NIU Today

Register now for the second annual “Treinta y tres,” an interdisciplinary conference on Friday, Nov. 15, that will feature the research of three NIU faculty members.

According to Christina Abreu, director of the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, the conference name – Treinta y tres – calls attention to the diversity of experiences and voices emerging from the thirty-three countries that comprise Latin America.  

The goal of the conference is to preserve and promote Latin American and Latinx scholarship by highlighting the research of faculty associates and graduate students.  

This year’s conference is centered on the theme of languages, literature and literacy. The program features the original research of James Cohen, College of Education; Mandy Faretta-Stutenberg and Francisco Solares-Larrave, World Languages and Cultures. 

Cohen’s presentation chronicles his experiences as a Fulbright Scholar studying English education in Uruguay. An avid traveler who has explored nearly 40 countries, he incorporates the knowledge he gains abroad into his bilingual and English as a second language education classes.

The linguistic development of acquiring a second language during a study abroad experience is the topic of Faretta-Stutenberg’s research. Drawing from the fields of linguistics and cognitive psychology, her research impacts models of language and learning as well as the development of language curriculum.

Solares-Larrave’s presentation will concentrate on the late 19th- and early 20th-century Spanish-language literary movement, focusing on the travel writings of José Martí. He will discuss his work with a recent National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute centered on Martí and his work with Cuban immigrants in Tampa.

An afternoon session will showcase the research of two master’s students. Alexander Lundberg, a former high school teacher earning his M.A. degree in Latin American history, will discuss how race and power influenced Cuban and Nicaraguan literacy campaigns. Lia Sanchez, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish business and translation and is pursuing a master’s degree in Hispanic studies, will focus on the dialectology of two speakers from Mexico City.

Closing out the program will be a performance by Mexican jazz pianist and writer Alex Mercado in the School of Music Recital Hall at 3 p.m.

The conference, hosted by the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, will be from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Latino Center, 515 Garden Road. The event is free and open to NIU students, faculty and staff. Advanced registration for the conference is encouraged.

The Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, housed within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is the home for the interdisciplinary study of the Latino experience in the United States as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. The Center’s curricular offerings in the humanities, arts and social sciences are enhanced by our academic and cultural programming and community outreach activities.

DaQuan Russell-Watts

DaQuan Russell-Watts was born with a natural curiosity and love of learning. When his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, he turned to learning to cope and discovered his passion for anthropology.

“As a child, I found it fascinating to learn about how people from different parts of the world interact. I love to meet people from different backgrounds and enjoy learning about their customs.”

Today, Russell-Watts is charting new territory as the first in his family to attend college. He is a junior at NIU, majoring in anthropology and minoring in biology and chemistry. He dreams of a future career as a forensic anthropologist, where he can use his inherent curiosity to aid in disaster relief efforts. He is confident that NIU will help him succeed.

“NIU is shaping me into a capable scientist, leader and humanitarian with the heart to care and the knowledge to help,” he says.

Russell-Watts’ journey wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a well-timed scholarship. When his limited resources threatened to derail his plans, a scholarship from the NIU Foundation helped him stay on track.

“The scholarship I received from the NIU Foundation allowed me to continue attending NIU. It has removed the burden of worry about finances and allowed me to focus more on my coursework. Most importantly, it has given me a sense of achievement.”

Russell-Watts is eager to tell donors how grateful he is for their support: “Thank you so much for believing in me! Your investment inspires me to work harder, knowing that I cannot let this opportunity go to waste.”

Romualdas Kasuba

Faculty and staff of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET) at Northern Illinois University are mourning the loss of the first dean of CEET, Romualdas Kasuba, Ph.D., P.E., Dr. (Honorary), dean emeritus, who passed away on Thursday, Oct. 10. 

Dean Emeritus Kasuba is credited with starting the college from the ground up — through its early development, building, growth and outreach phases — to regional and national recognition. Perhaps his most significant achievement to CEET was his effort to lobby legislators to obtain funding to build the Engineering Building. He retired in 2003 after seventeen years of service.

“His tireless commitment and accomplishments have paved the way for the successes of our college, its faculty, its alumni and its students. I was able to develop a good relationship with him over the past two years and will miss our colleague,” said CEET Dean Donald Peterson. “He was always quite proud of the direction the college is heading in, and he consistently expressed how proud he was of our faculty and students. He was a very proud member of the NIU Huskie family.”

Prior to joining NIU, Dean Emeritus Kasuba was the director of the engineering doctorate program, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and professor at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio. He received all his degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign: B.S. ‘54, M.S. ‘57, and Ph.D. ‘62. Dean Emeritus Kasuba was also a licensed professional engineer in Illinois and Ohio and a veteran of the United States Army.

“I had the pleasure to know Dean Kasuba for more than 30 years. He was my mentor, guide and friend. He created the foundation of CEET which enabled us to continue to build on his successes to grow higher,” said Promod Vohra, former dean of CEET. “He was very generous in supporting the mission of CEET and contributed financially, emotionally and professionally to create a world-class college known for its regional excellence.”

Dean Emeritus Kasuba spent ten years in aerospace and manufacturing industries where he worked on such projects as Saturn IV, the Lunar Excursion Module and auxiliary power systems for unmanned space flights.

In his retirement years, he traveled the world as a guest lecturer in Japan, China, Lithuania, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Australia, Poland, Venezuela and France, in addition to the United States.

Dean Emeritus Kasuba received several national and international recognition and awards including Fellow; American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); Certificates of Appreciation from the ASME Design Division; Distinguished Faculty Award; Cleveland State University; Sigma Xi; Tau Beta Pi; Certificate of Recognition from NASA Inventions and Contribution Board for Developing New Technology. In 1994, he was an invited distinguished scientist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. In 1998, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania, and received the diamond award from the UNESCO International Engineering Education Center for the best paper.

In 1999, the National Academy of Sciences of Lithuania elected him as a foreign member to the academy. In 2001, he was invited by the Tokyo Institute of Technology to provide lectures on assessments and restructuring of universities. In 2004, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois.

He also continued his research associated with international licensing of engineers and of international accreditation standards in Europe after retiring from NIU. In 2006, along with his NIU colleagues, he received another diamond award from the UNESCO International Engineering Education Center.

In lieu of flowers, the Kasuba family requests that donations be made to the Kasuba scholarship through the NIU Foundation. Gifts in memory of Dean Kasuba can be made to “The Romualdas and Nijole Kasuba Endowed Scholarship Fund.”  Make checks out to the “Northern Illinois University Foundation” and send contributions to P.O. Box 746, DeKalb, IL 60115.  Include “Kasuba Scholarship” in the memo section of the check.

Milivoje M. Kostic, professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and editor-in-chief of the Thermodynamics Section of Entropy journal, has been recently named as a topical collection editor of Foundations and Ubiquity of Classical Thermodynamics, after serving as a guest editor for three Entropy special issues in 2013, 2015 and 2018.

In 2018, Kostic also published a feature paper, “Nature of Heat and Thermal Energy,” and attended the 16th International Heat Transfer Conference (IHTC-16) where he was a panelist on the development of a new entransy theory. The inclusion to the panel has been influenced by Kostic’s publication related to the entransy concept and controversies, as well as his prior collaboration with Chinese universities, starting with keynote lectures at the prestigious Tsinghua University.

Entropy is a monthly, peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal covering research on all aspects of entropy and information theory. The journal publishes original research articles, communications, review articles, concept papers and more. Since Entropy became a mainstream, interdisciplinary  journal at the end of 2015, it has diversified in several sections, which also include statistical mechanics, information theory, astrophysics and cosmology, quantum information and complexity, as well as in diverse special issues and more recently in topical collections.

Thermodynamics is a science of energy and entropy, considered by many to be among the most fundamental sciences. The phenomenological laws of thermodynamics have much wider, including philosophical, significance and implications than their simple expressions based on experimental observations — they are the fundamental laws of nature. Classical thermodynamics crystallizes a diverse and complex reality to a fundamental cause-and-effect ubiquitous simplicity by its fundamental principles. That is why it is hard to understand thermodynamics the first time or the second time through.

Kostic’s research and scholarly interests are in fundamental laws of nature; thermodynamics and heat transfer fundamentals; the second law of thermodynamics and entropy; energy efficiency; conservation and sustainability; fluids-thermal-energy components and systems; and nanotechnology and nanofluids.

Kostic retired from his regular NIU duties in 2014 to pursue his scholarly work and research.

The NIU Autism Caregiver Group will be kicking off the school year with a cookout designed to help families meet and connect with other families of children with autism. The picnic is 3 to 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 20, at the Welsh Park Picnic Shelter, 651 Russell Road in DeKalb. (Rain location: NIU Wellness and Literacy Center, 3100 Sycamore Road in DeKalb.)

If you care for a child with autism, and are interested in connecting with others who do as well, you are encouraged to join the group to enjoy one last outdoor cookout before the winter weather hits. The gathering will also offer an opportunity to contribute your input on what autism-related topics you would like to learn about this year at upcoming group events.

The group will also offer child activities at the park led by NIU undergraduates studying communicative disorders and pre-physical therapy. The Autism Caregiver Group will provide hamburgers, hot dogs and brats, but please bring a side or drink to share.

The NIU Autism Caregiver Group was founded by assistant professors Allison Gladfelter (speech-language pathology) and Christina Odeh (physical therapy) with interests in supporting families of those with autism. The group’s focus is to provide helpful information, resources and a supportive environment while also providing families with opportunities to connect with community professionals and therapeutic or recreational activities. To achieve this goal, the group offers activity-focused events that can be found on their website. At each event, the group provides developmentally appropriate child activities and refreshments.

If you are interested in joining the NIU Autism Caregiver group at this fall cookout event, please email Allison Gladfelter at agladfelter@niu.edu or call at 815-753-7737 to help ensure that sufficient food is provided and to let her know if you have any questions.

Bill Cassidy

NIU Journalism Professor William P. Cassidy’s latest book, “Sports Journalism and Women Athletes: Coverage of Coming Out Stories,” examines the sports journalism coverage of the coming out stories of three prominent women athletes: tennis legend and feminist icon Billie Jean King, Basketball Hall of Fame Member Sheryl Swoopes and WNBA champion Brittney Griner. The book treads new ground as the first academic book to focus specifically on coming out stories of lesbian athletes and provides in-depth analysis from both a journalistic and scholarly perspective about the stories of these three athletes.

When King was outed in 1981, it marked one of the first times journalists were forced to discuss lesbian athletes in sports. Swoopes’ 2005 coming out was hailed as a historic moment due to her status as one of the best women’s basketball players of all time, while Griner’s casual public acknowledgment of her sexuality came during what many have called a more receptive environment for gay and lesbian athletes. By directly analyzing and comparing the media attention given to these three superstars, Cassidy provides a comprehensive overview of how journalists have historically addressed women and lesbian athletes in professional sports. This book will appeal to readers interested in sports journalism, the role of sport in society and media coverage of gay athletes.

“Women’s sports have typically been grossly under-represented in sports media coverage. Although elite lesbian athletes far outnumber ‘out’ male athletes, media scrutiny of their experiences remains largely non-existent. Largely situated in the context of improved cultural attitudes toward sexual minorities across the west, Cassidy’s [book] is a valuable contribution to the study of sports journalism and media, offering – for the first time – a dedicated and detailed account of the coming out of some of sports’ most high-profile lesbian athletes,” says Rory Magrath, Ph.D., a course leader in the School of Sport, Health and Social Sciences at Solent University in Great Britain.

Wayne Wanta, Ph.D., a professor of journalism at the University of Florida, notes that the book, “Combines two exceedingly important areas of research: sports journalism and media coverage of LGBTQ individuals. The intersection of these two areas are especially significant given the visibility of athletes and the admiration they hold in today’s societies. Cassidy’s previous book provides key insights into news coverage of male athletes’ coming out stories. The current book further adds to our understandings by examining coverage of women. Clearly, how the coverage of lesbian and gay athletes differs would tell us much about the reporting process in sports media and the potential impact this coverage would have on sports fans.”

A new landmark debuted Thursday on the campus of Northern Illinois University, as President Lisa Freeman and benefactors Dennis and Stacey Barsema unveiled the sculpture “Huskie Pride.”

Stacey and Dennis Barsema unveil the new Huskie Pride Sculpture to the crowd that gathered at the MLK Commons on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019.

The sculpture, comprised of the letters N-I-U in 6-foot-tall block type painted in the university’s signature cardinal red, sits in the center of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commons on the university’s DeKalb campus. It provided an instant pop of color to the commons as the Barsemas drew back the tarp covering the letters, drawing cheers from the more than 150 people who gathered for the event.

“This sculpture, with its bold, classic lines, speaks loudly and proudly about what it means to be an NIU Huskie,” President Freeman said. “It speaks to the legacy of our alumni and the spirit of our student body. We are truly grateful to Dennis and Stacey for this gift. It not only demonstrates their pride in NIU, but also creates a new opportunity for all of us to share our Huskie Pride with the world.”

Sharing that pride was one of the primary goals of creating the piece, which includes a concrete pad emblazoned with “#HuskiePride,” a hashtag that the Barsemas hope will be used as generations of Huskies share on social media photos taken near the sculpture.

“Dennis and I hope that it becomes the most photographed spot on campus. We would be thrilled if it becomes not just a landmark, but also a touchstone,” Stacey Barsema said. “A spot where students pose during their orientation visit, on their graduation day and maybe even when they return to campus with children of their own.”

If history is any guide, the Barsemas might get their wish. The sculpture was the brainchild of Mariano Spizzirri, a manager in NIU’s Marketing and Creative Services. He created an early prototype of the statue from corrugated plastic two years ago, and within 20 minutes of placing it outside of his office, students were posing near it.

The same thing happened Thursday. Remarks dedicating the sculpture were barely completed before students, faculty and staff jockeyed for opportunities to pose with the Barsemas and President Freeman in front of the sculpture. NIU mascots Mission, Mission II and Victor E. Huskie were also popular photo buddies.

The sculpture, which measures 6-feet high, by 19-feet wide and 12-inches deep, was created using steel-reinforced expanded polystyrene foam coated in an epoxy and then painted using automotive paint to ensure a long-lasting finish. It was fabricated by Expo Design of Indianapolis, which specializes in crafting custom sculptures for events, exhibits and environments. Expo’s work includes sculptures at universities across the country, including many at Big 10 schools, such as Iowa, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois.

The Barsemas have generously supported NIU for more than two decades. They were the lead donors for Barsema Hall, home to the NIU College of Business; the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center; several scholarships and the Hall of Champions in the Chessick Center. Both of the Barsemas are active on campus, with Stacey siting on the NIU Foundation Board of Directors while Dennis serves as chair of the NIU Board of Trustees.

The sculpture was introduced to campus just as the NIU completes work on an overhaul of the southern portion of the MLK commons. That work will transform the area nearest to the Holmes Student Center into a beautifully landscaped patio leading up to a new grade-level entrance to the building. Inside that entrance awaits a completely revamped ground floor, which will feature three new restaurants, a new convenience store, a new bookstore, new meeting spaces for student organizations and performance spaces for student groups. The patio area and most of the interior spaces are scheduled to open to the public Saturday, Oct. 26, during Homecoming.

DREAM Action NIU and the Office for Undocumented Student Support will host the annual Undocumented Ally Training on Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Capitol Room of the Holmes Student Center. This training for NIU faculty and staff will focus on how to assist and support undocumented students on campus effectively. 

Participants will learn about: 

• NIU and community resources for undocumented students.
• Updates on immigration laws that affect undocumented students’ access to higher education.
• Unmet needs and resources for undocumented students. 
• Lessons learned from the student, staff and faculty perspectives. 

The training will include a presentation by the Immigration Law Office of Jeremy Lime. An overview of demographics, undocumented students’ characteristics and implications for higher education will also be discussed. Suggestions will be provided on how to support incoming and currently enrolled undocumented NIU students. 

The training will conclude with a student panel where NIU students will share their experiences as they transition and navigate to college, academics and student life. 

Seating is limited, so RSVP online by Monday, Nov. 4. This event is sponsored by DREAM Action NIU, the Office for Undocumented Student Support, and Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. For more information, call 815-753-2391 or email slopez1@niu.edu. 

Celebrating 10 years of educating and entertaining all ages with hands-on STEM activities.

It was a leap of faith when NIU STEM Outreach, part of the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development, decided to move STEM Fest to the Convocation Center 10 years ago. The annual October event, formerly known as “The Haunted Physics Lab” and then “Spooky Science,” attracted about 1,000 visitors in 2009 and had clearly outgrown its space in La Tourette Hall.

However, as NIU STEM Outreach Director Pati Sievert remembers, “It was a bit scary to try to get all the NIU STEM departments and student groups to participate in this new event in 2010. It was also a huge logistical undertaking for someone without any formal training in event planning.”

That first STEM Fest – a free celebration of science, technology, engineering and math for all ages – was a resounding success.

“Moving the fall science festival to the Convocation Center was an immediate success, thanks to the space itself, the hands-on exhibits and the volunteers,” says NIU Vice President for Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development Anne Kaplan. “The sheer volume of hands-on activities added to the excitement, and the faculty and student volunteers were really impressive. NIU students and faculty clearly enjoyed explaining science, technology, engineering and math concepts to kids and adults of all ages.”

“The crowd was great fun to watch,” remembers Marilyn Bellert, former director of the NIU Center for P-20 Engagement, which houses NIU STEM Outreach. “Children were thrilled as they showed their parents what they had learned. Some participants raced gleefully from one activity to another, while others settled in for a long time with activities of special interest to them.”

That first year, STEM Fest drew about 2,500 visitors. It has grown steadily over the past decade, welcoming about 7,000 visitors annually in recent years. The event is a success thanks to the contributions of more than 700 NIU student, faculty and alumni volunteers, and it features exhibits from nearly 70 NIU departments and student groups. About 40% of the student volunteers signed up for 2019 said that they attended STEM Fest before enrolling in NIU.

The number and variety of activities has also expanded. This year, visitors will get a chance to fly and program drones, test out virtual reality technology, witness a weather balloon launch with real-time data displays and use forensic science to solve a simulated crime – to name just a few of the more than 200 hands-on activities. They’ll also be able to explore their artistic sides with activities that include interactive art installations and the chance to meet the NIU Steelband and see how they make their unique steel pan instruments.

This family-friendly event is free and open to all, on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the NIU Convocation Center. Parking is free, and the Route 16 and 2L Huskie Buses will add a STEM Fest stop for the day (normal bus rates apply; free with current NIU One Card).

Academic departments and student groups from at least five different NIU colleges will participate, as well as companies including sponsors ComEd, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Traditional Medicinals, First National Bank, Ideal Industries and Nicor, among others.

Sievert says STEM Fest now includes a variety of activities for preschool, elementary, middle school and high school students, as well as adults. Building blocks and art activities help to usher the youngest visitors into the exciting world of STEM, while older students and adults enjoy engaging with faculty members about their research and experiencing activities such as the ever-popular liquid nitrogen demonstration.

“I can’t wait to see the new exhibits this year,” says NIU STEM Educator Jeremy Benson. “I’m especially excited to see the ‘drone zone,’ where visitors can program and fly drones, as well as our expanded robotics area.”

The organizers are also looking forward to the return of many old favorites. “We try each year to add new, interesting STEM activities,” Sievert says, “but some activities are so popular that people would be disappointed if they were not there, such as the huge soldering booth with room for 45 people to each be soldering a project at one time, or the Haunted Physics Lab.”

Sievert expresses gratitude for all the NIU staff, faculty and volunteers who make the event possible, especially Sam Watt, Jeremy Benson and Sara Finnigan, who have provided effective leadership and a constant source of creative ideas, and Vice President Anne Kaplan and P-20 Center Directors Marilyn Bellert and Amy Jo Clemens, who have provided enthusiastic support and trouble-shooting throughout the past 10 years.

Benson, who first began volunteering with NIU STEM Outreach in 2009, before becoming a full-time employee in 2011, says he is still in awe of the amount of work that goes into STEM Fest every year. “But after 10 years, it’s still worth all of it,” he says.

Looking to the future, Benson notes, “I hope STEM Fest continues to grow, and that we continue being able to add new and exciting things every year. Who knows what new technology will be developed tomorrow and featured at an upcoming STEM Fest?”

For more information visit Go.NIU.edu/STEMFest.

Norm Walzer

Norman Walzer, senior research scholar at NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies (CGS), received an Illinois Municipal League (IML) award in “Recognition of a Lifetime of Service.”

According to IML officials, “It’s a very special award in that it is not given every year – the last time it was given was in 2016. This was only the fourth time we’ve presented this award.”

While surprising Walzer with the award at a recent conference in Chicago, IML Executive Director Brad Cole said, “In his role at NIU, Norm has helped local groups find ways to stimulate collaboration in an effort to reduce reliance on property taxes through the Local Efficiency Assessment Process (LEAP) that he and Andy Blanke created.

Cole continued, “In 1969, as a Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Norm started his work on creating a Municipal Price Index. Mayors began using it in working with contracts for services to show how prices had increased. It was first published in August 1969, in the IML Review magazine and has been updated annually since. In addition to the Municipal Price Index, Norm is a regular contributor to our IML Review magazine and our annual Illinois Municipal Policy Journal.”

Walzer, who earned a Ph.D. degree in economics, started at CGS in 2008, after retiring as founding director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs located at Western Illinois University (WIU). At WIU, he had served as professor and chair of the Department of Economics and then as dean of the College of Business and Technology.

At CGS, Walzer serves on the Community Work Force and Economic Development team conducting applied economic research and assisting state and local governments on policy issues. Areas of expertise include rural community and economic development, governmental structure and local public finance, entrepreneurship in both private and public agencies, and community strategic planning/visioning.

CGS Director Diana Robinson said, “Norm has been applying his research to real-world problems throughout his career. We are fortunate that he continues his work in benefit of the region and the state from NIU.” 

Walzer is a past president of the Community Development Society and has published regularly in the scholarly and professional literature on these issues. His current research involves community supported enterprises and how they preserve or expand social capital. He advised the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Opportunity in preparing a five-year Statewide Economic Development Plan (2014) and led a CGS team that staffed the Governmental Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force (2015). Walzer serves on the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council and continues to research best practices in governmental structure and public service delivery.

The Illinois Municipal League, founded in 1913, is the official voice for Illinois municipalities.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to take part in a celebration of NIU’s Office of the Ombudsperson’s 50^th anniversary and National Ombuds Day taking place Monday-Thursday, Oct. 7-10.

Sarah Klaper, university ombudsperson

An ombudsperson is a designated neutral party who provides free, confidential and informal assistance for resolving university-related concerns. The ombudsperson cannot impose solutions but will identify options and strategies for resolution.

“We provide guidance to help individuals understand university policy and procedures, how they relate to individual concerns, and how to properly advocate for fair and equitable resolutions,” said Sarah Klaper, university ombudsperson. “We work closely with administrators on policy development and interpretation with the common goal of fairness and equity.”

The Office of the Ombudsperson was established at NIU in 1969 in response to three separate committee reports referencing a need for an ombudsperson at NIU. Since its inception, the Office of the Ombudsperson has served as a confidential, neutral, informal and independent resource for the entire NIU community.

“If you don’t know where to go, who to talk to or what to say, come see us,” Klaper said. “We will listen, talk through your options and help you develop a strategy around your issue.”

The ombudsperson also regularly provides executive coaching as well as campus training on conflict resolution, leadership skills and effective communication. Klaper is knowledgeable regarding NIU’s policies and procedures and can help people navigate the politics of the situation.

“We collaborate with students, faculty and staff,” Klaper said. “Working with them to develop strategies on how to resolve concerns is interesting and fulfilling.”

The following events celebrating the Office of the Ombudsperson’s 50^th anniversary and National Ombuds Day are set to take place in early October:

• Monday-Thursday, Oct. 7-10 (all day): Kindness Rocks display outside the Campus Grind at Holmes Student Center. Take one if you need one!
• Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 8 to 10 a.m.: Doughnuts and a Drawing: Join the Office of the Ombudsperson for doughnuts and sign up for an Ombuds Day basket drawing in the Holmes Student Center lobby.
• Thursday, Oct. 10, from 8 to 10:30 a.m.: Coffee with Klaper: Join University Ombudsperson Sarah Klaper, Gay Campbell and Hafsa Jamalvi for coffee, conversation and cinnamon rolls to start the day at Holmes Student Center, 601.
• Thursday, Oct. 10, at 11 a.m.: Drawing results for the basket revealed on Twitter.

There have been a handful of loyal followers over the years of Assistant Professor Nicholas Hryhorczuk’s tales of his visits to Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst and biggest nuclear disaster.

But ever since HBO began airing the Emmy award-winning “Chernobyl” mini series, which this week snagged an award for outstanding limited television series, NIU’s own Hryhorczuk has become somewhat of a celebrity.

Nick Hryhorczuk at Chernobyl, the site of the world’s biggest and worst nuclear disaster.

Curious parties are turning to him and his expertise for first-hand insights into the dark heritage site still teeming with radioactive particles more than 30 years after the 1986 disaster.

Hryhorczuk, who has been researching Chernobyl for the past eight years, himself is a huge fan of the series, and the attention it has brought to his works and to the area itself. He’s lectured on the subject at Bowdoin College, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. But now, with the popularity of the show, the interest is even more mainstream.

“I loved the series,” he said. “It was accurate and brought the disaster to a millennial audience at a time politically when these conversations are increasingly more important and relevant.

“Visits are up 40%, and most exciting to me, are the conversations with both novice and experienced travelers who are expressing an interest in visiting the zone,” he said.

His ultimate goal is to ensure Chernobyl becomes a UNESCO Heritage Site, as it serves as a reminder of humankind’s greatest technological failure and a reminder of the threat of an increasing reliance on dangerous technology, he said. Gaining the UNESCO designation would help ensure a safe and valuable tourism site for future generations, he added.

“Precedents for dark heritage sites include Auschwitz-Birkenau and Hiroshima,” he said “Their common elements are a historic tragedy, the expression of strength and hope of humanity, and a symbol for change. Chernobyl is a historic tragedy. The heroism among first responders and liquidators provides hope in humanity. Chernobyl has led us to ponder the pros and cons of nuclear power. Chernobyl meets the criteria as a potential UNESCO dark heritage site, but would require the financial support of the Ukrainian government and a commitment to ensuring a safe and valuable tourism experience.”