01
August
2010
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18:00 PM
America/New_York

Story Ideas for Media 8/2/10

News

Ohio State’s commitment to student services is paying off quickly. When Ohio State admissions officials look at their more than 25 percent jump in applicants this year, they attribute it to a few major factors on campus, including the university’s continued rise in academic reputation and value when compared with other peer institutions. In addition, prospective students are seeing new student facilities on campus that are the best in the country (a new student union, library, recreation center and student services building). The university received 26,628 applications this year compared to 21,184 applications for the September 2009 freshman class. CONTACT: Jim Lynch, lynch.270@osu.edu or (614) 247-4748.

Ohio State awarded $12.4 million in federal grants to support international programs. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $12.4 million in grants to six of The Ohio State University’s international programs, making it one of the few universities in the nation to receive federal funding to support multiple disciplines. Ohio State’s Area Studies Centers, Foreign Language Center and Fisher College of Business received the grants to enhance the study of foreign languages, culture and international business. CONTACT: Maureen Miller, miller.4468@osu.edu, (614) 247-2462. SEE: http://oia.osu.edu.

Research

Study Uses Alzheimer’s Drug to Treat Children with Autism. Researchers at The Ohio State University’s Nisonger Center are using a drug normally prescribed for Alzheimer’s patients to determine if it will improve the communication skills of children with autism.
Researchers theorize that if children with autism experience over-activity of the same neurochemical at work in Alzheimer’s disease, then one of the medicines used for Alzheimer’s may help in autism, too.
“We know that the drug memantine is effective in people with Alzheimer’s disease,” says Michael Aman, director of research at the Nisonger Center. “Memantine actually serves to enhance cognitive function, or at least hold the line.” CONTACT: Eileen Scahill, Medical Center Public Affairs and Media Relations, 614-293-3737, Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu. SEE: http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/viewer/press/Pages/index.aspx?NewsID=5829

Events

Green Racing Vehicles on display – Aug. 3. The world’s leading sports car series, American Le Mans Series, rolls onto The Ohio State University campus Tuesday (8/3) with an emphasis on its position as the global leader in green racing. Partnering with Ohio State’s EcoCAR program and the College of Engineering, the American Le Mans Series will display some of its race cars beginning at 3 p.m. and deliver a program from 5:30-7 p.m. at Knowlton Hall, 275 W. Woodruff Ave., emphasizing advances in technology and alternative fuels being pioneered by its manufacturers and teams. CONTACT: Gina Langen, 614-688-4423, langen.2@osu.edu.

Asian teens and their parents work on preventing violence – Aug. 7. Asian teenagers, their parents and service providers from across Ohio will attend the statewide GenerAsian NeXt 2010 Youth Leadership Conference from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday (8/7) at the Ohio Union. It is a statewide, annual teen conference to raise awareness for violence prevention among Asian youth and is targeted for teens ages 13-18 and their families of all ethnicities. SEE: www.generasian-next.org.

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