NIU Today

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,...

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. Do you have a desire to help students who are just beginning their journeys in the world of research? Mentor Matching Engine is looking for mentors like you. The Mentor Matching Engine is an online platform designed to connect professors and teachers with high school students to help mentor them...

The Illinois Science & Technology Coalition – NIU President Doug Baker serves as chair of the board – realized unprecedented growth and impact in 2014 that strengthened Illinois’ position as a hub for innovation. Created by the State of Illinois 25 years ago as a public-private partnership, ISTC now harnesses a network of more than 40 academic,...

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...

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that STEMfest is a blast for children of all ages. With a record crowd of more than 7,500 visitors, NIU’s annual mega-sized science fair celebrated the wonders of science, technology, engineering and math in grand fashion at the Convocation Center Saturday, Oct. 18. The five-year anniversary of...

What does physics have to do with football? Find out Tuesday, Oct. 28, when STEM Café presents “Even More Physics of Football.” This encore presentation of the crowd-pleasing “Physics of Football” presentation will provide a thought-provoking look into the science behind one of our country’s most popular and physical sports. Armchair quarterbacks and science geeks...

Jennifer Schmidt and Lee Shumow wrote the book – literally – for teachers seeking the best ways to motivate high school students to learn and love science. Now the educational psychology professors from the NIU College of Education are turning their attention to after-school and summer projects that enroll underserved and underrepresented youth. Schmidt and...

Prepare to be amazed! NIU’s annual STEMfest will once again wow visitors of all ages at the Convocation Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. This free family event spurs students, families, and educators to explore hot new technologies and cool scientific phenomena. Exhibitors from NIU’s 25 STEM departments as well as...

Argonne National Laboratory invites undergraduate students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields to attend the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, this event provides undergraduates the unique opportunity to present their research and connect with other students in their fields while visiting a world-class research...

NIU’s PROMISE Scholars Program presented highlights of the program’s progress to a National Science Foundation review team in the spring. All award recipients are required during their third-year review in Washington, D.C., to present their progress. Funded in 2011 by a five-year, $2 million grant from the NSF, the “Providing Resources and Opportunity to Maximize...