More NIU scientists named
to Antarctic geologic drilling program
   Two additional NIU professors have been selected to participate in the $30 million drilling project known as ANDRILL.
The international effort endeavors to recover geologic records buried beneath the Antarctic sea to gain a better understanding of contemporary global warming trends.
Professors Reed Scherer and Melissa Lenczewski in the NIU Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences will join their NIU colleague, Ross Powell, as participating scientists on the project. Powell is co-leader of the U.S. contingent of ANDRILL scientists.
NIU Ph.D. student Matt Olney and NIU research associates Stefan Vogel and Charlotte Sjunneskog also were named to the ANDRILL team. Powell said the NIU scientists are seeking funding for three additional graduate- and undergraduate-level participants from NIU.
FULL STORY
 The national outcry over the response to Hurricane Katrina has intensified the call for greater professionalism in the field of emergency management, and Northern Illinois University is taking steps to meet that need.
The NIU Homeland Security Task Force, a cross-functional group of faculty drawn from 12 departments across four colleges, is working to create undergraduate- and graduate-level certificates in disaster preparedness and response.
To date, more than 40 classes that potentially could be part of such certificates have been culled from the university's existing course catalogue. The classes cover fields as diverse as political science and industrial technology.
“Emergency planners need to know a little bit about a lot of things and, more importantly, when or where to turn for help in each of those fields when the need arises,” said Professor of Technology Dennis Cesarotti, a member of the task force spearheading the effort.
FULL STORY
 Most first-year teachers with NIU degrees believe they were prepared well to teach their primary subject areas and to implement developmentally appropriate instruction.
Nearly 98 percent say they feel they meet the Illinois Professional Learning Standards regarding education as a profession and its benchmarks of professional conduct. Ninety-two percent say they are achieving the role of the teacher as a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates and whose actions affect the learning community. Ninety percent say they use effective communication to foster active engagement in learning and self-motivation.
They also give good grades to their classroom instruction at NIU and their pre-service clinical experiences.
“Our students do tell us that they feel really well-prepared for entry into the profession, and that's good feedback. We're obviously on the right track,” said NIU Vice Provost Earl “Gip” Seaver. “We do need to look further at the results and dig deeper into the numbers. There's always room for improvement, and things change over time. This hopefully allows us to be pro-active as well.”
Released Thursday at a press conference in Springfield, the first Teacher Graduate Assessment Project was directed by the Illinois Association of Deans of Public Colleges of Education (IADPCE) in collaboration with the Illinois Teacher Data Warehouse.
FULL STORY
 Type Jon Ashmann's name into Google, and the top result is a 2002 piece about the NIU art professor's struggle with a rare and insidious disease.
The story from NIU's faculty-staff newsletter details Ashmann's struggle to fight back from Pan Vasculitis, Polyarteritis Nodosaa, a multi-system disorder that has caused extreme pain in his hands and feet and has diminished his vision sharply.
As the article reveals, he won some personal victories despite prolonged symptoms.
“I'm still alive,” Ashmann says with genuine pride three years later. “I still suffer poor vision and a lot of pain – that hasn't really changed – but a lot has happened since then.”
FULL STORY
 A semi-annual event first intended merely to fill space in the Jack Olson Gallery's calendar is taking on a greater significance this week.
“Black Box: Displacement,” an exhibition and silent auction held Tuesday, Nov. 8, through Thursday, Nov. 10, will feature works inspired by the recent hurricanes that ravaged much of the South.
All proceeds from the silent auction, which closes at 6 p.m. Thursday, will benefit the Southern Arts Federation Emergency Relief Fund. The federation established the fund to assist arts organizations and artists residing in Gulf Coast communities most devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
FULL STORY
 NIU engineering students who compete in vehicle design and racing events got a lift this fall from Caterpillar Corp.
The Peoria-based maker of heavy machinery, engines and other products made a gift of $6,000 to the college's NIU MotorSports Team for the purchase of a trailer to transport their vehicles to competitions around the country.
The team, part of the NIU student chapter of the Society of Automotive and Aerospace Engineers, competes in two classes of competition sponsored by SAE: formula (open wheel) and mini Baja (dune buggy-style). Both competitions provide student engineers the experience of conceiving, designing, fabricating and competing race cars.
The gift, said Promod Vohra, dean of the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, is just the latest example of the generous support provided to the college by Caterpillar.
FULL STORY
 Several events on campus will mark International Education Week at NIU, including a reception recognizing the university's Outstanding International Educator for 2005 and a presentation by a visiting Fulbright scholar from the Gaza Strip on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week is celebrated on campuses nationwide Nov. 14 to 18.
“The week gives us a unique opportunity to promote the benefits of international education and exchange and to express appreciation for students and scholars who study and teach here,” said Deborah Pierce, executive director of International Programs at NIU. “We commend all at NIU who build and strengthen bridges of international understanding by organizing and participating in exchange programs.”
FULL STORY
 The Center for Southeast Asian Studies is hosting a delegation of emerging religious and lay leaders from Thailand and the Philippines.
The delegation will arrive on Thursday, Nov. 10, and stay on campus until Sunday, Nov. 13, for a series of tours, lectures and cultural events. Delegation members include a journalist, student activist and university professor from Thailand as well as a Catholic priest, community health worker, Chamber of Commerce director and community organizer from the Philippines.
Tours will include visits to a mosque, the Hope Haven homeless shelter in DeKalb, the NIU Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the NIU Center for Burma Studies, the NIU Anthropology Museum and the Donn V. Hart Southeast Asia Collection at Founders Memorial Library.
The visit from the delegation is part of the “Observation Study Tour on Religion and Society in the United States” arranged by The Asia Foundation.
FULL STORY
 Two alumni of the NIU School of Music performed Tuesday, Nov. 1, on NBC's “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
Baritone saxophonist Tony Kidonakis and alto saxophonist Rich Moore helped to flesh out the live sound of The Redwalls, an up-and-coming rock 'n' roll band from Chicago. The trio also includes tenor saxophonist Jeff Snyder, who plays with Kidonakis in the Chicago swing band The Rhythm Rockets.
“Words can't describe how cool this is. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Moore, who plays professionally with jazz and salsa groups around Chicago and teaches private lessons. “To be able to perform in a situation like this is huge. All my friends were going to be watching.”
FULL STORY
 David Bleich, a noted author and professor of English at the University of Rochester, will deliver a public lecture at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in Room 211 of Reavis Hall at NIU.
Bleich is a sought-after speaker whose research specialties include literature, literacy, teaching, language use, feminist philosophy, science studies and Jewish studies. His work examines the way literature lives in communities and societies, the problems of language and truth-telling in interpersonal and social contexts, and the challenge of making schools into more successful institutions.
Bleich has penned a number of influential books, including “Subjective Criticism,” “The Double Perspective: Language, Literature, and Social Relations” and “Know and Tell: A Writing Pedagogy of Disclosure, Genre, and Membership.”
FULL STORY
 Read good news about – and send congratulations to – Brian Hemphill, Jack Marchewka and Carol Scheidenhelm.
FULL STORY |
|
Save the date: NIU will host a Holiday Open House at historic Altgeld Hall from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16. A dessert reception and entertainment will be featured.
Several events are scheduled for Deaf Awareness Week 2005 at NIU.
All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted, and are free and open to the public. Events are co-sponsored by: CAAR, COMD, DeafPride, Illinois Teachers of Hard of Hearing/Deaf Individuals (ITHI), Latino Resource Center, Program for Hearing Impaired, and Unity in Diversity (UID).
For more information, e-mail Jenifer Montag at jmontag@niu.edu or Maggie Cormier at mcormier@niu.edu.
Monday, Nov. 7: Carl Sandburg Auditorium, Holmes Student Center, “Personal Journeys.” Join the NIU community as we travel with our deaf community neighbors on their voyages through cultural landscapes. Enjoy the panel discussing first-hand life being deaf in two different cultures.
Tuesday, Nov. 8: Regency Room, Holmes Student Center, “Travel to DeafTown.” Come participate in a town of the deaf and complete your assigned tasks without the benefit of voice.
Wednesday, Nov. 9: Duke Ellington Ballroom, Holmes Student Center, “Deaf Nations Sign.” Learn signs of other cultures to expand your horizons and sign skills. Videos of native foreign sign languages will be shown and discussed.
9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10: Carl Sandburg Auditorium, Holmes Student Center, “Voyages! Sign Sync Performances.” Be an armchair traveler as you watch your classmates and friends “sign” their favorite songs – you don't even have to have a passport.
Friday, Nov. 11: Carl Sandburg Auditorium, Holmes Student Center, “One Woman's Deaf Voyage,” co-sponsored by Latino Resource Center. Meet a woman who has experienced many journeys into deaf and hearing nations as she has grown from a Latino, deaf child, growing up in foster homes, to earning a Ph.D. and becoming a deaf professional, a professor at University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She will share with you her “voyage” through life.
The Paideia Projects, a not-for-profit educational organization, wil screen its third video presentation Monday, Nov. 7, for NIU and the greater DeKalb community. This year’s theme is the influence of ancient Greece on the American founding fathers.
The presentation begins at 7 p.m. in the Cole Hall auditorium.
Produced by NIU Media Serivces, the script was written by Carl Richard, professor of intellectual and cultural history of ancient Greece and Rome. The script was based on the author’s PhD. dissertation on the classics and the founders, which was published by Harvard University Press and received positive reviews, including an award from the American Historical Society.
The Friends of the NIU Libraries invite the public to attend “Editing History: The Griffith Letters and the Civil War,” presented by Joan Metzger at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Metzger will read excerpts from her book, “The Griffith Letters: The Story of Frank Griffith and the 116th New York Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War,” and discuss how she went about editing the letters.
The Griffith family letters are contained in one of the collections located in the Regional History Center where Metzger has been the assistant university archivist for the past 10 years. She will have autographed copies of her book available for purchase.
The program will be held in the staff lounge located on the lower level of Founders Memorial Library. Free parking might be available after 7 p.m. in the visitor's parking lot on Carroll Avenue.
Call (815) 753-8091 for more information. An opportunity for discussion and light refreshments will follow the presentation.
The NIU School of Art's visiting artist-scholar program presents a lecture by Robert Ousterhout on “The Sanctity of Place and the Sanctity of Buildings: Jerusalem vs. Constantinople” at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in Room 100 of the Art Building.
Ousterhout is a professor of Byzantine architectural history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The event is free and open to the public. Free event parking is provided in the parking lot on the south side of Jack Arends Hall from 4:45 to 7 p.m.
The NIU Art Gallery in Chicago announces “Pan/Sonic,” a group exhibition that will run Friday, Nov. 11, through Saturday, Dec. 17, with a public reception for the artists from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11. All gallery events and programs are free and open to the public.
Participating artists Kristin Bly, Sheree Hovsepian, Rashid Johnson, Eduwardo Kac, Heidi Norton, Kaz Oshiro and Todd Pavlisko comment on how constant streams of information and increased technological innovations have shaped Americans' understanding of identity, race, ethnicity and self.
Through a visual exchange of ideas, the artists encourage civic responsibility and aim to expose and correct social ills propelled by inherently flawed systems. While in the gallery, the viewers literally find themselves immersed in a wash of sound and visual stimulation.
The NIU Art Gallery is located at 215 W. Superior , third floor. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The gallery is closed Nov. 23 through 26. Click here or call (312) 642-6010 for more information.
The project was funded in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, friends of the NIU Art Museum and Arts Fund 21.
The University Bookstore's 10-percent discount policy for faculty and staff now includes clothing and souvenirs, supplementing already-discounted text and trade books, art supplies and most school supplies.
Purchases can be made at any cash register, including satellite stores at the Convocation Center and the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center. Please bring your OneCard for identification. Department charge discounts remain the same.
For more information, call (815) 753-9880.
Season tickets for the Huskie men's and women's basketball teams are on sale, and fans of the women's team can enjoy “Back to the Future” pricing.
In honor of new head coach Carol Owens, and for this season only, season tickets to the women's squad are based on the prices for the 1989-90 Hall of Fame team. Packages are $40 for the public and $33 for seniors, faculty and staff.
Packages for the men's team are $99 for the public and $80 for seniors, faculty and staff.
To buy tickets, call (815) 752-6800 or log onto www.niuhuskies.com.
The NIU Chemistry Club will hold its annual glassblowing demonstration Tuesday, Nov. 15. It will feature the work of chemistry department glassblower, Dan Edwards. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Room 143 of Faraday Hall. It is open to the public.
“This is an opportunity to see a master of the art at work,” said Michael Spires, coordinator for recruitment and public relations for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “It's fascinating to watch as Edwards turns an ordinary glass rod into a sparkling icicle, or a hummingbird perched on a stylized tree. It's great fun for the whole family, from children to adults.”
A glass sale will be held after the demonstration, where items made by Edwards will be available for purchase. They will include Christmas ornaments, icicles, small animals and beaker mugs. The sale will continue on the following day, Wednesday, Nov. 16, in the Faraday West lobby.
“All of the items Edwards makes throughout the year will be sold at this event. They make great gifts,” Spires said. “The prices are reasonable and all the proceeds go to support our students. Everybody wins in a situation like that.”
All of the money earned will help support various activities held by the NIU Chemistry Club, an American Chemical Society student program and pre-professional program that promotes the chemistry field to undergraduate students.
Parking for the event will be available after 7 p.m. in the NIU Parking Garage on Normal Road . The parking facility is located across the street from Faraday Hall West. For more information on the demonstration, contact Michael Spires at (815) 753-1133.
The Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center and Human Resource Services are offering grants up to $1,000 each to Supportive Professional Staff (SPS) pursuing professional development activities that benefit the individuals as well as their academic units.
Proposal guidelines and other information are available here.
Five copies of each proposal, including other relevant documents, must be submitted to the SPS Awards Committee, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, by Friday, Nov. 18, for activities proposed between January and June 2006.
The Greater Kishwaukee Area Concert Band will present a holiday concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, at Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the NIU Music Building.
Conductor John Hansen has put together a wonderful program of popular holiday music guaranteed to instill the spirit of the season. The concert is free and accessible by all.
A printable abridged version of Northern Today is available. --CLICK HERE |
