Story Ideas for Media 10-29-07

News

Ohio State University leads country again in AAAS fellows. For the fourth time in the last five years, Ohio State University leads the country in having the most faculty chosen as “fellows” of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest scientific organization. The announcement recognizes 15 Ohio State faculty for outstanding accomplishments in their respective academic disciplines, as decided by their peers. Following Ohio State in numbers of fellows were the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with 11; the University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Texas, and Yale University, all with 10; Harvard University and the University of California, Riverside, both with nine, and the University of California, Irvine with eight new fellows.
Other Big Ten universities included the University of Minnesota with seven; Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, all with five; Purdue and the University of Iowa, both with three, and Michigan State University and Northwestern with two.
This year’s election brings the total number of AAAS fellows on the Ohio State campus to 142, perhaps the largest contingent at any one university. CONTACT: Earle Holland, (614) 292-8384, holland.8@osu.edu

Research

Lake Erie ‘Clean Marinas’ project shrinks how much boat shrinkwrap goes into landfills. Saving enough shrinkwrap to cover Ohio Stadium 13 times, a new recycling project is keeping plastic out of landfills. Maybe you’ve seen all those boats out of water, wrapped up in super-tight waterproof plastic. Boat owners shrinkwrap their boats after summer to keep out the dirt, rain and snow during winter. In spring the stuff gets taken off, and since it’s cheap and not reusable, typically just gets thrown away. With some 400,000 registered boats in Ohio, the practice leads to tons of plastic ending up in landfills.
Now a two-year pilot project, set in the counties along Lake Erie, is showing a better solution. The Boat Shrinkwrap Recycling Program, part of the Ohio Clean Marinas Program, has collected and recycled nearly one-half million pounds, about 240 tons, of boat wrap and greenhouse plastic. CONTACT: Gary Comer Jr., Ohio Sea Grant, (937) 599-4227 or comer.29@osu.edu SEE: http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/cleanmarinas/

Events

Ohio State to kick off "Brutus On Parade" campaign – Oct. 31. Ohio State will kick off its “Brutus On Parade” campaign this Wednesday (10/31) with a special preview of a community-wide program designed to benefit the university's library renovation project. University President E. Gordon Gee, along with other university and community leaders, will be in attendance at the 9 a.m. event in the Ohio Stadium Recruiting Room. The “Brutus On Parade” campaign features the creation of one-of-a-kind, seven-foot tall fiberglass Brutus Buckeye statues to be displayed around the city this spring. Each will have its own unique personality and will reflect creative themes. The first four statues to be part of the campaign will be unveiled at the event. CONTACT: Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110.

President of Bangladesh to speak at Ohio State – Nov. 1 and 2. Ohio State will host the President of Bangladesh this week – the second time this year that a world leader has visited campus to discuss global warming issues and the role of education in addressing climate change.
President Iajuddin Ahmed will present a University Distinguished International Lecture on “Global Warming Effects on Sea Level Rise and Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh” at 3 p.m. on Friday (11/2) at the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1850 College Rd.
On Thursday (11/1), Ahmed will lecture and hold a media availability at Ohio State’s campus in Wooster. He will be available to media at 1 p.m. at the at Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave. At 2 p.m., he will offer a University Distinguished International Lecture on educational systems and their role in climate change.
Ohio State is Ahmed’s only stop at a public institution during his weeklong stay in the United States. In April, Iceland President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson visited Ohio State to discuss environmental issues and research collaborations. CONTACTS: For Columbus visit: Candace Pollock, (614) 292-3799 or pollock.58@cfaes.osu.edu For Wooster visit: Mauricio Espinoza, (330) 621-6541 or espinoza.15@osu.edu SEE: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/story.php?id=4358

Ohio State University Trustees to meet – Nov. 1 and 2. The Ohio State University Board of Trustees and its committees will meet Thursday (11/1) and Friday (11/2) at the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Rd. The schedule includes meetings Thursday (11/1) of the Audit Committee from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., the Committee on Trusteeship from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and the Academic and Student Affairs Committee and the Fiscal Affairs Committee from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. A social dinner for Trustees will follow at 6 p.m.
On Friday (11/2), the formal board meeting will convene at 8:30 a.m. and recess into executive session from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Lunch will be held from noon to 1 p.m. The board meeting will reconvene at 1 p.m. CONTACT: Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748.

Why We Like Dogs (and They Like Us) – Nov. 1. James Serpell, a leading expert in the study of human-animal interactions, will discuss the mutually beneficial relationships between owners and their dogs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday (11/1) at the Wexner Center Film Video Theater, 1850 College Rd. Presented in collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine, the event is part of the Funney/Strange exhibit at the Wexner Center for the Arts, in relation to William Wegman’s exhibit. Serpell is professor of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare, and Director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. His books include “In the Company of Animals” and “The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour and Interactions with People.” SEE: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/3046.htm

Student-Athletes honored at Academic Celebration at South Campus Gateway – Nov. 2. In 007, the Ohio State men’s gymnastics team became the first in program history to be named National Academic Team Champions, as well as the first to secure three-consecutive Big Ten championships. To honor the team, Ohio State is hosting an afternoon celebration from 2-4 p.m. on Friday (11/2) at the South Campus Gateway. Speakers will include President Gordon Gee, Athletics Director Gene Smith, coach Miles Avery and former OSU gymnasts. CONTACT: Emily Meyer, (614) 292-1389 or meyer.504@osu.edu SEE: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1282059

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