Story Ideas for Media 3-6-06

News

Spring Break: Students spend week doing service – Honduras may not be the first place you'd think of for a "spring break" destination, but it is the chosen location for three separate groups from Ohio State. "Habitat for Humanitiy" is taking a group to build houses as an official Alternative Spring Break program; a group from the College of Nursing is going to work in some rural medical clincs and hospitals in an area damaged by Hurricane Mitch; and the College of Engineering is taking a group to an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS to work on projects that include providing internet access via sattelite, water quality, agriculture, electricity and human ecology. These trips represent just a few of the projects that Ohio State students are undertaking as they enjoy spring break by rolling up their sleeves and working. Other destinations include Washington, D.C. to work in a meal delivery program for home bound patients; Chicago, at a domestic violence center; Willow River, MN at Camp Heartland for HIV positive children, and Slidell, LA to assist Habitat for Humanity in rebuilding hurricane-damaged homes.
CONTACT: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.

Research

Celebrities really do have bigger smiles – Researchers at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry have determined what makes celebrities' smiles so beautiful: they have broader smiles. The findings, announced at this week's annual meeting of the American Association for Dental Research, revealed that celebrities noted for their smiles have less dark space between the side of the teeth and the lips when compared with the smiles of more typical young adults.
The study by Drs. Stephen Rosenstiel, Henry Fields and Robert Rashid at Ohio State analyzed the smile width and curvature of 100 celebrities such as Julia Roberts and George Clooney, who have been named in \"Best Smile\" lists. These celebrities had essentially no dark space next to their smile, while an average young adult has 13.5% dark space. The study also found that women's smiles tend to be more curved than men's. CONTACT: Stephen Rosenstiel, (614) 292-0880, rosenstiel.1@osu.edu; or Kathy Baird, College of Dentistry Communications, (614) 688-3943 or baird.111@osu.edu

Events

Tom Brokaw will speak at Ohio State – March 8. Former NBC Anchorman Tom Brokaw will speak at Ohio State in a public lecture at 4 p.m. on Wednesday (3/8) at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High Street. Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation, will speak about the extraordinary sacrifices and accomplishments of the generation who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War. Senator John Glenn will be a featured guest at this event. Unfortunately, no public seats remain for this event. Media interested in covering the lecture should contact Amy Murray to make arrangements. CONTACT: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.

Sunshine Week brings discussions of open government and secrecy – March 13. Ohio State's Moritz College of Law will mark Sunshine Week on March 13 with the satellite broadcast of the program, "Are We Safer in the Dark?" A panel of experts from around the country will discuss open government and secrecy - the problems confronted, the impacts on communities, and what the public can do. The broadcast, which originates at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., may be viewed at Drinko Hall's Saxbe Auditorium (Room 130), 55 West 12th Avenue. The event is free and open to the public. The broadcast begins at 1 p.m. and will be followed by a local panel discussion at 2:40 p.m. Local panelists include Doug Clifton, editor of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland; Raimund E. Goerler, University Archivist, The Ohio State University; and David Marburger, partner, Baker & Hostetler, Cleveland. Peter M. Shane, professor of law at Ohio State, will moderate the panel. CONTACT: Carole Hinchcliff, 614-292-0903 or Liz Cutler Gates, 614-292-0283.

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.