Research Initiatives

Bowling Green State University

BGSU senior documents the making of Team USA through internship

At the beginning of 2023, Bowling Green State University senior Nathan Kubala honestly evaluated himself as a sports industry content creator and saw a skill he could develop while he was still in college. Kubala, a native of Akron who is studying sport management, created sports-related graphic design for years, but believed learning photography would make him more well-rounded as he prepares to enter the sport industry. His plan for tangible growth paid off in a big way: He concluded 2023 by photographing one of the bigger amateur sporting events on the calendar, documenting the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Lafayette, Louisiana, through an internship with USA Boxing. Ahead of next summer’s Paris Olympics, Kubala was on site for the week-long event to capture the makings of Team USA Boxing. Through his classes at BGSU, Kubala said he learned about the wide range of ways into the sport industry and the value of making connections while still in college.

Central State University

Central State University ramps up program to teach future educators how to teach reading

A recent report indicated that fewer than half of Ohio’s elementary school teachers graduated from higher education institutions whose teacher prep programs received a satisfactory “A” or “B” according to standards analyzed by the Fordham Institute. Now, Central State University is renewing its commitment to bolstering its College of Education courses that teach future teachers how to teach effectively. The Fordham Institute’s report is especially pertinent to Central State students and faculty, as it found that Black, Hispanic, and poverty-stricken students, in particular, are more impacted by the low institutional grading. “We are doing what we can to prepare our students to become licensed teachers,” said Associate Professor of Reading/Literacy Sandra Sumerfield, Ed.D. Sumerfield, a native of Cincinnati, has been spearheading Central State’s ad hoc program to prepare College of Education students for their Ohio state reading instruction licensure testing since first joining the faculty six years ago.

Cleveland State University

New Career Innovations Fund Aims to Help Students Get Ahead

With the spring semester fast approaching, students have much to look forward to as Career Development & Exploration launches yet another exciting and impactful program. Created by Career Development and Exploration (CDE), the Career Innovations Fund is part of the overall vision and mission to become the premier career support center by providing relevant and forward-thinking programs and services to best serve the students at Cleveland State. The application, which opened on January 8, allows faculty and staff to create meaningful opportunities to advance students’ understanding of career goals, explore the workforce, acquire unique skills or address specific needs hindering their progress. Using Student Career Fee dollars ($4 per credit for every undergraduate and graduate student), up to $100,000 is being allocated for the innovations fund. Examples of funding ideas include covering the costs for a portfolio software system for students needing online portfolios for job applications.

Kent State University

Job Market Bright for Kent State Graduates

The newly released list of “100 Best Jobs for 2024” by U.S. News and World Report illustrates how Kent State University has the majors that are preparing graduates to lead in tomorrow's workforce. Kent State is a leading economic driver in Northeast Ohio and the entire state, offering distinctive programs that prepare graduates for the most in-demand jobs, particularly in the field of nursing. The No. 1 job on the U.S. News list is nurse practitioner, a growing career field and a growing advanced degree program in Kent State’s College of Nursing. Kent State notes that 98% of College of Nursing graduates who receive their Nursing Practitioner MSN degree are employed upon graduation. In the No. 2 spot on U.S. News' list of 100 Best Jobs is financial manager, another area where Kent State excels in its training through the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

Miami University

TIME names Miami one of 100 ‘Best Colleges for Future Leaders’

Miami University has been named one of the Best Colleges for Future Leaders in a recently released list from TIME magazine. TIME teamed with Statista, a leading international provider of market and consumer data and rankings, to analyze the resumes of 2,000 top leaders in the United States – from politicians to CEOs, Nobel Prize winners, and more. From there, a list of the top 100 colleges shaping U.S. leaders was formed. Miami is No. 35 overall on the list, No. 14 among public schools, and the top-ranked university in Ohio. "Miami continues to empower our students to become national and global leaders," Miami University President Gregory Crawford said. "To be recognized by TIME as a top institution in shaping future leaders is indicative of the excellence of our teacher-scholars and the value of a Miami education."

Northeast Ohio Medical University

NIH deputy director Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D., is next VITALS speaker

As deputy director since August 2022, Dr. Schor is responsible for oversight of research conducted by the 27 institutes and centers of NIH. Before joining NIH, Dr. Schor spent 20 years on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, ultimately becoming the Carol Ann Craumer Professor of Pediatric Research, chief of the Division of Child Neurology in the Department of Pediatrics, and associate dean for medical student research at the medical school. In 2006, Dr. Schor became the William H. Eilinger Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and pediatrician-in-chief of the Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester, posts she held until January 2018, when she became Deputy Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. For 27 years in academia, her research on neural crest development and neoplasia was continuously funded by NIH. She currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Northeast Ohio Medical University

NIH deputy director Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D., is next VITALS speaker

The Ohio State University

Researchers developing AI to make the internet more accessible

In an effort to make the internet more accessible for people with disabilities, researchers at The Ohio State University have begun developing an artificial intelligence agent that could complete complex tasks on any website using simple language commands. Yu Su, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at Ohio State, said their work, which uses information taken from live sites to create web agents — online AI helpers — is a step toward making the digital world a less confusing place. By taking advantage of the power of large language models, the agent works similarly to how humans behave when browsing the web, said Su. The Ohio State team showed that their model was able to understand the layout and functionality of different websites using only its ability to process and predict language. “Throughout my career, my goal has always been trying to bridge the gap between human users and the computing world,” said Su. “That said, the real value of this tool is that it will really save people time and make the impossible possible.”

Ohio University

Ohio University's online MBA: ranked among the top in the nation

Master's in Business Administration (MBA) students at Ohio University's College of Business continue to reap the benefits of its online MBA program. This program has been recognized as one of the top 40 best online MBA programs in the United States by Poets&Quants, and even ranked #3 among online MBA programs offered by universities in Ohio. "The College of Business at Ohio University is pleased by its continued recognition by Poets&Quants of our online MBA program. This highly prestigious ranking continues to reflect our commitment to providing an outstanding business education experience to working professionals," says Dr. Jackie Rees Ulmer, Dean of the College of Business. Ohio University is ranked in the top 50% in both career impact and academic experience dimensions. With nine distinct concentrations available, participants can tailor their education to their specific professional goals, gaining valuable expertise and specialization in areas such as Marketing, Finance, or Business Analytics.

University of Akron

University of Akron receives $950,000 Third Frontier Research Initiative award to establish accredited Center for Structured Literacy

The University of Akron (UA) has been awarded a $950,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) through the Third Frontier Research Initiative. This funding will support the establishment of a new Center for Structured Literacy (CSL). The CSL’s core mission will be the translation of scientific research on reading instruction, intervention and dyslexia for educators. It will also provide professional development to help pre- and in-service K-12 teachers throughout the state understand the science of reading, structured literacy and dyslexia, identify its characteristics and provide appropriate instruction and intervention. The CSL aims to become an accredited International Dyslexia Association (IDA) center, making it the sole public university in Ohio offering this prestigious accreditation and certification and a highly desirable resource for educators seeking expertise in evidence-based reading instruction, intervention and dyslexia.

University of Cincinnati

UC program and Siemens breaking educational barriers for students with disabilities

In a pioneering effort, the University of Cincinnati's IDD Education Center and Siemens have collaborated to provide accessible science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Originating from a 2019 STEM accessibility workshop, the partnership resulted in modifying the university's Developing Spatial Thinking (DST) course and creating the "STEM Access for All" program, utilizing Siemens' NX software. Siemens engineers actively participated, demonstrating processes like 3D part analysis and design. The success of the program led to its integration into the IDD Education Center’s CEES program, recognized as a state-recognized pre-apprenticeship program. This collaboration addresses stereotypes and fosters inclusivity in STEM, contributing to a more diverse and skilled workforce.

University of Toledo

UToledo Professor Looks to Hydrogen to Improve Flexibility, Profitability of Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear power has a flexibility problem. Nuclear power plants are not easily scaled up or down in response to demand on the electrical grid, which those in the industry have long acknowledged is one key drawback to this emission-free energy source. The University of Toledo’s Dr. Raghav Khanna is engineering a solution to this flexibility problem. In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, and along with Dr. Ahmad Javaid, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Dr. Mike Heben, a Distinguished University Professor and PVIC Endowed Chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Khanna is exploring ways to maximize the flexibility and profitability of nuclear power plants by integrating renewable energy resources and hydrogen production. Their deep reinforcement learning model has calculated that such an adjustment would increase revenue at a plant by more than 25% over 120 days.

Wright State University

New agreement with Dayton Public Schools will cover tuition for eligible students at Wright State

Students from two Dayton public high schools can receive full-tuition scholarships at Wright State University and personalized support and coaching during their high school and college careers through a new pathway program. The students will be selected for the program when they are in the ninth grade and after graduating high school will enroll at Wright State’s Dayton Campus. The new partnership creates a pathway for intentional and ongoing engagement with Dayton Public School students, said Wright State President Sue Edwards, Ph.D. Once they enroll at Wright State, students in the program will work with a dedicated success coach who will mentor them and provide support throughout their first year and beyond. Students will also be offered on-campus employment through the Federal Work-Study program, a federal employment program. Along with providing gift aid to help provide an affordable education, Wright State has one of the lowest tuition rates among Ohio’s four-year universities.

Youngstown State University

ODHE awards over $1 Million to YSU for STEM scholarships

The Ohio Department of Higher Education awarded an additional $1.1 million to Youngstown State University’s Choose Ohio First scholarship program. The YSU-COFSP 2024 award and YSU STEM Advancement integrating Data COF, promotes workforce development and data science opportunities for students through partnerships with regional employers, relevant training and professional development. The award will support an estimated 80 new YSU students over five years in selected STEM majors and graduate programs, integrating data analytics into their curriculums. These majors and programs include economics, engineering, computer science, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and health sciences. YSU-SAiD COF program includes facilitating co-ops, internships, REUs and other transcribed academic and professional work experience pathways to high demand STEM careers. YSU staff and academic or professional leaders promote experiential learning opportunities at mandatory monthly cohort meetings.

Thank you for taking the time, once again, to look through these great stories demonstrating how our public universities are making a real difference at this critical time. If you have questions or would like additional information about Ohio’s public universities, please do not hesitate to contact me, Laura Lanese at 614.537.3816 , and by email at lanese.37@osu.edu, or the IUC’s Vice President of Operations, Mike Suver at 614.701.7385, and by email at suver.1@osu.edu.

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