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In an office nestled inside �鶹��Ƶ’s Nixson Hall, you can hear the voice of a third grade student coming from a computer screen.

“Beach ball,” says the voice from Greenfield Exempted Village Schools in Greenfield, Ohio.

Soon after, in the screen directly below, �鶹��Ƶ graduate student Lauren Ledzianowski responds with, “Yes, beach ball! Very good.”

It is difficult to imagine how all the metal pieces and parts sprawled out on the floor of �鶹��Ƶ’s Research 1 Building will eventually form a mining robot. But, the relentless dedication it has taken to design, create and build the robot might one day help NASA learn more about the materials on Mars.

Scholar of the Month
Tara C. Smith
Associate Professor of Epidemiology 
College of Public Health
2013-present

Tara C. Smith is an associate professor of epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology in the College of Public Health. Her research focuses on emerging infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases (infections which are transferred from animals to humans), Staphylococcus aureus, bacterial ecology and antibiotic resistance.

Relax! To ease the stress of finals week, �鶹��Ƶ Libraries will host the popular Stress-Free Zone this semester on Monday, May 4, and Tuesday, May 5, from 3-5 p.m. The therapy dogs will return once again, and there will be free popcorn and beverages to enjoy.

The event is open to all �鶹��Ƶ students, faculty and staff.

�鶹��Ƶ congratulates its new graduates. The university held its Spring Commencement ceremonies for the Kent Campus on May 8 and May 9 at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MAC Center). This spring, �鶹��Ƶ conferred 3,883 degrees, including 2,864 bachelor’s degrees, 874 master’s degrees, 142 doctoral degrees and three educational specialist degrees at the Kent Campus. Across the university’s eight-campus system, 4,512 students graduated from �鶹��Ƶ this spring, including those receiving associate degrees.

How do you believe being bold at �鶹��Ƶ looks when put in action? 

Melody Tankersley believes the campus community is on the right track.

�鶹��Ƶ’s MBA team took home the grand prize in the Cleveland Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Competition that took place at the Union Club in Cleveland. The regional competition’s case focused on mergers and acquisitions.

Members of the winning team include Josh Hostetler, Brad Neumann, Frank Russ and Kaushik Saha, all second-year MBA students who will graduate this May. They won an all-expenses-paid trip to Orlando, Fla., for the ACG Global Conference in April.

�鶹��Ƶ held its 45th annual commemoration of May 4, 1970, with events April 30-May 4. The annual commemoration, hosted by the May 4 Task Force, provided an opportunity for the university community to gather and remember those who were lost and injured during the tragedy and also reflect on what May 4 means today.

�鶹��Ƶ’s 21st annual FlashFest will deliver a mix of music genres with hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, R&B artist Jeremih and disc jockey duo the Chainsmokers.

This year, the event will take place Thursday, April 23. Music begins at 5 p.m. on the Student Green, weather permitting, with the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center as an alternate location.