only” refers to residents who have proven they have no off-street option and have purchased a resident parking permit from the city. Since apartment residents living west of Annie Glidden Road have ample off-street parking available, it is unlikely that city staff will approve street parking permit requests from people living in that area. Any sub-leasing arrangements must be in writing with the property manager in order to be assigned an apartment building parking space.
That trip began Sunday – and now includes four students who are the inaugural participants in the NIU College of Education’s Engage Global program, part of the Educate and Engage Program.
By the time they board a plane Saturday to return home, all will have gained a close-up look at a different country’s take on Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) through sports.
“For a lot of our students, this might be their first time leaving the country. It’s an eye-opening experience, broadening their worldview through a cultural exchange and a real immersion in a different country. The way we do things in the United States isn’t the only way it happens,” says Presidential Engagement Professor Paul Wright, NIU’s EC Lane and MN Zimmerman Endowed Professor in Kinesiology and Physical Education.
“I hope it increases their confidence and competencies as they’re growing into professionals, whether they’re coaches, strength-and-conditioning experts or working in government,” Wright adds. “Whatever their futures are, they’re going to develop self-efficacy in those leadership roles.”
Zakyrah Harris, an undergraduate political science major who took Wright’s honors class on sport diplomacy, is also along for the journey, as are two representatives from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Scheduled events include an open-to-the-public panel discussion at the U.S. Embassy on the topic of using sport for positive youth development and social change and a training workshop at a local YMCA.
NIU’s group also will oversee a day of action planning with the two dozen travelers who spent a week in DeKalb this spring as part of a series of sports diplomacy missions. They will revisit the plans drafted on the NIU campus, share updates, examine what’s happening, identify who is accomplishing the goals and tackle any obstacles met.
Consisting of four separate cultural exchanges with countries in South and Central Asia, including Sri Lanka, the program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs through its Sports Diplomacy Division.
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Sport Leadership, which received the federal grant, selected NIU to coordinate the exchange with Sri Lanka.
“We can only bring so many people to the United States, but when we’re over there, we can take 50, 60, 100 people,” Wright says.
“This is at no cost for any youth or coaches or teachers who want to learn about this approach, and it’s a refresher course for those people who were here in April. We’ll also help them deliver the workshop,” he adds. “That adds to the local relevance and context when they’re up in front of the room, and it’s good for stability after we’re gone. They’re recognized as people who know that they’re doing.”
Students will learn how to transfer their NIU classroom lessons to a real-world application, Jacobs says, “and not just in this like-minded culture but across the world in a different context.”
Other responsibilities will include evaluation of the cross-cultural program through taking field notes, making observations, shooting photographs and archiving.
All, including the faculty members, will stand “at the ready” to make classroom presentations.
“We’re not going to have a set program until we know the needs of the participants. We’re intentionally going down there with a rough plan of what we want to deliver,” Jacobs says. “We learned a lot from the Belize project that you just can’t go down there – maybe they don’t have the supplies, or they don’t have the interests. You have to keep it flexible.”
Like Wright, Jacobs expects the students will return with minds opened.
“I always learn far more from these programs than I end up teaching,” she says. “This is a war-torn country – nine years after a civil war – and the strides they’ve made in accepting people and being more inclusive, I think, is something anyone from the United States could take an example from and take that back into the classroom.”
Date posted: August 20, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on Engage Global debuts in Sri Lanka
Mark Pietrowski Jr., DeKalb County board chair and director of NIU Continuing and Professional Education recently was selected as one of 40 emerging leaders in the state of Illinois to take part in the seventh class of the University of Illinois Edgar Fellows Program.
The group of 40 were selected from nearly 170 nominations by an advisory board of former and current elected leaders and public and private CEOs and directors. The leadership program this year ran from Sunday, Aug. 5 to Thursday, Aug. 9, and was packed from morning until night with presentations, workshops and activities.
“It was an honor to be selected to this prestigious leadership fellowship, and I was able to build amazing relationships during the week and be inspired that there are others in the state also working hard to find solutions and work together to achieve them,” said Pietrowski.
The program is designed and constructed each year by former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar to “inspire respectful and collaborative leadership to address the state’s major challenges.”
“The fellowship is unique in that Governor Edgar designs it to be non-partisan and be representative of the state with a diversity of gender, race, political ideology, public and private leaders in order to help us build friendships and understanding with people we may not regularly interact with in our daily lives,” said Pietrowski.
The class of 2018 were added to the growing list of Edgar Fellowship Alumni and stay connected throughout the year through email, social media and alumni events throughout the state.
“I am looking forward to utilizing what I learned and the relationships I have built to help our DeKalb County community and Northern Illinois University,” said Pietrowski.
2018 Edgar Fellows:
— Alma Anaya, Cook County commissioner-elect
— Kristopher Anderson, state and local government consultant
— State Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago
— Amy Barry, director of communications/public affairs, Illinois Senate Republican staff
— State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, D-Shorewood
— Nathaniel Brown, academic co-director, Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders
— Helena Buckner, Macon County Board commissioner
— Nikki Budzinski, senior advisor, JB for Governor
— Beniamino Capellupo, executive director, SEIU Illinois State Council
— Jeff DeHaan, senior wealth advisor and chief compliance officer, Clearwater Capital Partners
— Courtney Eccles, director of Secure Choice Program, Illinois Treasurer’s office
— Chuck Feinen, counsel, State Farm
— State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago
— State Sen. Dale Fowler, R-Harrisburg
— Magdalena Fudalewicz, manager, Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation
— Emily Gibellina, director of government relations, UI Hospital and Health Sciences System
— State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis
— State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island
— Frank Haney, Winnebago County Board chairman
— State Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago
— Sarah Hartwick, executive director, ED-RED
— Richard Irvin, Aurora mayor
— Ra Joy, former executive director, CHANGE Illinois
— Staci Mayall, Fulton County treasurer
— Steve McClure, Republican nominee, Illinois Senate District 50
— Tom McNamara, Rockford mayor
— Aaron Ortiz, Democratic nominee, Illinois House District 1
— Mark Pietrowski Jr., DeKalb County Board chairman and director of NIU Continuing and Professional Education
— Delia Ramirez, Democratic nominee, Illinois House District 4
— Prashanthi Rao Raman, director of global policy, Lyft
More than 1,000 faculty, staff and students had their professional portraits taken by NIU’s Institutional Communications photography staff at Career Services’ fairs last year.
These portraits offer a professional first impression on LinkedIn, whether you are just starting your career or looking to expand your network. Additionally, they can be used on Outlook to put a friendly face to your name.
“We understand the importance of having a professional photo in today’s digital age and are pleased to offer annual opportunities to faculty, staff and students,” says Taylor Hayden, assistant director of digital content in Institutional Communications.
“The most efficient way for us to continue to offer this service is to invite faculty and staff to attend the photo booth at the career fairs,” says Hayden. “With two in the fall and three in the spring, faculty and staff will have five convenient opportunities annually to have their photos taken.”
Part of the success of the photo booth at the career fairs is the collaboration and partnership between Institutional Communications and Career Services.
“We appreciate our partners in Career Services, and we look forward to finding other ways to collaborate on key events and programs in the future,” says Hayden.
Document Services is another key partner, as they manage all photo reprinting services. Faculty, staff and students can now take advantage of the Document Services Storefront to order prints of photos.
Date posted: August 20, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on Professional staff portraits offered by Institutional Communications
NIU’s newly created Master of Science in Data Analytics (MSDA), recently approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, has been cleared for a 2019 rollout. In January, the program will launch 100 percent online, making the MSDA the second fully online graduate degree from the AACSB-accredited NIU College of Business. MSDA coursework can be completed in as few as 12 months.
“With a focus on offering engaged learning experiences on a digital platform, the new offering, MSDA, exemplifies our efforts to offer a cutting-edge program in a high-demand area. The program is a great addition to our portfolio of online programs,” says Balaji Rajagopalan, dean of the NIU College of Business. “Our Department of Operations Management and Information Systems enjoys a long tradition of creating exceptional programs that cross the boundaries of technology, systems and people — making for a holistic focus in the way we approach the field of data analytics.”
Chris Millington, former CTO of McDonald’s and a member of the OM&IS Advisory Board, agrees. “The future of data analytics is now and NIU is at the forefront of this movement — as is often the case.”
Our faculty challenges students to push the boundaries of learning by imparting knowledge derived from their research, best practices in industry and teaching expertise. Students are exposed to Hadoop, R, Python, SAS, SQL, SAP Predictive Analytics, Tableau and other cutting-edge technologies throughout the curriculum. When they graduate, MSDA students will also earn the NIU-SAS joint certification credential.
“We’re very excited to offer such an important and high-quality program — especially in an online format,” says Chang Liu, chair of the Department of Operations Management and Information Systems. “Our diverse student body is always looking to stay at the cutting edge. Our MSDA degree helps them do so because the program focuses on competencies for the future.”
When OM&IS faculty designed the degree, they ensured it went beyond the traditional ideas of data analysis. They made real-world perspectives and industry practices serve as the foundation for the academic material and incorporated feedback from executives on the OM&IS Advisory Board.
Liu adds, “The experiences that accomplished professionals share, and the knowledge created by our scholarly, active and outstanding faculty result in an exceptional experience for our students.”
MSDA coursework emphasizes hands-on learning, enabling students to develop data analytics and problem-solving skills that can be utilized in a range of contexts, organizations and industries.
The program is AACSB-accredited and provides students with the flexibility to balance work and family commitments, and to enroll on either a full- or part-time basis. NIU’s MSDA appeals to working professionals who seek upward mobility in one of the fastest growing fields. Data analysis careers have been heralded as the “sexiest job of the 21st century” (Harvard Business Review); the No. 2 fastest growing job (CNN Money); the No. 5 overall best job in America in 2017 (Glassdoor); and the second most difficult set of skills to find (ComputerWorld2016).
“I’m proud of what the OM&IS faculty and our partnering executives continue to achieve for the benefit of our students,” says Liu. “They bring their award-winning talents to every part of this online program.”
Along with the academic and professional benefits, the program also combines high-tech with personalized attention. MSDA students receive one-on-one admission and advising guidance as well as technology support when needed. They can access course materials, participate in discussions with professors and fellow students, and complete and submit assignments anywhere and at any time.
Programs in both NIU OM&IS and the NIU College of Business have been ranked nationally over the years, with the college enjoying a national ranking for more than 30 consecutive years. The Department of OM&IS and the College of Business both have a distinguished tradition of crossing the boundaries of generating knowledge and learning that knowledge by creating innovative programs that prepare graduates for long-term success in their careers and their communities.
“Big data is about making better decisions in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world,” says Liu. “Ultimately, it’s about adding value to organizations, communities and individuals. Those intersections lie at the very core of our expertise in the Department of OM&IS. Our faculty are experts in their areas, and our curriculum is cutting-edge. We continually cross the boundaries of a variety of disciplines to understand the larger value-add that can be provided to individuals, business and society. This is what gives our students outstanding futures over the long haul.”
NIU’s College of Business proudly counts more than 60,000 people as alumni. Many hold C-suite executive positions in companies of all sizes, located in the Chicago metropolitan area and around the world.
For more information on NIU’s MSDA, please contact Russ Devereaux, associate director, at rdevereaux2@niu.edu or 815-753-6372.
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Date posted: August 15, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on Big data, big news: NIU data analytics program offered 100 percent online
NIU STEM Educator Jeremy Benson exploring science concepts with students entering grades 5 and 6 during “It’s not magic, it’s STEM” summer camp.
NIU STEM Educator and camp director Jeremy Benson has a gift for engaging students of all ages in the wonders of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This year, he and his colleagues at NIU STEAM captured students’ imaginations with a summer camp based on everyone’s favorite school of witchcraft and wizardry.
“It’s not magic, it’s STEM!” camp, designed for students entering grades 5 and 6, showed campers that when things look like magic, an exciting new scientific discovery is just waiting to be uncovered.
“Our STEM staff was motivated to create a unique camp experience this summer – the feel of a magic school embedded with science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts,” says NIU STEM Outreach Director Pati Sievert. “The campers were excited from the start and highly engaged in the activities throughout the whole week.”
The magic-school themed camp divided students into four houses that competed to earn points through lessons and extracurricular activities. Some of the students’ favorite activities included Potions (chemistry), Care of Magical Creatures (genetics and how animals get their traits), Transfiguration (using 3D printer filament and electronics to create motion reactive light-up LED wands), and Defense against the Dark Arts (critically evaluating information gathered from the internet using Carl Sagan’s “Boloney Detection Kit”).
“My favorite camp activity was making my own wand,” said one camper. “I like to build things like objects or my own video game creations.”
“The best part of camp was scavenger hunting and puzzles,” added another camper. “I especially love logic puzzles. I like doing things with riddles or clues.”
Another ten-year-old camper said, “Because of my experience at camp, I am more interested in technology and science.”
This camp was so successful that plans are already in the works to expand it for next summer. “The kids we had this year made me promise that I would design new second-year classes so that they can all come back again next year,” says Benson.
“Since this was the first year we ran this camp, I learned a lot about what worked well and not as well,” he continues. “I’m excited to start working on improvements for next year, along with adding some new classes for our returning campers.”
“The magic of the camp was the enthusiasm of the instructors, counselors and campers,” says Sievert.
Date posted: August 15, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on NIU summer campers encountered the magic of science
“I expected it to be us giving to them, based on what I know about the poverty that they live in and seeing the poverty that they live in, but oftentimes it felt very different than that.”
Those are the sentiments of Northern Illinois University women’s soccer junior Abby Gregg in recalling a trip made by members of the Huskie men’s and women’s soccer teams to Rwanda this past spring.
“We were being given food, we were given hospitality,” Gregg went on to explain. “Just overall incredibly generous people and I didn’t expect that going in.”
Just as the game of soccer helped unite people from around the world at the FIFA World Cup in Russia earlier this summer, the game also helped bring together the unlikely pairing of NIU student-athletes with members of the Kazo community in Rwanda.
Shortly after the conclusion of the spring semester, three student-athletes from the Huskie men’s soccer team, Adrian Coardos, Jan Maertins and Max Voss, along with six from the NIU women’s soccer team, Kelsey Chope, Taylor Fuderer, Gregg, Delaney Loprieno, Grace Louis and Natalie Pena travelled to the East African nation with Humanity for Children as part of the Turanyi Project.
The message of the trip, known as the Turanyi (good neighbor) Project, was fairly simple, using the game of soccer as a tool to keep kids in school while developing self-discipline, non-violent ways of handling conflict and HIV/AIDS prevention strategies.
“The main goal of this trip was to educate the Rwandan youth about the importance of staying in school and [getting] a good education,” explained Voss, a senior from Herten, Germany. “In order to motivate the kids to stay in school, we wanted to use soccer as a bridge. We had some soccer clinics with kids where we showed them some skills, but more importantly, educated them about the importance of being a respectful and good teammate.”
Throughout the 2017-18 school year, the Huskies led the community-wide initiative to collect cleats, shin guards, soccer balls and matching uniforms to deliver on their journey to Rwanda. The NIU contingent, which also included men’s soccer assistant coach Jack Mathis and Dr. Bob Hansen, the President of the Board of Directors for Humanity for Children, spent about a week in the East African country.
Along with delivering soccer equipment and running clinics, the group also spent time with the Rwandan people, going to schools and getting a glimpse into Rwandan life and culture. Immediately from their arrival, the group’s trip was a major event for the local people.
“Word travels fast in these villages, so once we were on site, everyone knew and everyone from the village would come out,” recalls Mathis.
Voss echoed those sentiments from a trip to a classroom he made with Gregg and Loprieno.
“We went into this first-grade classroom where we introduced ourselves and asked the kids some questions,” Voss said. “Because of the young age of these students, you could tell that they were very shy and didn’t dare to ask any questions; however, instead of asking a question, one small boy said that he was so happy and excited that we visited his school that day because it was his first time to see and meet white people. This just indicates how special it was for them, as well as for us, to meet each other. This was a situation that I‘ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Despite their numerous cultural differences, the Huskie student-athletes and the Kazo people, in particular, the members of the Kazo Futbol Academy, shared a bond through the game of soccer. Mathis smiled when recalling one of the clinics, which drew upwards of 200 local children, where he stepped back to take in the sight of the Huskies leading the local Rwandan children through various soccer drills.
“Seeing how involved (the NIU student-athletes) were in it and how much joy they were getting from it, as well as the (local) kids, and seeing them take on leadership roles was great,” said Mathis.
While leadership may have been one of the qualities that was manifested from the clinics, another, according to Gregg, was perhaps even simpler.
“We got to use something that we love so much, like soccer, we got to share that with people who have never left their tiny village,” Gregg explained. “A legacy that we got to leave behind with them is that helping others and taking the time to share yourself and share your time, with others is so important. Yes, we brought gear and helped out with equipment, but I think that the biggest thing that we gave to them was our time. I think that is the legacy that we can leave behind, to understand the importance of fellowship with others, especially people who are very different from you, because we can learn so much from each other.”
The Huskies traveled to Africa to make a positive difference in the lives of Rwandans through soccer, using the game to promote health and education. The Kazo Futbol Academy will get plenty of use out of the soccer balls, uniforms, cleats and shin guards brought to them by the Huskies, but long after those balls have gone flat, the cleats have worn out and the uniforms are no longer in use, it will be the lasting memories of two cultures coming together that will endure, a sentiment probably best summed up by Mathis.
“For the kids, the family members, the Kazo Futbol Academy and the villages, I think they will remember us for the rest of their lives and surely we remember them as well.”
Date posted: August 15, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on Uniting cultures through soccer: Huskies have life-changing experience in Rwanda
Because of a team effort by alumni and the community, the Corn Classic 10K on Sunday, Sept. 23, offers a new experience for the whole family to run or volunteer. It ends with the Taste of DeKalb, a new event with food and entertainment.
Cohen Barnes
Cohen Barnes, ’95, has revamped the annual Corn Classic to bring alumni back to campus and make it the greatest race in northern Illinois.
“Besides being an NIU alumnus living in DeKalb, raising a family here and running a business that employs NIU alumni, I am in this race to run in my father’s footsteps, to share my community with others,” said Barnes, president of the Corn Classic and owner of SundogIT.
After seeing the only known photo of the first race, which began in 1980, Barnes noticed his dad among the runners. Like his dad and son, Barnes is an avid runner. He has run in the 10K race for the past 10 years as a way of showing his community spirit.
He is so passionate about Northern Illinois University and the community that he wanted to head the Corn Classic to reconnect alumni and residents to DeKalb. Alumni can show their support of NIU by wearing Huskie gear as they run through DeKalb or by volunteering for NIU Nexus, the alumni volunteer community.
Barnes jumped at the opportunity last year to take over the race. He has teamed up with community and NIU leaders to reroute the course to showcase the beauty and revitalization of DeKalb and the university. The Corn Classic Committee also moved the race from August to September so runners are likely to experience cool weather rather than the heat of summertime.
The race will begin at 8:15 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, on Third Street, where brick streets and large old trees outline a historic neighborhood. The course will take runners past the Kishwaukee River, Lions Park, Prairie Park and NIU’s East Lagoon. Participants will run past Altgeld Hall and Swen Parson Hall as they make their way to the Huskie Stadium. The Huskie Marching Band will be performing on the field, and the plan is to spotlight runners on the jumbotron. As the runners head back through campus on Lucinda Avenue, the NIU Steelband will be playing at the Music Building. Then they will run through the Ellwood historic district and end on Second Street.
As the finale of the day, the city of DeKalb has arranged a new festival, called the Taste of DeKalb, at Van Buer Plaza, which will offer food and beer vendors and music from 10:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
“I really see this as being one of those events that can draw alumni back to the community,” said Jason Michnick, ’14, M.P.A. ’17, economic development planner for DeKalb and a member of the Corn Classic Committee.
Families not participating in the race are invited to bring their children to the Egyptian Theatre for a free one-hour feature film at race time.
To help out the Huskie Food Pantry, which serves the NIU student population, the public is encouraged to bring nonperishable food items. The drop-off locations will be at packet pickup on Saturday, Sept. 22 at SundogIT, 230 E. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, and at packet pickup and race day registration on Sunday, Sept. 23 in the parking lot of Faranda’s, 302 Grove St., DeKalb.
Alumni who haven’t been back to DeKalb in recent years will notice positive changes. For instance, the Holmes Student Center is being renovated and Lucinda Avenue was extended to connect campus buildings three years ago. Alumni will also see a revitalized downtown if they haven’t been back since 2010, Michnick said.
While some big box stores have closed, mom and pop shops are increasing, he said, and the downtown is getting a face-lift, in part due to grants through the city.
Cornerstone is being developed by John Pappas at First Street and Lincoln Highway. Newly opened this month, the building has 52 furnished modern apartments with a waiting list. The ground level of the building will house Barb City Bagels and Tavern on Lincoln.
Another project by Pappas under construction is Plaza DeKalb, which will house a specialty grocery store with a Mediterranean theme and apartments on the upper level.
“The perception of doing business in DeKalb and the opportunities in DeKalb have definitely changed in the two years that I’ve been with the city,” Michnick said. “There’s a lot more positivity about doing business here.”
Both Barnes and Michnick play a big role in the community’s revitalization. Barnes is vice president of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corp., which is a public-private partnership to stimulate economic growth in DeKalb County. He also heads the Proudly DeKalb organization, which markets the city’s amenities, and has been involved with making videos to promote the park district, townships, NIU and DeKalb High School. As part of that movement, Michnick represents the city to honor residents and businesses for their revitalization efforts.
“I would encourage alumni to attend the race or at least come check out the Taste of DeKalb to see how things have changed here in DeKalb,” said Michnick, who will be running in the race. “I think the best thing alumni can do is stay engaged with both the university and the community. One of the things that I learned in school that’s really valuable is having a network. I think that’s exactly why I got a job while I was in the M.P.A. program.”
Looking for other ways to volunteer for NIU? Check out NIU Nexus, or contact Liz McKee at lmckee1@niu.edu; 815-753-7400.
Date posted: August 15, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on Corn Classic teams up with Taste of DeKalb on Sunday, Sept. 23
One Japanese class at NIU and John Pindel discovered a passion and a new place to call home.
A 2016 alumnus, Pindel of Winfield, Illinois, used some free credits to take Japanese 101 and 102 his senior year with Instructor Misato Sekita. Double-majoring in computer science and philosophy, Pindel was a fan of manga, or Japanese comic books, and he thought the course would help him enjoy the books more.
“I had no intention to go to Japan, let alone move there,” he said.
But that’s exactly what he ended up doing.
Pindel now lives in Japan, where he works for the international job search engine site Indeed. He credits his experience in Sekita’s class as transformative, while Sekita points to it as an example of the power of learning, no matter the subject.
“John’s experience proves that what one learns in classroom is not just for that one moment, but it stays with you for the rest of your life,” Sekita said.
“He originally took Japanese classes for reading manga, but now what he studied in FLJA 101 and 102 has turned into the basis for his ability to communicate in Japan where he currently lives.”
Inspired by his love of the language and with Sekita’s help, Pindel planned a trip to Japan after his NIU graduation to celebrate the new job he’d earned as a web developer for a top American financial company.
“Sekita Sensei genuinely wanted us to succeed inside and outside of the classroom, and that stuck,” he said.
“She helped me plan the trip and even gave me some of her contacts in Japan. Even though I traveled there alone, from her class I was able to successfully communicate in Japanese and had a life-changing trip as a result.”
Pindel made friends at hostels, restaurants, bars and while hiking in Arashiyama in Kyoto. He also felt the country suited him.
“The main thing driving me here was health,” he said. “I have an autoimmune disorder, and the diet and lifestyle here agrees with me much better. More than that, though, I like the more collective society here. People usually seem more concerned about the group rather than the individual, and that permeates into so many things. It’s a lot different than American society, and I think I can learn a lot here. And it’s so fun speaking in a foreign language.”
Pindel visited Japan a couple more times, as well as Europe for comparison. He sought out jobs in Japan, where many employers want higher competence in the Japanese Language Proficiency test. He failed a few interviews, but networked and continued his Japanese language study.
His experience and passion for Japan, along with a casual conversation with a colleague, led to his current job.
Pindel still sees a Japanese tutor once a week and speaks the language as much as he can in everyday life.
“Anything you learn in your life will somehow improve your life,” Sekita said. “Students taking courses at the university should enjoy the process of learning and never forget to have fun with what you are learning. The world is big. Dream big. Aim high, NIU students!”
Date posted: August 15, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on NIU degree takes alumnus to his land of love: Japan
Brainwave monitors! Remote eye trackers! Mobile eye trackers!
“Students were contacting me,” says Fatih Demir, assistant professor in ETRA, “to ask, ‘What kind of technology do you have? How can we use it? What research can we do?’ ”
Those questions, Demir and Department Chair Wei-Chen Hung realized, were best answered through a course.
ETT 566: UX Research Methods and Technology, which launched in June, now has exceeded their expectations as students continue to explore and master the cool tools while designing innovative projects inside Gabel 212 and, later, via online collaboration.
A half-dozen ETRA students are joined by graduate students (and even two undergrads) from the departments of Computer Science and Psychology as well as from the College of Business and the School of Music.
Professor Demir and Chris Kraner, a graduate research assistant in ETRA who is pursuing his master’s degree in Educational Research and Evaluation, planned to enroll only 16 students to maximize hands-on experiences but pushed that number to 20 to meet demand.
“We met three times face to face and explored the technology they’re really interested in,” Demir says. “Before class, the students might have known about the technology, and they might have not. At the end of the face-to-face meetings, they had a perfect idea about the technologies.”
Divided into five groups – the lab owns two remote trackers, two brainwave monitors and one mobile eye tracker – the groups initially were provided little instruction or guidance.
This allowed them to navigate organically, Kraner says, and also to gauge the quality and clarity of writing in the product manuals.
“As much as possible, we were hands-off: ‘Here are the apps you use; figure it out.’ We wanted them to explore for user interface,” Kraner says. “I don’t think we got many questions at all by the end of the third or fourth day. The groups got a solid 15 hours of time where they could use the devices.”
“By experimenting,” Demir confirms, “they learn more.”
Ideas blossomed quickly.
Research projects based on the devices are examining the teaching of English as a second language, the best design of food services, levels of teacher engagement with classroom environments, the usability of various web pages, the effectiveness of counseling services for children from birth to age 3 and even hip-hop collectives.
Harnessing the UX Lab technology for research studies provides “pure and natural” data that are without the bias often found in observation and survey, Demir says.
“This is a great opportunity for researchers to collect all kinds of data that’s almost impossible to collect without this technology,” he says, “and the data is much easier for researchers to analyze.”
Groups gave class presentations on their devices and projects before switching technology with other groups to get their hands on what else is available. Students also are creating videos and user manuals as a part of their coursework.
“Everybody is happy,” says Demir, adding that some are now preparing to use the technology in their dissertations. “I’ve had some tell me that this is the best course they’ve ever had. It’s such an engaging environment and such a hands-on experience.”
Plans for the future include another session of the ETT 566 course – maybe next spring, maybe next summer – as well as the development of a certificate in Human-Computer Interaction, something that would set NIU apart.
Demir and Kraner also are expecting to install software that allow researchers to collect data when conducting studies using all three devices simultaneously with their subjects.
They also are eager to equip an audio-video lab in Gabel 212 to allow for emotional and facial recognition technology and to upgrade the recording technology for ETRA’s nationally ranked online programs.
Kraner, who collaborates with NIU STEM Outreach to promote science to K-12 students in the region, also has fielded interest in the lab from his teammates in the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development.
“Students are lucky here,” Demir says, “and I’m glad to see students willing to use such devices. This lab makes NIU and the ETRA department unique. I am aware of only some top-rated universities that have such UX labs – and now NIU.”
Date posted: August 13, 2018 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on ETRA summer course enables students to explore, tap research power of UX lab
For the second year in a row, NIU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has been recognized by the national professional organization CSHEMA (Campus Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association).
