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News

Ice coring team heads for Alaska – Glaciologist Lonnie Thompson hopes that once his latest expedition ends in early summer, he will have one of the so-far missing pieces to the global climate change puzzle – a record of ancient weather trapped inside ice from Alaskan glaciers that could date back thousands of years. Thompson, professor of geological sciences at Ohio State University, is leading the expedition – his 44th – next week to a rugged and remote region of the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountain range on the U.S.-Canadian Border. There, in an ice-filled saddle between two mountain peaks, he and a team of researchers will use a solar-powered drill to pierce the ice cap and retrieve these records. Thompson and his research team have undertaken similar missions to ice fields and glaciers to Peru, Bolivia, Antarctica, Greenland, Kurgyzstan, China, Africa and the Russian Arctic during the last quarter-century. The cores they have returned to Ohio State’s Byrd Polar Research Center paint a picture of climate across the millennia, with the oldest dating back 600,000 years. From these cores, Thompson and his wife and research partner, Ellen Moseley-Thompson, a professor of geography, have built a history of ancient climate around the world over the centuries. From this history, they should be able to determine if recent evidence of global warming is just part of a natural cycle or, as they suspect, it is evidence that human activity has altered the planet's weather system. Contact: Lonnie Thompson, (614) 292-6652; thompson.3@osu.edu see http://www.osu.edu/units/research/archive/bona-churchill.htm

Experts

Makeover or start over? Columbus Public Schools faces challenges in facility plan – As Columbus Public School officials look at options to improve facilities, what kinds of competing interests must they balance? The school district is considering renovation and/or replacement of a number of schools. Ohio State University Education Professor Daryl Siedentop, director of the P-12 Project, says there are a number of challenges ahead. Among the issues that must considered: research shows students benefit from smaller classes; protection and sensitive restoration of historic buildings; and the urgent need to bring many buildings up to current standards for health, safety and technology. The P-12 Project is a university-wide partnership developed to strengthen the scope and effectiveness of OSU's commitment to P-12 education, with a special emphasis on the education of underserved children and youth. Contact: Daryl Siedentop, P-12 Project, (614) 247-6398, or Siedentop.1@osu.edu

Events

Ohio State Celebrates Engineers Week – April 22-26. Engineering students at Ohio State are hosting "Engineers Week" on campus with a number of activities designed to raise awareness of what engineers provide to our society. A model rocket launch, electric vehicles display and a straw tower competition are just a few of the scheduled activities from Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26. For more information about activity times and locations, Contact: Gina Langen, College of Engineering, (614) 688-4423.

Alumna/Astronaut visits campus to inspire students – April 23. Nancy Currie, a NASA astronaut who was a mission specialist on the space shuttle Columbia mission two months ago, will talk about “Leaders and Leadership Development” before a group of ROTC and engineering students at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday (4/23) in 031 Hitchcock Hall, 2070 Neil Avenue. Following her lecture and a question and answer session with students, Currie will meet informally with reporters at approximately 4 p.m. in 031 Hitchcock. Currie, a 1980 graduate of Ohio State, is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and the guest of Ohio State’s ROTC programs. She will talk about how the leadership training she received as an ROTC cadet helped her become an army aviator and NASA astronaut. The early March shuttle flight, to upgrade the Hubble telescope, was Currie’s fourth trip into space. She carried into space the OSU Army ROTC “colors,” and will be returning the out-of-this-world flag during her visit to Ohio State. Contact: Amy Murray, University Relations, (614) 292-8385, or Lt. Gumbert, ROTC, (614) 292-6075.

Lecture looks at Western culture and religion – April 23. The College of Humanities presents its seventh Inaugural Lecture of the year at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday (4/23) at the Faculty Club, 181 S. Oval Drive. Professor Michael Schwarz, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, will present “Else,” looking at how ancient theories can shed light on current social issues. Contact:Shari Lorbach, Humanities, (614) 292-1882.

WOSU-AM Turns 80 – April 24. 820 WOSU-AM celebrates its 80th anniversary on Wednesday, with occasional snippets of sound from the station’s past throughout the day. On April 24, 1922, after years of technical experiments, the University’s wireless was licensed as WEAO, an acronym for “Willing, Energetic, Athletic, Ohio.” In 1933 the call letters were changed to WOSU to better identify the station’s affiliation with The Ohio State University. WOSU-AM was joined by the FM station in 1949. Contact:Paul Anthony, WOSU, (614) 292-9678.

Take A Daughter to Work Day – April 25. Ohio State University employees are invited to Take a Daughter to Work on Thursday (4/25), and introduce daughters and sons to a range of exciting careers. Participants may try their hand at creating their own Web homepage, lifting fingerprints off objects, being a reporter or helping a chimpanzee learn to count. Learn what it takes to become a veterinarian, social worker, lawyer, photographer, farmer or computer whiz. Several hundred children ages 9 to 17 are expected to attend any of the free campus workshops, which are taught by faculty and staff volunteers. Among the activities:

-- 8:30 a.m., Yvette McGee-Brown, president of the Center for Child and Family Advocacy, and former juvenile judge, presents “High Expectations: Aiming for Excellence” in the Ohio Union Conference Theater, 1739 N. High St.

– 9:45 to 11:15 a.m. and 1 to 2:30 p.m., Over 50 workshops around campus for children 9-17 to explore careers.

– 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., Wind down with a dance/workout class “Funk it up in Caribbean Rhythms!” at Larkins Hall, 337 West 17th Avenue. Contact:Margie Bogenshutz, Take a Daughter to Work Day Committee, (614) 292-8586.

National teleconference explores disability issues – April 25. Ohio State is the origination site for a national teleconference, “Improving the Quality of Education for Students with Disabilities: A Shared Responsibility,” from 2 to 4 p.m., Thursday (4/25) in Room 150 of the Younkin Success Center, 1640 Neil Ave. The teleconference is an effort to share cost-effective and meaningful strategies for improving collaboration among administrators, faculty, staff and students on diversity and disability issues. Among the university dignitaries to participate in the teleconference are President William E. Kirwan, Provost Ed Ray and Scott Lissner, ADA coordinator. These strategies revolve around the teaching-learning process, the provision of accommodations and the fostering of institutional commitment to greater access and disability awareness. Contact:Margo Izzo, principal investigator and co-project director, (614) 292-9218; see http://www.osu.edu/grants/dpg/teleconference.

Conference looks at wild weather – from tornadoes to lake-effect snowstorms – April 26. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and forecasting are topics of the Sixth Annual Ohio Weather Symposium, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday (4/26) in the Ohio Union Conference Theatre, 1739 N. High St. The conference features speakers from a wide range of meteorologic specialties discussing severe weather research, forecasting and presentation. Highlights include A Review of Operational Forecasting for Lake Effect Snow, presented by Thomas Niziol of the National Weather Service in Buffalo; Understanding, forecasting, and mitigating heat-related mortality, with Scott Sheridan of Kent State University; and Tornado Trends Across the United States 1950-2000, with Dan McCarthy of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Ok.Contact: Greg Elsaesser, Ohio State Meteorology Club, (614) 291-1508.

Fifth graders check out the science of farming – April 26. More than 350 Columbus area students will be participating in Scarlet and Gray Ag Day at Ohio State on Friday (4/26) from 9:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. The students will take part in educational, hands-on sessions about agriculture and natural resources. Fifth graders from Brentnell Montessori, Court Elementary, Columbus School for Girls, London Elementary, St. Andrews and Wickliffe Alternative Schools will take part in more than 20 different sessions covering the topics of food safety, livestock production and a live demonstration on the making of bratwurst and ice cream. The event is organized and staffed by student members of Ohio State’s Agricultural Education Society. Contact: Melissa Karcher, (614) 294-7484.

University Hospitals East holds Community Day – April 27. A health fair, a grand opening and a neighborhood cleanup will mark the third anniversary of OSU Hospitals East’s presence in the eastside community as the facility sponsors a Community Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday (4/27). Reporters are invited to cover the event, one of the largest health fairs and screenings in the city. Last year, over 600 people attended. The health fair, with free screenings, including, cholesterol, blood sugar, height/weight, and health counseling, will be held in the Hospitals’ cafeteria from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. At 10 a.m., staff will be picking up litter, raking and sweeping in the area along Taylor Avenue in conjunction with the “Keep Columbus Beautiful” campaign. In addition, the grand opening of JamesCare will take place on the second floor. Free health information and screenings will be available, and for a nominal fee, mammograms will be provided to people who call 293-5066 for appointments. Contact:Zoë Richards, Medical Center Communications, (614) 293-3737.

So you want to be an Optometrist – April 28. The Ohio State University College of Optometry will hold its annual Open House on Sunday (4/28) from 1-4 p.m. at the College, 338 W. 10th Avenue. Anyone interested in becoming an optometrist can talk to current students and faculty, tour classrooms, labs, examination rooms and clinics. There are only 19 schools and colleges of optometry in the United States and Canada and the Ohio State University College of Optometry is ranked among the best. Contact: Sally Haltom, College of Optometry, 292-2647. Contact: Twaina Harris, Sally Haltom or Paul Todd, College of Optometry, (614) 292-2647.

Glenn Institute grant enhances Service Learning – The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy has received a $50,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to enhance community/school relationships in the field of service-learning. The grant builds upon a grant the institute received from Kellogg last year, as well as on the National Commission on Service-Learning, which Sen. John Glenn chaired and the institute cosponsored with the Kellogg Foundation. Service-learning is a teaching technique that combines community service with classroom academics. Because of the success of service-learning in improving both academic achievement and civic engagement, the National Commission has recommended that every student participate in a high-quality service-learning project every year from kindergarten through grade 12. The commission and Glenn Institute are working now to expand service-learning opportunities for all students. Many national service organizations, such as the Lions Club, already support service-learning because of its educational advantages. This grant will allow the Glenn Institute to build on that support by convening the directors of those national organizations for a daylong dialogue with school administrators about service learning. The institute hopes that this exchange will result in increased funding for
service-learning projects as well as long-term partnerships between service organizations and local school districts. Contact:Deborah Merritt, Glenn Institute, (614) 292-4545.

Diversity Lecture Series focuses on discrimination –April 29. Kimberle W. Crenshaw (UCLA and Columbia Law School) will present "Discrimination in a Global Context," at 9 a.m. on Monday (4/29), in the Ohio Union Conference Theatre, 1739 N. High St. The lecture series, a component of Ohio State’s Diversity Action Plan, is sponsored by the Office of the President and the Office of Academic Affairs. Contact:The Women's Place, 292-3960.

The person listed as Contact will have the best information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story – Elizabeth Conlisk, (614) 292-3040; Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276; Randy Dunham, (614) 292-8295; Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385, and Shannon Wingard, (614) 247-6821.