NIU STEAM | Northern Illinois University

NIU STEAM works collaboratively to impact students and community members, spark excitement about STEAM fields and build a pipeline of regional STEM talent.

If you’re a business owner or work for a company or organization that would like to sponsor or partner with NIU STEAM, we’d love to talk with you. Whether you provide a booth at STEM Fest, mentor students in our afterschool program or sponsor a new or existing program, you’ll be making a difference in our community and helping to prepare the next generation of STEM leaders.

To learn how you can get involved, please contact NIU STEAM Director Kristin Brynteson at kbrynteson@niu.edu.

Sponsorship and Funding Opportunities

You can make an impact by sponsoring one of our NIU STEAM community or youth programs.

STEM Fest – Our free annual festival celebrating science, technology, engineering and math welcomes thousands of visitors every fall for hands-on educational activities, talks and demonstrations in the heart of NIU’s campus.
STEAM Cafés – Free monthly talks held at local restaurants introduce adults to interesting topics and cutting-edge research in STEM fields.
Teen Cafés – For teens, by teens. These sessions introduce teens to STEM professionals and help them learn about STEM career pathways.
Youth Programs – Afterschool and summer camp programs offer young people the chance to follow their curiosity, immerse themselves in hands-on STEAM learning and practice the core career skills that will be essential to any field.

Volunteer

Sign up for your booth at STEM Fest! Meet community members, share a hands-on learning activity, and help to spark excitement in STEM fields.
Speak at a STEAM Café or Teen Café. Talk about the research and development happening in your organization, and help the community understand how new STEM developments are impacting their lives.
Mentor students at our camps or afterschool programs. We always need STEM professionals to speak about their jobs or assist students with project-based learning. This experience is rewarding for both the student and the mentor!
Write a blog post about your research or career pathway that will be shared on our social media and with our 4,000+ newsletter readers.

Impact and Engagement

NIU STEAM works collaboratively to impact students and community members through interactive learning experiences that spark curiosity, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. Here’s a snapshot of NIU STEAM’s impact and engagement.

NIU STEAM has engaged over 50,000 students and adults since 2010.
100+ NIU faculty collaborate on grants, outreach and research each year.
1,500+ NIU students participate annually in volunteer opportunities and service-based learning.
700 K-12 students enroll annually in NIU STEAM summer camps and summer school programming.
1,000+ educators learn with us each year through professional development, conferences, workshops and coaching.
100+ business and industry professionals engage annually through student mentorship, site visits, sponsorships and speaking at events.

Career Connections and Pipeline Development

Competition for talented workers is fierce, and more employers than ever are reporting unfilled skilled positions. NIU STEAM is dedicated to building STEM career pipelines and helping talented students from underrepresented groups learn about and prepare for the careers ahead.

Here’s how you can help.

Sign up to mentor students in our career-focused high school summer camps or college prep programs.
Help us create and implement a problem-based learning project for our middle school Barb City STEAM Team program.
Talk with teens about your career pathway, daily job responsibilities – and maybe even lead them on a tour of your lab, plant or office.
Write a blog post about your job, career pathway and daily responsibilities to give young people a taste of different career paths.
Showcase your company with a booth at STEM Fest.
Present about the careers in your industry – and the educational requirements – at our conferences and workshops for K-12 educators.

There are so many ways to get involved! Contact NIU STEAM Director Kristin Brynteson at kbrynteson@niu.edu to start a conversation.