Story Ideas for Media 3-13-06

News

Study hard; take next week off – Ohio State students are taking final exams this week. Winter commencement is Sunday (3/19). Next week (3/20-24), students will observe spring break. Classes for the 10-week spring quarter begin Monday (3/27). CONTACT: Amy Murray, University Relations, (614) 292-8385.

HUD awards grant to Knowlton School of Architecture to help rebuild Gulf Coast – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced seven universities will receive over $2 million through an innovative new program that draws on the expertise of these centers for higher learning to help rebuild communities throughout the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. The funding is provided through HUD\'s new Universities Rebuilding America Partnership (URAP) initiative. Ohio State’s Knowlton School of Architecture will receive a grant for $266,741 to fund the continuation of OSU’s efforts over the next two years. Since December 2005, Jennifer Evans-Cowley, assistant professor of City and Regional Planning has worked with a group of 12 students and three planning professionals to provide community planning assistance to Harrison County, Mississippi. More about Ohio State’s efforts in Harrison County is at http://www.co.harrison.ms.us/departments/zoning/downloads.asp
CONTACT: Jennifer Evans-Cowley, (614) 247-7479.

Buckeye Village Community Center earns environmental design award – The Buckeye Village Community Center at Ohio State has been awarded the 2006 Place Design Award from the Environmental Design Research Association, recognizing excellence in the design of structures for a human environment. The 280,000-square-foot building was opened in January 2005, and serves as centerpiece to Buckeye Village, a family housing complex at Ohio State. The center provides childcare facilities, social and academic gathering areas and landscapes for students – particularly single-parent, low-income graduate students. CONTACT: Amy Carey, communications coordinator, (614) 247-7244, carey.189@osu.edu, or Kay Bea Jones, associate professor, (614) 292-9449, jones.76@osu.edu

Research

New anti-drug program shows “phenomenal” success by focusing on positives – A newly-released study suggests that a well-designed in-school and community communication campaign can dramatically cut marijuana and alcohol use among young teens. Michael Slater, professor of communication at Ohio State, studied 32 schools in 16 communities around the country and found that the “Be under your own Influence” campaign cut in half the number of students who began using marijuana and alcohol during the two years of the project, compared to students in communities without the program. “That\'s a startlingly strong effect,” said Slater. The campaign included print materials, such as a series of posters, as well as promotional items such as book covers, tray liners, T-shirts, water bottles, rulers and lanyards. CONTACT: Michael Slater, (614) 247-8762; Slater.59@osu.edu See: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/antidrug.htm

Events

Distinguished scientist will deliver commencement address – March 19. Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D. president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will deliver the winter quarter commencement address on Sunday (3/19) at St. John Arena. Approximately 1,700 degrees will be awarded at the ceremony, which begins at 1 p.m. Jackson also will receive the honorary Doctor of Science degree during the ceremony. A theoretical physicist who has held senior leadership positions in government, industry and higher education, Jackson has served as the president of RPI since 1999. Her career has also included the chairmanship of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), research in theoretical physics at Bell Laboratories, and a professorship at Rutgers University. Over the past five years, Jackson has worked to bring national attention to what she has dubbed the “Quiet Crisis” in America – the threat to the United State\'s capacity to innovate due to the looming shortage in the nation\'s science and technology workforce. CONTACT: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.

Food scientist will receive honorary degree, deliver lecture – March 20. Gurdev S. Khush, adjunct professor at the University of California at Davis and winner of the 1996 World Food Prize, will deliver “Feeding 5 Billion Rice Consumers in 2030,” at 1:30 p.m. on Monday (3/20) in 333 Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road. Khush will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree at commencement on Sunday (3/19). To advance the goals of Ohio State’s Academic Plan, the Office of International Affairs established and provides support for several Clusters of Interdisciplinary Research on International Themes. Khush’s lecture is part of the program’s seminar series on climate change. CONTACT: Patricia Drillen, (614) 292-9049.

Town Hall meeting offers discussion of “What is your health worth?” – March 22. Ohio State’s School of Public Health will take part in a virtual town hall meeting, “What is your health worth? A national conversation on health care,” where the public can tell policymakers how to change today’s health care system to make it work for all Americans. The webcast will originate from the University of Michigan and will be offered simultaneously at 22 colleges and universities across the country. The Columbus event will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday (3/22), in H1213 Ross Heart Hospital, 452 W. 10th Avenue, and will be moderated by Sandra Tanenbaum, associate professor in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy at the School of Public Health. CONTACT: Christine O’Malley, (614) 293-9406, comalley@sph.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