Commencement ceremonies were held May 11 for the Kent State Columbiana County campuses. Dr. David Dees, dean of the Kent State Columbiana County campuses, presided over the event, along with Dr. Susan Rossi, assistant dean of the East Liverpool Campus, and Dr. Celeste Oprean, assistant dean for the Salem Campus. The keynote speaker was Robert Conrad, who grew up in Salem and, after high school, entered service to his country as a United States Marine and used the GI Bill to attend college in 1973. In 1974, Conrad earned two associate degrees from Kent State University at Salem...
Nearly a half century ago, sparks from a passing train not only set fire to oil-slicked debris on the Cuyahoga River, which sent flames five-stories high, it ignited the river’s reputation as one of the most polluted in the United States. Since then, clean-up efforts have helped return the river to its natural state, and now visitors will have the opportunity to give it a voice, thanks to a grant awarded to the Wick Poetry Center in Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences. National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $2 million in Creativity Connects...
College of Communication & Information
“I’m Batman!” Those were Michael Keaton’s final words during his Spring 2018 graduation ceremony address at a packed Dix Stadium on May 12. Not only did the Oscar-nominated actor impart wisdom as the university’s commencement speaker, but he also joined more than 3,000 graduates in wearing their caps and gowns as he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for his extraordinary contributions to film performance. The ceremony brought full circle the journey he began at Kent State 47 years ago when he enrolled as a student in 1971 to major in journalism and speech before lea...
Dr. David Dees, dean of the Kent State Columbiana County campuses, and John Tonti, president of the Salem Community Foundation, recently announced that the Salem Community Foundation Tuition Grant Program is now available to Kent State Salem students living within the Salem City, West Branch, South Range, United and Leetonia Village school districts. Additionally, the maximum award is up to 20 percent of in-state tuition costs for classes at Kent State Salem. This amount is an increase from the previous 15 percent maximum grant. “This is the 20th anniversary of the Salem Community ...
Technology similar to video conferencing for meetings is being used at Kent State to teach classes to multiple campuses simultaneously. Known as “Zoomrooms,” these classrooms are equipped with technology so that students and instructors at multiple locations can interact as if they were all in the same room. Each Zoomroom features two 75-inch screens in the front of the classroom that show the remote locations, or what the instructor wants to share from his or her computer (e.g. a document, slide presentation, video, etc.). Students can also share video and audio from their phones and/lapto...
Dr. David Kaplan has been elected Vice President of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) for 2018-2019. Dr. Kaplan will automatically be elected as President for the 2019-2020 term, to be followed by another term as Past President in 2020-2021. Dr. Kaplan will succeed Dr. Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach of the University of Texas-Austin. Dr. Kaplan is a Professor of Geography at Kent State University, where he has taught since 1995. He has written about 60 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, and has published several books. Dr. Kaplan’s research interests include nationalism, borderlands, ...
Transport of fluids and particles at the micro scale is an important theme both in fundamental and applied science. The project explores how this transport can be controlled by anisotropic fluids, namely, by a liquid crustal with pre-designed spatially-variable orientation of molecules. The main focus is dynamic artificial colloidal particles powered by an external electric field. Over the last year, the project extended to "living colloids", i.e., self-propelling rod-like bacteria swimming in a patterned liquid crystal. The experiments revealed an extraordinary efficiency of the pattern...
George R. Newkome, Ph.D., and his wife, Mary Jane Saunders, Ph.D., have pledged $1 million to fund a first-ever professorship in materials science in Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Newkome is a two-time Kent State alumnus. “George and Mary Jane both have a passion and desire to advance scientific discovery,” said Kent State President Beverly J. Warren. “We are so pleased that they recognize and appreciate Kent State’s upward trajectory in advanced materials science and have chosen to support the recruitment and retention of talented faculty members.” Dr. Newkom...
Matheus Priosti came a long way to find his purpose. Five thousand miles, in fact. The São Paulo, Brazil, native made the long journey from South America across the equator to arrive at Kent State University in August 2016, and he has never looked back. “Kent State has had a huge role on me finding my identity and passion,” says Mr. Priosti, a sophomore biology student concentrating in pre-medicine. “What has most helped me identify my passion is trying – trying every opportunity and learning from your mistakes. And I feel that Kent State University is excellent at this aspect.” ...