The free event starts at 6:30 p.m with a buffet of pizza, pasta, salad and soft drinks, available for $12.
While the sun sets, guests will be treated to short, entertaining talks that prepare them for the shower by educating them about the night sky. After the sky has become dark enough to spot the meteors, everyone will move outside to take in the show.
STEM Outreach associate Jeremy Benson will provide an overview of the science behind meteor showers.
“The Perseid shower happens once a year, when Earth crosses paths with the Swift-Tuttle Comet,” he says. “The meteors are actually debris from the comet’s tail. It’s an absolutely awe-inspiring sight.”
Paul Stoddard, an NIU associate professor of geology and environmental geosciences who studies the the geology of other planets, will discuss the past, present and future of attempts to explore Mars.
Northwestern University Research Associate Professor Shane Larson will explain the recent, unprecedented detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, a project to which he contributes.
“The LIGO discoveries were all over the news when they came out, but gravitational waves are hard to wrap your head around,” says Larson, who also works as an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium. “I want to give people a chance to really grasp what the discovery means, and how important it is.”
Jeremy Benson
NIU physics graduate student Gregory Alley, who runs the Davis Hall observatory on campus, will focus on the science of larger near-earth objects. “Meteor showers like the Perseid are harmless,” he says. “But larger objects that come close to the Earth’s orbit have the potential to do a great deal more harm. The race is on to identify the most dangerous asteroids and develop the technology to deflect them.”
When the sky goes dark, guests will be perfectly situated to view the meteor shower.
“We’ve scheduled the event for the peak of the shower,” says STEM Outreach associate Judith Dymond. “That means that people will be able to see with the naked eye around 50 meteors falling each hour.”
Guests are also welcome to bring their own telescopes or use those provided by NIU to get a closer look at other celestial bodies.
This event is part of NIU STEM Outreach’s series of monthly Stem Cafés, all of which are free and open to the public.
For more information on “Star Gazing,” STEM Cafés in general or other STEM events, call (815) 753-4751 or email jdymond@niu.edu.
Date posted: July 14, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Marvel at meteors, learn the science of space
The annual Tour of Champions drum and bugle corps competition scheduled Sunday, July 17, at Huskie Stadium will require some road closures.
Motorists should plan ahead to avoid closures at Annie Glidden and Lincoln North, Lucinda and Stadium Drive and Stadium Drive West at Lucinda Avenue from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.
The NIU College of Law has been recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the nation’s top law schools – eighth on the list of top 20 schools – for delivering graduates into government and public interest careers.
The National Law Journal ranking was based on employment data collected by the American Bar Association for the class of 2015.
Earlier this year, National Jurist/PreLaw magazine also recognized NIU Law as one of the top schools for graduates working in public service jobs (specifically in the criminal law category of prosecutors and public defenders). That article, “Best Schools for Public Service,” was based on a separate analysis of curricular offerings, employment placement, starting salaries, a smaller amount of debt upon graduation and loan repayment assistance programs.
“These reports confirm what members of the legal profession have long known,” NIU Law Dean Eric Dannenmaier said. “Northern Law is a leading source of legal talent for the government and public interest sectors, as well as private law firms and business enterprises.”
NIU Law prepares graduates for careers through in-depth core classes and extensive hands-on training in legal clinics, externship placements and specialized upper-level courses. Its graduates enter a variety of legal and public service careers, including more than 90 alums who are active or retired judges. In addition to practicing law, many graduates also choose careers as leaders in government and business where the JD degree is a recognized advantage.
These opportunities come without the high price associated with other law schools in and around Chicago.
NIU is the only public law school in the Chicago area, and offers unique opportunities through access to highly accomplished faculty members and a program designed to support the success of its graduates throughout their careers.
Date posted: July 11, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on National Law Journal recognizes NIU Law
The NIU administration invites all Operating Staff to the 17th annual StaffFest, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center.
Invitations to the 2016 StaffFest were previously announced via email or through campus mail.
RSVP your reservation by Friday, July 15, to Karen Smith on the seventh floor of the HSC or via email at ksmith12@niu.edu.
If you know of an operating staff member who did not receive this invitation flyer, email ksmith12@niu.edu.
This event is for civil service employees only: no children, spouses or significant others.
Due to the gift ban, we are no longer giving out raffle items.
Outdoor games include a dunk tank with “special guests” (three balls for $2). Proceeds will be used for the OSC Dependent Scholarship Fund. Bags and mini-golf are complimentary.
Remember to bring cash for the 50/50 raffle to help fund the OSC Dependent Scholarship Fund.
Like to help? The Huskies Student Food Pantry collects non-perishable food and other necessities for NIU students in need of support. Donations and volunteers accepted; boxes will be available for drop-off at the entrance.
Date posted: July 8, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Annual StaffFest scheduled August 4
Artwork enriches NIU’s welcoming nature for students, faculty and staff while it brightens the experience for public visitors and provides daily enjoyment in the workplace.
The NIU Art Museum’s annual Art to Lend on-campus artwork rental program returns Monday, July 18, with an exhibition of pieces from the museum’s permanent collection available for rental and display in secure campus offices and administrative areas.
Interested individuals may view the selected works in the museum’s Rotunda Gallery between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day through Friday, July 22. The short, week-long exhibition presents framed works on paper, paintings and photographs.
As in previous years, works will be assigned by lottery based on preferred selections.
This service allows individuals and departments to enhance their private offices and beautify the administrative areas of the university by renting original works of art. Each work meant for public display was carefully selected by museum staff for its broad appeal and its ability to be on loan for up to eight years.
This program is funded through the nominal installation and annual rental fees which cover incurred expenses including matting and framing to make new selections available as well as for the direct care and conservation of the remainder of the permanent collection.
Artwork must be installed in secure, locked areas when not occupied by university personnel. Certain environmental factors, including light levels, humidity and temperature, must also be considered to protect the artwork and be eligible to participate.
Huskies Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) and Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) are spending 10 days in Central Europe this summer, visiting four different countries and playing in the 2016 European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Brereton and Wolowicz will play for BIP Midwest in the tournament’s U22 Division, one of 13 teams in the field, featuring some of the top players around the country and national teams from China, Croatia, England, Hungary, Italy, Russia and Slovenia.
They are following in the footsteps of teammates Paige Dacanay and Jenna Radtke, who both played for BIP Midwest last summer in the European Global Challenge.
The duo began in Budapest, Hungary (July 6-8) and will work their way to Venice, Italy (July 15-16) with stops in Maribor, Slovenia (July 9) and Pula, Croatia (July 10-14), where the three-day tournament will take place.
His passion was working with students. He served as research adviser for 22 Doctor of Philosophy graduates, 10 Master of Science graduates and countless past undergraduate students. His service extended to numerous departmental and university committees. He was the author of more than 60 published papers, delivered more than 100 presentations at national and international meetings and held one patent.
Carnahan had just entered a new phase in his life as a retiree.
He was looking forward to making spontaneous road trips with his wife, Patti; spending time on the golf course; and hosting the countless friends and family that filled his life with so much happiness. He also eagerly anticipated the arrival of his first grandchild from daughter Betsy, who works in admissions at NIU; daughter Kelsey’s nuptials to Kai; and tropical vacations.
He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University (1978, 1980) and received his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 1983.
Douglas Gilman (left), chair of the FACSS governing board, presents Carnahan with the Distinguished Service Award in 2011.
Professional memberships and activities included the NIU Chemistry Club, the American Chemical Society, the past president-elect of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, Sigma Xi and the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy Societies (FACASS). The FACASS honored him in 2011 with a distinguished service award for his contributions to the field.
Visitation is planned from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 10, at the Butala Funeral Home and Crematory in Sycamore. Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, July 11, at the funeral home, with Elder Roger Hintzsche officiating. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorials will be used for a scholarship for the Jon Carnahan Memorial Fund, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at NIU in care of the Butala Funeral Home and Crematory, 1405 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL. 60178.
Date posted: July 7, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on NIU remembers Jon Carnahan, longtime NIU chemistry chair
Her study examined the impact of audit partner Big 4 experience on audit pricing in the non-Big 4 firm audit market.
Zimmerman earned her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her MSA at Kent State University and her BSBA (Accountancy) at John Carroll University.
Prior to entering academia, she worked in public accounting for a regional CPA firm in Cleveland, working on audits, tax compliance and business valuations.
Date posted: July 7, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on New accountancy professor receives dissertation award
WNIJ-89.5 FM presents local and national programs as part of its continuing effort to bring a variety of quality and relevant radio to northern Illinois.
Beginning Monday, Aug. 1, the station will launch a new schedule of programming designed in accordance with its mission to share ideas, encourage thought, give pleasure and create community.
Staci Hoste, director and general manager of Northern Public Radio, explains the reason for the change: “As a public radio station, WNIJ has the important responsibility to provide varied programs that meet the community’s need for news, information and entertainment,” she says. “To do so, from time to time, we introduce new programs to respond to evolving wants and needs and to respond to changes in the media landscape.”
Hoste looks forward to the new lineup.
“We work every day to enhance the listening experience, and I’m proud to be able to offer listeners in the region and beyond such outstanding programming,” she says. “I thank our listeners, members and underwriters who support these efforts.”
New programs
WNIJ is very proud to announce the launch of a new, local program dedicated to showcasing regional and touring musicians. Sessions from Studio A features performances recorded in the station’s Studio A in DeKalb. The program presents genres of music ranging from folk to indie rock, blues, alternative country, Americana, world music and more, in a way that provides the listener with a live concert experience. Hosted by Carl Nelson, these performances are accompanied by interviews with the artists who discuss their inspirations, aspirations, and the stories behind their original songs.
TED Radio Hour features a voice familiar to listeners of National Public Radio. Hosted by Guy Raz, an award-winning reporter, this program is a journey through fascinating ideas based on talks given by riveting speakers on the world-renowned TED stage, the annual conference by the non-profit organization that invites the world’s leading thinkers to discuss world-changing ideas. Co-produced by TED and NPR, each show is centered on a common theme and injects soundscapes and conversations that bring these ideas to life.
Ask Me Another is an hour-long puzzle game show produced by WNYC and National Public Radio. With a rotating cast of funny people, puzzle writers and VIP guests, it features the wit of host Ophira Eisenberg, the music of indie-rock musician Jonathan Coulton, and rambunctious quiz games – all played in front of a live audience.
The Moth Radio Hour celebrates the art and craft of storytelling by presenting thousands of stories told live and without notes. Founded in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, who once gathered his friends to spin spellbinding tales, the group grew into an organization that launched a national public radio show, The Moth Radio Hour, distributed by Public Radio Exchange. The program won a Peabody Award in 2010 and is now renowned for the great range of human experience these stories showcase. Each show starts with a theme, and the storytellers explore it, often in unexpected ways. Because each story is true and every voice authentic, the shows dance between documentary and theater, creating a unique, intimate and often enlightening experience.
With the addition of new programs comes an end to others.
The World will be removed from the weekday schedule to bring listeners something new every weeknight at 7 p.m.
The Best of Car Talk has been a public radio mainstay but with the passing of co-host Tom Magliozzi and a shift into syndication, stations are now making room for the next wave of iconic programs.
Bullseye and Free Range Radio will be replaced with regularly scheduled programming that will reshape the station’s Sunday evening sound.
For more information, call (815) 753-9000 or email npr@niu.edu.
Date posted: July 6, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on WNIJ announces new local, award-winning national programs
NIU STEAM Works has been selected as a finalist in the Play Everywhere Challenge, a $1 million national competition that will award funding to outside-the-box ideas that make play easy, available and fun for kids and families in cities across the United States.
The challenge is hosted by KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all children, particularly those growing up in poverty in America.
Winners will be announced in early fall.
STEAM Works staff in NIU’s P-20 Center envisioned Playfully DeKalb, an innovative plan to create a number of playscapes in low-income areas of DeKalb, so local families can engage in fun, community-oriented activities on sidewalks and open spaces in their neighborhoods. Playfully DeKalb was selected as a finalist out of a pool of more than 1,000 applications nationwide.
“STEAM Works is devoted to engaging the community in exciting, interdisciplinary, educational experiences. We love the idea of bringing these spaces to the neighborhoods that need them most and see this project as expandable from year to year.” said Tracy Rogers-Tryba, a STEAM Works staff member.
The competition attracted an outpouring of creative ideas to spark kids’ imaginations and get their bodies moving.
Playfully DeKalb illustration by NIU STEAM Works
“We were astonished at the number and quality of the applications we received,” said James Siegal, CEO of KaBOOM! “To us, it shows a huge, untapped potential to reimagine cities with kids in mind, and boost their opportunity to get the play they need to thrive. And when kids thrive, cities thrive.”
Kids need play to grow up healthy, resilient and ready for life.
Research shows play is vital to healthy brain development and is pivotal to how kids learn problem-solving, conflict resolution and creativity – in other words, the skills they need to succeed as adults.
Yet today, too many kids, especially those growing up in poverty, are missing out on play because of families’ time pressures, the lure of screens, and a lack of safe places to go.
Meanwhile, evidence shows missing out on the chance to play puts kids at risk for challenges ranging from obesity to anxiety to trouble adjusting in school.
“We’re thrilled at the possibility that DeKalb’s kids could win this fantastic new opportunity to learn and develop from play,” said Pati Sievert, director of NIU STEM Outreach. “If we’re selected as a winner, we hope that Playfully DeKalb will be just the beginning of a larger effort to make play a way of life for kids and families in our community.”
KaBOOM! is hosting the Play Everywhere Challenge in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Target, Playworld, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the National Endowment for the Arts.
To learn more about NIU STEAM Works ideas for making play happen everywhere in DeKalb, contact Rogers-Tryba at (815) 753-2090 or tlrogers@niu.edu.
Date posted: July 5, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on KaBOOM! NIU STEAM Works named Play Everywhere Challenge finalist
The award will help ensure that STEMfest’s equipment for hands-on activities is cutting-edge and in working order. With 7,500 people attending STEMfest annually, displays and equipment suffer plenty of wear and tear.
“This award will help us make STEMfest better than ever by allowing us to purchase new lasers, buy more large-scale demonstrations and build a larger version of a favorite exhibit: the duck-in kaleidoscope,” Sievert adds. “Our current model is scaled for preschoolers and elementary school students. The new one will be able to accommodate most adults.”
The award’s impact will be felt far beyond the day of STEMfest: all tools purchased will also see use in STEM summer camps and in STEM Outreach’s traveling Exploration Lab.
The award check was presented to NIU STEM Outreach by Mark Mannebach of DCCF.
“As a former teacher in the Sycamore schools, I was already familiar with STEMfest’s creative, interesting offerings for students of all grade levels,” Mannebach says. “The staff involved do a great job making STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) engaging and fun for everyone.”
More STEMfest details will be announced later in the summer.
Organizations and businesses with an interest in encouraging future STEM professionals or increasing STEM literacy can now register as STEMfest exhibitors.
Student groups, non-profits and businesses are all welcome to create STEM-themed booths that entice passersby into hands-on experimentation through attention-grabbing, participatory exhibits. Early-bird discounts are available for exhibitors.
“STEMfest can only happen with community support from our hundreds of volunteers and exhibitors to the companies and organizations – like DCCF – that support us financially,” Sievert says.
DCCF’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in DeKalb County by building, managing and distributing philanthropic resources.
Date posted: July 5, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on STEMfest receives $8,000 award from Community Foundation
This development comes as welcome news to our new and existing students who were concerned about what the budget impasse could mean for them. We can now say with great confidence that this will allow us to continue our mission of preparing students for career success throughout the next academic year.
The details of the agreement are still emerging, but it appears that the operating fund money can be used to pay off expenses incurred during FY2016, and that is how we will use those dollars. Similarly, it is our understanding that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission is likely to designate the MAP appropriation be used to reimburse the university for the costs incurred covering grants last spring. If that is the case, NIU will once again credit student accounts for MAP grant money this fall, contingent on recouping that money from the state at a later date.
By taking those steps, we would enter FY2017 facing essentially the same circumstances as FY2016. That is to say that we will rely on income generated by tuition, fees and other sources. Also, if necessary, we will use what cash reserves we have available to us to bridge any funding gaps.
However, there appears to be a genuine commitment (albeit, no guarantee) on the part of the state’s leaders to provide another round of appropriations – both for operating funds and for MAP – in January.
As grateful as we are for today’s agreement, the financial situation for NIU and other universities across the state remains extremely delicate. This amounts to another short-term fix. As such, we cannot at this time relax any of the steps we have taken to tightly control spending, hiring and salaries over these last few years.
Thanks to the diligent efforts of faculty and staff all across campus, we have proven up to the task of operating under such circumstances. However, the longer we must do so the more difficult it becomes.
We are very pleased that the legislature and the governor have come together in a spirit of bipartisan compromise to create this budget, and we look forward to working with them on addressing our financial needs for FY2017, and to craft a long-term solution that creates a sound, reliable financial foundation for higher education across Illinois.
In the meantime, I hope you can take heart from the announcement today, and can take with you into the Fourth of July weekend a bit more confidence about our future.
Forward Together,
Date posted: July 1, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on President Baker emails university community on state budget action
