Story Ideas for Media 10-3-05

Experts

Experts available to discuss U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process. White House counsel Harriet Miers has been nominated to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Miers, 60, has never been a judge before. Faculty members at the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University are available to talk with the media about the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process:
*Alan C. Michaels, (614) 688-3451 or michaels.23@osu.edu. Professor Michaels served as clerk to Associate Justice Harry A. Blackmun during the 1987-1988 term. He is an expert in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. Michaels says "President Bush has certainly made an interesting pick by selecting his White House Counsel, a woman with extensive career in private practice but no judicial experience. It seems likely that both sides will be eager to learn more about her during the confirmation hearings, and, given the lack of previous scrutiny of the record of her legal career, the run-up to those hearings could well contain unforeseen revelations."
*Peter M. Shane, (614) 688-3014 or shane.29@osu.edu. Professor Shane is an expert in the area of administrative law. He can discuss the history of Supreme Court appointments, responsibilities of the Senate, judicial records of retiring Justices, issues likely to be important on the Court's agenda that the new Justice could influence, and philosophies of constitutional interpretation and adherence to past precedents.

Research

Death sentences linked to history of lynching in states – States that sentence the most criminals to death also tend to be the states that had the most lynchings in the past, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that the number of death sentences for all criminals – Black and white – were higher in states with a history of lynchings. But the link was even stronger when only Black death sentences were analyzed. The results may be shocking to many people, but they aren't surprising to sociologists who study the racial aspects of the death penalty, said David Jacobs, co-author of the study and professor of sociology at Ohio State University.
"Our results suggest that the death penalty has become a sort of legal replacement for the lynchings in the past," Jacobs said. "This hasn't been done overtly, and probably no one has consciously made such a decision. But the results show a clear connection."
CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/dthplty.htm

Events

Formula One Race Car Makes OSU Pit Stop – Oct. 4. The Grand Prix-winning Michael Schumacher Formula One Ferrari will be on The Ohio State University campus for the Shell Pit Stop Challenge from noon to 5 p.m., on Tuesday (10/4) at Knowlton School of Architecture Plaza, 275 W. Woodruff Ave. Teams of students will play the role of pit-stop crew in a competition to perform the fastest pit duty during Formula One racing—changing a tire. The competition is a team building and leadership activity tied to Shell Oil Company's campus recruiting program. Shell is visiting the OSU campus to recruit engineering, geosciences and business students for future employment with the company.
CONTACT: Patricia Allen, Fisher College of Business, (614) 292-8937

ION, the OSU robotic vehicle, competes in California – through Oct. 5. The Ohio State University College of Engineering's Desert Buckeyes autonomous vehicle team begins the week in third place among 43 in a national contest for robotic ground vehicles and a chance at a $2 million prize. Ohio State's team is in California for the semifinals of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Grand Challenge, a contest whose ultimate goal is to advance autonomous vehicle technology. Ohio State's vehicle is called ION, Intelligent Off-road Navigator. Members of the Desert Buckeyes team include faculty and undergraduate and graduate students.
When the semi-finals end on Wednesday (10/5), 20 teams will advance to the Grand Challenge, scheduled for Oct. 8 in Primm, Nev. The vehicles must travel over rugged terrain in the desert Southwest using only onboard sensors and navigation equipment to find and follow the route and avoid natural and man-made obstacles. DARPA will award $2 million to the team whose autonomous vehicle successfully completes the route the fastest within a 10-hour time period.
CONTACT: Joan Slattery Wall, (614) 292-4064, wall.107@osu.edu,
SEE: http://www.ece.osu.edu/ion/ For information about the DARPA Grand Challenge, including a tracking website, see http://www.darpa.mil/GrandChallenge/

Department of Physics welcomes two-time graduate for inaugural lecture – Oct. 5. Laura H. Greene (B.S.'74, M.S.'77), Swanlund Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will deliver the First Department of Physics Distinguished Alumni Lecture. The title of her lecture is "High-Temperature Superconductivity: From Broken Symmetries to Cell Phones." The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday (10/5) in the Wexner Film/Video Theatre, 1871 N. High St.
CONTACT: Melissa Weber, (614) 292-2254 or weber.254@osu.edu.

Lecturer to discuss work and family – Oct. 6. Robert Drago, professor of labor studies and women's studies at Penn State University, will discuss "Making Work and Family Compatible: Challenges and Strategies for Change" at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday (10/6) in the Ohio Union Conference Theatre, 1739 N. High St. This event kicks off the sixth annual President and Provost's Diversity Lecture and Cultural Arts Series, which is designed to bring scholars and leaders from around the nation to share their knowledge and experience with issues of diversity. For more information on the series, see http://www.osu.edu/diversity/lecture.php
CONTACT: Liz Cook, University Relations, (614) 292-7276.

Middle school students to discover Strategies for College Success at OSU – Oct. 7. Students from Starling Middle School in Columbus are attending weekly sessions of Strategies for College Success, a class at the Walter E. Dennis Learning Center. The federally funded program teaches the academic skills necessary to do well in school, as well as techniques to overcome procrastination and build self-confidence. The 13 students from the Shepard Center gifted and talented program are on campus from 8-10 a.m. in 250 Younkin Success Center, 1640 Neil Ave.
CONTACT: Bruce W. Tuckman, tuckman.5@osu.edu or (614) 688-8284.
See: http://dennislearningcenter.osu.edu/FIPSE/home.asp

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