Huskie Trek Talks 2026 Backs Big Questions with $90K
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet
Huskie Trek Talks 2026 Participants join NIU leadership and Stacey Barsema (left), NIU Foundation Board of Directors grants committee chairperson, on stage on April 18. (Photo: Andrew Schrock, Schrock Media)
What if NIU could help reduce the country’s dependence on critical minerals through quantum science?
What if a parent’s phone could detect a breathing problem in their coughing baby?
What if studying the humanities helped students understand artificial intelligence and want to keep writing?
Questions like these framed this year’s Huskie Trek Talks: Ideas in Motion, an annual event where NIU faculty and students share bold ideas and seek support to move them forward.
Hosted by the NIU Foundation, Huskie Trek Talks brings together alumni, donors and friends, both in person and online, to explore what’s possible next. This year, $90,000 in grant funding was committed to help transform promising ideas into real-world impact. Grant funds were provided by the NIU Foundation Board of Directors and its grants committee, the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships and award sponsor Molex.
At the Edge of What's Possible
Quantum science was a central theme of this year’s program, with two related projects receiving a combined $35,000 to expand student access and advance quantum research. The science is complex and highly technical, yet its potential reach is broad. It could reshape how information is processed, how data is protected and how new materials are created.
A short video shown during the event, NIU Powers the Quantum Era, showcased NIU’s work within a growing regional network of partners across Illinois.
“With continued investments in quantum technology, our state is charting the path toward exciting advances in computing, medicine and more,” said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker in the video. “I’m very proud that NIU is an integral part of this ecosystem.”
The largest grant of the night — $20,000 — went to Department of Physics Presidential Teaching Professor Laurence Lurio, Ph.D. to create NIU’s first on-campus, room-temperature quantum lab. While students can study quantum concepts online, Lurio explained that meaningful research and workforce preparation require hands-on access to equipment — an experience that has been limited to costly, off-campus labs. Bringing that experience to NIU allows students to train where they learn, opening pathways to transformative careers in the field.
A second quantum-related project, led by Tao Xu, Ph.D., a Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry professor, received $15,000 to develop a more affordable approach to quantum computing, also operating at higher temperatures. By lowering technical and cost barriers, the work could help make quantum systems more practical to build and use. Results could lead to new ways to design materials that reduce reliance on rare earth minerals used in energy, security and modern technology.
(Photo: Andrew Schrock, Schrock Media)
When Students Experience the Power of Philanthropy
While some presentations focused on technology, the project that most clearly captured the audience’s attention centered on nonprofit studies and community impact.
Led by Anna-Mary L. Walker, instructor in the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies, The Grantmaking Classroom received a $5,000 grant and earned the Your Choice Award, which included an additional $10,000 in funding from award sponsor Molex.
Walker shared details about a course that transforms students into a real grantmaking committee. Students design applications, review proposals, hear presentations and award funds to nonprofits serving DeKalb County — learning how philanthropy works and the responsibility that comes with it. Since 2022, students have awarded nearly $12,000 in grants to community organizations, raising part of the funding themselves through Huskies United.
Technology Grounded in Human Need
Several other projects highlighted how technology — and learning about it — can improve daily life when guided by human values.
Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Program Professor Lichuan Liu, Ph.D., received $15,000 to develop a smart stethoscope and a mobile platform that uses artificial intelligence to help detect breathing problems in young children. Guided by her own experience as a parent, Liu is working to support other families — especially those in communities with limited access to medical care.
Department of English Professor Melissa Adams-Campbell, Ph.D., and Rare Books Curator Beth McGowan, Ph.D., received $10,000 to support the establishment of a Center for Text and Technology. The Center will help students and community members better understand new technologies through the lenses of history, ethics and human impact. The project received additional funding from the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships to support a graduate assistant for the coming academic year.
Another $10,000 grant supported Intelligence in Motion: Engineering a Safer, More Independent World, led by Mechatronics Engineering visiting Professor Peter Lin, Ph.D. Lin was joined on stage by students and AI powered robotic “guide dogs.” Lin proposed a Center for Applied Intelligence that brings together faculty and industry partners to use intelligent systems to address real-world challenges.
A $5,000 grant also supported Two Generations, One Goal: Keeping Our Minds Healthy, led by Jamie Mayer, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders. The program pairs NIU students with older adults in senior living communities to build brain health together through interactive activities that strengthen mental resilience and social connection.
Robotic "guide dogs" and NIU students join the list of Huskie Trek Talks 2026 alumni. (Photo: Andrew Schrock, Schrock Media)Proof in Motion
Two videos further highlighted how ideas move from concept to practice.
Inside the NIU Bioplastics Lab: The Race to Reinvent Plastic spotlighted students working hands on to develop more sustainable materials while building technical skills and confidence. CIRCS: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms provided an update on last year’s Your Choice Award winner, showing how supported ideas continue to evolve beyond the Huskie Trek Talks stage.
Huskie Trek Talks does not promise easy answers. Instead, it offers momentum — backing ideas early, before outcomes are certain, and trusting those willing to explore them. It is also one way NIU brings FORWARD: The Campaign for NIU to life by showcasing commitments to expanding transformational experiences, inspiring discovery and innovation and fortifying our future.
Each project shared at Huskie Trek Talks reflects NIU's dedication to moving ideas outward — beyond the classroom, beyond campus and into the world.
“A university is defined by the ideas we are willing to explore and the impact that we choose to pursue together,” said NIU President Lisa C. Freeman, emphasizing that NIU’s strength lies not only in discovery, but in its ability to connect disciplines and work collectively to address challenges that extend far beyond campus.
For alumni and friends, FORWARD is an invitation to stand behind those ideas — to invest early, take part in the process and help ensure that Huskies continue to turn questions into action. Learn more about the campaign and how you can help shape what comes next at niuforward.com.
Did you miss Huskie Trek Talks 2026? Watch it here. View photos from the event here.