Research

College of Education, Health and Human Services
George Kamberelis sitting at a table

The College of Education, Health and Human Services welcomes George A. Kamberelis, Ph.D., as the new director for the School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies.

A close-up shot of a bee on a flower in the Beyer-Murin Gardens on the Kent Campus. Photo by Robert Christy

Over half of the described species in the world are insects. Although many people think of insects as pests, they play vital roles and have a big impact on our invaluable ecosystems, as pollinators, helping break down wastes, and as an essential food source for many other organisms.

Associate Professor Clarissa Thompson, Ph.D., presents her research in a Research & Innovation Forum

Twice each semester, Kent State University’s Division of Research and Sponsored Programs hosts Research & Innovation Forums, to bring together faculty members to publicly present their ongoing work. 

Study examines the relationship between hazing severity and group solidarity in an anonymous U.S. fraternity.

Kent State University’s newest anthropologist, Assistant Professor Aldo Cimino, Ph.D., has made it his life’s work to understand the causes and consequences of hazing, including the possible generation of solidarity. He and his co-author recently published an article on this question in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. 

Photo of Angela Neal-Barnett, Ph.D., professor in Kent State’s Department of Psychological Sciences within the College of Arts and Sciences

ATHENA Akron, a women’s leadership organization in Summit County, Ohio, has named Angela Neal-Barnett, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences within the College of Arts and Sciences at Kent State University, its winner of the 2022 ATHENA Akron Leadership Award. She will receive the award on Nov. 17 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn.

Grass after first frost

Many wonder if climate change is the reason we’ve had 'weather whiplash' or day-to-day dramatic changes from hot to cold or cold to hot. As a climate scientist, Cameron Lee, assistant professor in the Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kent State, gets asked this question a lot. Looking beyond just the average temperatures and statistical means, he decided to take a more analytical look at weather whiplash and add to a growing body of climate change literature examining temperature variability trends.

An aspen woodland/sagebrush shrubland ecotone. Photo by Tim Assal

Timothy Assal, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Geography, was awarded a grant as a co-principal investigator on a multi-institutional project, “Vulnerability of lower-ecotone aspen forests to altered fire regimes and climate dynamics in the northern Great Basin” (a three-year $299,842 total award with $89,600 going to Kent State), which is funded by the Northwest Climate Adaption Science Center. This collaboration includes the United States Geological Survey in Boise, Idaho, Utah State University, and the United States Bureau of Land Management.

Gretchen Hoak teaches students in the newsroom

“You can’t expect journalists to do this type of hurdling long-term without holistic support that includes logistical elements," claims Assistant Professor and TV2 advisor Gretchen Hoak, "but also mental and emotional support."