06
June
2010
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18:00 PM
America/New_York

Story Ideas for Media 6/7/10

News

It’s Commencement Week at Ohio State. Graduating seniors can mark their final days at Ohio State through a series of special events during Commencement Week, a week-long celebration leading up to spring commencement.
Events include
*Chalk the Walk, noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday (6/9) on the Oval. Members of the class of 2010 can chalk their parting message to the university on the long walk of the Main Oval.
* Graduation Cap Decoration Night, 6 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday (6/9) in the Ohio Union lower level. Graduating seniors will individualize their caps so they stand out in the crowd at commencement.
*Time and Change Tailgate following commencement rehearsal – approximately 2:30 p.m. – on Friday (6/11) on the northwest lawn of the Recreational and Physical Activities Center. Even though it’s not football season yet, graduates can celebrate their final tailgate as a student.
*Commencement Eve Candlelight Ceremony, 9 p.m. on Saturday (6/12) on the Oval.
On the night before commencement, graduating students congregate in front of the Thompson Library on the Oval for a very special candlelight ceremony. Speakers will include campus celebrities and student speaker, Liza Toher, who was selected to deliver an address that reflects on their time at Ohio State and embodies the meaning of the student experience at Ohio State. Toher, who will receive a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering, is the first graduate student chosen for this honor.
Graduates will receive a 2010 class pin, exclusively at the event, which will conclude with a candlelight rendition of “Carmen Ohio,” the Ohio State alma mater. SEE: commencementweek.osu.edu. CONTACT: Jen Cottrell, the Ohio Union, (614) 247-5401, jcottrell@studentlife.osu.edu

Research

Common Berries Fight Cancer As Well As Exotic Varieties. New research shows that a variety of other types of berries – including more readily available and affordable blueberries, strawberries and red raspberries – along with more exotic and expensive varieties like noni, acaí (pronounced ah-sye-EE) and wolfberries – may prevent cancer about as well as previously studied black raspberries.
In the first-ever study comparing the cancer preventive properties of berries, researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James), tested seven berry types and found that all seven were about equally effective in preventing the development of esophageal cancer in rodents.
Dr. Gary Stoner, an OSUCCC-James researcher, has spent much of his career collaborating with other scientists to prove the potency of black raspberries in preventing cancer. Researchers have shown that anthocyanins, which are responsible for the dark purple-black color of the berries, also share the credit for much of their cancer preventive potential. Other chemopreventive compounds in black raspberries include ellagitannins and other phenols. SEE: http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/viewer/press/Pages/index.aspx?NewsID=5694 CONTACT: Eileen Scahill, Medical Center Communications, (614) 293-3737, Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu

Events

“Safe Summer” provides alternatives for pet owners – through June 18. For the third year, the “Safe Summer” program will offer alternatives for college students who are leaving for the summer and have a pet they cannot take with them. Created by the Shelter Medicine Club of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Safe Summer is run by students and volunteers, and will be available from June 1 through June 18, with the goal of finding a safe home for any pets left behind. Volunteers will discuss all options with students for the best care of the animal. Interested students should e-mail the Shelter Medicine Club at safesummer@osu.edu. For more information, see www.vet.osu.edu/safesummer CONTACT: Melissa Weber, (614) 292-3752 or (cell) 614-327-6024.

Ohio State will award diplomas to more than 8,500 – June 13. Engineers, biologists, veterinarians, athletes, sociologists and pharmacists will be among a record 8,500 students who will earn degrees during Ohio State’s spring commencement on Sunday (6/13) in Ohio Stadium. The graduates, who are among the brightest in the university’s history, enter the stadium at noon. The ceremony celebrates the academic achievements and hard work that each student has put forth to earn his or her degree. Each graduate will receive their own diploma at the ceremony, a practice rarely attempted by a university the size of Ohio State.
David Gergen, who has served as an advisor to four U.S. presidents, will deliver the commencement address. Also during the commencement ceremony, honorary doctorates will be presented to Francisco J. Ayala, one of the foremost evolutionary geneticists of our time, and commencement speaker David Gergen.
Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to Jack Lucks, a founding partner in Columbus-based Continental Real Estate Companies, former Ohio State football star Chris Spielman, and posthumously to Stefanie Spielman, who both worked tirelessly to increase public awareness of cancer and to promote the critical importance of medical research.
Additional information is available at commencement.osu.edu CONTACT: Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110 or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.

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