The University of Toledo is nationally recognized as the first University campus in the country to simultaneously honor all service members of the armed forces and the families who lost a loved one defending the United States by dedicating both a Blue Star Memorial marker and Gold Star Memorial marker.

UT unveiled the new markers at the UT Veterans Memorial Plaza on Veterans Day.

Andrea Little, national chairman of The Blue Star and Gold Star Families Memorial Marker Program, recently wrote a letter on behalf of the program and National Garden Clubs to Navy Reserve Lt. Haraz Ghanbari, UT director of military and veteran affairs, to notify the University of the pioneering honor.

“By these actions taken, you and your staff have elevated this Program’s Standards; and a distinct precedent has been established by which all other University campuses should emulate,” Little said. “There is no greater way to honor all our Armed Forces and their families.”

UT student Clinton Grantham, a senior studying social work, spearheaded the effort with Ghanbari. Grantham, who is a medically retired active-duty Army veteran, served a tour in Afghanistan as a member of the 10^th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

“UT has a lot of student veterans, and I wanted to do something special not only for them, but for families who lost a loved one in combat,” Grantham said. “When I started the process, I had no idea that no one had done this before. I’m proud we accomplished it in seven weeks, on time for Veterans Day. Future students will walk by every day, hopefully read the memorial markers and understand what service members and their families sacrifice to serve and defend their country.”

The Blue Star Memorial reads, “A tribute to the Armed Forces who have defended the United States of America.”

The Gold Star Memorial reads, “A tribute to Gold Star Families whose loved one paid the ultimate price defending the United States of America.”

The University has long been recognized as a military-friendly school for its commitment in providing exceptional assistance and support to service members, veterans and their families.

In 2017, UT was again recognized by Military Times in its Best for Vets: Colleges 2017 rankings and by Military Advanced Education & Transition as a top school in its 2017 MAE&T Guide to Colleges & Universities research study.

The University of Toledo is hosting an event to discuss the polarizing topic of climate change.

Dr. Andy Jorgensen, associate professor of chemistry and environmental sciences at UT and senior fellow for the National Council for Science and the Environment, will lead a talk titled “Climate Change Disruption: How Do We Know? What Can We Do?” as part of the Lake Erie Center Public Lecture Series.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19 at the UT Lake Erie Center, 6200 Bayshore Rd. in Oregon.

“Climate change and the cost of carbon dioxide pollution is a very intense topic in our country, which finds its way into political, business and social conversations, often with vocal disagreement,” Jorgensen said. “This presentation will give background information about the phenomenon and methods that have been used to characterize these changes. The human dimension of the problem will be emphasized in order to consider solutions.”

People who attend the event will be able to ask questions and share opinions. Participants also will be encouraged to share their views using a “clicker” or personal response device to compare their replies to those of more than 3,000 members of Jorgensen’s previous audiences.

NASA and the National Science Foundation have supported Jorgensen’s work on science education. He helped create an online program with more than 800 resources on climate change for students and teachers. The free, web-based curriculum can be found at camelclimatechange.org.

Smoking cigarettes leads to fibrosis in the kidneys and heart and accelerates kidney disease, according to research at The University of Toledo.

“Smoking is bad for the kidneys and heart together,” said Dr. Christopher Drummond, post-doctoral fellow in the cardiovascular division of the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “Tobacco and nicotine increase the formation of injury or scarring called fibrosis. That reduces cardiac function, so your heart isn’t operating as efficiently. It also makes it so your kidneys can’t filter toxins from your blood as effectively.”

Dr. Christopher Drummond

His research titled “Cigarette Smoking Causes Epigenetic Changes Associated With Cardiorenal Fibrosis,” which was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health and done in collaboration with the University of California at San Diego, was recently published in the journal Physiological Genomics.

“The results of this study are a public health concern because a significant portion of the U.S. population suffers from kidney disease and heart-related side effects,” Drummond said. “When you smoke, you’re speeding up the development of kidney disease.”

An estimated 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Drummond exposed two groups of rats to cigarette smoke five days a week for four weeks. One group had chronic kidney disease. The other group had normal renal function. Drummond compared those two groups with two control groups of rats – one with chronic kidney disease and one with normal kidney function – that were kept in a room with no smoke.

“We designed and built a system to expose rats to a constant concentration of smoke from cigarettes,” Drummond said. “Those were lit and the animals inhaled around five cigarettes worth of combustible smoke a day.”

In the smoke groups, researchers found a decrease in the genetic material called microRNA associated with slowing or preventing fibrosis in the organ tissue.

Smoking alone drove the rats into renal dysfunction, according to Drummond. Also, blood pressure increased, the heart enlarged and scar tissue developed in the heart muscle and kidneys.

“If you are concerned or have a preexisting condition, quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health,” Drummond said.

Drummond is currently investigating the effects of e-cigarettes on the kidney and heart.

University of Toledo President Sharon L. Gaber and Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson will host a news conference 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 13 in the Schmakel Room of the UT Driscoll Alumni Center to invite students and families throughout the northwest Ohio region to the 2017 Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Celebration.

The theme of the 16^th annual event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is “Reconciliation through Service: Education, Social Justice and Religion,” named in honor of the three pillars that defined the philosophy of the civil rights leader who created a nonviolent social movement that changed the course of American history.

The Unity Celebration, which is free and open to the pubic, will take place 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 in Savage Arena on the UT Main Campus. A free community luncheon will follow the ceremony.

Donzaleigh Abernathy

The keynote speaker is Donzaleigh Abernathy, award-winning actress and daughter of civil rights icon Ralph David Abernathy. She published a book about the friendship between her parents and the Kings titled “Partners to History: Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and the Civil Rights Movement.”

The Unity Celebration will feature performances by the Scott High School marching band, UT gospel choir, UT Fire Squad dance team and students from Toledo School for the Arts, as well as recognition of MLK Scholarship recipients and African-American Leadership Council of United Way Scholarship Awards.

This year Martin Luther King Jr. Day also kicks off a week of service events for UT students. Throughout the week students are volunteering at local agencies throughout the city, including the Friendly Center, Padua Center and J. Frank Troy Senior Center.

Media are invited 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 20 to the J. Frank Troy Senior Center at 545 Indiana Ave. in Toledo when students volunteer and play games with seniors in the community.

In addition, UT is partnering with the United Way of Greater Toledo and other local colleges and universities for service activities throughout the month.

“We are proud to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King by working together and helping serve others,” Gaber said. “Selfless acts of generosity combined with conversations about issues that in the past have kept us separate will allow us to celebrate our differences.”

“Through meaningful work and ‘Reconciliation through Service: Education, Social Justice and Religion,’ we can make real our celebration of Dr. King’s life in 2017 and beyond as we strive as individuals and as a city to define ourselves by these peaceful and powerful activities,” Hicks-Hudson said.

The Unity Celebration is organized by a committee with co-chairs Dr. Willie McKether, UT vice president for diversity and inclusion, Linda Alvarado, executive director of the Board of Community Relations for the City of Toledo, and Pastor Christopher Rowell.

Any questions may be directed to the University Communications Office by calling 419.530.2410 or via email at meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.