March, 2010
Greetings from the College of Science!
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| Bette Bonder, Dean |
The academic year got off to a very good start, and as we enter the home stretch, we have numerous achievements of which we can be proud. We have 600 College of Science students on the Dean’s List. This reflects terrific accomplishment on the part of students, and the devotion of our faculty to student success. Enrollments are up for the sixth year in a row. Since the inception of the College in Fall, 2004, enrollment has grown from roughly 1,900 students to more than 2,600.
We continue to add new majors, and will celebrate the inauguration of the new bachelor of science in pharmaceutical sciences at our 2010 Research Day. In addition, we are nearing completion of a collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic to greatly increase the size of our occupational and physical therapy programs to help address critical personnel shortages in these essential areas. The College has also implemented 4+1 programs in most of its departments, enabling undergraduate students to complete a master’s degree with just one additional year of study after the bachelors’ degree. Stay tuned for more information about new programs currently in the planning stages.
The College faculty continue to make great strides in their research endeavors. The National Science Foundation recently funded a consortium called NEOECO (Northeast Ohio Ecosystem Consortium) through our Environmental Science program. This collaboration among a large number of regional partners will explore ways to reclaim and reuse urban land. Faculty in our Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease have garnered additional funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and others for their ground-breaking work.
Faculty research is making an important contribution to scientific knowledge. It also makes an important contribution to the student experience as they have opportunities to work in faculty labs and are frequent co-authors on important papers. Students also have numerous opportunities to work with community partners in internship, coop, service learning, and other hands-on activities.
It has been a delight to hear more and more from our alumni as well. Your are a distinguished group, and it is both enjoyable and impressive to hear of your achievements.
If you haven’t been to campus for awhile, I hope you’ll visit soon. A transformation is well underway, with the new student center, new education building and new residence halls all slated to open this year. It’s a lively, thriving place filled with excitement. Please think about visiting on April 30, when we will hold our annual Research Day. The day includes faculty and student posters as well as a keynote speech and recognition of the College Outstanding Researcher. I hope to see you there.
Bette Bonder
CSU Researcher Stumbles onto Potential Cancer Breakthrough
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Dr. Michael Kalafatis, Chemistry, was interviewed by Monica Robbins at WKYC, Channel 3. The story on his research aired on Wednesday, January 20. Here is the information from WKYC’s website:
CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland State University professor accidentally stumbled upon a potential breakthrough in fighting cancer.
Dr. Michael Kalafatis was working on an experiment in the Cleveland State Chemistry Department involving blood coagulation when he discovered something totally unrelated.
The substance he was experimenting with killed cancer cells without damaging outside tissue. Cleveland Clinic researchers also tested his drug and found the same results, as did the National Institutes of Health, when they tested it on nearly 60 different cancer lines.
Now Dr. Kalafatis is trying to get funding to continue his research. While it looks promising in the lab, it may be several years, before it's ever tested on humans.
© 2010 WKYC-TV
To help make this a reality and to continue trials, additional funding is required. To support Dr. Kalafatis’ research, click here to make a gift. Your support is critical.
Sixth Annual College of Science Research Day
You are cordially invited to attend the College of Science Annual Research Day on Friday, April 30, 2009 at Cleveland State University.
12:30 pm – 3:45 pm Poster Session (Physical Education Building Lobby)
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Keynote Speaker and Presentation of Outstanding Research Award
(Fenn Tower Panel Hall)
This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Giovanni M. Pauletti.
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Giovanni M. Pauletti, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, where he directs a research program in molecular pharmaceutics focusing on rational design, fabrication, and evaluation of innovative, non-viral nanocarriers as vectors for targeted drug delivery applications Dr. Pauletti has published more than 100 scientific papers and research abstracts, and contributed to one GenBank entry. Dr. Pauletti served on more than 35 MS/PhD committees supporting graduate education in the College of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Engineering. He is an inventor on 11 U.S. patents/patent applications protecting various drug delivery technologies. Dr. Pauletti is an Editorial Board Member of the European Journal of Pharmaceutics & Biopharmaceutics and serves on several Leadership Committees of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS). He was Keynote Speaker at the 2007 Commencement of the University of Toledo, College of Pharmacy and chair of the Scientific Planning Committee for the 2008 AAPS National Biotechnology Conference in Toronto (Canada). As an advisor to pharmaceutical companies, Dr. Pauletti facilitates preclinical and early clinical development of molecular entities relevant to women’s health and cancer therapy.
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Last year, we had well over 150 poster presentations from undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty. This promises to be an exciting day of research presentations! Come see what’s happening at Cleveland State University’s College of Science.
For more information, please visit http://www.csuohio.edu/sciences/
To RSVP, please call Carol L. Carbary, CFRE, Director of College Development and Alumni Relations at (216) 875-9992 or email at c.carbary@csuohio.edu.
Congratulations to Faculty
At the Cleveland State University convocation on Thursday, January 21, the following COS faculty received awards:
Distinguished Faculty Award for Service – Barbara K. Modney, Biology, Geology, and Environmental Sciences
Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching – Jearl D. Walker, Physics
Distinguished Faculty Award for Research – Crystal Weyman, Biology, Geology, and Environmental Sciences
Cleveland State University Signature Theme: Health
Cleveland is home to a number of the nation's top institutions providing health care, medical education, medical research and technology. The Cleveland metropolitan area is served by 50 hospitals and employs more than 9,000 physicians and 23,000 health care professionals.
“Northeast Ohio GRP for the biomedical sector has grown at an average of 7.4% annually outpacing the nation’s average sector growth. Fueling this growth are historical assets including the region’s strength in healthcare, the legacy of skilled manufacturing, and new venture capital funding from outside of Ohio.
According to BioEnterprise—Northeast Ohio’s healthcare business formation, recruitment, and acceleration initiative—the regional biomedical industry has grown by more than 30% in the past five years. Northeast Ohio is now home to 600 biomedical companies, with many more starting or moving to the region each year.” March 2009 Economic Reviews for Northeast Ohio.
Cleveland State University educates the talent for the health care and bioscience industries.
As the largest and fastest growing industry in Northeast Ohio, health care (and the supporting biomedical research community) is well served by professional programs in every CSU College: from nursing, physical therapy, biomedical engineering and medical physics to healthcare management, bioethics, health law and STEM teacher education. Large NIH, NSF and DOE grants support molecular medical research, STEM scholarships and graduate assistantships. Six major Choose Ohio First Scholarship awards help to support students in this area. In addition, a core of CSU federally-funded molecular biology researchers is making significant research discoveries in the genetic regulation of disease.
Our major partner is the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic with whom we collaborate on research, doctoral-level and professional education (including most recently an on-site MBA). In 2009, U.S. News & World Report "America's Best Hospitals" survey recognized Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals overall, ranking Cleveland Clinic as # 4 in the country. Over 100 Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute researchers hold adjunct appointments at CSU.
In addition to our joint Doctor of Pharmacy Program, Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM) and Cleveland State University have agreed to join forces to provide increased access to medical education for students in Northeast Ohio with an emphasis on urban primary care.
Two CSU Centers of Excellence in Health have been identified:
Gene Regulation in Health and Disease (GRHD)
21st Century Heath Professions
Design A Life Conference
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Design a Life will be held on Friday, April 23 in the Cole Center located on Chester Avenue. This is the third annual Design a Life Conference; our event will be one full day of activities and interaction. The focus this year will be Promoting Wellness through Creative Expression, hosted by Cleveland State University, Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center, Benjamin Rose Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cuyahoga Community College, Judson at University Circle and many other local sponsors. The conference is designed to provide an opportunity to engage in and reflect on creative activities. It is a valuable opportunity for health care professionals, students, and community activist to participate in creative activities with artists, craftspeople, musicians, and health experts. You will also reflect on ways to incorporate creative activities into your life and the lives of your patients and colleagues to promote health and wellness.
This year our keynote speaker is Dr. Michael Roizen. Dr. Roizen was named Chief Wellness Officer at Cleveland Clinic in 2007, the first such position in a major healthcare institution in the United States. Dr. Roizen also serves as Chairman of the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. His presentation is “ RealAge and You: The Cleveland Clinic Experience on Controlling Your Genes and What it Means for You. The presentation will cover how people can take charge of their own health by implementing a few simple guidelines.”
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Our morning and afternoon hands-on workshops include an array of activities. You may chose from “Tuning into the Rhythm of Your Life”, “Travel through the art of Photocoloring”, “Basic Healing Stone Jewelry”, “EcoTextiles: Creative Natural Dyeing”, “Swinging into Life” and many more. Dr. Paul Lynn, from the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities, will lead our community panel discussion. Dr. Lynn, will present individuals that have utilized creative therapy in the workplace and discuss the successes and barriers that others have encountered while providing such services.
Please visit our website http://www.csuohio.edu/sciences/workshop/designalife/index.html for current and updated information. You may also contact Continuing Education department at Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., CE 103 or 216-687-2144.
Upcoming Alumni Events
Prizes Can be Yours
Prizes can be yours when you participate in CSU Alumni Association activities! Just register for and attend one or more of the events and/or programs listed on the 2009-2010 calendar.
1st prize: $400 value; certificate for a Continuing Education class of your choice
2nd Prize: $200 value; certificates to the CSU Bookstore
3rd Prize: $150 value; a CSU Viking Pride basket
4th Prize: $100 value; certificates to the CSU Bookstore
Reserve your seat now for all events at 216.687.2078 or email alumassoc@csuohio.edu. To view a calendar of upcoming events, click here.
PLANNING TO GO TO MEDICAL OR DENTAL SCHOOL?
NEED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE? CHECK THIS OUT!
Health Legacy of Cleveland is now accepting applications for medical and dental school scholarships for the 2010 - 2011 academic year. Completed application and renewal packets are due to Health Legacy by April 2, 2010.
Online applications are available at the website: www.healthlegacycleveland.org.
Scholarship award notification will be sent by email only by May 14, 2010. Checks will be mailed directly to the school in late July 2010 for scholarship renewals and new awards.
News You Can Use
BIOLOGY, GEOLOGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES:
- One of our graduate students, Kaloyan Ivanov, has been invited to lecture in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Curator's Forum series. His talk is titled "Ecosystem Engineers in Cleveland: The ants and how they work in greater Cleveland.” April 7th, 7pm.
- Dr. Jonathan Smith, a Cleveland Clinic adjunct professor, was elected as an AAAS Fellow.
- Dr. Roman Kondratov has received more than $116,000 from NIH for the project entitled "Circadian Control of ROS Homeostasis".
- Dr. Anton Komar’s article “A pause for thought along the co-translational folding pathway” was a featured article in a featured topic of the month in Trends in Biochemical Sciences.
- Grad student Krystal Hans, working with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, has been involved in the investigation of the Imperial Avenue Murders. She has been profiled in the Plain Dealer and the LA times.
- Alumnus Linas Jokubaitis (1980 BS in Biology) has been hired as a sales representative, with responsibility for developing and implementing MidContinental Chemical Company’s product and marketing growth strategies for fuel and lub oil additives in Cleveland and the upper Midwest. He has more than 25 years of experience in working with the refining and petroleum marketing industries.
- For more departmental information, click here.
CHEMISTRY:
- Xue-Long Sun served as a guest editor for A Special Issue on Carbohydrate Recognition and Applications on Medicinal Research Reviews (Wiley InterScience, Impact Factor 7.26).
- Hany Sobhi, Ph.D. a recent graduate of the Ph.D. program in Clinical/Bioanalytical Chemistry has been hired as an instructor at Case. He just received an NIH K01.
- Dr. Xue-Long Sun’s article for the Bioconjugate Chemistry (ACS Journal) has been the No 1 most cited article within the last three years.
- Dr. Stanley Hazen, Adjunct at CSU, section head of preventive cardiology at Cleveland Clinic and staff member in Lerner Research Institute’s department of cell biology, was awarded a $9.2 million five year PPG grant funded by NIH. The CSU consortium is about 500K for 5 years. The work involves multiple researchers, each focusing on different biological mechanisms that cause inflammation or the build-up of plaque inside arteries. Project leaders include Paul Fox (LRI and CSU Adjunct), Dennis Stuehr (LRI and CSU Adjunct), Renliang Zhang (LRI), Valentin Gogonea (CSU, COS Dept. of Chemistry), and Joseph DiDonato (LRI and CSU Adjunct).
- Dr. Jerry Mundell, Philomena Johnson, and Dr. Anne O’Connor met with The Lubrizol Corporation to discuss implementation of the In-House Chemistry Co-Op program in which students would undertake a Lubrizol research project under the guidance of both Lubrizol and the CSU Chemistry Department. This program is geared to both provide our undergraduates with industrial chemical research experience and also provide Lubrizol the time to thoroughly evaluate potential candidates for their summer intern program. The target date for implementation is Fall 2010.
- For more departmental information, click here.
HEALTH SCIENCES:
- For more departmental information, click here.
MATHEMATICS:
- In Fall 2009, John Oprea obtained a grant from the Midwest Topology Network that supported two visits of the topologist Jeff Strom from Western Michigan University to do collaborative research.
- Dr. Ivan Soprunov has received official award documentation from the National Security Agency for funding the project entitled "Spare Polynomial Systems: Residues and Duality, Toric Codes, and Lattice Points in Polytopes".
- Also in Fall 2009, John Oprea gave a presentation to the Cleveland section of the American Chemical Society on Soap Films and Mathematics.
- In February 2010, John Oprea was the Student Colloquium speaker at Louisiana State University (see attached announcement) and gave two lectures. While at LSU, he also gave a Mathematics Department colloquium.
- John Oprea is an Invited Speaker at the Mathematical Association of America meeting at Kent State in April.
- For more departmental information, click here.
PHYSICS:
- Enrollment for Spring 2010 is up 15.7% (as of Feb. 2 compared to census date Sp.2009).
- For two consecutive years, CSU physics department ranks third in the nation among MS granting departments on the number of master’s degrees awarded. The information is available in the following American Institute of Physics reports:
R-151.43, August 2008, Table 7,
R-151.44, January 2010, Table 3.
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/EDphysgrad07.pdf
- CSU’s Master of Science in Physics program is in the "strongest professional programs" category, ranked 4th, according to the American Institute of Physics report (http://www.aip.org/professionalmasters/msreport.html). The criteria used by AIP include enrollment, graduates’ employability, the availability of evening courses, and the presence of an active external advisory committee.
- An NSF grant supporting UTeach STEM education $900,000 was awarded to CSU (Dr. Miron Kaufman is a Co-PI ).
- Students collaborate in research with physics faculty. Matthew Itomelnskis, physics undergrad, Drs. Petru Fodor and Miron Kaufman, have published in the European Physical Journal Applied Physics a paper titled "Assessment of mixing in passive mixers with fractal surface patterning". John McKenna, MS medical physics, published with Dr. Kiril Streletzky, a couple of papers titled: "Spectral Time Moment Analysis of Microgel Deswelling. Effect of the Heating Rate" and "Spectral Time Moment Analysis of Microgel Structure and Dynamics" in the Journal of Polymer Science B: Polymer Physics. Max Orseno, undergrad physics major, and Dr Kiril Streletzky are co-authors of a paper submitted for publication in Langmuir.
- Undergrad Matthew Itomelnskis along with Drs. Petru Fodor and Miron Kaufman have published in the European Physical Journal Applied Physics a paper titled, “Assessment of mixing in passive mixers with fractal surface patterning”.
- MS medical physics student John McKenna published with Dr. Kiril Streletzky a couple of papers titled, “Spectral Time Moment Analysis of Microgel Deswelling: Effect of the Heating Rate” and “Spectral Time Moment Analysis of Microgel Structure and Dynamics” in the Journal of Polymer Science B: Polymer Physics.
- Max Orseno, undergrad physics major, and Dr. Kiril Streletzky are co-authors of a paper submitted for publication in Langmuir.
- For more departmental information, click here.
PSYCHOLOGY:
- For more departmental information, click here.
Diversity Management Conference
SAVE THE DATE!
Friday, May 13, 2010
The 3rd Annual Diversity Management Best Practices Conference
Explore how to make your diversity investments pay off. Learn how the latest research and theory can be used to provide real-world solutions and creative approaches to diversity dilemmas.
This year's specialty tracks are Diversity Issues in Law and Diversity in Education. A mini-career fair for Diversity professionals is also planned.
For more information, click here.
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day Fair
SAVE THE DATE!
Friday, May 4, 2010, between 4 and 7 pm
WHO: Occupational therapists working with children and youth; teachers and other related service providers are welcomed; spread the word!
WHERE: Cleveland State University, Health Sciences Building Atrium
SPONSORED BY: Graduate Occupational Therapy Students & Sue Bazyk, Ph.D., OTR/L
WHAT: Information ‘fair’! Come mingle with colleagues and gather ‘free’, practical resources related to children’s mental health. (light refreshments will be served)
- Promotion of positive mental health: Social & emotional learning (SEL); Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBS); mental health literacy; bully prevention
- Prevention strategies for children ‘at-risk’: Students experiencing loss, poverty, or exposed to violence; those dealing with obesity
- Interventions to support mental health in youth with identified problems: anxiety, depression, OCD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD
LEARN HOW TO: Embed strategies for the promotion of mental health within OT practice
Questions? Email Sue Bazyk at s.bazyk@csuohio.edu
Giving Opportunities
As a state-subsidized public institution, Cleveland State University faces significant funding challenges. The College of Science is determined to provide the best possible education to our students. You can help by making a gift to your alma mater in support of scholarships, research, equipment, and more. For additional information, contact Carol L. Carbary, CFRE, Director, College Development and Alumni Relations, at (216) 875-9992 or c.carbary@csuohio.edu or click here to make your gift online.
We Want to Hear from You
What have you been doing since graduation? Have you moved or changed jobs? Have you had a life change (marriage, baby, retirement, etc.) or celebrated any recent accomplishments? Stay in touch and let us know! We’d also like to hear what you would like to read about in future issues of this e-newsletter. To submit or update your information, email c.carbary@csuohio.edu or call (216) 875-9992.
Newsletter Archives
To read past issues of this newsletter, please click here.
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