The Kent Stater, Kent State’s independent student newspaper, is the best student newspaper in the nation in its class, according to the College Media Association. The organization announced the annual Pinnacle Award winners at the National College Media Convention in Dallas, Oct. 25-29, 2017. The Kent Stater beat out competition from Northwestern University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Pennsylvania, to take the Pinnacle Award for Newspaper of the Year for 2016-17. “I am absolutely thrilled to see The Stater judged to be the best student newspaper in the countr...

The center of a public health debate is whether parents should have their children vaccinated. Tara Smith, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at Kent State University’s College of Public Health, challenges statements made by influential individuals who oppose the widespread use of vaccines, and she calls upon her colleagues in the scientific community to speak out to promote vaccination. The article, “Vaccine Rejection and Hesitancy: A Review and Call to Action,” is published by Oxford Press’ Open Forum Infectious Diseases. In the July 18 article, Smith presents clear and scientifically based a...

Dementia affects one-third of all people older than 65 years in the United States. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive, irreversible brain disease that results in impaired cognitive functioning and other behavioral changes. Humans are considered uniquely susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease, potentially due to genetic differences, changes in brain structure and function during evolution, and an increased lifespan.  However, a new study published Aug. 1 in Neurobiology of Aging provides the most extensive evidence of Alzheimer’s disease brain patholo...

The Kent State University Alumni Association is seeking nominations for the Alumni Awards. These awards recognize graduates who, through leadership, character and hard work, have made exceptional contributions in their chosen field, in their communities and at Kent State. “The alumni association is proud to recognize notable, accomplished graduates,” said Lori Randorf, assistant vice president of alumni relations at Kent State. “These awards shine a light on graduates who have attained distinguished career success and have performed outstanding service to their community, Kent State Univers...

Kent State University at Tuscarawas theatre professor Bill Auld makes people fly – literally. Auld travels the world working as a professional performer rigger, designing, rigging, choreographing and executing performer flying effects. Auld has been doing “wire work” for twenty years and is one of only a few hundred people in the world with this skill. Auld’s talents for theatrical rigging have recently taken him on a whirlwind trip to Mumbai, India, to work on a TV production. While his trip lasted only a few days, he rigged in eight systems and supervised a dozen technicians flying eight ...