The NIU Human Auditory Physiology Lab (HAPL) is looking for individuals to participate in a project designed to examine how changes in cognition following concussion affect a person’s ability to function in complex auditory environments, like a noisy classroom.
Matt Wilson, associate professor in the School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders and director of the HAPL, said they are looking for native English speakers between the ages of 14-40, with normal hearing, who may or may not have a history of diagnosed concussion. In addition, individuals who wish to participate cannot have any of the following:
Drug/alcohol dependency.
Clinically diagnosed ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, etc. (unless caused by injury).
Clinically diagnosed depression and/or anxiety (unless caused by injury).
Significant brain injury that required overnight hospitalization.
Participation includes a brief case history, hearing evaluation, neurocognitive testing and measuring brain activity under a variety of conditions using tiny electrodes placed on the scalp. The study consists of a single session, which will last up to three hours. Individuals who meet all eligibility criteria and complete all parts of the study will be compensated up to $60 for their time.
All testing takes place at the NIU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, 3100 Sycamore Road, DeKalb. If interested or you have additional questions, please contact Matt Wilson at mwilson@niu.edu.
Date posted: July 15, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on Individuals invited to participate in audiology study
Northern Illinois University Athletics will join the hundreds of collegiate and professional teams, venues and organizations across the country to use mobile tickets for single game and mini-plan purchases for all of the Huskies’ ticketed sports in 2019, allowing fans an easy way to purchase tickets and enter the stadium or arena simply by using their cell phones.
This mobile ticketing method, which has been in use for NIU Convocation Center and Huskie Stadium non-athletic events since last December, replaces the Print-at-Home (PDF)/TicketFast option in order to provide an up-to-date, faster and more secure way to enter NIU’s home facilities.
All purchased tickets can be accessed through each customer’s My Huskies Account. Everyone who has purchased NIU Athletics tickets has a My Huskies Account, where tickets can be purchased, viewed and managed at any time.
With mobile ticketing, fans can now avoid Will Call lines on game day, easily transfer tickets to friends or family members, and even replace lost, damaged or forgotten tickets. These services are available to anyone with a My Huskies Account, whether a season ticket member, mini-plan or single game purchaser.
Season ticket members who purchase their season tickets by the print deadline will still receive paper tickets. In addition, traditional hard stock tickets can be made available by request via mail, for pick-up at will call or during in-person purchases at the ticket windows.
Print-at-Home (PDF) tickets are being eliminated by Ticketmaster, NIU’s ticketing partner, due to increased fraudulent activity and a prevalence of counterfeit tickets.
For questions about the new process, email huskiestickets@niu.edu or call the NIU Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
NIU Football and Volleyball season tickets are on sale now online, by calling the Huskie Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225) or at the NIU Convocation Center Ticket Office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Current football ticket options include season tickets for all five home games, starting at as little as $55 per ticket with the Huskie Family Pack or $60 for general admission (East Side) tickets, and mini-plans, offering three games of your choice (two Saturday and one MACtion) for $70. To inquire about group tickets (minimum of 15 people) for any game this season, call 815-753-PACK (7225).
NIU Volleyball season tickets are one of the best entertainment values in the area. See all 12 home matches for just $35 or get the Family Pack with four season tickets for $95.
Date posted: July 15, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on NIU Athletics tickets going mobile in 2019
Paul Priester, chair for the new School of Interdisciplinary Health Professions
Priester who holds a Ph.D. degree in counseling psychology and an M.A. degree in counselor education: rehabilitation counseling, comes to NIU from North Park University, Chicago, where he was chair of their department of counseling psychology.
“Dr. Priester’s research and leadership experience exemplify interdisciplinary collaboration, and we are thrilled to have him on board,” said Derryl Block, dean for the College of Health and Human Sciences.
The SIHP is the academic home to programs that prepare students for health-related careers including the B.S. and M.S. degrees in health sciences, the B.S. degree in rehabilitation and disability services, and M.S. degree in rehabilitation counseling. The school was added to the CHHS in 2018 to include programs that were in other schools in the college. CHHS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Beverly Henry was the interim chair for SIHP.
“The school was established to enhance opportunities for synergy between programs and interdisciplinary collaboration to strengthen faculty achievements and student success,” Henry said. “Dr. Priester is a great fit to lead with his research background and positive spirit.”
Priester believes the school is poised for success.
“The reorganization leading to the structure of the new school represents the cutting edge in interprofessional education curriculum. This reorganization has set the table for even more success for the programs in the school,” Priester said.
His previous experience includes faculty positions at Cardinal Stritch University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Notre Dame and North Park University. He has published works on the relationship between religious beliefs and health outcomes, the integration of spirituality into the counseling process, the measurement of Islamic religiosity, non-disability privilege, evidence-based substance abuse prevention and counseling, and multicultural counseling.
Priester is originally from Bettendorf, Iowa but has lived in Milwaukee for the past 20 years. He and his wife Katherine have three children.
“I am thrilled to become a part of the Huskies’ family and look forward to meeting everyone in person. Please stop by my office and introduce yourself,” Priester said.
His office is in Wirtz Hall 323, and he can be reached at 815-753-5198 and ppriester@niu.edu.
Date posted: July 15, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on School of Interdisciplinary Health Professions welcomes new chair
This summer, NIU STEM Read is partnering with the NIU Libraries and the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators to host the first of a series of events exploring “future telling,” how storytellers and scientists engage in dialogue and use their ingenuity to imagine new possibilities and innovations.
Kate Hannigan
The science + fiction mini-conference will feature experts in writing and STEM, including authors Kate Hannigan (“The Detective’s Assistant,” “The Cape”) and Lex Thomas (The “Quarantine” Series), NIU economist Tammy Batson and researchers from Argonne National Laboratory.
This free event will take place on Saturday, July 27, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at Open Books (West Loop), 651 W. Lake Street in Chicago.
The conference will explore current research on everything from economics to disaster management to codes and ciphers and will offer insights into writing books and stories that incorporate science, technology, engineering and math. This event is geared toward authors, prospective authors and other adults interested in writing and STEM. Educators and librarians are also welcome to attend, and professional development hours are available.
The event will include a panel discussion, small group ask-me-anything sessions with the authors and experts, and Ignite Talks presented by interns engaged in research at Argonne National Laboratory.
Gillian King-Gargile
Gillian King-Cargile, NIU STEM Read director, is excited about the chance to bring writers and scientists into dialogue.
In a recent interview with Hannigan, King-Cargile said, “As a writer, I love talking with scientists because my brain starts buzzing with endless questions, crazy possibilities and imagined applications of their work. I also love seeing how STEM experts engage in their own version of storytelling to test hypotheses, create new products and improve our world.”
She continues, “But there are fewer opportunities for aspiring and even established writers to interact with subject matter experts, to hear a wide variety of new ideas in science and research. I want to give other storytellers the opportunity to gaze into the future, imagine the possible and create the books that will inspire young learners, dreamers and innovators.”
Cancer, AIDS and other serious diseases were considered fatal until very recently. Although not all of these illnesses have cures, people with these and other chronic illnesses are living longer and fuller lives. What scientific and medical advances are helping people to live longer with serious illness? How have we learned to better manage disease and, in some cases, prevent disease progression? What interventions are available to promote health while managing a chronic condition?
Jeanne Isabel, associate professor and chair of Health Studies
Students, staff and community members will be able to find out more at the next NIU STEM Café with speaker Jeanne Isabel, associate professor and chair of Health Studies at Northern Illinois University.
Isabel has more than 40 years of experience in the clinical laboratory field, including more than eight years of international practice, and she has been active in Medical Laboratory Science education for the last 30 years. Her current research activities include a study of prediabetes in Belize. Dr. Isabel is a consultant for the DeKalb County Health Department and collaborates with faculty and healthcare providers on current health topics.
At the STEM Café, she plans to discuss a range of topics relevant to all of us who are trying to stay healthy or manage a chronic condition, including methods for early detection, new treatment strategies and the role of telemedicine. She’ll also share information about the current state of a variety of diseases such as TB, stroke and leukemias.
But perhaps one of the most surprising and important topics will be Dr. Isabel’s discussion of how to harness the power of information to promote health and manage disease. She’ll share tips for how to interpret laboratory results, investigate disease states and progression, and access the information necessary to make informed healthcare decisions.
“I would like attendees to have a clear vision of how to research a disease and utilize the best information available,” Isabel says. “People may be surprised by the number of volunteers who give their time to provide assistance for interpretation of laboratory results.”
The STEM Café will take place on Wednesday, July 10, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Fatty’s Pub and Grille, 1312 W. Lincoln Hwy in DeKalb. Food and drinks will be available for purchase throughout the presentation, but guests should arrive early for best seating.
NIU STEM Cafés are sponsored by NIU STEAM and are designed to increase public awareness of the critical role that STEM fields play in our everyday lives. For more information, contact Judith Dymond at 815-753-4751 or email jdymond@niu.edu.
Date posted: July 1, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on July NIU STEM Café explores harnessing the power of information to manage disease and promote health
NIU Audiology Professor King Chung wants children and adults to enjoy having their hearing tested, and she now has funding from the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program to do just that.
Professor King Chung
Chung received the Fulbright Scholar Award to provide hearing services, community outreach and education as well as to conduct research in Brazil. She will spend two weeks providing hearing services in two Amazon villages in Rondônia. Then she’ll spend about 15 weeks teaching and conducting research at the University of São Paulo, Bauru; Federal University at Rio Grande do Norte at Natal and Federal University at Paraíba in João Pessoa.
Chung and her collaborators at the Brazilian universities will examine if the automatic hearing testing program she developed for iPads can be used to test children and adults’ hearing sensitivity in rural areas in Brazil. The adult program allows people to self-test and reports their estimated hearing sensitivity so that they can be better counseled if they have hearing problems. The results also give audiologists a ballpark impression of the appropriate steps for further intervention.
The children’s program is unique in that it lets kids play games on iPads – pointing to whichever animal is making a sound. This simplifies testing and allows children to be tested at a younger age with more accuracy.
Testing children through conventional methods is challenging. In existing audiometry, people being tested are instructed to raise their hands or press buttons whenever they hear test tones. However, testing children who are 3 or 4 years old requires audiologists to use “conditioned play audiometry,” in which children are conditioned to perform a task (such as putting a peg on a board) whenever they hear the test tones. In addition to conducting the test, audiologists also need to consistently monitor the children’s interest level during the test and keep them on tasks, Chung said.
Chung said preliminary results from children tested in the United States suggest that many 3- to-4-year olds could be examined using the game-based automatic testing. This means the automatic test can allow for children’s hearing screenings at a younger age than a standard audiometry test and without trained audiologists. The long-term goal is to help equip community health workers with hearing screening tools and to facilitate early identification of hearing loss so that children and adults with hearing problems can be referred for professional interventions.
Working in Brazil provides Chung the opportunity to examine whether children’s hearing can be tested reliably without a well-trained audiologist. Audiologists are highly concentrated in cities, and Brazil does not yet mandate hearing screenings for elementary school students.
“Hearing loss can cause a lot of problems with communication, and kids who can’t hear well are more likely to fail in school and experience speech, language and cognitive development delays,” Chung said. “Sometimes when kids can’t hear, people might think they are dumb. But, if you give them hearing devices and proper guidance and training, they may exceed their peers.”
The children Chung and her collaborators identify as needing hearing aids or other hearing services will be referred to the clinics of the collaborating universities which will provide the appropriate hearing devices and other follow up services.
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program sponsors U.S. and foreign participants for scholarly exchanges in areas of research including the sciences, business, academe, public service, government and the arts. A major goal of the program is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries. The grants are appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress.
Chung said the support of the Fulbright Program is important in multiple ways. The diplomatic mission and personal impact are as important as the academic exchanges.
“If people know an American Scholar has the heart to help facilitate a nationwide hearing screening program in their country, imagine the amount of goodwill the people might have toward the U.S.,” she said.
Chung also hopes to impart that humanitarian goodwill to her students here at NIU. By sharing stories from other countries, she hopes to inspire her students to do more humanitarian and pro bono work both outside and inside the U.S. She also hopes her work from the Brazil studies will be published and support other similar projects around the world. Her next stop is Hong Kong.
Chung is the first School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders professor to receive a Fulbright Scholar Award. Sherrill Morris, chair of the school, praised Chung’s long history of humanitarian service and of sharing her passion with NIU students by taking them on annual Heart of Hearing humanitarian trips.
“Dr. Chung is well-deserving of the Fulbright U.S. Scholars Award, and we are happy to have her serve as a U.S. representative in Brazil,” Morris said. “NIU will definitely benefit from the collaborations Dr. Chung establishes as well as the knowledge she will bring back with her.”
However, Chung is not the first from NIU to receive a Fulbright to work in Brazil: In 2018, Anne Hanley, an associate professor of Latin American history, earned an award to teach a graduate seminar at the University of São Paulo’s Ribeirão Preto campus. Hanley is in Brazil on her third Fulbright. Chung said she is grateful to Henley for sharing her Fulbright application as an example, and for other tips Hanley provided.
“I was happy to help King Chung develop a successful proposal for her Fulbright U.S. Scholars Program award,” Hanley said. “This program is valuable for fostering international collaboration in research and teaching, offering fresh perspectives on our research assumptions and teaching practices. I know that I have benefited greatly from this experience.”
Date posted: July 1, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on King Chung receives Fulbright Grant
WNIJ has added a full-time reporter to cover education issues in the northern Illinois area. Peter Medlin joined the station as a part-time reporter in 2018 and has already produced a number of feature reports on topics like teacher shortages, vocational training and student success gaps.
“We are thrilled to welcome Peter to full-time status as WNIJ’s new education beat reporter,” says WNIJ News Director Jenna Dooley. “Since he joined us nearly a year ago, Peter immediately showed initiative, enthusiasm and curiosity in his reporting. He quickly developed expertise in pursuing stories related to legislation and education, focusing primarily on the ‘who’ these complex topics directly affect.”
Peter Medlin
Medlin is a graduate of North Central College, where he was the news editor of their student-run news magazine and website “NCCLinked.” After graduating, he reported for Naperville Community TV, before returning to radio at WNIJ.
The station is also launching an education podcast recapping highlights from the topics Medlin covers.
“We hope this podcast becomes can’t miss binge listening for parents, educators and decision-makers in northern Illinois and beyond,” says Dooley. The podcast will join an expanding library of features produced by WNIJ, including local music program “Sessions From Studio A,” feature series “Drinkin’ With Lincoln,” educational series “STEM Reads,” and the community-voiced “Perspectives.” A local investigative series, “Curiosity In The Corn,” will launch later this year. Podcasts and Medlin’s current reporting on education in northern Illinois can be found online at WNIJ.org.
Date posted: June 24, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on WNIJ welcomes full-time education reporter
De Mujer a Mujer program focuses on providing academic support to increase the retention and graduation rates of Latinas on campus by offering programs, activities and leadership opportunities that foster self-confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem. The program meets on Wednesdays, starting Sept. 18.
Over the years, De Mujer a Mujer has created opportunities for Latina college students to enhance their leadership skills. For example, through the establishment of an executive board, Latinas are able to take on roles that contribute to the program and their student career success. This year’s executive board members are: Stephanie Reyes, Ana Carreto, Maricela Cruz, Guzette Espinal-Angulo and Iris Espinoza. All these students were selected for their respective roles and encompass the essence of Latina empowerment.
The new De Mujer a Mujer student coordinator for the program is Stephanie Reyes, a junior majoring in health and human sciences. Stephanie says that De Mujer a Mujer has had a positive impact on her college experience, “As a first-generation student, I knew nothing about college life. Because I felt very homesick, I decided I needed to surround myself with people just like me, so I found De Mujer a Mujer where I instantly felt a sense of home. I was happy that these women looked like me and shared a lot of the same stories as me that I could relate to. I believe I have gained a sense of professionalism and have opened up to speak up from all the talks and networking we have done in the program that I know I will use later on in my lifetime.”
Every spring, De Mujer a Mujer hosts an annual Women’s Empowerment Conference. In April, it hosted its eighth annual Women’s Empowerment Conference, where executive board members assisted with planning and organizing the event. The conference focused on encouraging participants to build confidence, discover their voice, express themselves and make wise decisions. The event featured informative and inspirational workshops, guest speakers, as well as panels led by female leaders on topics such as leadership, cultural identity, mental health/wellness and student career success.
Students must apply to the program and be available to meet on Wednesdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Application deadline is Thursday, Sept.12.
For more information, contact Angélica Mendoza, assistant director of the Latino Resource Center at 815-753-8645 or amendoza7@niu.edu. You can also “like” our De Mujer a Mujer Facebook page to get more details about the program.
Date posted: June 24, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on De Mujer a Mujer Program starts Wednesday, Sept. 18
Destiny McDonald, associate director of NIU’s Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning, said the READ grant provides research funding for topics related to social justice, diversity, social innovation and social entrepreneurship projects. The grant provides up to $5,000 to fund undergraduate student compensation and supplies, travel or other associated costs tied to the project.
“The hope is that faculty and student recipients have the financial support needed to carry out these important research topics while increasing the diversity of students engaged in research at NIU,” McDonald said.
Christina Abreu
That proved to be the case for Abreu, who was able to continue working on a project that she began before joining the university.
“The READ grant allowed me to continue working on my next book project and keep the momentum going on my research project,” Abreu said. “But it also was about getting an undergrad student involved in research and having the opportunity to work one-on-one with a student and to be a mentor.”
Because of the READ grant, Abreu was able to mentor NIU student Sandra Puebla while providing her with a paid research opportunity.
“I was nervous about doing research for a professor, but Dr. Abreu guided me through every step of the way,” Puebla said. “It also made me want to continue to work on research projects in my graduate studies.”
Abreu’s research focuses on the role of race, nationalism and migration in the Cuban and Spanish Caribbean diasporic communities of the United States with a particular emphasis on pop culture. Puebla helped with the research for Abreu’s second book, a study of race, sport, and U.S. and Cuba relations in the 1970s and 1980s using the story of Teofilo Stevenson, an Afro-Cuban heavyweight boxer and Olympic gold medalist.
“I enjoyed being able to learn about a topic I was unfamiliar with,” Puebla said. “I did not know much about Cuban history, and I honestly never cared about sports, but this research project helped me understand the cultural significance of sports and how it ties to politics.”
Puebla said she’d suggest other Huskies be open-minded when it comes to pursuing a research project.
“I had never had much interest in Cuban history; I had always focused on Mexican Americans,” Puebla said. “However, I was able to learn so much about the island, and I now have the desire to learn more.”
Applications for the 2020-2021 academic year open in August and can be found online. If you have additional questions regarding the READ grant, contact ugresearch@niu.edu.
Date posted: June 17, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on READ grant brings opportunities for faculty and students
NIU’s Duke Ellington Ballroom (located in the Holmes Student Center) will once again be the setting for a three-day celebration of ballroom dancing when the “Let’s Dance” Big Band Weekend returns Friday to Sunday, July 19-21.
All levels of jazz and social ballroom dancers are welcome to participate. The event kicks off on Friday, July 19 at 8 p.m. with a welcome dance party with Cary Sheley and The Little Big Band, an eight-piece group from Rockford. The formal attire Let’s Dance Ball, featuring the 17-piece John Smith and Shananigans Big Band, will be held, Saturday, July 20, at 8 p.m. Finally, there’s a dance party on Sunday, July 21, at 9:30 a.m. with a performance by the 10-piece Dick Elliott Orchestra from Chicago.
Event organizer John D. Smith of DeKalb says the best part of the event for him is seeing couples’ reaction to the quality of the event and the fun they have.
“It’s great to see young to old dancing, visiting and loving the Let’s Dance event,” he said. “People so rarely get a chance to go dancing just for fun, and they love the venue and the environment it provides, as well as the great music with live big band jazz. It’s a magical and fun experience.”
Three packages are available for those who wish to attend. The “best” deal includes all three dances, plus food for $125 per person. The “flexible” deal allows attendees to pay $50 to attend the dance of their choice with food included. There’s also a $30 ticket that allows for attending one of the dances without food.
Also, $5 “listen only” tickets are available where guests can sit in the balcony.
Beginning, intermediate and advanced lessons are available for $6 per person per session.
There’s also a cabaret dance at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 20. This easy, relaxed dance time is billed as an opportunity to practice new dance moves, and the cost of attendance is however much the participant wishes to put in the tip jar.
For more information on the 14th annual “Let’s Dance” Big Band Weekend at NIU’s Duke Ellington Ballroom, July 19-21 visit justmakeithappen-dekalb.com. Registration forms are available online.
Date posted: June 17, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on 14th annual ‘Let’s Dance’ Big Band Weekend July 19-21 in the Ellington Ballroom
NIU STEAM recently designed lesson plans to accompany the educational video game “Breaking Boundaries in Science,” produced by the Madison, Wisconsin-based educational video game developer Filament Games. The game, a free virtual reality celebration of some of history’s most influential women scientists, recently won a prestigious Webby People’s Voice Award for “Best Game: Education.” “Breaking Boundaries” uses virtual reality (VR) technology to immerse players in the real-life work environments of Marie Curie, Jane Goodall and Grace Hopper. By interacting virtually with the scientists’ labs, players learn about their lives, discoveries and historical context.
A screenshot of the scientists from the Breaking Boundaries website.
Jennifer Javornik, vice president of sales for Filament Games, says that main feedback the company has received about the game and the accompanying lesson plans has been “Wow!” and “Thank you!”
“Virtual reality is still relatively new,” she says. “There is so little high-quality content that supports learning and even less VR content that is supported by the well-thought-out curriculum. For educators who have little experience teaching with VR, the curriculum provides concrete and practical direction on how ‘Breaking Boundaries’ can support a classroom educational experience.”
Kristin Brynteson, director of professional development for NIU STEAM and the NIU Center for P-20 Engagement, says the collaboration with Filament Games grew out of a meeting at last year’s International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference in Chicago. This connection led to NIU STEAM’s innovative lesson plans for “Breaking Boundaries,” a keynote presentation by Filament Games employees at the 2019 NIU STEAMing It Up educator conference, and an interview with several people from Filament on the NIU STEM Read Podcast.
Brynteson and her colleagues were excited to work with Filament, who they say sets a high standard for educational video games. “One of things I’ve seen in my research is that you tend to have a lot of educational games that offer educational content but are not fun to play,” Brynteson says. “On the other hand, you find games that are really fun to play but the educational aspect is not integral to the game. Filament does a great job of integrating the two. The artwork is amazing, as is the gameplay, and they have a wide variety of games that cover all content and grade levels.”
According to Brynteson, NIU STEAM designed the lesson plans with the goal of making the game accessible to classroom teachers who would like to incorporate it into their science, social studies or English/language arts classrooms.
“One of the challenges with virtual reality is that a teacher may have only one or two headsets in their classroom,” Brynteson says. “With one headset, that’s only one student, one set of eyes interacting with this visual content at a given time. So we designed the lessons in such a way that the teacher can leverage this experience, make it meaningful, and connect it back to other classroom standards and learning opportunities for all students. The idea is for students, when it’s not their turn to use the headset, to rotate among stations with a variety of other activities based on the game.”
Cheryl Callighan and Kerri Sosnowski
The development of the lesson plans was a collaboration between Brynteson; NIU STEM Read Director Gillian King Cargile; and content specialists Hannah Carmack, Cheryl Callighan and Kerri Sosnowski. Carmack compiled the supplemental reading list, while Callighan and Sosnowski did the hands-on curriculum development, creating three full lesson plans and a variety of mini lessons and idea sparks that can quickly be added to other lessons.
“Kerri and Cheryl are the brainpower behind a lot of our lesson development,” Brynteson says. “They both have a classroom background, and they make sure that what we develop is connected to state standards, is relevant to the classroom and is something teachers can easily implement. They do a great job of thinking of creative activities that fit the STEAM philosophy, fit the standards and will be engaging for students.”
The STEAM philosophy, in a nutshell, is an approach to teaching science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) that encourages creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and independent learning. Lessons are project- or problem-based, allowing students to learn by engaging with authentic learning experiences and real-world problems.
“We try to incorporate a lot of hands-on activities for students so they’re learning through the process,” says Sosnowski. “A lot of times they are building things or working on engineering activities, so they’re participating in what we call the design cycle. They’re going to be asking questions, planning, creating and evaluating, and based on their evaluation they’ll go back and improve what they created.”
Sosnowski and Callighan point out that they first learned about the Engineering Design Cycle from Brynteson, who began her career as an industrial engineer before transitioning into education. However, Sosnowski says, “We found that the design cycle actually applies to all the content areas, including the writing process, so we try to use that when we’re making all of our lesson plans.”
Callighan adds that, once she and Sosnowski become familiar with the video game, book or other content for which they’re writing lessons, they always turn next to the Illinois state standards for the intended grade level.
“When you develop a lesson plan, the state always likes you to start with the standard that you’re addressing, so you have to ask, ‘What are my students supposed to learn or know how to do?’ and then develop your lesson from there.”
Callighan continues, “With the STEAM lessons, we try to address at least three different subject areas. We might address science, math and art or science, English language arts and technology. And we try to incorporate that in a single lesson.”
When asked about their favorite “Breaking Boundaries” lesson, Sosnowski and Callighan immediately agree it’s the “Living Museum of Scientists.”
This lesson, which can be tailored to grades 6 through 12, asks students to research a famous scientist, immerse themselves in the scientist’s world, and use costumes and artifacts to dramatize the scientist and their work to various audiences.
“Basically, the students will investigate a famous scientist, and they will create a costume to become the scientist,” Sosnowski says. “They will know the background, the research the scientist did and what they’re famous for, and they’ll gather artifacts that would be significant to the scientist. Then somebody – ideally parents, school officials or students from other classrooms – will come in, and whatever artifact they pick up, the student will have some kind of a rehearsed story or some information to give.”
Like the game itself, this lesson focuses on recreating the scientists’ physical spaces and objects as a way to bring history and the scientific process alive for students.
“By being in these scientists’ places of work at a specific time in history, students can not only have an intellectual understanding of who they were, but they can feel what it was like to be there physically and also in that time in history,” Javornik says of the game. “By eliciting an emotional reaction in the player, students can better connect to these scientists’ lives and connect to the content at a deeper level.”
Brynteson says she couldn’t be happier with the lesson plans and the Webby Award that “Breaking Boundaries” has won. “We’re so pleased that what started out as a conversation at the ISTE conference has led to these connections with Filament. Our team as learned so much through this process, and we are excited to see what the future holds for VR in the classroom.”
Fred Williams was recently named as the university’s chief information security officer (CISO). He will be at the helm of making sure the NIU community can engage in academic activities and conduct business affairs safely, over the vast online and internal networks available to campus.
“Our students, faculty and staff come to campus with more connected technology than ever before,” Williams said. “Many of them use three or four devices every day so it’s [Division of Information Technology] DoIT’s responsibility to make sure they can navigate NIU’s network and access Wi-Fi in a secure fashion.”
While Williams is new to this role, he is not new to the university. He has worked in DoIT for the past 20 years, primarily focusing on the institution’s technology infrastructure and networks. Recently, he led the charge in launching multi-factor authentication (MFA) for students in 2017, and faculty and staff just last month.
Matthew Parks, chief information officer (CIO), says the university has seen a reduction in exposure to data and information breaches caused by email phishing attacks, thanks to MFA. He says Williams’ leadership in that effort was vital.
“Fred is one of the most proficient DoIT professionals on campus. He has a vision for leveraging best practices to protect the university’s digital information.” Parks said. “He is vigilant in his efforts to protect our systems and will be a great asset as we work to implement additional layers of protection.”
Williams has several key initiatives on his radar, each in support of the increasing technology needs at NIU. Key DoIT initiatives include enhancing Wi-Fi accessibility and reliability, bringing more smart classrooms online, and incorporating new applications that will enable the institution to achieve its enrollment and research goals. Thanks to the new CISO, such is possible with minimal risk to the institution’s critical data.
Date posted: June 3, 2019 | Author: Sarah Quinn | Comments Off on Fred Williams appointed as new chief information security officer
Matt Wilson, associate professor in the School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders and director of the HAPL, said they are looking for native English speakers between the ages of 14-40, with normal hearing, who may or may not have a history of diagnosed concussion. In addition, individuals who wish to participate cannot have any of the following:
