For Haider Riaz, the first orchestra concert of the season was an unforgettable experience. His original composition, “To the Memory of Shiver-Me, the CAT,” was premiered by the Kent State University Orchestra on Sept. 29, marking a significant artistic milestone for the young composer and offering the audience a moving tribute to a beloved pet.Riaz, a doctoral student in the Glauser School of Music studying music theory-composition, composed the eight-minute piece in just 25 days. He said he found inspiration in the memory of Shiver-Me, a cat who had been part of his household. The comp...

Inside Kent State University's Herrick Conservatory, behind Cunningham Hall, lurks the Great Pumpkin of Kent State.  It's an annual contest sponsored by the conservatory, Melissa Davis, director of horticultural facilities, and students from the Department of Biological Sciences, in which people are invited to guess the weight of an enormous pumpkin. "It's a fun way to get people interested in gardening and plants," Davis said. "Students and the greater university community always have fun making guesses and coming back to see the actual weight of the pumpkin."  The contest, alo...