Clear Water REVIVAL Research Lends Credence to Lake Erie “Dead Zone” Dangers
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A publication for Alumni and Friends of Kent State University Spring 2006 Volume 5 — Issue 3 m A G a z i n e Clear Water REVIVAL Research lends credence to Lake Erie “dead zone” dangers HOPE Is Just a Click Away Technology helps veterans with disabilities earn degrees www.kent.edu C4-C1_Covers.indd 2 1/5/06 9:10:10 AM Serving the Needs of Students and the World Beyond Carol A. Cartwright, President For the 12 million director of the university’s people who live in the Lake online Master of Public Erie watershed, the lake is Administration (M.P.A.), the a source of beauty, recre- only such degree program in ation, drinking water and the nation that exceeds the economic vitality. But the government’s standards for lake remains threatened disability access. by various forms of pol- At Kent State, we em- lution and invasive plants brace the public-service idea and microbial life-forms. that no one is an island. Our Kent State is involved in a own mission is to improve historic multiagency, inter- the quality of life of all those national investigation of the we serve. Sometimes that lake. Principal investigator involves regionwide research Dr. Robert Heath, Kent and development. Often it State professor of biologi- involves helping individu- cal sciences and head of the als find their way, especially Gary Harwood, ‘83 Water Resources Research important groups such as Institute, is leading a team veterans, to whom so much of Kent State graduate and is owed. These veterans are Photograph by undergraduate students who not alone now. Kent State Kent State president Carol A. are pioneering microbial has a habit of changing lives. Cartwright poses with men’s golf ecology techniques to better coach Herb Page, ’74, M.A. ’76, at elcome to the spring understand and improve Scott Pettit, an employee of The White W Rubber Corporation, removes rubber the groundbreaking ceremony for 2006 issue of Kent State the entire lake ecosystem the new golf teaching and learning Magazine. — which is also the home from molds at the Ravenna facility. The center at the Kent State golf course A university has a dual of those of us who live in formed rubber will become industrial gloves. Find out how Kent State is help- in August 2005. Find out more about role both to improve the Northeast Ohio. ing this company; see story on page 17. this new facility on page 16. world we live in and to Another crucial resource, prepare individuals to suc- human talent, is the focus of ceed in that world. This a second Kent State initia- issue features two compel- tive, in partnership with ling examples of Kent State the Louis Stokes Cleveland meeting that high standard Department of Veteran Af- — engaging the world well fairs (VA) Medical Center. beyond our campuses. This collaborative program The first shows the addresses the needs of On the cover: university’s leadership in thousands of veterans with Dr. Robert Heath, Kent State preserving a crucial regional disabilities, providing them professor of biological sciences, resource, Lake Erie, and by access to any online degree monitors readings broadcast extension protecting the offered in the United States, from the wheelhouse of the Great Lakes and freshwater and supporting them during R.V. Lake Guardian. Heath led a supplies worldwide. The the challenges of educa- team of scientists and students second partners Kent State tion and rehabilitation. studying Lake Erie’s bacteria and with America’s Veteran Af- The program is directed Gary Harwood, ‘83 phosphorus dynamics. fairs to provide online degree by Dr. Joseph Drew, Kent Photograph by Bob Christy, ‘95 programs — and hope — to State associate professor Photograph by Bob Christy, ‘95 Illustration by Nick Moore, ‘90 veterans with disabilities. of political science and Photograph by C4-C1_Covers.indd 3 1/5/06 9:10:33 AM Kent State Magazine • Spring 2006 • Volume 5 • Issue 3 c o n t e n t s Kent state Features MAGAZINE Spring 2006 • Volume 5 • Issue 3 Board of Trustees R. Douglas Cowan, ’64, Chair Sandra W. Harbrecht, ’71, Vice Chair Andrew J. Banks George L. Jenkins, ’63 Erin E. Klemen, student Patrick S. Mullin, ’71 Kimberly L. Thompson, student Jane Murphy Timken Brian D. Tucker, ’75 Jacqueline F. Woods Executive Officers Dr. Carol A. Cartwright, President Photograph by Bob Christy, ‘95 Dr. Paul L. Gaston, Provost Dr. Patricia A. Book Vice President, Regional Development Dr. David K. Creamer, M.S.A. ’86, Ph.D. ’90 Clear Water Revival... page 2 Vice President, Administration Research lends credence to Lake Erie "dead Issue to Issue Dr. Harold Goldsmith zone" dangers. Vice President, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs News Flash Carolyn Deasy Pizzuto Hope Is Just a Click Away... page 6 Vice President, Human Resources Technology helps veterans with disabilities page 22 Dr. Kathy L. Stafford, ’70 earn degrees. • Vice President, New poetry corner University Relations and Development • Heat and power project earns Edward G. Mahon Lights, Camera... Entertainment!... page 8 Vice President, Information Services, Technical skill and artistry take center stage. state award and Chief Information Officer • New field hockey field page 9 Magazine Editorial Committee A Touch of Winter in Spring... • Democracy symposium examines Thomas R. Neumann Guest director brings Shakespeare to Kent State. policy debate Associate Vice President, University Communications & Marketing Flo Cunningham, ’83, M.A. ’86 page 10 Beyond the Books... Director, University Communications NASA librarian typifies modern professional. Class Notes and Marketing Materials digital library speeds up research- Editor page 24 to-classroom process. For the complete list of committee • Distinguished Teaching Award members, follow the Contact link at www.kent.edu/magazine. Taking Care of Business... page 12 • Alumni Association offers new Innovation, anticipation and a solid foundation resort vacation benefits Comments and letters can be sent to: spell success. University Communications and Marketing, • MAC basketball tournament events Kent State University, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, Ohio 44242-0001 or [email protected]. Team Dreams Come True... page 16 • Class of '56 to celebrate reunion Golf program adds training and teaching facility. www.kent.edu • New annual membership category Published quarterly in conjunction with Besting Goliath... page 17 Great Lakes Publishing Co., 1422 Euclid Ave. Local business gains competitive edge with help Upcoming Events Suite 730, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 [email protected] from Kent State. Back cover Success Is No Secret... page 18 Upward Bound program attracts quality students. Correction: An article about Kent State's regional development Found in Translation... page 20 efforts (Kent State Magazine, Winter Student honored for translation of Russian 2005) incorrectly stated 80 million children's memoirs. adults in Ohio do not have a college degree. According to a 2004 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, 80 mil- Creating "New Literacy" Leaders... page 21 lion adults in the United States do Educator encourages nontraditional media not have a college degree. in the classroom. p a g e 1 1_TOC 1 1/5/06 8:51:15 AM Research lends credence to Lake Erie “dead zone” dangers clear water REVIVAL “It is even more necessary than ever for mankind as a whole to have an intelligent knowledge of the environment if our complex civilization is to survive, since the basic laws of nature have not been repealed.” — Dr. Eugene P. Odum, University of Georgia p a g e 2 KENT STATE MAGAZINE • VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 3 2-5_Lake Erie.indd 2 1/5/06 8:52:46 AM I sat in my grandmother’s kitchen, captivated by the natural phe- By Lisa Lambert, M.A. ’05 nomenon unfolding beyond her picture window: A resplendent sunset of Photographs by Bob Christy, '95 purples, pinks and oranges painted the sky in broad streaks, as the sun, a ball of fire, slowly, and then quickly, disappeared behind the blue-gray veil of rippling water. As a child, I believed such a site was only possible in this very spe- cial place. Even now, though I’ve witnessed picturesque sunsets in other locales, the impact of a Lake Erie sunset is extraordinary. For lake lovers, the shore is a sanctuary, the fish and wildlife sup- clear water REVIVAL ported by the lake a form of sustenance, sport and spectacle. For the budding geologist sifting through the rocks and sediment left by the tide, or the amateur ornithologist, the lake is essential. Lake Erie was an integral part of my grandparents’ lives, both as a source of income and enjoyment. They judged the seasons by the mood of the lake, just as scientists judge the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem by the changes in its waters. “Lake Erie is the bellwether,” says Dr. Robert Heath, Kent State professor of biological sciences and head of the Water Resources Research Institute. Because of its size, depth and location, he says, Lake Erie serves as a crystal ball p a g e 3 2-5_Lake Erie.indd 3 1/5/06 8:53:00 AM “Lake Erie Is Dead.” While the entire lake was not, in fact, dead, one area, known as a “dead zone,” expanded greatly during the heyday of phosphorus loading. Scientists have traced the existence of the dead zone, a shallow area in the lake’s central basin, to at least the 1930s. Like all living organisms, the prolific algae eventually died, dropped to the bottom of the lake and decayed. This process robs the bottom of the lake of oxygen, Heath explains. Dr. Robert Heath, Kent State professor of biological sciences (right), and other researchers take water As waters warm in the samples from a rosette on the deck of the R.V.