Story Ideas for Media 9-11-06
News
Law Scholars will study election laws in five Midwest states. Three Ohio State professors will lead Moritz College of Law’s research into election law and administration in Ohio and four other decisive states. Through a $250,000 grant from the Joyce Foundation, the researchers plan to conduct a study and summarize results in a book. Professors Edward Foley, Steven Huefner and Daniel Tokaji will examine election laws in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin to see how the components of an election administration system affect one another and relate to the political and legal culture of each state. They’ll also research how the electoral systems differ. CONTACT: Liz Cutler Gates, Moritz College of Law, (614) 292-0283.
Research
Ancient raptors likely feasted on early man, study suggests. A new study suggests that prehistoric birds of prey made meals out of some of our earliest human ancestors.
Led by W. Scott McGraw, associate professor of anthropology at Ohio State, researchers drew this conclusion after studying more than 600 bones from modern-day monkeys. They had collected the bones from beneath the nests of African crowned eagles in the Ivory Coast's Tai rainforest. A full-grown African crowned eagle is roughly the size of an American bald eagle, which typically weighs about 10 to 12 pounds.
According to McGraw, punctures and scratches on many of the monkey skulls have led some researchers to rethink which animals may have preyed on our human ancestors. “It seems that raptors have been a selective force in primate evolution for a long time,” he said. “Before this study I thought that eagles wouldn't contribute that much to the mortality rate of primates in the forest.” CONTACT: W. Scott McGraw, (614) 688-3794 or McGraw.43@osu.edu, SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/monkbird.htm
Events
Ohio State offers media briefing to assist in back-to-school coverage - Sept. 12. Ohio State begins a new academic year on Wednesday (9/20). A media briefing to help assignment editors and reporters cover the wide array of activities related to the start of The Ohio State University school year will be held at 1 p.m. (9/12) in 60 Page Hall, 1810 College Rd. The one-hour event will serve as a great planning tool for members of the news media covering back-to-school stories at Ohio State. At the event, Ohio State officials will reveal the demographics of the incoming class and discuss why the university has become so successful at recruiting and retaining high-quality students. Also covered, will be the many ways Ohio State builds a sense of community and helps students feel at home. Story ideas, resource people and news tips to help cover the start of the new school year will be provided and a number of students will be available to talk about their Ohio State experiences. CONTACT: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.
Election Law weekly teleconferences begin this week – Sept 12. Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law, and the Election Law @ Moritz program at Ohio State begin weekly teleconferences on Tuesday (9/12) to provide up-to-date analysis of critical legal developments occurring during this year’s midterm elections. With gubernatorial races in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin as well as key Senate and House races, the Election Law @ Moritz team, lead law professors Edward B. Foley Daniel P. Tokaji, team will provide reliable, independent expertise on election administration issues such as voter identification requirements, registration list management, voting technology, and recounts, as well as election-related legal developments.
The teleconferences take place every Tuesday at 2 p.m. The dial-in number is 800-261-9609. The teleconferences will include commentary on a current topic of critical importance for the election and summaries of legal developments occurring during the previous week. Then the team will answer media questions. In addition, Election Law @ Moritz will include summaries and commentaries as well as links to relevant documents. CONTACT: Scott MacKenzie, The Castle Group, Inc., 617-227-0012, ext. 246 smackenzie@thecastlegrp.com
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
