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Dan Gebo

Dan Gebo

Recent Pew Research Center surveys show stark differences between scientists and the general public on a range of science, engineering and technology issues, including global warming and evolution.

NIU’s Daniel Gebo, a preeminent scientist and the “Illinois Professor of the Year,” weighs in on why those differences exist.

See his view in the NIU Newsroom.

Date posted: February 5, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on Why views of scientists, general public diverge

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Science and Technology

Book cover of “Theory of Inelastic Scattering and Absorption of X-rays” by Michel van VeenendaalA new book by a Northern Illinois University professor sheds light on X-rays.

Michel van Veenendaal, distinguished research professor in the NIU Department of Physics and physicist at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, is the author of the book titled, “Theory of Inelastic Scattering and Absorption of X-rays” (Cambridge University Press).

“The book provides a background to graduate students and scientists that want to do research in the area of X-ray absorption and inelastic X-ray scattering,” van Veenendaal said. “These are important types of experiments, mainly done at large X-ray sources, known as synchrotrons.

“NIU is fortunate to be very close to the nation’s leading synchrotron: the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory,” he added. “X-rays are produced by electrons going around in the 1,104-metre (3,622 ft) circumference storage ring at over 99.999% of the speed of light. The X-rays then hit the material that experimentalists want to study. The material can absorb or scatter the X-rays. By measuring what happened scientists can study the properties of the materials that were hit by the X-rays.”

In 2011, van Veenendaal co-authored a review article on resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) [Reviews of Modern Physis 83, 705 (2011)], which is one of NIU’s most-cited papers of the last four years.

Michel van Veenendaal

Michel van Veenendaal

The paper deals with a spectroscopic technique that has come to the forefront in the last one to two decades. RIXS allows researchers to probe the electronic and magnetic structure by having X-rays scatter inelastically of a material. Despite being a review paper, it was clear that most researchers entering this field would have a hard time understanding it. An outline was sent to Cambridge University Press for a book that would provide a solid theoretical grounding into the field of X-ray spectroscopy.

X-ray spectroscopy is a powerful tool that allows researchers to study properties of materials that are difficult to obtain with other methods. For example, since the wavelength of the X-ray can be tuned, one can study one particular element in complicated compounds. By using polarized X-rays, the technique also becomes sensitive to the magnetic properties of the material. However, although the basics are taught in most quantum mechanics classes, the theory quickly becomes complex. The book introduces underlying concepts and encourages a deep understanding of these techniques.

“Theory of Inelastic Scattering and Absorption of X-rays” was released Jan. 26.

by Jane Donahue

Date posted: January 29, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU physicist Michel van Veenendaal pens new book

Categories: Campus Highlights Faculty & Staff Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Science and Technology

A photo of "The Thinker"With the help of a substantial donation from the John Templeton Foundation, NIU’s philosophy department is teaming up with Wi-Phi, an open access philosophy web site that aims to increase the role of philosophy in the public sphere.

Launched in 2013 by Gaurav Vazirani, a graduate student at Yale, Wi-Phi publishes videos on philosophical topics and critical thinking at a level accessible to viewers without any prior training.

The site is now run by Vazirani and a team of 15 collaborators across North America, including NIU philosophy professor Geoff Pynn. Video contributions so far have come from 35 faculty members at 22 leading philosophy departments, including NIU, Cambridge, Columbia, Duke, MIT, Yale and others.

The videos, now averaging more than 45,000 views per month, consist of audio recordings by professional philosophers with animations created by Wi-Phi’s team.

The site is quickly winning wide recognition: Wi-Phi is partnered with Khan Academy, a leading free online education provider, to distribute its content worldwide, and has nearly 5,000 YouTube subscribers.

In addition to the Templeton Foundation donation stewarded by NIU, the organization has recently received an Innovators Grant from the American Philosophical Association and a seed grant from the Squire Family Foundation. Meanwhile, Grammy-winning rap star Lupe Fiasco, who has cultivated a large and successful “#PhilosophySunday” discussion on Twitter, recently handed management of that weekly forum to Wi-Phi’s social media team.

“Philosophy addresses questions that nearly everybody asks about the world and our place in it,” says Pynn, a Wi-Phi associate director and author of two videos on topics in critical thinking.

Do we have free will? Is there a God? How should we live? What can we know? What is meaning? Professional philosophers spend their careers thinking about these issues, but they don’t always present their ideas in ways that the broader public can easily understand. Wi-Phi aims to bridge the gap between academic philosophy and the wider world, and make the tools and insights developed by philosophers accessible to the general public.”

Geoffrey Pynn

Geoffrey Pynn

Wi-Phi has big plans.

A series on philosophy of law, created by faculty at the Yale Law School, is also in development, as well as an interdisciplinary collection exploring the idea of the true self.

Pynn is collaborating with Jennifer Nagel, an epistemologist at the University of Toronto, on a mini-course of videos on the theory of knowledge. Series on feminist philosophy, free will, philosophy of race, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science and value theory are all in the works. At the same time, graduate students working with Wi-Phi are developing assessment tools and written summaries to supplement its growing library of critical thinking videos.

“I’m very excited and grateful for the Templeton Foundation grant to support Wi-Phi’s work,” Pynn says. “The reception we’ve received from our viewers has been amazing, and so enthusiastic – there is a real hunger out there for the kind of content we are providing. I’m eager to work with Wi-Phi as we take the next steps in developing a truly comprehensive resource for accessible philosophy on the web.”

Date posted: January 23, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on Philosophy for the masses

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Global Humanities Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Research

x-NIU Geology Professor Reed Scherer holds a sediment sample recovered from the grounding zone

NIU Geology Professor Reed Scherer holds a sediment sample
recovered from the grounding zone. Credit: WISSARD

Using a specially designed hot-water drill to cleanly bore through a half mile of ice, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded team of researchers, led by NIU’s Ross Powell and including other faculty and students, has become the first ever to reach and investigate the “grounding zone” along the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, where ice, land and sea all converge.

Grounding zones are key to regulating ice-sheet movement and sea-level rise. But the scientists also were surprised to find an apparently thriving ecosystem that includes fish in the extreme environment beneath the ice.

Read the National Science Foundation press release on the discovery or view photos, background and news stories on the project.

 

 

Date posted: January 21, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU researchers, students part of exciting Antarctic discovery

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Global Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Science and Technology Students

Lizzy Mack during filming of the Great Lakes Wild Episode. Credit: Amanda Buckiewicz

Lizzy Mack during filming of the Great Lakes Wild Episode.
Credit: Amanda Buckiewicz

NIU student Lizzy Mack has gained some celebrity status in Canada.

Mack, a graduate student in the laboratory of biological sciences professor Rich King, is featured in an episode of the documentary-style mini-series, Great Lakes Wild, which aired across the Great White North this week and can be viewed online.

Mack is seen throughout the program chasing her co-star, the Lake Erie Watersnake. She also discusses conservation efforts that have brought the snake back from near extinction and the snake’s much appreciated affinity for an invasive fish species known as the round goby.

Professor King and his NIU students have been working on conservation and studying the Lake Erie Watersnake for three decades. The region encompassing the islands and mainland of Lake Erie between the Ohio and Ontario borders is the only place worldwide where the snakes can be found.

When King was contacted by the mini-series producers, he steered them to Mack, who was serving as his point person in the field. Her research, conducted at Ohio’s Put-in-Bay Harbor, focuses on the unusual delayed feeding and growth in newborn Lake Erie Watersnakes.

Mack, a native of Bryan, Texas, says she was thrilled to be involved in the Canadian TV program.

“When you try to explain your research to people who don’t have a science background, it’s kind of hard. So to have them watch this – and get it – it’s been exciting,” Mack says.

Lizzy Mack's research focus is on newborn Lake Erie Watersnakes. Credit: Amanda Buckiewicz

Lizzy Mack’s research focus is on newborn Lake Erie Watersnakes.
Credit: Amanda Buckiewicz

“I’m happy to be able to show the episode to other students and friends. A lot of people don’t understand that conservation work can be a career,” she adds. “My parents are my biggest supporters in the world, and they’re super proud.”

Working on her master’s degree in biological sciences, Mack came to NIU specifically to work with Professor King on the watersnake research program.

“I was interested in ecology and really impressed by his long-term work,” she says. “He’s also a great guy. When I came to visit and met other people in his laboratory, I was really impressed and felt welcomed. It was just a good fit for me.”

She hopes other students who have worked on the watersnake’s conservation over the years will see the Great Lakes Wild episode.

“I hope they know they made a difference,” Mack says. “It is definitely a huge team effort, with a lot of NIU students and volunteers involved.”

King estimates that over the past three decades, more than 20 NIU students have been involved in the watersnake recovery efforts. In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service honored both King and his then-doctoral student, Kristin Stanford, for their ongoing work with the slithery serpents.

King and NIU students have sustained countless bites in the name of championing the foul-smelling and cantankerous Lake Erie Watersnakes, which locals have come to appreciate in recent years. The snake itself has become a bit of a media darling, frequently featured in news reports and occasionally on TV, including a 2006 episode of the Discovery Channel’s program “Dirty Jobs.”

NIU biology chair Barrie Bode thinks TV viewers haven’t seen the last of the critters.

“Those snakes are going to hire an agent pretty soon,” he says.

Related:

Date posted: January 15, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU graduate student featured in Canadian documentary

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

Allerton Park and Retreat Center

Allerton Park and Retreat Center

The Allerton English Articulation Conference is set to kick off another 50 years of conferences with the theme “Metaphors We Teach By.”

The conference, bringing together faculty from two- and four-year colleges and universities, takes place at the Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello, Ill. It is made possible by a planning committee consisting of university and college faculty from across the state, including a core group of Northern Illinois University staff.

“We thank the NIU English Department and CLAS External Programming for their unwavering support,” said Michael Day, director of the NIU First Year Composition Program and conference chair.

The keynote speakers will be Philip Eubanks, professor of rhetoric and composition and professional writing at NIU, and Chris Blankenship, NIU English department alum and current director of composition at Emporia State University, Kansas. They will deliver a collaborative talk on “Metaphors That Refuse to Die: Contending with Persistent Frames for Composition.”

“The Allerton English Articulation Conference is unlike any other conference,” Day said. “It is deliberately designed as an intimate venue fostering intense exchange of ideas. Newcomers are welcomed and mentored.”

The conference is distinctive because it brings together high school teachers, community college instructors and university faculty to discuss common concerns in teaching writing, leading to greater cohesion in the writing curriculum at all levels in Illinois institutions.

Another unique element of Allerton’s appeal is its setting.

“Robert Allerton’s private estate reflects his entwined roles as artist, art collector and philanthropist,” said Ellen Franklin, NIU assistant to the director of the First Year Composition Porgram and conference organizer, “His Georgian manor house is nestled amid acres of woodland, prairie, formal gardens and sculpture gardens, and is a living testament to his commitment to nature as a source of physical, emotional and intellectual renewal.”

Those who wish to present at the conference must submit a proposal via email by Sunday, Feb. 1, and will be notified of their acceptance by March 1. Registration information is forthcoming, and accommodation is available on site.

For more information, email AllertonConference@niu.edu or like the conference on Facebook.

Date posted: January 14, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on 51st Allerton English Articulation Conference explores metaphor in teaching

Categories: Alumni Events Faculty & Staff Humanities Liberal Arts and Sciences Research What's Going On

Geoffrey Baer

Geoffrey Baer

NOTE: Because of high interest, the venue for this event has been changed to the Regency Room in the Holmes Student Center.

Is Chicago truly the birthplace of the skyscraper? And what makes a building a skyscraper anyway?

Popular Chicago Public Television host Geoffrey Baer will visit the NIU campus next month to provide those answers and more.

A multiple Emmy award-winning writer, producer and host who is well known for his masterful storytelling, Baer will deliver his talk at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.

The event, sponsored by the Friends of the NIU Libraries, is free and open to the public.

Baer will give a capsule history of Chicago’s astonishing and rapid rise from a tiny trading post on the American frontier to a teeming metropolis. The Great Fire of 1871 could have finished off the upstart town, he says, but out of the ashes rose the world’s first city of skyscrapers.

As a bonus, Baer will engage the audience in an interactive quiz based on his newest Public TV program, a quiz show about Chicago history.

“The Friends of the NIU Libraries are absolutely thrilled to be sponsoring a talk by Mr. Baer,” said Lynne Thomas, NIU faculty liaison to Friends of the NIU Libraries. “His depth of knowledge about the history of Chicago and its environs is unparalleled, and we hope everyone comes out to the program to experience it first-hand.”

Baer is most familiar to Chicago audiences for his popular feature-length TV specials about Chicago architecture and history, including “Chicago’s Loop: A New Walking Tour,” “Chicago’s Lakefront,” “Chicago by Boat: the New River Tour,” “Biking the Boulevards,” “The Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History” and “Chicago by ‘L’: Touring the Neighborhoods,” as well as six programs covering virtually all of Chicago’s suburban areas.

WTTW logoHe used his vast knowledge of Chicago to develop and host a quiz show for WTTW called “Where in Chicago,” which debuted this past fall.

Baer also appears weekly on WTTW’s flagship nightly news program, “Chicago Tonight,” answering viewers’ questions about Chicago architecture and history in a segment called “Ask Geoffrey.”

Nationally he hosted the PBS primetime special, “Ten Buildings that Changed America,” which debuted in May 2013. More recently he has been traveling the country filming a three-part PBS series about homes, parks and towns that changed America. Other programs seen nationally on Public Television include documentaries about acclaimed international architects Robert A. M. Stern and Michael Graves and “Saved from the Wrecking Ball,” a documentary about the rescue of Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House.

In his 25 years at WTTW, Baer has written and produced numerous other documentaries and cultural and entertainment specials for local and national television, and has served as the executive producer of the weekly cultural magazine series, “Artbeat Chicago,” and of the weekly documentary series, “Chicago Stories.”

Baer also has been a docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation since 1987, is a board member of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Architecture and Design Society and is an emeritus board member of Lookingglass Theatre Company. He holds a master’s degree in theater from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in radio/TV/film from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

For more information, call (815) 753-9838  or email libraryfriend@niu.edu.

Date posted: January 12, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on Of Chicago’s skyscrapers and their windows (to the world)

Categories: Arts Centerpiece Communiversity Events Students Visual

David Ballantine and Leslie Matuszewich

David Ballantine and Leslie Matuszewich

Christopher McCord, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, this week announced two administrative changes in the college.

McCord said Professor David Ballantine has accepted an appointment as associate dean for undergraduate affairs. Ballantine stepped into the position on an interim basis last summer, filling the role formerly held by Sue Doederlein.

Prior to his service as interim associate dean, Ballantine served as the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He received the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and has served a number of terms on the College Curriculum Committee.

Additionally, Professor Leslie Matuszewich has accepted appointment as associate dean for research and graduate studies. Matuszewich previously served as director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Psychology.  She steps into the role replacing Physics Professor Zhili Xiao, who served for the past year as interim associate dean.

“I’m very excited to have these two talented individuals as part of the Liberal Arts and Sciences college office,” McCord said.

Date posted: January 8, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on Ballantine, Matuszewich tapped for CLAS administrative posts

Categories: Faculty & Staff Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences

Sean Grass

Sean Grass

Northern Illinois University will host the 23rd annual Midwestern Conference on Literature, Language, and Media (MCLLM) on Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28.

Faculty, graduate students and, for the first time in the conference’s history, undergraduate students will share their research related to this year’s theme, “Ctrl, Alt, Delete.” Presenters will explore the concepts of regaining control, revisiting alternatives or returning to previous states via deletion in conjunction with themes relevant to textual, linguistic and media studies.

Keynote speaker Sean Grass of Iowa State University will present “Rebooting Dickens: Old Books, Different Histories, and New Interpretations.” His scholarship on a wide array of textual genres as well as his interest in book production are a testament to his work’s rich interdisciplinarity.

Proposals for presentations will be accepted until Friday, Jan. 16. Registration for attendees and presenters is now open, with a fee of $40 for students, $60 for NIU faculty and $70 for members of the public.

“We encourage everyone not only to attend but present at MCLLM because it is a great opportunity to network with scholars who share your interests in addition to sharing your ideas with the academic community,” says Lindsay Vreeland, conference organizer and English doctoral student.

The conference, established in 1992, is organized by graduate students in the English and Communications departments, with the help of faculty advisers and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming office.

For more information about the conference, email mcllm@niu.edu.

Date posted: January 8, 2015 | Author: | Comments Off on Ctrl, Alt, Delete

Categories: Events Faculty & Staff Humanities Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Students

Gabriela Ruszczak

Gabriela Ruszczak

Earning a college degree is a sense of accomplishment for many students and their families. But for one Northern Illinois University student and her family, it was a celebration over adversity.

Gabriela Ruszczak’s journey began in 2009, when she enrolled at NIU as a non-traditional, first-generation student after earning her associate’s degree 20 years earlier.

“I came to NIU thinking I would finish my psychology degree in three years,” said the 57-year-old Rockford resident. The first two years went off without a hitch, then life took over.”

In a span of just 18 months, life dealt Ruszczak a series of blows – the sudden death of her husband, which took her from economic stability to near poverty and eviction; the death of her brother; and caring for her developmentally disabled sister as she battled serious illness. It all resulted in the honors student being academically dismissed from NIU.

While the experience left her emotionally drained, Ruszczak’s faith and the support of her family enabled her to weather the storm and pick up the pieces.

“I had some really intense conversations with God,” she said. “But I still wanted to complete my degree. If I didn’t do this, I’d be washed away in tragedy.”

The old adage, “It’s better to light one candle than curse the darkness,” became her mantra. After working with the university to gain readmission and working with her professors on a plan to retake classes, Ruszczak returned to the classroom in fall 2013.

“Coming back was hard,” she said. “I wondered if I could do the work.”

Ruszczak quickly found out she could still perform at a high academic level. Education was her lifeline to a better life.

J.D. Bowers

J.D. Bowers

“In class, Gabi is a powerhouse,” said J.D. Bowers, associate vice provost for University Honors and associate professor of history. “She is engaged, well-read, thoughtful, and always has an ability to make other students think about their own views or interpretations.”

Being the oldest student in class didn’t faze her.

“I used humor to overcome any ‘old’ comments. I was the cool old woman in the class,” Ruszczak said, smiling.

Her toughness has impressed faculty members.

“She has fought back, retaken her classes, and has truly proven to herself and the faculty that she is one of our most capable students when all things are going smoothly,” Bowers said.

But she didn’t just go to class. She was a member of Psi Chi Honor Society, an ally for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students and worked in psychology professor Brad Sagarin’s gender and sexuality lab.

While Ruszczak completed the classes, she is quick to point out that she couldn’t have done it without help.

“My kids always made sure I had a car to get to campus and money for coffee or lunch,” she added.

Ruszczak sought out mentors on campus and assistance from various campus offices. She used a legal aid agency in Rockford to fight for her home and recently had a judge vacate the bank’s adverse possession action.

Not everything she learned has come from a textbook.

I’m a lot tougher than I thought I was,” she said. “I trust myself more. And resilience counts for something.”

In the end, her experience prepared her for a career in counseling. “I understand grief and trauma better,” Ruszczak said. “It changed what I added to class discussions.”

Armed with a degree and a new sense of self-confidence, she has big plans for the future.

“2015 is going to be a transition year,” she said. In addition to looking for employment and enrolling in a master’s program studying marriage and family counseling, Ruszczak will become a grandmother in July.

With all that excitement, she still is focused on her next goal – to work in the nonprofit sector.

“I’d rather leave a bigger footprint than have a bigger bank account,” she explained.

Reflecting on her journey to a degree, it is apparent that her alma mater holds a special place in her heart.

“It was one of the hardest things I ever fell in love with,” she said. “I found myself at Northern. I learned more about myself – my boundaries and strengths. And that it’s always possible to come back.”

To those who have seen her struggle and succeed, she is considered a true Huskie.

“She embodies everything we stand for here at NIU…meeting our students where they are, helping them flourish even under adverse conditions, and setting the stage for a bold future,” Bowers said.

Date posted: December 18, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on Rockford resident overcomes adversity to earn her NIU degree

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Students

Jason Coenen

Jason Coenen

It’s a continent of extremes, boasting arguably the harshest environment on the planet.

And it will become a research laboratory for three NIU geology students who will arrive in Antarctica in early January.

They’re taking part in an important, collaborative research project that is funded by the National Science Foundation and being led by NIU geologist Ross Powell. NIU geologist Reed Scherer also is playing an integral role.

Read the full story in the NIU Newsroom.

Date posted: December 17, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU students preparing to leave for Antarctic

Categories: Faculty & Staff Global Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Students

David Gunkel

David Gunkel

Stephen Hawking recently said in an interview that “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”

Check out the NIU Newsroom to see what NIU communication professor David Gunkel, author of the book, “The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives on AI, Robots and Ethics,” says in response.

Date posted: December 9, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on Apocalypse now – or not so much?

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences