Story Ideas for Media 09-20-05

News

Ohio State welcomes best-prepared freshman class ever – For the eleventh straight year, Ohio State will welcome on Wednesday (9/21) its brightest class of first-year students ever based on a variety of scores and measures according to Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience. According to projected figures, the entering class reports a higher average ACT score (25.8, compared to 25.6 in 2004), higher average SAT score (1190, compared with 1180 in 2004) and higher percentages of students ranked in the top 10 percent and 25 percent of their high school classes (more than 38 percent and more than 78 percent, respectively, over 35 and 71 in 2004).
"We are seeing more and more really bright students apply to Ohio State," said Freeman. "There is a real energy at this university right now with our strong academic programs and new buildings to attract and retain students, and they want to be a part of it."
CONTACT: Amy Murray, University Relations, (614) 292-8385.

Research

New plant finds in Andes reveal ancient climate change – For the third time in as many years, glaciologist Lonnie Thompson has returned from an Andean ice field in Peru with samples from beds of ancient plants exposed for the first time in perhaps as much as 6,500 years.
In 2002, he first stumbled across some non-fossilized plants exposed by the steadily retreating Quelccaya ice cap. Carbon dating showed that plant material was at least 5,000 years old.
Then in 2004, Thompson found additional plant beds revealed by the continued retreat of the melting ice and, when tested, these proved to be carbon-free, suggesting that they might date back more than 50,000 years. If true, that would suggest that the climate in that region may not have been as warm as it is today in more than 500 centuries.
In June, he went back to the ice field and found at least 20 new plant collection sites that had been newly exposed. An analysis of the plant material from these sites suggested that it ranged from 4,500 to 6,500 years old.
Thompson, a professor of geological sciences and researcher with the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State, calls that ice cap the "Rosetta Stone" for climate change.
CONTACT: Lonnie Thompson, (614) 292-6652: Thompson.3@osu.edu
SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/ltstplnts.htm

Events

Welcome Week offers events for new and returning Ohio State students – through Sept. 25. Ohio State welcomes its best freshman class for the 11th consecutive year, as well as returning students with a week's worth of activities through Sept. 25. Welcome Week 2005 events include:
•Community Commitment Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday (9/20) – Approximately 1,200 students are expected to roll up their sleeves for a few hours of community service during this annual day of service. Volunteer efforts begin at 10 a.m. at 90 different service sites around the city.
•Picnic with the Buckeyes-Columbus Jazz Orchestra, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday (9/20) South Oval – The Columbus Jazz Orchestra will provide the entertainment for a complimentary evening picnic on the South Oval for Ohio State faculty, staff and students.
•Autumn quarter classes begin, Wednesday (9/21) – New and returning Buckeyes return to classes today.
•Oval Re-Dedication Party, noon to 9 p.m., Wednesday (9/21) – Ohio State students will celebrate the re-opening of the Oval, a central gathering place on campus. The Oval remained closed due to construction through the 2004-2005 academic year.
•RPAC Wellness Fair, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday (9/22) – The Department of Recreational Sports will show off its newest facility, the Recreation and Physical Activity Center, during this open house. The RPAC includes the Mary A. Daniels Student Wellness Center, new aquatic facility, and the Courtside Café and Juice 2.
A complete list of Welcome Week events is at http://www.ohiounion.com/welcomeweek/calendar/
CONTACT: Liz Cook, University Relations, (614) 292-7276, or Amy Murray, University Relations, (614) 292-8385.

Farm Science Review is this week; U.S. Secretary of Agriculture will visit – Sept. 20-22. Ohio State University's 2005 Farm Science Review (FSR) will be held at Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio. Sponsored by Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, OSU Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, the three-day trade show is expected to attract more than 135,000 visitors. This year, instead of offerings from every department, the FSR will focus on three hot topics. Soybean Rust, air quality and cost containment demonstrations will be available every day of the review.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johannes will visit the FSR Tuesday (9/20) as part of his nationwide Farm Bill Listening Tour. The forum will give the public the opportunity to comment on farm bill policy. The event is expected to begin around 2 p.m. in the Vice President's Tent.
CONTACT: Suzanne Steel, (614) 292-9637 or steel.7@osu.edu or Candace Pollock, (614) 292-3799 or pollock.58@osu.edu

The Ohio State University Trustees to meet – Sept. 22 and 23 – The Ohio State University Board of Trustees and its committees will meet on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 22 and 23.
The schedule will include a meeting of the Medical Center Affairs Committee of the Board on Thursday (9/22) from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at H1225 Ross Heart Hospital, 452 W. 10th Avenue.
On Friday (9/23), the Investments Committee will meet from 8:15 to 9 a.m. in room 249. The Academic and Student Affairs Committee and Fiscal Affairs Committee will meet from 9 to 10:15 a.m. in the auditorium and room 314, respectively. The formal Board meeting will be at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium. All meetings on Friday will take place at the Moritz College of Law, 55 W. 12th Avenue. See http://www.osu.edu/news/lvl2_news_story.php?id=1212
CONTACT: Amy Murray, University Relations, (614) 292-8385.

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 or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385, murray-goedde.1@osu.edu