Ohio State News Tips-March 21, 2014

Ohio State kicks holds African American Heritage Festival – March 21-28. The 36th Annual African American Heritage Festival begins today on the Ohio State campus. The theme, Resilience: Conquering Adversity, Claiming our Legacy, will be incorporated in programming and events through the following week. The kickoff celebration is from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 22, at the Hale Black Cultural Center, 154 W. 12th Ave. CONTACT: Katherine Betts at betts.128@osu.edu. SEE: heritagefestival.osu.edu.

Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures celebrates 50th anniversary – March 24-30. Ohio State’s Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of special events the March 24-30. The 50th Anniversary Lunch on Saturday, March 29 will feature alumnus and Grinnell College Russian Professor Todd Armstrong, Representative Michael Stinziano and Senator Sherrod Brown. SEE: http://artsandsciences.osu.edu/events/slavic-and-east-european-languages-and-cultures-50th-anniversary-celebration.

Mimi Abramovitz to speak at Social Work O’Leary Lecture – March 26. The College of Social Work hosts the annual Robert J. O’Leary Memorial Lecture at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26 at the Longaberger Alumni House, Sanders Grand Lounge, 2200 Olentangy River Rd. The keynote speaker will be Mimi Abramovitz, Bertha Capen Reynolds Professor of Social Policy at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York. A well-known advocate for the poor, especially poor women, she will be speaking about women and poverty, then and now. Her theme is “Women Still in a Bind: The Decline of Marriage, Market and the State.” This event is free and open to the public. CONTACT: Frankie Jones-Harris, communications director, 614-292-3540 and 614-330-2206, or jones-harris.1@osu.edu. SEE: http://csw.osu.edu/about/news-events.

College of Social Work presents special screening of Poor Kids – March 27. The film, Poor Kids, will be presented by the College of Social Work at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, in 115 Stillman Hall, 1947 College Rd. This film explores the economic crisis as it’s rarely seen – through the eyes of children. The event is part of the College of Social Work’s 50 years tribute to important milestones in our country’s response to poverty and inequality. CONTACT: Frankie Jones-Harris, communications director, 614-292-3540 and 614-330-2206, or jones-harris.1@osu.edu. SEE: http://csw.osu.edu/about/news-events.

College of Optometry unveils new clinical training facility – March 29. The Ohio State University College of Optometry will hold its spring 2014 Admissions Information Day from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, at the College of Optometry, Fry Hall, 338 W. 10th Ave. The event is an opportunity for prospective students to take tours, ask questions and learn about the professor of optometry.
The day also includes a look at the new, state of the art clinical training facility, featuring a 34-seat classroom and 18 exam lanes, two of which are outfitted with exact models of equipment that students will use at the National Center of Clinical Testing in Optometry where they take their national board exams. CONTACT: College of Optometry Admissions, 614-292-2647. SEE: http://optometry.osu.edu/futurestudents/premiere.

Goodbye to allergies? New latex materials are safe for Type I, Type IV allergies. New materials developed by Ohio State University will allow medical professionals to have the natural latex gloves whose performance they prefer and avoid the risk of allergic reactions, too.
Scientists in the university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences have filed patents (pending) for a latex film made from guayule that is safe for both Type I and Type IV latex allergy sufferers, and for a traditional Hevea rubber tree latex film that is Type IV-hypoallergenic.
"Medical professionals prefer natural rubber latex gloves because they are stronger, have more tactile sensitivity, provide superior protection to blood-borne pathogens and cause less hand fatigue," said Katrina Cornish, Ohio State’s Ohio Research Scholar and endowed chair in bioemergent materials, and an expert on alternative sources of rubber.
"However, concerns over latex allergies have led to the increased use of synthetic gloves, which do not meet the performance standards of natural rubber latex and are particularly problematical for surgeons." CONTACT: Mauricio Espinoza, espinoza.15@osu.edu, 330-202-3550. SEE: go.osu.edu/dWs .

New tool allows students to see how their credits will transfer across Ohio. Beginning April 1, prospective Ohio State students can use Transferology (previously u.Select or www.trasfer.org) to determine how higher education courses and exam scores will transfer if they are admitted. This tool will let prospective students see how credits will transfer to any Ohio public institution and supports the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents initiative to increase transfer options.
Prospective students can create an account at www.transferology.com, add their existing course work, and see which college or university is the best match for them based on what courses will transfer and to which programs. The user can also compare how course work will transfer to multiple institutions -- in and outside of Ohio -- and filter the results for factors such as location of schools, costs, student population and more.
Ohio State and other schools using Transferology will also benefit by being able to track the type of course work prospective students are likely to transfer, as well as their areas of interest.
The Transferology network, operated by CollegeSource, Inc., is an optional tool for students and does not replace the application process at any institution. CONTACT: Michael Gable, assistant registrar, 614-247-7250, gable.24@osu.edu

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: Jane Carroll, 614-292-5220 or carroll.296@osu.edu; Liz Cook, 614-292-7276 or cook.17@osu.edu; Gary Lewis, 614-688-2048 or lewis.330@osu.edu; or Amy Murray, 614-292-8385 or murray-goedde.1@osu.edu.

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The Ohio State University is a dynamic community of diverse resources, where opportunity thrives and where individuals transform themselves and the world. Founded in 1870, Ohio State is a world-class public research university and the leading comprehensive teaching and research institution in the state of Ohio. With more than 63,000 students (including 57,000 in Columbus), the Wexner Medical Center, 14 colleges, 80 centers and 175 majors, the university offers its students tremendous breadth and depth of opportunity in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions.