Current Scholars
2025 Summer/Fall Teaching Scholars
Randy Aimone
Business, Kent Campus
Randy Aimone is an Army veteran, former improv actor, and a former marketing agency owner for almost 15 years whose clients included Warner Brothers, Dell, Credit Karma, and The Brothers that Just do Gutters. Randy had previously taught Marketing and Digital Marketing at Marist, Framingham State, MIT, and New Paltz in his "spare" time.
Armed with a whiteboard marker and an alarming number of caffeine loyalty cards, Randy brings enthusiasm, sarcasm, and the occasional pirate metaphor to the classroom. His research interests include the changing landscape of consumer driven marketing, UX/UI design, and his research project here involves testing AI generated gaming as a course accessory. He primarily teaches Principles of Marketing here at Kent State. When not teaching or researching he can be found playing tabletop games, swordfighting, and parenting/wrangling his 2 year old son.
Deepshikha Bhati
Computer Science, Stark Campus
Deepshikha Bhati is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at Kent State University’s Stark Campus. Her research focuses on Explainable AI, Information Visualization, and Semantic Feature-Based Interpretability of Image Classification. With over seven years of teaching and research experience, she has developed and taught a range of undergraduate and graduate courses and contributed to course development for Kent State’s CS endorsement programs. She integrates inclusive pedagogical strategies into her asynchronous and in-person teaching and has been recognized with a Bronze Teaching Recognition Award for fostering belonging in asynchronous learning environments.
She has a strong track record of scholarly contributions, with several publications in prestigious IEEE and Springer venues. Her ongoing research includes collaborations on visual analytics tools for XAI and educational applications of generative AI. She is also the lead author of the forthcoming Springer book titled "A Beginner’s Guide to Generative AI: An Introductory Path to Diffusion Models, ChatGPT, and LLMs." In addition to teaching and research, Ms. Bhati actively mentors’ undergraduate researchers through programs like Choose Ohio First and SURE and serves as co-advisor for the Stark Computer Club.
Kaatie Cooper
Media & Journalism, Kent Campus
My name is Kaatie Cooper, and I am an Assistant Professor of Digital Media Production in the School of Media and Journalism. Prior to coming to Kent State University in 2022, I earned my PhD in Communication at The Ohio State University and taught at the University of Wyoming for four years.
One of the things I love most about teaching is that it provides constant opportunities for growth, improvement, and innovation. For example, in 2020 I began using a points-free grading method called specifications grading to enhance student motivation and reduce the subjectivity of assessing creative work. Many of the courses I teach are skills-based, so I am interested in developing techniques and activities to meet the diverse needs of my students, along with promoting student autonomy by giving them options and ways to pursue their passions within assignments.
Outside of the classroom, my research focuses on developing effective communication strategies to overcome biased judgments and decision making about science, the environment, and risk, as well as ways to increase citizen engagement around environmental issues.
Ambre Emory-Maier
Theatre & Dance, Kent Campus
Ambre Emory-Maier is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Kent State University and completed her MFA in Choreography and Performance at The Ohio State University and MA in Dance Reconstruction and Directing from CUNY. She is an actress, writer, speaker, dancer, and educator. Ambre is the former Director of Education, Equity and Community Engagement and BalletMet 2 Associate Director for BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio. She uses Labanotation to re-stage dances and examines questions around ownership, memory, and transference. Past performance credits include commercials on HGTV and work as a principal dancer with Polite Society. Her recent creative work in which she co-directed a play with New Herring Productions called, A View from A Small Planet premiered in February 2024. With a dedication to well-being, Ambre brings her acknowledged kinship and expertise with dance, yoga, meditation, eating disorders, and mental health care to her practices. Ms. Emory-Maier is a régisseur for Michael Uthoff’s choreographic works and a Fulbright Specialist. She and her family are animal lovers and have two dogs, a cat and a goldfish (oldest living fish ever). Ambre is easily at home in rural or urban settings as she was raised in the country and spent summers in a city with beloved grandparents. She loves to read, travel, garden, thrift and teach yoga. Check out this link to read one of her recent scholarly works https://www.digitens.org/en/notices/ballet.html
Yesim Kaptan
Communication Studies, Kent Campus
Yeşim Kaptan is an associate professor at the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University. She received her Ph.D. in Communication & Culture and Folklore (double major) from Indiana University, Bloomington, her M.A. and B.Sc. in Political Science from Middle East Technical University (Turkiye). She was a visiting professor at Stanford University, a faculty fellow at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and a visiting scholar at Aarhus University in Denmark. She is the co-editor of Television in Turkey: Local Production, Transnational Expansion and Political Aspirations. Her research appeared in various English and Turkish media journals and books. At KSU, she teaches media and global communication classes. Her teaching philosophy and pedagogical approach are deeply shaped by her commitment to international, diverse, and democratic education and her dedication to critical pedagogy.
Andrew Wiley
Lifespan Development & Education Services, Kent Campus
Andrew Wiley is an associate professor of special education at Kent State University. My research focuses on controversial issues in special education; special education policy; disproportionate identification of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education; the under-identification and under-service of students with emotional and behavioral disorders; and supporting teacher use of highly effective, research-based academic and behavioral interventions through pre-service and in-service training. I taught for 12 years in public schools. Most of my K-12 teaching experience is with students who have emotional and behavioral disorders and/or learning disabilities. I worked as a crisis resource teacher, an autism resource teacher, and a behavior specialist. I am deeply committed to strengthening special education and supporting those who teach difficult-to-teach students. I married my wife at the summer camp where we met many years ago. We have three boys and an assortment of animals. My hobbies include hiking, canoeing, watching baseball, listening to music, and sight-seeing (mostly nearby!).