NIU Today

The NIU School of Music is home to some of the most unique instruments from around the world, and Associate Professor Greg Beyer has taken it upon himself to bring prominence to one of those instruments through contemporary music. “What we’re doing with the berimbau is unique,” he said. “There are a few other berimbau ensembles—in Brazil...

You know that crabby co-worker who gets bent out of shape over the slightest things? Could be that he or she just isn’t getting enough sleep. So say NIU psychology professor Larissa Barber and graduate student Christopher Budnick. They say results of a new study demonstrate that sleepiness causes workers to become more likely to...

Some big cities, particularly those located in hot and humid environments, actually birth more thunderstorms than surrounding rural areas, according to a new study led by Alex Haberlie, an NIU Ph.D. student in geogaphy. The conclusion is one of several fascinating findings from the first long-term, systematic assessment of the influence of urban land use...

A six-month, no-salary suspension for NBC News anchor Brian Williams isn’t enough, says NIU journalism instructor Jason Akst. Williams, Akst says, should lose his job over his recent admission that he “misremembered” being in a helicopter under fire in Iraq. “These inaccuracies (which beg the question of how many more haven’t come to light) are...

Everyone is talking about this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover, which some are saying pushes the limits of good taste. The chatter is nothing new, says NIU’s Kristen Myers, a Presidential Teaching Professor in the Department of Sociology and director of Women’s Studies at NIU. What is new, Myers says, is that the cover model’s...

With the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Grammys already come and gone, the granddaddy of the red carpet season arrives Sunday, Feb. 22. Yes, Toto, it’s the Oscars. Millions of Americans who earn normal salaries and actually pay for their own clothes, haircuts and jewelry will gather around televisions to watch...

Beloved and celebrated for five decades, not only in print but in cinema, Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” has crafted a pedigree the envy of most writers. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel served not only as Lee’s glorious debut but her swansong as well; the reclusive author all but disappeared after its 1960 publication while...

Millions and millions of Americans will gather around the television Sunday night to watch the Super Bowl. When time expires, we all will know which team won. We all will know which songs Katy Perry performed and with which special guests. And we all will have found a favorite commercial. But will we honestly remember...

With a huge snowstorm bearing down on the Northeast today, residents from New Jersey to Maine are preparing for two feet or more of the white stuff to blanket their homes, roads, schools, hospitals and more. The blizzard warning already has canceled nearly 1,500 flights. And how, in 2015, will everywhere from New York to...