Success Stories Archive - April to June 2010

At a sold-out luncheon called Lunch With Kate, a Katharine Hepburn-inspired fashion show was held as both a fundraiser for the Kent State University Museum and to herald the museum’s original exhibition, Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen.

Anamika Veeramani, winner of the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee, found herself on a different kind of stage. The 14-year-old resident of North Royalton, Ohio, served as a special guest of Porthouse Theatre, the outdoor, summer theatre of Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance. Veeramani appeared onstage in a recent performance of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Kent State University Professor of Anthropology Dr. C. Owen Lovejoy, Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and their colleagues have announced the discovery of an important new early hominid partial skeleton from Ethiopia. A press statement released by the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) and the Woranso-Mille project stated that one of the specimen’s most important revelations is that advanced human-like, upright walking is very ancient, as the new specimen is 400,000 years older than the famous “Lucy” skeleton. Lovejoy and Haile-Selassie are corresponding authors of the analysis of the new specimen to be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) early online edition. PNAS is one of the world's most-highly cited multidisciplinary scientific serials.

The Department of Recreational Services at Kent State University has announced the creation of a new canoe and kayak livery at John Brown Tannery Park in downtown Kent, Ohio, located at 100 Stow Street. This satellite facility, named Crooked River Adventures, provides Kent State students and members of the Kent community with a new form of recreation and leisure.

First Lady Frances Strickland, wife of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, visited Kent State University on June 17. During her time on campus, she met with a diverse group of Kent State students and young staff members at the Kent Student Center. She spoke with them to hear and discuss issues that are important to young people.

Nearly 50 graduating high school seniors who successfully participated and completed the Upward Bound TRIO Programs’ experience were recognized at the recent Senior Scholarship Banquet hosted by Kent State University’s Pre-College TRIO Upward Bound Programs.

Staff members of WKSU-FM, Kent State University’s award-winning NPR affiliate, were honored with seven Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters (OAPB) Awards, including Best Reporter, at a luncheon ceremony on June 6 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. The event also recognized new inductees into the Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters Hall of Fame, presenting Kent State alumnus Dick Goddard with the Carl Day Outstanding Achievement Award and a keynote address from journalist Jon Belmont. Winners of Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) also were acknowledged. WKSU-FM competed in the Large Market division with other commercial and non-commercial radio operations in major Ohio media markets, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and the Ohio News Network. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $2.7-million grant to Kent State University for a collaborative research project with Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing, Summa Health System in Akron and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland to study cognitive impairment in heart failure patients. The four-year grant from NIH’s National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute runs through Jan. 31, 2014.

LOS ANGELES - The Golden Flashes could not overcome five unearned Anteater runs in the top of the first as Kent State (39-25) fell to UC Irvine (38-20) 19-9 in the third game of the NCAA Los Angeles regional.

Kent State University’s Precision Flight Team recently attended the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s 2010 SAFECON (Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference) competition and walked away with the prestigious Loening Trophy. The Loening Trophy is the rarest and oldest of all collegiate aviation awards. It is a perpetual trophy presented annually to the outstanding all-around collegiate aviation program in the nation.