Home / Posts / NIU: Where science, industry and education unite to tackle convective storm impacts

DEKALB, IL — As you might have noticed, it has been a stormy summer in Illinois.
Convective storms are a powerful force of nature—essential to Earth’s climate, yet responsible for billions of dollars in damage each year. From hail and tornadoes to damaging winds and lightning, these storms pose growing challenges for communities, infrastructure and the insurance industry.
Located at Northern Illinois University, the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms, or CIRCS, bridges the gap between science and real-world decision making. By uniting researchers from NIU and the University of Wisconsin–Madison with industry and government partners, CIRCS tackles complex storm-related problems through collaboration, innovation and applied research.
At its core, the center is not only advancing our understanding of severe weather, but also shaping solutions that protect society and train the next generation of scientists and professionals.
Learn more about the center in the accompanying video from the third annual “Huskie Trek Talks: Ideas in Motion.”
Media Contact: Tom Parisi
About NIU
Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. The university is recognized as a leading institution for social mobility, or helping its students climb the socioeconomic ladder. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Naperville and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.