Story Ideas for Media 11-26-07

Experts

Historian discusses impact of Supreme Court case on gun control. The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to take a closer look at the meaning of the Second Amendment, the first time in nearly seventy years that the high court will consider the meaning of this contested provision of the Bill of Rights, said Saul Cornell, professor of history at Ohio State University. The case, District of Columbia v. Heller, will determine the fate of the District of Columbia's gun ban, and could determine the future of gun control in America and might even become an issue in the presidential election next fall, Cornell said. In his book "A Well Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America" (2006), Cornell argues that both sides in the modern debate, supporters of gun control and supporters of gun rights, have got the history wrong. The original understanding of the Second Amendment was neither an individual nor a collective right, as modern gun rights and gun control supporters have argued. In Cornell's view, the Second Amendment was as much an obligation as a right. CONTACT: Saul Cornell, (614) 292-7858, Cornell.14@osu.edu.

Research

Study refutes conventional wisdom on college football rankings. A new study of 25 years of data from a major college football poll challenges three strongly held beliefs of many coaches and fans.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the research found that teams are not punished by pollsters for losing late in the season; that there's no benefit to playing and beating strong opponents; and that the margin of victory doesn't matter in poll results.
"In the end, what the study really says is that voters in college football polls take into account winning and losing -- and that is about all," said Trevon Logan, author of the study and assistant professor of economics at Ohio State University.
"A lot of the things that coaches and fans believe turn out not to be true."
With the help of about 10 undergraduate students, Logan assembled the weekly Associated Press poll results for 25 of college football's most prominent programs for the 25 seasons from 1980 to 2004. In all, the data set contains information on more than 6,000 games. Logan examined the number of points teams received from the AP voters each week. Logan's paper is available at the website of the National Bureau of Economic Research ). CONTACT: Trevon Logan, (614) 292-0762; Logan.155@osu.edu SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/convwisd.htm

Events

Ceremony will mark "building raising" for new Ohio State student union – Nov. 30. In lieu of a traditional ground-breaking ceremony, Ohio State's Office of Student Affairs will host a "building raising" for the new student union building on Friday (11/30). Due to the demolition of the Ohio Union, ground on the construction site is already well broken. This event will mark the beginning of construction on the new facility, scheduled for completion in 2010. Following a 2:30 p.m. program in Saxbe Auditorium at Drinko Hall, 55 W. 12th Ave., guests will cross the street to the building site for a special ceremony. A reception will follow at 4 p.m. in Pomerene Hall, 1760 Neil Ave. CONTACT: Heather McGinnis, Ohio Union, (614) 292-7924.

As gas prices continue to soar, OSU hybrid car team to talk about importance of alternative fuel vehicles at COSI – Nov. 30. Ohio State's Challenge X Hybrid Car Team will showcase new alternative vehicle technology at COSI Columbus from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday (11/30). Students will be available to discuss the technology they have developed and projects they are currently researching. Several alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles will be available for photographs.
The Challenge X competition is a unique program uniting academia, government and industry to participate in hands-on research and development with leading-edge automotive propulsion, fuels, materials, and emissions-control technologies to increase fuel economy and lower emissions. Students converted a Chevrolet Equinox into a hybrid by replacing the entire drive train with one of their own design, and compete based on real-world metrics such as fuel economy, emissions reduction, performance, drive quality and consumer acceptability. Ohio State University is one of only 17 universities to be accepted into the four-year, national competition. CONTACT: Katie Appelt, appelt.2@osu.edu, (614) 214-6034.

OSU Medical Center hosts Global Diabetes Summit – Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Ohio State University Medical Center has invited diabetes experts from around the world to present their latest research on global prevention, diabetes technology, cellular and tissue therapies, islet cell therapy, pharmacology, pregnancy and cardiovascular disease and other topics at one of the largest conferences of its type. The Global Diabetes Summit scientific event takes place on Friday (11/30) from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Saturday (12/1) from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. Approximately 500 health care professionals from around the world will be in attendance. Media are invited to participate in the symposium. Register online. In addition, the Medical Center will host a day-long community event on Saturday (12/1) from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St. The event will feature panel discussions, workshops, screenings and exhibitions with diabetes-care professionals on-hand to answer questions. The event will include comments by Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and State Sen. Ray Miller. Register online.

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