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Eight NIU undergraduate students, with funding from the Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning, are studying food insecurity among NIU students and community members, and the role of community garden produce in addressing food insecurity among food pantry participants. The students – Kristen Amstutz, Abbi Bloedel, Jordyn Crane, John Doran (’16), Rachel Lechuga, Manuel Montalvo (’16), Marissa Nowakowski, Johna Pishko, Alexandra Shipley (’16) and Lexie Williams – from a broad interdisciplinary team, with majors including public health, anthropology, geography, environmental studies, gender studies, mathematics, and nutrition, dietetics and wellness. With a combination of surveys, observation and follow-up interviews, these students aim to “follow the trail of food” to find out how students and community members use food pantries, and to what effect community garden produce has on food pantry clients.

Two of the student-scholars will present posters about their research at the Eighth Annual NIU Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day on Tuesday, April 25, in the Holmes Student Center Duke Ellington Ballroom from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

One of the students who will present her research is Lexie Williams, a University Honors Program Lead Fellow and senior public health administration major, with a double minor in business administration and deafness rehabilitation. Williams is conducting a survey of NIU students to determine the extent to which students are experiencing food insecurity, or not having enough healthy foods available or accessible to them.

Williams says, “We are interested in what a food insecure student looks like—their demographic profile, academic status, coping strategies, etc. We are interested in finding any correlations between food insecurity and other characteristics such as race or grade point average, as we have seen in previous studies that minority students and students with lower grade point averages are at a higher risk of being food insecure.”

So far, Williams has collected about 700 responses, and she plans to keep the survey open until she obtains at least 1,000 responses. NIU students are invited to complete Williams’s survey online.

Williams has learned a lot about the research process, especially “the importance of starting early and having connections.”  She says, “The IRB (Institutional Review Board) process is of utmost importance, so you need to get started as early as possible. Having a sample that is representative of NIU is important to be able to infer certain points about [the] campus overall. This means that all minorities, majors, ages/class years, etc. should be included in the group of participants.”

Williams says that staff and faculty members have been instrumental in helping her disseminate her survey. “It has been very easy to get my information out to certain groups because the person is very willing and eager to have that group of students be represented in the research. These staff members are crucial to the success of my research, because I would not have gotten in touch with so many students otherwise.”

For more information about student research on food insecurity, contact Lexie Williams at lwilliams8@niu.edu, or faculty research advisors Dr. Kristen Borre at kborre@niu.edu or Dr. Courtney Gallaher at cgallaher@niu.edu.

Date posted: April 20, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU undergraduates study food insecurity on campus and in the community

Categories: Community Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

State Representative Bob Pritchard visited with Honors students on Wednesday, April 12, and one message consistently reverberated:  to protect our democracy, everyone needs to get involved! Taking questions from students, State Representative Pritchard spoke about topics ranging from the Illinois state budget impasse to medical marijuana.

Honors students not only learned about their elected officials in Springfield (and were treated to a free breakfast), but also gained insight into how government officials work, the historical development of Illinois from a legislative perspective and what the future of Illinois might look like.

Seeking input from students, State Representative Pritchard inquired as to how the current state budget stalemate has impacted them personally at NIU. Listening to student concerns about work-study hours being cut, to shortages of faculty to deliver coursework, State Representative Pritchard spoke about the interconnectedness of state functions and how prioritization of all services was key to societal development. State Representative Pritchard also reiterated the fact that he did not believe bipartisanship was “dead” in Springfield, but individuals do no need to be challenged to think beyond party lines and do what is best for the state of Illinois.

This opportunity is one of the exclusive benefits available to Honors students. To inquire about joining the University Honors Program, check out the Honors web page.

Date posted: April 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Representative Bob Pritchard addresses Honors students

Categories: Community Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

The NIU Guitar Ensembles, directed by Fareed Haque, will hold a free concert recital that is open to all on Saturday, April 22, at 5 p.m. in the Recital Hall.

Haque is a widely known professor of guitar and jazz for the School of Music and was voted “Best World Guitarist 2009” by Guitar Player magazine. The NIU Guitar Ensembles consist of Haque as director, assisted by Hanna Bingham, violin; Jonny Gifford, drums; Sam Dando, bass; Will Kirby, clarinet; Salsa del Norte, Mike McSweeney, director.

For more information visit the Guitar Ensembles’ online concert schedule.

Date posted: April 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Free Guitar Ensembles concert on April 22

Categories: Community Events Faculty & Staff Homepage Music Parents Prospective Students Students

The Division of Administration and Finance has begun planning for the fiscal year 2017 financial close, scheduled for Friday, July 14. The cooperation of all departments is needed to keep to this schedule.

Key dates to add to your calendar include the year-end cutoff date for new FY2017 requisitions to Procurement Services, which will be on Monday, May 1. The year-end cutoff date for posting any activity prior to June is on Friday, June 16. All FY2017 approved invoices, check requests and travel reimbursement requests to Accounts Payable Services are due by Friday, July 14, and the year-end cutoff date for posting any June activity is also Friday, July 14.

Reminder emails will be sent through to Friday, June 2. Accounts Payable Services and Procurement Services team members will contact those who may need assistance with invoice approvals and/or rollovers. Both departments will also send notices to vendors in early May to send their invoices in time to meet the July 14 date.

Your cooperation is important to ensure the success of the FY17 financial close process.

Date posted: April 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Fiscal Year 2017 year-end deadlines are approaching

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage

Cliff Alexis

NIU’s Cliff Alexis is retiring, and he’s going out on a high note.

The longtime co-director of the world-renowned NIU Steelband – and master of the art of building steel drums – will be feted during a concert in his honor beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 30, in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Additionally, Alexis will be presented with an honorary doctoral degree during the NIU Graduate School commencement ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the NIU Convocation Center.

Friends and dignitaries from around the world will be in attendance for the Steelband concert, including the Honorable Anthony Phillips-Spencer, ambassador from Alexis’ native Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, where the steelpan was invented and remains the national instrument.

“It is not an exaggeration to state that Mr. Alexis is the Stradivarius of the steelpan,” said Paul Kassel, dean of the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts. “His instruments are each a masterwork, and his skill has moved the instrument from its rough and homemade origins to a musically nuanced and finely tuned piece of craftsmanship.”

NIU is one of the few institutions worldwide where students can pursue music degrees with the steelpan as the major instrument of choice. Alexis officially retired from the university in October but remains active in the steelpan world and as a volunteer with the NIU Steelband.

He has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout the years, including induction into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. In March 2014, he was honored by Pan Trinbago in Trinidad for his distinguished service to the steelpan movement.

“Alexis’ teaching and mentorship have helped numerous students discover and develop their talents, with many of them going on to distinguished musical careers,” Kassel added. “His compositions are routinely played by NIU students, as well as musicians worldwide. Similarly, universities and bands worldwide have commissioned his instruments.”

Alexis began playing the steelpan at age 14 in his homeland. By 1985, when he joined the NIU School of Music staff, he was a road-seasoned musician and talented educator pursuing a mission.

Along with Al O’Connor, he created the steelpan studies program at NIU. His responsibilities included maintaining and upgrading the school’s large inventory of steelpans, arranging, composing and co-directing the NIU Steelband with O’Connor and more recently, with famed steelpan artist Liam Teague.

Teague, who came to NIU as an 18-year-old student chasing his dreams, will perform a duet with Alexis during the upcoming concert.

“Cliff is considered to be a living legend in the steelband world,” Teague said. “He started playing the instrument almost from its inception. He’s seen it all.

“It’s been an amazing experience, learning from him,” he added. “He’s so supportive of the younger generation. He’s not just concerned with the past but looking to the future.”

This November, NIU Press plans to publish Steelpan in Education: A History of the Northern Illinois University Steelband by Andrew R. Martin, Ray Funk, and Jeannine Remy, with a foreword by Al O’Connor. More information about the book will be available soon on the press website, http://www.niupress.niu.edu/niupress/.

A pre-concert lecture by Dr. Andrew Martin will take place in the Music Building, room 173, at 1:30 p.m. Dr. Martin is a Professor of Music at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights , MN

Date posted: April 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU to honor Cliff Alexis—‘the Stradivarius of the steelpan’

Categories: Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Graduate School Music Students

Why do golf balls have dimples? How do Newton’s laws of motion impact your drive off the first tee? At the next STEM Café, NIU Physics Department Chair and golf enthusiast Larry Lurio will explain what science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can teach us about golf––and what golf can teach us about STEM. NIU Men’s Golf Coach Tom Porten will join Lurio to talk about how Huskie golf student-athletes apply STEM principles to achieve success on the course.

The free event will be held on Wednesday, May 3, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway, Aurora.

“Golf is a great way to see the laws of physics in action,” says Lurio. “There is no better way to understand the physics of motion than by watching objects move and collide. It’s fascinating, even if you’re not a big golfer.”

Lurio started playing golf ten years ago, immediately applying his physics training to the game. He uses STEM principles to decide on the correct weight for his clubs. “At the very least, physics gives me interesting and unique explanations for how my shots go wrong,” Lurio adds.

Porten says the intrinsic link between STEM and golf is more evident with today’s advancements in technology. “We are constantly applying new technology through new golf equipment or training mechanisms that help our student-athletes put theory into practice both on the range and in competition,” says Porten.

Members of NIU Men’s and Women’s Golf teams will be on hand at the STEM Café to demonstrate how they integrate STEM into their golf game.

“This STEM Café is a great complement to this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships, being hosted by NIU,” says Judith Dymond, who coordinates the STEM Café series. “The physics perspective adds a whole new level of enjoyment to the game. You can really appreciate the complexity of the choices the players are making.” The tournaments, held at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, will take place May 19-24 (women) and May 26-31 (men).

At the STEM Café, food and drink will be available for purchase from Two Brothers.

Monthly STEM Cafés are offered through NIU STEAM Works, part of the university’s Center for P-20 Engagement. Each STEM Café provides an opportunity to learn about the science, technology, engineering and mathematics that are a part of our everyday lives.

All STEM Cafés are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Judy Dymond at jdymond@niu.edu or 779-777-7713.

Date posted: April 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Driving ambition: May 3 STEM Café to explore the physics of golf

Categories: Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Parents Prospective Students Students

The NIU Child Development Lab (CDL) has planned several fun events to celebrate the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child 2017, April 23-29.

Planned events during this week include campus guest readers; a dance party for children and parents on Music Monday; Zumba on Work-Out Wednesday and the CDL Campus Parade around 10:30 a.m. on Theatrical Thursday. The CDL Parade has been a favorite tradition for the children, parents and staff for several years.

Parents, teachers, caregivers and other adults play important roles in the lives of young children. Week of the Young Child celebrates their efforts. You can also celebrate this week by thanking an early childhood teacher and others who work to make a difference for children, learning more about issues affecting young children and their families, recognizing the needs of families, and adopt family-friendly policies and practices.

For more information, call 815-753-1150 or email dwhite6@niu.edu.

Date posted: April 19, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Child Development Lab celebrates Week of the Young Child

Categories: Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Parents Students

This summer, NIU’s Digital Convergence Lab will have camps on video game design and coding. Campers will explore innovative and original games while learning the basics of video game design and coding.

By using the popular video game Minecraft, campers will explore and build a virtual world while learning ComputerCraft, Redstone and coding. They will use OpenSim to build a 3-D world with primitive objects, textures, sounds and scripts. Campers will develop skills in coding, complex problem solving, graphic design and working in teams.

Weekly camps (Monday-Friday) start in June and end in August and are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $250 per week. Campers will need to bring their own lunch. Camps will be held at Founders Memorial Library in the Digital Convergence Lab, Room 338.

For more details, information and registration visit the Digital Convergence Lab.
Date posted: April 18, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Sign up now for video game design and coding camps at NIU

Categories: Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Parents

“Make Your Home Among Strangers” by Jennine Capό Crucet has been chosen for NIU’s 2017-2018 Common Reading Experience (CRE).

Last year, over 70 percent of first-year students used the book in at least one of their courses. This year, the book will be required reading for first-year students in UNIV 101 (University Experience), UNIV 201 (Transfer Experience) and many of the First-Year Composition courses. The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs strongly recommends other college and departmental courses to consider incorporating the book or themes from the book into their course content.

To benefit and get involved with the CRE, getting a copy of the book is the first step. “Make Your Home Among Strangers” was recommended by a team of faculty, staff, community members and students from a group of approximately 20 titles, and is available to check out from First- and Second-Year Experience (Altgeld Hall 100).

Then, submit an existing or new idea for a program related to a theme from this year’s book. Those themes include social justice, access to quality education, socioeconomic status, first-generation student experiences, immigration reform, ethics, civic engagement, activism, diversity, inclusion, coping skills, identity, relationships, mentoring, familial obligations and independence.First- and Second-Year Experience will help coordinate and market your event.

The book follows the relatable story of a young woman, Lizet, who is also a first-generation immigrant and college student trying to make a successful transition into college. She is pulled between her life at college and the needs of those she loves. Lizet must manage a new environment and face decisions that change her life.

Kathryn Ma of the New York Times Sunday Book Review explains, “Being caught between two cultures is a usefully troubling condition for the writer intent on dramatizing the confusion, pain and humor of having what Crucet calls ‘double vision,’ and Crucet, the award-winning author of a story collection, delivers on all three. We are drawn in by Lizet’s bid for independence and the smart way in which Crucet uses the public custody battle [over a child immigrant from Cuba] to explore private family tensions.”

For more information contact Kelly Smith, director of First- and Second-Year Experience, at fsye@niu.edu or 815-753-0028.

Date posted: April 18, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on ‘Make Your Home Among Strangers’ chosen for NIU’s 2017-2018 Common Reading Experience

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff

Ken Hirth

The Aztec Triple Alliance established an empire that controlled the Valley of Mexico and conquered many other regions from the 14th century to Spanish contact. Although they are popularly known for warfare and militarism, the Aztec Empire was a strong economic empire, facilitating the movement of goods across vast distances without beasts of burden or formal transportation systems. The Aztecs created a formal market economy where citizens had access to luxury items such as gold and silver as well as more common items like food, clothing, tools and pottery. Ethnohistoric documents and codices suggest a merchant class of Aztec pochteca were responsible for buying, transporting and selling goods for the empire.

Dr. Kenneth Hirth, professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), moves beyond this prevailing view to examine the Aztec economy in greater detail, revealing a more complex picture of diverse merchants and their livelihood. His presentation, “Merchants, Markets, and Commerce in the Aztec World,” will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 24, in Cole Hall, room 100. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Hirth has more than 35 years of active fieldwork in Latin America. He recently directed the Basin of Mexico Geographic Information System (GIS) project, upgrading settlement pattern materials from the region to a GIS platform for reanalysis of prehispanic demographic trends in the Basin of Mexico. He is also engaged in an ongoing study of prehispanic obsidian craft production at the site of Teotihuacan, Mexico, and recently completed similar studies at San Lorenzo, Mexico, and Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. In his 2016 book, “The Aztec Economic World: Merchants and Markets in Ancient Mesoamerica,” Hirth explores the organization, scale, complexity and integration of Aztec commerce across Mesoamerica at Spanish contact.

This presentation is sponsored by the Graduate School, the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies and the Pick Museum of Anthropology. For more information about this presentation, please call the Pick Museum at 815-753-2520 or visit the museum’s website.

Date posted: April 18, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Archaeologist Ken Hirth explores ancient trade and exchange in Aztec empire

Categories: Community Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

Please join NIU students, Millicent Kennedy and Zeinab Saab, at their reception featuring their artwork at the DeKalb Area Women’s Center on Thursday, April 20, from 7 – 9 p.m.

“Cryptic Language” reflects the students’ relationship to their native languages and its impact on both their personal and artistic experiences. The art will be on display throughout the month of April.

Date posted: April 18, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Reception to celebrate ‘Cryptic Language’ artwork by two NIU students

Categories: Community Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

Students, staff and community members are invited to Money Smart Week programs throughout DeKalb, LaSalle and Lee counties during the week of April 22 to 29. All programming is free and covers many facets of personal finance, from establishing a budget to estate planning, couponing and more.

Money Smart Week includes financial literacy programs for all ages, from children to college students, adults and seniors. “No matter your age, there is always something to learn about being ‘money smart.’  Come join us for some fun!” says Dr. Judith Dymond, coordinator of NIU’s Center for Economic Education.

The Center for Economic Education offers economic education programs for K-12 schools, teachers and students, as well as community financial literacy programs starting at elementary and extending through adulthood. As part of Money Smart Week, the center will offer programs for both children and adults.

On Earth Day, April 22, young people ages 5 to 12 are invited to “Investing in the Earth,” at the DeKalb Public Library, from noon to 2 p.m. NIU students and Dr. Tammy Batson, director of the Center for Economic Education, will share ways young people can help the environment that make good economic sense. Participants will learn to make the old new again by using recycled materials to make art.

Adults will get smart about money at Fatty’s Pub and Grille in DeKalb on Tuesday, April 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dr. Mya Pronschinske Groza, assistant professor in the NIU Department of Marketing, will present “The Savvy Digital Consumer,” about the benefits of using mobile apps and online technologies to save money and score winning deals. Participants will also learn how some offers may be too good to be true.

Highlights of the week for college students include “How to Be Financially Savvy in College,” on Tuesday, April 25, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in NIU’s Founders Memorial Library. This event features free pizza and a discussion of financial planning, career searches and more. Also in Founders Memorial Library will be “Turning Passion into Profit,” on Wednesday, April 26, at 3:30 p.m. Daily programs about “Understanding Your Credit Score” will be offered at various locations around campus. Students will also have a chance to compete for prizes and possible scholarship money throughout the week with the popular scavenger-hunt type game, “Geocache for College Cash.”

For seniors or those approaching retirement, Money Smart Week offers a range of programs, including “Medicare Monday,” “The Essentials of Estate Planning,” “Approaching Retirement on TRS or SURS” and “Social Security Crash Course – Preparing for Your Retirement.”

A full schedule of events is available online.

Date posted: April 17, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Be smart! Experience Money Smart Week, April 22-29

Categories: Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Students