Education

atlantic cities likes new museum -- but loves university circle
In an article titled, "In Cleveland, a Flashy New Museum But an Even Better Neighborhood," the Atlantic Cities inspects the eds, meds, and cultural facilitiesthat are making University Cicle thrive.

In addition the new Museum of Contemporary Art, about which the writer says, "the sophisticated, gem-shaped museum reminds visitors that Cleveland can still build the kinds of flashy cultural toys associated with bigger, wealthier cities," the real praise is reserved for its neighborhood.

"MOCA Cleveland may make the loudest design statement, but it's far from the only symbol of bold, 21st century urbanism in the University Circle neighborhood."

"The neighborhood has seen a diverse set of investments, including high density residential projects, new medical facilities and academic buildings, even multiple public transit initiatives. University Circle now stands out as a diverse hub of activity in a city clamoring for such things."

Citing university, medical, cultural, and transit facilities as fuel for the recent economic development, the writer calls University Circle, "a Rust Belt planner’s dream of a modern-day economic hub."

Read the rest here.
parker hannifin pledges $1.5m to csu for human motion and control research
If someone loses a leg or arm due to war or accident, a recent endowment from Parker Hannifin Corporation to Cleveland State University is aiming to place the school among the top national options for replicating that lost limb.

Parker Hannifin, a manufacturer of motion technologies, has pledged $1.5 million to CSU for a professorship and the overall study of human motion and control. The money will be spent on a new laboratory in human motion. The lab will include treadmills, motion sensors and three-dimensional imaging equipment, all targeted at developing improved methods to duplicate healthy limbs in prosthetics and orthotics, says Joe Mosbrook, CSU's director of communications.

Working in the laboratory will be biomechanics researcher Dr. Antonie van den Bogert, named the Parker Hannifin Endowed Chair in Human Motion and Control. Van den Bogert began his tenure this fall in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at CSU’s Fenn College of Engineering.

The researcher is known for the development of computer simulation methods studying the effects of neuromuscular control and mechanical devices on human movement. Much of his prior work concentrated on the mechanics of sports performance and injuries. "He's a leader in this field," says Mosbrook. "We are very grateful to have someone of his caliber at the university."

Long term, the Parker Hannifin endowment could make CSU an epicenter for critical prosthetics and orthotics technology and research. The company "has been a great partner and benefactor to us for a long time," Mosbrook says. "This [endowment] is an important step forward for the university and the entire region."

  
SOURCE: Joe Mosbrook
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
uptown project in university circle primed for its public debut
Following a spate of recent openings, the Uptown Cleveland project has more than doubled the number of stores and restaurants previously available along Euclid Avenue in University Circle. It also has brought high-end contemporary design to an area known for traditional, classic architecture.

"All of the retail space is full, and we're pretty excited about that," says Tammy Oliver, Director of Leasing and Marketing for MRN Ltd., the developer of the project, which includes ground-level retail with apartments above. "We pretty much came into construction with letters of intent on everything."

Some of the new businesses that have opened include Constantino's Market, Barnes and Noble, Panera, Starbucks, Verizon Wireless, Jimmy John's, Chipotle and Anne van H. Businesses that will open this fall include Accent (a new restaurant helmed by chef Scott Kim), Mitchell's Ice Cream, a second location for ABC the Tavern, and three additional restaurants.

The project includes a brick interior courtyard for strolling, patio dining and events. The public space between Uptown and the new Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), which was named Toby's Plaza in honor of donor Toby Lewis, will be programmed by its owner, Case Western Reserve University.

"We're hoping you can wake up and do tai chi or yoga there, lay out and read or simply have lunch there," says Oliver. "There will be a constant change of events and programming, and we want to involve the community and visitors in that."

The Uptown apartments, which are priced aggressively for the Cleveland market, are more than 70 percent leased, says Oliver. She cites the loft-style ceilings, large windows, green features, high-end finishes and flexible spaces as the reasons why.

"There is a demand for this new style and new way of living in Cleveland," she says. "This is the only new construction apartment building to be built in Cleveland for many years. Historic renovations bring fantastic character, but with modern living spaces such as these, you can bring your own character."


Source: Tammy Oliver
Writer: Lee Chilcote
report checks cleveland's economic vital signs: shows where city is, where it can be
If the future belongs to those cities that can frame their opportunities and challenges, act in ways that demonstrate measurable progress, and connect and engage with the smartest people and the smartest ideas, than City Vitals 2.0 can act as a road map for urban leaders.
chamberlain college of nursing to open new campus in health tech corridor
Chamberlain College of Nursing has announced plans to open a new campus in the MidTown Tech Center amidst Cleveland's Health-Tech Corridor this January. The new school will offer an accelerated, three-year Bachelor of Nursing degree program.

"Chamberlain is sensitive to the nursing shortage and the need to create nurses at the bachelors level to provide care where there's high levels of need," says Adele Webb, President of the new Cleveland campus. "We're a three year program, so within three years, we can contribute nurses to market."

According to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, there is likely to be a deficit of 32,000 nurses statewide by 2020. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Ohio turned away more than 2,300 nurses last year.

Chamberlain's new Cleveland campus -- its 12th in the nation and second in Ohio -- offers several innovative features. The school's SIMCARE Lab gives students a chance to work on mannequins that simulate real-world situations such as labor, birth and when a patient stops breathing. The school also will include a Center for Academic Success to help students get the resources they need to stay in school.

The rising demand for nurses due to health care reform, an underserved market in Cleveland and the opportunity to be a part of Cleveland's medical community were all factors driving Chamberlain's decision to locate in the city, Webb says.

"As the City of Cleveland is trying to develop the Health-Tech Corridor around major institutions, this was an opportunity for us to be a part of it," Webb says.

The new Chamberlain School of Nursing facility will be located at 6700 Euclid Avenue.


Source: Adele Webb
Writer: Lee Chilcote
goal of new blackstone launchpad locales is 150 sustainable companies
The Blackstone LaunchPad program opened its doors on the Baldwin-Wallace College and Lorain County Community College campuses on Sept. 6 and 7 and will open at Kent State University later this month and CWRU in January.
 
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation in Hudson and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation announced last November that they had committed $3.2 million to open LaunchPad locations in Northeast Ohio to train area student entrepreneurs.
 
The LaunchPad is a venture coach program developed at the University of Miami, Florida in 2008. The program provides participants with advice and mentorship to take business ideas to fruition. Students are matched up with venture coaches to guide them through the development process.
 
“The real goal here is around education,” says Deborah D. Hoover, president  and CEO of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. “We’re providing a strong education, it’s experiential. Our key approach to the program is about networking – obviously in Northeast Ohio and venture coaches, but also in the larger community and through the national network of LaunchPad locations.”
 
Hoover reports that the potential is there for 150 new sustainable companies in the next five years, which could generate as many as 3,000 jobs.
 
Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, says Northeast Ohio is an idea fit for LaunchPad. “We try to choose locations where we feel there is a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and culture,” she says. “We’re leveraging those assets to jumpstart the region where it already exists.”
 
Kent State, which had a soft launch of LaunchPad this summer, already has 70 to 80 students involved in the program.
 
Sources: Deborah H. Hoover, Amy Stursberg
Writer: Karin Connelly
 
  
 
 
high-performing public schools plus progressive reform equals better choices for cleveland families
In recent years, Cleveland Municipal School District has opened 14 new high-performing public schools rated Excellent or Effective by the State. The Cleveland Plan, approved this summer by state legislators, will pave the way for even more improvements to the district's schools, making it more likely that urban parents will choose to remain in the city.
more than just a party, ingenuity fest to showcase work of local inventors
Ingenuity Fest 2012 will take place this weekend, September 14 to 16 at Cleveland Lakefront Docks 30 and 32, in 120,000 square feet of warehouse space. Aside from music and artistic performances, the festival will showcase the work of local inventors working on some fun and interactive projects.
 
“It ranges from DIY aesthetic things to engineers,” says director of programming James Krouse. “We have inventors or people who are beta testing a product or are in academic engineering programs. This is a place to display these innovations.”
 
The Make Space area of the festival will include the Lorain County Community College Fab Lab and the Cleveland MC2 Stem School Mobile Fab Lab -- a NASCAR trailer equipped with computers, software and lasers for creating 3-D images.

“It’s just a collection of designer software and laser cutters,” says Krouse.
 
A CWRU engineering graduate student will have a display of solar-powered fireflies that mimic the algorithm of fireflies’ communication. A panel of local chefs and sustainability advocates will speak on Friday about local food and sustainability. A series of talks on Saturday will examine the history of flight -- from the Wright brothers all the way through the Mars Curiosity expedition.

 
Source: James Krouse
Writer: Karin Connelly
neo's 80-plus young professional groups plug new talent into cleveland
Northeast Ohio's 80-plus young professional organizations play a critical role in plugging new talent into Cleveland. Research shows that there’s a 90-day window from when people move to a city to influence them and give them reasons to stay. Once plugged in, these YPs are helping to reshape the city’s future.
st. ignatius magis program teaches students skills in mobile app design and development
The St. Ignatius Reaching MAGIS program is designed to help students get on the track for college in Catholic schools.

“We try to identify young boys in sixth through eighth grade who are promising, rising students, and get them involved early,” explains school principal Dan Bradesca.  “These are students from schools throughout the Cleveland area who spend 15 Saturdays in English, test prep and study skills, and computer and graphic arts.”
 
A specific part of the program includes an entrepreneurship demo. For the second year this summer, Nick Pavlak of BABL Media has led eight MAGIS teams in entrepreneurship and technology education. The teams worked with Pavlak in developing companies and ultimately presenting their ideas to a panel of experts at LaunchHouse.
 
“The future of technology lives in mobile technology, and this generation is growing up in the digital world,” says Bradesca. “This program gives kids the basic knowledge of mobile application design and development from an entrepreneurial approach.”
 
The students went from concept to sketching the idea out, to marketing and construction of the business. “They were really doing some intense stuff,” says Bradesca. The culmination was a presentation on July 9 to LaunchHouse entrepreneurs.
 
The top three companies were The Shoe Finder app, which helps users find shoes at a low price; the Emergency App, which lets people know you’re in trouble; and the Achieving app, which helps people attain their personal goals.
 
BABL will work with the students later this year on actually developing the top app ideas.

 
Source: Dan Bradesca
Writer: Karin Connelly
cwru gets largest nih grant in northeast ohio history
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) last week awarded CWRU a $64.6-million, five-year grant for the continuation of a collaborative effort to bring medical research to hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices, improving the health of patients in the region. The federal grant is the largest in Northeast Ohio history.
 
The NIH founded the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) six years ago to accelerate the transition of medical ideas to medical applications. “Five years ago the NIH decided a program was needed to help bring basic decisions from the science lab to patients,” says Pamela B. Davis, CWRU School of Medicine dean and principal investigator. 
 
Cleveland is one of 61 institutions in the country to have a CTSA. Along with CWRU, the program is a collaborative effort between the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth System, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
 
In addition to Davis, Richard A. Rudick, MD, vice chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic, serves as the effort’s co-principal investigator. The two applied for the original $64 million grant five years ago, which at the time was the largest in the region’s history.
 
More than 1,300 individuals have participated in CTSA-related efforts in the past five years in three categories: community engagement, teaching and mentoring, and acceleration of medical research and discovery.
 
For instance, doctor education on type 2 diabetes resulted in lowering three-month blood sugars in patients by an entire percentage point. “That’s enough to change the risk of complications,” says Davis. “It gives us the ability to make a real impact.”
 
Other efforts included retaining children with high blood pressure to run a portion of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, resulting in significant long-term drops in blood pressure.
 
“We’re trying to reach into the community and make a difference,” says Davis. “We have done a lot of partnerships in town, and we’re looking forward to expanding that.”

 
Source: Pamela B. Davis
Writer: Karin Connelly
case researchers discover gene that stops cancer cell proliferation
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery that could stop the proliferation of cancer cells in patients without the need for toxic chemotherapy.

The researchers discovered a mutant form of the gene Chk1. When expressed in cancer cells, it halted their proliferation and killed them. The finding that artificially activating Chk1 alone is enough to kill cancer cells is unprecedented.

"We have identified a new direction for cancer therapy... leading us to a reduction in toxicity in cancer therapy, compared with chemotherapy or radiation therapy," said Dr. Youwei Zhang, Assistant Professor with the Department of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, in a release. "With this discovery, scientists could stop the proliferation of cancer cells, allowing physicians time to fix cells and genetic errors."

If the researchers' strategy pans out, then cancer patients could potentially be treated by activating Chk1 in cancer cells, rather than using chemotherapy.

Future research by Dr. Zhang and his team will focus on approaches to artificially activating Chk1 in cancer cells.


Source: CWRU School of Medicine
Writer: Lee Chilcote
the audacity of the talent dividend
The communities competing for the $1 million Talent Dividend Prize have a modest goal: boosting the number of college degrees in their city by one percentage point. If every participating city meets that goal, it could raise national earnings by a stunning $124 billion.
making the impossible possible: editors wrap rust belt book in record time
In the best of cases, getting a book published can take one to three years from start to finish. Or, you can do it the way Richey Piiparinen and Anne Trubek did with Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology. The pair of Cleveland writers managed to compress the entire Sisyphean process into an implausible three-month timeframe.


the beta space incubator offers entrepreneurial support, mentoring
In a wide open office at MAGNET, a manufacturing advocacy organization situated on the Cleveland State University campus, groups of students are fomenting new ideas. They include an innovative pothole patch, social media tools for landlords, an information technology startup and a biofuels company.

These emerging entrepreneurs have found a new launching pad in The Beta Space, a business incubator and coworking space that offers entrepreneurial support, mentoring and advice from industry experts at MAGNET. David Crain, Director of Entrepreneurial Services at MAGNET, says that he came up with the idea as a way to help student entrepreneurs start companies in Cleveland.

"Students are comfortable starting businesses in their dorm rooms, and yet while they might hear of all these great resources within the region, they're often not sure where to go," says Crain. "Once you have a relationship with someone here, it's really easy to walk down the hallway, ask a question and get an answer."

Students admitted into the Beta Space program have access to a wide array of resources at their fingertips. Not only can they use the physical space anytime they want, but they also have access to coaching services from MAGNET's mentors. Finally, they can brainstorm with other student entrepreneurs.

"We coach them on what they're up against and help them put together a business plan," says Crain. "The entrepreneurial education taking place at the college level is starting to have an impact, and we're seeing a quantum leap in student ideas."

The Beta Space also offers free legal, finance and marketing advice to any entrepreneur, a resource that Crain says is unavailable elsewhere.


Source: Dave Crain
Writer: Lee Chilcote
ohio technical college expands, removes blighted buildings from neighborhood
Ohio Technical College, an automotive technology school at East 51st and St. Clair Ave., has grown its student population in recent years. As it has done so, OTC has continued to invest in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood where its main campus is located.

Recently, OTC purchased two corner bars that had been considered a nuisance by neighborhood residents. OTC also leased or purchased several other buildings, including the former City Desk, which is slated to house classrooms, offices and a visitor center. These efforts have removed blighted buildings from the area.

OTC's growth has been fueled in part by the innovative partnerships it has formed with automotive companies. In April, the school celebrated the opening of the new Edelbrock Academy, a partnership with Edelbrock Performance Products, one of the world's leading manufacturers of high performance, aftermarket auto parts.

OTC has also formed a similar partnership with Jasper Engines and Transmissions in Jasper, Indiana, which is one of the country's leading producers of engines and transmissions. For both Jasper and Edelstein, this kind of partnership is beneficial because the companies need mechanics who are familiar with their products.

Through these partnership, OTC is helping to educate the next generation of mechanics in the heart of Cleveland. Currently, enrollment is 1,200 at the main campus on East 51st and 300 at the Power Sports Institute in North Randall.

Ohio Technical College offers "a wide array of technician training programs in automotive, motorcycle, diesel equipment, collision repair and refinishing, classic car restoration, high performance and racing, alternative fuel vehicles, power generator systems, and BMW," according to the institution's website.


Source: Ohio Technical College
Writer: Lee Chilcote
cleveland 2.0: viewing our city as a startup
What if we viewed Cleveland as a startup? "The ingredients for a successful startup and a successful city are remarkably similar," argues tech blogger Jon Bischke. You need to build stuff that people want. You need to attract talent. And you need capital to get your fledgling ideas to a point of sustainability.
peter b. lewis donates $5m to the cleveland institute of art
The Cleveland Institute of Art received a $5 million gift from Peter B. Lewis to support construction of a 91,000-square-foot building as the final component of the College’s campus unification project. Lewis is the chairman of Cleveland-based Progressive Corporation. 
 
“We are thrilled to receive this wonderful gift, not only because it represents a strong endorsement of our vision for a unified campus from this nationally known philanthropist with deep Cleveland roots, but also because it acknowledges the efforts of our University Circle neighbors in developing the Uptown project into a national model of culture and commerce,” explains Grafton J. Nunes, CIA’s president and CEO.
 
The Uptown development is a complex of rental residences, restaurants, and retail anchored at one end by the new MOCA Cleveland and at the other end by the Cleveland Institute of Art.
 
In recognition of this gift, CIA will name the auditorium in the new building The Peter B. Lewis Theater.
 
In addition to the theater, which will be the new home of the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, the new building will house CIA’s nationally ranked design majors, its acclaimed biomedical art and digital arts programs, art galleries, and administrative offices.

Read the rest of the good news here.
virginia marti college of art and design opens new couture fashion design studio
The Virginia Marti College of Art and Design recently opened its new Couture Fashion Design Studio, a modern, light-filled space that it hopes will inspire Cleveland's next generation of fashion designers.

With large windows, light bamboo flooring and an open floor plan, the new space is a vast improvement over the old one, which was housed in the building's lower level without any windows or natural light. The Couture Fashion Design Studio houses the computer-aided drafting classroom for fashion design students.

Virginia Marti is a two-year college located on Detroit Avenue just west of West 117th Street in the City of Lakewood. The school offers five art-as-business programs geared towards helping arts entrepreneurs in their fields: digital media, fashion design, fashion merchandising, graphic design and interior design.

An exhibit of couturier garments from well-known fashion designers such as Giorgio Armani and Coco Chanel will be on display for several weeks in the new space. The garments are part of Virginia Marti-Veith's private collection.


Source: Virginia Marti College of Art and Design
Writer: Lee Chilcote