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Photo of red plastic bucket and yellow scoop on sandy beachJuniors enrolled in the NIU Honors Program are eligible to apply for a distinctive summer program that paves the way to outstanding University Honors Capstone projects.

The University Honors Summer Scholars Program provides two recipients each summer with the time, financial support and faculty mentoring to pursue in-depth, meaningful research or artistry during the summer between their junior and senior years.

Recipients will receive $4,500 stipends to support them during nine weeks of intensive research or artistic work intended to jump start their University Honors Capstone projects.

Students are expected to approach their research or artistry as if it were a full-time job, devoting a minimum of 30 hours a week to their efforts for nine weeks. To guide them in that process, faculty mentors will help students develop a work plan for the summer. The mentor (or mentors) will also offer advice, teach research techniques and assist in other ways.

At the conclusion of the summer, students are required to submit their completed Honors Capstone proposals and five-page reflections on the work accomplished over the summer.

Applications are available online.

For more information, contact Jason Goode at (815) 753-9509 or jason@niu.edu.

Date posted: February 28, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Honors Program seeks 2013 Summer Scholars

Categories: Faculty & Staff Latest News On Campus Research Students

Image of a fighter jetThe morality of using armed and unarmed drones in warfare will be the topic of a Monday, March 18, panel discussion at the NIU College of Law.

The panel will feature NIU law professor Morse Tan; Joy First of the Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones; and published poet Ric Amesquita. Also on the panel will be military veteran and NIU sociology student Howard Solomon of the City Colleges of Chicago Center for Distance Learning.

The panel discussion will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in Room 170 (the Riley Courtroom) of Swen Parson Hall. The event is open to the public, free of charge and includes refreshments.

The event is hosted by the NIU Department of Counseling, Adult & Higher Education, the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice and the NIU and NIU-Law chapters of Amnesty International.

For more information, contact Dan Kenney at (815) 793-0950 or Kevin Zickterman at kzicketerman@gmail.com.

Date posted: February 27, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Panel to discuss morality of drones in warfare

Categories: Communiversity Education Events Law Liberal Arts and Sciences On Campus What's Going On

Monica Tracey

Monica Tracey

Monica W. Tracey, who teaches in the Instructional Technology program at Wayne State University, will discuss “Developing Designer Identity Through Reflection” at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, in the Gabel Hall Learning Center North.

Tracey’s teaching and research focus on theory and design-based research of interdisciplinary design, including design thinking and designer reflection and decision making. She has worked in design for more than 25 years and has more than 25 publications to her credit, including a co-authoring a Brown Book Award winner.

She has taught design since 1999 and serves on the editorial board of Education Technology Research and Development, and the editorial advisory board for the International Journal on Designs for Learning.

The evening will begin with a reception, followed by the presentation and a question-and-answer period. Light refreshments will be served.

The event is sponsored by the NIU PI Academy for Research & Engagement and the Department of Educational Technology, Research & Assessment.

For more information, call (815) 753-1581 or email dastone@niu.edu or kmishler@niu.edu.

Date posted: February 6, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Designer identity discussion planned Feb. 11

Categories: Education Events Faculty & Staff Humanities On Campus Research

Sarah Stuebing and friend

Sarah Stuebing and friend

Sarah Stuebing spent five weeks last summer peering into the faces of monkeys from the Amazon, but it was all for science.

“Understanding the use of facial expressions in our evolutionary ancestors can help further our knowledge of human facial expressions,” said Stuebing, 20, a junior biology major at NIU who hopes one day to be a large-animal veterinarian.

Her project was funded in part by a grant from Northern Illinois University’s Undergraduate Student Opportunities in Artistry and Research (USOAR) program, which provides opportunities for NIU students to do original research.

The grant helped Stuebing travel to La Cumbre, Argentina, where she volunteered at an animal shelter caring for a wide variety of animals, most importantly a population of 150 black howler monkeys. She filmed the monkeys during meal time, focusing on their interactions and facial expressions.

When she returned to DeKalb, she analyzed the data focusing on five specific expressions, one of which was previously unobserved. She worked with anthropology professor Leila Porter, who helped her develop the project. She hopes to return to the center for a second round of research.

“After I came home, I got ideas for things I could have done differently. It would be nice to go back with more understanding,” she said.

Sarah Stuebing and friendIn particular, she hopes to study which facial expressions are learned and which are instinctive. Ultimately, she hopes that the uniqueness of her work will merit its publication in an academic journal.

This is Stuebing’s second time participating in an undergraduate research program. As a freshman and sophomore, she participated in the Research Rookies program.

“I have had crazy ideas and gone for them, and I am just glad that the university was willing to support me,” Stuebing said. “You just have to put in the work, and the university is willing to meet you half-way.”

USOAR accepts proposals twice a year, endorsed by a faculty member willing to be a mentor for the research project. If approved, students are eligible for a grant up to $2,500 to help them cover the costs of their project.

The experience afforded by USOAR was unique and rewarding in many ways, Stuebing said, including ways that went beyond the research.

“USOAR gives you the freedom to create your own project, implement your own ideas, and learn what you would like to learn. My USOAR experience changed my life,” Stuebing said. “I will never forget all of the animals that I became so attached to, and how they became attached to me. It is an amazing feeling to have a baby monkey recognize you from a distance, run up to you, and cuddle up against your neck.”

by Constance Ervins

Related:

Date posted: January 31, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on USOAR grant funds serious monkey business

Categories: Faculty & Staff Global Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Science and Technology Students

Logo of the NIU FoundationThe newly revamped NIU Foundation Venture Grants program moves into full swing Friday, Jan. 25, when five NIU faculty members will begin recruiting teams to help them move their inventions from concept to commercial reality.

The event is planned from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Thurgood Marshall Gallery of Swen Parson Hall.

Participating faculty, all of whom have been selected by the NIU Foundation Grants Committee and Northern Illinois Research Foundation, will vie for the services of NIU students, faculty and community members with expertise in communications, business and law. Interested volunteers will become part of team that will spend three months crafting business plans and product pitches that they hope will net their projects a grant of up to $20,000.

The teams will be aligned with mentors and coaches to guide them in those tasks. They will make practice pitches in early April before a panel of experts that will critique their efforts, and then face the NIU Foundation Grants Committee later that month.

One or more projects will be selected to divide the $40,000 total available in funding. The winning team(s) will have one year to spend the money and move the project closer to fruition.

NIU students from every college, and business professionals from across the region who might have an interest in mentoring teams, have been invited to attend the Jan. 25 kick-off event.

The changes in the program (which previously was a simple competitive application process) were inspired by the university’s Vision 2020 plan, which includes an emphasis on faculty research, technology commercialization and a commitment to experiential learning. The new format was devised by College of Law interns working under the Division of Research and Graduate Studies in collaboration with the NIU Foundation and Northern Illinois Research Foundation.

The five faculty and their projects are:

  • Behrooz Fallahi of the Department of Mechanical Engineering has created a self-tuning vibration absorber that could significantly reduce lateral vibration in train wheels. The product would allow trains to operate at higher speeds with less wheel damage.
  • Elizabeth Gaillard of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is developing a means of coating intraocular lenses (such as those used for cataract patients) with a thin film containing drugs which would be slowly released after the lens is implanted in an eyeball.
  • Lichuan  Liu of the Department of Electrical Engineering would use the grant to assist in the commercialization of a wireless communication noise control system for infant incubators. The device will reduce external noise in the incubator (caused by life-sustaining equipment) and allow for two-way communication between infant and parent.
  • Federico Sciammarella of the Department of Mechanical Engineeringhopes to use the grant to pursue partners in industry to adopt a computer-controlled laser technology process that he and colleagues developed to improve the machining of ceramic parts used in energy, transportation and metal-forming applications.
  • Mansour Tahernezhadi of the Department of Mechanical Engineering hopes to use the grant to assist in the development of technology that will improve sound quality in devices, such as cell phones, speaker phones and hearing aids, by suppressing echoes.

For more information, contact Diane Johnson at (815) 753-9469 or dianejohnson@niu.edu or Chris Pilling at (815) 753-8598 or cpilling@niu.edu.

Date posted: January 17, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Venture Grant hopefuls seek support teams

Categories: Centerpiece Engineering and Engineering Technology Events Faculty & Staff Liberal Arts and Sciences On Campus Research Science and Technology Students

Photo of cough syrup being poured into a spoonHuman Resource Services will offer two more informational sessions for employees affected by the Health Alliance Illinois medical insurance change.

Sessions will be offered at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16. The meetings will be held in the Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center and are expected to last 90 minutes.

The are the last two sessions for employees who currently use Health Alliance as their insurance provider. That option will be discontinued as of Friday, Feb. 1, and individuals using that provider must select a new plan by Thursday, Jan. 31.

The Jan. 16 meetings will review all other options available. Human Resources Services employees will be available to answer any questions and to help affected employees complete the necessary paperwork.

For more information, or for those unable to attend, contact Human Resource Services at (815) 753-6000 or humanresources@niu.edu.

Date posted: January 11, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Two more Health Alliance sessions added

Categories: Latest News On Campus

Greg and Kevin Smith

Greg and Kevin Smith

As soon as Northern Illinois University received its bid to the Discover Orange Bowl, NIU students Greg and Kevin Smith began making plans to ensure that they would be in Florida for the game on New Year’s Day.

That made them no different from several thousand other NIU students who attended the game.

What did set them apart is that Greg is a 69-year-old graduate student studying history, while Kevin is a freshman business major studying accounting who calls Greg “Grandpa.”

The duo showed up Dec. 30 at the NIU Convocation Center, joining more than 1,300 other NIU students for the 28-hour bus ride to Florida. While Kevin was surrounded by peers, Greg’s age made him stand out a bit, but it didn’t seem to matter. Greg posted a video of their experience on YouTube.

“I got a lot of kidding from my family about being on a bus with a bunch of college kids treating it like spring break, but I have always felt like I fit in pretty well,” says Greg, a Vietnam veteran from Wheaton who chose NIU for graduate school because he liked the program and the faculty.

The bus ride, while long, proved to be no problem, nor did any of his roommates for the trip mind sharing their room with someone who offered a new meaning to “super senior.”

“My friends didn’t care,” says Kevin, of Steward, Ill. “They said they were fine with it, as long as he didn’t try to put a curfew on us or anything.”

That was not a problem, as Greg left most of the partying to the college kids on New Year’s Eve.

The next day, however, he and Kevin were up early and went for a run across the Venetian Causeway, which connects downtown Miami to posh Miami Beach.

After breakfast, the duo discovered that they could rent bikes for $4 an hour and spent the day pedaling through some of the most exclusive real estate in America, splashing in the ocean (a first for Kevin) and checking out the football team’s accommodations at the Fontainebleau. It was a much more affordable option than the $1,000 per hour Lamborghini available for rent.

Victor E. Huskie jumps into the stands at Sun Life Stadium.

Victor E. Huskie jumps into the stands at Sun Life Stadium.

“The time we spent checking out South Beach was one of the best parts of the trip,” Kevin says. “If it hadn’t have been for him, I probably would have just slept in and spent the day hanging around the hotel like my friends. So I was glad he was there and we spent that day together.”

The feeling was mutual. “I appreciate him spending time with an old guy like me, but we have always enjoyed hanging out and traveling together,” Greg says.

At the stadium, the two went their own ways, but ended up sitting near each other. Greg couldn’t resist a little good-natured kidding, calling Kevin on his phone to point out that he was surrounded by beautiful girls in black and red, while Kevin was hanging out with friends from a fraternity. “Youth is wasted on the young,” Greg says.

The electric atmosphere in the stadium, and the spirit of Huskie fans made the game an incredible experience for both despite the loss.

“We would have liked to have won,” Greg says, “but the whole experience was just fantastic.”

Date posted: January 9, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Orange Bowl trip a family affair

Categories: Latest News Students

capitol-inner-domeA committee of lawmakers in Springfield endorsed a proposal Monday that would enact sweeping changes to the state’s employee pension system.

Under the plan endorsed by the House Personnel and Pensions Committee (on a 6-3 vote) the changes would include:

  • A six-year suspension of the annual 3 percent cost of living increase currently given to retirees.
  • After the six-year period, increases would only apply to the first $25,000 of a retiree’s pension, and those increases would not kick in until a retiree turns 67 years of age.
  • Employees also would have to chip in an additional 2 percent of their salary toward their retirements. The increase would be phased in over two years.
  • The state would be legally compelled to pay its full share of its annual pension payment every year

The full amendment is available online.

Supporters of the plan say that without the change, funding for state programs, including universities, will continue to be squeezed. However, for the bill to have a chance at being approved, lawmakers will have to act quickly. A new Illinois General Assembly will be sworn in at noon Wednesday.

Gov. Pat Quinn held a news conference today urging action on the issue, but as of noon Tuesday, there appeared to be no progress toward a resolution.

Date posted: January 8, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on House committee endorses new pension plan

Categories: Latest News

Photo of file folders for insurance, dental/medical, receipts, etc.Human Resource Services will hold informational sessions for employees impacted by the Health Alliance Illinois medical insurance change.

All sessions will be held in the Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center. No reservations are required.

The sessions will provide an overview of the available medical plans and assist employees in completing the special enrollment form.

Informational sessions will be offered:

  • Tuesday, Jan. 8 – 10 to 11:30 a.m.
  • Tuesday, Jan. 8 – 1:30 to 3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 9 – 10 to 11:30 a.m.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 9 – 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Those with questions who cannot attend are urged to call Human Resource Services at (815) 753-6000.

Date posted: January 7, 2013 | Author: | Comments Off on Sessions offered to explain insurance options

Categories: Events Latest News On Campus

As 2012 draws to a close, NIU Today is offering a look back at 25 of the top stories from the year.

No. 1

On Dec. 2, the 12-1 Mid-American Conference Champion Northern Illinois University football team became the first Mid American Conference Team to earn a bid to a Bowl Championship Series bowl game, when they were invited to meet ACC Champion Florida State in the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Fla.NIU football fans show their Orange Bowl excitement during the Dec. 5 pep rally.

Northern Illinois earned its nation-leading 12th straight victory with a 44-37 double overtime victory over #17 (BCS) Kent State, 44-37, in the Marathon MAC Championship game in Detroit on Friday, Nov. 30.

The win elevated the Huskies to a No. 16 spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ Polls, and put one of the winningest programs in the nation over the last three years into BCS consideration for the first time in school history.

The complete story can be found here.

Date posted: December 30, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Top 25 of 2012: Orange Bowl!

Categories: Campus Highlights Faculty & Staff On Campus

As 2012 draws to a close, NIU Today is offering a look back at 25 of the top stories from the year.

No. 2

During his State of the University address in October, John G. Peters announced that he will step down as president of Northern Illinois in June of 2013.

NIU President John G. Peters delivers his 2012 State of the University Address.

NIU President John G. Peters delivers his 2012 State of the University Address.

When he departs, Peters will leave behind a dramatically different university than he found upon his arrival 13 years ago. During his time on campus the university added several new buildings, dramatically increased private giving, revitalized its housing stock and took other significant steps towards attaining Peters’ goal of becoming the most student centered public research university in the Midwest.

Details of the announcement, and a recap of Peters’ career can be found here.

Date posted: December 29, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Top 25 of 2012: President Peters to step down

Categories: Campus Highlights Faculty & Staff On Campus

As 2012 draws to a close, NIU Today is offering a look back at 25 of the top stories from the year.

No. 3

In August, Northern Illinois University opened a new undergraduate residence hall for the first time in nearly 50 years.A new residence hall awaits!

New Hall, as the 1,000 bed complex is known, is comprised of two residential buildings with identical structures featuring “cluster-style” living arrangements, each housing 12 students. Privacy is enhanced via 12 single bedrooms, six shared bathrooms with micro-refrigerators and a common space that includes a furnished study area, living area and kitchenette as well as a washer and dryer all within the cluster.

The two residential buildings are connected by a community center that features an “all-you-care-to-eat” food court-style dining facility, offering a variety of food options, a social lounge with a gaming area and a fitness center equipped with modern workout equipment and meeting spaces.

Outdoor amenities include a sand volleyball court, basketball half-court and bean bag courts grouped together with picnic tables. Students also will enjoy patios, benches, green spaces and 190 spaces for bicycle parking adjacent to each of the residential buildings.

More details on New Hall can be found here.

Date posted: December 28, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Top 25 of 2012: New hall opens

Categories: Campus Highlights Faculty & Staff On Campus