Story Ideas for Media 2/22/10

News

Olympic-sized tale of generosity featuring Ohio State retiree to be told on NBC. On Sept. 11, 2001, Shirley Brooks-Jones, a Dublin resident, was on a flight back to the United States from Denmark when her plane was diverted to Canada because of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The tragedy of that day has led Brooks-Jones, a retiree from the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, on “the most extraordinary, the most beautiful experience I’ve ever had in my life.”
Residents of the tiny town of Lewisporte took in nearly 800 of the stranded passengers during the days following 9/11, opening their homes and hearts to these strangers.
To repay the residents for their generosity, Brooks-Jones initiated a scholarship campaign to raise money for residents to attend college. The fund has now grown to over $1 million and funded more than 100 scholarships for Lewisporte residents.
National NBC crews were in Columbus this fall to interview Brooks-Jones; and also in Newfoundland. The network plans to air the story during its broadcast of the closing ceremony which begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday (2/28). CONTACT: Shirley Brooks-Jones, sbrooksjones@aol.com, 614-761-9637; or Martha Filipic, filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu,614-292-9833.

Research

Underdogs have more motivation? Not so fast, according to Ohio State study. Members of a group or team will work harder when they’re competing against a group with lower status than when pitted against a more highly ranked group, according to a new study.
The results run contrary to the common belief that underdogs have more motivation because they have the chance to “knock the higher-status group down a peg,” said Robert Lount, co-author of the study and assistant professor of management and human resources at Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business. “We found over and over again across multiple studies that people worked about 30 percent harder when their group was competing against a lower-status group,” Lount said. CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, Grabmeier.1@osu.edu or (614) 292-8457. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/groupstatus.htm

Events

NAACP President is guest speaker for Black History Month closing program – Feb. 24. Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, will bring Ohio State’s month-long celebration of Black history to a close at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Meiling Hall, 370 W. Ninth Ave. Jealous is the youngest president of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization which is marking its 100th anniversary this year. The Ohio State African American Voices Gospel Choir and the Fort Hayes High School Jazz Band are also on the program. The event is free and open to the public. CONTACT: Larry Williamson, Hale Black Cultural Center, williamson.1@osu.edu or 614-292-0074.

Journalist to speak on U.S. policy in Afghanistan, Pakistan – Feb. 25. Jonathan Landay, senior national security and intelligence correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers, will speak on “It’s The Region, Stupid: The Real Dangers of U.S. Failure in Afghanistan-Pakistan” at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday (2/25) in Saxbe Auditorium, Moritz College of Law, 55 W. 12th Ave. Landay has been nominated three times for a Pulitzer Prize for his investigative work on the Bush administration’s use of exaggerated intelligence on Iraq and the lack of post-invasion stability operations planning. Register online at http://landay.eventbrite.com/. This event is sponsored by the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. CONTACT: Cathy Becker, Mershon Center, (614) 292- 7529.

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