Kent State University student Madison Spreitzer spent her childhood building robots out of cardboard boxes and paint. Now, she builds them out of aluminum. And they work. They work well. Well enough to compete against other robots in NASA’s 2018 Robotic Mining Competition. Ms. Spreitzer is the president of Kent State Robotics, a student group that hosts and competes in mining competitions focused on space mining. Since November, Kent State Robotics, along with 49 other university teams across the country, has been preparing for the annual NASA Robotic Mining Competition, held at the Kennedy ...

The protected prairie surrounding Kent State University’s Student Recreation and Wellness Center will be burned on Monday, April 23, at approximately 9 a.m. to allow for new growth during the summer season. The city of Kent Fire Department will conduct the controlled burning of the prairie, which has been a yearly practice since 2004. The prairie burn on April 23 is dependent on the weather and the Kent Fire Department not being called to an emergency. The burning of the prairie helps control the spread of invasive plants, puts nutrients back into the soil and encourages diversity of pla...

Smile and say “cheese.”   That is what members of Berkshire Local Schools in Burton, Ohio, and their partners including Kent State University are doing as they are all smiles after hearing the news.   On April 13, Great Lakes Cheese, a premier manufacturer and packer of cheeses based in Hiram, and its owner, the Epprecht family, announced a $2 million donation to Berkshire Local Schools. The donation supports the school’s PRIME initiative to assist with the construction of athletic facilities on the future site of the Berkshire Local School District on the campus of Kent ...

It takes a flight of nearly 20 hours to get from Ohio to Nairobi, Kenya, where students and an alumna from Kent State University’s College of Public Health are making an impact on the lives of people who reside in the slums.   The team is collaborating on a project that uses a geographic information system (GIS) to analyze risk factors in communities in Kenya.   With help from Andrew Curtis, Ph.D., professor of geography and co-director of the GIS and Health and Hazards Lab at Kent State, current Ph.D. candidates Sandra Bempah and Lorriane Odhiambo, and master of public health st...

Kent State University is proud of the numerous trees that decorate its campus, its LEED-certified buildings and other sustainability efforts. Arbor Day is another opportunity for the university to celebrate its roots in sustainability.   Starting at 11 a.m. on April 26, Kent State will hold several events across campus in celebration of Arbor Day that commemorate its environmentally friendly efforts.   Kicking off events in front of Engleman Hall, Melanie Knowles, Kent State’s sustainability manager, will discuss results of this year’s RecycleMania, an eight-week-...

After making a name for herself in the fashion industry, Molly Langenstein, the general business manager of Macy’s Ready to Wear, is returning home to her alma mater. Ms. Langenstein was recently announced as the Kent State University Fashion School’s 2018 Hall of Fame inductee. Ms. Langenstein will join an impressive group of previous inductees, including Estée Lauder, Oscar de la Renta, Leonardo Ferragamo, Dana Buchman, Allen Questrom, Ralph Rucci, Josie Natori and Don Witkowski. “The Fashion School is truly honored to induct our alumna Molly Langenstein into our Fashion School Hall of Fa...