In This Issue

Meet CSU's New Faculty

Thomas Bynum, History and Black Studies

Dr. Thomas Bynum joined Cleveland State University in August 2017 as director of the Black Studies Program and associate professor in the Department of History. He earned a Ph.D. in History from Georgia State University. Prior to joining CSU, Dr. Bynum served as director of the African American Studies Program at Middle Tennessee State University. His research interests focus on social movements from the 1930s to the 1960s, particularly civil rights, youth activism, antiwar protest, and second-wave feminism. Dr. Bynum’s first book, NAACP Youth and the Fight for Black Freedom, 1936-1965, was published by the University of Tennessee Press and was nominated for the Lillian Smith Book Award. Dr. Bynum is currently working on a second book titled, Old Guard versus New Guard: Young Turks, Black Power and the NAACP.

Dr. Bynum has authored numerous journal articles and book reviews, and is the recipient of the Samuel Shannon Distinguished Scholar Award and fellowships from the Southern Regional Education Board and the National Endowment for the Humanities (W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute at Harvard University). He has also received several awards for excellence in teaching and mentoring. In addition to serving as director, Dr. Bynum teaches courses in Black Studies and History and serves as an advisor to several student organizations.

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Featured Alumni Researcher

Joesph Wiencek

Dr. Joesph Wiencek is an assistant professor of pathology at University of Virginia School of Medicine and associate director of clinical chemistry at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Dr. Wiencek received his Ph.D. in clinical-bioanalytical chemistry at Cleveland State University and completed an internship in the Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory at the Cleveland Clinic’s Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute. This year, he was named to the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s “40 Under Forty” list in recognition of his impact on pathology and laboratory medicine.

If you know a former Cleveland State student researcher who has gone on to career success, please email Dan Simon or Joy Yard to let us know.

Research Presentations

Don't Miss the Student Research Poster Session September 5

The Office of Research invites students, faculty, and staff to attend the Annual Undergraduate Research Poster Session on Thursday, September 5 from 11 am - 2 pm in the Student Center Atrium. This event is the culmination of the 2019 Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) program, and approximately 100 Cleveland State undergraduate students, including McNair scholars, will share their research and creative activity through print posters and discussions.

Some students have already had their research accepted for presentation at national and international conferences! Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three posters.

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CSU Scholar News

Stephen Duffy, Civil Engineering

Dr. Stephen Duffy is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CVE). Dr. Duffy is a registered professional engineer in the state of Ohio and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). His research interests span the fields of advanced ceramics for high-temperature aerospace applications, transportation engineering (especially work zone safety), and the mechanical behavior of nuclear grade graphite.

Dr. Duffy’s most recent research is focused on rail maintenance and bus emission issues, for which he received a $500,000 grant from the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and the US Department of Transportation (DoT). Dr. Duffy is leading a cross-disciplinary team that includes CSU’s University Transportation Center (UTC) and the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Institute for Smart, Secure and Connected Systems (ISSACS). Dr. Duffy’s team will design systems for railcars and busses, which will act as mobile data hubs, collecting and sending information associated with the assessment of rail ballast fouling, health of rail car wheels, bus emissions, on-time performance, and passenger wait time.

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Inspired Creativity

Globe Theatre Model Restoration

The Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance has reinvigorated an important tool for theatre scholars. A model of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, originally donated to Cleveland State University’s theatre department in the 1970s, was recently restored by conservators from the Bonfoey Gallery. Funding for the restoration was provided by a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which was awarded to the Michael Schwartz Library by the State Library of Ohio.

The model provides actors, directors, and scene and costume designers with a visual understanding of the physical relationships and dynamics of the Globe, which are critical to the understanding of the development of modern theatrical conventions. The model will be on view in the Michael Schwartz Library until September 2019, when it will be moved to the Middough Building headquarters of the CSU Arts Campus at Playhouse Square.

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News from the Technology Transfer Office

Plug and Play Cleveland's Health + Tech Happy Hour

Join Plug and Play Cleveland and your startup community for an evening of casual connecting and short, snappy startup pitches. Plug and Play will host a Health + Tech Happy Hour at the Skylight Financial Group Penthouse on August 29 at 5:00 pm. Attendees will hear how Plug and Play’s hospital partners have enhanced innovation via startups, how your startup peers (and perhaps competition!) have accelerated their ventures, and how Plug and Play Cleveland plans to work with this already-vibrant ecosystem to showcase the region as a digital solutions tech hub for health and beyond. For more information and registration visit here.

Reminder: The TeCK Fund is Seeking Faculty Entrepreneurs

The TeCK Fund is accepting letters of intent for commercialization support. Applicants selected to submit a full proposal will be required to make a presentation to the selection committee. Applications are due by May 1, 2020.

The TeCK Fund provides faculty pursuing applied research projects with funding to assist with commercialization activities, including prototype creation, third-party validation, and market research, which are required to successfully spin off technologies.

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Research Initiatives

New Funding $ource for Faculty $cholarship!

The Office of Research is pleased to introduce the Faculty Innovative Research and Engagement (FIRE) Initiative, a new funding mechanism to invest in collaborative, innovative, multi-disciplinary graduate faculty research in high-risk and high-reward areas.

FIRE funding will support new research directions or programs, new research efforts that extend or build on current faculty scholarship, pilot studies, or the establishment of new research partnerships. The 12-month grants have a budget limit of $20,000. Guidelines for the FIRE program can be found here.

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Research Events

New Faculty Meetup Series Targets Research Team Formation and External Grant Funding

As part of our mission to enhance collaboration across the University and promote engaged research activities, the Office of Research is excited to announce the launch of a new series of faculty meetups for the 2019-2020 academic year.

These meetups will be chaired by a CSU faculty member and the discussion will focus on specific research topics that are aligned with active funding opportunities. The meetups are expected to result in the establishment of active proposal teams, and Office of Research staff will assist with proposal development during and after the meetup. The meetup topics can be found here. Faculty with relevant research interests will be invited to participate, but all interested researchers are welcome to contact the faculty lead or the Office of Research for additional information at any time.

The first meetup is scheduled for Sep. 13 in the Office of Research conference room in PH 205. The meetup will be led by Prof. Linda Francis on the topic Consequences of Inequality - how does access to societal resources affect societal outcomes, and what can we do about unequal access? Mark your calendar, and we hope to see you there!

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Research Resources Raise Your Visibility – Update Your Faculty Profile! The Office of Research recently launched the Innovation Portal to increase the public's access to Cleveland State’s knowledge base and to foster new research collaborations and partnerships. The Ohio Department of Higher Education has also launched a statewide portal, the Ohio Innovation Exchange (OIEx), to improve research collaborations among Ohio’s universities and increase university/industry partnerships. Accurate information is critical to both of these systems, and to making sure collaborators can find you. To get the most out of these resources, update (or create) your faculty profile by following these easy steps: Create or update information in your faculty profile by following this link Add relevant terms to the “Research Keywords” section of your faculty profile to help partners and funders find you through the Innovation Portal Add your picture to your profile page (replacing the stock image) by sending a photo to facultyprofile@csuohio.edu [Return to Top]

Undergraduate Research News CSU Hosts Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Research Symposium On Friday, August 2, CSU hosted more than 75 researchers, including undergraduate students and their mentors, at the 16th Annual Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Research Symposium (NOURS). The symposium featured four National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) sites at Cleveland State University, the University of Akron, Kent State University, and Case Western Reserve University, and also included the NASA-supported LERCIP program at NASA Glenn Research Center. Funding support was provided by NSF, CSU’s Office of Research, College of Graduate Studies, College of Sciences and Health Professions and Physics Department. [Return to Top]