eInside Briefs

Kent State Biological Sciences Researcher Receives $1.8 Million NIH Grant for Chronic Wound Healing

Min-Ho Kim, Ph.D., an assistant
professor of biological sciences at Kent
State University, has been awarded a
five-year grant from the National
Institutes of Health to develop a
nanotechnology-based therapeutic
platform that can treat biofilm infection in
chronic wounds.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Kent State University’s Min-Ho Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, a $1,842,350 five-year grant. The grant from the NIH’s National Institute of Nursing Research is to develop “nanobombs,” a nanotechnology-based therapeutic platform that can treat biofilm infection in chronic wounds.

Kim will lead a research collaboration with three other research laboratories. Songping Huang, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Kent State, will be responsible for the synthesis of functionalized magnetic nanoparticles to be used in the project. Scott Simon, Ph.D., a biomedical engineering professor at the University of California, Davis, will evaluate the potential impact of engineered nanoparticles on host innate immunity. Jose Renau, Ph.D., an associate professor of computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will develop and implement tissue temperature monitoring and a feedback control system to ensure the safe application of the thermotherapy system.

The researchers hope the “nanobombs” will provide a needed tool for the treatment of fragile patients who cannot be successfully treated with standard antibiotic treatments.

“With a clear, present need for an effective antimicrobial therapy for wound infections, we hope to establish a novel platform for ‘smart’ treatments for the management of antibiotic-resistant chronic wound infections,” Kim says.

Acute infections, lasting only a few days, are generally treatable with antibiotics. However, in cases where the bacteria forms a biofilm within the human host, which occurs quite often in chronic wounds including diabetic ulcers or venous ulcers, the acute infection develops into a chronic state, and it becomes very difficult to treat.

A critical challenge is that biofilm infections are resistant to conventional antibiotics or antimicrobial agents and readily evade innate immune attack.

The “nanobombs” are made of magnetic nanoparticles that are surface-coated with molecules that can specifically recognize bacteria and are controlled by a remotely applied magnetic field.
 
“To target, we use an exact intensity of the magnetic field that triggers only the ‘nanobombs’ to absorb significant amounts of magnetic energy,” Kim says. “The energy, which can be converted into heat, explodes to kill bacteria while leaving the remaining other normal and healthy tissue intact. The nanobomb treatments would be minimally invasive, resulting in fast recovery times and fewer side effects.”

During the next five years, the study will be focused on validating the therapeutic efficacy of the technology using preclinical animal models of diabetic wound infection and further optimizing the system to ensure safe application.

“This study also will produce valuable information on the impact of the use of engineered nanoparticles in nanomedicine,” Kim says. “Recently, there has been a lot of interest in the use of engineered nanoparticles in diagnosis and therapeutics, but there also have been concerns over the potential health impacts of engineered nanoparticles. Surprisingly, limited knowledge exists about how engineered nanoparticles interact with host cells and the subsequent biological pathways that are impacted. This study will address those concerns as well.”

To learn more about Kim’s research, visit www.openwetware.org/wiki/Min-Ho_Kim_Lab.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Biological Sciences, visit www.kent.edu/biology.

For more information about research at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/research.

Kent State’s N.J. Akbar and Brian Peters Honored With “30 for the Future” Award

Kent State University’s N.J. Akbar,
director of diversity outreach and
development in the College of Education,
Health and Human Services, has been
named a “30 for the Future” award
recipient by the Greater Akron Chamber.

Kent State University’s N.J. Akbar, director of diversity outreach and development in the College of Education, Health and Human Services, and Brian Peters, assistant professor in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, have been named “30 for the Future” award recipients by the Greater Akron Chamber.

The “30 for the Future” award is given to young professionals, ages 25-39, who live or work in the greater Akron area and make an impact on the region through dynamic leadership and community service.

Akbar, a resident of Stow, is responsible for the strategic recruitment and retention of diverse students in Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services.

“I am honored to be recognized by the Greater Akron Chamber for this award,” Akbar says. “This award is not recognizing me alone, but also honors my parents and those mentors who have poured into me as a young person and as a professional. If it were not for them, I would not be able to do what I do.

“Kent State has been a blessing to me,” Akbar adds. “These last six years [at Kent State] have provided me with very unique experiences to grow as a professional and the opportunity to work in an area that I am deeply passionate about.”

Peters, a resident of Kent, conducts research and teaches digital fabrication in architecture at Kent State. He founded the Robotic Fabrication Lab at the university, which features a six-axis robotic arm and several desktop 3-D printers, with the intention of developing a research cluster for faculty, students and outside partners.

Kent State University's Brian Peters,
assistant professor in the College of
Architecture and Environmental Design,
has been named a “30 for the Future”
award recipient by the Greater Akron
Chamber.

“It’s humbling to be receiving this award and to be included among this group of well-deserving and emerging professionals,” Peters says. “It also is an honor to represent Kent State and the College of Architecture and Environmental Design in the greater Akron community.”

Akbar received his bachelor’s degree in history and English for secondary education and Master of Arts in Educational Leadership for Higher Education Administration from Eastern Michigan University. He is currently in his last year of coursework for the Doctor of Philosophy in Cultural Foundations of Education at Kent State. Akbar serves as the founding program director for the Alpha Core of Excellence Mentoring Program for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. in Akron, and serves as vice president of the Towpath Trail High School Board of Directors. He is concluding a four-year appointment as the Midwest regional chairman of the Leadership Development Institute for his fraternity. Before joining Kent State, Akbar worked at the University of Michigan in Student Conflict Resolution and Career Services, and as supervisor for the Summer Incentive Program at Eastern Michigan University.

Peters received his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of Advanced Architecture from the Institute of Advanced Architecture in Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. Prior to joining Kent State’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design in 2013, he helped initiate several projects investigating the role of 3-D printing at the scale of architecture, including the 3-D Print Canal House in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Building Bytes. Building Bytes was named the winner of Architect Magazine’s 2014 R + D Awards. 

Akbar and Peters will be recognized by the Greater Akron Chamber at an awards ceremony on Sept. 3.

For more information about the “30 for the Future” award, visit www.greaterakronypn.com/30-for-the-future.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services, visit www.kent.edu/ehhs.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, visit www.kent.edu/caed.

TRIO Recognizes Three Kent State Employees With Statewide Awards

Adam Cinderich, mathematics
program coordinator in TRIO
Student Support Services at Kent
State, was received the Louis M.
Brownlowe New Professional
Award at the annual Ohio TRIO
Professional Development
Conference.

Three Kent State University employees received recognition during the annual Ohio TRIO Professional Development Conference.

Adam Cinderich, mathematics program coordinator in TRIO Student Support Services at Kent State; Patty Robinson, Kent State’s assistant director of Upward Bound Public Health; and Crystal Davis, federal relations director in Kent State’s Office of Government Relations, were presented with the statewide awards at a recent ceremony.

TRIO began as part of former President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty through the Educational Opportunity Act of 1964. TRIO programs help students overcome class, social, academic and cultural barriers to higher education with the ultimate goal of college persistence and degree. Over the years, these programs have been expanded to a number of institutions across the country to increase educational opportunities for underrepresented students.

Kent State secured funding for TRIO in 1971 and currently supports three TRIO programs, including Upward Bound, Student Support Services and McNair Scholars.

Cinderich was awarded the Louis M. Brownlowe New Professional Award, which recognizes a TRIO professional who has demonstrated exemplary service to the mission of TRIO programs in his or her first through fifth year. In the Student Support Services program, Cinderich works as an academic program coordinator.

Serving students at the Kent Campus, Cinderich oversees the Mathematics Tutoring program while serving as a secondary advisor and campus resource to Student Support Services students. He also assists in the planning and implementation of various workshops and events focusing on financial literacy, academic and professional development, graduate school exploration and cultural awareness.

Patty Robinson, Kent State’s
assistant director of Upward
Bound Public Health, received
the James A. Rankin Award,
which honors the late state Rep.
James Rankin for his commitment
to high-risk, educationally
disadvantaged youth in the state
of Ohio.

Cinderich says his TRIO background began as a Student Support Services’ tutor in Pennsylvania. He later began teaching science courses during the summer for the Kent State Upward Bound programs and now continues to work with Student Support Services full time.

“I was surprised to learn the Upward Bound staff had nominated me, and I was truly humbled because this is a statewide award,” Cinderich says on winning the award. “I’m so excited to come to work every day knowing that I get to work with others who share the same passion in serving our students.”

Robinson was awarded the James A. Rankin Award, established in 1983 to honor the late state Rep. James Rankin for his commitment to high-risk, educationally disadvantaged youth in the state of Ohio. The award recognizes a member of the Ohio TRIO who has gone above and beyond and is given in recognition and appreciation of continued dedication, services and commitment to minority and disadvantaged youth in the state of Ohio.

In the Upward Bound Public Health program, Robinson serves Ravenna, Lorain and Windham high schools. Working directly with students, Robinson provides weekly on-site coordination and leadership of the Upward Bound program initiatives to high schools. She also leads, directs and provides oversight in the development and delivery of educational programming and external communication through school and community partnerships to increase students’ opportunities, including direct support from Kent State’s College of Public Health.

Robinson says that she is humbled to receive this award.

“We have a dynamic Upward Bound team,” Robinson says. “We work very hard for our students. Any one of us could have received this award.”

Crystal Davis, federal relations
director in Kent State’s Office of
Government Relations, received
the TRIO Achiever Award for
Ohio.

Davis was awarded the TRIO Achiever Award for Ohio, given to a TRIO alumni who has graduated from a four-year program, is a person of high stature within his or her profession and has adequately described the impact the participation in a TRIO program has had on his or her life.

Her work with TRIO and the university is based in her Washington, D.C., office. As federal relations director, she serves as the conduit for information between Kent State and the federal government. She says receiving the recognition is rewarding because of her past work with programs like TRIO.

“I’m happy to be honored in this way and have the opportunity to advocate now for the programs that have contributed to my life,” Davis says.

As recipient of the TRIO Achiever for Ohio, Davis will have her information forwarded to receive consideration for regional and national TRIO Achiever recognition.

For more information about Kent State’s TRIO programs, visit:
Upward Bound: www.kent.edu/upwardboundprogram
Student Support Services: www.kent.edu/asc/trio-sss
McNair Scholars: www.kent.edu/mcnair

For more information about federal TRIO programs, visit
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html

Kent State’s Linda Zucca Named Outstanding Ohio Accounting Educator

Linda Zucca, Ph.D., CPA, chair of the
Department of Accounting at Kent State
University, received the Outstanding
Ohio Accounting Educator award from
the Ohio Society of Certified Public
Accountants for her continued efforts
to advance student learning.

Linda Zucca, Ph.D., CPA, chair of the Department of Accounting in Kent State University’s College of Business Administration, received the Outstanding Ohio Accounting Educator award from the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) for her continued efforts to advance student learning.  

A resident of Hudson, Zucca was presented the award at the Ohio regional meeting of the American Accounting Association in Cleveland, Ohio. Zucca then was recognized at Ohio Society of CPA’s Annual Meeting and Business Excellence Symposium in Columbus, Ohio. The award is presented to an educator who has made outstanding contributions to the education of accounting students. Zucca is only the third Kent State faculty member to ever receive the honor.

“Linda Zucca is indeed an outstanding educator, and I am delighted that her efforts are being recognized by the accounting profession,” says Deborah Spake, Ph.D., dean of Kent State’s College of Business Administration. “To be honored by the Ohio Society of CPAs as the state’s outstanding educator is a testament to Dr. Zucca’s commitment to excellence in education and a testament to the quality of the accounting program at Kent State University.”

The Ohio Society of CPAs, established in 1908, represents 20,000 CPAs and accounting professionals in business, education, government and public accounting. The organization’s members not only meet statutory and regulatory requirements as CPAs, but also embrace the highest standards of professional and ethical performance. This is achieved through ongoing professional education, comprehensive quality review and compliance with a strict Code of Professional Conduct. For more information about the Ohio Society of CPAs, visit www.ohiocpa.com.

Zucca received her Ph.D. in management with a concentration in accountancy from Case Western Reserve University and joined Kent State’s College of Business Administration in 1988. Her teaching interests include corporate accounting and professional issues and ethics in accounting, as well as financial accounting. Zucca has won numerous teaching awards since she began her time at Kent State, including 2012 Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year and Kent State’s Commitment to Excellence Award. Zucca also serves as the Master of Science in Accounting program coordinator for the college.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Accounting, visit http://business.kent.edu/departments/accounting.

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

Important Information about Final Grading of Summer 2015 First 7 Weeks (W1) Classes

Online final grading for summer 2015 first 7 Weeks (W1) courses meeting from May 11, 2015, through June 27, 2015, began Thursday, June 25, 2015, via FlashFAST. Grading also is now available for any summer 2015 course section that was flexibly scheduled and has an end date no later than June 25, 2015. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, June 30.  Any final grades for summer 2015 First 7 Weeks (W1) courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These summer 2015 first 7 Weeks (W1) courses will be available in the Workflow on Thursday, July 1.

Incomplete Mark and NF/SF Grades

The administrative mark of IN (Incomplete) may be given to students who are unable to complete the work due to extenuating circumstances. To be eligible, undergraduate students must be currently passing and have completed at least 12 weeks, or the prorated equivalent, of the semester.

The timeline shall be adjusted appropriately for flexibly scheduled courses. Graduate students must be currently earning a C or better grade and are unable to complete the required work between the course withdrawal deadline and the end of classes. Instructors are required to complete and submit an Incomplete Mark Form to the department chair when an incomplete mark is assigned. Access the form from your Faculty Toolbox in FlashLine.

The grade NF (Never Attended-Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course.

The grade SF (Stopped Attending-Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course.

For complete information on university grading policies, including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the university catalog at www.kent.edu/catalog.

To access FlashFAST, login to FlashLine from www.kent.edu (click FlashLine Login from top right menu bar) then click the Faculty & Advisor Tools tab. Locate the Faculty Toolbox, and select Final under the Submit Grades heading.

Troubleshooting TIP: FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to offer assistance with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.

Faces, Places and Spaces of Research

Many faculty members at Kent State University are involved in various types of research both on and off campus. We would like to feature photos in e-Inside of the diverse locations where you conduct research – it could be in a clean room or in a dirty lake.

Share photos and brief descriptions of all the various places where you and your students conduct research by sending an email to einside@kent.edu by July 7. Please use the subject line: Faces of Research. Submissions will be considered for publication in upcoming issues of e-Inside.