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Ohio
State's news, experts and events give you more on the news

News

Labor-Inducing Folklore Alive And Well Among Pregnant Women – In spite of an avalanche of modern medical advances in obstetrics, old wives' tales about pregnancy and labor still run rampant, especially tales on how to get labor going as the due date nears. The fact that they're largely untrue doesn't seem to matter. A new Ohio State University survey found that two out of three pregnant women believed that walking would help induce labor, while nearly half believed that having sex would. But the best that a woman with a normal pregnancy can do is to just wait, said study author Jonathan Schaffir, a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Ohio State. “For healthy pregnancies, Mother Nature is the best obstetrician,” he said. Schaffir surveyed 102 pregnant women coming to a prenatal clinic at Ohio State about their awareness of 10 common folk suggestions on inducing labor, and whether or not they believed any of the tips would really work. Contact: Jonathan Schaffir, 614-283-9164 or 614-293-3061; see http://www.osu.edu/researchnews/archive/folkbaby.htm

Experts

Battles continue in Middle East -- Israel continues military operations on the West Bank; President Bush is demanding the Israelis withdraw from Palestinian areas and battles rage in the Church of the Nativity. Ohio State faculty offer expertise on the continuing crisis. As listed in the online version of Ohio State University Faculty Experts http://www.osu.edu/news_db/experts/international.php, Arab-Israeli Relations are key areas for Richard Herrmann, a political scientist at the Mershon Center (614-292-9843 herrmann.1@osu.edu); John Quigley, a professor of law and political science, (614-292-1764 quigley.2@osu.edu); and Peter Hahn, a professor of history, (614-292-7200 hahn.29@osu.edu). In addition, faculty in the Moritz College of Law are knowledgeable about International Law and responses to terrorism: Greg Travalio (614-292-2689, travalio.1@osu.edu), Mary Ellen O’Connell (614-292-8759 oconnell.44@osu.edu), and Stanley Laughlin, (614-292-2448, Laughlin.1@osu.edu.)

Events

Lecturer addresses threat of terrorism to world democracy -- April 10. Yale University Law Professor Harold Hongju Koh will discuss “Global Democracy and Global Terrorism” as he delivers the annual Frank R. Strong Law Forum at the Moritz College of Law at 3 p.m. on Wednesday (4/10) in the auditorium of Drinko Hall, 55 West 12th Avenue. Koh, named by American Lawyer magazine as one of America's 45 leading public sector lawyers under the age of 45, and by A magazine as one of the 100 most influential Asian Americans of the 1990s, has written more than 70 articles and books. The Strong Law Forum honors the dean of the College of Law from 1952 to 1965. Contact: Liz Cutler Gates, Director of Communications, 614-292-0283.

WOW! Teaching science teachers how to WOW their students – April 10. Ohio State is partnering with K-5 schools for teacher training in science. The Department of Chemistry’s Wonders of Our World program (W.O.W.) is hosting a training session to help elementary school teachers gain the tools for teaching science to K-5 students, at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday (4/10) at Wright Elementary School, 2335 W. Case Road. Initiated in 1999, Ohio State’s W.O.W. program teaches basic concepts of the physical and biological sciences through hands-on elementary-level experiments. The program involves a close collaboration between Ohio State faculty and students, the entire faculty of each of the five Columbus elementary schools and local area scientists. Contact: Shannon Wingard, University Relations, (614) 247-6821; see http://wow.osu.edu.

Washington D.C. – Engineering prof gives DOT lesson in remote sensing – April 11. Mark McCord, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science Department, will discuss how remote sensing can help keep traffic flowing at the Department of Transportation/NASA Remote Sensing Applications to Transportation Program on Thursday (4/11) beginning at 1:30 p.m. McCord, an expert in remote sensing applications in transportation, will discuss traffic flows and the innovative application of remote sensing and special information technologies and products. Media are welcome to cover the hearing, which will take place at the Hall of States, 444 N. Capitol Street NW, Washington DC. McCord served as Research Coordinator for the National Consortia for Remote Sensing in Transportation/Traffic Flows, which focused its research on applying space- and air-based remote sensing technology to improve the efficiency of local, regional, statewide and interstate highway and intermodal traffic flow. Contact: Gina Langen, College of Engineering, 614-688-4423.

OSU President Emeritus offers lecture on leadership – April 11. Edward Jennings, president emeritus and professor of finance at Ohio State. will deliver “Leading from the Heart” at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday (4/11) at the Fifth Annual Lena C. Bailey Lecture on Leadership. Sponsored by the College of Human Ecology, the event will be held at Campbell Hall auditorium, 1787 Neil Avenue. Contact: Janet Ciccone, Human Ecology, (614) 292-5338.

Ohio State hosts disability conference – April 11-12. Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion, & Disability is the topic of the conference, hosted by Ohio State on Thursday and Friday (4/11-12) at the Fawcett Center. OSU, ADA-OHIO, and the Great Lakes ADA and Information Technology Center will present 25 workshops exploring the many facets of disability. The conference is intended as a catalyst for collaboration between the University and its partners in business, government, education and the community at large. This year's theme, “Disability In Context,” ties together a wide range of presentations on topics including disability studies, employment, housing, architecture, education, health care and recreation. A complete program is at http://ada.osu.edu Contact: Scott Lisner, ADA Coordinator, (614) 292-6207.

Lecturer looks at Hollywood costumes through history – April 11. Edward F. Maeder, curator of Textiles at Historic Deerfield, Mass., and an internationally known lecturer and author, will deliver “Hollywood and History: Costume Design in Film Revisited,” at 6 p.m. on Thursday (4/11) at the Arena Grand Theatre, 175 Nationwide Blvd. Maeder’s lecture is the second in a series presented by Ohio State's Historic Costume and Textiles Collection. Contact: Gayle Strege, curator, Historic Costume and Textiles Collection, (614) 292-3090.

Central Ohio to be Designated “Clean City” – April 12. The U.S. Department of Energy will honor central Ohio with a Clean Cities designation on Friday, April 12, in a ceremony at the Ohio Statehouse in the Atrium, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will be followed by a luncheon and an exhibit of alternate fuel vehicles, displayed on the South Plaza of the Statehouse and on State Street, between High and Third Streets, until 1:30 p.m. USDOE Deputy Under Secretary Tom Gross will present the Clean Cities plaque to Mayor Michael Coleman and commissioners from the nine Central Ohio counties in the region: Franklin, Delaware, Licking, Fairfield, Pickaway, Madison, Union, Coshocton and Knox. Speakers include Secretary Gross, Mayor Coleman, Roy Rushing of the Central Ohio Clean Fuels Coalition, Jack Riordan of the Ohio Department of Development, Ahmed Soliman of the Ohio State Center for Automotive Research, and Chip Howard of Honda of America. The Clean City designation allows private and government members of the Central Ohio Clean Fuels Coalition to receive federal funds to support clean, domestic fuel projects. The Center for Automotive Research and the Central Ohio Clean Fuels Coalition are partnering on this project, with CAR serving as the host location for COCFC offices in Columbus. Contact: Sam Spofforth, Central Ohio Clean Fuels Coalition, (614) 292-5435.

Boards & Bikes welcomed at the Wexner Center – April 13-14. The current installation at the Wexner Center includes a basin for skateboarders and BMX bikers. During “Board & Bikes,” the activities include demonstrations by professional skateboard and BMX teams, screenings of BMX and skateboard films, open skating in the “Free Basin” skate bowl and halfpipe, and panel discussions with experts from both sports. Skaters must complete a liability form at the Wexner Center before entering the “Free Basin” or the halfpipe. The event is presented by the Wexner Center and the Knowlton School of Architecture with support from the KSA Baumer Fund. Contact: Karen Simonian, Wexner Center, (614) 292-9923.

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.