CPM Researchers Part of KSU Team Awarded Patent
Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM) faculty members Jill Kawalec, Ph.D. and Larry Osher, DPM, along with Sr. Associate Dean Vince Hetherington, DPM have been awarded a patent for the innovative technology used in their thermochromic liquid crystal research.
The patent, titled “Thermochromic Fabrics Utilizing Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Material,” was issued on May 26, 2020. In addition to Kawalec, Osher and Hetherington, inventors on the patent also include John L. West, Ph.D. (Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute), Yijing Chen, Ph.D. (Dept. of Biological Sciences, Trumbull campus) and Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Ph.D. (Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute).
The fabrics were developed in the course of researching the potential for using liquid crystal socks as an in-home, early warning system for changes in foot temperature that could indicate the onset of serious foot complications in people at increased risk (e.g. diabetics).
Glauser School of Music Names Darin Olson Director of Kent State Athletic Bands
Kent State University’s Glauser School of Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Darin Olson, D.M.A., as the director of athletic bands and associate director of bands. Since 2013, Olson has served as the assistant director of bands at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Mead Witter School of Music. At Kent State, his duties will include leading the Marching Golden Flashes, Flasher Brass and Symphony Band along with teaching courses.
“It is an honor to have the opportunity to lead the athletic band program at Kent State University,” said Olson. “I am excited to work with the talented, dedicated students and esteemed faculty of this wonderful institution.”
As assistant director of bands at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Olson designed drill and wrote musical arrangements for the UW Marching Band, directed the athletic bands at events for basketball, hockey, and volleyball, conducted a concert band, and taught courses on conducting and marching band techniques. Before his time at UW, he taught at Rider High School in Wichita Fall, Texas, which included a performance in London’s New Year’s Day parade. Alongside his work at UW, he is active as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, holding memberships with the College Band Directors National Association and the National Association for Music Education. He holds degrees from South Dakota State University, University of Missouri and Ohio State University.
“Darin brings to Kent State significant experience from a Big 10 marching band program that regularly has over 300 members and has performed worldwide,” said Kent McWilliams, D.M.A., director of the Glauser School. “I look forward to working with him as we continue to grow the Marching Golden Flashes, particularly as we launch the new Marching Golden Flash Award this fall.”
The Marching Golden Flash Award, announced in March of this year, is a $1,000 scholarship for all new and returning members of the marching band. Kent State's growing band program is currently led by Interim Director Wendy K. Matthews, Ph.D., through 2021. The Glauser School of Music’s many ensembles are open to all students at Kent State, welcoming over 500 Kent State students, alumni and community members annually to participate in over 20 ensembles, including nine concert, athletic and jazz bands.
For more information on the Glauser School of Music, visit www.kent.edu/music.
Webinar: Smart Shopping at Your Local Farmer’s Market – July 9
There are more than 8,700 farmers’ markets registered in USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory. Consequently, buying local has become an incredibly popular trend, and quite possibly, for good reason.
On Thurs., July 9, from noon – 1 p.m., our presenter, Trisha Sterringer, MS, RDN, LD, CSCS
of Be Well Solutions, will identify what produce is best to buy during each season, along with the potential impact buying local produce can have on:
- the local economy
- the community
- the environment
- your personal health
This presentation is part of our July focus on sustainability. To register for Smart Shopping at Your Local Farmer’s Market, click here. To learn more about our 28 – Day Sustainability Challenge, visit our “Join a Challenge” page here and be part of TEAM KENT STATE.
This webinar presentation, and sustainability challenge, are open to ALL full- and part-time employees. For full-time employees participating in the Wellness Your Way program, this webinar session is worth 10 Tier Two points for the "Employee Wellness Sponsored Lunch & Learns, Workshops or Webinars" category.
Financial Wellness Webinar: Six Steps to Financial Peace - June 30
You can't get there overnight. Achieving financial freedom takes the right planning and the discipline to stick to the plan even if things are sometimes harsh. It also means a lot of sacrifices. Presenter Kurt Mears, CRPC, NSSA, will review the 6 critical things every individual should be doing if they desire to achieve the financial freedom they want. Click here to register.
This webinar, held Tues., June 30 at noon, is open to all full- and part-time faculty and staff. For employees participating in the Wellness Your Way Rewards Program, this session is worth 10 points toward your Tier 2 total. We will continue to add new financial wellness offerings for our Kent State community. Check our Financial Wellness Programming page regularly for the most recent offerings.
For questions, contact Employee Wellness at wellness@kent.edu, or 330-672-0392.
Faculty Contemplating COVID-19
The newest edition of the Faculty Contemplating COVID-19 Series features Madhav Bhatta, professor of Public Health; and Kristin Stasiowski, assistant professor of Italian Language and Literature.
In this weekly series, Kent State faculty members from a variety of academic disciplines are interviewed for their thought-provoking perspectives about the ongoing pandemic. Learn more.
Important Information about Final Grading of Summer 2020 First 7 Weeks (POT W1) Classes
Online final grading for Summer 2020 First 7 Weeks (POT W1) begins Tuesday, June 23, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Summer 2020 course section that was flexibly scheduled. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Sunday, June 28. Any final grades for Summer 2020 courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These Summer 2020 courses will be available in the Workflow on Tuesday, June 30.
To access Final Grades via FlashFAST, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors Category / Faculty Dashboard / Grading Resources Section.
Blackboard Grading Process:
The Grade Push application has been developed as an option to assist in streamlining the university grading process. The use of this application is not mandatory, though it is encouraged. Grade Push will allow you to “push” the final grades recorded in Blackboard into our KSU Final Grade Roster, thus eliminating the time and effort spent manually entering them.
To access Grade Push, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors / Faculty Dashboard / Grading Resources. If you have questions or concerns, please go to support.kent.edu and search “Grade Push.”
Incomplete Mark Workflow:
The instructor must create and submit an Incomplete Mark contract via the workflow. Instructors are no longer be able to select the incomplete mark (IB+, IC+, IC-, etc.) from the final grade roster in FlashFAST (Self-Service Banner). The primary instructor must initiate and submit the contract using this new workflow process, which mimics the old paper process. Once the contract has been accepted by the student and approved by the department chair/campus dean, the student’s grade will be updated automatically. The primary instructor will be able to initiate and submit the contract for a student after the deadline to withdraw (10th week of a regularly scheduled section in fall and spring, or prorated for flexibly scheduled sections) through the end of final grading.
Access the Incomplete Mark workflow in FlashLine from the Faculty Dashboard under Grading Resources or Faculty Workflows.
NF/SF Administrative Marks:
The administrative mark NF (Never Attended–Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course. If a student has never attended your course, mark the student as “Not Started” on the Academic Presence Verification Roster, and the NF will automatically populate to your Final Grades roster.
The administrative mark SF (Stopped Attending–Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course. If a student has stopped attending your course the SF can be entered on the Final Grade Roster along with the student’s last date of attendance.
For complete information on university grading policies including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the University Catalog.
Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Registrar's website. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.
Troubleshooting TIP:
FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to offer assistance with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.