NIU Today

When it comes to STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – education leaders note a substantial disparity in the participation and retention rates among African-Americans. The low number of students of color pursuing STEM degrees, and the absence of underrepresented students obtaining those degrees, is only becoming more critical. Members of the National Society...

A book penned by Northern Illinois University professor David Gunkel provided inspiration for a new featured video on the PBS Idea Channel. Hosted by Mike Rugnetta, the Idea Channel is a weekly web series with a focus on technology. Gunkel’s book, “The Machine Question,” helped inspire the July 2 Idea Channel episode, titled “When Will...

NIU’s Engineers Without Borders (EWB) returns to Mexico again this month to continue its five-year sustainability improvement contract for CATIS-Mexico. For the first time, these engineers will be joined by students and advisers from multiple disciplines across NIU’s campus. With the support and guidance of iCatis (International Centers for Appropriate Technology and Indigenous Sustainability), EWB...

Two students in NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology have earned scholarships by proving that safety matters. Scholarships from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) went to Brian Peterson, an undergraduate student in the Department of Technology’s industrial management and technology emphasis, with an area of study in environmental health and safety, and Martha...

NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology requires graduating seniors to spend the last semester of their tenure innovating, designing and building new products or systems to engage the knowledge and experience they’ve accumulated throughout the years. On Friday, May 2, these seniors will present their ideas at Senior Design Day. This spring’s edition welcomes...

Northern Illinois University computer science students claimed top honors in the IBM Master the Mainframe contest. The contest allows students to distinguish themselves in mainframe computer programming abilities.  Participants completed the tasks for the contest during the fall semester from Oct. 7 to Dec. 28, 2013, and winners were announced this semester. The contest consists of three...

Tim Hodson, a Ph.D. candidate in geology, recently scored what has to be one of the coolest internships of the summer. In August, Hodson will spend three weeks mapping never-before-seen depths of the Atlantic Ocean while aboard the Okeanos Explorer, a former U.S. Navy ship converted into an exploration vessel. Operated by the National Oceanic...

For the second time in as many years, the NIU Robotics Club engineered the “Most Innovative Design” at the annual AMD Jerry Sanders Creative Design Competition. “NAI” – its name originates from the acronym, Northern Autonomous Intelligence – is a 145-pound ground robot designed to navigate through a series of objective-based challenges. In March, students...

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...

NIU students fared quite well, thank you very much, in the recent poster competitions held during the prestigious annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago. Lauren Grabstanowicz, who is pursuing her pursuing Ph.D. in nanochemistry, and Robert Rickard, who recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, won...

NIU this semester is launching a new Center for Secondary Science and Mathematics Education, aimed at strengthening the university’s support of science and mathematics education throughout the region. The Illinois Board of Higher Education recently approved center status for a duration of five years, after which it could become permanent. The center will be housed...

Using parasitic wasps to fight the fly population might sound like something out of the latest sci-fi film, but entomologists are actually researching this bug battle to find environmentally friendly solutions for pest control. At the next STEM Café, NIU professor Bethia King and Ph.D. candidate Ted Burgess from NIU’s Department of Biological Sciences will...