Research & Science

Climate Scientist Publishes Trends in 鈥榃eather Whiplash鈥 Events
Many wonder if climate change is the reason we鈥檝e had 'weather whiplash' or day-to-day dramatic changes from hot to cold or cold to hot. As a climate scientist, Cameron Lee, assistant professor in the Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kent State, gets asked this question a lot. Looking beyond just the average temperatures and statistical means, he decided to take a more analytical look at weather whiplash and add to a growing body of climate change literature examining temperature variability trends.

Will This New Superpower Molecule Revolutionize Science?
In a new study, Kent State Professor Hanbin Mao and other researchers report the creation of an artificial molecule with superpowers. It has the potential to revolutionize nanotechnology 鈥 and it also explains one of nature鈥檚 intriguing enigmas: Why do we have a right hand and a left hand?

Associate Professor of Sociology is Awarded NSF Grant to Broaden Participation in Computing
Of the 33,984 awarded computer science (CS) bachelor鈥檚 degrees in 2020, only 21% of CS graduates identified as women, 3% as Black, and 8.5% as Hispanic (Zweben & Bizot, 2021). Susan Fisk, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, is using her expertise in social-psychology to change that and improve the field of computing. Fisk was awarded her third National Science Foundation grant to continue her work on broadening participation in computing and improving undergraduate STEM education.

Materials Science Graduate Program Professor Continues Streak of Being Named Among the Most Highly Cited Scholars
Mietek Jaroniec, Ph.D., a 妻友社区 professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, is once again on Clarivate's list of Highly Cited Researchers in the world.

Robert Hisrich, Ph.D. Among Top 2% of Researchers Worldwide
The report, published in the PLOS Biology journal, evaluated more than six million scientists across 22 different fields and 176 sub-fields from 1996 until 2019. The top 2% list is made up of more than 100,000 most-cited scientists who have authored at least five scientific papers.
Geography Researchers to Contribute to Actionable Science for Decision Makers
Timothy Assal, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Geography, was awarded a grant as a co-principal investigator on a multi-institutional project, 鈥淰ulnerability of lower-ecotone aspen forests to altered fire regimes and climate dynamics in the northern Great Basin鈥 (a three-year $299,842 total award with $89,600 going to Kent State), which is funded by the . This collaboration includes the United States Geological Survey in Boise, Idaho, Utah State University, and the United States Bureau of Land Management.

Chemistry Professor Continues Streak of Being Named Among the Most Highly Cited Scholars
Mietek Jaroniec, Ph.D., a 妻友社区 professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, is once again on Clarivate's list of Highly Cited Researchers in the world.

Kent State鈥檚 Brain Health Research Institute Celebrates 鈥楥ollaboratories鈥 Grand Opening
妻友社区鈥檚 Brain Health Research Institute celebrated the grand opening of its new lab spaces on Friday, Nov. 5, with an afternoon of activities that included a keynote presentation, space dedication, tours and student research demonstrations. The new space, featuring interdisciplinary research facilities, is located on the lower level of the Integrated Sciences Building on the Kent Campus.

First-Generation Student Shoots for the Stars With Mechatronics at Kent State
For senior mechatronics engineering major Delonte Goodman, the road to higher education was not the easiest. But as a high school student who caught the eye of NASA and can understand electrical and mechanical processes in everyday ATM transactions, he has bravely paved his way as a successful first-generation college student at 妻友社区.

Teacher Retention Rates and Resilience: Professors Receive NSF Grant
Resilience is the ability to adapt to new situations and ever changing environments and resilient individuals more easily navigate professional and personal uncertainties. Researchers Shannon Navy and Lisa Borgerding understand the importance of an adaptable mindset and work to discern the factors that progressively impact one鈥檚 ability to maintain their role as an educator. A $1,000,000 grant from the National Science Foundation allows a new project to focus on identifying and describing the development of resilience among new teachers, which can inform education and professional learning programs.