91�ֿ�

A team of 25 faculty, staff and students use innovation and creativity to help health professionals in Northeast Ohio protect themselves from COVID-19. 

Continuing along tradition of local community support and a desire to positively impact educational opportunities locally, Molded Fiber Glass Companies are announcing a $100,000 commitment by the MFG Foundation to support student scholarships at 91�ֿ� at Ashtabula.

Nuclear physics researchers at 91�ֿ� and all over the world have been searching for violations of the fundamental symmetries in the universe for decades. Much like the “Big Bang” (approximately 13.8 billion years ago), but on a tiny scale, they briefly recreate the particle interactions that likely existed microseconds into the formation of our universe which also likely now exist in the cores of neutron stars.

Michael N. Lehman, Ph.D., was named the inaugural director of 91�ֿ�’s Brain Health Research Institute in January 2019. We asked him to share his thoughts after a year on campus and much activity within the institute.

At 91�ֿ�, a student-athlete’s day typically starts around 6 a.m. with practice or lifting. Then they attend team meetings or a cryotherapy session or study tables. After all that, it’s finally time for class, where these students have to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 to keep the cumulative team GPA on track. It’s exhausting just to read all that.

91�ֿ� Interim Senior Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley, Ph.D., and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., discussed ways that students can make the most of remote classes while still benefiting from student services during a recent appearance on Facebook Live. Both answered live questions and discussed such areas as summer class schedules, support for struggling students and staying healthy.

While 91�ֿ� faculty, staff, students and alumni are working and learning from home, they can show their #FlashesForever spirit during video calls.

Out-of-state residents who have earned a bachelor’s degree in Ohio will soon be able to save on tuition for graduate programs at 91�ֿ� thanks to a new in-state tuition option offered by the university.

The words “biology” and “design” might not typically intertwine; however, 91�ֿ�’s Biodesign Challenge course was created to challenge the idea that the two separate disciplines could not collaborate.

Communication has shaped the way the world has reacted to the coronavirus pandemic. This fall 2020, 91�ֿ� is offering a new course that will examine risk communication through the lens of pandemics and other global crises. “Communicating Risk: Global Pandemics and Crises.”

Unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitate a change in approach to 91�ֿ�’s admissions process to ensure student access and success. This university has simplified its admissions process beginning with the 2020 Fall Semester.

91�ֿ� Dean of University College Eboni Pringle, Ph.D., recently discussed remote support services during an appearance on Facebook Live. She answered live questions and discussed such areas as tutoring, advising, and career exploration and development, all of which remain available to students during this period of remote learning.

Molly Merryman, Ph.D., is an author and filmmaker as well as the founding director of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality at 91�ֿ�, where she is an associate professor. We asked her what books she would recommend for reading during Women’s History Month.

Since October 2019, select public relations students at 91�ֿ� have been working hard to complete a campaign for the 2020 Annual Case Study Bateman Competition client: the United States Census Bureau. The National Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) hosts this competition each year challenging participants to develop and implement a comprehensive communications campaign for a client.

91�ֿ� announced the creation of the 91�ֿ� Emergency Grant Fund that will help students who are unexpectedly finding themselves in financial need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

91�ֿ�’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, 91�ֿ� 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, 91�ֿ� 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.