NIU’s first-ever Summer Youth English Camp recently concluded in the College of Education.
The camp was an outgrowth of NIU’s partnership with Yeungjin College of Daegu, South Korea. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding in 2010 agreeing to work together to provide innovative educational opportunities such as the camp.
During the four-week session, the COE hosted 28 students from ages 8 to 15 from the Daegu Gyeongbuk English Village (DGEV).
The program’s itinerary included 80 hours of classroom instruction in reading writing, and verbal comprehension, provided by ELS under contract to NIU, as well as plenty of opportunities to experience American culture.
“The camp was all about the students learning: learning English, learning about themselves, and learning about how they interact with others was the true theme,” said Terry Borg, director of the COE’s External and Global Programs, which sponsored the camp.
In addition to the on-campus classroom work, students visited various landmarks in Chicago, including the Museum of Science and Industry, the Field Museum, Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Wrigley Field and Shedd Aquarium. They also enjoyed a day of excitement and roller coasters at Six Flags, a field trip to Starved Rock State Park, participated in a “Go Huskies Day” with the NIU football team and even learned to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on the steel drum.
“They had a lot of fun while doing a lot of learning,” Borg said.
“The reason we came to NIU was to provide the students the opportunities to practice their English skills while experiencing American culture,” said JoonYoung Jang, the DGEV coordinator who accompanied the children from South Korea. “We watched football players practice and went to Wrigley Field. These types of experiences are difficult to have at home.”
Joon noted that at the start of the visit, the students were a bit shy and avoided speaking English. “But toward the end,” he said, “they spoke with everybody. We stayed here only four weeks. But now they are confident in speaking English. This is a remarkable achievement for them.”
by Eric Johnson
Date posted: September 10, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on NIU hosts Summer Youth English Camp
Scholars and artists from around the world will convene Thursday through Sunday at NIU for Imagining Cambodia, the first international Cambodia Studies Conference to be held in the United States.
The conference will:
welcome eminent Cambodia historian David Chandler as keynote speaker Friday, Sept. 14;
introduce Cambodian filmmaker Chhay Bora that same night at a public screening of Bora’s critically acclaimed film, Lost Loves; and
honor renowned Cambodian-American composer Chinary Ung in a special public concert of his music at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall.
Organized by NIU’s Cambodia Studies Working Group and sponsored by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), more than 60 papers to be presented at the interdisciplinary conference will address topics ranging from economics in modern Cambodia to culture, memory and genocide.
“NIU organized the conference because with five faculty members who work on Cambodia, we have the strongest Cambodia Studies program in the U.S.,” said anthropology professor and CSEAS Director Judy Ledgerwood, noting that previous conferences have been held in France and Australia.
Judy Ledgerwood
“We have faculty specialists in anthropology, foreign languages, history and political science. We have regular field schools that take students to Cambodia and agreements with universities there that help bring students from Cambodia to study at NIU.”
Anchored by Chandler’s keynote address, “Witnessing Cambodian History,” the conference program brings together not only scholars but performing and visual artists, a combination by design, Ledgerwood said.
“So often discussions of Cambodia focus on war and genocide and those who suffer from the aftereffects of these events,” she said. “The idea for the conference was to evoke new ways of imagining Cambodia that included the explosion of creativity in the visual and performing arts, as well as discussions of change in post-conflict society.”
The work of contemporary Cambodian photographers Khvay Samnang and Lim Sokchanlina will be featured in “Current Views and Actions,” an exhibit at the NIU Art Museum, part of a suite of exhibits focusing on Southeast Asia. The public is invited to a reception for all of the exhibits from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Sept. 13.
The Friday, Sept. 14, screening of Lost Loves at 8 p.m. in Fay-Cooper Cole Hall will include remarks by the film’s director, Chhay Bora. The film, which is being submitted to the Academy Awards this year in the best foreign-film category, is the first feature-length work about the Khmer Rouge era in more than two decades.
The screenplay was written by Kauv Sotheary, whose mother’s experience during the brutal Khmer Rouge era from 1975 to 1979 forms the basis of the film. Survivors themselves, Bora and Sotheary are married.
Chinary Ung
NIU associate music professor and percussionist Gregory Beyer is the architect behind the Saturday, Sept. 15, concert, which will feature six musicians including Beyer playing works by Ung, who briefly taught at NIU early in his career.
Ung is now an internationally known composer whose work will be performed at The Juilliard School in New York City the week after the conference.
NIU’s Cambodia Studies Working Group – Ledgerwood; Kenton Clymer (history), Kheang Leang (foreign languages and literatures), Kheang Un (political science), and Trude Jacobsen (history) – spent the past year working on conference plans with CSEAS Outreach Coordinator Julie Lamb and Anne Petty Johnson, director of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences External Programming office.
The event is co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ohio University and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. It is funded in part by grants from the Asian Cultural Council, the Henry Luce Foundation, the NIU Foundation through its Venture Grant program, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the Graduate Colloquium Series.
Date posted: September 10, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on Scholarship, artistry to come together this week during NIU’s ‘Imagining Cambodia’ conference
Update: 2:30 p.m. – The advisory is canceled. DeKalb police have made an arrest in the off-campus shots fired incident.
City of DeKalb police have informed the university that the department is investigating shots being fired during an early morning off campus incident Saturday, September 8.
DeKalb Chief of Policeww Eugene Lowery said that the incident occurred in the 800 block of Edgebrook Drive on the city’s northwest side.
Police found multiple shell casings at the scene, and several vehicles parked nearby appeared to be damaged by gunfire.
According to Chief Lowery there is no information or evidence that anyone was struck or injured by the gunfire.
“The investigation is ongoing, and at present there is no further threat to the community or university,” Chief Lowery said.
NIU Today will publish additional information on the incident as it becmes available.
Date posted: September 8, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on DeKalb police investigate off-campus incident
Mike Malone, a 28-year veteran administrator at NIU and vice president for the Division of University Advancement, has assumed added responsibilities as president of the NIU Foundation.
The move follows the resignation of Mallory Simpson, who left NIU for the dual attractions of a position as vice chancellor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the opportunity to be closer to family.
This marks Malone’s second turn at the NIU Foundation presidency; he filled that role for nearly two years in 1998 and 1999 at the beginning of his tenure as vice president for university advancement.
Malone says there are no plans to search for a replacement for Simpson immediately.
“We’re going to take time to figure out the best way to staff the Foundation and perhaps deploy resources to increase our fundraising efforts on behalf of the students and faculty of NIU,” he says. “We’re reviewing our operating model and how we can most efficiently serve our growing alumni and campus communities.”
Currently, Malone is working with President John Peters and Foundation board chair Dennis Barsema to discover how the Division of University Advancement can become more effective in mobilizing alumni support for the benefit of the university. The division is also the liaison to the NIU Alumni Association and the NIU Foundation.
In an effort to develop a closer, more efficient working relationship between the alumni and development areas of the division, Malone announced the promotion of Joe Matty to associate vice president of university advancement. Matty, who will remain in charge of the Office of Alumni Relations and act as executive director of the Alumni Association, will assist in division strategic planning and leadership moving forward.
“Our ultimate goal is to support our faculty and students,” says Malone. “The work we do as a division helps NIU give thousands of students access to an education and a chance at the American dream, a mission in which we can all take pride.”
Date posted: September 4, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on Malone elected president of NIU Foundation
The Center for Southeast Asian Studies’ 50th anniversary exhibit “Rarely Seen Southeast Asia” features such pieces as this mid-20th century Cambodian silver box in lion form.
NIU’s first international Cambodia Studies Conference, scheduled from Thursday, Sept. 13, through Sunday, Sept. 16, tops a Center for Southeast Asian Studies calendar of special Southeast Asia-related events set to take place on campus throughout the 2012-13 academic year.
The calendar lists conferences, exhibits, films, lectures, performances and several events organized around the center’s 50th anniversary in 2013, most of them free and open to the public.
CSEAS was founded as an interdisciplinary center at NIU in 1963 to study and teach about the region, which now includes eleven countries: Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Through CSEAS, a Title VI National Resource Center since 1997, undergraduates can earn a minor or contract major in Southeast Asian Studies while graduate students can add a concentration in Southeast Asian Studies to their field. NIU currently offers six of the seven major Southeast Asian languages, more than any other U.S. institution.
“This year presents a unique opportunity for NIU faculty and students to experience Southeast Asia from music, dance and art to film and lectures on the region,” said CSEAS Director Judy Ledgerwood, an anthropologist who specializes in Cambodia.
Check the CSEAS website for updated times, dates and additional activities. For other information, contact the center at cseas@niu.edu or any of the listed sponsors.
CONFERENCES
Imagining Cambodia: Cambodia Studies Conference2012 / Sept. 13 to 16. Hosted by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center and other campus locations; registration required.
International Burma Studies Conference / Oct. 5 to 7. Hosted by the Center for Burma Studies at Altgeld Hall and other campus locations; registration required.
Spring Southeast Asian Studies Student Conference / April 13. Sponsored by the Southeast Asia Club. Keynote speaker: Allen Hicken, University of Michigan political scientist. Altgeld Hall 315, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bronze drum (Burma/Mayanmar), NIU Burma Art Collection
EXHIBITS
Music for the Divine / through Nov. 17. Musical instruments and traditions of Burma. NIU Art Museum, Altgeld Hall (public reception, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13) Part of Celebrating Creativity: Asian/Asian-American Identities Project offered in conjunction with the Cambodia Studies and the International Burma Studies conferences at NIU
Current Views and Actions / through Nov. 17. Contemporary photography and performance documentation from Phnom Penh, featuring work by Cambodia artists Khvay Samnang and Lim Sokchanlina NIU Art Museum, South Gallery, Altgeld Hall (public reception, 4:30 to 6 p.m., Sept. 13)
Karen: A People on the Border / through Nov. 17. Documentary photography by Robert Gerhardt. NIU Art Museum, North Gallery and Theatre, Altgeld Hall (public reception, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13)
Transnational Identity: Performing Arts of Southeast Asia / through Nov. 17 Performing art forms typical of Burmese, Cambodian, Indonesian, Laotian and Thai cultures. NIU Art Museum, Hallcase Gallery, Altgeld Hall.
The Arts Converge / Tuesday, Sept. 4, though Friday, Oct. 12. Contemporary transformations of Asian musical traditions with visual and performance art. Jack Olson Gallery, NIU School of Art (public reception, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13)
Rarely Seen Southeast Asia: Art, Artifact, Ephemera / Oct. 11 through May 15. Curated by Richard Cooler, faculty emeritus, The Anthropology Museum, Fay-Cooper Cole Hall (public reception, 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11)
50 Years of CSEAS and the Donn V. Hart Southeast Asia Collection / Feb. 4 through March 30. Curated by Hao Phan. Founders Memorial Library (public reception, 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, Rare Book Room)
FILMS
Southeast Asia Short Documentaries/ through Nov. 17. NIU Art Museum, Altgeld Hall Showings at 10:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and at 1:15 p.m. Saturday
Aug. 28 to Sept. 1: Hanoi Eclipse (music of Dai Lam Linh, 2010)
Sept. 4 to 8: Seasons of Migration (choreography of Sophiline Cheam-Shapiro, 2005)
Sept. 11 to 15: Seeing Siem Reap (Angkor dance and photo workshops, 2012)
Sept. 18 to 25: Blue Collar and Buddha (Laotian refugees in Rockford, 1986/2007)
Sept. 25 to 29: Between Two Worlds (Hmong refugees in Dundee, 2007) Oct. 2–6: Burmese Dreaming (life on the Burma border, 2010)
Films repeat in weekly sequence through Nov. 17
CSEAS Anniversary Film Series/ September through March. Sponsored by the Southeast Asia Club
Sept. 14: Lost Loves (Cambodia, 2010), 8 p.m., Room 100, Fay-Cooper Cole Hall, with discussion by filmmaker Chhay Bora. Co-sponsored by the Graduate Colloquium
Oct. 25: Mr. Cao Goes to Washington (U.S., 2012), 7 p.m., Room 100, Fay-Cooper Cole Hall, with discussion by film maker Leo Chiang. Co-sponsored by Department of Political Science.
Nov. 1: Southeast Asia horror film, 7 p.m., Room 100, Campus Life Building, with discussion afterward.
Spring films to come.
They Call it Myanmar: Lifting the Curtain / Oct. 5 Critically acclaimed short documentary (U.S., 2011), with discussion by film maker Robert Lieberman 8:30 p.m., Carl Sandburg Auditorium, Holmes Student Center Sponsored by the Center for Burma Studies and the Burma Interest Group-NIU
LECTURES
Weekly CSEAS Friday Lecture Series / Sept. 7 to April 19. Noon Fridays, Room 110, Campus Life Building (subject to change). Schedule on CSEAS website, www.cseas.niu.edu
CSEAS 50th Anniversary Fall Lecture / Nov. 16 David Steinberg, Georgetown University professor of Asian Studies International Education Luncheon Program. Noon, Sky Room, Holmes Student Center. Co-sponsored by the Division of International Programs.
CSEAS 50th Anniversary Spring Lecture. Date and time TBA.
Mabel Kwan
PERFORMANCES
Music of Cambodian-American Composer Chinary Ung / Saturday, Sept. 15. Performed by Susan Ung, viola; Stacey Fraser, voice; Jocelyn Hua-Chen Chang, piano; Gregory Beyer, percussion; Mabel Kwan, piano; Chris Wild, cello. 8 p.m. Boutell Memorial Concert Hall. Co-sponsored by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the School of Music.
Thai dance and music / Thursday, Sept. 20. Performed by students from Khon Kaen University, Thailand. 8 p.m., School of Music Recital Hall. Co-sponsored by Division of International Programs and NIU School of Music.
Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) / TBA. Selections from the Filipino opera adapted by Felipe de Leon from the Jose Rizal novel by the same name performed by Da Corneto Opera artists and readings from the original novel.
A Celebration of Southeast Asian Performing Arts / March 2. Traditional and contemporary artists perform in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, followed by dessert reception 8 p.m. Boutell Memorial Concert Hall. Co-sponsored by the President’s Office, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and NIU School of Music.
SPECIAL EVENT
CSEAS 50th Anniversary Open House / March 5. Refreshment and remembrances 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pottenger House, 520 College View Court.
The project used technological advancements to create a virtual time capsule for the students outlining their past, present and future.
For nearly two months, Cowan and Chen teamed up to facilitate web-based lesson plans designed to help students learn technology-focused theories pertaining to Web 2.0 software applications such as Tagul (word clouds), TimeGlider (timelines), Storybird (story creator), Weebly (web sites) and Glogster (online media poster).
The project culminated in a field trip to NIU where students had access to the university’s computers and faculty guidance. Wei-Chen Hung, and associate professor, Deri Draper, an assistant professor, and Nick Omale, a post-doctoral fellow, conducted workshops where they taught applications students would use throughout the project.
“I’ve always tried to provide service to schools to make things better for kids and teachers,” Cowan says.
This isn’t the first time ETRA and the middle school have teamed up. “For the last three years we’ve done a big project. This year, we made a DVD time capsule,” Cowan says. “We decided that we would do a distance education model. The kids visited our website and completed tasks as homework. If they had questions, they would email Yan for help.”
Wei-Chen Hung and Deri Draper
Chen, a native of China, spoke of her involvement with the children.
“When we first arrived, the students were a little nervous. By the end, they were so happy,” she says. “Through this project, the students learned a lot about themselves. They were able to revisit their past and envision their future.”
The students created timeline projects and word clouds (text-based visual art) and completed multiple intelligences assessments to challenge their knowledge and skills. “The projects were all done using Web 2.0 applications,” Cowan says. “We showed the kids how to do it and gave them a task to do.”
During the seven-week period, students not only made significant strides in their academic advancement, but showed an overall enthusiasm from their learning.
“They showed great interest,” Yan says. Recalling her own middle school education, she says, “I only hoped to have such an opportunity.”
“The level of engagement was high on the part of the students. We had incredible participation,” Cowan says. “There were handfuls of students who normally have difficulty turning material in. In this case, they were so engaged that they wanted to participate. If you make the activity interesting, active, and connected to their lives, behavioral issues begin to dwindle.”
by Eric Johnson
Date posted: July 26, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on ETRA wraps up distance learning project
A breakthrough study outlining the effects of psychological stress on the recovery of muscular function after strenuous exercise was recently published in the prestigious Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
Pilot testing began in 2006 and all research concluded in 2009. The study revealed a significant debilitating effect of psychological stress on the rebound of muscular performance.
“This is the first study in our field to demonstrate that chronic psychological stress, measured both objectively and subjectively, is related to impaired recovery of muscular function after strenuous exercise,” Stults-Kolehmainen said.
More than 1,000 participants were screened for stress levels. Those in the upper and lower ends of stress – in other words, those relatively overwhelmed and relaxed – were retained for the study.
“Stress is often considered a ‘nuisance’ variable in exercise science, and it has not received the attention it deserves. When it is studied, it is often in the context of exercise interventions for mental health,” he said. “We hope that this paper helps to redirect scientific resources into the study of this construct and how it can impact our efforts to maximize exercise adaptations.”
The article arrives at a very busy time in the professional life of Stults-Kolehmainen. It has garnered heavy attention early and comes on the heels of his previously published article in Obesity, a distinguished journal published by Nature. “The last year has been very exciting for me,” he said.
Date posted: July 26, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on KNPE professor studies psychological stress, effects on exercise, muscular function recovery
John Brandon (right) visits Ayudtaya in Thailand in June 1978 with Julia Lamb (center), research associate and outreach coordinator for the NIU Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and Frank Silverstein. Brandon and Lamb met at Drew University and have remained good friends since. Silverstein, whose father, Josef, was a prominent Burma specialist in his day, was born in Burma and had lived about half his life in Southeast Asia when the photo was taken.
Can a few lines on a scuffed up scrap of paper really hold the key to changing your life?
Yes, they can, says NIU alumnus John Brandon, but only if you remain open to the opportunities they might present.
While attending Drew University, Brandon picked up a flyer for the “Princeton in Asia” program, which offered undergraduate students the opportunity to live and teach in Asian countries. That simple act changed his life.
“I was a senior in college, majoring in history, and I had no background in Southeast Asian culture, Asian affairs or international relations in general,” he says. “I found this piece of paper on the floor in one of the classrooms where I was going to school – not Princeton, by the way – and it talked about being a teacher-ambassador at an unpronounceable university in Thailand. I applied, but my expectations were low.”
The interview went well, but Brandon figured he wouldn’t be picked for the program.
He was right.
The committee picked three finalists and two alternates. Brandon was the first alternate –until a month later, when he one of the students dropped out of the program, clearing the way for him to participate.
“Had I not found that piece of paper, had one of the finalists not dropped out, I’m sure my life would be very different,” he says.
“I would not have gone to Thailand, I would not have studied with the NIU Center for Southeast Asian Studies and I surely would not have been working for the Asia Foundation, as I have for the past 21 years. My experience at NIU gave me the grounding in and understanding of foreign policy – and in particular U.S. foreign policy in Southeast Asia – that has helped me be successful.”
John Brandon
Brandon grew up in a middle-class, melting pot of a neighborhood in New Jersey and had never been further west than Hershey, Penn., when he decided to teach in Thailand.
“I went to Asia with little to no training in the language or the culture,” he says. “It was not easy. But the Thai people were very warm and ingratiating; I still keep in touch with the woman who was my next door neighbor there. She is now 95 years old.”
Brandon also developed a strong bond with the students in his classes; like him, they were the first in their families to attend college. This shared desire for education and the common bond of supportive family helped bridge their cultural differences.
He stayed in Thailand for three years. When he returned to the United States, he could speak the language fairly well, but couldn’t read or write it. So, he began looking for a program that would allow him to study the region and the language in more depth.
“When I was exploring my options, I called Professor Clark Neher, who was then chairman of the political science department at NIU, and I asked if he would discuss the program with me. I had already spoken with professors from other universities, and they had not been very generous with their time,” Brandon says.
“But when I introduced myself to Professor Neher, he told his assistant to shut the door, that he was speaking with a prospective student and didn’t want to be interrupted. That personal touch indicated to me that there were professors and staff in this program who genuinely cared about their students. Over the last three decades, that has not changed – the way the center cares for its students has always remained constant.”
As a result of that personal touch, Brandon came to NIU on a Foreign Language Area Studies scholarship and studied Thai.
While at NIU, he not only completed a master’s degree in political science and Southeast Asian studies, but he also met his future wife, Maureen, who was finishing her master’s degree in anthropology. They have three children, Matthew, Christopher and Lauren.
Today, Brandon is the director of International Relations Programs for the Asia Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting leadership, economic, and institutional development; student exchanges; and policy research related to the Asia-Pacific region. He also serves as associate director of its Washington, D.C., office, which is one of two offices in the United States and 17 scattered throughout Southeast Asia.
He typically travels between 90 and100 days each year and coordinates a number of programs, including a monthly Southeast Asia Roundtable, which brings U.S. and Asian diplomatic communities together with Southeast Asian specialists to discuss important issues.
Brandon returned to NIU this past spring to help kick off the 50th anniversary celebration of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
The year-long series of events will culminate with an alumni event Friday, March 1, 2013, followed by a gala dinner and cultural performances on Saturday, March 2, 2013. Brandon is co-chairing the festivities along with his mentor, Neher, now faculty emeritus.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming back to NIU,” Brandon says. “It’s great to see old friends, to meet new ones, to talk with graduate students and learn what’s on their minds. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NIU Center for Southeast Asian Studies and I think of the people who have studied at the center and graduated from here in various disciplines, I feel very honored to be co-chair.”
Brandon’s work with the Asia Foundation is unique in that it not only encompasses economic development of the region and improvement of U.S-Asian relations, it also focuses on strengthening relations among Asian countries. The foundation encourages regional cooperation on issues that transcend national boundaries, such as human rights issues, environmental concerns, and emergency assistance.
He acknowledges that the Vietnam conflict “left a very bitter taste in America’s mouth,” resulting in an attitude of benign neglect toward the region.
Events after Sept. 11 made many in the United States view the region as a haven for terrorists and radical Islamists. Brandon cautions to not view the region “through the unidimensional prism of counterterrorism” but rather to consider the importance of this region from a global perspective.
About 35 percent of all world trade passes through the region’s Straits of Malacca; it is also a key energy link for China, Japan and South Korea, with about 15 times more oil passing through the Straits than through the Panama Canal and three times more oil than through the Suez Canal. Brandon also notes that this sea line of trade, energy and communications supports more than 440,000 jobs in the United States.
He says the “people-to-people” ties are as equally important as economic and security issues, citing the Fulbright exchange programs that allow Southeast Asian scholars to study in the United States and vice versa. “Almost every faculty member affiliated with the NIU Center for Southeast Asian Studies has had some type of Fulbright during their career,” he says.
Brandon’s advice for students, including those who wish to follow his career path is simple: Passion and persistence are keys for success in any field.
“If you have a passion for Southeast Asia or really for any region, that’s critical. If you don’t, do something else,” he says. “You also need to be persistent, always looking for ways to expand your network. If you’re not interviewing for a job and you’re talking with someone, ask them for the names of one or two individuals you should contact. Something may develop from those contacts. Expand your network, be persistent, have fortitude and have passion. Those are the things that are most important.”
by Deborah Fransen
Date posted: July 26, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on NIU education provided ‘grounding’ for success
“This is the first time that NIU students have ever received travel scholarships and ever been invited to present their research at this national conference,” Prieto says. “These students will be able to interact with researchers and scholars from across the country. This will undoubtedly be a life changing experience for them.”
SACNAS is an organization committed to the advancement and achievement of Hispanics, Chicanos and Native Americans in higher education, career placement and leadership development.
The SACNAS National Conference, which is one of the largest of its kind, highlights the work of the nation’s leading minority scientists and connects students with professionals across several STEM industries.
Under Prieto’s guidance, the trio of Research Rookies has been playing an important role in starting a SACNAS chapter at NIU. (Prieto also has received support from Lyndon Perkins in the Graduate School to assist in the development of the chapter.)
Meanwhile, sophomores Hector Alvarado and Eric Cuevas, co-founders of the NIU SACNAS chapter, received travel scholarships to attend the SACNAS National Conference in October. Alvarado is majoring in chemistry with a minor in biology; Cuevas is majoring in environmental engineering.
Over the course of the past year, all five students have been working in collaboration with the SACNAS chapter at DePaul University to discuss best practices, recruitment efforts and joint programming at both institutions.
As participants in the Research Rookies program, Rodriguez, Rodriguez and Lopez paired up with faculty mentors in their specific areas of interest and prepared research projects that resulted in a final presentation at NIU’s Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day in April:
Elaine Rodriguez
“Researching the Factors Involved with the Participation of Hispanics in a Computer Training program”
Mentor: James Ciesla
Noemi Rodriguez
“Child Sexual Abuse by Adolescent Boys: Exploring Prevention Strategies”
Mentor: Sally Conklin
Guadalupe Lopez
“Educational Participation of a Bilingual Family of a Child with Special Needs”
Mentor: Maylan Dunn-Kenney
In addition, these three will delve even deeper into their projects throughout the 2012-2013 academic year as continuing Research Rookies.
“We are thrilled to have them serve as mentors for our incoming Research Rookies and to provide them the opportunity to continue their research,” says Julia Spears, director of the Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning, which oversees the Research Rookies program.
Date posted: July 24, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on Three Huskie Research Rookies take first steps to transcend ‘rookie’ ranks at Seattle conference
Mike Sherry, Eric Madden, Rachael Hines and Sarah Brokus discuss a plan of action before entering a simulated contamination site.
Chances are good that passersby who walked near Davis Hall or the NIU Transportation Center during the week of June 11 did a double take.
After all, it’s not every day that 21 NIU students in Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and Tyvek® suits, practicing the proper handling of hazardous materials and simulating work on contaminated sites.
“My goal is to offer this training every year,” Lenczewski says. “Completing this training along with their bachelor’s degrees translates directly into jobs for our students. It’s a significant factor in positioning them in the workplace.”
Lenczewski says she got the idea from talking with her students who were applying for internships and summer/short-term employment.
Employers clearly preferred applicants who had already been through the training, which can cost as much as $600 per person. For smaller businesses, the cost plus the loss of work time to complete the training represent a significant investment, one that most are not willing to make for a short-term employee such as a student worker.
“This training course is a necessity for new employees in the environmental geosciences industry, so it provides a leg-up for our students and graduates who are just entering the job market,” Booth says. “Melissa had tremendous support from many areas, including grants from the Committee for the Improvement of Undergraduate Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Engaged Learning fund. This was engaged learning at its best – providing practical, hands on experiences that boost career prospects.”
In addition to expanding students’ career options, the course complements classroom instruction with active learning – a key goal of NIU’s Vision 2020 initiative.
HAZWOPER training provides the kinds of hands-on experiences that reach well beyond the traditional classroom, helping to connect what students learn in class to what they will encounter in real life situations. It also expands students’ understanding of their discipline and helps them develop better critical thinking skills.
The course combines lectures and practice that help students identify, confine and remediate electrical, surface, chemically reactive and other types of hazards typically found at waste sites.
Elicia Bailey and Ryan Sego prepare oil drums for transport
OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires the training for workers who will be performing activities that could expose them to hazardous substances, including clean-up operations, corrective actions, and emergency response operations involving hazardous substances and their storage, disposal or treatment.
The program was truly a collaborative effort, Lenczewski says.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provided a grant of $1,500, which supported the cost of the OSHA-certified trainer, John Guglielmo with ESI2001. A $1,000 grant from NIU’s Committee on the Improvement of Undergraduate Education helped cover a portion of the cost of equipment and materials. The NIU Department of Technology loaned its SCBAs to the program, and the NIU Department of Transportation loaned the use of its facility along with the 55-gallon drums that participating students used to practice moving and containing hazardous materials.
“The students loved it, and they learned a lot,” Lenczewski says. “Almost all of them got 100 percent – or close to it – on their certification exam.”
Ellen Raimondi, a graduate student in geology, found the experience extremely valuable.
Lauren Schroeder and Briana O’Halleran help Vicky Mikszta prepare to enter a simulated contaminated site.
“The payoff really comes when you’re looking for a job,” Raimondi says.
“If you apply for a position having already completed this training, that makes you stand out; it’s like having a little gold star by your name. Especially when you’re an undergrad, because there aren’t a lot of ways to make yourself stand out from others competing for the same internship or job,” she adds. “Having this training helps you stand out to employers.”
Horvath’s company provides such services as environmental site assessments, brownfield management services, soil and groundwater remediation and water analysis.
“While there may be a tedious aspect to the training, I learned long ago the major benefits,” Horvath says.
“We deal with hazardous substances and petroleum frequently. Although health and safety issues rarely arise, this type of training is crucial on those occasions when it is needed. And, having a new hire who has already completed the HAZWOPER training is a huge benefit in that I won’t have to send that new employee out of the office for a week. He or she can come on board and be ready to work immediately,” he adds.
Horvath has “depended on the NIU geology and geography programs for my own education, for insights into my work when my training and experience aren’t enough and for my own staffing.”
“The programs create fantastic job candidates, and I’m looking forward to hiring another NIU graduate soon,” he says. “NIU geology has a great curriculum in place to provide the industry with employees ready to do their jobs. This training program is yet another example of the department taking that extra step to make sure their graduates are well-prepared for advanced training and careers.”
Briana O’Halleran learns to use self-contained breathing apparatus and protective suit.
In fact, three of Horvath’s four employees at Resource Consulting, Inc., hold NIU degrees: general manager Brigette Schroeder, project manager Brian Beetz and environmental technician Brandi Talaga.
Mike Sherry, who just graduated in May with his bachelor’s degree in environmental geosciences, said the training made a clear difference during his job search.
“I have seen many job openings online that mention ‘HAZWOPER preferred,’ ” he says. “In fact, about two weeks ago during a phone interview with a company in Alaska, I was asked if I had any training that would help me on the job. I told them that I was enrolled in the HAZWOPER course, and they were very pleased.”
Lenczewski knows first-hand that having the training makes her students more attractive to employers.
Two of her students were interviewing while enrolled in the course. When they told their potential employers that they were taking the HAZWOPER course and would be certified within the week, the students were hired on the spot. Two other student participants received job advancements by completing the course.
“It’s a real ‘value-added’ proposition for our students,” she says. “And after all, isn’t that what education is all about?”
by Deborah Fransen
Date posted: June 26, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on HAZWOPER training: a ‘gold star by your name’
It was an invitation that changed biology major Evan Wittke’s first-year experience as a Huskie into something extraordinary – not only for him, but perhaps someday, for the world.
For Wittke, the title “Research Rookie” meant he could join biology professor Barrie Bode in his lab to work on his ground-breaking cancer research. Bode’s investigation seeks to explain the complex role of amino acid transporters in human cancer cell growth and survival.
It might sound incredible for a first-year college student to have such great opportunity, but that’s exactly what the Huskie Research Rookies program does: link undergraduate students with faculty mentors in their major to conduct small-scale research.
Wittke says he was immediately impressed with Bode, whom he calls “an amazing research mentor.”
From Day One, the student-faculty duo has been collaborating to research the responses of human liver cancer cells to various environmental factors. “The main goal of Evan’s project was to identify unique metabolic properties of cancer cells,” Bode says.
“It’s all very complicated in terms of molecular biology,” Wittke adds, “but my project yielded data that was intriguing.”
The Huskie Research Rookies is one of several programs that create the type of engaged learning experience that has become a hallmark of NIU. The program has gained a great deal of attention from the campus community, local media, alumni and donors.
“Research is a key ingredient in the university’s future, and it’s brilliant that NIU has made engaged learning a top priority,” Jaymie Simmon says. “Providing students research opportunities will change the course of their academic experiences and will prepare them to go out and make our world better. It’s a privilege to be involved.”
Barrie Bode
Everyone involved in the program agrees it’s a privilege. “Evan has learned more about scientific research in the last year than many students learn in their entire four years,” Bode says.
Of course, it isn’t only students who win; professors like Bode benefit by getting talented students into the lab right from the start of their academic careers.
Looking back, however, Wittke says, “It’s been an unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“I absolutely love working in the lab,” the promising biology major says. “Without the Research Rookies program, I am not sure if I would have been able to enrich my education through research and experience the joy of being at the forefront of scientific discovery.”
Learn more about Wittke’s experience in the newest NIU Foundation Student Star video, part of a series that features students reaching exceptional heights at NIU thanks, in great part, to private support.
Date posted: June 19, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on Meet the NIU Foundation’s next Student Star: Evan Wittke (’14) fights cancer with research
Since its inception in 1990, NAME has held conferences in notable metropolises across the United States.
For this inaugural summer collaborative, NAME strives to deliver a high-impact, residual message with the theme of the event titled “Addressing the Demographic Imperative: Recruiting and Preparing a Diverse and Highly Effective Teaching Force.”
The institute will attract educators from around the country and is designed to help them develop plans for diversifying the teaching force in their regions.
“NAME engages in both advocacy work as well as professional development. I see this Summer Institute as doing some of both,” said Christine Sleeter, NAME president and professor emerita at California State University-Monterey Bay.
“The idea came from working with NAME. I met with representatives from various educational organizations that focus on teachers and equity issues,” Sleeter added. “One of the ideas that we talked about was sponsoring a Summer Institute to partner those engaged in teacher diversity-related issues with educators who could benefit from their findings.”
Alfred W. Tatum, NIU alumnus and associate professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is the event’s keynote speaker.
Tatum, a former NIU professor, is also the director of the UIC Reading Clinic. He has penned more than 25 publications covering topics including adolescent literacy, teacher professional development in urban middle schools and high schools, and the literacy development of African-American adolescent males, particularly the impact of texts on their lives.
“The focus of his research is on African-American boys, as well as elementary education,” said Terry Borg, director of External and Global Programs in the NIU College of Education. “The message that he is likely to bring to us is going to be really focused on literacy and making schools more effective.”
The institute will also feature a myriad of workshops, hosted by educators from all over the country and structured to provide participants with the tools necessary for the integration of new approaches in their curriculum.
“It’s going to be a living action plan,” said Borg, “where one can walk away from it and implement within those first few months.”
Borg said the institute will provide the recommended resources for educational leaders as well as distinct, tangible steps. “It’s going to be both. I think people are going to be empowered; I think they’re going to have some learning enhancement with respect to multicultural advancement and diversity. It becomes more than some cliché terms but really how to make a difference based upon the real needs of our learners today.”
NAME has played an instrumental role in building and developing a presence in educational growth over the past 22 years and continues to invigorate and influence programs of varying capacities.
“The NAME organization has an international reputation,” Borg said. “For NIU and the College of Education to partner with NAME indicates NIU’s commitment to social justice.”
Connie Fox and Terry Borg
A major facet of the organizations’ initiatives centers around creating diversity in the educators that are recruited, retained, and graduated through the educational programs at universities.
“We’re very interested in diversifying our undergraduates and graduates, so that they can closely mirror the populations of the schools they will be serving,” said Connie Fox, associate dean of Academic Affairs in the NIU College of Education.
“The Summer Institute will focus on how we recruit and retain students,” Fox added. “The responsibility lies on us but also on our partners in the public schools. We encourage them to send their graduates to us, so we can help prepare them and send them back into their schools as teachers and colleagues.”
The NAME Summer Institute will be held in the Holmes Student Center. Tickets can be purchased for the event at www.nameorg.org.
For more information, call (815) 753-6907.
by Eric Johnson
Date posted: June 18, 2012 | Author: Jennice O'Brien | Comments Off on NAME Summer Institute to debut at NIU
