NIU Today

Diseases that were once nearly eradicated in the Western world are again threatening both young children and adults. Although numerous studies have proven the safety of vaccinations, low vaccination rates in some communities are causing outbreaks of whooping cough, measles and other serious but preventable diseases. At the next STEM Café, DeKalb County Public Health...

What do you want to be when you grow up? Northern Illinois University’s STEM Outreach is hoping to help students answer that question by offering a variety of fun, hands-on summer camps that explore in-demand careers and concepts in science, technology, engineering and math. STEM Outreach and other STEM departments host camps from June through...

Students looking for fun, hands-on ways to explore new careers this summer can register for Northern Illinois University’s summer camps. NIU’s day and residential camps run throughout June, July and August and cover a variety of topics to keep students in elementary school through high school engaged in learning and growing. They also offer students...

Maybe you’ve seen one at your child’s school, in a downtown museum or even at the local big box home store. 3-D printers are popping up everywhere, getting cheaper, and are easier to use than ever before. Advances in 3D printing are actually allowing researchers and average folks to print everything from car parts to...

Cancer is something we hear about every day, and nearly everyone has had a family member or friend affected by it – but what exactly is it? Why have we not cured the disease after decades of intensive research? These are some of the important questions that will be addressed by Barrie Bode at the...

The American Cancer Society predicts that the United States will have 1,658,370 new cancer cases diagnosed and 589,430 cancer deaths in this year alone. Experts agree that the best way to fight cancer is to stay healthy and active and to get recommended screening tests, but early detection can be difficult because of expensive, outdated...

Inexpensive high-tech gadgets and online do-it-yourself instructions are enabling regular folks to move manufacturing and high-tech tinkering out of factories and labs and into basements and garages. This can-do attitude and embrace of new technologies are at the heart of the Maker Movement, a growing subculture that shares ideas, tools and work spaces as they...

Louise McCarthy, CFO of WALT LTD, feels strongly about the importance of getting girls as well as boys interested in STEM: science, engineering, technology and math. “When I heard about NIU STEM Divas,” McCarthy says, “I knew immediately that we wanted to help.” WALT LTD became the first corporate sponsor of STEM Divas by donating...

Does your daughter take apart appliances to see how they tick? Is your son building a robot companion out of household items? You just might be the proud parent of a future scientist or engineer. NIU’s STEM Outreach has developed new and exciting STEM Saturday classes that give your young Einsteins the chance to tinker,...

From monkey business to monkey fossils, monkeys hold a prominent place in humor as well as in scholarly research. STEM Café’s January presentation will explore the ways that our primate cousins offer keys to understanding the development of human life. On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Northern Illinois University’s STEM Café will present “More Fun than a...

Pettee Guerrero is the embodiment of a STEM Diva. An educator with NIU STEM Outreach in the Center for P-20 Engagement, Guerrero lives for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). She has an infectious enthusiasm for both STEM learning and NIU that is on full display in her high-energy demonstrations. She can be seen on...

Last year’s polar vortex caused some of the most severe winter weather Illinois has seen in the past 50 years, and the recent cold snap has everyone wondering what this winter will bring. Is the polar vortex part of global warming or proof that it doesn’t exist? STEM Café invites you to find out at...