eInside Events

Robert Egger to Discuss The Campus Kitchens Project, Hunger Issues at Events Nov. 18 and 19

Kent State University will focus on ending hunger with two days of programming based around a visit from Robert Egger, founder and president of the DC Central Kitchen. The Campus Kitchens Project, a branch of the DC Central Kitchen, coordinates recycling and meal programs in university- and high school- based kitchens.

"An Evening with Robert Egger" is set for Thursday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. in the Governance Chambers in the Kent Student Center. Egger will discuss how the Kent State community can help make a difference in the fight against hunger.

The KSU Oxfam-America Hunger Banquet will also feature Egger on Friday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m. in the Moulton Hall Ballroom. The banquet will explore the impact of hunger on global and local communities. Attendees will take part in a meal and rich discussion about the issues of poverty and Kent State can help.

Egger will sign copies of his book, Begging for Change: The Dollars and Sense of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient and Rewarding For All, after both presentations.

Egger speaks throughout the country and internationally on the subjects of hunger, sustainability, nonprofit political engagement and social enterprise. He was included in the Non-Profit Times list of the "50 Most Powerful and Influential" nonprofit leaders. He was also named as an Oprah Angel, a Washingtonian of the Year, a Point of Light and one of the Ten Most Caring People in America, by the Caring Institute.

For additional information contact Ann Gosky at agosky@kent.edu or 330-672-8004.

By Carrie Drummond

Posted Nov. 1, 2010

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Learn What It Means to be a Student Organization Advisor

Whether an advisor is new to advising a student group or has been in this role for some time, this question can arise. The Center for Student Involvement is offering a lunchtime workshop to help clarify what the role of an advisor is and how to be effective in that role. We also want to answer questions advisors may have about advising, policies, programming, motivating students, etc.

The informative presentation takes place Wednesday, Nov. 10 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Room 316 of the Kent Student Center. Soup, salad and beverages will be provided.

Reservations for this event are a must, and are due by Nov. 4 to lead@kent.edu or 330-672-2480.

For additional information, contact Brenda McKenzie, assistant director of the Center for Student Involvement at 330-672-2480 or bmckenzi@kent.edu.

By Michael Dukles

Posted Nov. 1, 2010

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Filmmaker to Share Debut Movie Flyabout to Encourage Others to Take Risks

Stories That Fly and the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication will sponsor a Women Take Flight night with special guests Monika Petrillo and Lynda Meeks. The event will include a free screening of Petrillo's documentary, Flyabout.

The event on Thursday, Nov. 4, will be in the FirstEnergy Auditorium of Franklin Hall. An informal reception starts at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m. Both Petrillo and Meeks will speak about their personal experiences in flight and the opportunities available for women.

Petrillo is a writer, producer and director based in Los Angeles. Her debut film, Flyabout, takes the audience through Petrillo's journey circumnavigating Australia by plane with her father and a small crew. With only 140 hours of flying experience under her belt, there were many obstacles and struggles along the way.

The film has something for everyone and Petrillo knows that Flyabout "is not just a travel log; it touches on many different subject matters: father-daughter conflict, animals, flying, culture of Australia and people who want to tell a story."

Petrillo hopes to inspire or touch in some way with her story. The film can "inspire people to go after their dreams and not let life pass them by. You have to stop making excuses. Write the story, make that movie, do whatever you love," Petrillo says.

Though she made the choice to get her pilot's license, fly around Australia then make a movie about it, others can find their own paths to change their lives.

"My film is my story, but I've realized that I can be a role model to girls and women because women see me, and I'm not a hero, I'm a regular person, but I could do this, I could fly a plane around Australia and make a movie about it," she says.

Lynda Meeks, like Petrillo, is a one-woman company who provides a face and a story to inspire people and to be a role model for females.

"I could never imagine myself as a pilot until someone told me it was the hardest branch in the Army, and I like a challenge," Meeks says. "Why can't women envision themselves as pilots? Even girls in the first grade know it's a male-dominated industry - women aren't supposed to be smart at the things it takes to be a pilot."

Today, Meeks is the founder of the program Girls With Wings while also working as a professional pilot and presenting at other speaking events. Girls With Wings strives for girls to have "Flight Plans, not Fairytales" which is a motto Meeks wants all females to understand.

"As women get older, they accept and internalize the message that there are things they can't do and fields that are not meant for them," Meeks says. She jokes that "the airplane is just a vehicle," there are many other avenues and "vehicles" women can take, and Women Take Flight can "broaden horizons, just to find out about something you've never experienced."

Women Take Flight is free but seating is limited to 150 people. Guests must register online for this event at http://tinyurl.com/flightnight. Women Take Flight is made possible in part by Kent State University Women's Resource Center, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Stories That Fly, Women in Aviation International and the International Women's Air & Space Museum.

By Emily Carle

(This story first appeared in CCI Candid.) Posted Nov. 1, 2010

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UNICEF Official to Speak at Kent State Nov. 9

On Nov. 9, the United Nations Children's Fund of Kent State University is honored to welcome the CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Caryl Stern, who will speak at 6:30 p.m. in University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

UNICEF, or the United Nations International Children's Fund, is an organization within the United Nations.dedicated to tackling the issues that impede child survival around the world. Serving more than 190 nations around the world, UNICEF is fighting for the survival of children through advocacy and direct relief efforts. UNICEF provides clean water, protection, education, nutrition, health care and more to the world's most vulnerable children.

The Kent State community recently raised more than $11,000 during its Haiti 10-10-10 campaign to support UNICEF relief efforts in that country.

This event is free and open to the public.

For questions, contact Taiwo Adesina, president of UNICEF at Kent State University, at tadesina@kent.edu . Posted Nov. 1, 2010

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Kent State Holds Fifth Annual Entrepreneurship Extravaganza on Nov. 4-5

Kent State University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation presents the fifth annual Entrepreneurship Extravaganza on Thursday, Nov. 4, and Friday, Nov. 5. The event will include several workshops, panel discussions and speakers, allowing attendees to learn from experienced entrepreneurs about launching and accelerating their businesses. The program is free and open to the community and to all students.

"The workshops and panel discussions will follow three tracks: Inspire, Idea and Implement," explains Julie Messing, director for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation at Kent State. "The workshops and panel discussions will focus on minority and not-for-profit entrepreneurship. The first track looks at making the transition from student to entrepreneur, networking, supply chain opportunities for minorities and does sex sell in advertising. The second track reviews such things as identifying an opportunity, does a not-for-profit make sense, protecting your idea, and social media and marketing. Finally, the third track discusses funding your business and alternatives to launching a new business."

A highlight of Entrepreneurship Extravaganza is the Michael D. Solomon Speaker Series in Entrepreneurship, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 in the Kent Student Center Kiva. This year's keynote speaker is Andre "Thunder" Thornton, president and CEO of ASW Global, a supply chain management company based in Mogadore, Ohio. Thornton is also a Cleveland baseball legend who played professional baseball for 21 years.

Thornton has more than 20 years of experience in entrepreneurial ventures. He also is serving as Kent State's first President's Ambassador, a new program created and implemented out of the university's Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The program is a vehicle for securing the services of a local, high-level person of color who will serve as a catalyst for change, promoting pluralistic understanding and mutual respect among diverse constituencies of students, staff, faculty and administrators at the university.

A reception in Room 204 of the Kent Student Center will follow Thornton's speech.

On Nov. 5, "Lunch with an Entrepreneur" will be offered starting at noon in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. Participants will also hear from successful entrepreneurs, including Warren Anderson, Darrell McNair and Thornton, as they share their "Minority Success Stories." Lunch is free for those that pre-register.

All participants in this year's Entrepreneurship Extravaganza will receive a complimentary entrepreneurial took kit. Events are free and open to the public, however, registration is requested. To register or view a full schedule of events, visit www.kent.edu/academics/extrav. For more information, contact Kent State's Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation at 330-672-9430 or cebi@kent.edu.

Posted Nov. 1, 2010

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Learn About Federal Funding Process Through Webinar Opportunity

Federal funding can be confusing. With all the technical terms and rules, it is hard to know what to do about funding requests and what direction federal agencies are moving toward. The Federal Research Priorities for Fiscal Year 2011 webinar gives participants the opportunity to learn about federal funding.

All faculty, staff, postdocs and students are encouraged to attend the Federal Research Priorities and Budgets for FY11 Webinar in Room 317 of the Kent Student Center. The webinar takes place from Nov. 8-10from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to come and go between presenters, and refreshments will be provided.

Participants can hear directly from program personnel at the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Naval Research, Army Medical and Materiel Command, and the Departments of Agriculture, Education and Energy as they share agency direction and funding priorities for the coming year.

For a complete agenda, visit website.

The webinar is sponsored by Kent State University Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

For more information, contact Laura Miller at ljmiller@kent.edu or 330-672-0703. Posted Nov. 1, 2010

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Folded Morphologies Exhibit at Downtown Gallery Explores Art and Science

Art dissolves boundaries as Kent State University M.F.A. candidate Lelsey Sickle creates new screen printed art for her thesis exhibition at the Kent Downtown Art Gallery. The exhibit will run Nov. 3-13. There will also be a reception on Nov. 5 from 5-8 p.m. that is open to the public.

Sickle's body of work is an "examination of the dichotomy between the striking beauty of photomicrographs and the diseases they expose." With her exhibit she finds the beauty of even a dangerous toxin in the human body.

"Admiring magnified, color-enhanced photographs of cells, I found inspiration in the patterns and structures hidden from everyday view. Even the most deadly diseases appear beautiful on a cellular level" says Sickle.

Sickle explains her interest in the human body and disease as a personal topic and the fact that it is a fairly universal subject. She has investigated how to use the type of imaging needed for her exhibit from cells, toxins and the human body. Our culture and society have become reliant on the need to medicate creating a debate revolving around Internet and television self-diagnosis says Sickle.

Sickle received her undergraduate degree at Kent State University and immediately continued her education at the master's level, while working as an assistant to the director at all Kent State galleries.

Her passion for the process of printmaking is what guides her into escaping artistic boundaries. Sickle's process is different than most screen printers. It begins with drawings derived from photographs and transferred to multiple silk screens, color-coded to illustrate the cell, the disease and the introduced toxin.

Printed on drafting vellum due to its thin, transparent qualities, areas are cut away, then are bent and folded into three-dimensional forms. Cut areas create a void or defect. Twisted and contorted, they imply the trauma or ailment that has altered their state. Subtle skin-like neutrals reference the body while cool blues and greens are appropriated from microscopic cell photographs. Dark purples and black indicate the presence of disease or deterioration. The last layer of information consists of a photographic image printed in fluorescent yellow symbolizing a toxin, a foreign element such as medicine that has contaminated the system.

Using a number of matrices, printed one on top of the other, Sickle is looking to create interactions between the layers, exploring transparency and density, and to examine relationships between interior and exterior. Some of the forms are coated with silicone rubber, a transparent medium that is tactile and visceral and alludes to the body interior.

The Downtown Gallery, located at 141 E. Main Street in downtown Kent, is open Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 330-676-1549.

Posted Nov. 1, 2010

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