16
October
2011
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18:00 PM
America/New_York

Story Ideas for Media 10/17/11

Research

Killing crop-eating pests: compounds work by disrupting bugs’ winter sleep. The creation of compounds that disrupt a worldwide pest’s winter sleep hints at the potential to develop natural and targeted controls against crop-eating insects, new research suggests.
Scientists have designed agents that interfere with the protective dormancy period of the corn earworm, a species that infests more than 100 types of plants and costs American farmers an estimated $2 billion a year in losses and control costs.
The compounds, composed of synthetic molecules that mimic the structure of a hormone in these insects, have three different effects on diapause, a hibernation-like state of arrested development that allows many types of bugs to survive through the winter. The agents can force the insects out of diapause prematurely, prevent the bugs from ever entering diapause, or block the termination of diapause.
Any of these cases could be described as “ecological suicide,” said David Denlinger, professor of entomology and evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University and senior author of the study. CONTACT: Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310; caldwell.151@osu.edu SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/diahormone.htm

Events

Ohio State kicks off year-long “Conversation on Immigration” – Oct. 20-21. Ohio State’s Center for Ethics and Human Values is leading a year-long, university-wide conversation on immigration during the academic year. The conversation reaches across all academic disciplines to address complex social problems that have a significant moral dimension.
The first major conference marking the event, “Immigration: What’s at Stake?” occurs Thursday and Friday (10/20-21) as researchers address the challenges and opportunities immigration poses in the modern world. Jorge Castañeda, former foreign minister of Mexico and current professor at New York University, will deliver the keynote address, “Immigration Today: Mañana Forever” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday (10/21) at the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St. Additional panels address economic and social issues related to immigration. SEE: www.immigration.osu.edu

Walk to benefit suicide prevention efforts – Oct. 23. It is estimated that each year, nearly one million Americans make a suicide attempt, more than 34,000 die by suicide, and more than 20 million suffer from depression. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens and young adults and the second leading cause of death for college students.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will host the Columbus Out of the Darkness Community Walk on Sunday (10/23) at Fred Beekman Park, 2200 Carmack Road (on Ohio State’s West Campus). Proceeds benefit local and national suicide research, prevention and awareness programs, including efforts at Ohio State. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and the walk begins at noon. CONTACT: Leslie Arend, Columbus Out of the Dark Walk, (740) 607-8685 or afspwalk2011@gmail.com. SEE: www.outofthedarkness.org.

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