The Illinois Innovation Network conference will be held on Sept. 25-26. There will be dozens of posters and research presentations, all focused on different aspects of sustainability and social issues like food systems, energy and public health.
Matt Deitch is the co-chair of the conference this year. He’s also the director of the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability. He said these two days will have a lasting impact.
“We're bringing people who are really innovating and who are leading sustainability-related research from across the state," he said. "I certainly hope that we'll be able to build stronger partnerships in research and make those connections to benefit communities across the state.”
Deitch also said that meetings like this bring people together and inspire new ideas.
“We're all facing challenges that threaten the long term resilience of communities," he said. "Bringing researchers and innovators who are really at the forefront of thinking about how we can sustain communities is a goal of this conference—hearing the voices and learning from the experience of others is really an important part of research and innovation.”
Key features of the conference represent a wide range of communities and experiences of Illinoisans, which has been a main goal of the co-chairs in the planning process.
Deitch also said that it’s important to bring scholars together to think about different ways to support research efforts during a time when university and research funding is under threat.
The conference is open to the public. It will be free for students, even those outside of NIU.