Story Ideas for Media 8-1-05

News

Ohio State responds to call for doubling of science, math grads – A recent report by the country's top business leaders calls for the numbers of college graduates in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields to double by 2015. Since 2000, Ohio State faculty in the colleges of Engineering and Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MAPS) have directed energy and resources towards students at all grade levels to encourage them to appreciate the connections between math, science and engineering, as well as to consider careers in technical fields. In addition to programs to increase awareness of engineering and the sciences as a career option, efforts include:

*the College of Engineering has established Introduction to Engineering courses at Walnut Hills High School and Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati and St. John's High School in Toledo. High ability students at these schools can take first-year level engineering courses and receive college credit for their efforts.

*the College of Engineering is partnering with General Electric to create challenging math and engineering exploration courses at Aiken High School and Chase Elementary School in Cincinnati. The GE Foundation provides funding for Ohio State to establish and coordinate the courses in these inner city schools.

* MAPS faculty work with school officials in Columbus, Dublin and Wooster to deliver the excitement of hands-on science to more than 150 schools and 3,000 students through the Wonders of Our World (WOW) program. WOW also offers professional development workshops to instruct teachers to incorporate curriculum-based science experiments into their lessons. Contact: Gina Langen, College of Engineering, (614) 688-4423; or Melissa Weber, MAPS, (614) 292-2254.

Experts

Keep Your Family Safe from Disease at the Fair: Veterinary researcher and E. coli expert Jeff LeJeune is available to speak with the media about the risk of catching serious diseases from exposure to pathogens shed by farm animals, including Escherichia coli O157:H7 (often simply called E. coli), Campylobacter spp., Salmonella enterica, and the parasite Cryptosporidum parvum (Crypto). More and more cases of outbreaks involving these microorganisms are happening at fairs and petting zoos. A kid carrying a sip cup through an animal exhibit area is 26 times more likely to catch these pathogens. Likewise, people who eat or drink in animal-holding areas are almost five times more likely to get ill than people who don't eat in those areas. Washing hands with water and soap is the best way to protect yourself and your family from becoming ill. But what about those waterless hand sanitizing gels? Actually, their effectiveness at reducing the transmission of the organisms common in animal housing environments has not been proven. Contact: Jeff LeJeune, (330) 263-3739, lejeune.3@osu.edu

Research

African Americans still nearly invisible in media, book says. While African Americans have made inroads into some parts of American society, they are still nearly invisible in many parts of the news media and the entertainment industry, according to an Ohio State University professor. Rudolph Alexander, Jr., professor of social work, argues in a newly revised book that the media often ignores African Americans in stories of both heroes and victims, even when they are an integral part of the narrative. In the book "Racism, African Americans, and Social Justice" (Rowman and Littlefield, 2nd edition, 2005), Alexander discusses the media coverage of Jessica Lynch, a white U.S. soldier who was captured while in Iraq and later rescued. While Lynch was widely celebrated in the media as a hero, much less attention was given to Shoshana Johnson, an African American woman who was also injured and captured along with Lynch. Contact: Rudolph Alexander, Jr., (614) 292-1878; Alexander.2@osu.edu

Events

National Research Institute celebrates opening at Ohio State – August 2. Ohio State's Department of Recreational Sports and the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the National Research Institute for College Recreational Sports and Wellness at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday (8/2) at the amphitheater inside the newly constructed Recreation and Physical Activity Center (RPAC).
Formed in April, the Institute is designed to enhance the ability to provide college recreational sports professionals with data needed for evidence-based decision making, the ability to build a research culture among the profession, and staff to operate and administer all research projects with grants and contracts.
The Institute will be housed in the RPAC and operated by Recreational Sports. It will be directed by Danell Haines, director of research and assessment for Recreational Sports with assistance from a 13-member advisory board. Contact: Danell Haines, (614) 247-6101 or haines.2@osu.edu.

Birdwatchers and researchers flock to conference – August 5. Four Ohio State researchers are among the speakers scheduled to present at the 2005 Ohio Avian Ecology and Conservation Conference, from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday (8/5) at the Fawcett Center. Ohio State's School of Natural Resources is among the sponsors of the event. Presenters include Paul Rodewald, assistant professor of wildlife ecology and ecosystems management; Kristin Mylecraine, a visiting scholar in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology; Amanda Rodewald, assistant professor of ecosystems management; and David Horn, professor of entomology with OARDC. Contact: Scott Hull, ODNR, (740) 747-2525 ext. 23.

The person listed as CONTACT will have the best information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story: Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276; or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385