Tara C. Smith, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology from Kent State's College of Public Health, discussed the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19 and what's ahead for our state and country during a recent conversation on Facebook Live. She answered live questions and shared insights into such areas as social distancing, homemade masks and finding accurate information. When will the worst of the pandemic be over? Smith says it's too soon to tell, but she does see progress in Ohio. "I don't think we're at the peak yet. I hope that it is coming soon within the n...
Kent State University’s Design Innovation (DI) Initiative is responding to the COVID-19 crisis by prototyping and producing face shields and masks to help fill the gap being experienced by medical personnel on the front lines. J.R. Campbell, executive director of the DI Initiative, is coordinating a team that consists of 25 faculty, staff and students from Kent State’s College of Public Health, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, University Libraries, Research Center for Educational Technology, as well as collaboration with the College of Aeronautics and Engineering and t...
Kent State University’s Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute (AMLCI) soon will be home to a new X-ray scattering instrument capable of examining materials in scales from as small as a fraction of a nanometer to as large as several micrometers. The state-of-the-art machine, with unique capabilities and options, is one of just a handful in operation in the United States, and is expected to be used by numerous universities throughout Northeast Ohio as well as in private industry. The technology acquisition is possible due to committed National Science Foundation and Oh...
Kent State University’s Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute (AMLCI) soon will be home to a new X-ray scattering instrument capable of examining materials in scales from as small as a fraction of a nanometer to as large as several micrometers. The state-of-the-art machine, with unique capabilities and options, is one of just a handful in operation in the United States, and is expected to be used by numerous universities throughout Northeast Ohio as well as in private industry. The technology acquisition is possible due to committed National Science Foundation and Oh...
Lou Raffis, a 1981 graduate of Kent State University’s Honors College, was recently announced as the recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Honors Alumni Award. He recalls his time at Kent State, saying that he truly benefitted from the academic preparation the Honors College gave him to attend graduate business school at Harvard University. Raffis says that his Freshman Honors Colloquium course in particular, taught him “how to think, to debate, and to write, which prepared me for the challenging and intense academic environment that I confronted at Harvard.” In addition, the honors business and...
Nuclear physics researchers at Kent State University and all over the world have been searching for violations of the fundamental symmetries in the universe for decades. Much like the “Big Bang” (approximately 13.8 billion years ago), but on a tiny scale, they briefly recreate the particle interactions that likely existed microseconds into the formation of our universe which also likely now exist in the cores of neutron stars. To better understand these properties, the STAR Collaboration researchers develop precision particle detectors for experiments (collisions of gold nuclei) and analyze...
In this time of nationwide uncertainty, Kent State Student Media continues to provide top-notch reporting on COVID-19 and its impact on Kent and around the world. KentWired.com has a tab dedicated to Coronavirus updates that houses articles dating back to March 14, 2020. Since that day, our student reporters have posted over 50 articles detailing the pandemic on a local, state, national and worldwide level. View KentWired.com's Coronavirus Hub Eager to get back on-air, our TV2 team went live beginning Monday, April 6, from students’ at-home studios for the first time after b...
School of Theatre and Dance
In accordance with the order of Ohio Department of Health director Amy Acton, M.D. to stay at home to slow the spread of COVID-19, Porthouse Theatre regretfully announces the cancellation of its 2020 season, scheduled for June 11 – August 9, 2020. As a result of this difficult decision, the productions of Little Shop of Horrors, BKLYN, and West Side Story will not take place as scheduled and Porthouse’s grounds will be closed. “I can’t imagine a summer without our Porthouse family,” said producing artistic director Terri Kent, “but, more importantly, I can’t imagine a world without you a...
Michael N. Lehman, Ph.D., was named the inaugural director of Kent State University’s Brain Health Research Institute in January 2019. We asked him to share his thoughts after a year on campus and much activity within the institute. Q: You have been director of the Brain Health Research Institute for more than a year now. You have survived two Ohio winters and have, no doubt, experienced your share of black squirrels. After a year on campus, share your thoughts on Kent State University. Has anything here surprised you? A: Wow, it’s more like what hasn't surprised me! Seriously, I love bein...