The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI) is dedicated to research and investigations within natural, human, and built systems, as we develop innovative knowledge, products, and solutions to address local, regional, and global issues.
Students: The institute aims to build research skills in students, in order to cultivate well-rounded, critical thinking professionals. ESDRI recognizes the professional and personal importance of students having foundational research and creative skills and knowledge, which is facilitated through a variety of workshops, speakers, service projects, symposia, special events, Q&A sessions, laboratory tours, and more. The institute supports undergraduates – academically and financially – through its Fellowship Program, in hopes of mentoring a new generation of scholars.
Faculty: ESDRI provides many opportunities for faculty to advance their research and facilitates multidisciplinary collaborations, procuring intramural and extramural funding, and working with qualified student researchers. The institute engages a broad range of talented scientists, designers, and practitioners, spanning many academic disciplines, fields, and programs. The institute proudly hosts an annual symposium/forum, with an ever-evolving theme, which draws from KSU faculty, students, and many of our community partners.
Colleges represented within ESDRI include:
- Aeronautics and Engineering
- Applied and Technical Studies
- Architecture and Environmental Design
- The Arts
- Arts and Sciences
- Education, Health and Human Services
- Nursing
- Public Health
By empowering environmental research, the institute aims to foster change by drawing from robust, well-informed science and design or extrapolating on the research ourselves. ESDRI encourages students, faculty, and the greater community to understand and leverage the interacting geological, biological, human, economical, cultural, and social systems around us. These overlapping systems impact and regulate the availability of resources (e.g. pure water, clean air, and food), sustain diversity of life on Earth, promote well-being, and affect all of us in our daily life.
Environmental Science and Design Research Institute/We acknowledge that the lands of 鶹ý were the previous homes of people who were removed from this area without their consent by the colonial practices of the United States government. Before removal, these groups created networks that extended from Wyoming to the Florida Coast and Appalachia and to the northern reaches of Lake Superior. These societies included people of the Shawnee, Seneca-Cayuga, Delaware, Wyandots, Ottawa and Miami. We honor their lives – past, present, and future – and strive to move beyond remembrance toward reflection and responsibility, through honest accounts of the past and the development of cultural knowledge and community.
![Asiatic Bittersweet, photo credit to Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Asiatic Bittersweet, photo credit to Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/87-CELORB-5-fruit_0.jpg?VersionId=6c4t7T8w85i.KMom3aWKx5zMuhX8nK.R&h=7779f071&itok=K3ekss4T)
Three faculty members in 鶹ý's Department of Biological Sciences recently co-authored a 384-page hardcover book, “Problem Plants of Ohio,” published by the 鶹ý Press.
![A scientist looking through a microscope](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/WastewaterCOVIDBanner.jpg?VersionId=yXKSJGnR_uL1LNcgT6aAZT1xsf0Ft7OS&h=e6f36a9c&itok=E0yIbpuF)
Since March, COVID-19 has become a widespread topic of conversation. Finding ways to explain what this virus is, how one can treat it and how to slow the spread of the virus are just a few commonly asked questions with few clear answers. Xiaozhen Mou, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and her research team recently received funding for their hard work as part of Ohio’s statewide collective effort to discover traces of COVID-19 virus particles in wastewater.
![Women bored on her phone looking out the window.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/BoredWomenPhone.jpg?VersionId=jcfUaHWov6mdy0DvD8EY74Q6AFNnTRBi&h=e6f36a9c&itok=iFsD91hD)
It would not be surprising if you have a social media app open right now; however, you may not be getting the enjoyment out of it that you think you are. In a recent publication in Computers in Human Behavior, two Kent State professors examined the relationship between social media usage and boredom. Students may be surprised by the results and parents might be excited by them.
![Looking at the clouds of a hurricane from above](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/HurricaneClouds.jpg?VersionId=X8PnNvRntucqkRMC8Fy558UVUfPo8nVc&h=e6f36a9c&itok=8cDJb8e7)
Climate change can now be measured on a global scale using multiple weather variables, according to new research published by Cameron C. Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Geography at Kent State.
![Dave Costello, Ph.D., (left), associate professor in 鶹ý’s Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Devan Mathie (right), an undergraduate honors student, stand in Wahoo Ditch in Ravenna, Ohio.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/01.10.19%2520Photo%2520of%2520Dr.%2520Dave%2520Costello%2520and%2520student.jpg?VersionId=hc6K5pKYgKh._RDwCxvkUlNLtaLIL.3A&h=3d9a4abc&itok=1imE-ZEi)
Kent State’s David Costello is passionate about identifying what trace metals lie within Northeast Ohio’s streams and what the effects of these metals are on the surrounding environment. Costello, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, received a $718,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study these important trace metals. The grant is awarded as part of the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program.
![](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/file/kent_state_media_placeholder_0.jpg)
What was even more of a departure than taking classes remotely? Many summer research experiences were moved online this year as well. Fortunately, with creativity and an open mind, there are lots of opportunities to do important scientific research using online tools and data.
![Old Woman Creek: one of the wetlands that is part of H2Ohio Initiative Wetland Monitoring Program. Researchers will assess how effective wetland restoration, construction, and management projects are at removing polluting nutrients from inflowing water. Old Woman Creek: one of the wetlands that is part of H2Ohio Initiative Wetland Monitoring Program. Researchers will assess how effective wetland restoration, construction, and management projects are at removing polluting nutrients from inflowing water.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/OldWomanCreek_1500w_0.jpg?VersionId=uuiWwvNmvRc1AvlnJS9twR4lizUF9cPn&h=67eabc4d&itok=PgnzXbA0)
Lauren Kinsman-Costello, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program Lead for Lake Erie and Aquatic Research Network (LEARN). The group will assess the effectiveness and future role of implemented and planned wetland restoration projects in partnership with the Ohio Division of Natural Resources (ODNR). This project is part of Governor Mike DeWine’s , a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improving Ohio’s water quality.
![](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/file/kent_state_media_placeholder_0.jpg)
We are proud to announce that two of our Master of Landscape Architecture students have been recognized by the Ohio Chapter ASLA.
![Dr. Mou examines algae growing in the lab](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/Mou_algaelab_0.jpg?VersionId=aufuyllboSPG2mrMre6Cwc9dXG3AYr3l&h=4813f8c1&itok=MFEC_M4L)
Research to protect our water supply continues at 鶹ý in the laboratory of Dr. Xiaozhen Mou, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences.
![A black and white print of North American Lobelia species, made by Kent State student Jaret Arnold](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/Lobelia%20Print_0.png?VersionId=x1Qrqky28LtixbwB4Doao6Do9Yq7IVKT&h=e6f36a9c&itok=uNGXFr0M)
Scientists have long recognized that biodiverse ecosystems are more stable and productive. What makes ecosystems diverse is having many species living together in the same place.