Kent State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

(From L to R): Students Maelee, Milan, Megan, and Michael are attending the 79th annual International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS) taking place this week at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign!

Last night, Dr. Marianne Prévôt took part in Kent’s second annual Pint of Science festival at North Water Brewing Co., presenting “Smart Materials That Change Before Your Eyes.” Her talk highlighted research focused on developing smart sensor materials capable of detecting toxic gases and vapors to help improve first responder safety on the job.

Pint of Science is an international festival designed to bring researchers out of the lab and into the community to share their work in a fun and accessible way. We are proud to see Kent State researchers helping make science engaging and approachable for all audiences!

Kristin Sobie is a recipient of the Graduate Merit Award! Kristin started the Ph.D. program during Summer of 2022, and is working with Drs. Mighion and Fenk.

Aubree Nolan is a recipient of the Graduate Merit Award! Aubree began the doctoral program in Spring of 2022 and works with Drs. Seed and Mighion.

Elizabeth Hout is a recipient of the Graduate Merit Award! Elizabeth began the doctoral program in Fall of 2024 and is working with Dr. Sanjaya Abeysirigunawardena.

Kangyu Xu is a recipient of the Dr. Harold R. Papiska Graduate Scholarship in Chemistry! She began the doctoral program in Fall 2025 and is working in the laboratory of Dr. Molly Wang.

Chathurani Ekanayake is a recipient of the Dr. Harold R. Papiska Graduate Scholarship in Chemistry! She began the doctoral program in Spring 2023 and is currently working in the Abey research laboratory.

Slater Bakenhaster is the recipient of the Debbie Fu-Tai Tuan Graduate Scholarship in Physical Chemistry! Slater joined the Ph.D. program in Fall 2024 and is conducting research in Dr. Barry Dunietz’s laboratory.

Roshan Khatri was nominated for the University Fellowship and conducts research in Dr. Barry Dunietz’s research group.

Khatri said his research focuses on electronic structure calculations of material systems using density functional theory (DFT). He explained, “My work contributes to the development of predictive computational models that accurately account for environmental effects at the electronic structure level, enabling reliable predictions of molecular and material properties.”