Story Ideas for Media 5-16-06

News

Ohio State students compete in Denman Undergraduate Research Forum. Some of the university?s best and brightest undergraduates will display their research projects in the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum, from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday (5/17) at the French Field House, 460 Woody Hayes Drive. In its 11th year, the forum will display the work of students in all undergraduate research areas. A study of the impact of term limits on women?s policy issues in Ohio, an investigation of speaking and singing to improve voice, and presentations of a drama and a musical are among the more than 300 research projects that will be featured. The forum is funded through a major gift from long-time university supporters Richard and Martha Denman. CONTACT: University Honors & Scholars Center, (614) 292-0800 or denmanforum@osu.edu

Research

Study links chronic stress, sun and skin cancer risk ? Chronic stress, coupled with ultraviolet (UV) radiation, may increase susceptibility to a common form of skin cancer by suppressing an important category of immune cells, according to a study by Ohio State University cancer researchers. ?We know chronic stress suppresses our body?s ability to fight off infection and heal properly. But no one has looked to see whether chronic stress affects skin cancer, which is the most common cancer in the United States,? said Tatiana M. Oberyszyn, a researcher at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center ? Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute involved in the study. Chronic stress is stress that persists for several hours each day for weeks, months or years. Both chronic stress and exposure to UV radiation suppress the immune system, but the mechanism by which suppression occurs is not fully understood. CONTACT: Eileen Scahill, Medical Center Communications, (614) 293-3737, or Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu

Events

Lecturer discusses food chain ? May 16. Thomas Kiorboe, professor of marine ecology and aquaculture at the Danish Institute for Fisheries Research, Charlottenlund, Denmark, will deliver ?Blind Dating: The Secret Life of Pelagic Copepods,? at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (5/16) at the Fawcett Center Auditorium, 2400 Olentangy River Road. The lecture, part of the Mathematical Biosciences Institute Public Lecture Series, offers a look at the food chain, starting with the mating habits of this variety of zooplankton. CONTACT: Melissa Weber, (614) 292-2254.

Middle school students see what college is all about ? May 19. Eighty students from Columbus? Johnson Park Middle School (JPMS) will get a taste of college and hopefully develop an interest in health fields in a visit to Ohio State on Friday (5/19). The day includes a ride from the east side school to campus on OSU busses, and a visit with admissions officials to learn about financing a college education. Students will spend most of the day with the School of Allied Medical Professions learning how to prepare for careers in medical technology, radiology and respiratory therapy and athletic training. At lunch, students will hear an age-appropriate talk and demonstration about diet and nutrition.
The visit, part of an intensive partnership Ohio State has developed with JPMS, marks the first time that the School of Allied Medical Professions has hosted a program for middle schoolers. Ohio State?s P-12 Project coordinates the university-wide effort, which is intended to establish visible, consistent connections that benefit both JPMS and Ohio State and support the academic progress and postsecondary plans of the middle school students. CONTACT: Denise Fahey, P-12 Project, (614) 688-3621, fahey.13@osu.edu

Ohio State students present annual spring musical for charity ? through May 20. Ohio State?s student-run musical theater group, Off the Lake Productions, will present its annual spring musical: Footloose will be held in Hitchcock Hall, 2070 Neil Avenue, at 8 p.m. on May 12, 13, 18, 19, and 20 at 8 p.m. Admission is an imperishable food item, which will be donated to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Footloose, a Broadway musical created from the 1984 movie of the same name, is the tenth musical put on by the group. CONTACT: Lisa Huneke, Off the Lake Productions, (614) 297-1944 or Huneke.9@osu.edu

Photo alert: fraternity hosts watermelon contest - May 21. Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity will be hosting its annual ?Watermelon Bust? benefiting the American Diabetes Association from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday (5/21) on the South Oval. Approximately 20, five- to eight-member squads will compete in a series of events, which include a watermelon toss and watermelon relay race. Just over $2000 was raised at last year\'s event. CONTACT: Phil Senn, Recreational Sports, (567) 224-7228 or senn.13@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 murray-goedde.1@osu.edu