Story Ideas for Media 5/24/10

Cross-section of a walleye ear bone, or otolith, showing growth rings. Image courtesy of Ohio State University.

Research

Ohio State study: Even small patches of urban woods are valuable for migrating birds. Even tiny patches of woods in urban areas seem to provide adequate food and protection for some species of migrating birds as they fly between wintering and breeding grounds, new research has found.
The results are important because, with the expansion of cities worldwide, migrating landbirds increasingly must pass through vast urban areas which offer very little of the forest habitats on which many species rely.
“The good news is that the birds in our study seemed to be finding enough food in even the smaller urban habitats to refuel and continue their journey,” said Stephen Matthews, co-author of the study and a post-doctoral researcher in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University. Matthews conducted the study with Paul Rodewald, an assistant professor of environment and natural resources at Ohio State. CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/urbanforest.htm

Events

New Farmers Market at 15th and High unveiled following news conference – May 27. The Wayward Seed Farm and the Wexner Center for the Arts have joined forces to present The
Market at 15th & High, an outdoor farmers’ market on the Wexner Center Plaza Thursdays
from 4 to 7 p.m., May 27 through October 28. The largest of its kind in the campus area, the
market will feature fresh, locally grown produce from area farmers, as well as dairy products
and bread. About 12 local farms are expected to participate.
A press conference to launch The Market at 15th & High will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday on the plaza. The event will feature remarks and free samples. The Market officially begins at 4 p.m. CONTACT: Karen Simonian, (614) 292-9923 or ksimonian@wexarts.org. SEE: http://www.wexarts.org/about/press/ed/20100527_market.pdf

Student engineers show their inventions, others race robots – May 27. A“smart” refrigerator that tracks the shelf life of perishable foods, an adjustable tray design for wheelchairs, and a remotely controlled electronic lock that students with disabilities can use to secure their school lockers are three of the nearly 50 design projects by Ohio State senior engineering students on display at the Engineering Capstone Design Showcase. The event is open to the public from noon to 3 p.m. on Thursday (5/27) in the Buckeye Reading Room (Rm. 260) at Thompson Library, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall. President Gee will speak at 2 p.m. along with Greg Washington, interim Dean of the College of Engineering.
Across campus, media are welcome to cover the Robot Competition, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at St. John Arena, 410 Woody Hayes Dr. The competition involves more than 50 teams of first-year engineering students who have designed and built autonomous robots to navigate a course and perform tasks associated with sustainable energy systems. SEE: http://engineering.osu.edu/news/?p=1160

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