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The annual Northern Illinois University’s Service-Learning Institute is a time for NIU’s faculty and staff interested in civic engagement and service-learning to get together, reflect on their work, learn about innovative service-learning practices and new ways to conduct their work and to discuss important topics related to strengthening the civic participation on our campus. This year’s institute will take place on Wednesday, August 16, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. online via Blackboard Collaborate. Please register online by Friday, August 11.

Typically embodied in classroom-based projects, service-learning aims to connect service with the curriculum to enhance both character development and academic skills. Service-learning can also go beyond these goals to prepare students to become engaged citizens, by expanding their understanding of social problems and the role of civic action in solutions to these problems.

“Our focus this year will be exploring new classroom approaches to use service-learning as a tool for helping students become more civically engaged. Teaching and learning through civic engagement can help students better understand how to become more comfortable with ambiguity and complexity, how to disagree without being disagreeable, and perhaps most importantly, how to be more empathetic,” said Michaela Holtz, who is coordinating Service-learning Institute and Service-learning Faculty Fellows program.

Paul Loeb

Paul Loeb, founder of the Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP), will present at the Service-Learning Institute. CEEP is a national non-partisan project focusing on ways colleges use their extensive resources to assist their students in registering to vote, getting educated on the issues, volunteering in the campaigns and showing up at the polls. Loeb will explore barriers faced by America’s students to electoral participation and general civic involvement. He will talk about best practices and lessons for faculty to use service-learning courses for engaging students as active citizens. He will talk about how to integrate discussions and projects related to social and civic responsibility into their syllabus. He will also explore ways coordinated campus engagement efforts can integrate voter registration into classroom registration or first-year orientation.

Dr. Alicia Schatteman, associate professor of nonprofit management in the Department of Public Administration and Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies, will be speaking about the newly developed service-learning version of her Philanthropy and Volunteerism course, where she will engage students in a semester-long project where they develop a fundraising plan for a local nonprofit or community organization.

Dr. Mylan Engel

Dr. Mylan Engel Jr., professor in the Department of Philosophy spent the last year developing and teaching a brand new course, Philosophy of Food. He will share his experience of developing and teaching his first service-learning, lessons learned and the future steps he plans to take including this pedagogy in his teaching.

Date posted: July 23, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Teaching and learning through civic engagement

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff

WNIJ News received an award in the annual Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI) competition for 2016. The award was presented Friday, June 23, at the PRNDI gathering in Miami, FL. PRNDI awarded WNIJ News second-place in best news series for “Great Lakes Basin Railroad: Down the Line.”

The Great Lakes Basin Railroad (GLBR) was conceived in 2009 as a way to alleviate rail freight congestion through the Chicago rail yards and to provide other benefits to manufacturers and freight companies, as well as to their customers. The WNIJ newsroom covered the controversy in many areas along the originally proposed route and its subsequent variations as affected residents and others protested what they saw as negative aspects of GLBR. This five-part series, which began Monday, December 12, 2016, looked at the following aspects of the GLBR project:

Staci Hoste, director and general manager of the station, congratulates the WNIJ newsroom: “We celebrate the quality and integrity of journalism informing our listeners every day. It is outstanding to be recognized by a national organization for the work we do to keep our listeners well-informed. Congratulations to Jenna, Susan, Chase and Guy, and the entire team of WNIJ reporters.”

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Date posted: July 23, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on WNIJ newsroom honored with Public Radio News Directors Incorporated Award

Categories: Accolades Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Students

A robotic hand developed by a team of NIU engineering students has the potential to change the lives of amputees – at about one percent of the cost of similar prosthetics currently on the market.

The team of three students set out in summer 2016 to develop a functional, low-cost prosthetic hand that could benefit the uninsured or people living in poverty.

“In developing nations, if you lose your hand you lose your ability to work,” team member Mackenzie Franklin of Woodridge, IL, said. “You could go from being a productive craftsman to starving to death in the space of a month.”

While there are open-source designs for hooks and body-powered hands, the students wanted to create a more sophisticated design powered by electromyography, or EMG, which uses electrical signals created by the muscles in the arm.

The hand the students developed is a fraction of the weight of similar hands on the market. It can perform a gripping motion by pinching the index and middle finger against the thumb. The grip force is enough to pick up and hold light objects, like a cup or a hand tool.

Team member Nathan Freitag of Batavia, IL, said the project gave the team members a taste of the trial and error process inherent in engineering design.

“You’d get something working and something else would break. There was a lot of debugging,” he said. “[Still], the idea that we could save people tens of thousands of dollars and make life easier for patients was very interesting to me.”

While the prosthetic is still in development, the team estimates it could be produced at a cost of around $300 to $500 – a far cry from the $20,000 they said they found existing EMG hands selling for.

The team presented a prototype of the prosthesis for its senior design project, a capstone project all undergraduates in the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology complete as a graduation requirement. The hand, which the team dubbed A.D.A.P.T., won first place in the electrical engineering division of the senior design contest, though it lost the overall prize to a Mars rover from the mechanical engineering division.

Though all three teammates graduated from NIU in spring 2017, they said they plan to continue working together to refine the A.D.A.P.T., which has become a labor of love.

“We already know a lot of ways we can improve upon it,” said teammate Lukas Bonnen of Byron, IL. “We’re trying to remain patient-oriented. It’s got some road to travel, but it’s on its way.”

For Franklin, the most satisfying moment of the project’s development was when their test subject, a man who had lost his hand, tried it for the first time. The team is using feedback from patient trials to further improve the next prototype.

“Going to the patient was a big deal for me,” she said. “Proof of concept on ourselves was one thing; proof of concept on an amputee was another thing entirely.”

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Date posted: July 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Students’ low-cost prosthetic design may improve life for amputees

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Students

All civil service/operating staff are cordially invited to have fun, food and mingle with co-workers at the Annual Civil Service Celebration (formerly StaffFest). The event will be held on Thursday, August 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Duke Ellington Ballroom in the Holmes Student Center.

The menu will include hot dogs, veggie burgers, hamburgers and more. Serving will end at around 1 p.m.

The ever-popular dunk tank is back this year! Join the fun and have a ball – that’s three balls for $2. New this year is a cream pie toss. For just a dollar you can throw a pie. There will be some pretty important people to dunk and smoosh!

There’s also a 50/50 raffle to help build our Operating Staff Council Dependent Scholarship fund. Tickets are one for $1, six for $5, and 13 for $10. The drawing will immediately follow the celebration and the winner will receive half of whatever cash is raised. Last year, this fund-raiser awarded three deserving NIU dependents with $1,000 scholarships each for fall 2017.

To register for the Civil Service Celebration, send an email with your choice of entrée (hot dog, veggie burger or hamburger) to cscelebration@niu.edu by Wednesday, July  26.

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Date posted: July 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Civil Service Celebration set for August 10

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage

NIU faculty, staff and student volunteers are needed to help welcome our new students and their families to campus at Huskie Fall Kick-Off on Friday, August 25.

At this dynamic event, new students learn what it means to be a NIU Huskie fan! We’ll celebrate the different NIU traditions with the president, faculty, staff and other students. As part of this event, new students will head to the field and form a giant “NIU” for a class photo.

Volunteers are needed to welcome and direct new students and their families, as well as hand out t-shirts and help new students form the “NIU” on the turf. Volunteers will need to be available on Friday, August 25 from 4:30-7:15 p.m. Training for this event will be on Thursday, August 24.

Please use this link Huskie Fall Kick-Off Volunteers,to sign-up by Friday, August 18.

For questions about this event, please contact Abbey Wolfman at awolfman@niu.edu.

Date posted: July 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Volunteers needed for Huskie Fall Kick-Off

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Students

Counseling and Consultation Services staff

Counseling and Consultation Services (CCS) provides a sympathetic ear and a wealth of resources for free. Students can speak one-on-one with CCS’s counselors or participate in group therapy. To ensure that students receive the necessary support outside of the office, Consultation Services helps faculty, parents, and peers to better understand and assist their students and loved ones through consultation and educational programming. CCS can also refer students to professional counselors in the area if specialized assistance is required.

In addition, CCS extends its services across campus with comforting activities to help students learn coping skills, such as monthly therapy dogs at Stevenson Hall on the second Monday of every month, weekly mindful meditation drop-in groups, anxiety and stress management groups, and outreach activities such as Chai Chat and How the Health Are You, NIU?

Outreach efforts continue to grow to keep up with the high demand for mental health services, an issue which Brooke Ruxton, executive director of CCS says, “[is] a huge challenge for counseling centers across the country, not just NIU. Over the last five years, more and more students have been seeking services for mental health concerns and so [everyone’s] trying to keep up with that growth in demand.”

The National College Health Assessment reports that, in the past 12 months, the number of students seeking individual and group therapy services at CCS has grown from 5.6 percent of undergraduate students in 2012 to 7.3 percent in 2017.

The increase in the need for services is a positive sign of decreased stigma regarding mental health treatment and the need for support. This also suggests that students, family, and faculty should come together to provide additional support and understanding for each other.

CCS provides services to students dealing with a number of issues including significant mental health diagnoses, crises, and phase of life concerns, whether that be struggles with relationships, exploring their identity, staying connected with family, coming to school, or facing graduation and thinking about what their next steps are.

The CCS office is located in the Campus Life Building. Students can walk in, Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to meet with a counselor. Community members can also call to consult with a staff member about students they are concerned about. CCS offers 24-hour on-call services at 815-753-1212 for those in crisis or needing immediate assistance.

Date posted: July 17, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU students: Free mental health services are a short walk or phone call away

Categories: Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Parents Prospective Students Students

Professor Philippe Piot

NIU Presidential Research Professor Philippe Piot in physics was appointed earlier this year to serve on the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC), which advises the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program supports fundamental research that aims to understand, predict and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic and molecular levels. The work provides the foundations for new energy technologies and supports DOE missions in energy, the environment and national security.

The BES program also plans, constructs and operates major scientific user facilities and funds work at more than 160 research institutions.

BESAC’s recommendations include advice on establishing research and facilities priorities; determining proper program balance among disciplines; and identifying opportunities for inter-laboratory collaboration, program integration and industrial participation.

Professor Piot, who holds a joint appointment between NIU and Fermilab, was selected to the committee for his expertise in accelerator and beam physics.

Piot has contributed to work on the optimization of beam lines at top particle physics and basic science laboratories across the globe. He also is affiliated with the university’s Northern Illinois Center for Accelerator and Detector Development, which supports the development of a new generation of accelerator and detector technologies.

Piot is the second NIU physics professor to be named in recent years to a federal advisory committee. Michael Syphers, a senior research professor of physics, currently serves on the national High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP).

“This latest appointment is a great honor for Dr. Piot and a testament to his deep knowledge of beam physics,” said Jerry Blazey, NIU’s vice president of Research and Innovation Partnerships. “Having two faculty members named to key federal advisory panels is a remarkable accomplishment that speaks to the high level of expertise in our physics department.”

Date posted: July 14, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Physicist Philippe Piot appointed to national panel on basic energy sciences

Categories: Accolades Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Prospective Students Students

Lora Oberg

Lora Oberg has been appointed to the position of assistant university budget officer for NIU. She reports directly to Cristine Black, director of financial analysis and state budget reporting in the Office of Budget and Planning.

In this role, Oberg is primarily responsible for the development and maintenance of the university’s five-year budget model. She will also provide leadership to campus administrators and managers in the areas of budget development, fiscal analysis and financial reporting. Oberg will assist the director in critical areas such as revenue enhancement, resource allocation, improved efficiencies and innovative approaches to problem-solving.

Oberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Oberg joined NIU in 2013 and was previously the director of business operations for NIU Foundation.

Date posted: July 13, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Lora Oberg appointed assistant university budget officer

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage

Facilities Management and Campus Services has announced that beginning Monday, July 17, all table and chair orders that would normally be requested through Materials Management Distribution Services will now go through the online “Event Support Request” form. 

To order, complete the online form with all required information about the event. Under the “Facilities Services” section, check the box for tables and chairs under “Distribution Services” and add the remaining order information.

Any questions can be directed to Distribution Services at 815-753-6280.
Date posted: July 13, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Planning an event? Order tables and chairs online

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage

Thirteen design students from Xi’an University of Technology in Shaanxi, China, spent two weeks at NIU as part of what both universities hope will be the start of a series of exchanges between the two universities.

The students spent a week studying under School of Art and Design Assistant Professor Perrin Stamatis and Instructor Johnathon Strube working on a poster project as though they were promoting an exhibit on contemporary Chinese culture at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

The students also attended an information session where art graduate students shared their experiences at NIU. On Saturday, July 1, they spent the day on an interdisciplinary art design project where they built a bridge. They also saw a presentation on American film, movies and media by Associate Professor of English Tim Ryan.

They visited the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, toured art studios, went on an architecture cruise in Chicago, and attended a barbecue at the home of Drew and Tracie Wells.

Li Chenyang, a second-year student at Xi’an said she and her classmates appreciated the support and hospitality from everyone at NIU. “It was an honor to represent the students at Xi’an here on our visit to the United States,” she said. “We experienced a different way to learn here, and Perrin and Johnathon worked hard and helped us try our best.”

Guo Hua, an instructor at Xi’an said she was “astounded” by the progress of the students in their short time on campus. “When we first arrived, most of the students could not speak English well,” she said. “But after a week, they were comfortable enough to give their poster presentations in English.”

Strube thanked the students for, “never being stifled and always attacking whatever changes came up.” Stamatis thanked the students for bringing their varied design backgrounds together and thanked the iPhone app iVoice for helping the group through a few tricky translation challenges.

The visit from the students of Xi’an University was made possible by the work of Program Director Pingping Ren and NIU’s International Training Office, under the leadership of Director Lina Davide-Ong, Program Coordinator Leslie Shive and graduate assistants Mia Huang, and Yasong Yang.  They worked together to plan, arrange, and administer the program. Both NIU and Xi’an University of Technology have expressed interest in continuing the partnership between the two universities.

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Date posted: July 11, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on School of Art and Design hosts 13 Chinese university students

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Prospective Students Students

NIU’s Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning will host the fifth annual Summer Research Symposium from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Friday, August 11, in the Altgeld Auditorium.

Any undergraduate student who has participated in faculty-mentored research or artistry over the course of the 2016-17 academic year is encouraged to present his or her project at the symposium. This includes independent studies, capstone projects, Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), Student Engagement Fund (SEF), Undergraduate Special Opportunities in Artistry and Research Program (USOAR), Research Rookies or any other related research/artistry projects.

Students have the ability to showcase their work through a poster presentation. Registration is required for students to present and must be completed by Friday, July 21.

The event is free and open to the public. Students interested in getting involved in undergraduate research are encouraged to attend.

For more information, call 815-753-8154 or email ugresearch@niu.edu.

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Date posted: July 9, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Fifth annual Summer Research Symposium will be held on August 11

Categories: Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Prospective Students Students

The Student Success Collaborative Campus (SSC Campus) is a web-based tool that provides enhanced campus-wide case management; targeted outreach and interventions; and impact reporting and evaluation.

SSC Campus provides online appointment scheduling, shared note-taking capabilities, multi-modal communication with students (including texts), and individual and aggregate predictive analytics.

Earmark your calendars for two days of training on Thursday and Friday, August 17 and 18. Sessions are open to deans, department chairs, undergraduate directors, advising directors/deans, academic advisors (departmental, college and faculty), as well as academic support professionals.

Training topics will include information on how to record summary reports, contact students, initiate and measure student outreach campaigns, schedule appointments, and leverage institutional reports and analytics.

A detailed training agenda will be published prior to August. Questions may be directed to Dana Gautcher at dana@niu.edu or 815-753-5701.

Date posted: July 7, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Save the date! SSC Campus training starts August 17

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage