Story Ideas for Media 5/1/12

Research

Video games can teach how to shoot guns more accurately and aim for the head. Just 20 minutes of playing a violent shooting video game made players more accurate when firing a realistic gun at a mannequin – and more likely to aim for and hit the head, a new study found.
Players who used a pistol-shaped controller in a shooting video game with human targets had 99 percent more completed head shots to the mannequin than did participants who played other video games, as well as 33 percent more shots that hit other parts of the body.
In addition, the study found that participants who reported habitual playing of violent shooting games also were more accurate than others when shooting at the mannequin, and made more head shots.
It's not surprising that video games can improve shooting accuracy -- the military, police departments and others already use video games for training purposes, said Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University.
But this is the first study to show that average players using violent shooting games with realistic human targets can improve firing aim and accuracy. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/shootaim.htm CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu

Multitasking may hurt your performance, but it makes you feel better. People aren't very good at media multitasking - like reading a book while watching TV - but do it anyway because it makes them feel good, a new study suggests.
The findings provide clues as to why multitasking is so popular, even though many studies show it is not productive.
Researchers had college students record all of their media use and other activities for 28 days, including why they used various media sources and what they got out of it.
The findings showed that multitasking often gave the students an emotional boost, even when it hurt their cognitive functions, such as studying.
“There’s this myth among some people that multitasking makes them more productive,” said Zheng Wang, lead author of the study and assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University.
“But they seem to be misperceiving the positive feelings they get from multitasking. They are not being more productive - they just feel more emotionally satisfied from their work.” SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/multitask.htm CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu

Events

National energy conference wraps up with list of top energy challenges – May 1. Identifying the top energy challenges facing our nation and designing the best way forward to solving these challenges is the topic of a national energy conference at The Ohio State University that ends today (5/1).
The 2012 Public and Land-Grant University Conference on Energy Challenges: The Next 50 Years is hosted jointly by Ohio State, Colorado State University and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Events on Tuesday (5/1) include:
*Arun Majumdar, Acting Undersecretary for Energy and Director, U.S. Dept. of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) will deliver “Catalyzing Energy Breakthroughs for a Secure American Future” at 9:45 a.m.
*U.S. Senator Rob Portman will deliver “Energy and Economic Growth” at 10:45 a.m.
Media are encouraged to attend the concluding session of the conference, “America’s Top Energy Challenges: The Next 50 Years, Public University Leadership” at 11:15 a.m., where the top energy challenges identified by conference attendees will be announced. Key conference speakers can be available for media upon request. SEE: http://energyinnovation2012.osu.edu/conference-agenda/agenda.
Media unable to attend the conference can follow it on
Twitter: @oeeatosu Hashtag: #energy2012
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/energychallenges
Blog: http://energychallenges.tumblr.com/

Former President of Mexico Zedillo will speak on governance and globalization – May 2. Ernesto Zedillo will present “Weak Governance: Globalization’s Achilles Heel” at 3 p.m. on Wednesday (5/2) in the 11th floor Thompson Library Campus Reading Room, 1858 Neil Ave Mall. Zedillo, who served as the President of Mexico from 1994 - 2000, is the director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization and a professor of International Economics and Politics. In this talk, he will consider how weak or ineffective governance impacts globalization efforts. SEE: http://oia.osu.edu/news-releases/2509-former-president-of-mexico-zedillo-will-speak-on-governance-and-globalization.html

Noted author along with photographer of WWII Japanese resettlement to speak – May 3.
Hijaru Carl Iwasaki, War Relocation Authority (WRA) photographer, and Lane Hirabayashi, author of Japanese-American Resettlement through the Lens: Hikaru Iwasaki and the WRA's Photographic Section, 1943-1945 will be the speakers at this year’s Paul H. and Erika Bourguignon Lecture in Art and Anthropology. The two will look at the experience of Japanese American resettlement through the filter of the War Relocation Authority (WRA)’s 17,000 photos of Americans of Japanese ancestry who spent World War II in prison camps. Their talk takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday (5/3) in 100 Mendenhall Lab, 125 S. Oval Mall. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP required to Wayne Miller at miller.1044@osu.edu

Colleges of Dentistry and Optometry team up to bring services to the community – May 4. The Ohio State University Colleges of Dentistry and Optometry are working collaboratively to bring new vision and dental services to the community. The joint effort will be featured in open house from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday (5/4) at the Lower Lights Christian Health Center, 1160 W. Broad Street. SEE: http://optometry.osu.edu/

The Ohio Energy Project Celebrates Student Leadership – May 7. Solutions to today’s energy challenges are being developed in classrooms and homes across Ohio. The Ohio Energy Project’s annual Youth Energy Celebration will be held at 9:45 a.m. on Monday (5/7) at the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High Street, will welcome more than 500 students, teachers and partners to honor students who have spent the academic year educating their classmates, families and communities about energy. CONTACT: Gina Langen, Langen.2@osu.edu. www.ohioenergy.org

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