Community Outreach
Map It!
Map It! is a community-minded collaboration between Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ Libraries and the Department of Geography. The aim of this service is to provide spatial data visualization, geographic information science (GIS), and cartographic services to the Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ community and Northeast Ohio community at large. For more information please contact mapit@kent.edu | 330-672-2017.
The Community Geography Lab is a physical and virtual space that encourages and facilities mapping for and by local community members. Our purpose is to facilitate knowledge transfer between academics and non-academics, students and faculty, and beyond. Online you will find accessible mapping resources, including open-source software and up-to-date data files, with the goal of being the campus and community clearinghouse for spatial data. In-person activities will be focused on mapping through collaboration and education using maps and the mapping process that together will encourage engagement and discussion about shared social and environmental challenges at Kent State, the city of Kent, and other communities in Northeast Ohio.
Center for Ecology and Natural Resource Sustainability
The Center for Ecology and Natural Resource Sustainability's (CENRS) mission is to promote an understanding of the natural environment and its resources through scientific research, education of students at Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ and beyond, as well as programs to restore and preserve the integrity of natural areas.
Environmental Science and Design Research Institute
The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI) at Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ is dedicated to student and faculty research and investigations within natural, human, and built systems, as we develop innovative knowledge, products, and solutions to address local, regional, and global issues.
Conservation of Natural Resources
In the past, students in Dr. Emariana Widner's Conservation of Natural Resources class have conducted annual audits of trash and recycling bins on campus (pictured above), which measures how much trash is mixed in recycling bins and how much recycling is mixed in trash bins. This information helps the campus Sustainability Office to estimate the diversion/recycling rate on campus and target recycling information to help us to improve this rate (currently 36%).
Flash’s Food Garden at Kent State’s Stark Campus
Managed by Dr. Chris Post, Â鶹¾«Ñ¡at Stark’s Flash’s Food Garden (pictured below) empowers students to find better solutions to food concerns. Dr. Post uses the garden as a teaching tool in his Food and Place course by educating students about sustainability and the difference between large- and small-scale agriculture.
Each year the garden provides food for students and area residents. Past Students have planted a wide variety of vegetables and herbs, including tomatoes, kale, eggplant, peppers, radishes, cilantro, and rosemary. This food has supported the campus’ own food pantry, a local preschool, local non-profit Stark Fresh, and the North Canton Farmers Market.
Read the article Two Green Thumbs Up For Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ At Stark’s New Campus Garden to learn more.
