The Social Way

A roundup of 71 North updates

Author

71 NORTH
October 28, 2025

The Social Way

In a world that often moves too fast, there's something profoundly grounding about genuine friendship. It's the laughter shared over pizza, the comfort of being truly heard, and the joy of knowing someone has your back. Whether it's a friend you've known for decades or someone you've just met who instantly feels familiar, these connections remind us of what matters most.

As we navigate our busy lives, it's easy to let weeks slip by without making time for the people who fill our days with meaning. That's why we're especially excited to bring our community together for something special.

You're invited to our Friendship Mixer!

When: Thursday, October 31, 2025, Time: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Join us for a spooky good time as we celebrate Halloween together! Whether you're looking to reconnect with familiar faces, make new friends, or simply enjoy an afternoon of good company, we'd love to see you there. Grab some pizza, challenge your friends to VR Beat Saber, and soak in the good vibes. After Northern Exposure, stick around for board games—71 North has an awesome collection to choose from! Come for an hour or stay for the whole event—there's no pressure, just the opportunity to share stories, swap smiles, and celebrate the friendships that make life richer.

We hope you'll join us in making time for what truly matters: each other.

Register Here: Studio Social Sign Up

❝

“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.”

Khalil Gibran

This Week at 71 North

Tuesday:

9:00-11:00 AM: Morning Brew & Write - Writing Group for Grad Students & Post-Doc

12:00-1:00 PM: Innovation Pages, Hooked - Facilitator: Matt Deitch

2:30-3:30 PM: Innovation Pages, Leaders Eat Last - Facilitator: Jordan York

3:30-4:30 PM: LEAP - Lean & Agile Community of Practice Meetup

Tech+Tacos Fall 25

calendar.niu.edu/event/tech-tacos-fall-25

Wednesday:

1:30-3:00 PM: HuskieVerse Planning Meeting

3:15-4:45 PM: NNGO 352 - Nonprofit Program and Development

3:30-4:30 PM: Innovation Pages, Give and Take - Facilitator: Dr. Anna Klis

Innovation Pages

Author: Adam Grant — how generosity and reciprocity fuel collaboration and long-term success.

calendar.niu.edu/event/innovation-pages

5:00-7:45 PM: ECON 691 Research Tools for Economists

Thursday:

10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Faculty Writing Group - The Faculty Grant Writing Group is open to all NIU faculty and will provide participants with quiet, dedicated time and space to work on writing for external funding pursuits. 

12:00-1:00 PM: Funding STEM Innovations: Pathways to Impact, Webinar

Funding STEM Innovations - Pathways to Impact - NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region

This free, one-hour webinar will explore the different types of funding available to you for commercialization purposes.

greatlakesicorps.org/event/funding-stem-innovations-p2i

12:00-1:00 PM: Unplugged Conversations - Step away from screens and rediscover the art of conversation, Facilitated by Julie Ann O'Connell

Unplugged Conversations

Each session invites us to slow down, listen deeply, and explore ideas together in an open, welcoming circle. No phones. No laptops. Just people, presence, and meaningful exchange.

calendar.niu.edu/event/unplugged-conversations

3:00-6:30 PM: HON-310 Open Source

4:30-6:00 PM: Indie Game Developers Org Meeting

Northern Exposure: Where Curiosity Meets Research

David Gunkel is an award-winning educator, scholar and author specializing in the study of information and communication technology with a focus on ethics. Formally educated in philosophy and media studies, his teaching and research synthesize the hype of high-technology with the rigor and insight of contemporary critical analysis.

https://calendar.niu.edu/event/northern-exposure-where-curiosity-meets-research

Friday:

11:00-4:00 PM: VespaMode - Development of Vespa Simulator in VR

12:00-3:00 PM: Studio Social, Join us for a spooky good time as we celebrate Halloween together!

1:00-2:00 PM: Northern Exposure: LLM 101: A Critical Introduction to Large Language Models, by David Gunkel, PhD

3:30-5:00 PM: HuskieHackers - embark on coding adventures.

6:00-7:00 PM: Proxima Centauri Alpha - Ingenuity in action - STEM Focused Students Organization

Monday

11:00AM - 1:00 PM: Weave the Word: First-Gen Stories in Zines & Fiber

From Animal Crime to Animals Helping Criminals: Academic, Advocate, Activist, or All of the Above

 This talk will discuss the intuitive appeal
of such programs, which masks the many challenges of working with two institutionalized and at-risk populations.

calendar.niu.edu/event/from-animal-crime-to-animals-helping-criminals-academic-advocate-activist-or-all-of-the-above

3:00-4:45 NNGO- Nonprofit Program and Development

5:00-7:20 PM: Opportunity DeKalb: Breakthrough Community Business Academy

5:00PM - 7:30 PM: Weave the Word: First-Gen Stories in Zines & Fiber

Looking Ahead:

Next week at Tech Taco Tuesdays, Laurence Lurio will be presenting on Quantum Computing.

Come for the tech, stay for the tacos!

Looking Back:

Dr. Angela Grippo presented at Northern Exposure on the heart-brain connection. The conversation was very engaging!

Take a moment to review 71 North on Google Maps