NIU’s strategic enrollment plan continues to spur growth in enrollment and diversity

• Higher Education
• Diversity

Many colleges are struggling to adapt to online learning and new safety procedures, but Northern Illinois University continues to see growth despite the challenges they face.

For fall 2020, the number of enrolled students increased by 1% to a total of 16,769 students. This influx was primarily driven by the growing freshman class this year: At 2,047 students, the Class of 2024 is 8% larger than last year’s freshman class.

Read more …

High school woodshop teacher builds desks for students with no workstation at home

When Hillcrest High School began the school year online, woodshop teacher Marty Coyle noticed several of his students sitting on their bed, couches or even the floor during classes. To ensure every student has a dedicated workspace for at-home learning, Coyle began making desks with the leftover woodshop materials from the previous school year. 

Coyle, who has been teaching at Hillcrest High School for the past three years, wanted to give back to his community. He shared a photo of his desks on Facebook, saying, “Turns out lots of students do not have desks to work at during E-Learning.....So I figured I might as well build some."

Read more …

Abbott will hire 2,000 workers in Chicago area to make rapid COVID-19 tests

• COVID-19

The FDA just approved Abbott Laboratories’ rapid COVID-19 test, which will provide results in just 15 minutes. The size of a credit card, this test is 97% accurate and works similarly to a pregnancy test. However, it is still to be administered by a health care provider, rather than at home.

Read more …

Illinois chosen to host two of the nation’s National Quantum Information Science Research Centers

Governor J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday, Aug. 26 that Illinois will be home to two of the five new National Quantum Information Science Research Centers led by Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in affiliation with the University of Chicago.

Read more …