Research & Science

Kent State Professors Use Mobile Devices To Study Behaviors During Pandemic
Before leaving the house, you most likely check to ensure you have your ID, your shoes and most importantly your smartphone. In the past decade, American smartphone usage has grown more than 50% according to a . Smartphones have become as commonplace as a wallet or car keys and Kent State researchers are taking advantage of this new commodity by using cell phone data to study individuals’ behavioral patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic and link cell phone use behaviors to mental health.

Researcher Receives Additional Funding for Mental Health Study in Older Ages
The National Institute of Health granted additional funding to Â鶹´«Ă˝ researcher bringing her total award amount to more than $3 million to support her research on mental well-being and coping after traumatic injuries in individuals aged 65 and older.

Anthropology Team Brings Home the 2020 Ig Nobel Award for Materials Science
In 2019, a team of researchers in Kent State’s Department of Anthropology published its “prize-winning” research article titled in the Journal of Archaeological Science. (Yes, the jokes are seemingly endless, but seriously folks, there is an important underlying message here about evidence-based research and fact-checking!)

Biological Sciences Faculty to Lead H2Ohio Wetlands Monitoring Program
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.

Materials Science Research Receives Grant for New X-ray Scattering Instrument
Â鶹´«Ă˝â€™s Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute soon will be home to a new X-ray scattering instrument capable of examining materials in scales from as small as a fraction of a nanometer to as large as several micrometers.

Geology Professor and Science Historian Co-Author Article Exploring Eunice Foote’s Climate Experiments From 1856
Recently, Joseph Ortiz, Ph.D., professor and assistant chair in the Department of Geology in Â鶹´«Ă˝â€™s College of Arts and Science, partnered with Sir Roland Jackson, Ph.D., a historian of science at the Royal Institution and the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London, to co-author a paper assessing the experiments described in Eunice Foote’s papers from a detailed quantitative perspective and to place them in historical context. They point out the differences between her hypothesis and that of the modern greenhouse effect.

2020 BHRI Undergraduate Fellows Cap Off a Great Summer Research Experience
Ten undergraduate students from nine different majors had extraordinary research experiences as Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI) Fellows during summer 2020.

Honorary Degree Conferred Upon Renowned Neuroscientist Alumnus
Â鶹´«Ă˝ has conferred an honorary Doctor of Science degree on alumnus Earl K. Miller, Ph.D., a world-renowned neuroscientist.

Kent State’s New Undergraduate Neuroscience Major Thrives
Â鶹´«Ă˝ introduced a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience in fall 2019, and since the launch, the major has had tremendous growth. Enrollment is projected to surpass majors that have been at Kent State for years.

BioBlack Team Brings Home Award From Biodesign Challenge
A team of Kent State students took home the Outstanding Science Award from the Biodesign Challenge Summit 2020 held in June.