Story Ideas for Media - 09/20/04
Experts
Expert can explain how big university is made small -- Ever wonder how Ohio State, one of the nation’s largest campuses, makes such a large university small? Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience (UAFYE), says extensive preparation helped make sure this year’s 5,900 freshman students feel a part of the university and Columbus communities. The First Year Experience program gets first-year students involved beginning in the summer by requiring they be a part of the Buckeye Book Community. It also offers the First-Year Success Series, seminars that focus on helping new students manage time and freedom, money and relationships, and their physical and mental well-being. In addition, events like Convocation, a welcoming ceremony for freshman students, Buckeye Welcome, a ceremony for transfer students, and a Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert on the south Oval help students feel at home as Buckeyes before classes ever begin. CONTACT: Shannon Wingard, University Relations, (614) 247-6821.
Research
Chemical sensor could enable new ways to monitor pollutants -- Researchers at Ohio State are developing a sensor that can help control emissions from cars, power plants, and other combustion processes. The matchtip-sized device is a prototype for even smaller sensors that could one day enable new ways of controlling combustion. Prabir Dutta, professor and chair of chemistry at Ohio State, said the newly-patented sensor detects the total amount of a pollutant commonly referred to as NOx, which is primarily a combination of nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide. It also removes the interference from carbon monoxide that can cause sensors to produce inaccurate readings. The Environmental Protection Agency wants to curb production of NOx, because these compounds contribute to ground-level ozone, smog, and acid rain. For more information, see http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/nosensor.htm CONTACT: Prabir Dutta, Department of Chemistry, (614) 292-4532; or Pam Frost Gorder, (614) 292-9475
Service
Students to volunteer at 90 local sites for Community Commitment Day -- Painting a school playground, landscaping and cleaning a facility are among the 90 service projects that approximately 1,500 students will take part in during Community Commitment Day, one of the nation’s largest one-day service projects associated with a college campus. The event is scheduled for Tuesday (9/21) in various locations throughout Central Ohio. Media interested in covering the event from noon to 1:30 p.m. can go to: the Indianola Avenue Elementary School, 140 W. 16th Ave., where students will be painting playground equipment; or the Ark House, 1891 Sunbury Road, where they will take part in landscaping, cleaning and painting projects. CONTACT: Liz Cook, University Relations, (614) 292-7276.
Events
Welcome Week celebrates best freshman class, returning students– Sept. 19-25. -- As the university welcomes its best freshman class for the 10th year in a row, Ohio State is celebrating with a week’s worth of activities from Sept. 19-25. Below are the remaining events for Welcome Week 2004.
· Picnic with the Buckeyes – Students, faculty, staff and the community can attend an open-air Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (9/21) on the south Oval. The event is sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience.
· Classes Begin! –Wednesday (9/22)
· Scarlet Fever pep rally – This Buckeye tradition features a pep rally with the Cheerleaders, Sports Teams, Brutus Buckeye and the OSU Marching Band. It is set for 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday (9/22).
For more information on Welcome Week events, see http://www.ohiounion.com/welcomeweek/calendar/ CONTACT: Liz Cook, University Relations, (614) 292-7276, or Shannon Wingard, University Relations, (614) 247-6821.
About 140,000 people expected to attend the Farm Science Review – Sept. 21-23. -- The Farm Science Review is a three-day educational and trade show that typically attracts 140,000 visitors. It runs from Tuesday (9/21) through Thursday (9/23) at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center near London, Ohio. The event is an outdoor agricultural trade show that features commercial exhibits on everything from tractors to financial services and educational displays that offer new answers to old agricultural problems. In addition, experts from Ohio State, government agencies and the private industry will be on hand to speak with attendees. Media needing parking passes and entry tickets should contact Suzanne Steel, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, at (614) 582-3184, or (740) 852-7822 at the Review site.
The Ohio State University Trustees to meet – Sept. 22. -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees and its committees will meet on Wednesday (9/22) in the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road. The day’s schedule will include an administrative briefing from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., followed by the Investments Committee meeting at 10:30 a.m., and the Academic and Student Affairs and the Fiscal Affairs committees from 11 to 11:45 a.m. The formal Board meeting will be at 1:15 p.m. in the Sanders Grand Lounge. For more information, see http://www.osu.edu/news/lvl2_news_story.php?id=906 CONTACT: Elizabeth Conlisk, University Relations, (614) 292-3040.
Legal experts to discuss electronic voting during conference – Sept. 23. -- Will your vote count? Worried about electronic voting? These and other questions surrounding the issue of electronic voting will be answered by experts from Ohio State and throughout the country during the conference, “Electronic Voting: The 2004 Election and Beyond.” Sponsored by Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law and its Center for Law, Policy, and Social Science, the conference will run from 1 to 5 p.m. on Thursday (9/23) in Saxbe Auditorium of Drinko Hall, 55 West 12th Ave. There is no charge to attend the conference. It will also be broadcast on the World Wide Web. For more information, see http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/. The conference is part of a groundbreaking-new program, Election Law @ Moritz. The program is devoted to in-depth, timely, and scholarly analysis of election law issues. For more information, see http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/index.html. CONTACT: Liz Cutler Gates, Moritz College of Law, (614) 292-0283.
Symposium to address prevalence of HIV in African Americans – Sept. 25. -- Health experts, educators and activists from around the country will discuss the prevalence of HIV in the African-American community and how to stop the spread of the disease at a Sept. 25 symposium. The symposium, “Moving Forward - Taking an Assertive Approach to Eliminating HIV in the African-American Community,” brings together some of the nation’s foremost authorities on HIV prevention and awareness. In recent years, African Americans accounted for over half of the new HIV diagnoses in the United States. The symposium is open to the public and will be held at the King Arts Complex on Mt. Vernon Avenue. To register for the limited seating, call The Ohio State University Medical Center, (614) 293-6725. CONTACT: David Crawford, Medical Center Communications, (614) 293-3737.
The person listed as Contact will have the best information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story – Elizabeth Conlisk, (614) 292-3040; Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276; Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385, and Shannon Wingard, (614) 247-6821.
