Story Ideas for Media 2/24/17

Conference looks at The World of Harry Potter – Feb. 24-25. The fourth annual Popular Culture and the Deep Past extravaganza at Ohio State takes place on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24 and 25, at the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St.
This year’s event is focused on The World of Harry Potter, and will include a variety of academic papers and Potter-themed events throughout the two days. There will be combat, dancing, culinary demonstrations, cosplay, falconry and an exhibit of ancient books and manuscripts, all relating to Harry Potter. The event is free and open to the public and sponsored by the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and the Medieval and Renaissance Graduate Students Association.
SEE:https://cmrs.osu.edu/events/pcdp/2017-harry-potter.

Social Work partners with Wells Foundation on training; apply by March 3. The nonprofit sector is changing, and if you haven't heard of social impact investing, you may be missing out. The Ohio State University College of Social Work is partnering with the Wells Foundation to offer a three-day program to help nonprofit leaders integrate social impact investing into their funding strategy. The program takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 29 through 31 at the Blackwell Inn, 2110 Tuttle Park Place. Applications are due March 3.
The program will help attendees leverage the power of social enterprise and social impact investing together to increase influence, improve stability and grow their organization's sustainability. SEE: http://csw.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Program-description.pdf.
CONTACT: Frankie Jones-Harris, communications director, College of Social Work, (614) 292-3540 or (614) 330-2206 or Jones-Harris.1@osu.edu.

Ohio State research: Mediterranean diet may decrease pain associated with obesity. Eating a Mediterranean diet could decrease the chances an overweight person will experience regular pain, new research suggests.
A well-established connection between body weight and chronic pain might be explained by inflammation in the body, and the study points to anti-inflammatory foods including fish, nuts and beans as a key to preventing or reducing that pain, said lead researcher Charles Emery, a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University.
“We found that a healthy diet explained the link between weight and pain and specifically that seafood and plant proteins such as peas and nuts and beans were key,” said Emery, who is a member of Ohio State’s Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research.
“It appears to be telling us that it’s not just the quantity of the food you eat that plays a role in pain for heavier individuals, but the quality of food as well.” CONTACT: Charles Emery, 614-688-3061; Emery.33@osu.edu. SEE: https://news.osu.edu/news/2017/02/21/pain-obesity/