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The Breaking Barriers Way
71 North Updates
71 NORTH
September 08, 2026
The Breaking Barriers Way
It’s officially the third week of the semester here at NIU, and the studio is in full swing! We’re hosting a number of programs, projects, and clubs, and welcoming in new members left and right!
At the moment, our studio members are hard at work preparing for a number of our programs, like Tech Tacos and Huskieverse. Huskieverse will return with its Friday meetings from 3-4 PM in the Huskieverse lab (located in the 71 North studio), and Tech Tacos had its first meeting last week with over 15 attendees! Check out the updated logo:
New Tech Tacos logo
Pivoting to a more academic focus, Federico Bassetti’s Honors class - Breaking Barriers Through Innovation - started last Friday, and we’re happy to report that everyone survived! The course introduces students to innovation as a way of understanding and improving the world. Students will participate in NIU’s innovation ecosystem by visiting organizations and historical sites that illustrate innovation in practice, and will join us for some of the studio’s signature programs, like Startup Standup, Demo Day, and Random Hacks of Kindness.
Throughout the semester, students will work in interdisciplinary teams with a campus community partner to explore a challenge, develop solutions for it, and present their recommendations through a human-centric design process. The course will conclude with an individual reflection portfolio that connects these experiences to the student’s innovation identity, as well as their future academic and professional goals. If any student reading this is interested, we encourage you to take a look at the syllabus and reach out to Prof. Bassetti for more information.
In other news, our new workers are finishing up their on-boarding processes, which means a lighter workload on all of us - something we all need as the semester gets rolling. Everyone has been adjusting to their new schedules with grace, and we’re grateful for our members’ time, energy, and hard work.
Make sure to check out our latest podcast episode, From Skills to Impact in Spring 2026. Hear about our student’s achievements, research, and community problem-solving work, as well as several signature programs like Northern Exposure and Huskie Hackers broaden students’ horizons and connect technical skills to real world problems like food insecurity and student dignity.
“If something is wrong, fix it. But train yourself not to worry. Worry fixes nothing.”
🗓Week’s Schedule: September 8th-14th
Tuesday:
9:00-11:00 AM: Morning Brew & Write - NIU Faculty - are you looking for more time to write? We can’t give you more time, but we can provide accountability, community, and coffee to fuel your writing goals.
Come build sustainable writing habits with fellow faculty every Tuesday 9:00-11:00 AM at 71 North Innovation Partnership Studio (Founders Library lower level).
Schedule:
8:30-9:00 Slow arrival with coffee & community connection
9:00-9:10 Goal setting
9:10-10:50 Focused writing
10:50-11:00 Wrap-up & goal check-in
Perfect for: Journal articles, book chapters, grant proposals, any writing project
Open to: All faculty across all disciplines
No editing or reading of each other's papers required - just keeping each other accountable, focused, and moving writing projects forward.
Contact Dr. Anna Klis ([email protected]) or Dr. Matthew Deitch ([email protected]).
5:00-7:00 PM: Tech Tacos - Revealing JS: Revel.js - Spice up your tech skills and join us for a blend of learning, laughter, and tasty tacos!
5:00-7:00 PM: Fiber Arts Club Meeting - We get together to share our love of fiber arts, an art form encompassing many practices such as sewing, crochet, knitting, embroidery, needle felting, and more!
Wednesday:
1:00-2:00 PM: L&AP Agile - Lean & Agile Community of Practice (L&AP) is a vibrant and dynamic community for professionals passionate about improving their skills and knowledge in Lean and Agile methodologies.
5:00-6:30 PM: Huskie Hackers - Huskie Hackers is a computer science club at Northern Illinois University dedicated to building coding skills through teamwork, creativity, and fun.
5:00-6:00 PM: Wired Wednesday - Come join the network of human connection!
Thursday:
4:00-5:00 PM: Product Development Lifecycle: Validation - Walk through the entire product development lifecycle and learn how to identify market needs, research your competition, and validate a concept.
Friday:
11:00-2:00 PM: HON 310 - Breaking Barriers Through Innovation - Learn about innovation as a way of understanding and improving the world.
1:00-2:00 PM: NIU Garden Club Meeting - Take care of NIU’s gardens and explore local sustainability projects.
5:00-7:00 PM: Fiber Arts Club Meeting - We get together to share our love of fiber arts, an art form encompassing many practices such as sewing, crochet, knitting, embroidery, needle felting, and more!
Looking Ahead:
STEM Fest is on its way! Join us on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 10-3 PM in the MLK Commons and Holmes Student Center for some fun with real-world applications of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics!
Looking Back:
Synergy Lab launched its pilot program in the spring of 2026 and continues to help students turn their education into experience!
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