eInside Events

Spring 2011 Bowman Breakfast Features Medical Speaker

This spring's Bowman Breakfast topic is "Medical Research and Education: Good for the Health of Ohioans…Good for the Health of Ohio's Economy." Jay A Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, will speak at the event, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 7.

Doors open at 7 a.m. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m., and the program will start at 8 a.m. in the Kent Student Center ballroom. The cost is $9 per person at the door.

Reservations can be made online until Monday, April 4. To cancel a reservation, contact Mary Mandalari at 330-672-8664 or mmandala@kent.edu. No-shows will be billed.

The Bowman Breakfast, a tradition since 1963, is sponsored by Kent State University and the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.

Special Accommodation Request: We will endeavor to comply with any special Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation request, or to accommodate specific needs. Please direct requests to the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion via Brenda Duncan at bduncan8@kent.edu or 330-672-8130.

There's Still Time to Register for the YouToo Social Media Conference

National experts will discuss practical ways that social media marketing can enhance any business or organization at the Fourth Annual YouToo Social Media Conference. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 15, at Kent State University's Franklin Hall.

The keynote speaker will be Geoff Livingston, co-founder of Zoetica, which provides communication consulting, training, and strategy to help organizations influence social change. Livingston has been featured in national publications for his blogging skills and his book on new media, Now is Gone.

The YouToo Conference opening speaker is Amber Naslund, a communications and business strategist and co–author of The Now Revolution: 7 Shifts To Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social. A copy of the book is included in the registration fee, and Naslund will be available to sign copies.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Akron Area Public Relations Society of America Chapter (PRSA) and the Kent State Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Chapter. The event also will include morning and afternoon breakout sessions hosted by communications experts, to provide a more in-depth, hands-on look at social media tactics and strategy.

The 2010 YouToo Conference won a coveted Diamond Award for public relations relevance and excellence, presented by PRSA's East Central District.

YouToo Conference sponsorships are available starting at $250 through March 25. All sponsorships include at least one seat to the conference. For information, contact Tracy Teuscher at 330-936-1331 or e-mail tracy@thebuzzmaker.com.

College of Public Health Symposium to Focus on Obamacare

John Begala, executive director of the Center for Community Solutions in Cleveland and a former state representative, will speak on the future of health care at an event April 4. The symposium is titled “Reforming Health Care Reform: What’s Wrong with Obamacare?” and will be held from 4 – 5:30 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva and broadcast live via webstream.

Begala has recently written about what he thinks is wrong with Obamacare and will be sharing his opinions with the symposium audience. Obamacare is the slang term given to President Obama’s plan for transforming and modernizing America's health care system.

Kent State University Provost Robert G. Frank and Willie Oglesby, Ph.D., assistant professor of health policy and management, will add their perspectives to the conversation and also answer questions from the audience.

For more information contact Ken Slenkovich, assistant dean of the College of Public Health, at 330-672-6500.

Registration Now Open for the Innovate 2011 Conference at The Ohio State University

Register now for Innovate 2011, a conference to build connections and share ideas about technology in teaching and learning. Sponsored by the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Innovate features breakout sessions, posters and PechaKucha, a fun-filled showcase of eLearning in practice.

Held on April 27 at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, Innovate is a part of five days of eLearning events at The Ohio State University from April 25-29, including Turning Technologies' pre-conference clickers workshops, and Apple's AcademiX and developers conference.

More than 220 people registered for last year's Innovate 2010. Attendees came from 30 Ohio colleges and universities and from Kentucky, Michigan and Indiana. Victoria Getis, OCIO Digital Union director, says, "Session evaluations during the conference day showed 99 percent of respondents rated the sessions as either 'good' or 'excellent'. We were thrilled to see that a vast majority of participants were excited about attending a similar event again this year."

There is no charge for the April 27 Innovate conference for faculty, staff and students, but pre-registration is required. Special guests include educational consultant and keynote speaker Michelle Pacansky-Brock, The Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee, and Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph Alutto.

Read more and register at http://elearning.osu.edu .

Learn About the New Health Informatics Program During Virtual Open House March 23

Michael O. Bice

Beginning fall 2011, Kent State University will help to address the rising demand for health information professionals with a new field of study known as "health informatics."

Health informatics (HI) is a new concentration in the Information Architecture and Knowledge Management program, housed within Kent State's School of Library and Information Science. All courses will be online, except for a one-week summer workshop to be held at Kent State. Students can choose either a master's degree or a certificate option, depending on their experience and career aspirations.

Michael O. Bice, Kent State professor and former health care executive, leads the HI program. He says the degree will appeal mainly to physicians, nurses and other professionals already working in health care.

"One look at the headlines will tell you that health informatics professionals are in great demand across the country, and will continue to be needed as federal mandates for electronic health information networks are implemented," Bice says.

Bice will host an online open house on Wednesday, March 23, at noon, for anyone interested in learning about career opportunities in this field or about Kent State's new program. His co-presenter will be Dave Fiser, vice president and chief information officer for Akron General Health System. Visit www.kent.edu/healthIT to register.

Health informatics is the science that defines how health information is captured, analyzed, transmitted and managed, especially with regard to the delivery of health care. Corporate health care IT professionals will teach many of the classes, including, for example, clinical decision support, legal issues in health informatics, health information systems, leadership and organizational change, to cite just a few.

Bonnie Bartos, a graduate of Kent State's nursing program who is now a senior engagement leader at Lighthouse, Cerner Corp., says, "One of the major challenges in health care and health information technology today is the lack of health care clinicians and professionals who are specifically focused on IT and health care. The IT whiz-kid who just graduated from college doesn't understand the clinical side or how we are using technology to improve patient care," she says.

"Instead, we need to educate clinicians to understand the IT side of health care health information management and how the two disciplines can work together to improve care delivery, patient outcomes and the financial bottom line. That's where I believe Kent State's health informatics program can fill a big gap in the workforce."

Country Music Comes to Downtown Kent as Part of Student Project

The country music scene comes to downtown Kent on March 31 and April 1 with the Rockin’ Country Festival, a two-day live music event created by a Kent State University public relations graduate student. The festival is your chance to beat your cabin fever while supporting the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank.

Here’s the lineup:

The festival kicks off with the return of Akron natives the Carter Twins at The Kent Stage on March 31. The twins will perform an acoustic set from 9 to 10 p.m., and then special guest Tony Rio will take the stage from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.

Tickets for the show are general admission and are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets are on sale now at www.kentstage.org, Woodsy’s Music and Spin-More Records.

On April 1, music lovers can venture around downtown Kent to enjoy local country music at all their favorite establishments – for free! Attendees of both nights are encouraged to bring a canned-food item to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s Harvest for Hunger campaign.

Katie O. at Pufferbelly Restaurant – 5:30 p.m.

Rob Duskey and The Rounders at Mugs Brewhouse – 7 p.m.

Courtney Bergman at 157 Lounge – 7:30 p.m.

Derrick McKee at Venice – 7:30 p.m.

Laura Fedor at The Loft – 10 p.m.

The Flaughers/Curtis Band at Water Street Tavern – 10:30 p.m.

The Ryan Humbert Band at Ray’s Place – 11 p.m.

To learn more about the Rockin’ Country Festival, visit www.smalltownsongbirds.wordpress.com. For additional information, contact the festival’s director Jodee Hammond at jhammon8@kent.edu.

Grant-Writing Workshop Planned for April 28

The Division of Research and Sponsored Programs presents a workshop designed to help researchers maximize grant opportunities. The National Science Foundation CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop will be held on April 28 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 141 of Cartwright Hall.

This one-day workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn about the extramural funding process, proposal development, submission and peer reviews. Although the workshop’s focus will be on the CAREER solicitation of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the information and discussions will be very pertinent to grant applications regarding other NSF initiatives and other federal agencies.

Presenters for the workshop have extensive experience in proposal writing, review and performance of research funded by extramural grants. Satyen Kumar, one of the instructors, has served as an NSF program director for three years and will offer insight into the aspects that make a proposal strong.

Highlights of the workshop include:

• Information about NSF programs
• How to Communicate with Program Directors
• Specific requirements for CAREER proposal
• Techniques to write winning proposals
• What are “Intellectual Merit” and “Broader Impact”?
• Developing strategies for success
• Avoiding common and fatal mistakes
• Understanding reviewers’ critiques and how to benefit from them

Extended discussions will follow presentations and the participants will:

• Have an opportunity to discuss specific questions/situations
• Receive two sample proposals to review and submit reports
• Participate in a simulated review panel to understand the process, what is important to the reviewers, program directors, and the grant agency

To obtain the most benefits from this workshop, we encourage you to share your previous proposals for the simulated panel review.

Registration for this event is online at:

http://reg.abcsignup.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0055-0003-66c9d2d19eb141d590dfecae49e84a6f

College of Technology Hosts 13th Annual Vision 21 Ceremony

The College of Technology's 13th Annual Vision 21 Induction Ceremony is set for Saturday, April 30, from 6-9 p.m. at the Kent Student Center. The ceremony honors corporate partners, outstanding alumni and scholarship recipients.

Provost Robert G. Frank is the keynote speaker and will discuss the current issues and bright future of the College of Technology.

In addition to Frank's speech, the Industrial Hall of Fame will welcome its first class of inductees – Parker Hannifin, Rockwell Automation and 3DP Technology. Representatives from each company will be present to accept the awards.

"We wanted to show our appreciation for our partners' historic generosity, so we are including the First Annual College of Technology Industrial Hall of Fame Awards," says John DeCola, director of institutional advancement for the college.

Several scholarships will also be presented, including: the Flight Safety Type Rating Scholarship for the Outstanding Aero Student, The George Schneider Jr. Experiential Learning Award, The Leland Keller Outstanding Scholar Award, The Clinton Van Deusen Technology Scholarship, the Richard Schwabe Aeronautics Scholarship and The Keller Innovation and Sustainability Award.

The following alumni will be honored:

– AndrewBehary, Brunswick,Ohio

– James Cody, Bedford Heights,Ohio

– Mark Ferrara, Masury, Ohio

– John Fu, San Marino, Calif.

– Alejandro Galioto, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

– William Kessler, Berea, Ohio

– Colonel Lawrence Pence, Falls Church, Va.

– Lt. Col. Dan Sarachene, Austintown, Ohio

– Leanne Schumacher, Hudson, Ohio

– Brian Schweinhagen, Hebron, Ky.

– AshleeSteiner, Akron, Ohio

– Stephanie M. Johnson, Canton, Mich.

DeCola says the event will be well worth attending.

"We have an entertaining and outstanding master of ceremonies," DeCola says. "It's also a great time to reunite with alumni and friends while celebrating the successes of those same friends and our wonderful college."

Tickets for the ceremony and dinner are $50 per person or $360 for a table of eight. Reserve a ticket or table by contacting Peggy Studer at 330-672-5822 or mastuder@kent.edu. Event sponsorships are also available from the $500 bronze level to the $2,000 platinum level. To learn more about sponsorships, contact DeCola at 330-672-8754 or jdecola2@kent.edu.

By Carrie Drummond

Kent State University at Tuscarawas to Host Performances by Jerry Wong and Robert Waters

Jerry Wong

World class musicians Dr. Jerry Wong, pianist, and Robert Waters, violinist, will perform together on March 28 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas. Sponsored by the Artist/Lecture Series, the event is free and open to the public, however tickets are required and will be available beginning March 21 at the Performing Arts Center Box Office, which is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are limited to four per person and must be picked up in person. They will not be available online. The theatre doors open at 6:30 p.m.

The performance will feature selections from composers Franz Schubert, Eugene Ysaye, Claude Debussy and Paul Schoenfield. Wong is a Steinway Artist and will being playing the Performing Arts Center's Steinway concert grand piano that he helped select. The piano was donated by Dr. Daniel and Mary Miller of Walnut Creek.

A graduate of Indiana University, Peabody Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music, Wong presently holds the position of associate professor of piano at Kent State University. During the summers, he is co-director of the Piano Institute at Kent State and a member of the Kent/Blossom Music faculty.

An active performer of solo, chamber and orchestral repertoire and founding member of the Jupiter Trio and the Callisto Ensemble, violinist Robert Waters has concertized throughout the U.S. and abroad. In 2003, Waters was appointed associate professor of violin at the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, where he now resides.

In addition to his full-time teaching position at DePaul, Waters has taught and coached students of music, of all ages, in Chicago and around the country.

For more information about the performance, go to the Kent State Tuscarawas website.