Director’s Letter

Sustainability and the NIU Vision

Welcome to the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability. As I write this in July of 2022, our request for bids to begin the design-build process for NICCS has just gone out from the Illinois Capital Development Board, with interviews anticipated in September. We're thrilled that the building we've been imagining for several years is closer to becoming a reality.

We also continue to celebrate the innovative, interdisciplinary research that has been underway at NICCS for over two years. Data is coming in from the groundwater monitoring wells at the NICCS site just north of the NIU Convocation Center, and the native prairie plants that surround them are taking root as the prairie restoration project matures. Researchers are exploring sustainable water supply systems, healthcare technology for aging in the home, and robotic technologies tailored to specialty crop production. It's an exciting time to witness these research projects, which are helping to shape a more sustainable future for Illinois.

These projects demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary research to break down the barriers between disciplines, bringing the full weight of NIU's expertise to bear on the challenges that face us today. Challenges such as climate change, shrinking natural resources and growing income inequality are affecting the whole world, and they've had a significant impact on the small cities and rural areas of the Midwest. Here at NICCS, we're committed to making a difference by bringing together researchers, local governments and the private sector as a source of innovation and economic development.

As we address our three key research areas – environmental change, water resources and food systems innovation – we're building on the rich legacy of agricultural innovation in DeKalb County and taking advantage of our unique peri-urban location at the intersection of suburban, industrial and agricultural land use.

We're also putting our commitment to sustainability into action through the work of Associate Professor Courtney Gallaher, who is now NIU's sustainability coordinator. Her team recently completed a greenhouse gas inventory of NIU's facilities, grounds and vehicle fleet. They're now using the inventory as a baseline to guide changes on campus to bring us into a more sustainable future.

I encourage you to explore our website – especially the current NICCS research – and reach out if you'd like more information or to get involved. Together, we can be an engine for innovation to advance social mobility, secure our environment and meet the needs of the present and future.

Sincerely,

Gerald (Jerry) C. Blazey, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research and Innovation Partnerships
Professor of Physics
Northern Illinois University