Story Ideas for Media 7/20/09
News
Ohio State University Medical Center named to magazine’s ‘Honor Roll.’ The Ohio State University Medical Center leads the region with 10 specialties named as among the best in America in the latest U.S. News & World Report magazine. OSU Medical Center is among only 21 hospitals in the country named to the magazine’s elite Honor Roll, which demonstrates a hospital’s excellence in at least six specialties. This is the 17th consecutive year the magazine has named OSU Medical Center one of “America’s Best Hospitals.” Ohio State’s Ross Heart Hospital is recognized as a leader in heart care, ranking 37 out of 4,861 hospitals from around the country. The James Cancer Hospital is ranked 18th in the nation for cancer treatment. The rankings are published online at http://health.usnews.com/health/best-hospitals. SEE: http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/viewer/press/Pages/index.aspx?NewsID=4958
Research
Ohio State study finds investment in Ohio early-stage companies up significantly; bucking national trend. Brighter days may be ahead for Ohio’s economy, especially if the results of a recent study conducted by the Center for Entrepreneurship at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business are any indication.
The study examines 2008 venture capital investment in Ohio and compared results to the state’s historical data and national figures. The results indicate a nearly 50-percent increase in Ohio’s seed and early-stage venture capital Investment dollars year over year while the national levels of seed and early-stage investment decreased by 20 percent.
According to S. Michael Camp, academic director of Fisher’s Center for Entrepreneurship and the study’s lead researcher, “The data indicates that in Ohio 66 percent of all investment dollars went to seed and early stage companies compared to national averages that are closer to 20 percent. Ohio’s angel and venture capital community continues to build a resilient infrastructure for developing and financing young technology startups.” The full study will be released later this year. SEE: http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/newsroom/headlines/index.php?folder=65&news=1385
Ohio State study: Ads attacking Supreme Court Nominees damage public support of high court. Nasty, politicized Supreme Court nomination battles may erode public support of the high Court, according to a study of public reactions to the Samuel Alito nomination process.
In a new book, researchers reveal how television advertisements that opposed Alito’s nomination in 2005 had a disturbing side effect: Many people who viewed those highly political ads become less supportive of the Supreme Court as an institution.
The reason seems to be that, in the minds of many viewers, the ads reduced Supreme Court justices to just “politicians in robes,” said Gregory Caldeira, co-author of the book and professor of political science at Ohio State University.
“Americans have long believed that Supreme Court justices are above politics,” Caldeira said. “Anything that drags the Court into ordinary politics, such as these ads, damages the esteem of the institution.”
The results of this study have renewed significance now, with the recent nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the high Court. “If interest groups air attack ads against Sotomayor, that could undermine some of the public support for the Supreme Court, just as they did against Alito,” Caldeira said. CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/supremecourt.htm
Events
This is why Ohio State is one of top wine producers in the nation – July 20-22. National winemaking and grape-growing experts are in Ohio this week as Ohio State hosts the 34th annual conference of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture-Eastern Section July 20-22 in Painesville.
With an estimated economic impact of $400 million a year, Ohio’s grape and wine industry has turned the state into one of the top wine producers in the country, with 2,500 acres of grapes, annual production of nearly 1 million gallons, and more than 120 wineries. In the mid 1990’s, there were just 37 wineries in Ohio. Much of the growth is due to research and support from the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and OSU Extension.
Reporters are invited to cover the event and learn about the latest research related to the industry and the significant advances made by vineyards and wineries east of the Rockies – where grape and wine production has substantially increased in the past few years, successfully competing with traditional West Coast wine regions at national quality shows.
Conference schedule is available at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/asev/pdf/2009-ASEVES-Conference-Program.pdf. CONTACT: Mauricio Espinoza,(330) 621-6541.
Ohio State official joins national delegation of education leaders visiting Indonesia to explore education programs – July 26-31. William Brustein, Ohio State’s new vice provost for global strategies and international affairs, is part of an official delegation of leaders from U.S. colleges and universities traveling to Indonesia to look for ways to increase student and scholar exchanges.
Historically, Indonesia has sent a large number of students to study in the United States. Recently, the numbers have declined and fewer Indonesians attend U.S. colleges and universities today than a decade ago. Far fewer Americans experience study in Indonesia. The future of academic exchange depends heavily on the relationships forged between higher education institutions in Indonesia and the United States.
Brustein and the delegation will travel to Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Yoghakarta and Bali, Indonesia to meet with senior officials at the Indonesia Ministry of Education, local universities, and others. CONTACT: Maureen Miller. (614) 247-2462.
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, Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748, Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110, or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.
