Finals are over and the university’s winter recess for staff begins Monday (Dec. 23), meaning members of the ӰƵ community will get a well-earned break and the opportunity to look ahead to what’s to come in 2025.
But before we head into the new year, we’re taking a moment to look back on what 2024 looked like at CWRU—from research breakthroughs to campus celebrations.
January
Popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy have other potential benefits for patients, and this year, ӰƵ researchers were at the forefront of the growing research into semaglutide. Beginning in January, biomedical informatics professor Rong Xu led research on how the drugs are not associated with increased risk for suicidal thoughts.
As the year progressed, Xu and her team of researchers also found semaglutide is , and , and .
CWRU’s innovators started 2024 off strong with the university’s 11th-straight visit to CES in Las Vegas. The university’s 18 exhibitors—alumni, students and faculty—were the most ever to represent CWRU at the show. Their innovations fell into the categories of sustainability; artificial intelligence; augmented and virtual reality; digital health, fitness and wellness; robotics and drones; and entertainment content.
February
While most people who tuned into the 2024 Super Bowl had their eyes locked on Taylor Swift and Cleveland-native Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs, those at CWRU had an extra incentive: the opportunity to catch sight of alumnus Cameron Brown (CWR ’20) on the sidelines.
Brown, a former standout player on the Spartan football team, was at the game as defensive quality control coach for the Chiefs’ Super Bowl opponent, the San Francisco 49ers.
Work by a team of CWRU researchers offers new hope for treating neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Vanishing White Matter disease and multiple sclerosis.
School of Medicine researchers Benjamin Clayton and Paul Tesar found a new technique for testing medications that could prevent astrocytes—which typically support healthy brain development—from going into a harmful state.
March
Paul Tesar and Erin Cohn, a graduate student in the School of Medicine’s Medical Scientist Training Program, examined how common household chemicals found in items such as furniture and hair products could be linked to neurological problems.
The team determined that these chemicals could be responsible for affecting a cell type that generates the protective insulation around nerve cells.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health granted a team of CWRU researchers an award to begin work on engineering, growing and commercializing “live” replacement joints to combat osteoarthritis.
With this award, it is expected 40 patients will have knee replacements with “live joints,” or biocompatible bone and cartilage grown from human cells that can restore natural function to the joint in five years. Case School of Engineering’s Ozan Akkus will lead the project.
April
Those on campus—and in the Cleveland area—were treated to a rare celestial event in April, with a total solar eclipse crossing over the region.
As our students, faculty and staff prepared to watch, Corbin Covault from the Department of Physics shared insights on the rarity of the experience.
When U.S. News & World Report ran this year’s newest rankings for graduate and professional programs this year, the publication announced changes to its methodology.
CWRU’s programs had a mix of results, with some seeing major leaps, others having minor dips and some gaining completely new rankings.
May
Many of CWRU’s 2024 graduates didn’t have the chance to walk across the stage when they earned their high school diplomas during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, amplifying the pomp and circumstance this year when they completed their undergraduate degrees.
We highlighted some of this year’s exceptional graduates—on both the graduate and undergraduate levels—as they prepared for the next stages in their lives.
The Distinguished University Professor title is the highest accolade CWRU bestows upon its faculty. Winners are selected for their exceptional records of scholarship and contributions to their fields.
This year during commencement Hillel Chiel, Mitch Drumm and Jonathan Stamler were selected for this prestigious honor.
June
This year’s highest-grossing film, Inside Out 2, features a teenage character navigating new emotions. To get it right, Disney consulted a CWRU faculty expert.
Lisa Damour, a child psychologist and lecturer at CWRU’s Schubert Center for Child Studies, began working with the film’s writers and directors in 2020 to ensure emotions were presented authentically.
With a new commitment, alumnus Kevin Kranzusch (CWR ’90) and his wife, Lynne Bosworth, extended their support for the Department of Computer and Data Sciences, which was established in 2019 with another $5 million gift from the couple.
Their $10 million gift in June will support a faculty project startup fund, the Kranzusch Fellows Fund, a new endowed professorship and endowment for student success.
July
While many graduate and professional school rankings were released in April, U.S. News & World Report delayed the announcement of medical school results.
The publication used a new methodology this year, with schools being assigned to “tiers.” CWRU had the distinct honor of being named to the top tiers for research, alongside peers including Yale University, Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University and Mayo Clinic School of Medicine.
CWRU student and softball player Karen Potts represented the Spartans on a national stage when she took on the challenging American Ninja Warrior course earlier in the popular show’s 16th season. She ultimately earned a spot in the finals.
August
Named after trailblazing alumni, Mary Chilton Noyes House and John Sykes Fayette House welcomed their first residents in August.
The buildings, which have state-of-the-art features and showcase art installations students helped create, are now home to second-year students in South Residential Village.
In August, we welcomed the newest class of undergraduate students. The Class of 2028 is composed of 1,575 exceptional students from around the world, each bringing their own unique experiences.
September
The U.S. News & World Report rankings released in September confirmed what our students already knew: CWRU offers an exceptional first-year student experience—one that ranks among the top 20 in the country in that category.
CWRU ultimately landed at No. 51 overall, up two spots from last year.
After Anthony Fauci was named the recipient of the 2024 Inamori Ethics Prize, he had to cancel his anticipated visit to campus while recovering from West Nile virus.
Instead, beloved actor and advocate LeVar Burton accepted the award in his honor. Burton received the prize in 2019.
October
CWRU is dedicated to fostering connections with the local community, and that will become easier now that the Wade Park Community Engagement Center has opened. The university invested $2.3 million in the century home, which now houses the Office of Local Government and Community Relations and space for neighborhood activities and programs.
Esteemed anthropologist Cynthia Beall led research into how Tibetan women have survived in thin air at extreme altitudes for more than 10,000 years.
Her work offered clues into how humans respond to extreme environments—and insights into how we might adapt to future environmental challenges.
November
Work by astrophysicist Stacy McGaugh challenges astronomers’ understanding of the early universe. His recent findings suggest that modified gravity might have been responsible for the universe’s formation, instead of the widely-held belief that it was caused by dark matter.
The CWRU community celebrated their Spartan spirit during homecoming in November. The multi-day event featured student performances, alumni honors, tours, milestones and more.
December
At the end of each semester, CWRU undergraduate students have the opportunity to showcase their research and creative endeavors during the Intersections event.
We spoke with a few of the students who presented their work across a range of disciplines.
Polymer scientist Gary E. Wnek and stem-cell biologist Arnold Caplan were named Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Caplan, who was nominated for the honor in 2023, died in January 2024.
