06
November
2011
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18:00 PM
America/New_York

Story Ideas for Media 11/7/11

  • Salvinia_molestaa.jpg
    Salvinia molesta infesting a body of water. Photo source: Wikipedia.
  • salvinia_hairsa.jpg
    Optical micrograph of eggbeater-shaped hairs on the leaf surface of the aquatic plant Salvinia molesta. The hairs reduce friction and help the plant stay afloat. Ohio State University engineers have replicated the surface in a plastic coating that could reduce drag and boost buoyancy on boats and submarines. Images courtesy of Ohio State University.
  • drop_on_carpet_composite.jpg
    Left: A drop of water sits atop eggbeater-shaped hairs on a Salvinia molesta leaf. Right: The tips of the hairs stick to water with enough force to keep the droplet from rolling off when the leaf is turned to the vertical.
  • Salvinia_molestaa.jpg
    Salvinia molesta infesting a body of water. Photo source: Wikipedia.
  • salvinia_hairsa.jpg
    Optical micrograph of eggbeater-shaped hairs on the leaf surface of the aquatic plant Salvinia molesta. The hairs reduce friction and help the plant stay afloat. Ohio State University engineers have replicated the surface in a plastic coating that could reduce drag and boost buoyancy on boats and submarines. Images courtesy of Ohio State University.
  • drop_on_carpet_composite.jpg
    Left: A drop of water sits atop eggbeater-shaped hairs on a Salvinia molesta leaf. Right: The tips of the hairs stick to water with enough force to keep the droplet from rolling off when the leaf is turned to the vertical.

News

Due to the Veterans Day holiday, Ohio State offices are closed and there are no classes on Nov. 11.

Experts

Ohio State faculty experts can discuss election, and what happens next. Media can call on Ohio State faculty experts for commentary on the election. Experts include:
*Paul Beck, professor of political science -- Should the polls prove correct and Issue 2 is defeated, Beck says the vote will reflect a stunning rebuke and clear defeat for Kasich. He says the vote will be a momentum changer for Ohio and launch the need for a do over at the Statehouse which will be difficult in the face of the 2012 election.
*Dan Tokaji, professor of law – Highly engaged in election laws and issues impacting states across the country. He notes that so much more is at stake beyond Issue 2 when voters go to poles on Tuesday.
*David Stebenne, professor of law and history. Stebenne can discuss the history of unions in politics.
CONTACT: Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276.

Research

Researchers awarded chemical defense grant to fight nerve agents. A $7.5 million grant will help researchers harness the body’s own defenses to counteract nerve agents that might be used in terrorist attacks.
The research could also one day lead to new types of antidotes for exposure to pesticides and other poisons.
The grant, from the National Institutes of Health, extends a previous grant and establishes a new Center of Excellence at Ohio State University, where chemists will collaborate with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
Nerve agents are chemicals that attack the nervous system, causing paralysis and seizures and –ultimately – killing the victim through asphyxiation. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/biodefense.htm

Ohio State awarded $1.4 million grant to induce ‘kidney failure’ in malaria-causing mosquitoes. An Ohio State University entomologist has been awarded $1.4 million from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health to discover chemicals that could pave the way to an entirely new way of killing mosquitoes that spread malaria, a disease that claims the lives of 1 million children around the world each year.
Peter Piermarini, an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology, leads one of four projects recently awarded nearly $6 million by the agency as part of its "New Insecticides for Malaria Control" program.
Thanks to the three-year grant, Piermarini and his team will look for small molecules that induce “kidney failure” in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. SEE: http://oardc.osu.edu/7040/Ohio-State-Awarded-$14-Million-Grant-to-Induce-Kidney-Failure-in-Malaria-causing-Mosquitoes.htm

Events

OSU Mobile: now on Android – Nov. 8. Ohio State will celebrate the launch of the free OSU Mobile app for Android smartphones with an event at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at the Ohio Union Great Hall Art Gallery, 1739 N. High St.
OSU Mobile is a partnership between Ohio State students and staff from various university offices. Its features include personalized grade, schedule, and BuckID information; suggestions for nearby amenities such as restaurants; a real-time bus locator; and the latest news and events.
Since OSU Mobile became available for the iPhone this summer, there have been more than 22,000 downloads of the app. SEE: http://osu.edu/osumobile/. CONTACT: Steve Fischer, Office of Student Life, fischer.141@osu.edu

U.S. Ambassador to Somalia to lecture – Nov. 9. Ambassador James Swan, United States Special Representative for Somalia, will discuss U.S. efforts partner with Somalis as they work to bring security and stability back their country. Swan talk, “America's Dual Track Engagement Policy for Somalia,” begins at 4:30 p.m. in room 120 of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave. It is part of the center’s Use of Force and Diplomacy Speaker Series. His remarks will provide an overview of America's role in supporting humanitarian, development, and security assistance in Somalia. He will also address U.S. programs designed to promote good governance, transparency and accountability within Somalia’s transitional federal and regional administrations. Swan will be available for media interviews following the event, at 6 p.m. SEE: http://mershoncenter.osu.edu/events/11-12events/Nov11/swannov11.htm

Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder to lecture – Nov. 10. William Batchelder, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, will deliver the third annual Goldberg Lecture at 4 p.m. Monday at Ohio State’s Faculty Club, 181 S. Oval Dr. The purpose of the Department of History’s Harvey Goldberg Lecture Series is to provide a forum that advances discussion of the importance of effective teaching to the health and vigor of Ohio’s system of higher education. SEE: http://history.osu.edu/events/goldberg-lecture-excellence-teaching-speaker-ohio-house-william-g-batchelder

Three-day conference examines impact of key Islamic thinker – Nov. 10-12. Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazali examines the influence of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111), a central figure in the history of Islamic theology, jurisprudence, philosophy and Sufism, November 10 – 12, at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Avenue. The event brings together leading scholars from around the world who specialize in intellectual history, philosophy, Islamic law and theology, as well as medieval Christian and Jewish thought. CONTACT: Professor Georges Tamer, M.S. Sofia Chair in Arabic Studies, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, (614) 247-8319, tamer.2@osu.edu

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