Heart of gold. Life was just beginning for Lainey Ward when doctors worked on her heart to keep it beating. A 4-month-old baby, Ms. Ward was in the fight of her life before she knew what living really meant. Her whole world was mom and dad and the mobile dancing over her crib. Open-heart surgery and operations to fix three birth defects kept Ms. Ward pushing forward, overcoming diagnosis after diagnosis. First, the girl who would not live, did. Then, the girl who could not walk, walked. Later, the girl who found it difficult to learn would teach. Today, Ms. Ward finds hers...

As a passionate student of the arts, Bethany Westphal felt the need to share her love with others, specifically younger children, and help them avoid some of the negative experiences she had with music teachers growing up. She recently opened Rising Star Center for the Arts in downtown Akron, where she hopes to “create a positive, fun, and encouraging learning environment for the arts so that everyone can be free to pursue their creative dreams.” Bethany (senior, Integrative Studies) shared what inspired her to start Rising Star: “What ignited a spark in me to start a new business w...

NOVEMBER 18, 2018 | APPEARED IN VOLUME 96, ISSUE 46 of Chemical and Engineering News Photonic thin films—in which ordered nanostructures interact with light to produce color—can be used to make lightweight and flexible color filters, sensors, display components, and more. But ensuring that the nanocrystals within them align uniformly to produce well-defined color can be difficult and time consuming. Casting such a film in a dish, for example, can take weeks and still result in poorly controlled nanostructures and colors. Now, Georgia Institute of Technology’s Vladimir V. Tsukruk and colleague...

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on LinkedIn Share by Email The Environmental Science and Design Research Initiative (ESDRI) was excited to be able to offer competitively awarded seed grant funding to research teams in Spring Semester 2018. ESDRI was established in 2017 to support faculty efforts to achieve continued scholarly success in areas of research concerning both natural and built systems. The projects funded demonstrate the broad nature of scholarly activity addressing the environment at Kent State University, including projects re...

Kent State University at Tuscarawas and the Performing Arts Center were both big winners during The Times-Reporter’s annual Best of the Best Awards Gala by earning seven awards. A large crowd was on hand for the event, held at the Performing Arts Center on Tues., Nov. 13. Kent State Tuscarawas received the highest award in the Kids and Education category and first place in College and University. The Performing Arts Center received the highest award for Entertainment, first place awards for Event Venue and Concert Venue, second place in Wedding Venue and honorable mention in Family Entertai...

The following on-site dates remain to get your jump-start on 2019 for your "Know Your Numbers" health screening and/or flu vaccine. Don’t delay. Dates are filling up fast. Follow the "How to Schedule" instructions below as registration is required.   Date Location Time Dec. 6 Kent, Student Center Balcony (flu shots only) 7:30-10:30 a.m. Feb. 7* Heer Hall, Wellness Resource Room 7:30-10:30 a.m. Feb. ...

Get added support for the holidays with health coaching from Be Well Solutions. Health Coaching is part of our employee wellness program for all full-time, benefits-eligible employees on all campuses. Health coaching appointments are individualized, 30-minute sessions with a certified health coach with expertise in a variety of areas, including exercise, nutrition, diabetes management, stress management, tobacco cessation and general health. Appointments are available face-to-face or telephonically to suit all schedules and are unlimited. The next onsite health coaching ...

Nearly $300,000 in matching funds available With the launch of its 2018 Giving Tuesday campaign on Nov. 1, Kent State University has again transformed what was just a one-day fundraising initiative into a monthlong giving campaign to support student scholarships, expanded programs, study away initiatives and 21st-century facilities. Giving Tuesday, traditionally the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which occurs on Nov. 27 this year, is the unofficial worldwide beginning to a season of philanthropic giving to nonprofits that follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Keeping with her traditi...

As the semester comes to a close, Kent State University is asking faculty and staff to reduce campus energy consumption over winter break (Dec. 23-Jan. 2). As a result of collective efforts over the 2017 holiday break, the university avoided more than $25,000 in energy costs over nine days. The greenhouse gas emissions reduction was equal to taking more than 50 passenger vehicles off the road for one year. Before leaving campus, computers and other electronics – including power strips – should be turned off and unplugged whenever possible. Most electronics still draw energy a...