Story Tips for Local Media - 07/26/95

                            STORY TIPS

University Communication offers a new service for central Ohio 
news organizations: a tip sheet to news stories on the Columbus 
campus.  We'll update this listing every other week.  Topping the 
news this week: rocks, dinosaur and geology experiences for kids, 
and a former university president visits Hanoi.  

GEOLOGY 101 FOR KIDS--July 25-28. Twenty-five 4th and 5th graders 
are learning about dinosaurs, rocks, fossils, volcanoes and 
earthquakes in a 4-day program offered by the Department of 
Geological Sciences.  The program is a test of new science 
material to be used next year in Franklin County public schools.  
A goal of the program, developed from a grant from Shell Oil, is 
to expose students to geology and geologists at a young age.  
Classes are held from 9 a.m.-12 noon in 252 Mendenhall 
Laboratory, 125 S. Oval Mall.  The best opportunity for visuals 
is Thursday, July 27,  when students will do mineral 
identification, eat "rock" cookies, learn about cyrstal gardens 
and scavenge for rocks around the Oval.
CONTACT: Garry McKenzie, Department of Geological Sciences, 
292-0655.

GEOLOGY TRAINING FOR ADULTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE--through August 31.  
Two separate programs offer training in geological research 
methods to Columbus-area residents.  The Department of Geological 
Sciences received an $860,000 Department of Defense grant to 
retrain displaced military defense workers in environmental 
technology and to begin an urban youth summer work-and-learn 
program.  Thirty "at-risk" youth ages 14-24, referred from the 
Private Industry Council of Columbus and Franklin County (PIC) 
Summer Youth Institute, are paid $5 an hour to learn to how to 
collect soil samples and test land suspected of being polluted.  
Adults learn soil sampling and computer data manipulation skills 
needed to work in environmental protection or consulting.
CONTACT: Frank Swartz, Robert Bailey or Chris Cox, Department of 
Geological Sciences, 292-6196.

FORMER OSU PRESIDENT TRAVELS TO HANOI--August 1-3.  Edward 
Jennings, president emeritus and finance professor at Ohio State, 
will discuss the U.S. higher education system at a seminar in 
Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 1-3.  Jennings, who was president from 1981-
1990, will address a group of Vietnamese education officials as 
the country reorganizes its higher education system. The seminar 
is timely because of the recent recognition of Vietnam as a trade 
and diplomatic partner.  Also scheduled to speak is Charlie 
Bender, director of the Ohio Supercomputer Center, who will 
discuss the types of computer technologies needed to successfully 
implement a western-style higher education system.  The seminar 
is sponsored by the Midwest Universities Consortium for 
International Activities, Inc. (MUCIA).
CONTACT: Bill Flinn, director of MUCIA, 291-9646.

The person listed as the contact for each item will have the best 
information about the story.  However, feel free to call on our 
News Services staff for assistance with these or other Ohio State 
news stories.  Amy Murray, 292-8385; Ruth Gerstner, 292-8424; and 
Tom Spring, 292-8309.
-compiled by Amy Murray, University Communications.


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Wed, 26 Jul 1995 11:59:36 -0400]
All documents are the responsibility of their originator.