We all know adolescents get testy from time to time. Thank goodness we don't have young tyrannosaurs running around the neighborhood.
In a new scientific paper, researchers from NIU and the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford report that adolescent tyrannosaurs got into some serious scraps with their peers.
The evidence can be found on Jane, the museum’s prized juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, discovered in 2001 in Montana.
Jane’s fossils show that she sustained a serious bite that punctured through the bone of the dinosaur’s left upper jaw and snout in four places, the researchers report. The injury wasn’t life threatening and eventually healed over, according to the scientists. The bite did leave scars, however.
“Jane has what we call a boxer’s nose,” says Joe Peterson, an NIU Ph.D. candidate in geology and lead author of the study published in the November issue of the journal, Palaios. “Her snout bends slightly to the left. It was probably broken and healed back crooked.”
The researchers determined that another juvenile tyrannosaur was responsible for the injury.
“Only a few animals could have inflicted the wound,” Peterson says, noting that the bite marks were oblong-shaped. A crocodile or an adult T. rex would have left different types of bite marks.
“When we looked at the jaw and teeth of Jane, we realized her bite would have produced a very close match to the injuries on her own face,” Peterson says. “That leads us to believe she was attacked by a member of the same species that was about the same age. Because the wound had healed, we think this happened when Jane was possibly a few years younger.”
Peterson and Mike Henderson, curator of earth sciences at the Burpee Museum and also a Ph.D. candidate in geology at NIU, were members of the museum group that unearthed the pristine dinosaur skeleton. NIU Presidential Research Professor Reed Scherer, also among the new study’s authors, worked as an adviser on the find.
“What’s unique about this work is we learn something very, very specific about juvenile dinosaur behavior,” Scherer says. “This was an animal about the same size that attacked Jane. Whether it was a sibling or from a rival group, we don’t know, but it’s fun to speculate.”
The sex of Jane, who was named after a museum donor, is unknown. The dinosaur was young when it died, but the Burpee Museum’s display leaves no doubt that it was still a creature to be reckoned with. Twenty-two feet long and 7-1/2 feet high at the hip, the young dinosaur tipped the scales at about 1,500 pounds. And it was built to kill, with 71 serrated teeth.
Still, Jane was vastly smaller than an adult T. rex. After much study and consultation with leading U.S. dinosaur experts, Henderson, who led the Montana expeditions, announced in 2006 that Jane was a late juvenile T. rex, about 11 or 12 years old.
“The study of the bite marks on Jane’s face demonstrates that even at a young age this dinosaur was engaging in some pretty serious combat,” Peterson says. He likened the animal to an adolescent that hadn’t quite reached what would have been a huge growth spurt.
The puncture wounds were first noticed several years after the dinosaur was discovered.
“When Jane’s skull was found, the bones were disarticulated, or in pieces,” Peterson says. “I was examining the casts of the skull bones. I saw that when the left maxilla (upper jawbone) was pieced together, it had more holes in it than the right side. And there was a pattern to the gaps in the side of the face.
“The surface of the face and edges around the puncture marks were smooth, indicating that there hadn’t been a fresh break there and the wounds must have healed over while the animal was alive,” he adds.
Dr. Christopher Vittore, a Burpee Museum board member and radiologist at Rockford Memorial Hospital, who also contributed to the study in Palaios, took CT scans of the fossils and confirmed Peterson’s hypothesis.
“CT scans demonstrated that the holes are most consistent with traumatic puncture injuries that had significant time for healing,” Vittore says.
“Complete bone healing requires time for bone remodeling, and CT images show the internal structure of the bone adjacent to the puncture lesions,” Vittore adds. “The internal character of the bone showed the injuries occurred significantly earlier in the animal’s life, and there was time for healing. It also confirmed that there were no other abnormalities in the bone adjacent to the lesions.”
Because the dinosaur had not reached maturity, the researchers concluded that the combat was not likely over sexual conflict or competition but might have been a learning behavior for young dinosaurs prompted by a show of dominance or territorial dispute.
Peterson says other adolescent animals, particularly juvenile crocodiles, exhibit such fighting behavior.
“It's common to find similar puncture marks on young crocodiles,” he says. “We can look at the behavior of these modern living ancestors of dinosaurs and get a good idea of what was going on here.”
A recent study suggested that, in some dinosaurs, apparent bite marks are actually holes in the skull caused by a parasite. Researchers speculated that such a parasitic infection might have led to the demise of Sue, the famous T. rex at the Field Museum in Chicago.
NIU researchers don’t believe a parasite caused Jane’s injuries.
“The parasite that has been described causes lesions on the lower jaw,” Peterson says. “With Jane, the lesions are on the actual face and are not the same type of structures we see on Sue.”
FULL STORY >>
When Greg Beyer floated the idea of entering the NIU Percussion Ensemble in a contest to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Robert Chappell wasn’t so sure.
“The competition is very, very nasty,” Chappell said, “to say the least.”
But the decision to enter proved a good one.
NIU’s ensemble has earned one of only three “showcase” spots reserved for university groups – Yale University and the University of North Texas claimed the others – and will enjoy a major stage Thursday, Nov. 12.
More than 5,000 drummers and percussionists from around the world are expected in Indianapolis for the convention and can enjoy the distinctive, worldly and original sounds rooted in rural DeKalb.
“It’s kind of nice to be in that same territory as Yale and North Texas,” said Chappell, a Distinguished Teaching Professor and head of percussion studies.
“What we want to do for this concert is present new music. We don’t want to go there and play things people have heard before. We want to feature the unique things that NIU does – or that other schools don’t do in the same way.”
Local audiences can enjoy a sneak preview of that showcase tonight.
The ensemble will present its annual fall concert at 8 p.m. in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall. The concert is free and open to the public, and the auditorium is accessible to all. Tonight’s performance also is scheduled for webcast.
It’s a feast for the ears and the eyes.
“We strike everything. We move like dancers. The physical power of the instruments is strong and loud, and the way people play them is always fascinating,” Chappell said. “You play the berimbau with a stick; hand drums with hands. We have one piece where people are pouring water from one bucket to another. There are so many sonic structures we can use, and there’s always something unusual. It’s not like you’re going to hear Mozart. Each piece is unique.”
Topping the bill is the world premiere of “Forward Together Forward,” composed by NIU percussion studies alum Ben Wahlund.
Wahlund, who has won numerous national and international composition competitions, captures NIU’s strength and resolve after Feb. 14, 2008. His work pits the daily commotion of a college campus against the theme of unity through tragedy, eventually joining them as a source of spiritual and positive energy.
“Ben wanted a piece that reflected the spirit of NIU and how we really had to pull together to come through the Feb. 14 tragedy,” Chappell said. “It’s got all these rhythmic things going on and almost a church chorale going on in the background.”
Beyer will perform two works he commissioned for berimbau, a ground bow instrument from Brazil, titled “Rotations” and “Repercusio.”
“Greg is the berimbau expert in North America,” Chappell said. “He’s taken this humble instrument and is finding composers to write pieces for it.”
Chappell composed concert closer “Vadya Kecceri” – literally translated as a rhythmic contest between two instruments – with tabla drums from north India and tassa drums from Trinidad and Tobago as the main rivals.
Percussion student Mia Gormandy, who Chappell calls “the female Liam Teague,” will perform a steelpan solo as part of the “musical curry.”
Chappell purchased “a bunch” of tassa drums, played on the streets on the Port of Spain, with money received from his Presidential Teaching Professor award a few years ago. “We’re the only North American university that I know of that has this type of ensemble,” he said.
Such exclusivity is most likely short-lived, however; the world of percussion is evolving and expanding.
“When I was in school, the literature for percussion was really pretty sparse, shall we say,” Chappell said. “Over the years, people have commissioned more works, and there’s almost a standard literature now. They run the gamut from drumming tunes – the power of drumming – to more esoteric sounds to world music, such as the Brazilian samba and the Indian tabla.”
For more information, call (815) 753-7973 or e-mail rchappell@niu.edu.
The Illinois Senate gave its approval Thursday of Gov. Pat Quinn’s appointment of Manuel “Manny” Sanchez to a third term on the Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees.
Sanchez, of Lisle, has served on the board since its inception in 1995 and was its chair from 2001 until 2003. He currently serves as chair of the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee; and as vice chair of the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee.
News of the reappointment was welcomed on campus.
“Manny has always been a tireless advocate for the university and one of its most vocal supporters. He has helped guide the university through good times and through some of our darkest hours over the last 14 years and we are grateful that he will be with us as we confront a new set of challenges in the 21st century,” NIU President John Peters said.
An alumnus of NIU, Sanchez graduated in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He earned his juris doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974 and went on to found what is now Sanchez Daniels and Hoffman LLP, the second-largest minority-owned law firm in the United States.
He has been a vital and visible force on campus, whether testifying at budget hearings or cheering on Huskie athletic teams. He has worked tirelessly to keep education affordable and has made noteworthy contributions to the development of the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies on campus.
All of these things make Sanchez a vital piece of the board, said Marc Strauss, who currently chairs the NIU Board of Trustees. “Manny is a distinguished alum, a valued colleague and an outspoken supporter of NIU. I couldn’t be more pleased that he has been confirmed for another term.”
Sanchez’s work at NIU is one of many examples of his public service.
In addition, he has served on the United Way/Crusade of Mercy Board of Directors, co-chaired Chicago United and helped found the Mexican American Lawyers Association and the Latin American Bar Association. He has served as a trustee for Illinois Benedictine College, St. Ignatius College Prep and sits the Board of Overseers at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Among his many awards and honors, Sanchez received the International Rauol Wallenburg Humanitarian Award in 1998 and the John Woodworth Leslie Humanitarian Award in 1997. He and his family were named the Illinois Hispanic Family of the Year in 1990.
Sanchez said he is excited to continue his service to NIU.
“I am grateful to Gov. Quinn for nominating me to another term on the board and for the senate’s approval,” he said. “It is an honor and a privilege to continue serving my alma mater, and I look forward to continuing the tremendous roll that the university has been on under the leadership of Dr. Peters.”
Kevin Ballantine’s blog races right to the point.
“I’m Kevin Ballantine. As of 2/18/09, I was a typical college student with a slight headache and a penchant for naps,” it begins. “24 hours later, I was a diagnosed with leukemia. This is my story.”
Ballantine is a son of NIU chemistry professor David S. Ballantine and an NIU student. He and his father will share their life lessons at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the Stevenson Hall Multipurpose Room.
Their presentation, titled “Life’s Top 10 – Lists from Two Perspectives,” is inspired by NIU’s 2009 Common Reading Experience selection, “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch and Jeffery Zaslow.
Pausch, a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006 and presented his “last lecture” Sept. 18, 2007. Pausch’s upbeat attitude and life lessons are chronicled in his book, which has become a worldwide best seller.
A 2007 DeKalb High School graduate and cancer survivor, Kevin Ballantine has been an inspirational figure to many during his battle with leukemia. To read more about him, visit his blog: “The Uphill March: Confessions of a Leukemic Optimist.”
Professor Ballantine has been teaching chemistry at NIU for 20 years. He currently serves as the director of Undergraduate Studies in Chemistry and Biochemistry, is faculty adviser for the NIU Chemistry Club and has received the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.
Wednesday’s event is sponsored by Orientation & First-Year Experience.
For more information, contact Danielle Kuglin Seago, assistant director of Orientation & First-Year Experience, at (815) 753-1933 or dkuglin@niu.edu.
Every Veterans Day provides a time for somber reflection, but this year’s remembrance comes amid sobering news.
October marked the deadliest month for the U.S. military since the war in Afghanistan began exactly eight years earlier.
As the United States mourns those 58 casualties, and as White House leaders ponder troop levels, NIU veterans and the campus community can participate in a week’s worth of activities in honor of Veterans Day.
Events begin Thursday, Nov. 5, with a roundtable discussion to enhance and improve understanding about war and military service, and conclude Wednesday, Nov. 11, with the traditional service around the flagpole.
Scheduled for 11 a.m. – observances typically take place at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – the NIU Veterans Club-sponsored flagpole ceremony offers a chance to pay tribute to men and women who have served, or are serving, in the military and to honor their sacrifices.
Speakers will include Lt. Col. Jonathan Thompson, a faculty member in the Department of Military Science. Dan Tsutsumi will sing the national anthem. Members of the NIU ROTC will provide the color guard and a 21-gun salute.
“If nothing else,” said J.D. Kammes, president of the NIU Veterans Club, “there can be one day when everyone can take a moment to remember the sacrifice of all the veterans over the years and show their appreciation for everything these men and women have done.”
“Veterans Day is a formal recognition of the service our men and women do for our country every day and to say ‘thanks’ to a group of people that doesn’t get enough recognition,” said Justin Faulkner, supervisor of the campus Veterans Assistance Office.
NIU communications major and noted blogger Ilona Meagher, author of “Moving a Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America’s Returning Troops,” will moderate the Nov. 5 discussion, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center.
Veterans and members of the community are encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences.
Meagher guided a similar conversation earlier this year in Chicago, said Kammes, who also enjoyed a similar experience in an NIU class titled “Education as an Agent for Change.”
Classroom discussions occasionally centered on the war in Iraq, Kammes said. The other students “really started to understand” that members of the military are “just average people,” he said.
When students evaluated the class at semester’s end, “they were so grateful that veterans were in their class. They learned so much,” said Kammes, a history major who served in the Army from 1998 to 2005. “That motivated me. I said, ‘Hey, we need to continue this sort of thing.’ Ilona is the perfect mediator – nice and positive in a peaceful way.”
On Friday, Nov. 6, the Illinois Military Order of the Purple Heart will join NIU and the DeKalb County Marine Corps League in hosting an open visitation of the Moveable Memorial Wall.
The wall is composed of photographs of the state’s fallen soldiers from Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Visitors can view the wall from 2 to 7 p.m. in the student center’s Regency Room. A memorial service for the fallen from Illinois will begin at 7:30 p.m.
“Veterans Art Project NIU: Stories of War and Service” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium.
NIU veterans have collaborated with campus and local artists to create artistic expressions of their experiences in media ranging from paintings, plays and poems to sculptures, sketches and songs.
Kammes worked with artists Lisa Rosenthal and Jessa Carlstrom, who created a similar exhibition in Chicago last February, to bring the concept to DeKalb. The trio met in August with Rich Holly, dean of NIU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, and representatives of the college’s three schools.
“We’re hoping everyone will get a great understanding of veterans and warfare and what veterans go through,” Kammes said. “I was really interested in doing this; I had such a good and positive experience with it in Chicago. I wanted to do it near Veterans Day to give people time to actually create things and to remind everyone else of what’s going on in the world.”
Public consciousness of veterans’ issues is shrinking, he said, because each war produces fewer and fewer veterans. For example, he said, World War II produced 16 million veterans; the current conflict, so far, has involved 1.5 million troops.
Yet greater resources and attention are being given to veterans on campus, said Faulkner, who served as an Army infantryman in Iraq (2003-04) and Afghanistan (2007-08).
“The Veterans Club has become more active in the community and on campus, and we’ve got quite a few more members,” Faulkner said. “The administration has been critical in the increased support given to the veteran population at NIU – from Admissions to Student Affairs, all departments are contributing to this support.”
Local veterans also can receive free oil changes for their cars from 8 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 13 area businesses. Proof of military service is required; trucks, vans and diesel engines are excluded.
Representatives from the NIU Veterans Assistance Office and the DeKalb County Veterans Assistance Commission will answer questions and provide free food to veterans at the Auto Clinic, 901 E. Lincoln Hwy. At 2 p.m., organizers will recognize a veteran who won a car.
Other locations:
For more information about Veterans Day activities, e-mail veteransassistance@niu.edu.
NIU’s Transportation Department was held up as an example of environmental responsibility in “We are the Weather Makers: The History of Climate Change,” the new book by DeKalb-based author Tim Flannery.
Director of Transportation Bill Finucane has helped the university assemble the largest fleet of hybrid vehicles of any stage agency. More than one-third of all university motor-pool sedans are hybrids, using an electric motor to offset gasoline use.
The university police department is also believed to be the first in the nation to have a fleet comprised entirely of hybrids. The department also makes extensive use of vehicles that run on alternative fules, such as ethanol and biodiesel.
The department also was lauded for its extensive recycling efforts – including shipping old fuel drums to the School of Music to be turned into instruments for the nationally acclaimed steelpan studies program, which makes steel drums for the NIU Steel Band.
NIU’s Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management has invited three candidates to campus to interview for the position of associate vice president for Enrollment Management.
Members of the NIU community are invited to attend open forum sessions, where each candidate will give a presentation on “Keys to a Successful Enrollment Management Operation.”
All forums will be held in Room 100 of the Campus Life Building.
For additional information, contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management at (815) 753-1573.
NIU employees who have not completed annual ethics training have about two weeks to do so before the deadline.
Under the terms of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, all full-time and part-time, regular and temporary faculty, staff, graduate assistants, extra help and student employees must complete on-line ethics training.
Ethics training concludes at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18. There are no extensions. Employees who do not comply with the annual training mandate can be subject to fines and disciplinary action.
The training covers such topics as prohibitions against accepting gifts and bribes, conflict of interest, inappropriate use of university resources for personal matters, whistleblower protection and avoidance of political activities during the work day. Everyone who receives a paycheck from the university must complete this training.
Training should be completed during normal work hours. Employees should check with their department on what arrangements are made for workstation access and scheduling of training times.
Contact Human Resource Services at (815) 753-6039 or (815) 753-6000 for information or assistance. Technical questions can be answered by Information Technology Services at (815) 753-8100.
For further information regarding ethics questions, contact NIU Ethics Officer Kenneth Davidson at (815) 753-8364 or Deputy Ethics Officer Greg Brady at (815) 753-2621.
NIU’s Art Museum has scheduled a lecture series in conjunction with the School of Art Faculty Exhibition, which opened last week and runs through Saturday, Dec. 5. All are held in Altgeld 315 unless otherwise noted.
The exhibitions and programs of the NIU Art Museum are sponsored in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency with additional support from the Friends of the NIU Art Museum and the Arts Fund 21.
For up-to-date information, and additions to the calendar, visit www.niu.edu/artmuseum.
On the menu at Ellington’s this week: Castello Nascoto is scheduled for Tuesday. Taste of Thai takes over Wednesday. Comfort Café concludes the week Thursday.
Continuing this semester is the option to enjoy wine with your meal. One red and one white wine choice will be available with meal service. Wine will be selected for the menu based on wine-and-food pairings made by the students. Wine selections will range from $4.50 to $6.50 per glass.
Castello Nascoto features tomato bruschetta or vegetable minestrone for starters, Italian turkey sausage with red peppers or pasta con brio for entrees and ricotta cheesecake with strawberry topping or dark chocolate gelato for dessert. Each table will be served parmesan bread twists with garlic herb oil.
Taste of Thai features Thai veggie rolls or crab salad on cucumber rounds for starters, spicy Thai chicken kabobs or Taste of Thai veggie tofu for entrees and Thai fried bananas or Thai fruit salad with papaya mint sauce for dessert. Each table also will be served grilled chile salsa with rice crackers.
Comfort Café features apple pear salad or hazelnut squash soup for starters, classic beef pot roast or broccoli mac and cheese gratin for entrees and baked apples or pumpkin bread pudding for dessert. Each table will be served cornbread with butter and honey.
Seating is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with service until 1 p.m. The cost is $9 per person. Ellington’s is located on the main floor of the Holmes Student Center. Call (815) 753-1763 or visit www.ellingtons.niu.edu to make reservations.
The next Civic Leadership Academy workshop, scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, will cover “Strategic Planning: Yes, Now is the Time!”
This workshop is a “guided tour” of the practical techniques and fundamental principles of the strategic planning process. It focuses on developing skills and understanding the power of analyzing current organizational situations, laying out long- and short-range objectives, developing implementation plans and building an effective follow-up policy decision framework for an organizational strategic plan.
Topics will include environmental scanning, problem identification, SWOT analyses, strategy formulation, implementation planning and various sub-elements of the process, such as the construction of scenarios.
Workshops are held at the NIU Naperville campus from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Continental breakfast, buffet lunch and afternoon snack are included in the registration fee.
Registration and more information about CLA and its upcoming workshops are available online.What are the influences of computer-mediated communication on the language used every day? Is the world dealing with a decline of language or merely language variation and language change?
Peter Schlobinski, professor of German Linguistics at Leibniz University, Hannover, will speak at NIU about “Language and Computer-Mediated Communication.” His presentation, examining the linguistic influence of computer messaging on German, will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, after a brief reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Reavis Hall 211.
This event is sponsored by the CLAS Interdisciplinary Linguistics Initiative. Contact Doris Macdonald for more information at (815) 753-6601 or dmvm@niu.edu.
Rosa Maria Leal-Bautista, research associate with Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán in Cancun, Mexico, will speak at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in Room 121 of the Latino Resource Center, 515 Garden Road.
Her presentation, “The Mexican Caribe, Not Just for Tourists ... but for Geological and Environmental Research,” is co-sponsored by Environmental Studies and the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies. Leal-Bautista is a Ph.D. alum of NIU’s Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences.
The presentation is free and open to all. Light appetizers will be available after the presentation. For more information, visit http://www.niu.edu/envs/index.shtml or e-mail ENVS@niu.edu.
Narayan Hosmane, a professor in NIU’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, will speak at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, on his research into “Boron Neutron Capture Therapy: New Perspective in Cancer Treatment.”
Hosmane’s presentation is in Room 442 of Montgomery Hall. The Phi Sigma Biological Sciences Honor Society is hosting the seminar.
For more information, contact Kate Krise at katekrise@yahoo.com or (815) 821-5688.
NIU’s Intercollegiate Athletics has partnered with Secretary of State Jesse White to raise awareness about the organ and tissue donor program.
As part their efforts, the Thursday, Nov. 5, home football game against Eastern Michigan has been designated as the Life Goes on Game.
At Huskie Stadium, fans will be able to register for the state’s tissue and organ donation program at tables staffed by the NIU athletic staff and student-athletes.
Fans also will have the opportunity to learn more about the donor registration process from experts who understand the process well. DeKalb residents who have received organ transplants from the organ donation program also will be at the event to share their experiences.
The game starts at 6:30 p.m.
The internationally renowned NIU Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of professor Ron Carter, will perform its annual fall concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center.
Saxophonist Don Braden is the special guest artist. All are welcome to the free concert.
Braden, music director of the Litchfield Jazz Festival Summer Music School and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Jazz for Teens program, played several years as saxophonist with jazz greats Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes and many others.
He is the recipient of a Doris Duke Foundation Jazz Composition Grant and, for the past three years, has served as part of the New York faculty at the North Netherlands Conservatory.
For more information, call (815) 753-0643 or e-mail rcarter@niu.edu.
NIU NATIONS will host its 17th annual Scholarship Powwow from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at the NIU Student Recreation Center. This is a traditional Native American powwow, and all are welcome
Admission is free; donations will be accepted. A raffle will be held to help raise funds for the NIU Native American Scholarship Fund.
The day includes Native American food, music and traditional dancing. Arts and crafts will be available for sale by various native vendors. Invited drums only.
To volunteer, or for more information, contact Michael Seven Eagle Feathers Augsburger at (815) 758-3604, (815) 753-1406 or niunations@yahoo.com.
Funds for this event were allocated by the NIU Student Association.
NIU’s Christian faculty-staff prayer group will meet from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Blackhawk East. For more information, contact Tom Bough at (815) 753-7978 or via e-mail at tbough@niu.edu.
The fall issue of “Multiculturalist” is online. This issue includes stories on the Straight Talk Speakers Bureau, former College of Business department chair Tanuja Singh and more.
The faculty and staff who participated in the 2009 Multicultural Curriculum Transformation Institute are giving presentations on how they have transformed their courses for this fall. Faculty, staff, students, and administrators are welcome to attend the talks. A full schedule is online.
The Friends of NIU Libraries invites the public to a talk led by Owen Muelder of Knox College on the Underground Railroad in Illinois and the DeKalb area.
Muelder’s presentation, titled “Slavery, Anti-Slavery, and the Underground Railroad,” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the Rare Books and Special Collections Department on the fourth floor of Founders Memorial Library.
Muelder is director of the Galesburg Colony Underground Railroad Freedom Center at Knox College. Discussion and light refreshments will follow the presentation. Free parking is available after 7 p.m. in the Visitor’s Parking Lot located on Carroll Avenue.
For more information, please call (815) 753-8091.
Nomination forms for this year’s “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” are now available for download on the Student Involvement & Leadership Development Web site.
Established in 1934, “Who’s Who” is a program honoring outstanding college students for their scholastic, extracurricular and community achievements. NIU is one of more than 2, 300 institutions of higher education that annually nominate junior-, senior- and graduate-level students for these awards.
Nominators should consider students whose academic standing, participation and leadership in extracurricular activities and community service is decidedly above average. A campus selection committee will review all nominations and will recommend around 50 students, representing a variety of academic and extracurricular areas, to the national program for this honor. Students who have previously been named to Who’s Who cannot be nominated again.
Students selected will receive personalized certificates, local and national publicity and inclusion in the 2009-2010 edition of “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.”
Who’s Who recipients will further be recognized during the Kevin D. Knight Leadership Awards Ceremony in late April.
Nominations with student signature must be received by Student Involvement & Leadership Development no later than Wednesday, Dec. 16. Late nominations cannot be considered.
Contact Rob Budach at rbudach@niu.edu or by phone at (815) 753-6511 for more information.
The NIU Division of International Programs is accepting applications for Lillian Cobb Faculty Travel Fellowships, supporting faculty members who seek international teaching and public service experiences.
All tenured or tenure-track faculty members at NIU are eligible to apply.
Proposals for the 2009-2010 academic year (the period from Jan.1 to Aug. 15, 2010) must be submitted to the Division of International Programs by Feb. 5, 2010. Applicants will be notified whether they have received an award by March 15.
Each year, the specific priorities of the Cobb Faculty Travel Fellowship program can be adjusted to support particular aspects of the strategic plan and mission.
Priority funding consideration this year will be given to proposals that support the creation of new faculty-led study abroad programs by providing travel funds for faculty to visit potential new venues. The division is particularly interested in proposals for programs that will serve students or academic departments that are underrepresented in study abroad at NIU.
Grantees will be expected to explore logistic needs and requirements and to firm up any arrangements with local providers, colleagues and/or institutions.
A total of $6,000 is available to be awarded in this cycle. International Programs expects to award three or more grants from the Cobb endowment, with the maximum award to be $2,000. Except for extraordinary circumstances, a match of 20 percent is expected from the faculty member’s department and/or college.
Last year’s recipients were Professor Andrea Molnar in Department of Anthropology (Bangkok); Professor Sinclair Bell in the School of Art (Germany); Professor Federico Sciammarella in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (Italy); and Professor Rodrigo Villanueva in Jazz Studies (Mexico).
The travel fellowship was established with an endowment from the estate of Lillian Cobb, the first chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
NIU Athletics will host a three-mile run/walk next month to raise money and awareness for cancer research in honor of the late NCAA President Myles Brand, who died Sept. 16 from pancreatic cancer.
Athletes, coaches, staff, students and community will come together with universities across the nation Saturday, Nov. 7, to participate in the “Miles for Myles” race for cancer.
All are invited to attend the 10 a.m. race at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. A $1 donation from each participant is sought. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the complex’s concession area.
Proceeds raised will be donated to three organizations fighting cancer: Coaches vs. Cancer (NABC), the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund and The Myles Brand Endowed Chair for Cancer Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
The event is open to anyone who wishes to participate. Free parking will be available at the Convocation Center. For more information, call Janaan Mickey at (815) 753-7370.
NIU’s Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language & Literacy will host a November seminar series on Response to Intervention (RtI). These informative and engaging talks will begin at either 4 or 4:30 p.m.
For more information, call (815) 753-5793.
NIU students are invited to participate in a juried art competition with a $1,000 prize for the first place piece, $500 for second place and $250 for third.
The competition is sponsored by NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) in preparation of its 40th anniversary celebration. CGS is a public service, applied research and public policy development center with clients throughout the region and beyond.
CGS is hosting a conference of regional leaders Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 focused on how the region can adjust to the new economic realities of the 21st century and how area residents can prosper within these realities.
The art competition reflects the focus of this event and should interpret its theme of “Returning Prosperity to America’s Heartland: Building a Shared Vision for our Region’s Future.”
Art work must be submitted by Tuesday, Dec. 8. Submitted work will be displayed during the conference. The jury panel will include faculty members of NIU’s School of Art and a CGS representative.
Winning pieces will be incorporated into the conference proceedings and provide an important and unique visual component to the event. The winning artists will be invited to a gala dinner and celebration scheduled for Friday, March 5, 2010.
Details on the art competition, including rules, regulations and registration forms, are online.
The Division of International Programs will host its Fall 2009 Brown Bag Series from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays in Faraday West, Room 300.
Attendees are invited to bring lunch and listen to speakers covering a variety of topics such as international perspectives, cultural diversity and study abroad experiences.
Upcoming lunches:
For other details, contact Heesun Majcher, director of the International Student and Faculty Office, at (815) 753-8275 or hmajcher@niu.edu.