NIU Today

Milivoje M. Kostic, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed as a guest-editor of the special issue of Entropy journal “Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics,” an international and interdisciplinary open access journal. The goal of the special issue is to put certain physical and philosophical concepts in perspective, to revisit...

Northern Illinois University’s Society of Women Engineers (NIU- SWE) is dedicated to empowering women in a male-dominated field. Its mission is to “stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value...

Senior Design Day, the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology’s annual rite of spring, brought out the creativity and talents of graduating seniors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efe5G6p9XT8&feature=youtu.be Projects on display at the May 3 event ranged from a scale model of a “smart home” to a home Hibachi grill adapter. In the corridors and labs of the...

The NIU Foundation Venture Grants Committee has announced Lichuan Liu and Federico Sciammarella as recipients of the 2013 Venture Grants. In partnership with NIU’s Technology Transfer Office and the Northern Illinois Research Foundation, the NIU Foundation Grants Committee has chosen the proposals that most closely exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit, vision and potential for marketability reflected...

More than 15 years ago, the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology partnered with Omron to provide internships to NIU students. In working with NIU students and faculty, Omron became fond of CEET’s curriculum, seeing that it had laid a great theoretical platform for students entering the workforce. Later, Omron donated safety and automation equipment...

Mechanical Engineering undergraduate Justin Whiting received the ASM Chicago Regional Chapter Award, given to only one student a year. Facing competition from students representing other engineering schools in the Chicago area, it is a great honor for Whiting. According to the American Society of Metals, “the Chicago Regional Chapter Award recognizes and encourages students to...

NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology seeks ways of going beyond the classroom to experience the industry first-hand. Last month, Nicholas Pohlman took his Mechanical Engineering 453 class to the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport for an up-close viewing of a turbo-jet engine and supersonic aircraft. The trip related to many topics discussed in class...

Members of NIU’s engineering faculty are always looking for ways to increase their influence on the industry. By participating in research, working on projects and presenting those ideas in various places, these professors stay at the cutting edge of their respective fields. Federico Sciammarella, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, will give presentation on additive manufacturing...

The 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,...

The NIU Clean Snowmobile Team is back in action this year with the hopes of creating two new vehicles for competition next March in Houghton, Mich. The team is working on a 2007 Yamaha Phazer as well as a 2011 Polaris Rush. The Polaris Rush was donated by Polaris to the team this year for...

NIU mechanical engineering professor Federico Sciammarella was chosen as technical chair for the upcoming 2012 Rapid Product Development Association of South Africa (RAPDASA) international conference. The conference takes place Wednesday, Oct. 31, through Friday, Nov. 2, According to its website, “RAPDASA embraces the complete product development value chain … RAPDASA aims to become a government-recognized...

NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology soon will have a new robotics club. The first meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, in Room 253 (the Acoustics and Vibrations Lab) of the Engineering Building. Junior electrical engineering major Ryan Riddel hatched the concept for the club when he noticed that NIU did not...