Ohio State News Tips 11/16/12

Calendar note – In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Ohio State offices are closed and classes are cancelled on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 22 and 23. There are no classes on Wednesday, Nov. 21.

It’s Beat Michigan Week 2012. Ohio State will celebrate school spirit and engage in some friendly competitions with the University of Michigan to commemorate Beat Michigan Week 2012, through Nov. 23.
Throughout the week, students from both schools will donate blood in the Annual Red Cross Blood Battle and also collect canned goods to donate for the Battle against Hunger.
Featured events include the Pi Beta Phi Run Over Michigan and the 11th Annual Beat Michigan 5K on Sunday, Nov. 18; and the Beat Michigan Pep Rally on Monday, Nov. 19. A complete list of Beat Michigan Week events is at www.beatmichigan.osu.edu.

Beat Michigan feature story idea: Michigan Game to Feature Return of the Toppled Top. During Ohio State’s historic victory against Michigan in 1954, which marked Woody Hayes first victory against the team up north, fans toppled the goal posts in celebration. Five students from the College of Optometry participated in the celebration, which included a march of the goal posts across campus. The future optometrists proudly kept the red-painted goal-post topper on display at their fraternity house before it disappeared.
For 50 years, these optometrists, who came to be known as the “guardians,” wondered what had happened to the “Toppled Top.” Read the fascinating story about its re-surfacing and how it is finally going to return to Ohio State when these alumni present the “Toppled Top” to the University during the November 24 Michigan game. CONTACT: John McCauley, (614) 292-0818.

Global Diabetes Summit concludes with events for Columbus community – Nov. 17. Columbus, Ohio – In conjunction with the Global Diabetes Summit, The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center is hosting an event for the greater Columbus community on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Franklin County Veterans Memorial, 300 W. Broad St.
More than 1,000 people are expected to attend this event, which will include free health screenings, consultations with health experts, workshops, cooking and exercise classes, and special guests including NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.
The community program, Global Diabetes Summit: Health and Wellness: Life Choices, takes place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (registration takes place from 7 – 8 a.m.) and is free and open to the public. However, registration is required. SEE: http://www.medicalcenter.osu.edu/healthcareprofessionals/conferences/diabetes_community/Pages/index.aspx.

Ohio State holds one of the largest Thanksgiving dinners on a college campus – Nov. 22. One of the largest Thanksgiving Day dinners on a college campus will be hosted by The Ohio State University on Thursday, Nov. 22 at the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St. The annual event will be held for an estimated 2,000 guests – students, faculty and staff, along with their families – who are unable to travel to their own homes for the holiday. The traditional Thanksgiving Dinner will include 650 pounds of turkey, 30 gallons of gravy, 432 pounds each of green beans and corn, 320 pounds of corn bread and 2,000 slices of pie. Close to 200 volunteers from throughout the university community will assist in serving the traditional turkey dinner. CONTACT: Maureen Miller, miller.4468@osu.edu or (614) 307-0062.

Ohio State ranked in the top 15 nationally for study abroad and international students.
The Ohio State University is ranked among the top 10 nationally for its international student enrollment and in the top 15 for the number of students studying abroad, according to the 2012 Open Doors Report, an annual survey published by the Institute of International Education. Ohio State ranked 10th among the nation’s colleges and universities for hosting 6,142 international students in 2011. Ohio moved to 14th nationally with 1,993 students studying abroad in 2010-2011. Ohio State remained 3rd in the nation with 1,806 students studying abroad on short-term programs. CONTACT: Maureen Miller, miller.4468@osu.edu or (614) 307-0062.

Just In Time for the Holidays: Mindful Eating Helps Diabetes Patients Lower Weight and Blood Sugar. Eating mindfully, or consuming food in response to physical cues of hunger and fullness, is just as effective as adhering to nutrition-based guidelines in reducing weight and blood sugar levels in adults with Type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.
In a comparison study of the effectiveness of the two types of behavioral interventions, participants lost about the same amount of weight – an average of between 3 1/2 and 6 pounds – and lowered their long-term blood sugar levels significantly after three months.
“The more traditional education program includes general information about diabetes, but with more emphasis on nutrition and food choice: What are different types of carbohydrates and fats and how many am I supposed to have? What should I look for when I read a food label? What are healthy options when dining out? That was the traditional diabetes education program,” said Carla Miller, associate professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University and lead author of the study.
CONTACT: Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310, caldwell.151@osu.edu. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/mindfuleat.htm.

The person listed as the CONTACT will have the most current information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story: Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276 or cook.17@osu.edu; Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110 or lynch.270@osu.edu; or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385 or murray-goedde.1@osu.edu