Ohio State Experts on the News
Week of April 16, 2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University has experts you can interview for some of the big topics in the news this week. Contact information is included with each expert listed below. For general questions, please contact Chris Booker at 614-292-7276 or Booker.9@osu.edu
Visiting white parts of town make some Black kids feel less safe
Some Black youth feel less safe when they visit predominantly white areas of their city, a new study in Columbus has found. And it was those Black kids who spent the most time in white-dominated areas who felt less safe, said Christopher Browning, lead author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University. “Familiarity with white neighborhoods doesn’t make Black kids feel more comfortable and safer. In fact, familiarity seems to reveal threats,” Browning said.
“It is not a terribly optimistic finding.” The study is one of the first to examine racial differences in how urban youth perceive their safety in real time, Browning said. Researchers gave participants smartphones, which they used to report on how safe they felt as they moved through the city over a one-week period. Browning can discuss the results of the study and why Black kids may feel less safe in white areas of town.
To schedule an interview, contact Jeff Grabmeier at Grabmeier.1@osu.edu
Reflecting on the genocide in Rwanda 30 years later
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. In her years of studying the genocide and its aftermath, Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira has helped increase our understanding of how ordinary people can be coaxed into committing atrocities and how human resilience after genocide helps shape a nation’s future. Nyseth Nzitatira, associate professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, has led a team of researchers in examining thousands of pages of court testimony and documents and interviewing hundreds of perpetrators and survivors of the violence to shed light on the tragedy – one of 40 genocides that have occurred worldwide since the Holocaust. She is available to talk about her research on the genocide and what it means today.
To schedule an interview, contact Emily Caldwell at Caldwell.151@osu.edu
China’s universities grab 6 of 10 top spots in worldwide science ranking
University leaders pay close attention to comparative rankings such as those offered by Times Higher Education, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy and others. A radical shift in the data underlying rankings is about to upend the rankings world – largely in favor of China’s position. Where once the list of universities with the highest scientific impact would have been dominated by U.S. and U.K. schools including Cambridge, Stanford, Harvard and MIT, the new top 10 list of universities with high scientific impact includes six universities from China. Caroline Wagner, a professor of public affairs at The Ohio State University, conducts research in the field of science and technology and its relationship to policy, society, and innovation, with a particular focus on international collaboration. She can discuss why China is moving up in international rankings and what it means for science and technology advancements in the United States.
To schedule an interview, contact Jeff Grabmeier at Grabmeier.1@osu.edu
