eInside Events

“GreenTown at Kent” Conference to Discuss Creating Healthy, Sustainable Communities, April 13-14

Pictured are new bike racks in downtown Kent. The
“GreenTown at Kent” conference will bring together the
public and private sectors from around Ohio to work
toward creating healthy, sustainable communities.

A conference on creating healthy, sustainable communities across Ohio will take place at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center on April 13 and 14. “GreenTown at Kent” will bring together the public and private sectors from around Ohio to work toward creating healthy, sustainable communities. Attendees will experience the revitalized downtown Kent, learn how to create walkable, bikeable communities and explore topics, such as clean water, local food, outdoor space and how to create socially responsible businesses. Registration for the conference can be done at www.greentownconference.com/register.

The conference is open to architects, builders, engineers, urban planners, hospital representatives, government representatives, mayors, elected officials, students, school administrators, colleges and universities, chambers of commerce and more.

Pre-conference workshops and activities will take place April 13 with registration beginning at noon and the workshops beginning at 1 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., Mark Fenton, former Olympic race walker, champion of walkable, bikeable communities, and host of “America’s Walking” on PBS will lead a one-hour engaging and interactive walk of downtown Kent, which is free and open to the public. The walk will begin and end at the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center.

The conference will continue on April 14 with registration and breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. Beverly Warren, Kent State president; Dave Ruller, Kent’s city manager; and several other featured speakers will present on the second day of the conference. The event will feature several tracks and breakout sessions for attendees. A Bike-N-Brainstorm will take place from 2:15-4:30 p.m., beginning at the Kent Central Gateway for participants to experience the Kent community on bike. The bike tour, which offers the opportunity to view innovative projects, future improvements and proposed developments in Kent, also will feature a discussion at Plum Creek Park, Holden School and Recreation Center, and Kent State’s Student Wellness and Recreation Center. The 5.8-mile bike tour is free and open to the public at all experience levels. Bike rentals are available but are limited. Participants in need of a bike must pre-register.

“GreenTown at Kent” is sponsored by Kent State, Burbick Companies and the city of Kent, with several community supporters. “GreenTown” is co-produced by a5, a brand consultancy focused on sustainability, and Seven Generations Ahead, a nonprofit devoted to creating healthy, sustainable communities.

For more information about the “GreenTown at Kent” conference, including the conference agenda, visit www.greentownconference.com/upcoming-events/greentown-at-kent-creating-healthy-sustainable-communities-across-ohio.

President and CEO of Ulthera Inc. to Speak at Kent State’s Michael D. Solomon Speaker Series

Matthew E. Likens, president and
chief executive officer of Ulthera Inc.,
will be the keynote speaker at the
Michael D. Solomon Speaker Series on
April 22.

President and Chief Executive Officer of Ulthera Inc., Matthew E. Likens, will be the keynote speaker at the Michael D. Solomon Speaker Series on April 22 hosted by the College of Business Administration’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation. Likens will present “From Zero to $600M and Lessons Learned Along the Way,” which will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center. The event is free and open to the public. To register, visit https://cobamarketing.wufoo.com/forms/register-for-the-solomon-speaker-series.

Likens is an alumnus of Kent State’s College of Business Administration, graduating with a degree in business administration and a major in marketing. He began his professional career with Johnson & Johnson Corporation before Baxter International, spending more than 20 years in domestic and international sales, marketing and general management. Key positions included vice president, marketing for Baxter Biotech Europe based in Munich, Germany, from 1993-1995, president of Baxter Biotech North America from 1996-1998 and president of Baxter Renal U.S. upon his departure from the company in early 2001.

Likens entered the medical start-up world in 2001 and joined GMP Companies as president of GMP Wireless Medicine, Inc., representing one of 14 licensed technologies in the GMP portfolio.

In July 2006, Likens relocated to Arizona to become president and CEO and the second employee of Ulthera Inc., a venture capital-backed start-up company in energy-based aesthetics. Beginning with European regulatory clearance in late 2008, followed by FDA clearance in September 2009, Ulthera realized a net revenue growth from $0.5 million in 2008 to almost $118 million in 2014, and has been profitable each year since 2011. After filing for an initial public offering in early 2014, Ulthera attracted interest from several larger companies, and in July of that year, was acquired by Merz Pharma GmbH for $600 million, an amount representing 6.6 times trailing 12-months’ revenue.

In 2012, the Phoenix Business Journal honored Likens by naming him one of Arizona’s Most Admired CEOs.

Likens believes that consistent operating principles and the establishment of a broader purpose for an organization are vitally important factors in motivating diverse groups of employees to become fully engaged in achieving a company’s objectives as well as one’s personal goals.

“When Michael Solomon established the Speaker Series, it was to expose Kent State students to entrepreneurs like Matt Likens,” says Deborah F. Spake, dean of Kent State’s College of Business Administration. “The college is pleased to bring back to campus alumni business leaders such as Matt to share their experience with the business leaders of tomorrow.”

Kent State alumnus Michael D. Solomon began his support of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation at the College of Business Administration with the inception of the speakers’ series in 2005. His goal was to expose students, faculty and the community to successful entrepreneurs. Each semester, the series brings experienced entrepreneurs and educators to the College of Business Administration to share their insights and wisdom.

The Michael D. Solomon Speaker Series is hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation. The four pillars of the center are social entrepreneurship, global entrepreneurship and innovation, technology commercialization and franchising. The center is designed to help business students achieve their entrepreneurial goals and expand research to meet the growing demands for entrepreneurial knowledge and opportunities. The center also connects business students with serial entrepreneurs globally.

For more information, visit http://business.kent.edu/centers/cebi/speaker or email Kelsey Meadows at kmeadow7@kent.edu.

Kent State Presents “Living With Autism” Events for Autism Awareness Month

As part of Autism Awareness Month in April, Kent State University presents “Living With Autism,” which kicks off with a presentation that will be followed by a fundraiser for student scholarships to benefit Kent State students studying autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The events begin on April 9 at 7 p.m. Faculty, staff, students and the entire community are invited to learn more about autism spectrum disorder and hear real-life experiences from someone who was diagnosed with this “difference” at a young age and has written two books on the topic. The presentation is free and open to the public.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), autism spectrum disorder is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges, so people with autism spectrum disorder may communicate, interact, behave and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The CDC estimates about 1 in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder, and in boys, autism spectrum disorder is almost five times more common (1 in 42) than among girls (1 in 189).

Watch a video about autism awareness at Kent State.

Speaker, author and journalist Sean Barron will discuss his life journey while living with autism on April 9 from 7-8 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. His talk will include a question-and-answer session. Immediately following, there will be a book-signing and Rock-A-Thon to raise scholarship money to benefit students interested in obtaining the Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate and working in rural and urban schools.

Rocking chair teams will keep their chairs occupied from 8-11:45 p.m. on April 9 and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on April 10, collecting donations from sponsors. Raffles and rocking team competitions will be part of the festivities. All proceeds will support student Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate scholarships. Teams are forming, and donations are being collected now. Contact Lisa Audet, Ph.D., at laudet@kent.edu to get involved.

Barron is the co-author of two books on autism: one titled There’s a Boy in Here, which was written with his mother, Judy, and the other titled Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships, which was written with Temple Grandin, Ph.D., a well-known autism advocate.

Barron was diagnosed with classic autism in January 1967 at the age of 5 and had all of the common symptoms to varying degrees. The longest lasting and most persistent challenge associated with his difference was learning basic and complex social skills. With a lot of hard work, persistence, determination and the help of relatives and others, Barron gradually learned in his teen and young adult years how to better relate to others.

For nearly 15 years, he has been a general-assignment journalist with The Vindicator newspaper in Youngstown, Ohio, and is putting the finishing touches on his third book, which is about the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s. The title of this book is A Handshake is More Powerful Than a Fist. The reason Barron continues to share his life’s journey, after more than 20 years of doing so, remains the same: He has a desire to give encouragement to others who have the same or similar struggles as his, along with their families and friends.

“My goal is to help bring further awareness, understanding and compassion for those with autism spectrum disorder to Kent State and the surrounding communities,” says Gina Campana, special assistant in Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion who helped organize the autism awareness events. “There are many students, faculty and staff who have been diagnosed with ASD, know someone with ASD, or even think they may be on the spectrum. Mr. Barron will share the strengths and struggles of those on the spectrum and why being different can be a good thing. He will truly be an inspiration for those who attend the event.”

Audet, who is an assistant professor in Kent State’s Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, developer of the Autism Spectrum Intervention Specialist Certificate and coordinator of the Autism Initiative for Research, Education and Outreach, says the Rock-A-Thon is a fun way for people to get involved in Autism Awareness Month while also raising scholarship money benefiting Kent State students studying autism spectrum disorder.

“The Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate prepares professionals to provide effective intervention to those with ASD,” Audet says. “As an online program, we have the capacity to extend the reach of a quality Kent State education to areas where access about assessment and intervention for those with ASD is not currently available. Creating a scholarship for the ASD Certificate will provide opportunities for qualified students from urban or rural areas, beyond the traditional Kent State boundaries, to gain valuable knowledge and increase outcomes for those with ASD. The Rock-a-Thon is a fun way to get everyone involved in this important mission, raise awareness and tolerance of ASD on the Kent State campuses, and honor Autism Awareness Month.”

For more information about the “Living With Autism” events on April 9, which is sponsored by Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, contact Campana at gcampana@kent.edu.

For more information about the Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate, visit www.kent.edu/ehhs/hs/spa/autism-spectrum-certificate.

Microbiologist to Discuss STEM Teaching Strategies in Larkin Endowed Seminar on April 3

Erica Suchman, Ph.D., will discuss
STEM teaching as the Larkin Endowed
Seminar speaker on April 3 at Kent State
University.

Kent State University’s Department of Biological Sciences will host Erica Suchman, Ph.D., as its Larkin Endowed Seminar speaker on April 3 at noon in Cunningham Hall, Room 101. Suchman will discuss STEM teaching in her presentation "Teaching Your Students to Think Like Microbiologists, Let Them Practice What You Preach." The seminar is free and open to the public.

Suchman is a professor in Colorado State University’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. A University Distinguished Teaching Scholar with a focus on microbiology, she is an internationally recognized expert and lecturer on using active learning techniques to foster critical thinking skills while teaching science in large lecture halls.

She served as the chairman of the Committee on Technology-enhanced Education for the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) and the editor-in-chief of the MicrobeLibrary, the American Society of Microbiology's Web-based, peer-reviewed education resource collection from 2003-2012. She also is a member of both the ASM Education Board and ASM committee on International Education.

After earning a B.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego in 1987, she received her Ph.D. in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of California, Irvine in 1994.

The Larkin Endowed Seminar Series honors the memory of Gary Larkin, Ph.D., and is supported by his generous bequest to the Department of Biological Sciences at Kent State. Larkin was an esteemed member of the faculty from 1968-1994. He dedicated his professional life to teaching microbiology to undergraduate students and was instrumental in developing the Medical Technology program, which he directed until his retirement. He served the department in many capacities, including serving as assistant department chair for more than 15 years. He also served as a part-time instructor and assistant chair after his retirement in 1994.

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

Fifth Annual Black Squirrel 5K Race Takes Place April 11

Kent State University’s Student Recreation and Wellness
Center will hold the fifth annual Black Squirrel 5K Race on
Saturday, April 11.

Kent State University’s Student Recreation and Wellness Center will hold the fifth annual Black Squirrel 5K Race on Saturday, April 11, at 8 a.m.

Registration is $25, and the deadline is April 7. Walk-ins are welcome up to and close to the start of the race for a late registration fee of $30.

The Student Recreation and Wellness Center will open early for runners to get their shirts and bibs before the race.

Runners will start and finish in front of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. The course is a loop around the campus, and runners’ progress will be tracked with a chip-timing system. After the race, there will be a free breakfast buffet for participants. The award ceremony will begin after the top three male and female winners in most of the age groups have finished.

The top three overall winners of the race will receive cash prizes. Medals will be given to the top three winners of each age group.

During the event, there will be about 85 students along the course who will cheer on the runners, give them direction, halt traffic and provide help if there are any medical emergencies.

To ensure safety, members of Kent State Police Services and the Kent Police Department will be in attendance.

Greg Bailey, assistant director of recreational services, says that the event will promote student activity and hopes that next year there will be even more student involvement and possibly scholarship opportunities for student participants.

For more information about the race, including age groups and registration details, visit www.kent.edu/recservices/black-squirrel-5k-race-0.

Join Us This Friday for the 30th Annual Graduate Research Symposium

The 30th Annual Graduate Research Symposium, hosted by Graduate Student Senate, will feature oral and poster presentations by graduate students from a wide variety of disciplines on Friday, April 3. Student presentations will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Kent Student Center, followed by an Awards Luncheon featuring a keynote address by Kent State University President Beverly Warren.

This year will be the largest symposium in its 30-year history, with more than 300 presentations. The multidisciplinary nature of the symposium is one of the key features of the event as students from a wide array of academic programs participate.

Faculty, students, staff and members of the community are encouraged to attend student presentations. No registration is required for symposium attendees but luncheon attendees were required to preregister.

For questions about the event, contact Scout McCully, chair of the Graduate Student Senate Symposium, at smccull5@kent.edu.

Give Back to Your Community, Participate in Alumni Day of Service

The Kent State University Alumni Association is sponsoring Alumni Day of Service on Saturday, April 18. This yearly tradition is a great way for Golden Flashes to come together and make a difference in their community.

Faculty and staff are invited to participate in this rewarding event. Volunteer sites are being held across the country. Click here to find a site near you. RSVP by April 1.

Kent State to Host Former Poet Laureate Rita Dove

Kent State University’s Wick Poetry
Center will host Rita Dove, a former poet
laureate, on April 2 as part of the Fourth
Annual U.S. Poet Laureate Reading.

Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center will host poet Rita Dove as part of the Fourth Annual U.S. Poet Laureate Reading. The event is part of the 2014-2015 reading series and will take place on Thursday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. The event is free and open to the public.

Earlier in the day, Dove will participate in a question-and-answer session at 1 p.m. in the Quiet Study Area on the first floor of the University Library. This event is free and provides a unique opportunity for anyone from the Kent State community to engage with and learn from a former poet laureate.

Dove served as poet laureate of the United States and consultant to the Library of Congress from 1993 to 1995. She was the youngest poet laureate, as well as the first African-American ever appointed.

“Rita Dove is one of our most cherished American writers,” says David Hassler, director of Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center. “Her work is graceful and lyrical, but isn’t afraid to confront history and politics with an unflinching eye.”

Dove has received numerous literary and academic honors, among them the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry and the 1996 National Humanities Medal from President Clinton. In 2011, President Barack Obama presented her with the National Medal of Arts.

Dove has published many poetry collections, including The Yellow House on the Corner, Museum, Thomas and Beulah, Grace Notes, Selected Poems, Mother Love, On the Bus with Rosa Parks and American Smooth. Her latest collection, Sonata Mulattica, was released by W.W. Norton & Co. in 2009, and in 2011, she published The Penguin Anthology of 20th-Century American Poetry.

“We are so fortunate to be able to host Professor Dove at Kent State,” Hassler says. “She is a tremendous advocate for the literary arts in the United States. We hope students, faculty, staff and community members will come to both of her events on campus.”

Dove holds the chair of Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she lives with her husband, writer Fred Viebahn.

The U.S. Poet Laureate Reading is co-sponsored by University Libraries with additional support from the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Women’s Center, the Honors College and the departments of English, History and Pan-African Studies.

For more information about the Wick Poetry Center, visit www.kent.edu/wick.