Students Rebecca VanVoorhis and Alana Lesnansky are among the performers in YSU Dance Ensemble’s spring concert.

Ballet, tap, contemporary jazz and modern are among the dance genres featured in the Youngstown State University Dance Ensemble’s 24^th annual spring concert Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 16, 17 and 18 in Bliss Hall’s Ford Theater on the YSU campus.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door or at www.ysu.tix.com. Tickets are $5 for non-YSU students, senior citizens, Penguin Club members, groups of eight or more and YSU faculty and staff. YSU student ticket prices are $3. Season ticket coupons will be honored. Parking is available in the M1 Wick Avenue deck for a nominal fee.

Under the artistic direction of Christine Cobb, a faculty member in the Department of Theater and Dance, the concert features 11 dances showcasing 31 performers.

The YSU Dance Ensemble, a sanctioned YSU student organization, accepts members via an audition process in the Fall semester. Members practice weekly. “The students who audition and are accepted into the YSU Dance Ensemble put countless hours into practicing their discipline,” Cobb said. “They also learn the basics of running a student organization since they must elect officers and participate in activities. The spring concert is the culmination of their year-long efforts.” Many of the students’ works are choreographed by students in the bachelor of arts in Dance Management major in the Department of Theater and Dance.

Choreographers have examined a myriad of historical events and life experiences, both past and present, in many of the featured pieces and centered on the Holocaust, Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in New Orleans, the co-existence and interfacing of technology and the human workforce, the rise and fall of the Youngstown steel industry, and a piece based upon the movie For Colored Girls.

Student choreographers include Jillian Billeck, Kiara Jones, Alana Lesnansky, Nicolette Pizzuto, Alyssa Sikora, Taryn Kerfoot, Rebecca VanVoorhis and Holly Vavlas. Guest choreographers and dancers include Lindsay Renae, adjunct YSU faculty member and former principle with Garth Fagan’s Dance Company, who choreographed a modern/Afro-Caribbean fusion dedicated to her grandfather and the spirit of progress in the 21st century, and Hayley Platt and Elena Cvetkovich, co- founders and artistic directors of Youngstown Dance Project. They choreographed a piece entitled “Shadows of the Steel City” in which they will also dance. YSU alumni Paul Miletta and Shannon Eller round out the evening’s guest performances dancing a duet choreographed by Mr. Miletta.

For a list of YSU students performing in the concert, visit http://ysu.meritpages.com/achievements/Youngstown-State-University-students-perform-in-Dance-Ensemble-concert/39182.

Phil Brady

G. Andy Chang

Twenty-four Youngstown State University faculty members receive the 2015 Distinguished Professor Award at a ceremony 4 p.m. Thursday, April 16, the first in a series of events this spring to recognize outstanding faculty, students and staff.

The Distinguished Professor Award event is in the DeBartolo Stadium Club at Stambaugh Stadium on the YSU campus. Recipients are:

Helen Han-Haas

Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez

For excellence in teaching: Philip Brady, English; G. Andy Chang, Mathematics and Statistics; Helen Han-Haas, Management; Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, Philosophy and Religious Studies; Rachael Pohle-Krauza, Human Ecology; Molly Roche, Nursing; Jeremy Schwartz, Accounting and Finance; Stephanie Tingley, English; Alan Tomhave, Philosophy and Religious Studies.

For excellence in scholarship:

Rachael Pohle Krauza

Molly Roche

Diane Barnes, History; Scott R. Irelan, Theater and Dance; Don Martin, Counseling, Special Education, and School Psychology; Gang Peng, Management; Alicia Prieto Langarica, Mathematics and Statistics; Bruce Waller, Philosophy and Religious Studies; Jane L. Wetzel, Physical Therapy.

For excellence in service: Tiffany Anderson, English; James

Jeremy Schwartz

Andrews, Physics and Astronomy; Ramesh Dangol, Management; John Hazy, Criminal Justice and Forensic Science; Deborah Mower, Philosophy and Religious Studies; Joseph Palardy, Economics; Helene Sinnreich, History; William Vendemia, Management.

Watson Merit Award: Jake J. Protivnak, Counseling, Special Education, and School Psychology.

In previous years, the Distinguished Professor Awards were handed out at Honors Convocation, held annually in April to recognize distinguished faculty and students. This year, Honors Convocation will be changed to six separate ceremonies, one for each of the university’s six colleges, as well as the event for distinguished professors.

Stephanie Tingley

“It’s a big deal for students to be recognized at Honors Convocation, and it’s quite an honor for faculty to be held up as distinguished professors,” Interim Provost Martin Abraham said. “We believe this new schedule allows us to better celebrate these accomplishments.”

The new schedule for Honors Convocation is:

Monday, April 20, 6 p.m., College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Honors Convocation, DeBartolo Lecture Hall 132.

Tuesday, April 21, 6 p.m., Bitonte College of Health and Human Services Honors Convocation, DeBartolo Stadium Club.

Wednesday, April 22, 6 p.m., College of Creative Arts and

Alan Tomhave

Communication Honors Convocation, Bliss Hall lobby/Bliss Recital Hall.

Monday, April 27, 6:15 p.m., College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Honors Convocation, DeBartolo Stadium Club.

Wednesday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., Beeghly College of Education Honors Convocation, McKay Auditorium, Beeghly Hall.

The Williamson College of Business Administration will conduct an honors ceremony in the fall on a date yet to be determined.

In addition, the university’s annual Student Awards Banquet will be Thursday, April 30 in Kilcawley Center, and the annual Faculty and Staff Awards Dinner will be Friday, May 1, in Kilcawley Center.

Diane Barnes

Scott Irelan

Alicia Langarica Prieto

Don Martin

Gang Peng

Bruce Waller

Jane Wetzel

Tiffany Anderson

James Andrews

Ramesh Dangol

John Hazy

Deborah Mower

Joseph Palardy

Helene Sinnreich

William Vendemia

Jake Protivnak

Historic match
The Penguins’ men’s baseball team hosts Ohio State for the first time in YSU history with a game 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 12 at Eastwood Field in Niles. The Penguins captured the 2014 Horizon League Tournament title and won a game in the NCAA Regional. YSU and Ohio State have not played on the diamond since 2002. More at www.ysusports.com.

Convocation remake
Here is the revamped Honors Convocation schedule for this spring: Thursday, April 16, 4 p.m., Distinguished Professors Awards, DeBartolo Stadium Club; Monday, April 20, 6 p.m., College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Honors Convocation, DeBartolo Lecture Hall 132; Tuesday, April 21, 6 p.m., Bitonte College of Health and Human Services Honors Convocation, DeBartolo Stadium Club; Wednesday, April 22, 6 p.m., College of Creative Arts and Communication Honors Convocation, Bliss Hall lobby/Bliss Recital Hall; Monday, April 27, 6:15 p.m., College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Honors Convocation, DeBartolo Stadium Club; Wednesday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., Beeghly College of Education Honors Convocation, McKay Auditorium, Beeghly Hall.

News Center
For more news, check out the YSU News Center at www.ysunews.com.

Members of YSU’s Chem-E-Car team, from the left Diana Konik, Nicole Abate and Jason White, prepare the car for a demo during a sponsors appreciation event earlier this month in Beeghly Center. The YSU squad bested teams from universities across the Midwest, including many Big 10 schools, and placed second at the regional Chem-E-Car contest in Illinois.The team is now eligible to compete at the national tournament in Utah. The competition hosted by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers challenges college students to design and construct a small car powered by a chemical energy source.

Associate Professor Doug Price volunteered for this one – a pie in the face, thrown by students in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering on April 9 as part of a week-long Engineers Week observance. Jason Zapka, part-time faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering, said student organizations in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics organized a series of entertaining and educational special events in late March, including a “Penny Wars” competition, in which students in the winning department earned the right to toss a pie at a professor. Zapka said Engineers Week was a popular event on campus in the 1990s, and student organizations plan to revive that tradition.

Susan Jacoby shares a laugh after presenting the Shipka Lecture in Kilcawley Center earlier this spring. The lecture, titled “The Culture of Distraction: Why the Young Need to Fight It,” drew a packed crowd to the Chestnut Room. The presentation was based on Jacoby’s best-selling 2008 book, The Age of American Unreason.

Ever see a Penguin bowl? Get ready.

YSU Athletics announced that a women’s bowling program is being added in Fall 2015, the 19th Division I sport and 11th women’s sport at YSU.

“We’re excited about this new opportunity to recruit high school students, primarily within Ohio, to pursue their academic and athletic goals at Youngstown State,” said Ron Strollo, executive director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The 2015-16 academic year will serve as a “start-up” period to hire a coach, recruit students, secure a facility and prepare a schedule to begin competition in 2016-17. The program is sponsored by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Nearly 40 Division I programs sponsor women’s bowling as an intercollegiate sport.

The YSU Board of Trustees approved a five-year Gender Equity Plan in 2009 that included adding another women’s sport program to comply with Title IX.

A new sintering furnace has been installed in the Center for Innovation in Additive Manufacturing in Moser Hall.

The furnace, funded by the Ohio Board of Regents, enables sintering of high-temperature metals and advanced ceramics made with the lab’s two high-end 3D printers. It allows final processing of 3D printed parts made from advanced materials for uses in aerospace, automotive, industrial, energy and medical applications.

The furnace from TevTech includes an 8-inch diameter by 12-inch high hot zone, temperature capability to 2,600°C PLC control system and a touch screen human-machine interface.

The Center, opened in January 2014, enables research for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as students in the university’s PhD program in materials science and engineering. The Center also provides education and workforce development in additive manufacturing.

TevTech designs and manufactures high temperature furnaces and components for sintering, chemical vapor deposition, chemical vapor infiltration and purification applications.

More than 200 children and grandchildren visited campus April 9, 2015 for YSU’s annual “Take Your Child to Work Day” for faculty and staff. The theme was “Pete Loves the Circus” and included Jocko the Clown creating balloon hats, a visit with Pete the Penguin, and a wide variety of events at the Rec Center, Kilcawley Center, Maag Library, Ward Beecher Planetarium, Clarence R. Smith Mineral Museum and the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor. The event is sponsored by Kilcawley Center Staff Office and PepsiCo.

YSU Police Officer Donald Cox eats with students at Chik-Fil-A last month in Kilcawley Center as part of the YSUPD’s new Lunch with a Cop initiative.

YSU police are meeting with students over lunch so officers and students can get to know each other better.

“It is my sincerest hope that this opportunity to meet with our students will strengthen and open the lines of communication between us and our students and forge trusts and partnerships for a lifetime,” YSU Police Chief John Beshara said.

Beshara announced the Lunch with a Cop program last month. YSU police officers will regularly have lunch with groups of students on campus. The first lunch was with Officer Donald Cox at Chik-Fil-A in Kilcawley Center.

The chief got the idea from a story in Food Management magazine that featured a similar community policing effort at Ball State University. Beshara said Jack Fahey, vice president for Student Affairs, forwarded the article to him.

Robert J. Thompson

Robert J. Thompson, assistant professor, Graphic + Interactive Design, is the winner of the Higher Learning Commission 2016 Annual Conference Art Contest. His artwork was selected from among 214 entries to represent the HLC’s conference theme, “Beyond the Horizon,” with HLC and its member institutions depicted as hot air balloons heading toward the horizon. The conference is scheduled for April 15-19, 2016, in Chicago.

Frank Akpadock

Frank Akpadock, senior research associate and regional scientist,Center for Urban & Regional Studies, has completed a yearlong study entitled “The Mahoning Valley – Cluster Analysis of Current and Emerging Industries in the Region.” The study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Economic Development, identified 23 industry clusters for both Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Northeastern Ohio, along with 10 emerging clusters for Mahoning County and five emerging clusters for Trumbull County.

Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez

Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, director, Dr. James Dale Ethics Center, and professor, Philosophy and Religious Studies, presented two papers at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. His presentations were titled “Migration, Nation States, and the Right to Free Movement” and “Not Natural Human Rights, but Human Rights Simpliciter.”

Fred Viehe

Fred Viehe, professor, History, organized the lead session at the Ohio Academy of History Annual Meeting at Ohio Northern University. The session was titled “Organizing Crime in the American City:  The Late-Nineteenth and Early-Twentieth Century Experience.” Viehe also presented “Was She or Wasn’t She? Fredericka Mandelbaum and Organizing Crime in New York and Beyond, 1850-1894.” Another presenter, Jonathan Kinser, a PhD candidate at Case Western Reserve University who received his MA in History at YSU, presented “The Time Will Come When Both Towns Will Claim Me: Clarence Darrow’s Lost Retirement Trial, 1928-1930.”  William D. Jenkins, a former chair and professor emeritus, History, served as conference chair and commentator. Additionally, Viehe presented “Placing The Jungle Inn in Historical Perspective,” at Bites and Bits, a monthly gathering at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s Tyler Center in downtown Youngstown. The program was sponsored by the historical society and the Mahoning Valley Lifelong Learning Institute.

Adam Earnheardt

Adam C. Earnheardt, chair and associate professor, Communication, was an invited presenter at #SMTULSA, a national social media business conference in Tulsa, Okla. His presentation, titled “Stories (and Secrets) of Pro-Social Media Sports Fan Engagement,” offered tips and strategies for sports teams and businesses cultivating a sports fan base while promoting a pro-social media atmosphere.

Patrick Durrell

Pat Durrell, associate professor, Physics and Astronomy, gave an invited talk, titled “Globular Clusters in Massive Galaxies,” at the workshop “Baryons at Low Densities: The Stellar Halos around Galaxies” at the European Southern Observatory HQ, in Garching, Germany. Durrell has also had three of his articles published recently in the Astrophysical Journal. “The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. VIII. The Spatial Distribution of Globular Clusters in the Virgo Cluster,” was written with co-author and YSU Physics/Astronomy graduate Katharine Accetta; “The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. XV. The Photometric Redshift Estimation for Background Sources,” was written with co-author Anand Raichoor and others; and “The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. VI. The Kinematics of Ultra-compact Dwarfs and Globular Clusters in M87″, co-authored by Hong-Xin Zhang and others.

Will Greenway

Will Greenway, professor, English, has had three of his poems published recently. “High Heaven” was published in the spring edition of Prairie Schooner; “The Night Terrors” and “Henchmen of Horror” were published in the fall 2014/winter 2015 edition of The Cape Rock 42.2.

Jennifer Behney

Jennifer Behney, assistant professor, Foreign Languages, is YSU’s Big Fish award winner for spring semester 2015.

Behney receives $200 to be used toward a student/classroom engagement initiative of her choosing. She also received a certificate signed by President Jim Tressel.

The Big Fish award is given every semester to a faculty member who participates in the Starfish Performance Attendance Survey, which asks faculty to identify students who are struggling in or are not attending class.

“I love using Starfish because I think it sends the message to students that I care whether or not they are coming to class and doing the work,” Behney said. “My end goal in teaching every class is that the students learn at least some of the content. Not some of the students, or the students who are bright enough, or the students who are motivated enough, but all of the students who are registered for the class. I can’t achieve that goal if a student is not coming to class.

“Starfish is an extremely easy, quick, efficient way for me to let any student who is falling behind know that I know and care that they are falling behind, and I want them to get back on board so that I can achieve my goal of being an effective instructor of the content.”

Behney plans to use the award money to produce brochures to encourage students to continue taking Italian courses as a double major or minor, to redesign a bulletin board to encourage more students to take an interest in foreign language education, and to buy some authentic resources such as magazines, books, videos and sports journals in Italian to use in classes for reading and listening activities.

Gloria Kobus

When the Obama administration recently announced plans to loosen the credit requirements needed to obtain federal PLUS loans, little did anyone know YSU played an important role in the process.

Gloria Kobus, YSU bursar, was part of the negotiated-rulemaking panel appointed by the U.S. Department of Education to hammer out the new rules for PLUS loans.

In all, Kobus’ panel participated in rulemaking for six issues. Final rules for the other issues are expected to be released later this summer.

“It is important and significant that YSU had a seat at the table to discuss, debate and develop these federal rules that impact and benefit our students and students across the nation,” Kobus said.

Kobus was among 18 individuals on the rulemaking panel, including representatives from the University of Wisconsin, Capella University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the New York Attorney General’s Office, the Mississippi Center for Justice and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

The committee met for 12 days over four months regarding policies on topics ranging from Clock to Credit Hour Conversion and Distance Education to Cash Management and Retaking Coursework.

Kobus said USDOE publically recognized and thanked YSU in an open session at the Federal Student Loan Conference for its participation and commitment to the rulemaking process. Kobus has made presentations about the rulemaking at the Ohio Bursar Association and conferences of TouchNext and the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

Monday, April 20, 6 to 9 p.m. Reducing hospital re-admissions, hearing loss in youths, improving diabetes through exercise, and end of life issues are among the research topics that will be featured at “An Evening of Research” in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center on campus.

Monday, April 20, 6 p.m. Students are recognized at the YSU College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Honors Convocation in Lecture Hall 132 of DeBartolo Hall on campus.

Tuesday, April 21, 5:30 p.m. YSU baseball takes on Bowling Green at Eastwood Field in Niles. The team plays Wright State Saturday, April 25, 2 p.m. and Sunday, April 26, 1 p.m., also at Eastwood Field.

Tuesday, April 21, 6 p.m. Students are recognized at the YSU Bitonte College of Health and Human Services Honors Convocation in the DeBartolo Stadium Club on campus.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday April 22, 23 and 24. More than 3,000 middle school and high school students attend the YSU English Festival in Kilcawley Center.

Wednesday, April 22, 12:15 p.m. This week’s free Music at Noon concert in the Butler Institute of America Art features guitar music from the YSU Dana School of Music.

Wednesday, April 22, 6 p.m. Students are recognized at the College of Creative Arts and Communication Honors Convocation in Bliss Recital Hall on campus.

Thursday, April 23, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.  The YSU Office of Student Diversity Programs is one of the sponsors of the YWCA of Youngstown’s “Taking a Stand Against Racism” event at the First Presbyterian Church, 201 Wick Avenue, Youngstown. Also among the sponsors is the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services and the James & Coralie Centofanti Center for the Health & Welfare of Vulnerable Population.

Thursday, April 23, 6 to 8 p.m. Education students in YSU’s Reading in the Content Areas/Early Childhood class sponsor a Literacy Night for kindergarten through grade four students and their parents at Akiva Academy, 505 Gypsy Lane, Youngstown. The YSU students have prepared 10 hands-on stations to engage children and parents.

Friday, April 24, 8:15 to 11:15 a.m. YSU’s Nursing department faculty and students participate in a mock disaster drill in Cushwa Hall to help prepare the campus in the event of a medical emergency in the area.

Friday, April 24, 3 p.m. and Saturday, April 25, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Penguins women’s softball plays Green Bay at the field west of Fifth Avenue across from Stambaugh Stadium.

This piece by LeeAnn Lewis is part of the YSU Spring Graduating BFA Show at the McDonough Museum of Art.

Friday, April 24, 6 to 8 p.m. Opening artist receptions for the YSU Spring Graduating BFA Show at the McDonough Museum of Art on the YSU campus. The exhibit runs through May 8.

Saturday, April 25, 2 to 4:30 p.m. The YSU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics shows off its high-tech labs and some of its best students at the STEM Showcase in Moser Hall on the YSU campus.

Saturday, April 25, 2 to 11 p.m. Red Wanting Blue, a band known for its engaging and passionate live shows, headlines Federal Frenzy in downtown Youngstown. The event, sponsored by YSU Penguin Productions, the Rich Center for Autism at YSU and the city of Youngstown, features 17 acts, including 10 YSU-affiliated student bands.

Red Wanting Blue

Red Wanting Blue, a band known for its engaging and passionate live shows, headlines Federal Frenzy 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in downtown Youngstown.

The event, sponsored by Youngstown State University Penguin Productions, the Rich Center for Autism at YSU and the city of Youngstown, features 17 acts, including 10 YSU-affiliated student bands.

Free and open to the public, the event is a merger of the previously successful Live on Lincoln and Festival on Phelps. Martini Brothers Burger Bar, O’Donold’s Irish Pub, and Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts will host live music performances throughout the afternoon, and a local artisan marketplace will take place on Phelps and Federal streets. Outdoor stage performances begin at 6 p.m. featuring grunge rock artist Bully, local Americana favorite and YSU graduate Jordan Depaul, and Red Wanting Blue.

The Summit FM, a locally owned and operated, member-supported public radio station, will sponsor the Federal Frenzy Listener’s Choice Award for eligible student performers. The winning act will be offered an opportunity to perform and record a three-song set in The Summit’s Audio-Technica Studio C. In addition to student bands, each downtown venue will host a national touring act. Confirmed artists include Ohio-bred spoken word poet and songwriter 7HYKOO, Pittsburgh based pop-soul-funk artist Joy Ike, and The Lighthouse and the Whaler.

*UPDATE*
Here is a video from the event:

For more information, visit Penguin Productions’ website, Facebook page, or Twitter; or call 330-941-3575.

Jack Gocala

Jack Gocala, retired Youngstown State University police chief, receives the HOPE Award at the Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley’s fifth annual Wine for Hope event 7 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in Antone’s Banquet Centre in Boardman.

HOPE stands for Honorable, Outstanding, Philanthropic, Excellent. The award is presented to a person who donates his/her time over their lifetime to children and the community as a whole.

The event features fine wines, gourmet food stations and music.

Tickets are $55 per person and can be purchased on the Foundation website at www.HopeMV.org or by calling Komara Jewelers at 330-793-9048. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, visit the website.

The event is sponsored by television stations WKBN 27 First News & 33 WYTV; radio stations MIX 98.9 and News Radio 570 WKBN; Komara Jewelers, the Lamar Advertising Company, Antone’s Banquet Centre, Minuteman Press of Youngstown and Prop Logistics, LLC.

The Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley is a non-profit organization that provides charitable and financial support and volunteer services to and for chronically/terminally ill children.

Students and faculty from the University of Sào Paulo in Brazil visit Youngstown State University for a business-study tour Sunday, April 19, through Thursday, April 23, sponsored by the Williamson College of Business Administration.

The students, who are retail executives, will tour local retail establishments such as Best Buy, Home Depot, WalMart Distribution Center, Sam’s Club, WalMart Super Center, Krogers, Target, CVS, Premium Outlets in Grove City, Cabelas in West Virginia, and Costco and IKEA in Pittsburgh.

YSU faculty and representatives from the Ohio Department of Economic Development’s International Trade Assistance Center at YSU will present seminars on a variety of business topics.

“We are very excited about our partnership with the University of Sào Paulo and are looking forward to other joint ventures,” said Betty Jo Licata, WCBA dean.

The initiative is part of YSU’s Center of Excellence in International Business. The mission of the Center is to create a global learning environment that prepares students to be successful business leaders. The Center provides training, consulting and research that advances knowledge and practice in international business and supports the economic development of Ohio.

For more information, contact Tony Kos, special assistant to the dean, at 724-456-7368.

This piece by LeeAnn Lewis is part of the YSU Spring Graduating BFA Show at the McDonough Museum of Art.

Works by Youngstown State University students achieving completion of the bachelor of Fine Arts degree are featured in the Spring Graduating BFA Show at the McDonough Museum of Art on the YSU campus.

An opening reception for the artists will be 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 24 at the museum. The exhibit will remain on view in the Museum’s galleries through May 8.

The exhibit celebrates the work of 13 students in the areas of graphic + interactive design, painting, printmaking, photography, interdisciplinary studies and 3D studies. Students participating in this exhibition are David Abrams, Ryan Adams, Katy Daniel, Derek Day, Carson Fryman, Bethany Gregory, Matthew Hahn, LeeAnn Lewis, Niko McElroy, Brennan Munroe, Taalib Noble, Mark Pisciuneri and Stacy Rubinic.

Museum hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is open to the public and admission is free. For additional information, call 330-941-1400 or visit www.mcdonoughmuseum.ysu.edu.

Youngstown State University’s English Festival, celebrating its 37^th year this week, may mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but there’s one common theme: books.

“Books are the center of all that we do,” said Gary Salvner, Festival co-chair emeritus and retired professor and chair of English at YSU.  “Kids read them, authors talk about them and we give away hundreds every year.”

Over nearly four decades, middle and high school students attending the annual event have read nearly 750,000 books. In addition, more than 300,000 books have been given to students as prizes for various Festival competitions. And, in an initiative started just three years ago, the Festival has collected and donated nearly 7,000 books.

More than 3,000 middle school and high school students will attend this year’s Festival Wednesday, Thursday and Friday April 22, 23 and 24 in YSU’s Kilcawley Center. One of the most successful and enduring annual events in YSU’s history, the Festival brings together students to discuss books, meet authors and participate in writing competitions.

Each year, area schools attending the Festival donate books, said Angela Messenger, director of the YSU Writing Center and Festival co-chair. The school that donates the most books each day of the Festival wins a $50 gift card, sponsored by Friends of Maag Library and Waste Free Maag. The books are donated to various charitable organizations, including the Beatitude House, First Book Mahoning Valley and Meridian Women’s Center.

Books also have been given to a school district in New Jersey to distribute to displaced families of Hurricane Sandy and to the Girard-Liberty Rotary Club for the Poorest of the Poor program, which helps needy Appalachian families. Books also have been donated to Ohio State University’s ATI Study Abroad program, which delivered the books to establish libraries in Ghana in Africa, and the Hartville Migrant Center for the families of migrant workers.

This year, books will again be donated to the African library program and the Hartville Migrant Center, as well as the Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown and the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center, Messenger said.

This year’s festival features the appearance of two authors, Gary D. Schmidt and Jennifer Buehler. Schmidt is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor for his book, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, and a Newbery Honor for his book, The Wednesday Wars. Buehler is an assistant professor of Educational Studies at Saint Louis University. She is the host of Text Messages, a monthly young adult literature podcast sponsored by www.readwritethink.org.

For more information, visit the YSU English Festival website.

Reducing hospital re-admissions, hearing loss in youths, improving diabetes through exercise, and end of life issues are among the research topics that will be featured at “An Evening of Research” 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 20, in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center on the campus of Youngstown State University.

The event is sponsored by Sigma Theta Tau International, Xi Xi Chapter, nursing honor society.

Research highlighted at the event includes:

• 6:15 p.m., Cindy Wetzel, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CCNS, CCRN, CHFN, “Reducing HF Acute Care Hospital Readmissions From a Skilled Nursing Facility.”
• 6:30pm, Amy Plant, BA, CDP, and Daniel Van Dussen, PhD, “Knowledge of Hospice and Attitudes Toward End of Life Issues: The Role of the Clinician.”
• 6:45pm, Terri Coffee, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, “Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Youths.”
• 7:45 p.m. Zara Rowlands, PhD, RD, and YSU Dietitian students Joanne Starkey, Jessica Mertens, Gina Kontur, Emily Gabriele, and Harley Caroll, “Perceptions about Dietetics among Nurses and Student Nurses Survey.”
• 8 p.m., Amy Weaver, PhD, RN, CNE. “The Effect of a Model Demonstration During Debriefing on Students’ Clinical Judgment, Self-Confidence, and Satisfaction During a Simulated Learning Experience.”
• 8:15 p.m., Laura Calcagni, MSN, RN, CNE, “Improving Diabetes Outcomes through Exercise: A Retrospective Cohort Comparison Study of HgbA1C Levels in Diabetes Patients Participating in a Three Month Exercise Program.”
• 8:30 p.m., Hilary Minton and Ashlee Patton, YSU Nursing students, “Mental Health Nursing in College-Aged Students: A Study about the Stress Levels, Attitudes, and Resources Available on Campus.”

Registration is $25; $20 for students. Contact Jennie Wood, PhD, RN, CNE, in the YSU Department of Nursing at jmwood@ysu.edu.