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Nick Pohlman

Nick Pohlman

Most people can thank a teacher for making them who they are today. Many teachers inspire and encourage students to do the best they can and can help create dreams and make them a reality.

NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology has one of those teachers.

For Nicholas Pohlman, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, the joy of teaching came with the added bonus of being recognized for the Faculty of the Year award.

The competition begins by members from each of the four departments sending nominations for someone they feel exemplifies the characteristics of a faculty of the year award.

Dean Promod Vohra then evaluates the nominations in three categories: teacher ratings and performance reviews; service to the college; and service to organizations.

“After the dean weighs all the nominees and looks at all the categories, he picks the one he thinks is the best. He has full say over who gets picked,” said Omar Ghrayeb, associate dean. “Dr. Pohlman had all the categories covered, and that’s why he got nominated.”

Nominees for the award also need to actively pursue and engage research projects in addition to volunteer work and the education aspects.

“As corny as it sounds, I really am doing it for the kids,” Pohlman said. “It is nice that they give out awards and appreciation for these kinds of things, but it’s not why I am in the field. Being able to help the students and see them learn is what is really fulfilling for me.”

For service to the college, Pohlman, as a young faculty member, is in charge of recording the minutes of all the meetings between faculty members. He also teaches the Introduction to Engineering class (UEET 101) for all incoming freshman, which is essential for laying the groundwork for new engineers by exposing them to the culture and brand of the college.

Faculty of the Year winner Nicholas Pohlman teaches bridge program students about research and math.

Pohlman teaches bridge program students about research and math.

He also helps the incoming students understand how to be successful in a difficult field and all the hard work that it takes to be an engineer.

“Nick is one of those teachers who mentors, guides, and molds students,” Ghrayeb said. “He is an integral member of our family.”

“Every class I have had with him has been one of the best classes. He actually cares about what he is teaching,” said Joshua Ott, a senior mechanical engineering major. “He is a fun and engaging person and easy to talk to and approach. His office is always open, except when he is getting ready for class.”

Pohlman also is in charge of the Bridge Program, which helps students increase their math skills to place better once they become freshman and potentially shorten their path to graduation.

Lastly, he helps coordinate the CEET Honors Program.

“There are so many engineers that are high achieving but have no way to get honors recognition,” Pohlman said, “but we are hoping to help fix that.”

When it comes to research, Pohlman has that covered as well.

“One of my major research projects that I am still working on right now is the study of fundamental granular flows through different types of systems such as pneumatic driven systems,” he said. “I am also working developing new ways of creating cook stoves for decreasing emissions and increasing efficiency for developing nations. This is important because it can help teach these nations how to have more effective heating and cooking methods where other techniques are not able to be used.”

Despite the accolade, he remains humble.

“I just want to do my job and if awards come, then that’s great,” he said. “What I really want to do is just elevate the status of NIU and become a place that people choose based on our research projects. I look at it like, ‘Upgrade and elevate CEET, and NIU will take a step forward as well.’ ”

Date posted: September 19, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Engineering honors faculty member Pohlman

Categories: Awards Campus Highlights Engineering and Engineering Technology Faculty & Staff

NIU’s College of Education has introduced four new department chairs.

“This is an exciting time in the college, and I am impressed by our new department leaderships’ experience and innovative ideas,” Dean La Vonne I. Neal said. “I am confident that these scholar/administrators will not only continue the excellent work of their predecessors but also carry their departments forward with their own unique expertise and vision. Their ideas and abilities will support our mission of preparing premier educators for the 21st century.”

Suzanne E. Degges-White, chair, Counseling Adult and Higher Education (CAHE)

Suzanne E. Degges-White

Suzanne E. Degges-White

Suzanne E. Degges-White joins the College of Education as the new department chair in CAHE. Degges-White comes to NIU from the University of Mississippi, where she was a program coordinator for Counselor Education and Supervision.

“The CAHE faculty and students are very much invested in working together to build upon an already strong department and I feel fortunate to be working with such a talented group of individuals,” she said. “There is a strong sense of forward momentum throughout the College of Education and I look forward to adding my own positive energy and commitment to its overall advancement.”

Degges-White received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in counseling, a graduate certificate in women’s studies, and a doctorate in counseling and counselor education, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has 72 publications and presentations, including four books, of which one has been translated into several languages.

In her position as program coordinator, she was responsible for managing the delivery of CACREP-accredited school and mental health counseling programs at three separate campuses and a CACREP-accredited doctoral program in counseling and supervision at UNCG’s main campus.

Her previous career experience also includes working as an associate professor in Counseling and Development at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Ind. Degges-White also worked as a licensed mental health counselor and as a counselor for children and adolescents.

Wei-Chen Hung, chair, Educational Technology, Research, and Assessment (ETRA)

Wei-Chen Hung

Wei-Chen Hung

Wei-Chen Hung has been a faculty member in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment since 2002, which has fully prepared him to lead it.

“As the department chair, I am proud of ETRA and its vital contributions to the overall mission of NIU and the College of Education,” he said. “My goal is to continue working with our faculty and staff to fulfill ETRA’s mission by advancing the development and use of technology, research methodology, and assessment in a variety of settings to enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship.”

Hung said he is excited about the opportunities within ETRA “to further expand the department’s reputation for innovative teaching and learning, and collaborative partnerships to support technology and assessment integration in all NIU education preparation programs.”

Before coming to NIU, Hung worked as an instruction development specialist at the National Association for Families and Addiction Research and Education in Chicago and as director of learning and performance technology for the Children’s Research Triangle, also in Chicago.

He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in visual and graphic design with an emphasis on computer graphics  and a Master of Science in media technology at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He earned a doctorate in instructional systems technology with a minor in information science at Indiana University-Bloomington.

Patrick A. Roberts, chair, Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations (LEPF)

Patrick Roberts

Patrick Roberts

Patrick A. Roberts comes to NIU from National-Louis University in Chicago, where he has worked since 2001 as a professor in the Department of Educational Foundations and Inquiry and as director of the curriculum and social inquiry doctoral program.

Roberts said he was attracted to the LEPF leadership position because of the “quality and strength of the faculty and the programs that they have developed and are providing.” He added that his academic and administrative background has given him a “good perspective on what faculty need in order to do the work that motivates and sustains them. I want to be as supportive of that as I can be.”

Roberts said his experience as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina shaped his academic and civic commitment.

“I explored museum education in post-conflict societies like Bosnia, which had suffered a brutal civil war,” he said. “It reinforced my commitment to the power of institutions to promote democracy and civic pluralism. I try to live out those values as a leader.”

Prior to that, he worked as an education director at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, as a research assistant at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Center for Urban Economic Development, as an English teacher at St. Augustine College in Chicago, and as a substitute teacher in Chicago Public Schools.

Roberts earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction and master’s in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He received his bachelor’s degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland.

Barbara Schwartz-Bechet, chair, Special and Early Education (SEED)

Barbara Schwartz-Bechet

Barbara Schwartz-Bechet

Barbara Schwartz-Bechet joins the Department of Special and Early Education from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) in Adelphi, Md. While at UMUC, she served as a professor and as program director of certification programs. She was responsible for managing and developing the online Master of Arts in Teaching–Secondary Education program.

Schwartz-Bechet said her specialized professional and academic experiences align well with priorities of SEED, as well as changes the college leadership and faculty are currently implementing.

“This group of faculty is extremely collegial and works together to move things forward,” she said. “I feel that there is quite a lot to do, and with President Obama’s initiatives for early childhood education, there is a lot that we can do together. I see this faculty as a group that can accomplish these goals and become national leaders.”

In addition to her work at University of Maryland University College, Schwartz-Bechet also brings a wealth of professional experience, including experience as a coordinator of an early childhood special education program, as principal of a middle and high school academy, as a preschool director, as an educational evaluator and as a special and elementary education teacher.

She received her Doctor of Education degree with a specialization in emotional disturbance and applied behavior analysis from Columbia University. She received a Master of Science in Education degree with a specialization in special education from the College of Staten Island, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Brooklyn College.

Date posted: September 18, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on College of Ed welcomes new department chairs

Categories: Campus Highlights Education Faculty & Staff On Campus

Amanda Emrich (center) with colleagues at GE Healthcare

Amanda Emrich (center) with colleagues at GE Healthcare

Amanda Emrich, a biomedical engineering student in NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, spent her summer interning for one of the largest U.S. multinational conglomerate corporations, General Electric.

Emrich focused on CT scanners (a dream for biomedical engineering majors) at General Electric Healthcare. CT scanners (computerized tomography) are responsible for medicine and biology diagnosis discoveries – the very problems biomedical engineers look to solve every day.

Working with a team, Emrich tackled the hardest task of the summer: testing a CT scanner without using a human being.

The use of “phantoms” (a plastic case filled with water) in these are essential because they replicate the image of a human.  While CT scanners are in the test phases, they still emit radiation and have to be tested before being sent out for public use.

Emrich’s job was to inventory the more than 300 phantoms at the facility as well as find missing ones and update documents. She also created a presentation to the CT Systems team entailing the correct process of testing with these phantoms.

“What’s really cool about GE is they don’t treat you like a lowly intern,” Emrich said. “I felt appreciated and worthy. I was able to meet some really awesome high-up people.”

GE logoAlong with the General Electric employees she was grateful to work with, Emrich was surrounded by a diverse collection of more than 150 interns from institutions such as Duke and Notre Dame.

Through a competitive process in which only 12 interns out of the 40 who were chosen to interview, she applied and was chosen for the Edison Engineering Development Program, a two-year rotational program that requires the interns to transition to a new job within GE Healthcare, in a different location every six months.Emrich will start the program in January.

While she will receive versatile training in GE Healthcare, Emrich also will be trained in other specialty areas such as mechanical and electrical concepts along with leadership training. Next summer, Emrich gets the opportunity to travel to Italy with the Edison Engineering Development Program to work closely with GE Healthcare.

Closer to home, Emrich contributes to #WHYENGINEERING, a marketing campaign to motivate and encourage NIU engineering students to get involved within the college, realize the potential and importance of their education career and recognize the necessity of securing internships with our corporate partnerships.

Date posted: September 17, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on ‘Imagination at Work’

Categories: Engineering Engineering and Engineering Technology Global Research Science and Technology Students

Gary Andrews

Gary Andrews

Gary Andrews, a longtime instructor with the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology’s Traffic Safety Education program, was honored this spring by his employer: Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202.

Andrews, the lead driver education instructor at Plainfield Central High School, received an Award of Excellence in recognition of his significant impact on students, staff and community.

“Gary goes above and beyond for all of his students. He spends countless hours before and after school preparing lessons,” one of his colleagues wrote. “Our program at PHSCC has thrived under his leadership.”

His association with the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology began in the 1970s as a graduate assistant in the Department of Technology’s safety program, which includes the driver education teacher endorsement courses needed for certification. He earned his master’s degree in 1980.

“Andrews is one of the State of Illinois’ most-qualified driver education instructors as a result of this combination of education and experience,” said Frank J. Gruber IV, professor emeritus of the NIU-CEET Traffic Safety Institute. “Andrews exemplifies what NIU graduates can accomplish with advanced education and dedication to their professions.”

“The Department of Technology is proud of the achievement level that Gary has achieved in his career,” added Chair Cliff Mirman. “Gary has applied his NIU education and hard work to become a leader in this area.”

A member of the Illinois High School and College Driver Education Association and the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association, Andrews also partook in workshops on evasive driving maneuvers and school bus driver instructor training.

He also became a certified Harley-Davidson Rider’s Edge instructor after serving as an instructor in NIU’s Motorcycle Safety Project, launched by the Department of Technology’s Duane Johnson.

Date posted: September 13, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Gary Andrews wins Award of Excellence

Categories: Awards Community Engineering and Engineering Technology Science and Technology

NIU Unity Conference & Celebration The NIU Unity Conference and Celebration, a campus-wide collaboration scheduled in late September, will celebrate the university’s unity and diversity and feature Freireian-inspired social justice work.

Coordinators are Molly Swick, instructor in both the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations (LEPF) and the Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, and Adam Lopez, NIU graduate student in history and member of the Latino Student Alliance.

The Unity Celebration, planned Friday, Sept. 27, will take place in the MLK Commons and will showcase NIU’s diverse campus through a day of expression and consciousness in the form of music, artwork, poetry, dance, culture and informative posters.

The Unity Conference, slated for Saturday, Sept. 28, will take place in the Holmes Student Center.

Antonia Darder

Antonia Darder

Keynote speaker is Antonia Darder, Leavey Presidential Chair of Ethics and Moral Leadership at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles) and professor emerita of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at  Urbana-Champaign. Her address is titled “Critical Leadership for Social Justice and Community Empowerment: A Tribute to Paulo Freire.”

In addition to delivering the keynote address, Darder will facilitate a dialogue at a graduate school colloquium from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, in Gabel Hall 146. The colloquium, sponsored by LEPF, is titled “A Dialogue on Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy.”

DeKalb Mayor John Rey will address participants Friday. LaVonne Neal, dean of the NIU College of Education,will deliver welcoming remarks Saturday.

The conference is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Registration is available online.

For more information, contact Swick at (815) 753-9326 or mswick@niu.edu or Lopez at alopez4@niu.edu.

Date posted: September 12, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU to host ‘Unity Conference & Celebration’

Categories: Arts Centerpiece Communiversity Education Events Faculty & Staff Global Liberal Arts and Sciences On Campus Students

URAThe Office of Student Engagement & Experiential Learning is seeking faculty proposals to host an Undergraduate Research Assistant during the spring 2014 semester.

NIU’s URA Program awards faculty with funding to hire an undergraduate to work 150 hours (10 hours per week for 15 weeks) at the pay rate of $10 per hour.

This program allows for a symbiotic relationship between faculty mentors and mentees in which the faculty members receive valuable assistance in completing their own research projects while the undergraduate assistants are able to learn hands-on research skills in their chosen fields.

In its second year, the URA program has been found to be a valuable experience for both the faculty mentors and the Undergraduate Research Assistants.

Faculty interested in hosting an Undergraduate Research Assistant during the spring 2014 semester can submit their proposals online.

All proposals are due by 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27.

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

Date posted: September 11, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Faculty invited to submit URA proposals

Categories: Campus Highlights Faculty & Staff On Campus Research Students

Lacey LaBelle, Shanthi Muthuswamy, Swati Goyal and Andrea Briggs

Lacey LaBelle, Shanthi Muthuswamy, Swati Goyal and Andrea Briggs

Across the country, women make up 18 percent of the population of engineers in student programs.

One NIU professor is determined to change those numbers.

Shanthi Muthuswamy, an assistant professor in the Department of Technology in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, teaches courses in manufacturing engineering technology and industrial management technology.

Her research is in the area of process optimization – how businesses can make their processes flow better. Along with her graduate students, she collaborated with several local industries to improve their process flow, focusing on assembly line balancing, layout optimization, time study and lean methodologies.

“One of my academic goals was to develop an all-women research group to encourage women to pursue their Master’s in the field of engineering and technology,” Muthuswamy said. “With my funded research from companies such as Dukane and Caterpillar, I supported six brilliant, young women who have pursued their M.S. in industrial and systems engineering and in industrial management.”

Through Muthuswamy’s connections and research, the six students were able to get real field work and apply the tools learned at CEET to real world situations at Dukane Corp. The corporation is known for its audio-visual products, welding machines and aviation and marine products.

Muthuswamy’s research group focused on the assembly area of the welding machines.

Dukane logoDukane’s goal was to improve work flows by improving layout, implementing lean methodologies and by standardizing work procedures. The company used the engineering methodologies created by the students to design a new and improved layout which would remove the valueless “add muda” – waste, or inconsistences, in the process flow.

“I was fortunate enough to earn the opportunity of working as a research assistant at Dukane. It allowed me to gain some practical knowledge related to my field of study and earn some real time work experience as well,” said Mythri Catari, one of the students in the program. “It is very essential for every student to work in a real-time environment while at school and get some hands-on experience of the theoretical knowledge that he or she earns from studying. I strongly believe that it enhances the perception for learning and also helps understanding concepts in the right way.”

The program itself is not yet a recognized internship/assistant program through the university, but rather is run through the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology as a research assistant program. The students involved are almost primarily women and go to school at the same time, working around 20 hours a week in the company.

“Being a woman in the technology field adds an extra amount of difficulty when trying to get an internship which is why being an RA (research assistant) and being able to prove yourself in industry is so important,” said Andrea Briggs, one of the members of the Dukane Group who has since accepted a full-time position at the company. “An RA is like getting an internship that not only is in your field, but also comes with plenty of people who can help you every step of the way.”

Shanthi Muthuswamy

Shanthi Muthuswamy

The position itself is mainly to expand the exposure of women engineers in order to potentially increase the amount of women in engineering positions. However, the program is not exclusive to people who have had a background in engineering.

“I come from a non-engineering background; therefore, to study and work as an industrial engineer definitely seemed very difficult at start. However, with the real world examples and guidance provided by my professors, made the process easy for me,” said Swati Goyal, another member of the RA team. “I got a chance to implement my learning through the research assistant position at Dukane, where I developed standard work manuals, helped the company to cross train their assemblers and paved the way for them to duplicate their facilities around the globe.”

Students interested in potentially joining the research assistant program, whether male or female, can visit Muthuswamy’s office in Still Hall 206, call (815) 753-4155 or email smuthuswamy@niu.edu to discuss further details with her.

“I really hope that this becomes a full-time program at the college, because we are trying to do so many helpful things for these students,” Muthuswamy said, “getting them involved in positions in companies that can give them real-world experience and possibly get them jobs.”

Date posted: September 5, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Engineering a better balance

Categories: Communiversity Engineering Engineering and Engineering Technology Graduate School Latest News Science and Technology Students

Paul Carpenter

Paul Carpenter

For Paul Carpenter, chair of the Department of Kenisiololgy and Physical Education in the College of Education at NIU, getting there isn’t half the fun.

It’s all the fun.

He is an avid cycler and has competed in countless races for the better part of the last decade. The caveat – the races he competes in are at least 200 miles long and can reach 3,000 miles.

His most recent accomplishment involved tackling the Trans Iowa V9, a 323-mile gravel race through the corn-laden land of Iowa.

Considered by many as the “granddaddy of ultra-gravel races” and the “toughest gravel race” on the calendar, the loose gravel texture of the paths makes for much tougher traction and control for the rider, in turn demanding extreme endurance and strenuous amounts of energy. The course’s difficult terrain can vary from flat surfaces to extreme inclines and declines up to a half mile or more.

To further increase the degree of difficulty, the competition is self-supported – meaning the organizers provide no support on the course and racers must support themselves and carry all they need.

The course isn’t marked, and no GPS is allowed. And, while racers are given cue sheets that list turns and mileage, the cue sheets don’t provide information on the towns the race passes through. The racers get the cue sheet to the first time station at the pre-race meeting the night before and only get subsequent cue sheets to the next time station if they reach the time station within the assigned cut-off time.

Trans-Iowa V9Carpenter rode with a number of racers to work as a team to figure out the navigation. They were also required to finish the race in less than 34 hours.

“This was a very difficult race on a number of levels,” said Carpenter. “Gravel is harder to ride on, but the loose, chunky gravel this year made holding a line very difficult. This coupled with the race being exclusively self-supported with no outside help made it the hardest 300-plus miles I have ever ridden.”

Carpenter has incorporated his prowess on bicycle racing into his teachings. He began a well-received gravel bike class last fall, and will offer it agaain next semester.

“In many regards, ultra-cycling is a metaphor for how I approach life – resilience, durability, perseverance, determination, commitment,” Carpenter said. “As an administrator, I draw on my expertise as a sport scientist and my experience as a cyclist to convey the passion I have and the philosophy I follow in improving one’s physical and mental well-being.”

Fewer than 30 percent of Trans Iowa V9 participants finish on a yearly basis. This year Carpenter finished 10th overall in a field of more than 90 cyclers.

Setting a good example: Carpenter commutes on his bike to work – even in the winter – from suburban Batavia to DeKalb.

Setting a good example: Carpenter commutes on his bike to work – even in the winter – from suburban Batavia to DeKalb.

“In long events like this you can go through a roller coaster of emotions,” Carpenter added. “There is anxiety of the impending start and whether you are ready and the nerves associated with going into a competition. As the race unfolds you go through highs and lows and you question whether you can finish. Sometimes everything is going really well and you feel invincible, then the bottom drops out and you worry about making the time cut-offs.”

Carpenter began cycling back in 1988 after he crashed his motorcycle and couldn’t afford to fix it. He started competing in ultra-bike races in 2004.

“I started riding back and forth to class, then eventually started competing in longer events,” Carpenter said. “Bike riding became my primary form of transportation.”

In a given year, Carpenter rides an estimated 20,000 miles per year. He rides two or three 24-hour races, a handful of 12-hour races, several 200-mile races, and one event of more than 500 miles. He also participates in a number of organized centuries (100-mile rides).

To stay in shape, Carpenter commutes from home to work and back daily, a 62-mile round trip. For specific events, he begins conditioning six to eight weeks before the race and depending on the event, combines endurance training with speed training.

“As someone whose professional and personal life is focused on physical activity, I am always looking for ways to test my physical, and mental, limits.” Carpenter said. “Ultra-cycling gives me opportunities to participate in something that is physically and mentally challenging. I try to practice what I preach – the importance of being physically active to improve one’s physical and mental well-being.”

Date posted: September 4, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on KNPE chair rides in demanding bicycle race

Categories: Campus Highlights Education Faculty & Staff

Pettee Guererro

Pettee Guererro

Through the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET), Huskie Pride is crossing borders and changing lives.

Pettee Guerrero, a mechanical engineering graduate student and president of the NIU Society of Women Engineers, left the comforts of summer in DeKalb to bring the knowledge she has gained at NIU to Camp Eureka in Puerto Rico.

Camp Eureka was started 10 years ago by Director Miray Ramy to find activities for her children and other students to do during the summer. Beginning as primarily journalism-based, the camp expanded to the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) field to foster development of those fields for the future.

Guerrero primarily focused on education in the areas of Lego robotics and WaterBotics, a relatively new field creating underwater robotics. She originally became interested in the subject matter during her undergraduate years at Trident College before coming to NIU to pursue a technology degree and becoming a certified instructor of WaterBotics.

“There is such a STEM shortfall. We wanted to help show these students that they can do these things,” Guerrero said. “We also wanted to help show them not only how to get involved with the STEM fields, but to learn how to sell their products as well. There are so many people who design these great things but don’t know how to sell themselves.”

Between two two-week sessions, Guerrero and her assistant instructor from Virginia Tech led students from ages 6 to 18 in education designed around creating Lego and water robotics.

“I had a language barrier at the beginning, because most of the students spoke a mixture of Spanish and English, but by the end, I was able to have fluent conversations with them,” Guerrero said. “The program is getting so successful (that) they actually may start doing one over winter break that I would be able to do.”

Children in Puerto Rico explored Waterbotics, a relatively new STEM field that creates underwater robotics, thanks to NIU mechanical engineering graduate student Pettee Guererro.

Children in Puerto Rico explored Waterbotics, a relatively new STEM field that creates underwater robotics, thanks to NIU mechanical engineering graduate student Pettee Guererro.

The time spent in Puerto Rico for Guerrero was not all work and no play.

She managed to find time to take in the sights, such as Bio Bay in Vieques, a bioluminescent beach, where the algae interacts with oxygen and glows vibrant colors. She also went to Toro Vierde and rode the second longest zip line in the world. She also gathered many tips about how to cook Puerto Rican food and sampled many of the local flavors and fruits.

“I learned about a new culture and new people, people who are happier than us and enjoy small things in life. They taught me how to stop for a second with the busy days and actually enjoy life,” Guerrero said. “Not only did I change lives but my life changed as well. I learned that, as engineers, we are the ones who must educate kids about what engineering is. There could be people there that may grow up to be the greatest engineer in the world, but they just need the inspiration and the education.”

As NIU engineers continue their task of educating across borders, doing so in an exotic location is certainly an added bonus.

“Overall, I wouldn’t have had this experience if it wasn’t for NIU CEET,” Guerrero said. “I love my school and I love my college.”

Date posted: August 28, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Robots under water

Categories: Communiversity Engagement Engineering and Engineering Technology Global

Southeast Asia’s 11 country flags decorate the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at last year’s annual Area Studies Open House while Victor Mendoza, left, graduate assistant for the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies (CLLAS), runs a Guess the Flags of Latin America game at the CLLAS tent.

Southeast Asia’s 11 country flags decorate the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at last year’s annual Area Studies Open House while Victor Mendoza, left, graduate assistant for the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies (CLLAS), runs a Guess the Flags of Latin America game at the CLLAS tent.

Country flags from Latin America and Southeast Asia will be flying Wednesday, Aug. 28, on College View Court.

NIU’s three area studies centers – the Center for Burma Studies (CBS), the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies (CLLAS) and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) – host their fourth annual Area Studies Open House from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The event features foods from Southeast Asia and Latin America, along with music and games from both sides of the ocean. Student groups including the Southeast Asia Club, the Burma Interest Group-NIU and DREAM Action NIU will be on hand, along with the Asian American Center.

Visitors also can catch live conga music or take a turn on playing the Balinese gamelan with visiting instructor and gamelan master Ngurah Kertayuda.

“This open house is a great opportunity for students and faculty in Latin American and Southeast Asian studies programs to get together and share their interests in these regions with the NIU community,” said CSEAS Outreach Coordinator Julia Lamb. “It also offers the centers a chance to showcase their interdisciplinary programs, upcoming cultural events and scholarship opportunities.”

The open house is free and open to all.

Date posted: August 27, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Area Studies Open House planned Wednesday

Categories: Events Faculty & Staff Global Liberal Arts and Sciences On Campus Students

Faculty of the Year winner Nicholas Pohlman teaches bridge program students about research and math.

Faculty of the Year winner Nicholas Pohlman teaches bridge program students about research and math.

Move-in weekend is a stressful time for students and parents alike: An overwhelming schedule of activities, meeting new people and saying goodbye is shared by all incoming freshman.

For the 50-some students who spent a week in the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET) Math Bridge Program, it also represents a commitment to success, as they end their week by taking a math placement test that could potentially expedite their graduation.

The NIU CEET Bridge Program helps freshman students place into the appropriate math course for their area of study. The students help develop and hone their math skills through an intense, week-long camp.

The ultimate goal of this program is to help students identify their weaknesses in algebra and trigonometry and improve their math placement results, which allows them to test out of lower-level math courses.

Students gain access to course materials, lodging, continental breakfast, lunch and dinner breaks and the Math Placement Exam.

“The major goal why students sign up is to have opportunities to retake the placement test an up their scores,” said Francine St. Clair, director of academic advising for CEET. “I have had students come in with a C placement in Math 110 and, after the camp, take it again and get an A placement into Math 229.”

Additionally, the program helps develop interpersonal skills through participation in class discussion, problem-solving, study groups and being introduced to an engineering cohort.

The NIU Engineering Building in autumn

The NIU Engineering Building in autumn

“My favorite part of teaching this (program) is the enthusiasm students have toward sacrificing and working over their summer. They also get to experience college early,” said Nicholas Pohlman, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering. “They really get to dip their toes in the water and learn what it takes for students to graduate and be successful.”

Several incoming freshman shared the same excitement for not only the Bridge Program, but to get into the NIU engineering program as well.

“I wanted to take this (program) to help move me up in math and get refreshed after coming back from summer,” said Patrick McGinly, 19, an undecided engineering major. “I am especially looking forward to a new year, a fresh start, and a blank slate because nobody I know came to this school.”

He is not the only one who is excited to start the year new.

Natalie Moore, 18, is also looking forward to “getting into the engineering course.” Rose King, 18, is getting involved with the manufacturing/engineering technology program and is expressed appreciation at the Bridge Program for “being a good shift for getting ready for college and getting my brain working.”

The program is not just designed to get students into high math classes and learn how to take advantage of experiencing college work and classroom settings early, but also to be around a group of people all with like minded goals and transitions.

“We are helping gain camaraderie and logistics between (the students) and our college,” St. Clair said. “They are learning how college works, but also meeting new people and building potential friendships for the duration of college with people that are involved in the same areas.”

No matter how it is used, the NIU CEET Bridge Program will continue to help incoming Huskies improve their math scores, learn new college skills and build bridges toward their futures.

Date posted: August 23, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Students place well in math bridge program

Categories: Campus Highlights Engineering and Engineering Technology On Campus Students

stem-teachersHow can U.S. teachers build the coming generation of U.S. students do to build STEM pipelines?

NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology introduced more than 30 middle and high school teachers of science, math and technology to engineering careers through an ASM Materials Science professional development program.

The program, which inspires and motivates teachers to become passionate about strengthening STEM pipelines with their own students, has introduced thousands of teachers to hands-on learning about the role of materials in our daily lives.

“This camp is awesome. I use software to teach, but this ASM materials camp shows me how to use materials so my students can use all their senses,” said Devi Yolo, technology teacher at St. James Catholic School in Belvidere.

“They will be able to hold, see, smell, feel and hear what materials such as metals, ceramics, polymers and composites can do. And that creates excitement in the sciences.”

When teachers engage students using simple, low-cost experiments integrated into their existing lesson plans, it makes science, technology, engineering and math come alive in the classroom, said Promod Vohra, dean of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

“Middle school students need to be exposed to the wonderment and ‘cool’ factor of engineering,” Vohra said.

“Every teacher who has attended ASM camp has been impressed by the quality of instruction and the quantity of experiments they are able to use in their classrooms,” added Pati Sievert, director of STEM Outreach at NIU. “It’s a way to teach students how to look at materials they use every day, in a different light.”

The workshop, held from July 22 to 26, was made possible by the financial support of NIU, ASM Chicago Regional Chapter and individual contributors to the ASM Materials Education Foundation.

Date posted: August 13, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Teachers: Here’s how to build STEM pipeline

Categories: Campus Highlights Communiversity Engagement Engineering Engineering and Engineering Technology On Campus Science and Technology