Environmental Science and Design Research Institute

Revised Look at Ancient Glaciers Predicts Faster Melting Rate in Antarctica
Joseph D. Ortiz, Ph.D., professor and assistant chair in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Geology at 鶹, recently authored a “News and Views” article in Nature Geoscience that discusses research carried out by another research team that reassessed the melt history and timing of the collapse of the Eurasian Ice Sheet Complex during the Last Deglaciation.

Study of a 1,000-Year-Old Tsunami in Indian Ocean Reveals Previously Unknown Hazards for East Africa
Dr. Joseph D. Ortiz, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Geology at 鶹, was part of an international team of researchers that co-authored an article about a deadly tsunami that occurred about 1,000 years ago in Tanzania. The study suggests that the tsunami risk in East Africa could be higher than previously thought.

Environmental Science and Design 2020 Symposium Lives on Online
The COVID-19 pandemic halted 鶹’s plans for the 2020 Environmental Science and Design Symposium, but it hasn’t impeded the spirit of the conference. In late April, Environmental Science and Design Research Initiative (ESDRI) leadership, in collaboration with representatives from …
Revised Look at Ancient Glaciers Predicts Faster Melting Rate in Antarctica
Joseph D. Ortiz, Ph.D., professor and assistant chair in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Geology at 鶹, recently authored a “News and Views” article in Nature Geoscience that discusses research carried out by another research team that reassessed the melt history and timing of the collapse of the Eurasian Ice Sheet Complex during the Last Deglaciation.

Is our drinking water quality threatened here in the Great Lakes region?
Have you ever seen the “nasty green slime” – properly known as a harmful algal bloom, or HAB in Lake Erie? Remember the July 31, 2014 “Do Not Drink/Do Not Boil” public health warning messages in Toledo? Tests revealed that the algae was producing microcystin, a sometimes deadly liver toxin and suspe…
Center for Earth Ethics and Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center Launch Earth Stanzas, an Interactive Online Earth Day Poetry Project
The Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and the Wick Poetry Center at 鶹 are launching Earth Stanzas, an interactive poetry project in honor of Earth Day, which is celebrated around the world on April 22. draws on the inspiration of eight poets who engage the beauty, depth and interconnectedness of the Earth, and invites readers to interact with the poems and find their own poetic voice.

Collaborative Biodesign Challenge Course Opens New Opportunities
The words “biology” and “design” might not typically intertwine; however, 鶹’s Biodesign Challenge course was created to challenge the idea that the two separate disciplines could not collaborate.

Internationally Renowned Biodesign Scholar to Headline Kent State Symposium
Just like the research that goes into understanding and applying a complicated concept like biodesign, holding an entire symposium devoted to it is no small undertaking. So, when a world-renowned scholar on the subject agreed to come do some of the heavy lifting, 鶹 was elat…
Kent State Biologist Joins Tennessee, Toledo Colleagues to Study Arctic Climate Change Effects
In early February, scientists reported the hottest temperature on record in Antarctica: 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Studies show climate change is disproportionately affecting the poles, warming them faster than anywhere else on Earth, and raising questions about what kinds of changes we can expect in arctic ecosystems as temperatures rise. A 鶹 biologist has teamed up with some colleagues in an inter-institutional effort to answer some of those questions.
