NIU Today

Armed with a business plan that could provide inexpensive electrical power to families across the developing world, Team Light Up Africa took top honors in the first ever Social Venture Business Plan Competition at Northern Illinois University. Their ambitious plan to build and sell small generator/battery storage units – which can be powered by the...

Milivoje Kostic, a professor of  mechanical engineering in the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, has been invited to present a keynote lecture at the International Forum on Frontier Theories of Thermal Science in Beijing, China. The forum is scheduled from Sunday, Dec. 18, through Wednesday, Dec. 21. Kostic will speak about his new...

Instead of skiing or sledding down snow-covered slopes, or lounging near swimming pools in warmer climes, a half-dozen NIU students who are members of the organization Engineers Without Borders will spend their holiday break in Nyegina, Tanzania. NIU’s students will get their hands dirty at the Nyegina Secondary School, rebuilding the oven used to cook...

Rockford is one of 20 U.S. cities that have won a federal Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge grant. A grant totaling $2.4 million has been awarded to a collaborative made up of Northern Illinois University, Rock Valley College, the Rockford Area Economic Development Council and EIGERlab to accelerate job creation and innovation for small and...

For the second consecutive year, NIU’s delegates to the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) Supermileage competition in Marshall, Mich., won first place of the United States teams and third place overall. NIU’s team raced against 23 other squads from around the world during the June event. The College of Engineering & Engineering Technology sends the...

When the new DeKalb High School first opens its doors to students Tuesday, Sept. 6, every member of the Barb family will see what District 428 Board of Education President Tom Matya already sees. “What a wonderful asset this (District 428-NIU) partnership is for the DeKalb community,” Matya said recently as he joined his school...

Alan Swiglo, associate director of manufacturing processes research for the NIU College of Engineering & Engineering Technology, will receive the 2011 Fellow Award from ASM International (formerly American Society of Metals) Oct. 18. This lifetime achievement and service award to his profession highlights Swiglo’s seminal and proprietary advancements throughout his four decades of service in...

Seven area groups collaborated and applied for a federal grant that could significantly strengthen the region’s aerospace industry. The announcement was made Tuesday at the NIU-Rockford campus. Promod Vohra, dean of the NIU College of Engineering & Engineering Technology, also spoke at the news conference. Rena Cotsones, NIU’s assistant vice president for regional engagement in...

When pressed, Darrell “Doc” Newell would admit that things like mechanical engineering or industrial technology were important. But to his mind, electrical engineering was always first among equals. Therefore, it was appropriate that family, friends and former colleagues gathered Saturday, June 11 to see the Electrical Engineering Suite in the NIU College of Engineering and...

Promod Vohra, dean of NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, has been selected to serve on the First Committee of the Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission. The HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region. In this position, Vohra will have a hand in the accreditation process of...

Northern Illinois University engineering student Alan Hurt recently completed a successful climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. His six-day trek up the mountain began in lush jungles, but quickly turned into an arduous affair that include a bout of food poisoning and a temperature at the summit of a bitter minus 4 Fahrenheit....

For the first time ever, the College of Engineering & Engineering Technology houses the top student organization of the year at NIU: Engineers Without Borders (EWB). EWB was recognized for its outstanding service, leadership and performance throughout the 2010-2011 school year. NIU’s Student Involvement & Leadership Development presented EWB with this award May 1 at its annual...