Story Ideas for Media 7-24-06

News

Ohio State homeland security director nominated by President Bush to national board - Todd Stewart, director of the Program for International and Homeland Security at Ohio State, has been nominated to a four-year term on the National Security Education Board by President Bush. The nomination was made Thursday (7/20) and has been forward to the Senate for confirmation. The board determines the criteria for scholarships issued by the National Security Education Program and recommends critical areas that the program should address. More than 2,500 scholarships have been previously issued nationwide to students to study abroad and gain specialized knowledge of cultures and advanced languages. If confirmed, Stewart will be one of six non-federal officials to serve on the 13-member board. Stewart also is a 34-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. CONTACT: Cathy Becker, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, (614) 292-7529 or becker.271@osu.edu.

Research

Increasing carbon dioxide levels in pine plantations could be linked to global warning. Landowners in the South are turning stands of hardwood and natural pine trees into pine plantations because pine is a more lucrative source of lumber. But pine plantations don't retain carbon as well as hardwood or natural pine forests, said Brent Sohngen, co-author of a new study and an associate professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at Ohio State. The result is that an increasing number of plantations could contribute to a rise in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, a key greenhouse gas that is linked to global warming.
Sohngen examined the issues with Sandra Brown, an ecologist with Winrock International, a non-profit organization based in Arlington , Va. The researchers estimate that some 10 million acres - roughly the size of New Hampshire and Vermont - of mainly hardwood and natural pine forests will be chopped down to make way for pine plantations by 2030 in just three Southern states. That translates into roughly 700,000 tons more carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere annually, or 21 million tons over the 30-year period. CONTACT: Brent Sohngen, (614) 688-4640 or Sohngen.1@osu.edu SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/pinetree.htm

Events

Area math, science teachers visit Ohio State for hands-on training - July 31. Nearly 40 Columbus-area math and science teachers will converge on the Ohio State campus July 31 through Aug. 4 to learn the fundamentals of materials science through activities that include casting wax, making polymer foam and testing concrete. The training will assist teachers in using applied engineering techniques for use in chemistry, physics, math, technology and industrial arts courses in their schools. They will work with metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, and study the importance of such materials in everyday life. CONTACT: Gina Langen, College of Engineering, (614) 688-4423 or langen.2@osu.edu

Three 4-H camps help military kids cope with deployed parents - Helping children cope with emotions such as fear and loneliness when a parent is deployed for military service is the focus of three upcoming camps. "Operation: Military Kids 4-H Camps" will involve nearly 225 campers, ages 9 to 16, whose parents are affiliated with the Ohio National Guard, Army Reserves and the Marine Corps. "The camp counselors for these camps all have special training to help the kids talk about issues they are dealing with as part of a military family," said program coordinator Dona Leonhard. "Our goal is to help the campers positively cope and to meet others in the same situation as themselves." The camps will run for one week beginning July 23 in Windsor, Ohio, Aug. 4 in Clifton, Ohio, and Aug. 15 at Kelley's Island on Lake Erie. CONTACT: Dona Leonhard, University Extension's 4-H Youth Development Program, (614) 292-3758; leonhard.10@osu.edu or Martha Filipic, Communications and Technology, (614) 292-9833 or filipic.3@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 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