eInside Briefs

Lance Grahn Selected as the New Dean of Kent State University at Trumbull

Lance Grahn, Ph.D., has been selected
as the new dean and chief administrative
officer at Kent State University at Trumbull.
Grahn will begin his new appointment on
July 1, 2015.

Lance Grahn, Ph.D., has been selected as the new dean and chief administrative officer at Kent State University at Trumbull. Grahn was chosen following a national search. He currently serves as a professor of history at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas. Grahn begins his new appointment at Kent State Trumbull on July 1, 2015.

“We are fortunate to have joining our Kent State family a professor, administrator and leader of Dr. Grahn’s caliber and experience,” says Todd Diacon, Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “As a department chair, dean and provost, Dr. Grahn has excelled at combining the highest commitment to academic excellence with notable successes in promoting community and workforce development. I look forward to working with Dr. Grahn as he assumes leadership of our Trumbull Campus.”

Grahn succeeds Wanda Thomas, Ph.D., who has served as interim dean of Kent State Trumbull since May 2013 while maintaining her roles as associate provost and dean of the Regional College. Thomas joined Kent State in 2005.

“I am thrilled to join the Kent State University at Trumbull community,” Grahn says. “Its faculty, staff and community friends greatly impressed me with their talent, energy and optimism, and so too did President [Beverly] Warren, Provost Diacon and the search committee. This is an exciting time for Kent State and its eight campuses, and I am honored to have been asked to participate in the dynamism of a great university. My wife and I are excited about our upcoming move to Northeast Ohio, and we look forward to helping Kent State Trumbull build on its strong record of academic success and service to the region.”

Grahn joined the University of Central Arkansas in 2008, serving as a professor in the Department of History. From 2008 to 2012, he also served as provost and dean of faculty/vice president for academic affairs where he was the chief academic officer with oversight of 80 baccalaureate programs, 31 master’s degrees, five doctorates and four terminal degree programs, all housed in six academic colleges. He also has worked at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where he was dean of the College of Letters and Science, Marquette University where he chaired the Department of History, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Calvin College and Radford University. In 1988, he was a visiting lecturer at Universidade Federal Fluminense in Niterói, Brazil. He also has held a variety of other professional leadership roles during his more than 30 years in higher education.

Grahn has been awarded several professional teaching and faculty excellence awards, and he has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. An accomplished author, Grahn has written or co-authored numerous books, journal articles and book chapters.

Grahn received his bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish from Abilene Christian University, his master’s in Latin American history from Texas Tech University and his doctorate in Latin American history from Duke University.

He and his wife, Dianne, will be moving to the Warren, Ohio, area from Conway, Arkansas.

For more information about Kent State Trumbull, visit www.kent.edu/trumbull.

American Physical Society Elects Two Kent State Professors as Fellows

Declan Keane, Ph.D., a professor of
physics at Kent State University, has
been named a 2014 fellow of the
American Physical Society.

Two Kent State University faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences have been named 2014 fellows of the American Physical Society (APS) for their “exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise.” Fellowship in the APS is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one’s professional peers and is limited to no more than one-half of 1 percent of APS membership for a given year. This year’s additions of Declan Keane, Ph.D., and Jonathan Selinger, Ph.D., bring the number of APS fellows from Kent State to five.

Keane, a professor of physics, was honored for his leadership in the study of collective phenomena using directed flow and the discovery of antimatter hypertriton and Helium-4 in high-energy nuclear collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). He was nominated by the APS Division of Nuclear Physics.

Selinger, a professor of chemical physics and Ohio Eminent Scholar at the Liquid Crystal Institute®, was honored for his contributions to the theory of liquid crystals and the role of chirality in soft matter phases, making connections between fundamental statistical mechanics and technological applications. He was nominated by the APS Division of Condensed Matter Physics.

Keane joined Kent State as an assistant professor in 1988 after working at the University of California, Riverside, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. His research involves the experimental study of high-energy nuclear collisions using accelerators that produce conditions resembling the first microseconds of the Big Bang.  Over the past decade, his focus has been the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR) experiment at the RHIC facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, New York. The atom smasher reproduces the “primordial soup” thousands of times per second. Using detectors to track what happens as exotic particles emerge from the trillion-degree collision zone and “freeze out” into more familiar forms of matter, they are learning how the transition takes place.

Recently, Keane was part of a team that revealed promising indications of a phase transition never previously observed that may help us better understand the early universe’s transformation and the nuclear matter that makes up 99.973 percent (by weight) of our everyday world.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Physics, visit www.kent.edu/cas/physics.

Jonathan Selinger, Ph.D., a professor
of chemical physics and Ohio Eminent
Scholar at Kent State's Liquid Crystal
Institute®,has been named a 2014 fellow
of the American Physical Society.

Selinger joined Kent State in 2005 after working at the Naval Research Laboratory, Caltech, and the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on the theory of liquid crystals, nanoparticle suspensions and related topics in soft materials. 

Recently, Selinger and his wife, Robin L. Selinger, Ph.D., professor of chemical physics and a member of the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State, were awarded $375,000 by the National Science Foundation to study “Programmable and Emergent Structures in Soft Matter: Chirality, Polarity and Auto-Origami.” They are studying responsive liquid crystal polymers, a form of plastic that spontaneously changes shapes when heated or cooled. In computer simulation studies, they explore the mathematical relationship between blueprinted structures and the resulting shape change. The materials have potential applications in robotics, touch displays and biomedical devices, among other uses.

For more information about Kent State’s Liquid Crystal Institute, visit www.lcinet.kent.edu.

About the American Physical Society

The world’s second-largest organization of physicists, the American Physical Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20 science meetings each year. Founded in 1899 at Columbia University “to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics,” APS currently has 50,000 members worldwide.

Previously elected APS fellows from Kent State include:

• Gerassimos Petratos, Department of Physics in 2008
• Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics in 2008
• Peter Charles Tandy, Department of Physics in 1996
  

President and CEO of FedEx Custom Critical to Receive Kent State’s 2015 Spirit of Women in Business Award

Virginia C. Albanese to be honored at the Spirit of Women in Business Conference on March 4

Virginia C. Albanese, president and
CEO of FedEx Custom Critical and an
alumna of Kent State University’s College
of Business Administration, is the 2015
recipient of the university's Spirit of
Women in Business Award.

Virginia C. Albanese, president and CEO of FedEx Custom Critical and an alumna of Kent State University’s College of Business Administration, is the 2015 recipient of Kent State’s Spirit of Women in Business Award.

“As a two-time Kent State alumna, I’m honored to receive this award,” Albanese says. “The Spirit of Women in Business Conference is a great platform to discuss important opportunities that women encounter.”

Albanese joined FedEx Custom Critical in 1986 and quickly worked her way up the ranks, holding director positions in various departments where she placed a strong focus on organizational culture, customer satisfaction and developing people.

In each role, Albanese used technology to improve productivity. By streamlining processes, she has improved efficiency and enhanced communication capabilities to move the company forward.

Albanese has been recognized for her leadership both at work and in the community. In recent years, she has been inducted into the Northeastern Ohio Business Hall of Fame (2013), received the Women of Power Award from the Akron Urban League (2013) and also received the Leadership Excellence Award from the National Diversity Council (2014). She also has been named to the Inside Business Power 100 list for the past four years (2011-2014) and the Crain’s Cleveland Business Power 150 (2014). In addition, FedEx Custom Critical has been recognized as one of Northeast Ohio’s top workplaces, receiving the NorthCoast 99 Award 13 times and also has been selected to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Top Workplaces list in 2013.

Albanese earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1985 and an Executive MBA in 1995 from Kent State. In 2013, she was appointed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich to the Kent State Board of Trustees. She is past chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve and past chair of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on a number of other boards to benefit the Northeast Ohio community, including Akron Children’s Hospital and the Akron Community Foundation.

“Virginia is an inspiring leader whose success in the workplace has been combined with an active role in a number of community organizations, embodying for our students a wonderful role model of a successful businesswoman,” says Deborah Spake, dean of Kent State’s College of Business Administration.

The Spirit of Women in Business Award honors a Kent State business alumna who excels in her profession, paving the way for women in business.

Albanese will be honored at the 2015 Spirit of Women in Business Conference on March 4, which will feature keynote speaker Sheena S. Iyengar, a world-renowned expert on choice and author of The Art of Choosing, with breakout sessions following the theme of choice and a networking lunch.

Conference tickets are on sale now at www.kent.edu/business/wib. Register today as the conference sells out annually.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Business Administration, visit www.kent.edu/business.

Kent State Researchers to Study Social Media Use During Crises and Disasters

An NSF grant will help Kent State University researchers
study social media use during crises and disasters. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Kent State University a $300,000 grant for three College of Arts and Sciences faculty members to study how human dynamics across social media and social networks can be modeled. The grant is part of a $999,887 collaboration with San Diego State University and the University of Arkansas.

Professor Jay Lee and Assistant Professor Xinyue Ye of Kent State’s Department of Geography and Associate Professor Ruoming Jin of Kent State’s Department of Computer Science will use information diffusion, visualization and simulations to study the public responses to disaster warnings and alerts, as well as the public opinions of controversial social topics, at the state or national level.

“The outcomes yielded from this research will assist in better designing and implementing disaster warnings and alerts, as well as more efficient disseminating communications of political messages via social media and social networks,” Ye says.

The researchers plan to collaborate with the San Diego Office of Emergency Services (OES) to create a prototype platform using social media to study how people respond and react to messages warning of inclement weather, earthquakes, wildfires, disease outbreaks and evacuation orders.

“The study may also allow government agencies to communicate more effectively to the public and be better prepared for both natural and human-made crises,” Ye says. 

Ye says that the government response to social issues, such as gun control, anti-vaccination movements and the threat of government shutdown, relies on the impact of online public opinion and public political debates.

The social media analytic tools developed by this group will be able to calculate how these messages are disseminated online and in social media and the outcomes of the referendum votes.

While most users of social networks are millennials, the researchers want to make sure that older generations are included as well.

“We will try to reach out to the health providers and caregivers to introduce our social media channels and platform to people in senior communities, nursing homes and health centers,” Ye says.

Another goal of their project is to bridge the gap between the different generations by encouraging young people to participate in society in a more meaningful way.

“We hope through this project and the volunteer platform, we can encourage these young people to play a more active and important role in our society,” Ye says. “They can become the scouts for our society to protect these senior citizens and local communities.”

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Geography, visit www.kent.edu/cas/geography.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Computer Science, visit www.kent.edu/cas/cs.

Kent State to Host Graduate Program Fair on Feb. 18

Pictured are participants at Kent State University’s first
Graduate and Professional School Fair held last year on
the Kent Campus.

In October, Kent State University’s Division of Graduate Studies hosted its first Graduate and Professional School Fair. As a follow-up to that event, the Division of Graduate Studies will host a Kent State Graduate Program Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 18, from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Kent Student Center Ballroom. The fair will provide students with the opportunity to explore and discuss Kent State graduate programs with faculty and staff. Students also have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with advanced graduate students to ask questions and learn more about what it means to be a graduate student. The fair is free and no pre-registration is required, but students should register at www.kent.edu/graduatestudies/graduate-program-fair if they would like to meet with a graduate student.

For more information about Kent State’s Division of Graduate Studies, visit www.kent.edu/graduatestudies.

STEM Fair at Kent State Promotes Area Students to Regional and State Competitions

Hudson High School students Betsy Hart (left) and Martha
Masich (right) presented their project at the STEM Science
Fair event in the Kent Student Center Ballroom on Jan. 24.

Science, technology, engineering and math – commonly referred to as STEM fields – and area students working in them were spotlighted in the Kent Student Center Ballroom on Jan. 24 at the Fourth Annual Northeast Ohio STEM Project Fair. 

Sponsored by Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences and organized in partnership with the Northeast Ohio STEM Alliance, the fair featured the work of 280 students in grades 4 through 12.

Many of the students were promoted to regional- and state-level competitions, including Western Reserve District 5 Science Day; NEOSEF, the Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair; and at the state level, State Science Day.

Kent State’s Robin Selinger, Ph.D., and Edgar Kooijman, Ph.D., served as faculty organizers of the event. Selinger is a professor of chemical physics at Kent State’s Liquid Crystal Institute® and a member of the advisory board of the Northeast Ohio STEM Alliance. Kooijman is an associate professor of biological sciences.  

“Science fairs give students the chance to work independently on a project of their own choosing, using scientific tools to investigate how the world works,” Selinger says. “For many students, this experience sparks an interest in taking advanced STEM courses in high school, leading to a STEM major in college and career opportunities in science, engineering and related fields. Kent State's College of Arts and Sciences and the Northeast Ohio STEM Alliance are delighted to work as partners to bring this opportunity to students in our local area.”

The Northeast Ohio STEM Alliance is an advocacy group of parents and community members dedicated to promoting interest and participation in STEM activities.

For more information about the Northeast Ohio STEM Project Fair hosted by Kent State, visit www.neohstem.org.

Insurance Industry Career Fair Comes to Kent State

The Insurance Industry Career Fair will be held on Feb. 11 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. The event is part of Westfield Insurance’s commitment to its initiatives with Kent State University through education and increased awareness of career opportunities within Ohio’s insurance industry.

The insurance industry is a high-opportunity field with financial stability and is projected to have more than 26,000 jobs by 2020.

The insurance industry offers professional jobs in many areas, such as customer service, underwriting, law, information technology, marketing and communications, human resources, product development, accounting, claims and sales.

Upper-division students and alumni seeking career opportunities are encouraged to attend. Freshman and sophomore students who have not declared a major but who are interested in learning more about the diverse career options within the insurance industry also are encouraged to attend. In addition, a career session for veterans will take place. Kent State faculty and staff are encouraged to share this information with their students.

For more information on the Insurance Industry Career Fair, visit www.kent.edu/career/insurance-industry-career-fair.