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�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University’s administration, faculty and staff have stepped up to collect the university’s personal protective equipment (PPE) to donate to local entities in dire need of medical supplies.
 

Tara C. Smith, Ph.D., epidemiology professor in the College of Public Health, shares her perspective on the current coronavirus pandemic: "It seems like years have passed since the world first heard of an 'atypical pneumonia' circulating in the Hubei province of China in December 2019. When we’ve seen similar reports in the past, the illnesses have had a variety of causes, but all were eventually containable..."

They remember the sights and sounds of helicopters and trucks as the Ohio National Guard moved into their small college town. They remember the smell of tear gas. They remember the chants of the protesters against the Vietnam War and invasion of Cambodia. They remember the panic and fear that ensued immediately after they heard that four students were killed and nine wounded when the guardsmen opened fire on campus. On May 4, 1970, many people in Kent experienced a traumatic event that they will never forget.

In accordance with the order of Amy Acton, M.D., director of Ohio Department of Health, to stay at home to slow the spread of COVID-19, and in the interest of the health and safety of the community, �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University regretfully announces cancellation of the May 4 50th Commemoration Weekend events, scheduled to take place May 1-4, 2020.

As the country adjusts to the new normal of working from home, schooling from home and living lives of social isolation, �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University professor Tara Smith, Ph.D., said people need to realize this new normal may need to continue for a long time.

“It really would not surprise me if this lasted for at least eight weeks or longer,” Smith said.

Two �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ professors partnered with the Summit County Juvenile Court and Hands of Gratitude over the summer to teach juveniles how to assemble prosthetic hands for children in Central America and were featured in the Akron Beacon Journal.

�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University College of Public Health professor Tara Smith, Ph.D., was featured on Sean Carroll’s Mindscape podcast to talk about the novel coronavirus (and its associated disease, COVID-19) pandemic. Smith gives insight on what measures are useful and which are probably not.

On Ohio Statehood Day, February 26, �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University Libraries was awarded a $13,646 grant from the Ohio History Fund to partially cover the digitization costs of their Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Collection. The grant will provide funding to create free, online access to high-resolution, digitized copies of these sought-after resources. Aside from the United States Library of Congress, �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ is the holding institution for the largest and most complete set of Ohio Sanborn maps.

On Thursday, March 12, �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University’s College of Education, Health and Human Services will host “Leading Through Tragedy,” an event that brings together a panel of leaders who were impacted by campus violence from institutions such as Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University and Chardon High School in Ohio.

In lieu of traveling to a crowded beach for spring break, some �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ students will opt for a more informative spring break trip. From March 22-26, 2020, students will head to Jackson, Miss., to learn about the complexities between the �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ May 4 shootings and the Jackson State shootings, both of which occurred in May of 1970.

Dean Kahler, one of the nine �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University students wounded in the May 4, 1970, shootings by the Ohio National Guard, will return to campus on Saturday, May 9, to serve as speaker for the One University Commencement. Thomas Grace, Ph.D., another of the nine wounded students, will serve as speaker for the Advanced Degree Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 8.

The College of the Arts and the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music are pleased to announce the launch of the “Marching Golden Flash Award.” This new scholarship opportunity will be available to all returning members of the Marching Golden Flashes as well as incoming �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ students. It is open to students of any major starting in the fall 2020 season.

�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University psychology professor John Gunstad, Ph.D., has received at grant of nearly $2.6 million from the National Institutes of Health to expand his Alzheimer’s disease research into a national study.

�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University, the city of Kent and the Portage Area Regional Transit Authority (PARTA) jointly have committed to the economic development of retail/entertainment areas serving students, employees and guests of the university and the city.

Each year, �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ students participate in off-campus study away/study abroad programs and internships in locations across the country and around the world. And they take photos—lots and lots of photos.

�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University has outlined planned events for the month of March related to the 50th commemoration of May 4. For the latest updates on events, visit www.kent.edu/may4kentstate50/event-schedule.

Ohio, like many states, suffers from a teacher shortage, especially in early childhood education and special education. The Buckeye State also is in need of more school psychologists, analysts say. It’s fortunate, then, that the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs just awarded a million-dollar grant to two �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University researchers to train teachers and school psychologists in those fields.

There are two cycles most people can’t avoid — sleep and the news. And If you’re awake, you can’t help hearing the news reporting about cannabinoids. A �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ researcher may soon have news about how these substances affect our body’s natural clock. Eric Mintz studies the human body’s circadian rhythms, which affect the sleeping-waking cycle.

�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ videographers braved the winter weather to remind you there’s snow place like the Kent Campus in winter. Watch this video and enjoy winter on the scenic campus.

The Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI) may be a recent development at �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ, but with fresh leadership, emerging partnerships and a refined vision, it’s well on its way to gaining national renown. The Brain Health Research Institute is helping transform the culture of �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ.