Go, Hack, Go!

Hello, dear readers! Do you notice anything different in this week’s edition? Hint: we didn’t get a new haircut. Close enough, though - we’ve updated our header image! Along with a slew of other updates, we’ve upgraded from this:

To this!

It’s a little simpler, cleaner, and matches the font and colors that we use. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates coming down the line!

As for current updates, we’ve got some news from UR2PhD involving the students’ status updates, and as promised, Ethan Olvera’s spotlight article. Day 1 of Random Hacks of Kindness has concluded successfully and Tech Tacos has been an ongoing triumph! We hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter, and look forward to more enhancements coming soon!

UR2PhD Updates

This week, UR2PhD undergraduate students started their assignments and are finishing their Mentor-Mentee Contract. They attended their first course session, where they learned about the program’s expectations. Next, students will participate in a short activity, reflecting on what research is and what researchers “look like.” Students will also talk about teamwork and what distinguishes effective and non-effective collaboration.

Once students are familiar with these concepts, they’ll discuss research ethics, learn how to read research papers, and complete a short exercise to demonstrate their understanding.

The Graduate Student Mentor Training Course is also in full swing! Last week, students learned about the “Community of Practice Theory” and Vygotskian Sociocultural Theory. This week, students will learn how they can best align their expectations with their mentees, and next week, they’ll draft their mentorship philosophy and continue learning about these theories.

Spotlight

A few weeks ago, we hinted at an upcoming spotlight article on one of our studio members, Ethan Olvera, and at long last, it’s here! Olvera worked at the studio as an undergraduate researcher, and helped with our virtual production equipment. His story is truly fascinating, so please take a moment to check it out!

Go, Hack, Go!

On Friday, Oct. 2nd, we hosted Day One of Random Hacks of Kindness, an innovative program that brings hackers together to create solutions to real-world problems. This semester, we’re helping the Huskie Closet, a nonprofit that provides free clothing to NIU students in need.

In the morning, with 21 attendees, we did a quick overview of what the Huskie Closet does and what the problems they’re addressing are. Students participated in various activities, including the gallery walk, where they examined different hypothetical people who might need to attend the Closet but have reservations about it.

After a quick refresher, the participants broke into their groups, brainstormed, and voted on their best idea. Then, each group submitted their idea, and the entire class discussed the top ideas. This way of working through ideas focuses on eliminating groupthink, a phenomenon where members of a group default to the loudest member or a perceived majority.

Once the setup for next week’s session was complete, students prepared for their next steps and learned how to effectively pitch their ideas to the Huskie Closet’s representatives.

Between this event and the next, students will visit the Huskie Closet to gain more ideas, refine their solutions, and gain firsthand experience. The next Random Hacks of Kindness day will take place on October 16th in the 71 North Studio from 10 AM-12:30 PM and will see teams finalize their prototypes and present them to the Huskie Closet!

Tech Tacos Triumphs!

Tech Tacos, an ongoing series of events focused on teaching students the basics of code while providing excellent tacos, recently provided participants with an overview of multiple markdown and markup related tools, including LaTex and Mermaid. Participants learned new ways to create documents, display equations, and make graphs. During the next event, linked below, we will be moving on to Python turtles, a fun way to create graphics, and a great experience for experienced Python users and people with zero programming experience alike.

If you’re wondering what exactly a python turtle looks like, you’re not alone. At first, you might imagine a kind of chimera, but in reality, it looks more like this:

Cool, right? If you think so, feel free to come see it in action at the studio!

Northern Exposure

Last week’s Northern Exposure presenter was Dr. Matt Deitch, who discussed his research on reducing development impacts through restoring natural processes. In layman’s terms, that means easing the negative effects of flooding on the environment and human infrastructure.

He focused on three issues: stormwater, heat islands, and coastal erosion.

Dr. Deitch did a lot of work in Florida when he resided there, mainly focusing on flood infrastructure in parking lots. He studied and implemented flooding prevention measures like absorbent concrete and flood swales in order to alleviate flooding in small areas. The big question in his current research is how we can take these small issues and small solutions and scale them up to handle a larger area of flooding.

As an example, he talked about the recent flooding on NIU’s campus due to excessive rain. He mentioned the creek that runs through campus and how its structure and surrounding environment impact erosion and the water quality of the East Lagoon. He’s working on planning our flooding infrastructure a bit better, like where we’re expanding campus near Northern View Apartments. He argues we can better restrain, absorb, and prevent water from flooding onto the rest of campus with strategic and large-scale solutions like permeable pavement, better drainage systems, and sustainable infrastructure.

Towards the end of his session, he discussed some pre-existing and popular sustainable solutions to the heat island effect, which occurs when urban areas experience significantly warmer temperatures compared to rural areas due to human-made materials absorbing and retaining heat. The phenomenon can lead to increased energy consumption and health risks during hot weather. One solution that most students were familiar with was green roofs, like the one situated atop Chicago’s Old Post Office.

Keeping with the trend of high attendance, Dr. Deitch’s Northern Exposure session filled up the studio with 23 guests, which, thankfully, we had prepared for overflow beforehand. Students were antsy to talk with the professor about his research. We’re thrilled to see the amount of engagement and excitement from students and hope to continue fostering the growth of knowledge and connection among students and staff alike!

Startup Standup, Coming Right Up!

We’re prepping Startup Standup, a combination hackathon and improv show! Students have to take a random set of innovation element, create a product to solve a problem, then pitch the product later that day! In 2024, students were steampunk inventors, in 2025, they were superheroes, and this year? Well, you’ll have to come by to find out!

It takes one Saturday, it’s free, and you don’t need a business or technical background to participate and enjoy. All you need is a willingness to be a little ridiculous in good company.

Student Organization Highlights

Fiber Arts Club

We’re cruising along with steady attendance and continual progress on our projects. This month is spooky-themed, so we’re hoping to create some custom Halloween costumes, and we have a few exciting events coming up! On October 16th, we’re collaborating with the HuskieFurs to teach them some basic sewing skills and create felt keychains of their characters. One week later, on October 23rd, we’ll have a therapy dog named River at our Friday meeting!

We’ll continue our DCJ Crochet Class, which recently won a grant of $400, and with our newfound resources, we’ll purchase the necessary supplies to keep teaching well-behaved inmates a skill that is proven to uplift mental health, build community, and can’t be replicated by machines.

Huskie Hackers

Huskie Hackers competed in Micro Jam 066, a biweekly game development competition held on itch.io. Every competition (aka Game Jam) has a theme and a surprise prerequisite that is revealed once the Jam begins. The Huskie Hackers’ theme this round was “Toxic.” The game they developed is in the process of being judged, and you can play it on Itch!

Indie Game Developers Organization

We’re doing good; had a full table last meeting! People were more engaged than expected, so it’s been fun! We’re starting to get more projects rolling like a new chess deck builder - a tool that helps players create and manage their chess strategies, usually by allowing them to select pieces, set up formations, and analyze potential moves.

We’re also working on transitioning some of our materials to Godot, an open-source game engine released under the MIT License that lets you create both 2D and 3D games.

Reminder: there will be no meeting next week.

NIU Garden Club

We’ve recently taken to the prairie on the east side of Anderson Hall to clear away invasive thistles and tag monarch butterflies that are on their journey south. We caught and tagged one female butterfly, but didn’t see any other monarchs. In our eyes, that means we need more prairie!

We finally got around to cleaning out the garden shed on the west side of the library. It was a dusty, muddy mess, but we got it done! Now, Grounds, Edible Campus, and the club will have easier access to tools like hoses, shovels, trowels, and garden gloves.

Our Campus Cleanup Days are still on, despite last week’s cancellation. This week, we’re meeting at the Davis Hall Quad from 5-6 PM to pick up litter around the area. Bring your boots and dress for the weather!

Proxima Centauri Alpha

We’ve been working on getting our High Altitude Balloon launched, completing Project Ascension 2.0 after much anticipation. On Saturday, we had to cancel our launch due to wind conditions on the ground, but we will be utilizing our alternate launch date of October 17. We are greatly appreciative of all of the support from all over the University, including from the Office of the President, the Physics department, and 71 North.

Here’s an article on Project Ascension from last year if you’re interested in reading more about it:

Society of Women Engineers

Today, we’re visiting the 71 North Partnership Studio for an interactive evening of innovation, technology, and community. We’ll kick off the evening together with an energizer activity in our Catalyst Lounge, giving everyone a chance to meet, connect, and get comfortable before diving into the activities. Members will get the chance to participate in Tech Tacos and learn about Python Turtle programming, do VR, and/or play on the Game Cub, all while exploring the many opportunities available to students through our innovation community!

Mindful Art

Diligent readers of the Pulse may know, CHILL: Mindful Art is an event held in the 71 North Partnership Studio where students can create art in a calming environment and focus on their mental wellbeing. Led by Dr. Lynn Herrmann, PhD, MPH, a certified Therapeutic Arts Practitioner and Professor of Public Health, students often leave with new energy and fresh ideas, and maybe even a new friend. Every Tuesday from 3:00-5:00 PM, students are invited to come visit and relax.

By participating in Mindful Art, you have the option to engage in the research further as part of a focus group and earn $15!

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