When someone suffers a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumor, one of the common symptoms is aphasia, a disorder that arises from damage to portions of the brain, usually the left side, that are responsible for language. It impairs the expression and understanding of language as well as reading and writing. 

About 1 million people in the United States currently have aphasia, and nearly 180,000 Americans acquire it each year, according to the National Aphasia Association. But, there is not a consensus in the medical community on how to best provide rehabilitation for those afflicted with the disorder. 

With a five-year, $2.4 million grant recently awarded from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers from Kent State University and the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) in Philadelphia will conduct a series of studies to develop a theory of learning needed to advance aphasia rehabilitation.

Katherine Rawson, Ph.D., professor of psychology in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences, is co-investigator and director of a sub-award of $476,000 under the grant from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) entitled “Retrieval Practice Principles:  A theory of learning for Aphasia Rehabilitation.” This is a multi-site project, led by Erica Middleton, Ph.D., of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute. 

“The project takes a novel approach to aphasia rehabilitation that promises to improve naming in people with aphasia,” said Maria Zaragoza, Ph.D., chairperson of Kent State’s Department of Psychological Sciences. “The groundbreaking aspect of this project is that it takes research from the fields of psychology and education and applies it to the therapeutic context.”

With this new grant, researchers will try to define what types of people with aphasia benefit from retrieval practice-based naming treatments (versus other treatments) and what cognitive-linguistic characteristics predict such differential benefit. They will also apply retrieval practice principles to treat people with comprehension deficits, and develop a theoretical account of how and why retrieval practice principles impact naming.

Rawson has been systematically investigating the learning techniques of retrieval practice (i.e., the “what to do”) and distributed practice (i.e., the “when to do it”) for more than 10 years.  Her previous work had largely been focused on enhancing student learning outcomes, with a particular eye toward improving the durability and efficiency of student learning.  

Several years ago, Middleton and Rawson started exploring the application of these learning techniques in a new domain—aphasia rehabilitation.  

“Outcomes of our earlier, smaller-scale studies were quite promising and led to the larger-scale research that we’ll be pursuing in this funded project to further investigate and explain the potent effects of distributed retrieval practice in the context of aphasia rehabilitation,” Rawson said.  

“We know that every act of speech is an act of learning,” Middleton said. “By better understanding how and why that is, we believe this research program can make existing aphasia treatments more principled and effective.” 

To learn more, go to http://mrri.org/nih-grant-aims-to-improve-naming-in-people-with-aphasia/

To learn more about Rawson’s research, visit her laboratory web site. 

# # #

Photo Caption:
Katherine Rawson, Ph.D., professor of psychology in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) in Philadelphia will conduct a series of studies to develop a theory of learning needed to advance aphasia rehabilitation. 

Media Contacts:
Kerry O’Connor, OConnKer@einstein.edu, 203-581-4192
Jim Maxwell, jmaxwel2@kent.edu, 330-672-8028
Kristin Anderson, kander63@kent.edu, 330-672-7907

When someone suffers a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumor, one of the common symptoms is aphasia, a disorder that arises from damage to portions of the brain, usually the left side, that are responsible for language. It impairs the expression and understanding of language as well as reading and writing. 

About 1 million people in the United States currently have aphasia, and nearly 180,000 Americans acquire it each year, according to the National Aphasia Association. But, there is not a consensus in the medical community on how to best provide rehabilitation for those afflicted with the disorder. 

With a five-year, $2.4 million grant recently awarded from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers from Kent State University and the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) in Philadelphia will conduct a series of studies to develop a theory of learning needed to advance aphasia rehabilitation.

Katherine Rawson, Ph.D., professor of psychology in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences, is co-investigator and director of a sub-award of $476,000 under the grant from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) entitled “Retrieval Practice Principles:  A theory of learning for Aphasia Rehabilitation.” This is a multi-site project, led by Erica Middleton, Ph.D., of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute. 

“The project takes a novel approach to aphasia rehabilitation that promises to improve naming in people with aphasia,” said Maria Zaragoza, Ph.D., chairperson of Kent State’s Department of Psychological Sciences. “The groundbreaking aspect of this project is that it takes research from the fields of psychology and education and applies it to the therapeutic context.”

With this new grant, researchers will try to define what types of people with aphasia benefit from retrieval practice-based naming treatments (versus other treatments) and what cognitive-linguistic characteristics predict such differential benefit. They will also apply retrieval practice principles to treat people with comprehension deficits, and develop a theoretical account of how and why retrieval practice principles impact naming.

Rawson has been systematically investigating the learning techniques of retrieval practice (i.e., the “what to do”) and distributed practice (i.e., the “when to do it”) for more than 10 years.  Her previous work had largely been focused on enhancing student learning outcomes, with a particular eye toward improving the durability and efficiency of student learning.  

Several years ago, Middleton and Rawson started exploring the application of these learning techniques in a new domain—aphasia rehabilitation.  

“Outcomes of our earlier, smaller-scale studies were quite promising and led to the larger-scale research that we’ll be pursuing in this funded project to further investigate and explain the potent effects of distributed retrieval practice in the context of aphasia rehabilitation,” Rawson said.  

“We know that every act of speech is an act of learning,” Middleton said. “By better understanding how and why that is, we believe this research program can make existing aphasia treatments more principled and effective.” 

To learn more, go to http://mrri.org/nih-grant-aims-to-improve-naming-in-people-with-aphasia/

To learn more about Rawson’s research, visit her laboratory web site. 

# # #

Photo Caption:
Katherine Rawson, Ph.D., professor of psychology in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) in Philadelphia will conduct a series of studies to develop a theory of learning needed to advance aphasia rehabilitation. 

Media Contacts:
Kerry O’Connor, OConnKer@einstein.edu, 203-581-4192
Jim Maxwell, jmaxwel2@kent.edu, 330-672-8028
Kristin Anderson, kander63@kent.edu, 330-672-7907

Kent State University’s Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC) will host the 31st Annual Ohio Employee Ownership Conference on Friday, April 28, 2017, at the Hilton West in Fairlawn, Ohio.

This year’s keynote speaker is Cindy Turcot, Chief Operating Officer of Gardener’s Supply Co. in Burlington, Vermont, the nation’s largest catalog and web marketer of gardening products. Turcot is a nationally recognized speaker on ownership culture, open book and participatory management structures. During her term as COO, she has been instrumental in growing the company to more than 275 employee owners, and guided the company to 100% employee ownership in 2009. She recently served as the chair of The ESOP Association, a national association of companies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs).

In addition, we will be honoring two very special companies with our annual employee ownership awards: 2017 John Logue Employee Ownership Excellence Award: The Ruhlin Company in Akron, Ohio and the 2017 OEOC ESOP Impact Award: Robin Industries, Inc. in Independence, Ohio.

Also, the following companies will be celebrating milestones of employee ownership:

• 5 Years: The Brewer Company, Duramax Marine, The Equity Engineering Group, Robin Industries
• 10 years: Palmer-Donavin, Herbert Rowland & Grubic, Hy-Tek Material Handling, Mills James Productions, PLAN-E-TECH, Universal Oil
• 15 Years: Aero-Mark, Inc.;
• 20 Years: Bardons & Oliver, The Paquin Company, Hammontree & Associates, Falcon Foundry
• 25 Years: Ever-Roll Specialties Co, Joy Cone;
• 30 Years: GBS Corporation, Webster Industries, SJE Rhombus, Joseph Industries
• 35 Years: Nyhart
• 40 Years: The Ruhlin Company

Widely regarded as one of the best one-day conferences on employee ownership in the country, this annual event brings together employee owners, both management and shop floor workers, to learn how to improve the performances of their companies.

The conference also attracts community and economic development professionals, government officials, nonprofit organizations, students and professional service providers. Over the course of the day, 16 panels will explore the cutting edge of issues for existing employee owned companies (whether new or “mature”), as well as a series of panels for small business owners exploring whether employee ownership can be the right tool in their ownership succession plan.

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Friday, April 28, at the Hilton in Fairlawn, Ohio, followed by a reception until 6 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. The cost is $195 in advance and $225 at the door. For more information, call 330-672-3028 or visit http://oeockent.org.

Kent State’s OEOC is a non-profit program established in 1987 to provide outreach, information and preliminary technical assistance to Ohio employees and business owners interested in exploring employee ownership. Since its inception, the OEOC has helped more than 15,000 Ohio employees become owners.

For more information, visit http://www.oeockent.org/ohio-employee-ownership-conference/

# # #

Media Contacts:
Chris Cooper, ccooper1@kent.edu, 330-672-3028
Kristin Anderson, kander63@kent.edu, 330-672-7907

Kent State University’s Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC) will host the 31st Annual Ohio Employee Ownership Conference on Friday, April 28, 2017, at the Hilton West in Fairlawn, Ohio.

This year’s keynote speaker is Cindy Turcot, Chief Operating Officer of Gardener’s Supply Co. in Burlington, Vermont, the nation’s largest catalog and web marketer of gardening products. Turcot is a nationally recognized speaker on ownership culture, open book and participatory management structures. During her term as COO, she has been instrumental in growing the company to more than 275 employee owners, and guided the company to 100% employee ownership in 2009. She recently served as the chair of The ESOP Association, a national association of companies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs).

In addition, we will be honoring two very special companies with our annual employee ownership awards: 2017 John Logue Employee Ownership Excellence Award: The Ruhlin Company in Akron, Ohio and the 2017 OEOC ESOP Impact Award: Robin Industries, Inc. in Independence, Ohio.

Also, the following companies will be celebrating milestones of employee ownership:

• 5 Years: The Brewer Company, Duramax Marine, The Equity Engineering Group, Robin Industries
• 10 years: Palmer-Donavin, Herbert Rowland & Grubic, Hy-Tek Material Handling, Mills James Productions, PLAN-E-TECH, Universal Oil
• 15 Years: Aero-Mark, Inc.;
• 20 Years: Bardons & Oliver, The Paquin Company, Hammontree & Associates, Falcon Foundry
• 25 Years: Ever-Roll Specialties Co, Joy Cone;
• 30 Years: GBS Corporation, Webster Industries, SJE Rhombus, Joseph Industries
• 35 Years: Nyhart
• 40 Years: The Ruhlin Company

Widely regarded as one of the best one-day conferences on employee ownership in the country, this annual event brings together employee owners, both management and shop floor workers, to learn how to improve the performances of their companies.

The conference also attracts community and economic development professionals, government officials, nonprofit organizations, students and professional service providers. Over the course of the day, 16 panels will explore the cutting edge of issues for existing employee owned companies (whether new or “mature”), as well as a series of panels for small business owners exploring whether employee ownership can be the right tool in their ownership succession plan.

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Friday, April 28, at the Hilton in Fairlawn, Ohio, followed by a reception until 6 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. The cost is $195 in advance and $225 at the door. For more information, call 330-672-3028 or visit http://oeockent.org.

Kent State’s OEOC is a non-profit program established in 1987 to provide outreach, information and preliminary technical assistance to Ohio employees and business owners interested in exploring employee ownership. Since its inception, the OEOC has helped more than 15,000 Ohio employees become owners.

For more information, visit http://www.oeockent.org/ohio-employee-ownership-conference/

# # #

Media Contacts:
Chris Cooper, ccooper1@kent.edu, 330-672-3028
Kristin Anderson, kander63@kent.edu, 330-672-7907

Kent State University’s Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC) will host the 31st Annual Ohio Employee Ownership Conference on Friday, April 28, 2017, at the Hilton West in Fairlawn, Ohio.

This year’s keynote speaker is Cindy Turcot, Chief Operating Officer of Gardener’s Supply Co. in Burlington, Vermont, the nation’s largest catalog and web marketer of gardening products. Turcot is a nationally recognized speaker on ownership culture, open book and participatory management structures. During her term as COO, she has been instrumental in growing the company to more than 275 employee owners, and guided the company to 100% employee ownership in 2009. She recently served as the chair of The ESOP Association, a national association of companies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs).

In addition, we will be honoring two very special companies with our annual employee ownership awards: 2017 John Logue Employee Ownership Excellence Award: The Ruhlin Company in Akron, Ohio and the 2017 OEOC ESOP Impact Award: Robin Industries, Inc. in Independence, Ohio.

Also, the following companies will be celebrating milestones of employee ownership:

• 5 Years: The Brewer Company, Duramax Marine, The Equity Engineering Group, Robin Industries
• 10 years: Palmer-Donavin, Herbert Rowland & Grubic, Hy-Tek Material Handling, Mills James Productions, PLAN-E-TECH, Universal Oil
• 15 Years: Aero-Mark, Inc.;
• 20 Years: Bardons & Oliver, The Paquin Company, Hammontree & Associates, Falcon Foundry
• 25 Years: Ever-Roll Specialties Co, Joy Cone;
• 30 Years: GBS Corporation, Webster Industries, SJE Rhombus, Joseph Industries
• 35 Years: Nyhart
• 40 Years: The Ruhlin Company

Widely regarded as one of the best one-day conferences on employee ownership in the country, this annual event brings together employee owners, both management and shop floor workers, to learn how to improve the performances of their companies.

The conference also attracts community and economic development professionals, government officials, nonprofit organizations, students and professional service providers. Over the course of the day, 16 panels will explore the cutting edge of issues for existing employee owned companies (whether new or “mature”), as well as a series of panels for small business owners exploring whether employee ownership can be the right tool in their ownership succession plan.

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Friday, April 28, at the Hilton in Fairlawn, Ohio, followed by a reception until 6 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. The cost is $195 in advance and $225 at the door. For more information, call 330-672-3028 or visit http://oeockent.org.

Kent State’s OEOC is a non-profit program established in 1987 to provide outreach, information and preliminary technical assistance to Ohio employees and business owners interested in exploring employee ownership. Since its inception, the OEOC has helped more than 15,000 Ohio employees become owners.

For more information, visit http://www.oeockent.org/ohio-employee-ownership-conference/

# # #

Media Contacts:
Chris Cooper, ccooper1@kent.edu, 330-672-3028
Kristin Anderson, kander63@kent.edu, 330-672-7907

Kent State University’s Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC) will host the 31st Annual Ohio Employee Ownership Conference on Friday, April 28, 2017, at the Hilton West in Fairlawn, Ohio.

This year’s keynote speaker is Cindy Turcot, Chief Operating Officer of Gardener’s Supply Co. in Burlington, Vermont, the nation’s largest catalog and web marketer of gardening products. Turcot is a nationally recognized speaker on ownership culture, open book and participatory management structures. During her term as COO, she has been instrumental in growing the company to more than 275 employee owners, and guided the company to 100% employee ownership in 2009. She recently served as the chair of The ESOP Association, a national association of companies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs).

In addition, we will be honoring two very special companies with our annual employee ownership awards: 2017 John Logue Employee Ownership Excellence Award: The Ruhlin Company in Akron, Ohio and the 2017 OEOC ESOP Impact Award: Robin Industries, Inc. in Independence, Ohio.

Also, the following companies will be celebrating milestones of employee ownership:

• 5 Years: The Brewer Company, Duramax Marine, The Equity Engineering Group, Robin Industries
• 10 years: Palmer-Donavin, Herbert Rowland & Grubic, Hy-Tek Material Handling, Mills James Productions, PLAN-E-TECH, Universal Oil
• 15 Years: Aero-Mark, Inc.;
• 20 Years: Bardons & Oliver, The Paquin Company, Hammontree & Associates, Falcon Foundry
• 25 Years: Ever-Roll Specialties Co, Joy Cone;
• 30 Years: GBS Corporation, Webster Industries, SJE Rhombus, Joseph Industries
• 35 Years: Nyhart
• 40 Years: The Ruhlin Company

Widely regarded as one of the best one-day conferences on employee ownership in the country, this annual event brings together employee owners, both management and shop floor workers, to learn how to improve the performances of their companies.

The conference also attracts community and economic development professionals, government officials, nonprofit organizations, students and professional service providers. Over the course of the day, 16 panels will explore the cutting edge of issues for existing employee owned companies (whether new or “mature”), as well as a series of panels for small business owners exploring whether employee ownership can be the right tool in their ownership succession plan.

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Friday, April 28, at the Hilton in Fairlawn, Ohio, followed by a reception until 6 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. The cost is $195 in advance and $225 at the door. For more information, call 330-672-3028 or visit http://oeockent.org.

Kent State’s OEOC is a non-profit program established in 1987 to provide outreach, information and preliminary technical assistance to Ohio employees and business owners interested in exploring employee ownership. Since its inception, the OEOC has helped more than 15,000 Ohio employees become owners.

For more information, visit http://www.oeockent.org/ohio-employee-ownership-conference/

# # #

Media Contacts:
Chris Cooper, ccooper1@kent.edu, 330-672-3028
Kristin Anderson, kander63@kent.edu, 330-672-7907

Ask some of the most successful CEOs about their undergraduate degrees, and you might get an unexpected answer. While most would expect to come from business backgrounds, many actually have bachelor degrees in communications, Spanish, or even theatre.

GoodCall, an online publication specializing in consumer information, talked with professors around the country about the use of liberal arts degrees and the skills that students use as a springboard to the next step in their education and career path.

David W. Odell-Scott, Ph.D., associate dean in Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences tells GoodCall how students with a liberal arts undergraduate degree do well on standardized tests to get into graduate school.

“In fact, access to good graduate professional schools is determined by performance on the entrance exams, not by one’s undergraduate major – no graduate professional school requires a specific undergraduate major for admission.” However, Odell-Scott says liberal arts majors tend to do well on these standardized tests. “In almost every instance, whether it is the LSAT, GMAT, or GRE, majors in philosophy who take the exams consistently score in the top ranks, along with majors in economics, mathematics, and physics, to name a few.”

Read more from GoodCall

Ask some of the most successful CEOs about their undergraduate degrees, and you might get an unexpected answer. While most would expect to come from business backgrounds, many actually have bachelor degrees in communications, Spanish, or even theatre.

GoodCall, an online publication specializing in consumer information, talked with professors around the country about the use of liberal arts degrees and the skills that students use as a springboard to the next step in their education and career path.

David W. Odell-Scott, Ph.D., associate dean in Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences tells GoodCall how students with a liberal arts undergraduate degree do well on standardized tests to get into graduate school.

“In fact, access to good graduate professional schools is determined by performance on the entrance exams, not by one’s undergraduate major – no graduate professional school requires a specific undergraduate major for admission.” However, Odell-Scott says liberal arts majors tend to do well on these standardized tests. “In almost every instance, whether it is the LSAT, GMAT, or GRE, majors in philosophy who take the exams consistently score in the top ranks, along with majors in economics, mathematics, and physics, to name a few.”

Read more from GoodCall

Ask some of the most successful CEOs about their undergraduate degrees, and you might get an unexpected answer. While most would expect to come from business backgrounds, many actually have bachelor degrees in communications, Spanish, or even theatre.

GoodCall, an online publication specializing in consumer information, talked with professors around the country about the use of liberal arts degrees and the skills that students use as a springboard to the next step in their education and career path.

David W. Odell-Scott, Ph.D., associate dean in Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences tells GoodCall how students with a liberal arts undergraduate degree do well on standardized tests to get into graduate school.

“In fact, access to good graduate professional schools is determined by performance on the entrance exams, not by one’s undergraduate major – no graduate professional school requires a specific undergraduate major for admission.” However, Odell-Scott says liberal arts majors tend to do well on these standardized tests. “In almost every instance, whether it is the LSAT, GMAT, or GRE, majors in philosophy who take the exams consistently score in the top ranks, along with majors in economics, mathematics, and physics, to name a few.”

Read more from GoodCall

According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 1,688,780 new cancer cases diagnosed and 600,920 cancer deaths in the U.S. in 2017.

These numbers are stark and sobering, and worse yet, we still do not know exactly why cancer develops in its victims or how to stop it.

An online publication in Nature Nanotechnology this week by Kent State University researchers and their colleagues at Kyoto University in Japan, however, may offer new understanding about what turns good cells bad.

Hanbin Mao, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences, co-authored a paper with his graduate students, Prakash Shrestha and Sagun Jonchhe, along with four Kyoto University colleagues, titled “Confined Space Facilitates G-quadruplex Formation,” which was published March 27 on the esteemed journal’s website. The article discusses the genetic factors that influence formation of cancer cells.

“Traditionally, DNA has a two-strand shape — the double helix — and its purpose is to code the proteins that form life,” Mao said. “But recently, people have discovered that some DNA has four strands, and we call this the G-quadruplex. This is associated with the inhibition of cancer cells.”

However, while most G-quadruplex DNA is beneficial, Mao said some strands go bad and such mutations actually will enable cancer cell growth. To understand why this happens, scientists first had to learn why DNA sometimes develops into four-strand structures.

All DNA is generated by enzymes and operates like an assembly line. However, Mao said, there comes a point where DNA makes a decision to form a double helix or a quadruplex. He said most DNA takes the two-strand route simply because it is the easiest path. 

Mao said nanometer-sized (one billionth of meter; 25,400,000 nanometers = 1 inch) spaces inside the enzymes are where these formations occur. The inability to mimic these spaces in laboratory settings has prohibited deeper study of the G-quadruplex formation. That is, until now.

With help from chemists and engineers at Kyoto University in Japan, Kent State’s Mao and graduate students Shrestha and Jonchhe used “DNA origami” to create a “nano cage.” They accomplished this through single-molecule mechanochemical sensing — a technology Mao’s lab developed in 2014. Over the past few years, he has published several studies involving the use of “laser tweezers,” a tool that provides the ability to hold micrometer- and nanometer-sized biological materials in place.

That technology allowed Mao to create 6-by-6 nanometer-sized cages, then observe how DNA folded into different shapes inside the space.

“It’s easier for the DNA to fold inside the cage,” he said. “It folds to adapt to the small space, and here DNA naturally folds into the G-quadruplex.”

He said the process occurs two to three orders of magnitude faster inside the cage than out, folding 100,000 per second — a speed that makes forming G-quadruplex as fast and easy as forming a double helix.

“With that observation, we may follow the fate of the cell to be cancerous or healthy,” he said. “So we can perhaps learn how to introduce molecules or chemicals to interfere with that process.”

He said scientists can use ligands — bonded molecules — to facilitate this effect with greater potency, thereby reducing the likelihood that cancer cells will form.

“We can prevent or better treat cancer by stabilizing G-quadruplex structures,” Mao said.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, visit www.kent.edu/chemistry.

For more information about research at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/research.

# # #

Photo Caption:
Hanbin Mao, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Kent State University, co-authored a paper with two of his graduate students, along with four Kyoto University colleagues, on Nature Nanotechnology’s website that discusses the genetic factors that influence formation of cancer cells.

Media Contacts:
Dan Pompili, dpompili@kent.edu, 330-672-0731
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595