Story Ideas for Media 12/13/16

Calendar note: Students are taking autumn semester final exams through Dec. 15. Commencement is the 18th. Spring semester classes begin on Jan. 9, 2017.

Ohio State to award 3,400 degrees at autumn commencement – Dec. 18. Commencement ceremonies for about 3,400 autumn semester graduates begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18, in the Jerome Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Drive. Doors to the facility open at noon.
Ohio State President Michael V. Drake will preside, and the commencement address will be given by Tim Gerber, professor of music.
Each graduate will receive his or her own diploma, a practice rarely attempted by a university the size of Ohio State.
During the ceremony, the university will award the honorary Doctor of Science degree to Robert Parris Moses, president and founder of The Algebra Project, a mathematics literacy effort aimed at helping low-income and students of color improve math skills.
Ohio State will also present the Distinguished Service Award to Gary E. Booth, who earned a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1965, built an impressive career as a research chemist with Procter & Gamble, and has provided fundraising leadership and resources for the new Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry building, which opened in 2014. SEE: https://www.commencement.osu.edu. CONTACT: Amy Murray, murray-goedde.1@osu.edu, 614-292-8385.

Coping with holiday stress. Celebrating the holidays can bring financial pressures, the heavy weight of expectations, and panic that there’s just not enough time. Dealing with new family dynamics, a change in traditions, or broken family ties can also be stressors. Experts in The Ohio State University College of Social Work are available to discuss how families can cope. CONTACT: Frankie Jones-Harris, Communications Director at the College of Social Work, (614) 292-3540 or (614) 330-2206 or Jones-Harris.1@osu.edu.

Ohio State Scientist Elected President of Scientific Society. An Ohio State University researcher was elected as the 2018 president of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), one of the nation’s premier natural science organizations.
Richard Dick, a professor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources and an Ohio Eminent Scholar in soil microbial ecology, will serve a three-year commitment on the SSSA Executive Council, starting January 2017.
Dick’s internationally recognized research seeks to understand microbial communities and processes that drive soil functions and deliver ecosystem services. His work has applications for the environment and agriculture. Among his accomplishments, Dick led the discovery of the biophysical processes behind a native shrub intercropping system that has the potential to transform agricultural practices in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
Founded in 1936, SSSA is the professional home for more than 6,300 members and more than 1,000 certified professionals dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. SSSA works to enhance the sustainability of soils, the environment, and food production by integrating diverse scientific disciplines and principles in soil science. CONTACT: Amanda Davey, davey.22@osu.edu SEE: http://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/ohio-state-soil-scientist-elected-president-international-scientific-society.