In This Issue

Meet CSU's New Faculty

Deborah Layman, Music

Deborah Layman is an assistant professor and Coordinator of Music Therapy in the Department of Music. Professor Layman joined CSU in August 2012 after working as a board-certified music therapist and researcher. She is also a doctoral candidate in educational psychology at Kent State University and maintains a private music therapy practice.

Professor Layman’s research interests include educational motivation, self-regulated learning and goal setting, reflective practice, flipped classroom, competency-based education and supervision, neurodevelopment, and the therapeutic function of music. She served on the Board of Directors of the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) and currently serves as Chair of the Board Development Committee. She also served on the Advisory Board for the American Music Therapy Association's Autism Task Force and presented key educational and certification testimony in support of state licensure for music therapy in Ohio.

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Featured Researcher Video Series

Heidi Robertson, Law

Research by Professor Heidi Robertson, the Steven W. Percy Endowed Professor of Law in the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, is the focus of this month’s Featured Researcher Video.

Professor Robertson’s research focuses on the intersection of environmental law, energy law, and property law. In a recent law review article, she addressed the issue of shale oil and gas extraction (fracking) as it relates to state laws and home rule statutes, which are often in conflict.

Click here to watch.

Undergraduate Research News

Undergraduate Research at CSU

Cleveland State University is dedicated to providing students with an exceptional education that prepares them to compete in a global economy. Undergraduate research experience and training is seen as complementary to classroom learning in post-secondary education. This is evidenced by the recent announcement by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) that it will focus on undergraduate research in its Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) program.

CSU actively supports undergraduate research. This summer, 82 students and 71 faculty members are participating in Undergraduate Summer Research Award (USRA) projects. In 2017, CSU initiated two National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites in Soft Matter Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.

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CSU Scholar News

Grace Huang, Teacher Education

Dr. Grace Hui-Chen Huang is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education. She joined the CSU faculty in 2002. She holds a Ph.D. in early childhood family education from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Huang's research focuses on two areas: 1) Parenting, including the association between parenting styles and children's learning, and 2) collaborative action research (CAR) and professional development for K-12 educators. She has recently investigated the association between Asian parenting style and children’s academic performance, and the strategies and challenges of parents who are recent immigrants to the United States.

Dr. Huang has been instrumental in developing a collaboration between CSU faculty and K-12 teachers in five Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) schools. The Teach-Reflect-Teach Action Research Initiative is an innovative, individualized professional development model, currently supported by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation (MHJF).

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Inspired Creativity

Lisa DeCato, Somatic Studies at Summer Dance 2018

Lisa DeCato is an adjunct professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance and is a Certified Movement Analyst. This summer, she is teaching somatic studies at CSU’s Summer Dance 2018, which is being held on campus through June 22. Professor DeCato has an extensive background as a dancer and choreographer, and teaches dance forms, somatics and the creative process.

Her research involves expanding the Laban/Bartenieff movement theories and Experiential Learning Theory into movement experiences for individuals to explore body awareness in terms of total body integration and learning styles flexibility. This research has led to the paper "Moving and Learning: Expanding Style and Increasing Flexibility," published in the Journal for Experiential Education. Professor DeCato is currently developing an online movement series titled The Way You Move and Learn: Dynamic Dialing.

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News from the Technology Transfer Office

Invention Disclosure Pipeline

U.S. utility patent application no. 15/990,937 was filed on May 29, 2018 for Dr. Hanz Richter’s invention, titled Powered Machine and Control Method with Programmable Mechanical Impedance for Concentric-Eccentric Human Exercise. Dr. Richter is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The technology development was sponsored in part by the NSF. The invention includes an electric motor, sensors, and a control method to obtain continuously variable mechanical resistance during exercise.

Contact Jack Kraszewski for assistance with a disclosure to begin the process of protecting your invention or intellectual property.

Startup Scaleup in Cleveland

Jumpstart will host Startup Scaleup 2018 on Cleveland’s west side on Tuesday, June 26. During this all-day event, attendees can attend workshops, panel discussions and networking events to learn about and engage with other community members. Featured speakers include entrepreneurs, investors, and executives from across the region. JumpStart and other community partners will provide information regarding how to access entrepreneurial resources in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

The event will be held in the Gordon Square Arts District. Registration information for Startup Scaleup 2018 can be found here.

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Research and Technology News

Blockchain Technology Comes to Cleveland

Blockchain has become a hot topic in Cleveland and across the country. It is most famously known as the technology that underpins Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and former CSU trustee Bernie Moreno has championed establishing Cleveland as “Blockland,” a center for blockchain technology and commercial development. At its core, blockchain is a distributed, encrypted database for transactions that store data in records called blocks. Each block is linked to a previous block (like a chain), and any changes that are made are immediately visible to all members of the blockchain network.

At CSU, blockchain is an area of emerging research interest. In April, the Cleveland State Law Review, in partnership with the IoT Collaborative and the Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection, hosted a Blockchain and Law Symposium. On August 10, the Monte Ahuja College of Business will host SAS Days at CSU, which will include several talks covering blockchain and its applications in business. Registration information for SAS Days at CSU can be found here.

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