Story Ideas for Media 2-26-07

Research

Manual dishwashing study digs up dirt on dish cleanliness. New research at Ohio State University answers an infectious question about eating at restaurants: How clean are manually washed dishes?
Even when researchers washed dishes in cooler-than-recommended water, numbers of bacteria on the dishware dropped to levels accepted in the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code.
Jaesung Lee, a doctoral candidate of food, agricultural and biological engineering; and Melvin Pascall, assistant professor of food science and technology, also found that that certain foods—especially cheese and milk—can be safe havens for bacteria when dried onto dishware. Lipstick, however, proved to be dangerous to bacteria.
“After washing, there were lipstick stains still left on a few glasses, but it was the least hospitable substance for bacteria,” Pascall said. “It seems to have antimicrobial properties, which was a big surprise to us.” The findings were published recently in the Journal of Food Engineering.
CONTACT: Melvin Pascall, (614) 292-6281; pascall.1@osu.edu or Jaesung Lee, (614) 292-6910; lee.1506@osu.edu SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/dishwash.htm

Events

Ohio State University Trustees to meet – March 1-2. The Ohio State University Board of Trustees and its committees will meet on Thursday and Friday, (3/1 and 3/2) at the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road. The schedule includes a meeting Thursday (3/1) of the Medical Center Affairs Committee from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Following a reception for student trustee candidates from 5 to 6 p.m., trustees will recess into executive session at 6:15 p.m. On Friday (3/2), the schedule includes meetings of the Investments Committee at 8:15 a.m., and the Fiscal and the Academic and Student Affairs committees at 9:15 a.m. The formal Board meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m. in the Sanders Grand Lounge. CONTACT: Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748.

Professor offers healthy aging advice at Fitness Expo – March 2. Steven Devor, professor of sport and exercise science at Ohio State, will discuss “The importance of engaging in an active lifestyle,” at 1 p.m. on Friday (3/2) at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom. Devor’s appearance is part of the Active Aging Festival within the Arnold Fitness Expo. Other participants in the Active Aging Festival include Jack and Elaine LaLanne, pioneers of TV fitness shows and inventors of the jumping jack, and Dr. Robert Goldman, founder and chair of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. CONTACT: Steve Devor, (614) 688-8436, or Devor.3@osu.edu.

Author to discuss racial disparity of wealth – March 2. Melvin Oliver, dean of the division of social sciences and professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will discuss the increase in wealth inequality at noon Friday (3/2) at the Moritz College of Law, Saxbe Auditorium, 55 W. 12th Ave. Oliver is co-author of “Black Wealth/White Wealth, A New Perspective on Racial Inequality” and writes that African Americans continue to have significantly less wealth than whites, despite a narrowing income gap. The event, hosted by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, is free and open to the public. CONTACT: Lauren Hill, Kirwan Institute, at hill.596@osu.edu or (614) 247-6334.

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