Story Ideas for Media 04-17-06
News
Ohio State and Columbus Public schools offer a variety of programs to strengthen education in central Ohio ? Dozens of partnerships to strengthen educational opportunities for students from preschool to high school in central Ohio are currently underway, and listed in a new publication produced by Ohio State University and Columbus Public Schools. The publication, titled "Columbus Public Schools and the Ohio State University Partnerships Program Summary for 2005," can be a valuable resource for members of the news media covering public education. The report highlights a variety of programs include tutoring, literacy, after-school projects, art, history, teacher preparation and many other education initiatives. Some involve a single school, while others are conducted in the university-area and district-wide. A PDF version of the 48-page publication is at http://p12.osu.edu/CPS_programs_guide.pdf CONTACT: Nancy Nestor-Baker, (614) 614-247-6398; nestor-baker.149@osu.edu
Research
Older children not smarter than their younger sibs, study finds - A recent study provides some of the best evidence to date that birth order really doesn't have an effect on intelligence. The findings contradict many studies over the years that had reported that older children are generally smarter than their younger siblings. This new study, based on a large, nationwide sample, suggests a critical flaw in that previous research, said Aaron Wichman, lead author of the new study and a teaching fellow in psychology at Ohio State University. Most previous studies compared children from different families, so what they were finding were differences between large and small families, not differences between siblings, according to Wichman who conducted the study with Joseph Lee Rodgers of the University of Oklahoma and Robert MacCallum of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and professor emeritus of psychology at Ohio State. CONTACT: Aaron Wichman, (614) 292-6607; wichman.3@osu.edu or Jeff Grabmeier, Research Communications, (614) 292-8457; grabmeier.1@osu.edu
SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/biorder.htm
Events
Hanawalt to present University Distinguished Lecture ? April 18. Barbara A. Hanawalt, the King George III Professor in British History at The Ohio State University, will deliver the University Distinguished Lecture at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday (4/18) at the Wexner Center Film/Video Theater, 1871 N. High St. Hanawalt will present "Telling Stories in Medieval English Courts: Whose Voices Do We Hear?" The University Distinguished Lecture Series was inaugurated in 1996 as one of Ohio State's highest honors for a senior faculty member. The lecture is free and open to the public, and will be broadcast live at http://streaming.service.ohio-state.edu/live3.htm and later archived at: http://www.osu.edu/lecture CONTACT: Molly Davis, Academic Affairs, (614) 292-5881; davis.436@osu.edu
Worldwatch Institute founder to deliver lecture ? April 19. Lester Brown, founder and former leader of the Worldwatch Institute, one of the world's foremost environmental research organizations, will present a lecture at 4 p.m. on Wednesday (4/19) at the Wexner Center Film/Video Theatre, 1871 N. High St. His talk is titled, "China's Environmental and Resource Claims: Forcing World to Rethink Its Economic Future." Currently president of the Earth Policy Institute, Brown is the featured speaker for the President's AAAS Distinguished Lecture, a program supporting the community of 107 OSU faculty named as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Brown has been described by the Washington Post as "one of the world's most influential thinkers," and as one of this country's earliest environmental leaders. He has been author or co-author of more than 50 books, some of which have been translated into as many as 40 different languages. The event is free and open to the public. CONTACT: Earle Holland, (614) 292-8384; holland.8@osu.edu
Medical students entertain with comedy to benefit Columbus Free Clinic ? April 21-22.
Medical students at The Ohio State University College of Medicine will present the 55th Annual NiteOut production at 7:30 p.m. on Friday (4/21) and Saturday (4/22) at the Thurber Theatre of the Drake Union, 1849 Cannon Dr. Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 the night of each performance. Proceeds benefit the Columbus Free Clinic, a student-run primary and urgent care clinic in Columbus. NiteOut 2006 will feature skits based off "Saturday Night Live" that are created, produced and performed by students. The event is one of many fundraisers held each year to help provide free medical care to those in need throughout the community. Tickets for NiteOut Live 2006 can be ordered online at http://www.nite-out.org/ CONTACT:Jennifer Ball, College of Medicine Communications, (614) 292-3990.
Ohio State celebrates Earth Day ? April 21. Ohio State University will celebrate Earth Day 2006 with a look at how Columbus and the University are being good stewards of our environment. "Earth Day Warm-Up" will be held on Friday, April 21 at noon at the Browning Amphitheater on the South Oval. The featured speaker will be Michael Schwarzwalder, Environmental Steward for the City of Columbus, who will speak on the "Get Green Columbus" initiative. Ohio State officials will speak on efforts to enhance the campus environment. Hal Walker, civil and environmental engineering, will address a new service-learning opportunity for students, called the "Green Campus Program," and Aparna Ravipaty, Ohio State Physical Facilities Office, will discuss the new Ohio State Strategic Energy and Sustainability Plan. Additionally, Mike Long, Executive Director of the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, will announce a new partnership with Ohio State's Center for Resilience. The Earth Day Warm-Up is hosted by the Ohio State College of Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science. CONTACT: Joseph Fiksel, Center for Resilience,
614-688-8155; fiksel.2@osu.edu
Ohio State Spring Football Concludes Saturday ? April 22. The Ohio State football team will mark the end of its spring practice season at the 2006 Spring Game at 1 p.m. on Saturday (4/22) at Ohio Stadium, 411 Woody Hayes Dr. Tickets are $5 each and available for purchase at the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office in the Jerome Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Dr. Only cash will be accepted for tickets purchased the day of the game at the stadium. A $1 contribution from each ticket will be donated to the National Youth Sports Program that benefits inner-city youth and is conducted yearly by the Department of Athletics on the Ohio State campus. Gates will open at 11 a.m. CONTACT: Ohio State Ticket Office, (800) GO BUCKS; athletic.tix@osu.edu
Community input sought for Neighborhood Policing Center ? April 24. Representatives of the City of Columbus and Ohio State University will host a community forum to discuss plans for a university area Neighborhood Policing Center at 7 p.m. on Monday (4/24) at the Godman Guild Association, 303 E. Sixth Ave. The building architect and project manager will assist with an overview of the project, located between 236-246 E. 11th Ave., for permanent residents that includes information on the site selection, project timeline and building design. The facility is jointly funded by the City of Columbus and Ohio State University. In addition to housing the Columbus Police Department's Precinct 4 offices, the center will be used by Ohio State Police and the community crime patrol. The center will also offer a neighborhood pride center and provide event and meeting space for community groups. CONTACT: Jim Lynch,
(614) 247-4110.
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, Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748 or hoffman.511@osu.edu, Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110 or lynch.270@osu.edu, or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385 or murray-goedde.1@osu.edu
