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The RHoK NIU Way
A roundup of 71 North updates
71 NORTH
March 04, 2025
The RHoK NIU Way
🌟 Introducing RHoK NIU Spring 2025 🌟
Are you passionate about creating positive change in your community? Do you have innovative ideas that could make a real difference? Join us for Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) NIU 2025, where students, faculty, and community members come together to solve real-world challenges in our community. In Spring 2025, we are focusing on the Huskie Food Pantry.
The Huskie Food Pantry provides free food and toiletries to NIU students in need. Still, like any nonprofit initiative, it faces ongoing challenges such as managing inventory, engaging volunteers, student experience, stigmas, and minimal donations. That's where YOU come in!
💡 What is RHoK?
RHoK is a global movement that brings people together to tackle local community challenges through collaborative, creative problem-solving. This semester at NIU, we focus on finding solutions to help the Huskie Food Pantry improve its operations and outreach.
🗓 Event Dates: 3.19.25 and 4.02.25 (4:30-6:30pm)
📍 Location: 71 North Partnership Studio
🔧 Event Structure:
Day 1: Problem scoping and idea generation in a dynamic expo-style session, where teams will understand the problem space and select a challenge to tackle.
Between Days: Teams will visit Huskie Food Pantry, gain firsthand experience, and refine their solution.
Day 2: Teams will finalize their solution and present them to a panel of judges, with opportunities for implementation and recognition!
Register and make the difference!
Website: https://rhokniu.github.io
For more information, reach out on RHoK NIU FA25 | General | Microsoft Teams.
Why Participate?
Solve meaningful, real-world challenges.
Collaborate with like-minded changemakers.
Gain valuable hands-on experience.
Impact the NIU community.
Honors Engaged & Business Passport approved.
We need your ideas and creativity! Let's come together to hack for kindness and improve the lives of students at NIU. 🚀
Kindness is doing what you can, where you are, with what you have.
HuskieVerse Featured Experience Available through March, “Nano” You've never experienced biology or gaming like this. There are multiple opportunities to explore virtual reality each week. Visit the HuskieVerse booking page to reserve your spot. |  Master a cell's living systems: generate energy from food molecules, use the cell's DNA to manufacture a variety of proteins to keep the cell alive, and to combat invaders. A game based on real science. |
This Week at 71 North
Tuesday:
8:30 - 11:00 AM Morning Writing Group: Facilitated by Dr. Anna Klis, this interdisciplinary group invites you to start your day with coffee and creativity.
12:00 - 1:00 PM: Office Hour with Richard Mocarski • Stop by during lunch to connect with NIU’s Vice President of Research (BYOL).
2:00 - 3:00 PM: LEAP from Project to Product Management • Meetup.
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM: NICCS Day - A time to discuss and workshop topics connected with the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS).
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM: TechTaco - Data R-ticulation with Dr. Jeremy Groves
Wednesday:
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM: Huskie Hackers - An engaged and passionate community of the next generation of technology leaders and entrepreneurs participating in MLH Official Hackathons.
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM: HuskieVerse - VR Exploration
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM: HuskieVerse - Vespa Mode
4:00 - 6:00 PM: NIU Makers Club - Where creativity meets craft. The club is a hands-on experience that promises fun and learning in equal measure.
5:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Appy Hour Podcast - All things apps.
5:30 - 6:30 PM: CAUSE Social Entrepreneurship - Engage in meaningful discussions and activities focused on driving social change through entrepreneurial action.
Thursday:
3:00 - 5:00 PM Huskie Hackers
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM: HuskieVerse - VR Exploration
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Innovation Club - A student-led organization welcoming creative thinkers from all corners of campus who are interested in making the world a better place.
Friday:
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Vespa Mode - A collaborative project to develop a simulator for riding a vintage Vespa in virtual reality. Vespa Mode is part of the Huskieverse program.
2:00 - 4:00 PM Huskie Hackers
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM: HuskieVerse - VR Exploration
Monday:
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Breakthrough Business Community Academy - Opportunity DeKalb Business Community Academy.
Looking Ahead:
3.28.25 - HealthIER Series: This series, which continues our collaboration with the College of Health and Human Sciences, will emphasize interdisciplinary research in health sciences and focus on NIH R15/R16 proposals.
Looking Back:
Huskie Hackers - Pizza Hack Air Drawing: showed us how to have fun air drawing and adding features to a code base.
Participants test their creation drawing with a finger in front of a camera and a laptop running hand tracking software developed in previous sessions.
