NIU STEAM is proud to partner with faculty, staff and students across NIU to build connections with the broader community and K-12 schools, promote engaged teaching and learning, and support faculty in developing and implementing broader impacts for grant-funded research.
Each year:
- 100+ NIU faculty collaborate with NIU STEAM on grants, outreach and research.
- 1,500+ NIU students participate in volunteer opportunities and service-based learning.
- Dozens of faculty members share their research and artistry with community members through STEM Fest, STEAM Cafés, Teen Cafés and other public events.
- Faculty and staff share their expertise through guest STEAM blog posts that reach our newsletter audience of more than 4,000 readers.
Faculty
Broader Impacts
Broader impacts are essential to crafting a winning grant proposal – and to educating and engaging the public about the significant research happening right here at NIU.
NIU STEAM, along with the Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) office, is eager to partner with faculty to identify and develop the broader impacts of their research.
Our partnership could be as simple as a guest blog post or public presentation. Or it could be as deep and complex as developing a pre-collegiate program together to introduce underrepresented students to STEM fields and grow the regional career pipeline.
To talk about possibilities for collaboration, please contact NIU STEAM Director Kristin Brynteson at kbrynteson@niu.edu.
Here are a few examples of recent and ongoing NIU STEAM faculty partnerships.
Huskies BELONG: In partnership Bryan Dallas, associate professor of vocational rehabilitation counseling, NIU STEAM helped to develop this pre-collegiate program to aid students with disabilities in their college transition.
Food and Nutrition Science College and Career Prep Program: In partnership with Henna Muzaffar, assistant professor of health and human sciences, NIU STEAM worked to create this pre-collegiate program to introduce underrepresented students to career pathways in food, nutrition, technology and agriculture related fields.
FoodMASTER: In partnership with Melanie Duffrin, professor of interdisciplinary health professions, NIU STEAM supports the professional development and programming side of her FoodMASTER initiative.
LiniBot Augmented Reality Learning Project: NIU STEAM has worked with Yanghee Kim, professor of education and director of the CREATE center, to help Kim’s team test their augmented reality learning game with pre-school and early elementary children.
STEM Fest student and faculty research activities: Graduate students and faculty, such as Associate Professor of Computer Science Hamed Alhoori and his students, share their research each year with the public through interactive, hands-on learning activities at STEM Fest.
Faculty presentations at STEAM Cafés: Biology Professor Holly Jones spoke about the impacts of reintroducing bison to the prairie ecosystem. Communication Professor David Henningsen discussed the science of flirting. Biology Professor Barrie Bode shared how his team is using wastewater surveillance testing to track COVID outbreaks in DeKalb. Yuko Asada, steelpan technician and director of the NIU Community Steelband, demonstrated how steelpan instruments are made and tuned. These are just a few examples of the public presentations NIU experts give each year at adult and teen STEAM Cafés.
Guest blog post: Assistant Professor and hydrogeologist Megan R. M. Brown taught us about microplastics for World Environment Day. Associate Professor of Anthropology Emily McKee taught us to trace our waterscape. Audiologist and Assistant Professor Charles Pudrith shared the work of the NIU Hearing Conservation Center. What knowledge do you have to share with the local educators, families and community members who read our NIU STEAM newsletter and blog? Our audience would love to hear from you!
Experiential Learning
Opportunities abound in NIU STEAM that allow undergraduate and graduate students to pursue engaged research and apply the knowledge they’re learning in the classroom. If you’d like to discuss experiential options for your students, contact NIU STEAM Director Kristin Brynteson at kbrynteson@niu.edu.
Students
There are so many ways to get involved in NIU STEAM and share your spark of inspiration with the next generation of Huskies.
Volunteer
- STEM Fest: There’s nothing more exciting than welcoming 4,000 visitors of all ages to campus on a beautiful fall Saturday to participate in hands-on learning activities. Learn more about how you can get involved in our annual STEM Fest.
- Mentor: The middle school students in our Barb City STEAM Team program thrive with mentorship from current NIU students. This is a fun way for you to share your college journey and academic interests with the Huskies of tomorrow.
- School visits and field trips: Campus comes alive when we welcome young people to explore the labs, classrooms and maker spaces of NIU.
Student Employment
- Graduate assistantships: Each year we employ graduate assistants from education and STEAM fields to plan and deliver educational STEAM programming. Our grad assistants use their creativity and apply what they’re learning in their field of study while gaining valuable work experience.
- Student workers: We also employ undergraduate student workers for a wide range of positions. Check out our current openings.
- Summer camp counselors and instructors: Our STEAM camps for grades 2 through 12 are the perfect blend of fun and education, with an emphasis on building curiosity, exploration and discovery. We employ current and recent NIU students as camp counselors and instructors. Are you energetic, positive and encouraging? We’d love for you to apply. Learn more on our camp website.
Experiential Learning
Are you interested in pursuing an engaged research project or applying the knowledge you’re learning in the classroom? Opportunities for experiential learning abound with NIU STEAM! You can connect your volunteer activities to your degree or research project, or – if you apply to be a graduate assistant or student worker – you might even be able to tie your work to your field of study or in-depth research.
Here are just a few examples of experiential learning with NIU STEAM.
- NIU students pursuing their degree in Physical Education taught team sports to middle schoolers in the Barb City STEAM Team afterschool program.
- Graduate students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts taught photography in our afterschool programs – gaining real-world experience as art educators.
- A student pursuing her degree in nutrition and dietetics helped to create and run a summer camp for elementary kids focused on food science.
Reach out to us at niusteam@niu.edu to find out more. Research Rookies welcome!
