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Since March, COVID-19 has become a widespread topic of conversation. Finding ways to explain what this virus is, how one can treat it and how to slow the spread of the virus are just a few commonly asked questions with few clear answers. Xiaozhen Mou, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and her research team recently received funding for their hard work as part of Ohio’s statewide collective effort to discover traces of COVID-19 virus particles in wastewater.

�������� State’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA ��������) Chapter, along with two School of Media and Journalism (MDJ) alumnae, earned national recognition at the 2020 PRSSA Annual International Conference. Public relations alumna Jill Golden, won the highest individual award, the National Gold Key award, and alumna Carrie Kandes, APR, earned the Teahan Professional Adviser award.

�������� State will recognize the accomplishments of its Fall Class of 2020 graduates with a virtual commencement recognition ceremony. Students, faculty, staff, parents and friends are invited to tune into the virtual ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 11 a.m.

While it's no secret that many college students drink alcohol, how COVID-19 affected these behaviors and patterns is the focus of recent research published in the journal Addictive Behaviors by the collaboration of William Lechner from the Department of Psychological Sciences and Deric Kenne from the College of Public Health. The pair sought to study the effects that a major stressor such as the pandemic could have on addictive behaviors and how vulnerabilities such as anxiety and depression played a part in the coping process of college students. 

In preparation for honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, �������� State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee is requesting that university divisions, departments and student organizations submit programming, activities and events (scheduled Jan. 25-Jan. 31, 2021) to the MLK Events Calendar by Friday, Dec. 4, 2020.

Through multiple organizations and collaborations on and off campus, �������� ended 2019 as a more sustainable campus. Those who contributed to sustainable efforts worked hard to reduce the university’s carbon footprint leading to the university being honored as a finalist for the 2020 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Campus Sustainability Achievement Award  along with the 2019 Keep Ohio Beautiful award for Colleges and Universities.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, MMPI, is a standardized psychometric test that was first published by the University of Minnesota Press in 1943 and quickly became the gold standard for assessing psychopathology. �������� has played a key role throughout the history of this test and a �������� State faculty member led the revision for the recently published and updated 2020 MMPI-3. 

A policy of municipal takeover was implemented to help relieve Flint, Michigan, of financial and political hardships in response to the water crisis. Ashley Nickels, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, extensively researched Flint's municipal takeover for seven years, earning her three awards for her work.

A true milestone in the concept of international education, the American Academy celebrated its first  in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, this year. The American Academy is a dual-enrollment program jointly operated by �������� and the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. Fourteen of the students who first enrolled in the program when it launched in July 2018 were the first to graduate.

Alumna Pamela R. Anderson-Bartholet has a long history at �������� State, graduating from the university three times before working for �������� State. In August, she added a new feather to her cap when The Poetry Box published her first complete collection of poetry, “Just the Girls: A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies; A Drift of Honeybees” with the help of two other alumnae.

�������� State Alumna Priya Midha, M.S. ‘20,  is making a difference in Northeast Ohio, working to track COVID-19 to stop community spread and was recently featured in Akron Life Magazine.

�������� State launched its month-long celebration of philanthropy, Giving Tuesday, on Nov. 9 and highlighted a fundamental belief that “Flashes Take Care of Flashes.”

Students struggling academically or with time management skills will have an additional, powerful resource in the form of a fellow student to coach them to success. The Academic Success Center’s Peer Academic Coaching Program at �������� is now available for all students. 

As part of ��������’s ongoing strategy to help stop the spread of COVID-19, �������� State has partnered with the city of �������� to bring the Ohio Department of Health’s Pandemic Testing Team to campus from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 for an open testing event

At just 19 years old, �������� sophomore Izzy Stewart has inspired hundreds of fellow students to exercise their right to vote. The public relations major has been inspired by those who have come before her here and is taking steps to create political change.

In an effort to ensure student access and success, �������� is waiving application fees for those who apply to the university in the month of November. 

Fashion in the 90s was dominated by simple styles, but full of patterns and colors. And you can see and buy those styles mixed with contemporary flair today thanks to �������� alumnus, Adam Forrester, who recently designed pieces for the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s” 30th-anniversary collection.

Julia Huyck, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Health Sciences at ��������, was granted $431,000 over three years by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to delve into the unknown science concerning adolescent hearing and cognitive development.

Christian Cunningham, senior aeronautical studies major at ��������, has been doubted. Some said he would never become a pilot. But Cunningham is already proving them wrong. Graduation is on the horizon, and he and his internship were recently featured on CNN.

In times of uncertainty and hardship, you can stand back and wait for it to pass or get involved. During the pandemic, people in the town of �������� and the �������� State community wanted to make a difference. Two �������� State students became the catalysts that sparked a 10-week project of doing good.