NIU Today

Do you have a great scientific research concept in mind but lack the high-powered tech facilities to get it done? If so, here’s a workshop for you. Northern Illinois University will host a one-day Argonne User Facility Awareness and Utilization Workshop from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in the Lincoln Room of...

Sean Farrell, an NIU associate professor of history, has been named to the Irish Education 100 for 2013. The Irish Education 100 gives tribute to those of Irish descent who have proven successful in education, especially at the university level. Farrell currently teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses on early modern and modern British and...

The NIU College of Business will host an event at 6 p.m. Monday, April 21, on “The Value of the MBA for Women in Business.” Panelists include: Lyle Heidemann, retired CEO of True Value; Elizabeth Isham-Cory, spokesperson, Federal Regulatory Agency; Denise Schoenbachler, dean, NIU College of Business; and Lisa Vicicondi, district sales manager-retail, McKesson The...

How should archaeologists and museums handle Native American materials? Twenty-five years after the Native American Graves and Protection Repatriation Act, have Native American and scientific communities learned to work together? David Hurst Thomas, curator in the Anthropology Division at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, will explore these topics in two upcoming...

Is that the Maize God or an ancient image of Elvis? What kinds of dog breeds were common to the ancient Maya area? How did the diets of the high and mighty differ from that of the hoi polloi in the Maya city of Palenque? These are just a few of the questions to be considered...

Mayor A. George Pradel proclaimed Friday, March 21, as “Dolly McCarthy Day” in Naperville, recognizing the Northern Illinois University alumna’s years of service to the Naperville area and nonprofit organizations. The proclamation reads: “Dolly is a voice for countless not-for-profits. She helps them by consistently giving them a platform to broadcast their message and encourage...

The NIU Chemistry Club invites the public to its spring 2014 chemistry demo night at 7 p.m., Friday, March 28, in Faraday Hall 143. The theme of the night will be “green chemistry,” in post-celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, featuring chemistry with fire, colorful reactions and creative changes and effects. “This semester’s chem-demo night will...

NIU alumnus Kendle Fraley and his former adviser, geology professor Mark Frank, published research together this month in the journal, Economic Geology. It’s just one accomplishment of many for Fraley, who earned his bachelor’s (2009) and master’s degrees (2012) in geology and environmental geosciences. He’s a prime example of what President Doug Baker terms “student...

NIU has nearly 40 peer mentoring programs on campus, but participants rarely talk to each other to compare notes and successful strategies. That’s about to change, thanks to the efforts of NIU students Lauren Nale and Luis Lopez. The two honors students, who coordinate the University Honors peer mentoring group, are now spearheading a Peer...

On a bitter cold day this past January, professor Tom Sims is surrounded by signs of spring – hundreds of delicate blossoms in shades of purple and pink and white sprouting in an old greenhouse on campus at NIU’s Montgomery Hall. This is petunia central, and the spadework done here could help usher in a...

Seventeen high school students from across the region visited NIU Friday to learn about the mysteries of particle physics and what goes on in some of the world’s leading scientific laboratories. NIU Physics professors Dhiman Chakraborty and Michael Eads, along with science teacher Elisa Gatz of Sterling High School, led a daylong lesson on Wednesday as part of...

NIU plays host this weekend to the 32nd annual Novice National Forensics Tournament, a three-day event that will serve as a stepping stone for competitors, a homecoming for many coaches and an intense learning experience for two NIU students. Students and coaches from 10 states and 25 schools will compete in intercollegiate debate and individual...