11
September
2011
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18:00 PM
America/New_York

Story Ideas for Media 9/12/11

News

Project ASPIRE leads teacher preparation reform in Ohio. Twelve Ohio State graduates will begin teaching this autumn, having graduated from Project ASPIRE, the cutting-edge teacher preparation model in the College of Education and Human Ecology. All of the graduates are prepared for success in urban schools teaching math, science or foreign language. Eight of them will be teaching in Columbus City Schools (CCS). While earning Master of Education (M.Ed.) degrees, participants receive a $30,000 stipend to pay their tuition and other expenses. The federal grant offers an entire year of training in equity and diversity in urban teaching, hands-on experience in urban classrooms and mentoring by master teachers who honed their mentoring skills in a yearlong seminar. Graduates who teach in CCS schools receive support from the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program, created in 1985 by CCS and the college. PAR leads the way in developing a teacher residency model for Ohio. CONTACT: Janet Ciccone, ciccone.2@osu.edu, (614) 292-5338.

Students move in on campus – Sept. 15 and 18. Thousands of Ohio State students, both new and returning, move into residence halls on Thursday (9/15) and Sunday (9/18). About 1,400 Ohio State Welcome Leaders (OWLS) move in on Thursday, and several thousand move in on Sunday. Traffic on campus will be heavy both days, and motorists are advised to avoid campus on Sept. 18 if possible. SEE: http://www.tp.osu.edu/alerts/studentmovein.shtml

Research

Ohio State evaluation cites effectiveness of Judicial College education. An evaluation by Ann A. O’Connell, associate professor of educational policy and leadership at Ohio State, recently found that Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College courses for juvenile judges and magistrates are effective at contributing to advances in knowledge, attitudes and skills, which supports their providing best possible practice in serving society. O'Connell examined the impact of professional development courses delivered between June 2010 and June 2011. The Judicial College launched the evaluation to ensure that its professional development supports the best possible practice. O'Connell is available to comment on the evaluation and to share her recommendations, which she delivered to the Judicial College Board of Trustees. SEE: http://ehe.osu.edu/news/2011/oconnell-supreme-court.php and http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/PIO/news/2011/JudColEval_090611.asp

Events

Media availability with stories about Ohio State’s new school year – Sept. 13. A media briefing highlighting plans for the start of Ohio State’s new school year will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday (9/13) in the Ohio Union, Barbie Tootle Room (Room 3156), 1739 N. High St. The event offers several story ideas for media, plus background material and resources to guide coverage as classes begin on Sept. 21.
At the event, Ohio State officials will describe the incoming class, discuss what students and the community will see as the university converts to semesters next year, and talk about student programs during Welcome Week and throughout the year. CONTACT: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.

Presidents to celebrate new partnership with tree planting – Sept. 14. As the higher education calendar ticks down to the start of autumn quarter, the presidents of The Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College will kick off the beginning of a new and innovative educational partnership in Delaware.
When the quarter begins on September 21, The Ohio State University at Marion will offer a wide range of general education courses on Columbus State’s Delaware Campus.
Students can enroll in Columbus State courses at Delaware and transitioning in time to Ohio State courses at the Delaware Campus or at Ohio State Marion or at other Ohio State campuses. Each option can take them toward an Ohio State baccalaureate degree.
A public open house will held beginning at 4:30 p.m. on September 14. At 5 p.m., presidents Gee and Harrison will make brief comments and then, to celebrate the new partnership, will plant a buckeye tree on the grounds of the Delaware Campus. CONTACT: David Wayne, Columbus State, (614) 287-2161 or Amy Murray, Ohio State, (614) 292-8385.

OARDC to unveil unique agricultural safety facility in Wooster – Sept. 16. Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) will unveil a unique, highly secure bio-containment building aimed at enhancing its research programs on infectious diseases of plants and animals – and safeguarding Ohio's $90-plus billion agricultural industry.
The $22.2 million Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research (PAAR) Facility will enable scientists on the Wooster campus to work with infectious agents classified by federal standards at the BSL-3 (biosafety level 3) and BSL-3 Agriculture safety levels. PAAR will be the first facility in Ohio and one of only two nationally with capacity for both plant and animal research at such safety levels.
A dedication ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m.-noon, at the corner of Williams Road and Ferguson Drive on the OARDC campus, located at 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Tours of the PAAR facility will be given between noon and 6 p.m. For security purposes, no backpacks, large purses or cameras are allowed inside PAAR; use of cellphone cameras is also prohibited inside the facility. SEE: http://go.osu.edu/Ejq

Bridge Builders: Bridging the Gap for Latinos and Education – Sept. 17. The Gates Millennium Scholarship/ Hispanic Scholarship Fund and The Ohio State University have joined with the Ohio Commission on Latino Affairs and educators and community members to host the Bridge Builder Forum.
More than 250 students from across the state are expected to participate in the event, which takes place on from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday (9/17) at the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St. The forum is an inspirational and interactive event where participants will learn what they can do now to prepare for college success. Students and parents will learn about the admissions process, different types of financial aid, how to be successful in high school in order to go to college, as well as how to be successful once in college. It is a general program aimed at building a strong foundation for college education among underrepresented students. There will also be a college fair portion featuring colleges from all across Ohio. CONTACT: Yolanda Zepeda, assistant provost, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, (614) 292-5848 or zepeda.3@osu.edu.

Noted mathematician and science-fiction writer Ian Stewart kicks off Science Sundays – Sept. 18. The Science Sundays Public Lecture Series, sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences research centers and institutes, presents Ian Stewart on The Science of Discworld, 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, (9/18) at the Ohio Union, US Bank Theater, 1739 N. High St.
A math prodigy, now professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, England, Stewart is both a gifted mathematical scholar and a successful popularizer of science. Along with Jack Cohen and Terry Pratchett, he is the creator of The Science of Discworld series, in which he and Cohen alternate investigations of Roundworld science with Pratchett’s accounts of the Wizards’ attempts to understand “Quantum.”
Stewart, who is a guest of Ohio State’s Mathematical Biosciences Institute, will be available for interviews the week of Sept. 12. CONTACT: Sandi Rutkowski, College of Arts and Sciences, (614) 292-4759, rutkowski.1@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