Five medical professionals from the Congo
training in HIV-AIDS prevention at NIU

NIU is hosting five medical professionals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who hope their time spent in DeKalb can lessen the devastating blow of HIV and AIDS to their countrymen.

An estimated 1.3 million people have the HIV infection while AIDS has killed 120,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control, which accounts for a prevalence rate of nearly 5 percent. The prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the United States is less than 1 percent.

Ngoyi K. Zacharie Bukonda, an associate professor in the School of Allied Health Professions in the NIU College of Health and Human Sciences who counts family and friends among the dead, received a grant for $100,000 from the United States Agency for International Development to support the project.

The group from the Congo – Bukonda’s country of origin – arrived Saturday to begin two weeks of training primarily to develop an infection control education program they will implement in their country to improve the attitudes, knowledge and skills of health care professionals in the area of HIV infection control.

“I am very concerned about the plight of the African population in this era of HIV and AIDS,” Bukonda said. “I’ve had the chance to visit many hospitals there. Everywhere I went, I saw HIV killing people. I can make a difference, and I know NIU can make a difference.”

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The Northern Illinois University College of Engineering and Engineering Technology has been invited to participate in the creation of a new research center to test ultra-hard coatings for materials.

The Center for Tribology and Coatings will be operated as a not-for-profit entity by Falex Corp., which has asked CEET to be partner in the project. CTC is in line for a grant from the Department of Defense to create the center, but is awaiting final approval of the appropriation.

“We are very excited at the opportunity to partner with Falex, which has literally set the international standards for test methods and equipment in this important field,” said CEET Dean Promod Vohra, who sits on the board of directors of the center.

“This center will provide research opportunities for our faculty, particularly in mechanical engineering, and it will create research and internship opportunities for students,” Vohra said. “We are always mindful of serving the needs of our region, and coatings are fast becoming of critical importance to manufacturers. Participation in the CTC will help us to become a leader in this field.”

Falex considers NIU an important participant in the CTC, said Andrew Faville, president and CEO of Falex Corp.

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Dating from the 7th through 20th centuries, some of the most stunning sculptures, tapestries and manuscripts from the NIU collection of Burmese Buddhist artworks are on display at the Art Museum in Altgeld Hall.

The exhibition will continue through June of 2005.

“It’s wonderful to see the hidden treasures of the Burmese arts,” says Catherine Raymond, curator of the exhibition titled, “The World of Burmese Buddhism.”

Raymond, a historian of Asian art and native of France, came to NIU two years ago to serve as director of the NIU Center for Burma Studies. “I was teaching in Paris, but I came here for this collection, because it is so extraordinary,” Raymond says.

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The manufacturing Systems Research Group at NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology has received a $100,000 grant from Illinois Department of Natural Resources to focus on environmentally conscious manufacturing.

Nourredine Boubekri, a professor of industrial engineering and director of manufacturing research, innovation and training at CEET, secured the grant and is principle investigator on the project with Behrooz Fallahi from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Their aim is to investigate the effectiveness of mico lubrication in machining and the resulting environmental and health effects.

Specifically, their work will focus on reducing the amount of cutting fluid used in machining operations.

More than 100 million gallons of metal working fluids are used in the United States each year, exposing about 1.2 million employees to potential health hazards.

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NIU’s student-run newspaper, The Northern Star, has earned headlines of its own.

The paper’s Wednesday, Nov. 3, issue – the morning after Election Day, it featured coverage only a few hours old when it hit the streets – won “Best of Show” honors for four-year daily tabloids at the National College Media Convention held the weekend of Nov. 5 in Nashville.

NSRadio’s coverage of a Huskie football game captured second-place honors in a category where the rivals consisted of solely college radio stations rather than an online broadcast operated by a student newspaper.

Finally, the Star’s nationally lauded Web site – www.northernstar.info – was among a dozen schools that collected Online Pacemaker awards, the collegiate equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize.

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The NIU Chemistry Club will sponsor its annual glassblowing demonstration and sale at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, in Faraday Hall 143.

Slated to last an hour, the demonstration will be conducted by master glassblower Dan Edwards of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Edwards designs, manufactures and repairs much of the scientific glassware used by the department for instruction and research.

In his spare time, Edwards also creates art pieces (such as Christmas tree ornaments and small sculptures) and the famous “beaker mugs.” The Chem Club sells those pieces each fall to raise money for its activities on behalf of chemistry majors and interested chemistry students throughout the academic year.

Items created during the demonstration, and others prepared in advance, will be on sale before and after the demonstration outside the auditorium.

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GroupWise users soon will notice something different about their in-boxes.

Spam is a problem for all organizations, not just NIU. Conservative estimates are that the average user in a business environment receives 10 spam messages every day, accounting for 28 percent of their incoming mail. Based on NIU’s student, faculty and staff population, and using this estimate, NIU would have 300,000 pieces of spam e-mail wasting bandwidth, storage space and precious time.

Many recipients of spam are offended by the content of the subject lines or graphic content of the messages. Often, spam messages host Trojan-type viruses that could infect the systems of users who unwittingly open them. Creators of spam are growing increasingly clever to trick recipients into opening their messages.

In March, Information Technology Services began to test an affordable spam software solution called CanIT-Pro, by Roaring Penguin Enterprises, a company dedicated to spam science. CanIT-Pro not only allows broad administrative control over known spam, it allows end-users to further customize their own black and white lists as an added protective measure.

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2005 calendars available

Poster-size calendars for 2005 will be available soon from NIUTel.

These calendars are marked with academic dates and holiday and administrative closures. Quantities are limited, so please e-mail NIUTel via GroupWise to reserve calendars for your office soon. You will be notified when they are ready for pick-up.

Ethics training deadline
looms Wednesday

All university faculty, staff, graduate assistants and student workers (full-time, part-time, regular and temporary) are reminded that they must complete mandatory ethics training under the Illinois State Officials and Employees Ethics Act by Wednesday, Nov. 17.

Employees who have not yet completed this online training are reminded that the law requires that this training be completed during the established training period. Penalties and fines could result from failure to complete the training.

To date, more than 6,000 employees have completed the training. The remaining employees will be contacted by the supervisor, dean or vice president. The university administration acknowledges all the employees who have worked to keep Northern in compliance with this law.

If you have questions about how to complete ethics training, call 753-6039, or email EthicsTraining@niu.edu. Complete information is available on the Human Resource Services website, and further information is available through Information Technology Services at 753-8100.

Speaker on Middle East
to visit campus Wednesday

Solving the conflict between Palestine and Israel is often called the linchpin to peace in the Middle East.

Was that conflict the major reason for our attack on Iraq, as some Middle East scholars maintain? How will Yassar Arafat’s death affect the chances for peace with Israel? Will Sharon’s proposal for withdrawal from Jewish settlements in Gaza lead only to more settlements and increased violence in the West Bank?

Ali Abinimah, a prominent Chicago writer and commentator on Middle East affairs, will address these and other issues at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, in the Lincoln Room of Holmes Student Center. His address will include recommendations for ending the seemingly intractable violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The public is invited to Abinamah’s presentation, sponsored by the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace & Justice and the Northern Coalition for Peace and Justice. For information, call Cele Meyer (815) 758-0796 or 753-6408. -- MORE

NIU Campus Child Care
has pre-school openings

The NIU Campus Child Care Center has openings for preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5) for the upcoming spring semester. The program has been accredited through the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs since 1992.

The center employs teachers with degrees in early childhood education and maintain high quality group sizes and teacher/child ratios. Teachers help children learn the skills they need to be successful in school. Call 753-0125 to receive a preschool program brochure or visit www.ccc.niu.edu for detailed information about the overall program.

Applications for the spring semester can be picked up at the center or mailed out as of Friday, Nov. 19.

Graduate School seeks
nominees for honorary degrees

NIU’s Graduate School has issued its annual call for nominations for honorary doctoral degrees. Nominations are due Friday, Dec. 17, to Rathindra N. Bose, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School.

Past recipients include Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, distinguished historian Arthur Schlessinger Jr., the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, the late astronomer Carl Sagan, the late poet Gwendolyn Brooks and the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun.

Awarding an honorary degree is an opportunity to recognize someone especially outstanding in a field of interest to the university. It is necessary, though not sufficient, for a nominee to be accomplished or renowned in his or her field; an honorary degree recipient should be clearly exceptional among other outstanding persons in that field.

While a connection to NIU or to the State of Illinois is not a requirement for nomination, any such relationships should be noted and will be considered during the selection process. -- MORE

Alumni Association seeks
nominees for awards

The Alumni Association is seeking nominations for its 2005 Alumni Association Awards Program.

The program recognizes graduates who have achieved national, regional or statewide prominence either in their professional fields or through their involvement in civic, cultural, or charitable activities. The nomination deadline is Dec. 10, and all awards will be presented April 21, 2005.

Nomination forms are available online from www.myniu.com or by contacting the Alumni Association at alums@niu.edu or at 753-1452. -- MORE

Awards available
for student leaders

The Office of University Programming and Activities is giving out rewards for student leaders.

Each year Programming & Activities offers Leadership Awards for students who have shown outstanding participation and leadership in student organizations, thereby significantly enhancing the quality of campus life. The awards recognize the initiative, hard work, and dedication that students put into their activities outside of class. The awards bestow honor and recognition, and in some cases, money.

Leadership Awards are available for freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate students. There is also a category for outstanding student organization.

In addition, the Division of Student Services annually awards institutional tuition waivers to talented and special students based on their campus involvement, contributions to the quality of campus life, and potential for future achievement. Students also can nominate faculty and staff for the Outstanding Faculty Advisor award.

Students can apply for the awards by filling out an application form available at the Programming & Activities Office, Campus Life Building 150. Forms can also be downloaded from the Programming and Activities here www.stuaff.niu.edu/upa/lead.htm. Applications must be supported by two letters of recommendation.

The application deadline is 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. Students will be notified of results in March, and awards will be presented April 18 at the annual Campus Leadership Awards Ceremony.

Law Library announces
end-of-semester hours

The David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library has announced its hours for the end of the semester and the beginning of the new year.

The library is closed Thursday, Nov. 25, through Saturday, Nov. 27, for the Thanksgiving recess. The library also is closed from Friday, Dec. 24, through Sunday, Jan. 2, for winter break.

Hours Wednesday, Nov. 24, are 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., and hours Sunday, Nov. 28 are noon to 11:30 p.m. Hours from Saturday, Dec. 4, to Tuesday, Dec. 21, are 7:15 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:15 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays.

Hours for Wednesday, Dec. 22, are 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hours for Thursday, Dec. 23, are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hours for Monday, Jan. 3, through Sunday, Jan. 16, are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. The library is open from 1 to 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17.

For more information, call 753-0507.

NIU Lifelong Learning Institute sponsors
New York Theatre Weekend Jan. 15-17

NIU's Lifelong Learning Institute, along with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department of English, are sponosring a New York Theater Weekend from Jan. 15 to 17. Diane L. Swanson, an associate professor in the English Department, and Steven Johnson, director of External Program in the college, are the guides.

The cost is $845 per person (or $745 before Dec. 1). The price includes accommodations in a great mid-town Manhattan hotel, two Broadway shows and two tours: one of Manhattan and one of the Museum of Modern Art. The group also will enjoy a special private welcome dinner at Sardi's.

Travelers can attend a 'dress rehearsal' just prior to the trip (the date will be announced later) to become more familiar with the itinerary, faculty, and the city itself. Call 753-5200 for more information.

Convo Center welcomes
Larry the Cable Guy

“Blue-collar” comedian Larry the Cable Guy will visit the NIU Convocation Center at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21.

Tickets are $33.25 for NIU students with an ID (limit two) and $38.25 for the general public. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19. Tickets are available at the Convocation Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (312) 559-1212, or visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

--CLICK HERE