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What does it take to become great in your field? Certainly motivation, dedication and creativity are important, but what about inspiration? For young scientists, that inspiration can come from a variety of places, including interactions with colleagues and especially the top scientists in their field. 

It is difficult to imagine how all the metal pieces and parts sprawled out on the floor of 51�Թ���’s Research 1 Building will eventually form a mining robot. But, the relentless dedication it has taken to design, create and build the robot might one day help NASA learn more about the materials on Mars.

Scholar of the Month Tara C. Smith Associate Professor of Epidemiology  College of Public Health 2013-present Tara C. Smith is an associate professor of epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology in the College of Public Health. Her research focuses on emerging infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases (infections which are transferred from animals to humans), Staphylococcus aureus, bacterial ecology and antibiotic resistance.

Relax! To ease the stress of finals week, 51�Թ��� Libraries will host the popular Stress-Free Zone this semester on Monday, May 4, and Tuesday, May 5, from 3-5 p.m. The therapy dogs will return once again, and there will be free popcorn and beverages to enjoy. The event is open to all 51�Թ��� students, faculty and staff.

51�Թ��� congratulates its new graduates. The university held its Spring Commencement ceremonies for the Kent Campus on May 8 and May 9 at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MAC Center). This spring, 51�Թ��� conferred 3,883 degrees, including 2,864 bachelor’s degrees, 874 master’s degrees, 142 doctoral degrees and three educational specialist degrees at the Kent Campus. Across the university’s eight-campus system, 4,512 students graduated from 51�Թ��� this spring, including those receiving associate degrees.

How do you believe being bold at 51�Թ��� looks when put in action?  Melody Tankersley believes the campus community is on the right track.

51�Թ���’s MBA team took home the grand prize in the Cleveland Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Competition that took place at the Union Club in Cleveland. The regional competition’s case focused on mergers and acquisitions. Members of the winning team include Josh Hostetler, Brad Neumann, Frank Russ and Kaushik Saha, all second-year MBA students who will graduate this May. They won an all-expenses-paid trip to Orlando, Fla., for the ACG Global Conference in April.

51�Թ��� held its 45th annual commemoration of May 4, 1970, with events April 30-May 4. The annual commemoration, hosted by the May 4 Task Force, provided an opportunity for the university community to gather and remember those who were lost and injured during the tragedy and also reflect on what May 4 means today.

51�Թ���’s 21st annual FlashFest will deliver a mix of music genres with hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, R&B artist Jeremih and disc jockey duo the Chainsmokers. This year, the event will take place Thursday, April 23. Music begins at 5 p.m. on the Student Green, weather permitting, with the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center as an alternate location.

51�Թ���’s 21st annual FlashFest delivered a mix of music genres with hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, R&B artist Jeremih and disc jockey duo the Chainsmokers.  Kevin Otubu, director of programming for the Undergraduate Student Government at 51�Թ���, says the variety of genres was chosen because they appealed to students in the past. “We know students enjoy the hip-hop and electronic dance music scene, so my goal was to try and recreate our FlashFest 2013, but make it better,” Otubu said.