NIU Today

Everyone wants their children to grow up and get good jobs, to become doctors, lawyers or engineers. But what does an engineer actually do? NIU STEM Outreach, DeKalb Public Library and the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET) invite families to tour the Engineering Building, find out about careers in engineering and see applied...

Since it was created four decades ago, the Center for Black Studies has woven itself tightly into NIU’s fabric. It started as a place where students and faculty can develop courses for the new minor, Black Studies. It also was a place for students and faculty to discuss issues that were going on both on-...

The NIU College of Business Gamma Zeta chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon placed first in the “Top Management Team Competition” at the 2012 Pi Sigma Epsilon National Convention, held in Indianapolis. In addition to this achievement, the Gamma Zeta chapter also received recognition for sustained excellence; three members received scholarships based upon their service to...

Esteemed art historian Kristina Wilson will visit NIU to speak at 5 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Room 100 of the Visual Arts Building. In a presentation titled, “Overwhelmed: Salon-Style Picture Hangs and the Limits of our Historical Imagination,” Wilson will discuss modern exhibition practices in American art museums. All are welcome. Wilson, an associate professor...

Six students majoring in Community Leadership and Civic Engagement (CLCE) at Northern Illinois University spent spring break in the nation’s capital learning more about advocacy, nonprofit organizations and the political process. “The program was designed to provide students with real-world, practical experiences that reinforce what they learn in the classroom,” said Ben Bingle, program coordinator...

Can one be a fan without a text to be a fan of? What happens when fandom creates a text, and then poaches that same text? Paul Booth, an assistant professor of new media and technology in the College of Communication at DePaul University, will visit the NIU campus at 1 p.m. Friday, April 20,...

NIU’s Barbara J. Johnson received the Public Service Award at the 2012 annual conference of the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education for her leadership and commitment to the success of the Leadership and Mentoring Institute (LMI). Johnson is chair and associate professor in the NIU Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education. During...

Northern Illinois University has named historian Heide Fehrenbach, chemist Chhiu-Tsu “C.T.” Lin and geologist Reed Scherer as its 2012 Board of Trustees Professors – an honor that recognizes international prominence in research as well as excellence in all facets of teaching. The trio works in fields that seem far removed from each other. Fehrenbach illuminates...

Heide Fehrenbach is reshaping history – how it’s researched, how it’s written and even how it’s taught. A historian of modern Europe, Fehrenbach has spent her career asking provocative questions, using photography and film in her scholarship and illuminating aspects of history that have been largely overlooked or even uninvestigated. She is internationally recognized for...

Remember, you heard it here first: “the molecular fan.” It might just become one of the key features of tomorrow’s technology. The molecular fan, which aims to keep hot technology cool, is one of the latest innovations from the laboratory of NIU Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Chhiu-Tsu Lin, or simply “C.T.,” as he’s known to...

In contemporary and geologic terms, Reed Scherer simply rocks. The NIU geology professor – who directs the new Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy (ESE Institute) – excels at just about everything: inspirational teacher, world-renowned polar scientist, institutional innovator. “Professor Scherer does not just teach students about science,” says Joseph Peterson,...

Lori Berkes-Nelson has been named executive director of the NIU-based Illinois Council on Economic Education, doing business as Econ Illinois. She replaces outgoing director Joanne Dempsey, who is retiring after leading the not-for-profit group for 17 years. “I’ll work to build on the successes Joanne has brought to the organization,” Berkes-Nelson said. “She should be...