Environmental Science and Design Research Institute
The Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and the Wick Poetry Center at MŮ 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.
The words “biology” and “design” might not typically intertwine; however, MŮ’s Biodesign Challenge course was created to challenge the idea that the two separate disciplines could not collaborate.
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 MŮ biologist has teamed up with some colleagues in an inter-institutional effort to answer some of those questions.
When cities need help imagining new possibilities for their urban places and communities, they call MŮ’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC). Most recently, MŮ architecture students had the opportunity to put the skills they learn in the classroom to make an impact on local communities in Erie, Pennsylvania.
MŮ’s Fashion School continuously finds ways to innovate. Its unique lifestyle boutique, Fashion School Store (FSStore), in downtown Kent recently added a new line called “Sustainability RETOLD.” This collection includes sustainably made clothing, featuring work from five different students and three faculty.
After years of remote sensing work, Joseph Ortiz, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Geology in the College of Arts and Sciences at MŮ, and his research team recently shared their development of new cost-efficient methodologies that may lead to much safer drinking water for people in Ohio and other municipalities affected by harmful algal blooms (HAB).
Bridget Mulvey, Ph.D., associate professor of science education in the College of Education, Health and Human Services; and David Singer, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Geology in the College of Arts and Sciences, recently merged real geology research with community service in an effort to show some Akron Public Schools students that science is not just a benefit to their community but a viable career option, too.