eInside Briefs

Kent State Professor Named One of the Most Frequently Cited Chemists in the World

Kent State University's Mietek Jaroniec, Ph.D., was
acknowledged on the Thomson Reuters 2015 Highly Cited
Researchers list as one of the most frequently cited
chemistry researchers in the world.

Kent State University Chemistry Professor Mietek Jaroniec, Ph.D., was acknowledged on the Thomson Reuters 2015 Highly Cited Researchers list as one of the most frequently cited chemistry researchers in the world.

According to the Highly Cited Researchers website, the list is an annual compilation of leading researchers whose works “rank in the top 1 percent by citations for field and publication year.”

Jaroniec was one of more than 200 chemists in the world to be named on the list.

“I am pleased to know that my work was recognized, which motivates me to continue my research activities,” Jaroniec says. “This recognition extends also to my former and current graduate students, visiting scientists and collaborators. I am happy that many researchers around the world found my publications valuable.”

According to Web of Science databases, one of Jaroniec’s most cited papers, “Gas adsorption characterization of ordered organic-inorganic nanocomposite materials,” has been cited more than 1,200 times since its publication in October 2001.

This is not the first time Thomson Reuters recognized Jaroniec’s achievements. In 2000, Jaroniec was listed as one of more than 300 highly cited researchers in the area of materials science worldwide. In 2008, he ranked second in mesoporous materials publications and 12th in citations of these publications. Then, in 2011, Jaroniec ranked as 54th of the top 100 scientists in materials science.

Jaroniec spends most of his research time on the study of physical adsorption at gas/solid and liquid/solid interfaces and on the development of well-defined nanomaterials. Interfacial chemistry plays an important role in the formation of nanoporous and nanostructured materials, which also is a primary focus of Jaroniec’s research. His research contributes to environmental, energy, nanotechnology and bio-related applications, such as removal of pollutants from air and water, hydrogen storage and generation, batteries and drug delivery, to name a few.

“I like the interdisciplinary nature of this research, and its importance for science and technology,” Jaroniec says. “Research is my passion. Nowadays, the research on the development and applications of new materials is rapidly growing, which provides great inspiration for future study in this area.”

To learn more about Jaroniec and his research, visit www.kent.edu/chemistry/profile/mietek-jaroniec or his Researcher ID webpage at www.researcherid.com/rid/A-9733-2008. 

To view Thomson Reuters’ 2015 Highly Cited Researchers list, visit http://highlycited.com/.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, visit www.kent.edu/chemistry.

Book Published By Kent State University Press Wins Prestigious Award

When the Nurse Becomes a Patient: A
Story in Words and Images, published
by the Kent State University Press, was
recognized with a 2015 gold Living Now
Book Award.

A book published by the Kent State University Press, When the Nurse Becomes a Patient: A Story in Words and Images, by Cortney Davis, was recognized with a 2015 gold Living Now Book Award.

The seventh annual Living Now Book Awards are a subcategory of the Independent Publisher Book (IPPY) Awards, which “celebrate the innovation and creativity of books that enhance the quality of life,” according to the awards’ website. The Kent State University Press has received several IPPY Awards in the past.

“The awards are a validation of our decision as publishers to take on the book,” says William Underwood, director of the Kent State University Press. “Obviously, it’s great to be recognized by our peers, and Cortney Davis is an exceptional author.”

Davis’ book details her transformative experience as a surgical patient who went through severe complications.

Underwood says that, as a nurse practitioner, Davis offers a unique perspective about the relationship between caregivers and patients in the healthcare system. The importance of illness empathy and patient knowledge through personal suffering is at the forefront of her book.

“This is a new area for her because she is a caregiver, but in this book she is on the receiving side,” says Underwood. “That was an unusual event for her, which she’s expressed very eloquently in the book through her pictures and writing.”

Davis’ book, The Heart’s Truth: Essays on the Art of Nursing, also won a bronze Living Now Evergreen Book Award for Health and Wellness in 2013.

For more information about the Kent State University Press, visit www.kentstateuniversitypress.com.

For more information about the Living Now Book Awards, visit www.livingnowawards.com.

Get Screened at National Depression Screening Day

Be Well: Body and Mind

The 21st annual National Depression Screening Day at Kent State University will be held on several Kent State campus locations in October, and is open to all faculty, staff and students, as well as the larger community.

Campus screening days and locations are listed below:

• Kent State University at Stark:  Thursday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation Counseling Center
• Kent State University at Trumbull: Thursday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Enrollment Management and Student Services, Room 131
• Kent Campus:   Friday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the second floor mezzanine of the Kent Student Center
  

For those unable to attend an in-person screening, a free confidential online screening module also is available 24-hours per day throughout the year, and provides individuals with feedback, referrals and resources upon completion.

As part of the free in-person screening, participants have the opportunity to complete a questionnaire, which screens for depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and to speak with a clinician in the mental health field to review their results. If necessary, appropriate referrals can be made, and participants may also find information on depression and other mental health issues for themselves or for someone about whom they may be concerned.

Kent State’s National Depression Screening Day is coordinated by several units in the Division of Student Affairs, including Psychological Services, University Health Services and the Office of Health Promotion on the Kent Campus. National Depression Screening Day also is co-sponsored by Counseling Services at Kent State Stark, Counseling and Wellness Services on the Columbiana County Campuses and Counseling Services at Kent State Trumbull.

For more information, please contact:

Kent Campus: Psychological Services at 330-672-2487 or either one of the co-coordinators, John Schell, Ph.D., at jschell@kent.edu or Carrie Berta, Psy.D., at cberta@kent.edu.

Kent State Stark: Counseling Services at 330-244-5048 or coordinator Emily Ribnik at eribnik@kent.edu.

Kent State Salem and Kent State East Liverpool: Counseling and Wellness Services at 330-337-4287 or
coordinator Katherine Vance-Righetti at counselingcolumbianaco@kent.edu.

Kent State Trumbull: Counseling Services at 330-675-7603 or coordinator Barbara Ozimek at bozimek@kent.edu.

Kent State’s Homecoming Court Seeks Donations for Local Families

The 2015 Kent State University Homecoming Court,
pictured, is collecting donations to benefit local families
through Kent Social Services and Center of Hope.

This year, the 2015 Kent State University Homecoming Court is engaging in philanthropy that will benefit the local community through Kent Social Services and Center of Hope. Both services survive solely on donations and provide lunches for families in need, as well as a grocery pantry program.

The Homecoming Court will have a table in the Kent Student Center from Monday, Sept. 28, through Friday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to collect nonperishable foods, personal care items (toothbrush, soap, shampoo, etc.) and monetary donations to give to Kent Social Services and Center of Hope. All money donations will benefit those organizations when they visit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank to purchase food ($1 donated is equivalent to $4 worth of food at the food bank).

Members of the Homecoming Court encourage you to donate to help those who are less fortunate, and they ask for your help in spreading the word about the philanthropic event during homecoming week.

For more information, contact Amanda Bevington at abevingt@kent.edu or Terry Hugo at thugo@kent.edu. 

For more information about Kent State's 2015 Homecoming, visit www.ksualumni.org/homecoming.

Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services Announces 2015 Hall of Fame Winners

Kent State University’s College of Education, Health and Human Services will honor seven distinguished alumni at its sixth annual Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. in the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets for the event are $40 per person and include hors d’oeuvres, followed by a sit-down meal.

The sixth class in the 2015 College of Education, Health and Human Services' Hall of Fame includes:

Violet Bica-Ross

Centennial Alumni Award: Violet Bica-Ross

Violet Bica-Ross or Vi, as she's known to many, grew up in Alliance. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Mount Union in 1944, and then received her master’s degree in education from Kent State in 1952. She served as a school psychologist in several local districts, including Maple Heights Board of Education, Cleveland Heights Board of Education and Shaker Heights Board of Education. She also is a member of Kent State’s Herrick Society, a former member of the Kappa Delta Sorority and an honorary member of Kappa Delta Pi.

Carol Flexer, Ph.D.

Distinguished Alumni Award: Carol Flexer, Ph.D.

Carol Flexer, a resident of Kent, received her Ph.D. in audiology from Kent State in 1982. Currently, she is a distinguished professor emeritus of audiology at the University of Akron. In addition, she is an international lecturer in pediatric and educational audiology, and the author of more than 155 publications, including 14 books. For her research and advocacy for children with hearing loss, Flexer has received three prestigious awards: two from the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and one from the American Academy of Audiology.

Mary Beddell

Recent Alumni Award: Mary Beddell

Mary Beddell, a lifelong resident of Canton, received her bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies from Kent State in 2006. Currently, Beddell is the public relations director for Plain Local Schools in Canton. She also serves as the chapter manager for the Ohio School Public Relations Association. She founded the Josette Beddell Memorial Foundation in 2009 with the help of family and friends, in memory of her mother, Josette, who passed away from breast cancer in 2002. The mission of the foundation is to help better the lives of families in Ohio affected by cancer by providing direct financial assistance to families in need.

Debra Prvanovic

Diversity Alumni Award: Debra Prvanovic

Debra Prvanovic received her bachelor’s degree in public relations in 1995 and her Master of Education degree in organizational development in 2002, both from Kent State. She has been interacting with international students for nearly 20 years. In 2002, she joined Kent State’s Center for International and Comparative Programs as an exchange visitor specialist where she learned immigration regulations to assist students and scholars to navigate their studies and visits to the university. She also established and coordinated the Global Passport Living and Learning Community. In 2006, Prvanovic assumed the role of manager of International Student and Scholar Services at Kent State, leading a team of advisors to provide orientation, programming and resources for international students and scholars. Currently, she is an immigration specialist at the University of Pittsburgh, advising, advocating for and assisting a student and scholar population.

Xiaolu Hu

International Alumni Award: Xiaolu Hu, Ph.D. 

Xiaolu Hu was born in Beijing, China, and is a 1990 alumna of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services. In the 1980s, Hu was selected as a visiting professor from Beijing Normal University under the Gerald H. Read Center for International and Intercultural Education at Kent State. She obtained a master’s degree in school counseling in 1986 and a Ph.D. in counseling and human development services in 1990 at Kent State. Following her graduation, Hu served as a professor in the Department of Counselor Education at San Jose State University in California. She has spent 25 years teaching and mentoring graduate students, and has been a dedicated professor and served as a department chair and division chair for 12 years.

Saroj Sutaria, Ph.D.

Distinguished Service to Education, Health and Human Services Award: Saroj Sutaria, Ph.D.

Born in Nagpur, India, Saroj Sutaria arrived in the U.S. in 1962 to study and obtain her doctorate in education. She had already earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in India, and she went on to receive another master’s degree and Ph.D. in special education at Syracuse University. Upon graduating, she came to Kent State in 1967 to begin her teaching career, and she has remained in Kent ever since. From 1967-92, Sutaria was a full-time faculty member in the Department of Teacher Development and Curriculum Studies, specializing in the field of specific learning disabilities. She has remained very active with Kent State, as well as the Kent community.

Robert Glaser, Ph.D.

Alumni Leadership Award: Robert Glaser, Ph.D.

Robert Glaser received his Bachelor of Science degree in speech pathology and audiology from Bowling Green State University and his Master of Arts degree in audiology and Ph.D. in audiology from Kent State. As an independent practitioner for 30 years, Glaser is well-known for his leadership on behalf of the profession of audiology. He has served as president of the American Academy of Audiology, the Ohio Academy of Audiology and two terms as chairman of the Ohio Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. He is the owner of Audiology Associates of Dayton Inc. and the Auris Group, a practice management consulting firm serving varied health care practitioners and the hearing care industry.
 
To purchase tickets to the ceremony, visit https://commerce.cashnet.com/halloffame.

For more information, contact Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services at ehhsalumni@kent.edu.

Annual Homecoming Award Recipients Named by Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication will celebrate the outstanding achievements of three alumni and one extraordinary “friend” at its annual Alumni Awards and Friends Reception on Oct. 2.

Christine Plonsky

2015 William D. Taylor Award:  Christine Plonsky

Christine Plonsky, a 1979 Kent State journalism graduate, has been selected as the 2015 William D. Taylor Award Journalism Alumna of the Year. The Taylor Award is presented annually at Homecoming to an alumna or alumnus who is well-established and well-respected in the media and communications industry, and has given back to Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication students and/or the school.

Plonsky is the women’s athletic director at the University of Texas, a position she has held since 2001. She has been a leading figure in athletics for nearly four decades and is considered a leader among her peers, not only for the barriers she has broken in a male-dominated profession, but for the leadership role she has taken on important issues impacting intercollegiate athletics. During her time at Kent State, Plonsky played women’s basketball and served as the editor for The Daily Kent Stater. A former member of the National Association for College Marketing Administrators (NACMA), she was inducted into the NACMA Hall of Fame in 2003. 

David Lawson

2015 Fast Track Award: David Lawson and Danielle Wiggins

David Lawson, a 2011 graduate from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been selected as one of the 2015 Fast Track Award recipients. Lawson studied advertising at Kent State and was an active member of the advertising club, and worked at both the Tannery (now IdeaBase), a marketing/advertising agency staffed by Kent State students, and in marketing and advertising at the university’s Department of Recreational Services. Lawson started his career at Hill Holliday in New York in 2011 and currently works as an insight strategist at Miner & Co. Studio, a market research agency in SoHo, where he specializes in quantitative research.

Danielle Wiggins

Danielle Wiggins, a recipient of the 2015 Fast Track award, earned her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism in 2004 and her master’s degree in arts, entertainment and media management in 2009. After graduate school, Wiggins served as the main producer for WKSU's The Regina Brett Show, a program that won the 2013 Ohio Excellence in Journalism award for best radio show. She has held a variety of producing roles at Cleveland’s local CBS and ABC affiliates and has worked as the traffic reporter for WKYC-TV, the local NBC affiliate in Cleveland, since 2013.

2015 Sharon Marquis Friend of JMC Award: Gary Harwood

Gary Harwood

The 2015 Sharon Marquis Friend of JMC Award will be presented to Gary Harwood. Each year, this award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated remarkable support to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s mission and its students. Harwood first came to Kent State in 1979 as a student and later joined the university as a photographer and lecturer in the mid ‘80s. This is Harwood’s second time receiving this award.

Along with his contributions to Kent State, Harwood has also co-authored an award-winning book titled Growing Season: The Life of a Migrant Community. He is an instructor for the Unseen Cleveland photography project, a division of Unseen America, and an Artist in Residence with the Ohio Arts Council.

For more information about Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, visit www.kent.edu/jmc.