Story Ideas for Media 1/11/11

News

Ohio State faculty rank among highest in new class of Fellows. Again this year, Ohio State University ranks among the top universities in the number of faculty who have been named as new Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Ohio State tied for second place along with two other institutions – the University of Michigan and Iowa State University – out of 213 institutions whose faculty received this honor. Each had nine faculty named by the AAAS this week.
The University of California, Davis; University of California, Riverside and the University of Notre Dame all tied for first, each with 10 faculty named as new Fellows.
The award is significant in that those faculty named are selected by peers within their disciplines who are members of the AAAS, the largest professional scientific organization in the world.
Ohio State has ranked first or second among institutions in the number of new Fellows named for each of the past nine years. CONTACT: Earle Holland, (614) 292-8384. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/2010aaasfellows.htm

Leading autism researchers connected by new Ingram Fund. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports staggering increases in cases of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), top researchers in Columbus, Ohio, have an unprecedented opportunity to unlock and address this growing public health crisis thanks to the generosity of Bill Ingram, CEO of White Castle System, Inc., and director of The Ohio State University Foundation, and his wife, Marci Ingram.
The Ingrams have committed to donating $10 million to The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital to support collaborative ASD research at the two highly regarded institutions by creating one of the nation’s largest individually created funding resources for this important work: The Marci and Bill Ingram Research Fund for Autism Spectrum Disorders. CONTACT: Jane Carroll, carroll.296@osu.edu, (614) 570-7948.

Research

Healthy cats may get sick when routines are disrupted. A cat regularly vomiting hairballs or refusing to eat probably isn't being finicky or otherwise “cat-like,” despite what conventional wisdom might say. There is a good chance that the cat is acting sick because of the stress caused by changes in its environment, new research suggests.
Healthy cats were just as likely as chronically ill cats to refuse food, vomit frequently and leave waste outside their litter box in response to changes in their routine, according to the Ohio State University study. Veterinary clinicians refer to these acts as sickness behaviors.
“For veterinary clinicians, when you have a cat that's not eating, is not using the litter box or has stuff coming up out of its mouth, the quality of the environment is another cause that needs to be addressed in coming up with a diagnosis,” said Tony Buffington, professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Ohio State and senior author of the study.
Based on his years of research and clinical work, Buffington has created a website that provides additional information about environmental enrichment for cats: SEE: http://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/. CONTACT: Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310; caldwell.151@osu.edu SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/sickbehavior.htm

Young people say sex, paychecks come in second to self-esteem. Young people may crave boosts to their self-esteem a little too much, new research suggests.
Researchers found that college students valued boosts to their self-esteem more than any other pleasant activity they were asked about, including sex, favorite foods, drinking alcohol, seeing a best friend or receiving a paycheck.
"It is somewhat surprising how this desire to feel worthy and valuable trumps almost any other pleasant activity you can imagine," said Brad Bushman, lead author of the research and professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University. CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/selfesteem.htm

Events

The Ohio State University will hold a number of activities this weekend to commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
*King Day of Service - Jan. 17. Ohio State students will participate in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday (1/17). Registration will begin at 8 a.m. in the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St., for hundreds of students who will take part in community service projects throughout the city. CONTACT: Rosie Holmes, student advisor, at holmes.443@osu.edu or call 614-292-SERV (7378).

*Ohio State to march in honor of King. Students, faculty and staff will march from campus to Columbus City Hall on Monday (1/17) for the citywide processional that will conclude at Veteran’s Memorial, 300 W. Broad St. The march will begin at 3 p.m. at the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center, 153 West 12th Ave. CONTACT: Larry Williamson, Director, at (614) 292-0074 or Williamson.1@osu.edu

*King Blood Drive. Ohio State students will host a blood drive in honor of King from 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Thursday (1/20) at the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center, 153 West 12th Ave. CONTACT: Deborah Carvalho at carvalhoD@usa.redcross.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