Expanding its efforts to address pressing health needs in central Ohio, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center plans to open a healthy community center in the Near East Side neighborhood of Columbus. The center will be in the former Columbus Metropolitan Library Martin Luther King Jr. branch.

“Ohio State is invested in creating health communities throughout central Ohio. This new center will be a valuable community resource to support lifestyle changes that will transform the health of our community one family at a time,” said David McQuaid, chief executive officer of The Ohio State University Health System.

Initially, the focus of the center will be on decreasing obesity and chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Plans could include a demonstration kitchen to host healthy cooking classes, nutrition counseling, diabetes and weight management education, and stress management. The center will be a business incubator for a café that serves healthful foods.

“The community center will supplement the clinical services we offer at East Hospital and Outpatient Care East,” said Elizabeth Seely, chief administrative officer of the Hospitals Division for Ohio State’s Health System. “We have a vested and growing interest in the health needs of area residents and decreasing risk factors for chronic disease.”

According to the 2016 Franklin County Health Map, 30.7 percent of adults and 19.8 percent of children in Franklin County are obese. This is higher than the national average of 27.6 percent and 13.7 percent, respectively.

Ohio State will form a community advisory committee composed of area stakeholders to refine the vision for the center and to ensure it meets the complex needs of the community. Other community health initiatives include annual Healthy Community Days at East Hospital and the Schottenstein Center with free health screenings and consultations; the Health Sciences Academies partnership with PACT and Columbus City Schools to immerse students in grades Pre-K through 12 at seven schools in health sciences curriculum, mentoring and experiential learning; community health gardens; and clinics for the underserved.

Purchase of the former MLK branch for $245,000 will be finalized in early 2019. It will undergo renovation in 2019 and open to the public in 2020. Cost estimates for renovating the structure will be determined during the design process.

“He said: ‘If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people I’ve known are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self-interest,’” Drake said.

Glenn, Drake said, embodied the best of what columnist David Brooks called resume virtues and eulogy virtues. He said people often spend a lot of time building their resume, trying to add meaningful roles and titles under their name, but what we remember is their eulogy virtues – how they treated and served others.

Drake discussed values and their role in leadership as the keynote speaker at the Columbus Business First 2018 C-Suite Awards. The ceremony honored central Ohio’s most accomplished business leaders.

Drake said a management training program at Harvard University helped inform his understanding of the difference between management and leadership.

“You can manage a supply line, but you lead a battle,” Drake said.

Management means the ability to plan outcomes that are organized and measurable, Drake said. Leadership often takes place when outcomes and conclusions are not clear and there is time pressure to make a decision.

“Certainly there is no one leading the way – you are out front,” Drake said. “You have to, in the moment, take new information, process it, look into a smoky, foggy future and make the right decision to move forward.”

Reaching those decisions is ideally aided by a core set of values. When Drake was chancellor at the University of California, Irvine he said he came to rely on a list of values that helped guide his decision-making process: respect, integrity, passion, empathy, appreciation and fun.

“I tried to use values to be able to help guide decisions. In many of the most difficult decisions I’ve been faced with, that looking back at my own values and asking what a values-based decision would be has really helped,” he said.

Drake said building and maintaining relationships and choosing to do the right thing, even when it might not be popular, have also been critical to his growth as a leader.

More than two dozen local leaders were honorees at the ceremony. Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO, Greater Columbus Arts Council, and Patrick Losinski, CEO, Columbus Metropolitan Library, were the lifetime achievement winners.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Crime reports on and near The Ohio State University’s Columbus campus generally increased in 2017, according to the university’s Annual Security Report and Annual Fire Safety Report.

Ohio State released the report Friday in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act. The report contains data reported between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2017 (see full report).

University officials cited multiple factors for the increase in crime reports, including a continued focus on educating the campus community on where to make a report in an effort to connect victims to resources as well as an increased campus population.

The 2017 reporting was supported by a team of independent auditing specialists that Ohio State engaged in June 2018 in connection with the university’s dissolution of its Sexual Civility and Empowerment unit to ensure that the university has fulfilled its obligations to report certain offenses to law enforcement, federal regulators and other authorities.

Based on the results of the third-party review from the auditing specialists who reviewed information from several university offices, Ohio State made a number of updates to its reports from previous years, including: one additional report of rape in 2015, four fewer reports of rape in 2016, three additional reports of stalking in 2015, six additional reports of stalking in 2016 and one additional report of aggravated assault in 2016.

“Sexual assault is a national issue and continues to be a focus for all college campuses across the country,” said Kellie Brennan, Ohio State compliance director and Title IX/Clery Act coordinator. “Ohio State continues to focus on providing resources through Buckeyes ACT, a comprehensive program to increase awareness and reporting of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault.”

According to Ohio State’s 2017 Campus Climate survey, 77 percent of students were somewhat or very knowledgeable about where to make a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct at Ohio State in 2017, compared to 47.8 percent in 2015. Additionally, 70 percent of student respondents believed that it was very or extremely likely that a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct would be taken seriously by campus officials.

In addition, for the second year in a row, the university included reports for crimes for which the exact location is unknown, meaning the possibility that the incidents occurred on campus could not be ruled out. This accounted for 31 of the 71 incidents included in the campus rape category.

A rise in the number of students living on the Columbus campus may have contributed to higher crime statistics. Ohio State had 30 percent more students living on its Columbus campus as of fall 2016 with the opening of new residence halls impacting the full 2017 crime data.

Additional residence hall suites, containing multiple rooms, factored into a rise in the campus burglary category which spiked from 19 to 49 reports in 2017. Burglaries from residence hall suites that involve thefts from multiple rooms count as separate incidents. Ohio State continues to train its police officers in the intricacies between Clery and the Ohio Revised Code to reinforce these reporting differences.

The Ohio State University Police Division (OSUPD) issued a Public Safety Notice in November 2017 following a rash of burglaries in residence hall rooms. The resulting investigation led to an arrest.

“Safety of students, faculty and staff remains our top priority,” said Monica Moll, director of Ohio State’s Department of Public Safety. “We continue to hire additional police officers and invest in safety tools to provide proactive policing and security services to campus residents and for major events.”

Non-campus crime also increased with the largest jump occurring in aggravated assaults, up from one to 13 in 2017. At least seven of these 13 incidents were related to one fraternity which has since been suspended by the university for three years.

The university continues to educate incoming students about safety. Ohio State released a new Surviving an Active Aggressor video this fall along with a new safety app, Rave Guardian, which allows for faster emergency notifications and the ability to build a safety network of friends and family through GPS tracking.

The Annual Security Report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Ohio State, including Wexner Medical Center facilities; and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

The report includes crime statistics from the OSUPD as well as a number of other university officials designated as Campus Security Authorities and local law enforcement agencies. The Annual Security Report is available online. The public may also obtain a printed copy through the University Police Records Unit located at Blankenship Hall.

Drake was the featured speaker for the chamber’s CEO Insights series. The interview series began in 2013 and has featured speakers like Les Wexner, CEO of L Brands, and Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.

Chamber of Commerce CEO Don DePerro, who moderated the event, started the conversation with a question about Drake’s ambitions for Ohio State.

“We want to be the best university we can be. We are focused on students and being able to create a pathway for them to move forward in their lives,” Drake said.

Drake said he repeats four goals when students begin the application process, come to orientation and start the academic year. Drake said he wants them to focus on academic excellence in the classroom, research and creative excellence, character development and growth as leaders.

Drake said those goals tie into the university’s commitment to educate the workforce of tomorrow.

“We are a land-grant university and part of our founding mission is to educate the people of our community,” he said. “And to educate them in things that actually help to lift the quality of life in the community.”

Drake discussed the growth and success of the Wexner Medical Center, the search for a new executive vice president and chancellor for academic health care and an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct raised against Richard Strauss, a former university-employed physician.

While Drake said he couldn’t comment on the ongoing, independent investigation, he said the bottom line is uncovering the truth.

“The quicker we get to the truth, and the clearer it is and the more complete it is, the better for us,” he said.

DePerro asked the president about some of his greatest accomplishments in his time leading Ohio State. Drake cited the university’s tuition guarantee program that locks in tuition prices for a student from freshman year through graduation. He also pointed to the Buckeye Opportunity Program, where the university covers the full cost of tuition for the state’s Pell-eligible students.

Drake concluded the conversation by focusing on students again.

“A great privilege for me has been to work with students during my career. They are bright, young, enterprising, optimistic and innovative people,” he said. “They are excited about the future and I love existing in a world where it’s all about the future and what we’re going to do and what the possibilities are. The great privilege that we have at this university is to try to make that future better for all of us.”

Alan C. Michaels, dean of the Moritz College of Law, will deliver The Ohio State University’s summer commencement address. Approximately 1,500 degrees will be awarded at the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 5, at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.

Michaels, the Edwin M. Cooperman Chair in Law, joined Ohio State in 1995 and has served as dean since 2008. In June, he announced plans to conclude his term as dean in June 2019 and return to the faculty. The College of Law has thrived during his decade of service as dean, with many innovative programs contributing to nationally leading outcomes for graduates and record-breaking fundraising powering both access and nationally acclaimed research. Over the last three years, he has also co-taught a course entitled The Civil Rights Movement and the Supreme Court with Ohio State University President Michael V. Drake.

“It is my pleasure to announce Moritz College of Law Dean Alan Michaels as our speaker for the 419th commencement ceremony,” said President Drake. “A friend, colleague and instructor to many across Buckeye Nation, Dean Michaels has devoted more than 20 years to advancing academic and research excellence at Ohio State. His commitment to expanding pathways to an exemplary and affordable legal education represents the very best qualities of our university’s founding land-grant mission. I am confident his message will resonate among our graduates as they embark to change this world for the better.”

Michaels graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude in 1983 and from Columbia University School of Law in 1986.

Following graduation from law school, he clerked for Chief Judge Wilfred Feinberg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then Associate Justice Harry A. Blackmun of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Michaels spent three years in private practice representing the Major League Baseball Players Association and then served for four years as a prosecutor in New York County before joining Ohio State. From 2001 to 2003, he served Moritz as associate dean for faculty and also has been a visiting professor at the University of Michigan.

Michaels’ research, primarily in the area of the criminal intent in crimes and in the adjudicatory portion of criminal procedure, has been published in a variety of leading journals, including the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review and the Southern California Law Review.

He is co-author with Professors Joshua Dressler and Ric Simmons of Understanding Criminal Procedure (4th edition) and serves as co-managing editor of the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law. Michaels was the recipient of the 1998-99 Outstanding Scholarly Paper Award from the Association of American Law Schools. He was chosen as the Outstanding Professor by the graduating classes of 1999 and 2000.

Michaels has taught courses in criminal law, sports law, white-collar crime and criminal procedure: adjudication.

Also during the ceremony, John C. “Jack” Fisher, former executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Inc. and former university trustee, will receive the university’s Distinguished Service Award.

After a national search, Carmen Winant, a Columbus-based visual artist and writer whose work has been celebrated across the world, has been named the first Roy Lichtenstein Chair of Studio Art in the Department of Art at The Ohio State University. Winant will join the faculty this August.

Currently an assistant professor of history of art and visual culture at the Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD), Winant uses her collages, installations and writings to offer critical insights on female experiences. Her work has been featured in exhibitions nationally and internationally — most recently at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, where her installation “My Birth” is currently on view as part of MoMA’s Being: New Photography 2018 exhibit. Winant’s work has also been covered extensively by the press, including in The New Yorker and Vogue.

“I am thrilled to join the Department of Art at Ohio State and to honor the legacy of Roy Lichtenstein, a pioneering artist and former Ohio State student and faculty member,” said Winant. “The department’s dedicated and inspiring commitment to teaching makes it an ideal home for me. Moreover, Lichtenstein’s creative practice — based in experimentation, rigor and appropriative strategies — has influenced my own work as an artist and a critical writer.”

Dorothy Lichtenstein and the board of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation established the Roy Lichtenstein Chair of Studio Art last year as part of a $6 million endowed gift to Ohio State. In addition to creating the studio art chair that Winant will hold, the gift also created the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Endowed Chair of Art History. A search for the endowed chair of art history has begun and will continue until the position is filled.

Roy Lichtenstein, one of the most influential and innovative artists of the second half of the 20th century, is preeminently identified with pop art, a movement he helped originate. Lichtenstein received his BFA and master’s degrees at Ohio State in 1946 and 1949, respectively, and taught studio art classes at the university in the late 1940s and early 1950s. After his death in 1997, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation was created to facilitate public access to his work and to develop and educate the next generation of artists, curators, critics and scholars.

“All of us in the family and the foundation are delighted with the appointment of Carmen Winant to be the first Roy Lichtenstein Chair of Studio Art,” said Dorothy Lichtenstein, president of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and Roy’s widow. “Roy’s artistic career began at Ohio State, and he was nurtured, and positively stimulated, by his professors. We would hope that the current and next generations of art students, and maybe even students in other disciplines, will be inspired by our Roy Lichtenstein Chair, as we ‘pay forward.’”

“The Department of Art is extremely pleased and proud to welcome Carmen Winant as the inaugural Roy Lichtenstein Chair of Studio Art,” said Michael Mercil, professor in the Department of Art, who served as interim chair of the department during the search. “Winant’s work in a variety of contemporary art forms, as well as her substantial engagement with critical writing, fits perfectly with our own aspirations to expand interdisciplinary art practices. In the spirit of Roy Lichtenstein’s legacy of innovative and original experimentation, Winant crosses fluidly between disciplines and works in a range of material and conceptual forms.”

Winant received her BA from UCLA and master’s degrees in critical studies and fine arts from the California College of the Arts. In 2010, she was a resident at the Skowhegan School of Painting in Sculpture. While on the faculty at CCAD, she received Excellence in Teaching Awards in both 2016 and 2017.

It’s called the Innovation Studio and the idea behind it is using collaboration to find solutions to health care problems. The Innovation Studio is the brainchild of Tim Raderstorf, chief innovation officer for the College of Nursing.

“We wanted to be the starting line for people. We wanted to be the go-to place where you get your ideas off the ground,” he said.

The studio looks like a portable high-school shop class: There are 3D printers, laser cutters and hand tools. Would-be inventors can also get help in product design and pitch development.

The studio can be set up in a day and it’s always on the move. Raderstorf opened the studio this week at the James and it will remain in the lobby until the end of July. Future stops include the College of Nursing and Thompson Library.

“We are excited to have the Innovation Studio back in the lobby at the James. We are continually on the lookout for innovative ideas and creative ways to improve patient care,” said Kris Kipp, executive director of patient services and chief nursing officer at The James. “Our faculty and staff are wonderful resources for these ideas, and the Innovation Studio is a great partner in helping to make ideas become realities.”

said problem solvers need three things to bring ideas into reality.

“The first is the permission to innovate and that’s what the Innovation Studio provides. It’s the physical space that allows people to come in and do work and innovate and collaborate across boundaries,” he said.

Independent validation and funding are also critical. The Innovation Studio provides both.

Project teams are eligible to enter competitions in which top performers receive funding to continue to develop their invention or idea. As the ideas progress, the Innovation Studio can provide more funding. A donation from College of Nursing alumna Connie Hahn Sharpe and her husband, Gary, supports the studio.

Melissa Driscoll, a research nurse in the College of Medicine, turned to the Innovation Studio to get an invention off the ground. Driscoll worked with research scientist Surya Gnyawali to develop a new cart to support the imaging equipment critical to their work.

“It was really awesome, just knowing that there is a team of people out there that can help you develop your ideas and help you create your ideas,” Driscoll said. “We were considered the inventors but they were helping us to better establish what we had and how to use it bedside.”

Previously successful projects have ranged from software to improve the productivity of physician assistants and nurse practitioners to adaptive rock climbing harnesses for people who are paraplegic and quadriplegic, Raderstorf said.

“It’s kind of been all across the board but as long as it improves the health and well-being of the world, then it’s something that we’re interested in.”

A study by the Inter-University Council of Ohio finds Ohio public universities added $42 billion in income to the Ohio economy. That’s about equal to 6.7 percent of the state’s total economy.

The Ohio State University President Michael V. Drake joined university presidents from across the state at the Ohio Statehouse Tuesday at a press conference to highlight the report.

“We know higher education is a great investment for individuals,” Drake said.

The report captured economic data from the 2016-2017 academic year and asserts that higher education supported 558,841 jobs – or one out of every 12 jobs – in Ohio. Labor market analysis firm Emsi, developed the report for the council. The firm serves clients in higher education from around the world.

Some of the other economic findings in the report included: For every $1 students invest in public universities, they receive a cumulative return of $4.60 in higher future earnings. For every $1 of public money invested in public universities, taxpayers receive a cumulative return of $4.10 in benefits.

“By the year 2026, most of the in-demand jobs will require baccalaureate degrees,” Ohio State Sen. Randy Gardner said. “Higher education is of real value in the state of Ohio.”

The report is part of a statewide campaign designed to raise awareness of the value of public higher education and spur efforts to close the state’s increasing higher education attainment gap. The effort, called Forward Ohio, seeks to mobilize public support for greater investment in public higher education.

“Today we have an economic impact statement that demonstrates the way to move Ohio forward is through an investment in higher education and our students,” said Bruce Johnson, president of the Inter-University Council of Ohio.

Economics are not the only consideration. Drake said research into the benefits of higher education suggests that college graduates lead healthier and happier lives and live longer.

“From the founding of our first universities to the life-changing ideas emerging daily on today’s campuses, higher education has helped to make America the strongest country in the world,” he said.

That four-year boost – found in an analysis of more than 1,000 obits from around the country – was calculated after taking into account the sex and marital status of those who died, two factors that have strong effects on lifespan.

The boost was slightly larger (6.48 years) in a smaller study of obituaries published in a Des Moines, Iowa, newspaper.

“Religious affiliation had nearly as strong an effect on longevity as gender does, which is a matter of years of life,” said Laura Wallace, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in psychology at The Ohio State University.

The study was published online today in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

The researchers found that part of the reason for the boost in longevity came from the fact that many religiously affiliated people also volunteered and belonged to social organizations, which previous research has linked to living longer.

“The study provides persuasive evidence that there is a relationship between religious participation and how long a person lives,” said Baldwin Way, co-author of the study and associate professor of psychology at Ohio State.

In addition, the study showed how the effects of religion on longevity might depend in part on the personality and average religiosity of the cities where people live, Way said.

The first study involved 505 obituaries published in the Des Moines Register in January and February 2012. In addition to noting the age and any religious affiliation of those who died, the researchers also documented sex, marital status and the number of social and volunteer activities listed.

Results showed that those whose obit listed a religious affiliation lived 9.45 years longer than those who didn’t. The gap shrunk to 6.48 years after gender and marital status were taken into account.

The second study included 1,096 obituaries from 42 major cities in the United States published on newspaper websites between August 2010 and August 2011.

In this study, people whose obits mentioned a religious affiliation lived an average of 5.64 years longer than those whose obits did not, which shrunk to 3.82 years after gender and marital status were considered.

Many studies have shown that people who volunteer and participate in social groups tend to live longer than others. So the researchers combined data from both studies to see if the volunteer and social opportunities that religious groups offer might explain the longevity boost.

Results showed that this was only part of the reason why religious people lived longer.

“We found that volunteerism and involvement in social organizations only accounted for a little less than one year of the longevity boost that religious affiliation provided,” Wallace said. “There’s still a lot of the benefit of religious affiliation that this can’t explain.”

So what else explains how religion helps people live longer? It may be related to the rules and norms of many religions that restrict unhealthy practices such as alcohol and drug use and having sex with many partners, Way said.

In addition, “many religions promote stress-reducing practices that may improve health, such as gratitude, prayer or meditation,” he said.

The fact that the researchers had data from many cities also allowed them to investigate whether the level of religiosity in a city and a city’s “personality” could affect how religious affiliation influenced longevity.

The findings showed that a key personality element related to longevity in each city was the importance placed on conformity to community values and norms.

In highly religious cities where conformity was important, religious people tended to live longer than non-religious people.

But in some cities there is a spillover effect.

“The positive health effects of religion spill over to the non-religious in some specific situations,” Wallace said. “The spillover effect only occurs in highly religious cities that aren’t too concerned about everyone conforming to the same norms. In those areas, non-religious people tend to live as long as do religious people.”

Way said there are limitations to the study, including the fact that it could not control for important factors related to longevity such as race and health behaviors. But a potential strength was that, unlike other studies, religious affiliation was not self-reported, but was reported by the obituary writer.

Overall, the study provided additional support to the growing number of studies showing that religion does have a positive effect on health, Wallace said.

Other authors on the study were Rebecca Anthony, who is in her final year of medical school at Ohio State, and Christian End, associate professor of psychology at Xavier University.

The study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

In a series of eight studies, both in the lab and real life, researchers found that free time seems shorter to people when it comes before a task or appointment on their calendar.

“We seem to take a mental tax out of our time right before an appointment,” said Selin Malkoc, co-author of the study and associate professor of marketing at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business

“We figure something might come up, we might need some extra time, even when there’s no need to do that. As a result, we do less with the available time.”

The study appears online in the Journal of Consumer Research.

In an online study of 198 people, Malkoc and her colleagues asked some participants to imagine they had a friend coming over to visit in one hour and “you are all ready for your friend to come by.” The others were told that they had no plans for the evening.

All participants were asked how many minutes “objectively” they could spend reading during the next hour and how many minutes they “subjectively” felt like they could spend reading during that same hour.

“Regardless of whether they had a friend coming by or not, participants said that they objectively had about 50 minutes available to read,” Malkoc said.

“That’s an amazing finding right there. Most people didn’t think even objectively they had a full hour to read. People are putting a little ‘just-in-case’ time into their schedules when there is no real reason to do that.”

When they were asked how much time they felt they had to read – the subjective measurement – those with a friend coming by felt that they had 10 more minutes missing in their hour – about 40 minutes.

The results held up in real-life studies as well.

The researchers asked participants recruited online to provide their actual schedules for the next day. Participants indicated when each scheduled task on their calendar would begin and how much time they would need before each task to prepare.

Participants were then offered the opportunity to take part in either a 30-minute or a 45-minute study on that day. The 30-minute study paid $2.50 and the 45-minute study paid twice as much: $5.

For some participants, the study was scheduled in the one hour before they said they had to start getting ready for their next appointment. The others were not scheduled up against another of their appointments.

Even though they had plenty of time to finish the 45-minute study, participants who had an appointment in an hour were significantly more likely than the others to choose the 30-minute study instead of the 45-minute version.

“It was clear they would have plenty of time to finish and have extra time before their next appointment, but they still were more likely to choose the 30-minute study – even when they had a clear financial incentive to choose the longer study,” Malkoc said.

People also seem to get more done when they don’t have a scheduled task hanging over their heads, the researchers found.

In a study of 158 college students, a researcher told participants when they arrived at the lab that study sessions were running faster than expected so she wanted to wait to see if more participants arrived.

Some participants were reminded that they had a task coming up soon: They were told “they had about five minutes before we could get started. You can do whatever you want before we will get started.”

Others weren’t reminded about their upcoming task and were simply told “they had about five minutes to do whatever you want.”

After the time had passed, all participants wrote down what they did during the five-minute interval. The students indicated they did things like sending a text message, checking email and visiting social media sites.

But those who weren’t reminded they had an upcoming task performed more activities (an average of 2.38) than those who were told they had a task soon (an average of 1.86).

“You don’t feel like you can get as much done when you have a task coming up soon. The time seems shorter,” Malkoc said.

These findings suggest that looming tasks on our calendar make us less productive, according to Malkoc.

“We feel that if we have a meeting in two hours, we shouldn’t work on any big projects. So we may spend time just answering emails or doing things that aren’t as productive,” she said.

That may explain why, on days when we have meetings spread throughout, we feel like we have accomplished little. The problem is that we aren’t maximizing the time in between those meetings, she said.

One solution, she said, is to try to stack all your meetings together. That way, you have longer, uninterrupted times when you feel you can tackle the bigger projects on your agenda.

It is also good to remind yourself of how much time you really do have available.

“We seem to overestimate the things that might happen to take up our time, so we don’t get things done,” she said.

Malkoc conducted the study with Gabriella Tonietto, assistant professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, and Stephen Nowlis, professor of marketing at Washington University’s Olin Business School.

As part of a larger commitment toward promoting shared prosperity, Schmidt Futures has awarded Ohio State a $1.5 million grant to kick-start a vibrant and inclusive idea development process. This conversation will engage the university community alongside business, government and community partners in a robust brainstorming process.

“As a modern land-grant university, Ohio State is committed to expanding opportunity, unlocking talent and increasing economic vitality,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake. “We are absolutely thrilled to join the Alliance and to partner with individuals and communities on this important and timely endeavor. It’s ‘The Columbus Way’ in action.”

The Alliance will focus on developing ideas to strengthen the middle class and help move people out of poverty. It seeks to inspire investment in research and development across public, private and nonprofit sectors, and to build effective partnerships between academic communities and engineers, scientists, policymakers, investors and community advocates.

Schmidt Futures was founded by Eric Schmidt, technical advisor to Alphabet, a member of its board of directors, and former executive chairman.

“We are delighted to announce that Ohio State will act as an inaugural partner in the Alliance for the American Dream,” said Eric Schmidt. “When I was in Columbus last December, I saw firsthand the energy and vibrancy of the campus and region. Columbus is a perfect place to find great, fresh ideas. We are delighted to support them as they fuel an innovation engine to help distressed communities and expand the middle class."

A launch of the Alliance for the American Dream at Ohio State will take place in May.

About Schmidt Futures
Schmidt Futures works to advance society through technology, inspire breakthroughs in scientific knowledge, and promote shared prosperity. As a venture facility for public benefit, Schmidt Futures drives discovery through investment in people, platforms, and partnerships. Schmidt Futures aims to nurture the best ideas and most promising leaders from across disciplines. Founded by Eric Schmidt, Schmidt Futures is committed to serving society in new ways with working methods that are modern, fast, lean, and professional.
 

“Ohio State should be the trusted source of salary information for internal users, job applicants, the media and researchers who are interested in payroll data,” said Susan Basso, senior vice president for talent, culture and human resources.

“The university is an attractive workplace, and the demand for jobs is high,” Basso said. “As a major Ohio employer and one of the nation’s largest universities, it makes good sense for Ohio State to give the public easy access to some of its most sought-after data.”

In calendar year 2017, 42,670 faculty and staff received $2.5 billion in total earnings – representing a one-year employee headcount increase of 1,855 (4.5 percent) and a 6.4 percent increase over the 2016 $2.35 billion payroll budget. The 2017 median annual base salary stood at $48,173, compared to $47,661 in 2016 – a 1.1 percent increase.

Two types of data are available on the Human Resources website: Users may enter a name, department, title or salary range to search for base salary information in the web-based application. A second option is available to download Excel spreadsheets of total employee earnings for calendar year 2017, which includes bonuses, overtime, deferred compensation, and vacation and sick leave payouts in addition to base salary. The data will be updated throughout the calendar year.

More than 400 alumni, faculty, staff, students and supporters filled a conference room at COSI Columbus Friday to discuss some of the great health challenges of the 21st century. The summit focused on building a healthier community – and for the audience, community meant their homes, central Ohio and the larger world.

Presentations and panels at the summit focused on preventive care and wellness as well as the nature and impact of addiction. Guests were entertained by a fitness course from Shelley Meyer, instructor of clinical practice at the  College of Nursing, and a session on mindfulness from Maryanna Klatt, professor of clinical family medicine at the Wexner Medical Center. President Michael V. Drake opened the summit with a reflection on the power of Buckeye Nation.

“I was thinking about the Arthur Ashe quote ‘start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.’” Drake said. “It lets us know that each of us, when we address these really large societal problems, each of us can do something to advance us forward. And it may not be enough to make a measurable or huge difference. But everyone making a little difference, adding a little bit, can make a big difference.”

Richard Carmona, 17th surgeon general of the United States and distinguished professor at the College of Nursing, moderated the summit and discussed the personal challenge of leading a healthier lifestyle.

“The difficulty is taking ownership and responsibility in well-being,” he said. “But if we don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be around to take care of our children. And the cost is going to be pretty significant.”

Carmona introduced his colleague Bernadette Melnyk, dean of the College of Nursing, vice president for health promotion and chief wellness officer for Ohio State. Melnyk emphasized the importance of taking simple steps for better health, noting that many of the most lethal health problems were preventable through better self-care.

“We must act with urgency to do more. We must not wait until people are in crisis to do something,” Melnyk said.

Ohio State is a national leader in promoting health and well-being and has seen a decrease in health care spending on faculty, staff and students because of a culture of wellness, Melnyk said. The university has incentivized healthy behavior and it has paid off.

The summit also confronted the challenges surrounding addiction. Members of the university-run Generation Rx discussed the misuse of prescription medication. President’s Prize winner Alina Sharafutdinova, a recent graduate of Ohio State, talked about her project that seeks to fight substance abuse through education and engagement. Dean of the College of Social Work Tom Gregoire celebrated his own journey of recovery and his 39 years of sobriety.

Ohio State University Alumni Association President and CEO Jim Smith said the university’s broad reach is a powerful tool in addressing these issues. He asked the audience for their ideas to build healthier communities.

Some responses included:

• Find opportunities for Buckeyes to make changes in their own communities.
• Become a lifelong learner, be an advocate for healthy lifestyles and share that information.
• Focus on the youth and the next generations to be healthier.

At the end of a full day of presentations and discussion, those who attended the summit came away engaged and inspired.

Glennon Sweeney, senior research associate at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, said she was impressed by the level of thought and conversation around these critical issues of health. She said the discussion at the summit will aid her work at the Kirwan Institute.

“There’s definitely not enough emphasis on health and well-being in our culture at large and particularly in our most disadvantaged communities,” she said. “Thinking about how we can take the energy from this event and focus on the most disadvantaged communities in central Ohio and work in partnership with them to build this culture of well-being is something that I’ve been thinking about all day.”

Drake said Ohio State should be at the center of addressing these issues. The university’s land-grant mission demands that Ohio State lead the quest for solutions.

“So what we’ll do is take what we’ve learned here today, incorporate that and take it out into the world to do good,” Drake said. “We will have the ability to harness the power of Buckeye Nation to make our whole world better.”

Daniel Clinchot, the college’s vice dean for education, explained to the Wexner Medical Center Board of Trustees Wednesday that Ohio State launched the intensive service-learning curriculum component in 2012, requiring students to devote a minimum of 30 hours to service in coordination with a central Ohio community agency. In addition, students are required to study and report on the impact of their efforts.

“Ohio State’s medical students are a powerful workforce fighting against health disparities,” Clinchot said.

On an annual basis, Ohio State’s medical students perform 12,000 hours of service and serve at least 2,000 central Ohio residents through this community health education project, said College of Medicine Dean K. Craig Kent.

Four students described their projects to trustees.

Kyle Smith, who is pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, worked at a physical therapy clinic on Parsons Avenue in Columbus that is run by students who are supervised by faculty. The clinic opened in 2015 in coordination with PrimaryOne Health and provides pro-bono services to underserved populations in central Ohio.

Smith recalled working for a year with a patient still recovering from a stroke whose insurance coverage had run out. By the time the treatment concluded, the man had made significant mobility improvements and could safely perform daily activities in his home, where he lived alone.

“This is one example of the impact we can have on these patients,” Smith said.

Grace Lartey was inspired to pursue health care as a career – and to focus on access to care – in part because of her own family’s problems accessing care in Ghana, which contributed to her mother’s loss of a pregnancy. Working with the local nonprofit Sisters Across Borders, Lartey and her classmates focused on reducing risk for cardiovascular disease in the Ghanaian community in north Columbus by conducting preventive screenings and providing education on nutrition and exercise.

“As a medical student, I am fortunate to be at a place like Ohio State so I can impact society through community health,” Lartey said.

Second-year medical student Jaron Hansen participated in the Health Sciences Academies, an initiative in seven Near East Side schools designed to improve student outcomes by encouraging a healthier lifestyle and promoting career development, especially in the health industry. The program, a partnership between Columbus City Schools, Wexner Medical Center and PACT (Partners Achieving Community Transformation), was launched in 2015.

Hansen and classmates held discussion sessions with 20 East High School students over four months, introducing them to health care-related hands-on activities and interactive experiences, and mentoring them along the way.

In a poster presentation, Hansen’s group reported that a survey of the students “indicated that our program had the greatest effect on increasing student confidence and desire to pursue a health professional career and interest in the Health Sciences Academies school club.”

Lauren Chen’s community health education project group teamed with an existing after-school and summer program for socioeconomically and academically disadvantaged youth in Columbus, many from families lacking access to quality education and healthy lifestyles.

The medical students developed a series of workshops on nutrition, physical fitness, substance abuse prevention and mental wellness that were integrated into the Healthy Asian Youth summer programming.

“Ultimately, we hoped to promote lifelong healthy behaviors and build rapport with the underserved community of Columbus,” the group reported.

Chen told trustees that follow-up data suggested their workshops made a difference: Participating children watched less TV, drank fewer sugary beverages and exercised more.

“I’m grateful and proud to be part of a medical school that has afforded me the opportunity to help kids grow up to be advocates for their own health,” she said.

Clinchot told trustees that current first-year students are working with the Franklin County Coroner’s office on a series of projects related to the opioid crisis in the region. The community health education component of the medical curriculum requires students to create programs that can be sustained by partner agencies or that can be passed on for students to continue in subsequent years.

Simon shared some stories and lessons from that career with a packed audience of students, faculty and staff at The Ohio State University on Tuesday. President Michael V. Drake interviewed the Grammy Award-winning musician in Weigel Auditorium.

Simon, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, discussed his upbringing in New York City and a musical beginning that was influenced by his father, a musician and band leader. Simon began writing and playing music as a teen and knew he was on to something when one of his songs became a favorite on his block.

“If other people would sing that song around the neighborhood, that’s a hit. If you can get someone to sing your song, that’s a hit,” Simon said.

Simon was in town as a guest for a class Drake co-teaches with Moritz College of Law Dean Alan Michaels. “The Civil Rights Movement and the Supreme Court” examines the Civil Rights era and uses music from the time as a reference point. Previous musical guests have included Mary Wilson of the Supremes and Jorma Kaukonen from Jefferson Airplane.

“Were you going to be a professional musician when you left college?” Drake asked.

Simon said he performed well on the exams to get into law school and started taking classes, but only for one year. The first recording of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” didn’t see much success, but a remixed version with electric guitar, bass and drums started to find an audience and eventually reached the top of the pop charts.

“That’s how I got started and then I’ve had a very successful career, for which I am very grateful,” Simon said.

Simon talked about the music that influenced his writing, including ska, reggae, Latin music and gospel. Songs like “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” had a cultural impact far beyond American radio. Simon said fellow musician Ruben Blades explained the importance of the music many years later.

“He said to me, ‘You have no idea what it was like growing up as a kid in Panama and to hear a Latin name coming through in an American pop song,’” Simon said. “It was a big deal.”

Simon’s music has always had a social connection, and he has invested in philanthropy to protect the environment and to provide musical instruments and instruction to children in public schools.

Drake and Simon connected through the Children’s Health Fund. Simon and Irwin and Karen Redlener founded the charity in 1987 after touring temporary housing for homeless families in New York City. Simon walked away recognizing the critical need for health care and funded a mobile medical clinic to serve the community. Drake and Karen Redlener were classmates in grade school and high school.

Simon is soon to be out on the road for his Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour, which will end in Madison Square Garden in September. Simon said he enjoys performing live but dislikes being away from home.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll keep my word on that,” he joked. “I’m past 75 now, I feel like I’m coming around third base. It’s time to be giving back. That’s my intention.”

The tour will not be the end of his musical career. He has a new album coming out this summer featuring re-recordings of some of his earlier music that he feels did not get proper attention.

Simon ended his conversation with an acoustic performance of “Questions for the Angels” and “American Tune” for the audience. Drake returned the favor by leading the audience in singing “Carmen Ohio.”

Smart Campus, a student organization partnering with the university’s Center for Automotive Research, hosted leaders from the city of Columbus, Smart Columbus, CAR, the university’s Technology Commercialization Office and the Transportation Research Center this month in Scott Laboratory.

“We have a campus that rivals in size some of the smaller cities in the nation. With that, we have the unique opportunity to operate in a microcosm where we can test and find solutions that can then be extended to cities around the nation,” said Cameron Luther, co-founder of Smart Campus.

The Smart Campus organization is working to help students from across the university find ways to collaborate with the Smart Columbus initiative and engage in campus projects tied to a connected campus.

In 2016, Columbus won the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge, beating out 77 cities. The win secured $40 million in grants from the federal government and another $10 million from Vulcan Inc. Ohio State is the lead researcher on the project.

While the initiative, and the grant money tied to it, lasts for only a limited time, research at Ohio State will continue to make Columbus a smarter city.

“The reality is, here at Ohio State, because of the awesome faculty, staff and students, we’ve been really engaging in smart cities research the entire time depending on which definition we use,” said Courtney Falato, Smart Cites relationship director at Ohio State.

Falato said automotive research and connected devices are only part of what it means to be a smart city. She referred to a quote that put the research in context.

“So even though smart seems to be synonymous with technology, certainly it goes way beyond technology. What does it accomplish and how does it improve the lives of citizens?” Falato said.

Currently, Smart Columbus projects are focused on using technology to improve the Columbus community. One effort includes developing a common payment system for transportation so people across the economic spectrum can take advantage of public transportation, ride sharing or other services. Another is working to develop a way to provide more flexible and reliable transportation to expectant mothers using Medicaid-based services.

“(Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther) believes that transportation and mobility is the great equalizer of the 21st century,” said Brandi Braun, deputy innovation officer for Columbus. “We want to ensure that we approach smart mobility and smart city technologies in a way where we are not widening the gap between Columbus’ haves and have-nots.”

Jordan Davis, director of Smart Columbus at the Columbus Partnership, told students that future advances in technology should lead to reduced congestion and a cleaner environment. It will also simplify mundane tasks like shopping for groceries or picking up dry cleaning.

“I think of mobility as a service in its simplest form. How can we use the sharing economy and how can we use technology to make mobility work for them,” Davis said.

Luther encouraged his peers to become active in the opportunities offered by the Smart Campus program.

“We’re right in the center of an amazing moment,” he said. “I really encourage all of you in the room that are here to take that opportunity by the horns.”

(Video and photos available for download: http://bit.ly/2nHbFqc)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – More people are walking away from a type of cardiac arrest that is nearly always fatal, thanks to a new protocol being tested at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. It’s called an ECPR alert.

Ohio State cardiologists work in conjunction with Columbus Division of Fire to implement this novel pre-hospital life support protocol that has limited availability in the U.S. 

Currently, only about 10 percent of people survive a sudden cardiac arrest that happens in the field – even fewer survive with normal neurologic function. The ECPR alert is designed to change those numbers.

“This protocol is for people who are in ventricular fibrillation or refractory ventricular tachycardia, which are irregular heart rhythms that aren’t compatible with life and resist being shocked back to normal,” said Dr. Ernest Mazzaferri Jr., medical director of The Ohio State University Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital. “Typically, if they don’t respond to getting shocked, these patients would die in the field because we didn’t have any options to save them. Now, in certain situations, we have had patients survive and walk out of the hospital.”

Columbus EMS personnel follow their protocol for ventricular fibrillation. If the patient remains in this rhythm after three defibrillation attempts, they call an ECPR alert to Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Medics put a mechanical CPR device on the patient for transport straight to the cardiac catheterization lab where a team is assembled and waiting.

“Between the field and the cath lab it’s critical to have good CPR to keep blood and oxygen moving to the brain and essential organs,” said Dr. Konstantinos Dean Boudoulas, an interventional cardiologist and one of the physicians leading the protocol.

Once in the cath lab, the patient is put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which takes over the functions of the heart and lungs.

“This allows the heart and lungs to rest while we find the problem and get the heart restarted and beating well, said Dr. Bryan Whitson, a cardiothoracic surgeon who leads the ECMO program at Ohio State.

The new system worked for 68-year-old Mark Bradford of Columbus. He collapsed while on his morning walk and woke up days later after treatment in the hospital.

“Without that protocol, I wouldn’t be alive. I’m very fortunate that they were trained in it and used it, and that I was out in the park where someone saw me,” Bradford said.

“It’s exciting and very few programs are doing this. Patients have a chance to walk out of a hospital with neurological recovery and have a meaningful life when, essentially, they very likely would have died,” Boudoulas said.

Experts say this is one more tool they have against cardiac arrest.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is a public health emergency because so few people survive, but there are so many things we can do: learn CPR, use AEDs and CPR machines, and now ECMO while doctors fix the cause. All of this can improve the numbers so sudden cardiac arrest doesn’t have to mean certain death,” said Dr. David Keseg, medical director at Columbus Division of Fire.

The ECPR protocol has been tested only in a few small studies recently, and so far the limited data shows an increase to about a 40 percent chance of survival.

“We certainly need more trials and more data, but we’re hopeful this will be like the STEMI program for treating heart attacks faster,” Mazzaferri said. “Ten years ago that was under investigation just like ECPR is now. Perhaps some years from now, ECPR will be more routine and saving more lives across the U.S.” 

Researchers from The Ohio State University surveyed more than 650 households near a major – and economically and racially diverse – city corridor in Columbus, Ohio, to learn more about their access to food and particularly to healthful foods. They made an effort to identify representative households in terms of race, age, gender and household income.

Michelle Kaiser

“Almost a third of the households were food insecure, and more than 16 percent had very low food security, meaning they were skipping meals, at risk for experiencing hunger and probably missing work and school and suffering health problems as a result,” said study lead author Michelle Kaiser, an assistant professor of social work at Ohio State.

“Previous estimates based on county-level census data would have suggested about half as many households didn’t have enough food or adequate access to food,” she said.

Households that experience food insecurity have insufficient access to quality food, periodically don’t have the means to adequately and healthfully feed themselves and often rely on foodbanks and other sources for food.

Of 663 households surveyed by the Ohio State researchers, 26 percent were not at all satisfied with their ability to easily access food and 27 percent said it wasn’t easy to find fresh fruits and vegetables, even though most of those surveyed – 86 percent – said nutritional value was “important” or “very important” to them when shopping. Overall, 32 percent of the households had low or very low food security. The survey included about 1 percent of the households in the neighborhoods included in the study area.

In addition to the survey, the researchers audited 90 stores where people from those households shopped. They looked at prices and compared the items on the stores’ shelves and in their coolers and freezers to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Thrifty Food Plan and MyPlate recommendations. The food plan specifies low-cost foods to provide adequate nutrition and is the basis for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. MyPlate provides nutritional guidance and stresses the importance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins.

Most people surveyed in the study shopped at a supermarket, but most also shopped at other stores close to their home regularly. For those with food insecurity, that mostly meant carry-outs, corner stores and businesses such as drug stores that house partial markets.

Those stores may have some fruits and vegetables and other wholesome foods, but the offerings are quite limited, Kaiser said.

“In a lot of cases, this is where people are going to buy their food on a regular basis because that’s the store they can get to,” she said.

Traditional full-service grocery stores are increasingly pulling out of low-income areas and it’s rare for a company to choose to locate a new grocery inside the city, particularly near areas with the highest poverty, Kaiser said.

“This study exposed the vastly different experiences of people who all live in the same city,” Kaiser said. “My suspicion is that most people don’t recognize that there are such discrepancies and can’t imagine living where they couldn’t easily go to a grocery store.”

Previous research has shown increases in depression, social isolation and anxiety among food-insecure residents, she said.

The good news is that there are initiatives that are showing promise, including efforts to give incentives to corner store owners for providing more produce and other nutritious foods, Kaiser said. Other policy options including looking for ways to entice grocery stores to locate in low-income, low-access neighborhoods and assuring that SNAP benefits align with nutrition recommendations, she said.

The next step in the research will include other neighborhoods in Columbus in an effort to better understand the experiences of households in neighborhoods where more immigrants and Latinos live.

Though the study looked exclusively at Columbus, Kaiser said she suspects similar disparities would be found in other metropolitan areas.

Researchers Jake Carr and Shaun Fontanella also worked on the study.

George, a 2001 graduate of The Ohio State University, was at the Ohio Theater Monday morning to talk about his turn as Billy Flynn in the musical “Chicago” and to speak to students from a recently established drama program at South High School. Students in the program come from area middle and high schools.

George, who decided to tackle acting after retiring from the NFL in 2004, told the students that he approaches performing on the stage the same way he approached football.

“What are you doing that your competition isn’t doing? How are you going to make yourself different than the other artists out there?” George asked.

A few of the students performed monologues for George. Faith Bean, a student from Lakeview Junior High School, performed a passage from “MacBeth.”

“I was nervous and excited and a bunch of different emotions that I just bottled up,” she said. “But then I ended up being cool and calm.”

Middle school student Joel Moren shared a similar story.

“Standing in front of people who I didn’t know and in front of someone who is famous and who’s going to work in an actual production was scary,” Moren said. “But it was it was amazing that I made him laugh. I was so happy I made him laugh.”

George’s foray into acting hasn’t come without challenges. He said he has missed out on roles in the past and noted it was a full year between his audition for the role of Billy Flynn and the time he was offered the job.

“You can’t take it personally. When you hear a no, you embrace it and go back and work in your craft,” he said.

That message made a real impact with Davina Ware, the South High School drama teacher.

“As many times as you hear the word no, do not give up,” Ware said. “That is something that I think every student will take with them. Because there are many times that they will hear that word. But if you don’t give up, you keep pressing towards the mark, you can accomplish your goal.”

Although George has already performed in “Chicago” on Broadway, his Columbus performance in February will allow fans of his time with the Buckeyes to see him in a new light.

“They know me as the Heisman Trophy winner,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll lose sight of the football player at some point during the show because they’re so mesmerized by what’s going on with Billy Flynn. If they forget about Eddie George up there and see Billy Flynn, I’ve done my job.” 

In addition to its place as a pop masterpiece, the iconic disco theme is set to the perfect beat for performing CPR. And Councilman Michael Stinziano is performing CPR on a medical mannequin at a pace that would make Barry Gibb proud.

“I think it’s always invaluable to have the opportunity to learn not just from power points or spreadsheets but actually, physically interact with the elements a medical student goes through,” Stinziano said.

Stinziano, Councilwoman Elizabeth Brown and County Commissioner Marilyn Brown joined local government health leaders at Ohio State’s Clinical Skills Education and Assessment Center Friday morning to get an inside look at the path to becoming a doctor. The half-day experience was part of Ohio State’s participation in Project Medical Education.

Developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges, Project Medical Education is designed to offer policymakers a hands-on experience to better understand medical education, patient care and medical research.

Dean of the College of Medicine Dr. K. Craig Kent spoke to the class about what it takes to get admitted to the university’s medical school. Kent noted that applicants’ medical exam scores must be in the 90^th percentile.

“That’s just the price to get interviewed,” Kent said.

Kent noted the university’s critical role in the state’s health care. He said Ohio State teaches many of the doctors that end up serving in the neighborhoods and communities the commission and council represent.

“We want to take care of the community. We take care of a group of patients that aren’t cared for by others in the community. We’re very serious about that care,” he said.

Participants in Project Medical Education were walked through the life of a medical student. One discussion focused on the debt medical students incur before they begin their careers. For Ohio State students the average is about $167,000 per student – below the national average of $172,000 per student.

The city and county leaders participated in a traditional white coat ceremony and recited the medical oath. And after a crash course, they practiced laparoscopic surgeries and colonoscopies on simulators.

A trip to a detailed replica of a hospital room led to the life-saving effort on the medical mannequin.

“I learned quite a bit today about the whole process,” Marilyn Brown said. “Especially as it relates to technology and how [Ohio State] trains new doctors.”

Brown said she wants to investigate new opportunities for the county’s health services to interact with Ohio State medical efforts. Stinziano said the city and university already have an excellent partnership, but there are always ways to better serve the city’s more than 300 neighborhoods.

“I thought it was a wonderful experience,” Stinziano said.

CHRR at The Ohio State University is developing the American Population Panel as a powerful new research tool to reach people in an era where getting real answers is more difficult than ever. Setting up of the American Population Panel is being funded in part by The Ohio State University and GateHouse Media – who own and operate The Dispatch Media Group in Columbus, Ohio in addition to daily and weekly news operations across the United States - to enhance their respective areas of study and research.

“People throw much of their mail into the trash or recycling bin. Landlines are less common today in households than they were in the past and rarely answered. Cell phone users are also increasingly unlikely to answer calls from unknown sources,” said Elizabeth Cooksey, professor of sociology and director of CHRR. “All of these trends make recruiting survey respondents difficult.”

Cooksey and her team are now building the panel using a variety of new techniques including social media. They are using Facebook and other social media platforms to recruit participants to join the panel and comparing this method to responses they get from telephone solicitations, email messages and postcards.

“Our ultimate goal is to create a panel of possible participants that we can contact for future research surveys,” Cooksey said.

Volunteers who agree to participate in social science and health-related studies make up the panel. Anyone 18 or older who lives in the U.S. can participate. The information is confidential and won’t be shared or sold.

Volunteers fill out a simple online form to join the panel and will be contacted at a future date to take part in the survey. The American Population Panel has a website with information about signing up and details on how the surveys are conducted.

While the approach to building the panel is new, the organization behind the effort has plenty of experience. CHRR has been involved in managing complex social research projects since 1965. Its staffers develop survey software, design survey instruments and process the data.

The center already has organizations lined up to work with the panel when it’s ready. The Dispatch Media Group and Ohio State’s Office of University Communications plan to survey American Population Panel members about media consumption patterns in the 21st century.

Cooksey said researchers with the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are also interested in using the panel.

“This will provide a new resource for researchers because it’s so hard and so expensive to get people to do social science or health-related research because people won’t answer their phones and they’re inundated with marketing requests.”

To learn more about the panel, visit the American Population Panel website.

Kirwan Institute Senior Legal Analyst Kyle Strickland presented the findings of the report Renewing Our Call to Action at a hearing in City Hall Monday night. Columbus City Councilman Shannon Hardin hosted the hearing to present the research and announce $100,000 in funding to support programs that aid the boys and young men identified in the report.

“Data is critical to us moving forward. If you don’t measure what you’re talking about, you don’t mean it,” Hardin said. “We mean this work.”

Renewing Our Call to Action is intended to help expand the work of the city’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. President Obama launched the program in 2014 to address the persistent challenges faced by boys and young men of color and find ways to help these boys reach their potential.

According to the Kirwan Institute research, 45 percent of the city’s 290,100 youth between the ages of 0 and 24 live in neighborhoods that experience high or very high vulnerability.

Strickland said that means youth in those neighborhoods were exposed to continued stressors such as poor performing schools, poverty, inadequate health care and unsafe neighborhood environments. The research found exposure to these stressors can negatively impact high school graduation, household income and life expectancy, and be linked to incidences of violent crime.

“There are youth facing conditions that should be unacceptable and we’ve got to address it. And those who are disproportionately affected by it are youth of color,” Strickland said.

Kirwan Institute researchers developed an index to understand youth vulnerability in the areas of education, economics, health and safety. They gathered demographic data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey and analyzed it to see where the most vulnerable neighborhoods were and who was living in them.

The study also looked at where to find help. Researchers cataloged and mapped the locations of area youth service providers and surveyed those providers on their programs and their ideas for future success.

“I think the city’s commitment to step up and be a part of this effort and put dollars behind it is crucial. $100,000 is just a start but it’s a call on the county, the state and the national leaders to make sure we’re spending dollars and resources to address the need,” Strickland said.

Strickland noted one of the speakers at the hearing called on city leaders to make sure they involve the young people analyzed in the report in the solutions developed through the grant program. He said it would be critical to hear from all voices in the community to help solve the problems facing at-risk youth.

“The city is committed to it and now we all need to show we’re committed to it as well.”

To read the full report, click on the link to Renewing Our Call to Action.

The university today announced requests for qualifications seeking design professionals for the inpatient tower and outpatient care facility that are key components of this bold plan.

The time for sweeping modernization is now, university officials say. The medical center closed out its most financially successful fiscal year in June, and the demand for patient care and medical education is greater than ever.

“The Wexner Medical Center has unprecedented opportunity for transformative growth,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake.

“A number of our most important indicators are at historic highs and accelerating. At the same time, our strategic plan calls for bold thinking to define the future of academic health care. We envision a medical campus in which all building projects integrate and support each other — and where the very best people work together across areas of expertise to further elevate the quality of the medical center and the entire university.”

The tower would be the largest single facilities project ever undertaken at Ohio State. Potential details on the scope and scale include:

• Up to 840 beds, replacing and expanding on the 440 beds in Rhodes Hall and Doan Hall; all 840 beds would be in private-room settings to elevate patient-centered care, safety and training for the next generation of physicians
  

• 60 neonatal intensive care unit bassinets

• State-of-the-art diagnostic, treatment and inpatient service areas (emergency department, imaging, operating rooms, critical care and medical/surgical beds)

• Connector to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute that also connects to Rhodes Hall, Doan Hall and the Brain and Spine Hospital
  

• Leading-edge digital technologies to advance care and teaching

• Additional green space as well as a new parking garage west of McCampbell Hall

The project area for the hospital tower is primarily bound by Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute tower to the east, relocated Cannon Drive to the west, 12th Avenue to the north and Medical Center Drive to the south.

The ambulatory center, located on West Campus, would provide outpatient operating rooms, urgent care with a 23-hour observation unit, an endoscopy unit, a pre-anesthesia center, diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology.

This project area is primarily bound by Kenny Road to the east, the Carmack parking lots to the west, Carmack Road to the north and the electrical sub-station to the south. Parking, roadway work and green space considerations will be part of this project.

Cost estimates for each project will be determined through the design process and require approval by university trustees. The hospital tower and ambulatory center are among potential investments aligned with Ohio State’s strategic plan and identified in Framework 2.0, a vision for the physical space of the Columbus campus.

These include an interdisciplinary health sciences center, another key element of an aligned academic medical enterprise. It would feature upgraded and flexible facilities to create a collaborative campus for education throughout the health sciences, including the colleges of Medicine, Optometry and Nursing, and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Also in the framework plan: an interdisciplinary research facility with innovative and modern environments to serve multiple disciplines as well as a high-quality arts district for interaction across the arts — with long-term plans to open Ohio State’s front door to the heart of the University District at 15th Avenue and High Street.

The university issued RFQs for these projects on Nov. 9.

“Together, these projects advance key strategic focus areas for the university, including teaching and learning, research and creative expression, and academic health care,” said Bruce A. McPheron, executive vice president and provost. “Ohio State continues to be committed to defining the flagship public research university in the 21st century.”

A sun-washed beach adjacent to Ohio Stadium. A braid of bridges and paths weaving from campus to downtown. Bicycles and modern trains zipping along a path once carved by a major highway.

Architects and designers presented exotic and sometimes radical visions Thursday night as the final realization for the Olentangy River Corridor Charrette. The Ohio State University’s Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture managed the design process along with the university’s Planning and Real Estate team.

President Michael V. Drake started the effort by asking how to better connect the city and Ohio State as the university was developing Framework 2.0, the campus master plan.

“One of the things that is an interesting feature on our campus is the Olentangy,” Drake said. “[It] looked like, in some of our drawings, like a barrier or an impediment. And we wanted to reimagine what we think of that space. To look at it as a high-quality water feature that helped to enhance the quality of our enterprise and the quality of the university.”

Last month, a dozen current Knowlton School architecture, landscape architecture and city and regional planning students worked over a two-day period with representatives from architecture and design firms NBBJ, West 8, REALM, TLS Landscape Architecture and MKSK. Split into three teams, they presented Thursday to a packed auditorium at the school.

“They came here thinking this would be a competition and instead it turned into a collaboration,” said Jay Kasey, senior vice president for Ohio State’s Office of Administration and Planning.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther noted that the present and future success of the city depends upon collaborations like the charrette process.

“As we think about the future development of the Olentangy corridor, we must work together to find the best growth solutions for this area,” Ginther said.

NBBJ

The demise of State Route 315 was the key to the NBBJ team proposal. The team envisioned a more robust Cannon Drive, a re-imagined Olentangy River Road and a series of enhanced greenways throughout the corridor.

“We’re looking at the way infrastructure works in an enhanced way,” said A.J. Montero, partner at NBBJ.

In place of the current highway, the group designed 315 as a multimodal corridor that included light rail, high-tech bike paths and even a downtown connection to a Hyperloop linking Columbus with Pittsburgh and Chicago.

The design opened up more parkland and greenspace along the corridor and connected both campus and the route to downtown to the river.

TLS Landscape Architecture/MKSK

“Let’s keep people on the ground, let’s keep people on their bikes and bring them through [the corridor],” TLS Landscape Architecture principal Tom Leader said as his team presented.

The TLS/MKSK team’s design centered around four ideas that they said could be completed in about a decade. The plan included a second Olentangy bike trail on the opposite side of the river and a series of unique pedestrian bridges spanning the river from one end of the corridor to the other.

They also proposed fixing problematic connections through the area by re-aligning Olentangy River Road near Kinnear Road and connecting Souder Avenue in Franklinton with Olentangy River Road. The plan included emphasizing “pulse points” at Confluence Park and along the riverfront near Ohio Stadium and shared-use corridors that could incorporate autonomous shuttles, light rail and bike paths.

West 8/REALM

The team lead by West 8/ REALM envisioned Columbus a generation into the future. Their design ideas included tapping into more than 850 acres of potential greenspace between the main campus and downtown, redeveloping Confluence Park and adding new walking and bike paths.

“It’s not about the vehicle at all. It’s about the pedestrian,” said Claire Agre, a principal and senior landscape architect at West 8. “We want to make the best bikeway in the world.”

One element included a so-called Buckeye beach near the stadium to give students access to the river in a unique way.

Collaborative approach

Much like the collaboration that produced these designs, the university partnered with several city organizations to make the charrette a success. The Columbus Downtown Development Corp., the Columbus Partnership, Nationwide Realty Investors, MORPC and the City of Columbus sponsored the effort.

None of the projects is ready to go beyond the dreaming stages. The charrette was the kind of thought experiment a modern land-grant university can undertake when it has the prominence and connections of Ohio State.

“I think both the mayor and President Drake were excited about the numerous ideas,” said Keith Myers, Ohio State’s associate vice president of Planning and Real Estate. “As these ideas get circulated, we’re likely to get more and even different ideas. And I think ultimately, what you hope, is that these find their way into specific projects that really help shape Columbus for the next century.”

The full presentation is viewable online. 

The wrapping is about to come off a new look for the Olentangy River and the river’s connection from The Ohio State University to downtown Columbus.

Last month, the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture hosted professional designers, students and community leaders for the Olentangy River Charrette. Thursday night, the designs for the corridor sparked by those sessions will be revealed.

“There will be ideas that are a bit provocative,” said Keith Myers, Ohio State’s associate vice president of planning and real estate. “It’s important that even some of the more provocative ideas will lead to real-world solutions that I think will ultimately create a great connection between the university and downtown.”

A dozen current Knowlton School architecture, landscape architecture and city and regional planning students worked over a two-day period with representatives from architecture and design firms NBBJ, West 8, REALM, TLS Landscape Architecture and MKSK.

“What’s great about it is it’s bringing together groups from the university, from the business community, from the academic community and outside experts to look at really long-range problems and open up a world of possibilities,” said Steve Schoeny, director of development for Columbus. “And really start with a blank slate and say OK, if we could take a certain set of existing conditions and completely rethink how we’re doing this, what could we do? What would be the opportunities? What would be the challenges? And how can we really envision the future in a different way?”

Ohio State, the Columbus Downtown Development Corp., the Columbus Partnership, Nationwide Realty Investors, MORPC and the City of Columbus sponsored the design challenge. The results could have a long-term impact on the perception of the city.

“It’s especially important somewhere like Columbus,” said Claire Agre, a principal and senior landscape architect at West 8. “[People] know it’s cool and it gets ranked very high for quality of life and kind of the hipster factor and it’s a great place to do business. But people don’t know what it looks like. What does it feel like? What are the qualities?”

Each of the team leaders recognized incorporating the river was central to this design challenge.

“We’ve got to find ways to get people, you know, from the banks really onto the water, over the water. Use the whole space of the river corridor,” said Tom Leader, principal, TLS Landscape Architecture. “What is so great about this, you don't need to invent this amenity; it’s sitting there waiting for this development.”

The river as an amenity is a change in the way the city was designed. The two-mile corridor featured a mix of retail, roads and residential. Connecting it all in a holistic fashion requires a new kind of thinking.

“We’re part of a millennial shift, from a time when rivers were thought to be simply carriers of floods or industrial assets. But over the last century or so we realize, especially as our cities are becoming bigger and denser, that rivers are also our connection to nature,” said Alex Krieger, principal, NBBJ. “And so we’re in the process really of the sort of shift in our sensibilities from thinking about rivers as sort of back yards or production yards to becoming our front yards or our front lawn.”

Some of the teams were challenging the way we get around the corridor, including the reliance on cars and buses.

“We’ve been talking in our team about how the car is the default. But if there were better opportunities for walking and biking then people will begin to gravitate towards those,” said Agre. “In our team, we said let’s think 50 years out. Let’s just say, what is the city going to look like in 2067, when our grandkids are running the place? And let’s plan for that.”

Schoeny said having a bold vision is critical to help re-imagine the corridor. He thinks the teams are up to the challenge.

“The whole point is to challenge your set of assumptions.”

Highways and homes, restaurants and retail mark the two-mile stretch between The Ohio State University and downtown Columbus. Through the heart of this community runs the Olentangy River and an opportunity to tie it all together.

Now leadership from Ohio State and across Columbus are working with three professional design teams to develop a new vision of the Olentangy River corridor.

“The purpose of the project is to explore the connection between the university and downtown Columbus,” said Keith Myers, associate vice president of planning and real estate.

Myers said that while the corridor is only about two miles long, it’s a complicated piece of property.

“It has freeways, it has old Olentangy River Road, it’s got a river and a floodway through it. So it’s all quite complex,” he said.

The hope of finding a plan to untangle that complexity led to the Olentangy River Corridor Charrette this autumn at the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture.

The charrette, an intense design period, featured representatives from architecture and design firms NBBJ, West 8, REALM, Tom Leader Studio and MKSK. A dozen current Knowlton School architecture, landscape architecture and city and regional planning students supported those teams.

“It can be developed in a more user-friendly fashion,” said Neil Hoh, a fourth-year landscape architecture major. “There's a few areas in the corridor that are very weird in kind of janky way, so to speak. And I think that this project will really smooth those kinks out and make it much more compelling.”

Myers led a tour of the area for the design firms and their student aids in October. Then three teams spent two days exploring existing and future forms of transportation, natural river systems and riverfront connections along the corridor. The results will be presented later this month.

Ohio State isn’t leading this effort alone. The Columbus Downtown Development Corp., the Columbus Partnership, Nationwide Realty Investors, MORPC and the City of Columbus are sponsors of the charrette. It’s a collaboration that should yield a unique vision.

“The sort of intellectual partnerships that you get when you go through universities leading these things are ones that you wouldn’t get if it was only business or municipal,” said Claire Agre, a principal and senior landscape architect at West 8, a New York-based firm.

Knowlton student Christian Moore, a fourth-year studying landscape architecture and philosophy, said the desire to see the project through is personal.

“I think it’s critical for me,” he said. “It’s a great stress reliever because of the bike path that runs all the way downtown. When I'm tired of studio work here at Knowlton, I'll get on my bike and ride down and go all the way down to the Scioto Mile downtown. It’s a good experience for me to clear my head and really just be able to relax for a little bit.”

The Digital Flagship University represents a major initiative under Ohio State’s strategic plan, with particular focus on teaching and learning as well as research and creative expression. Through a collaboration with Apple, Ohio State will establish:

• a student-success initiative to integrate learning technology throughout the university experience
• an iOS design laboratory on the Columbus campus serving faculty, staff, students and members of the broader community
• university-wide opportunities for students to learn coding skills to enhance their career-readiness in the app economy

“We are establishing our Digital Flagship University initiative by combining the resources and talents of an international technology leader and one of the most comprehensive public universities in the world,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake.

“Our students and community will have outstanding opportunities to develop modern mobile skills to enhance learning and excel in the competitive workplace.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “At Apple, we believe technology has the power to transform the classroom and empower students to learn in new and exciting ways.

“This unique program will give students access to the incredible learning tools on iPad, as well as Apple’s new coding curriculum that teaches critical skills for jobs in some of the country’s fastest-growing sectors,” said Cook. “I'm thrilled the broader central Ohio community will also have access to coding opportunities through Ohio State’s new iOS Design Lab.”

As it grows, the student-success initiative will help provide universal access to a common set of learning technologies. Starting in autumn 2018, new first-year students at the Columbus and regional campuses will receive an iPad Pro with tools including Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard as well as apps to support learning and life at Ohio State. This will be funded through the university’s administrative efficiency program.

The iOS design lab will offer technological training and certification to students, faculty, staff and members of the broader community interested in developing apps in Swift, the Apple programming language used to write some of the most successful apps in the App Store. The lab will support educational innovation, career development for students and economic development opportunities for the central Ohio community and the university’s other campus locations.

The Digital Flagship University initiative will launch during the 2017-18 academic year. The iOS design lab will open in a temporary space in 2018, moving to a permanent location in 2019. Students will begin training in Swift coding in spring semester 2018.

“Our bold aspiration is to create the world’s largest and most effective integrated environment for teaching, learning and discovery,” said Bruce A. McPheron, executive vice president and provost. “By providing students access to the same technology from day one, we will open up a new world of instructional possibilities for faculty.”

As more students adopt these tools, Ohio State will expand support for faculty interested in further integrating technology in their courses. Faculty in a variety of disciplines use iPads and other technology for instructional purposes. Examples include:

• In a “flipped” chemistry course, students watch lectures and complete assignments online using iTunes, which provides enhanced opportunities for dialogue and collaborative problem solving in the classroom.
• Journalism students in the School of Communication use iPads loaded with tools enabling them to learn skills important to their future careers.
• The College of Social Work deployed iPads to all staff and faculty as part of a comprehensive mobile education initiative in 2012 and published the first three iTunes U courses in social work in the nation.
• In biology courses on the study of plants, iPads function as field notebooks to document plant life, instruction aids and supplementary textbooks.
• The Marching Band, part of the School of Music, uses the iPad to teach and learn the band’s nationally recognized formations.
• iPads have been supplied to medical students since 2013 and are used as part of clinical instruction at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center.

Beyond the enhancements to teaching, learning and discovery, the technology will expand access to interactive textbooks and other digital course materials.

Ohio State, with help from Apple, will work with the university community to develop additional apps and other tools as part of the Digital Flagship University initiative. Ohio State will own the iPad technology suite and provide it to students.

President Michael V. Drake helped with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at the new  Northside Branch. The new library has been rebuilt on the site of the old branch – on North High Street just north of King Avenue – but at 24,900 square feet, it is three times the size.

“There is a real transformation that has been taking place in this community and this is another step forward,” Drake said.

The new branch has new learning areas, meeting rooms and a reading loft that offers a 180-degree view of High Street.

“Investments in our libraries pay us back over and over again. Generations of families will benefit from this welcoming space,” said Jeffery Lyttle, president of the Columbus Metropolitan Library Foundation Board.

The Northside Branch may have a new building, but the library has long been a partner with the university. Drake spoke about one program that helps Ohio seniors convert volunteer hours into college credit.

Ohio residents 60 or older can enroll in the “ GIVE back. GO forward” program and complete 100 or more hours of community service. They then earn a voucher for three free undergraduate credit hours at Ohio State. They can use the credit themselves or donate it to another Ohio resident.

The Columbus Metropolitan Library is one of the GIVE back. GO forward partners and uses volunteers to help children learning to read or in their homework assistance centers.

Martha Hewitt lives in the neighborhood around the new library. She said she had not heard of the program but was eager to learn more about it. The new building impressed her.

“It’s pretty incredible. I spend a lot of time at the library so I’m pretty excited about it,” she said.

The university also collaborates with the library through an intra-library loan agreement and the system’s leisure reading collection at Thompson Library. Drake said the library is a keystone of the neighborhood.

“What we’ve found is that libraries are a vital part of our communities, a vital part of our universities and our neighborhoods. They really are a place where people come together to learn and to interact with the broader world,” he said. 

In June 2016, the city won the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge . The win secured $40 million in grants from the federal government and another $10 million from venture capital firm Vulcan. The funds will fuel the development and testing of high-tech, environmentally friendly transportation solutions.

“Smart Columbus is about much more than transportation. It positively impacts serious community issues like poverty, food deserts, infant mortality, access to affordable transportation, employment opportunities and internet connectivity,” College of Engineering Dean David Williams said earlier this year.

Ohio State is the lead researcher for the Smart Columbus project. The university is already testing autonomous cars, sensors that will make travel safer and tools to connect communities to more flexible transportation options.

More than just getting around

Ohio State is putting resources and some of the top minds in the industry behind the Smart Columbus effort.

Carla Bailo is the assistant vice president for mobility research at the university and is well-versed in the automotive world. Bailo is a former senior vice president of research and development for Nissan North America. When she talks about the future of driving, she’s referring to much more than getting in a car and navigating a map.

“Mobility is also moving from one social level to another,” she said. “If you’re isolated, it’s very hard to break out of certain areas in our community.”

Smart Columbus is investing and experimenting in the downtown area, Easton and the Linden neighborhood.  The goal is to test technology like high-tech streetlights that are more efficient but also to pack Wi-Fi into unserved communities.

Students from the School of Environment and Natural Resources worked with the city of Columbus to develop projects tied to the Smart Columbus program. The senior projects focused on smart streetlights, driverless shuttles, improving the energy grid and finding a high-tech way to pay for these services.

Three of the capstone projects focused on smart street lighting. One team of students built a prototype that included cameras and sensors that sampled air quality or dimmed the light depending on the time of day.

Rebecca Jennison, a fourth-year environment, economy, development and sustainability major, said the team plans to test the smart streetlight in the campus area.

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and people wanting to move this forward,” she said.

Investment in research

University research aiding Smart Columbus is part of a larger commitment to solving the transportation issues of the 21^st century.

Part of that investment includes a $45 million grant to expand The Ohio State University-affiliated Transportation Research Center. The grant will support research and innovation for autonomous – or driverless – vehicles.

Ohio State is contributing $25 million to TRC, with an additional $20 million coming from the state.

In addition to the university and state funding, the College of Engineering has committed $24 million over five years to hire faculty and staff to support research into autonomous vehicle technology.

The $45 million in new funding is part of an eventual $100 million improvement of the TRC in East Liberty, Ohio. The center is the nation’s largest independent test track.

“There’s been an explosion around the world in the demand for developing autonomous vehicles and the testing of autonomous vehicles,” said TRC Chief Executive Officer Mark-Tami Hotta.

The testing site is expected to be as long as 10 football fields and as wide as 50 highway lanes. The expansion will also include a simulated neighborhood with traffic lights, roundabouts and intersections and a site that mirrors a rural community.

Click here to learn more about the Columbus Dispatch CBusNext series

“Transportation is in fact a public health issue,” said Pam Salsberry, associate dean for community outreach and engagement in the College of Public Health.

The Center for Urban and Regional Analysis hosted the event to discuss how the recently awarded Smart City Challenge grant will affect health outcomes in at-risk communities.

The city of Columbus, with the help of Ohio State, won the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge. The victory came with a $40 million federal grant and a $10 million contribution from the private-investment firm Vulcan Inc. Ohio State is the lead research institution for the initiative.

Over the next several years, the city will use the grant funding and millions in private investments to improve how people get around the city as well as how they connect with one another.

“We definitely live in an opportunity city but we know there are pockets of community that don’t have the same opportunities that many of us have,” said Dr. Mysheika Roberts, assistant health commissioner for Columbus Public Health.

The Linden neighborhood is one of the areas targeted for Smart City investments. Technology advances that could benefit the neighborhood include smart streetlights that carry free public Wi-Fi into area homes or a greater variety of public transportation to help people get to jobs or appointments.

Salsberry pointed out that unreliable transportation can lead to missed doctor’s appointments – and that affects community health.

It’s critical to get the people who live in those neighborhoods to understand how new technology will benefit them, said Jason Reece, assistant professor in the city and regional planning section of the Knowlton School of Architecture.

“What we need to think about doing is this deeper community engagement so we understand the exact needs of the community,” Reece said.

Columbus has already hosted several meetings in the Linden area to gather community feedback about the Smart City program.

Developing transportation solutions for the city’s aging population is another target area for investments that could improve lives. Autonomous cars or ride-sharing services would shuttle people who can no longer drive to a variety of destinations, keeping them engaged in the community.

“There’s a lot of research that shows once a person is homebound and not able to move themselves around, their quality of life declines significantly,” said Joanna Pinkerton, co-director of the Honda/Ohio State partnership.

The city has until 2020 to implement the plans in the Smart City Challenge grant proposal.

Ohio State’s Board of Trustees will consider several new construction projects next week when it meets for November’s session. Highlighting the projects are the relocation of Cannon Drive, renovations to the iconic Ohio Stadium and a new multi-sport arena.

Ohio State is seeking approval on $31.2 million for construction on the $51.5 million Cannon Drive relocation project, which is a partnership with the city of Columbus. The project will straighten the road between King Avenue and Herrick Drive and will protect the university from a historic flood and open up approximately 12 acres of developable land. The university is sharing costs with the city of Columbus. Parking plans at the medical center related to the project are still under development.

Cannon Drive is just one part of the agenda. Planning efficiencies and cost-savings highlight the docket with several Athletics projects returning for construction approval after months of productive planning scrutiny.

“Following a thorough evaluation of budget, scope and programming, these projects are now better suited to meet the needs of users and grow the district in an innovative fashion,” said Trustee and head of the Master Planning and Facilities Committee Alex Fischer. “The process of evaluating each project individually and within the context of broader Department of Athletics and university goals, helped identify program synergies, cost savings and efficiencies. I applaud the hard work that led to this outcome.”

In April 2016, Ohio Stadium received approval for professional services, including design, and will seek construction approval for a $39 million make-over – a savings of $2.5 million from its original price tag. Look for the aging concrete on C-deck to get a facelift and for new suites and boxes for Buckeye fans. The work to refurbish the stadium should be finished in time for kick-off in 2020.

“Ohio Stadium is the crown jewel of our athletic operations,” said Gene Smith, senior vice president and Wolfe Foundation-endowed athletics director. “These renovations will improve the fan experience and continue to make it one of the best facilities in the nation.”

Fans are also part of the consideration for renovations to the Schottenstein Center which picked up $500,000 in savings through program efficiencies. Pending Board of Trustees approval, Ohio State plans for $31.5 million in renovations to the home of the basketball Buckeyes. The construction will expand the concourse and add more natural light to the building while also improving access to ticket offices and to the team store. Construction should take a year and be finished in February 2018.

Renovations are planned to the north side of the Schottenstein Center.

The site of the Covelli Multi-Sport Arena moves from the corner of Fred Taylor Drive and Ackerman Road to north of Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and will be combined with the Jennings Family Wrestling Practice Facility. The $49.7 million project, scheduled for completion in 2019, includes a 3,700-seat arena which will serve as the home for the Men’s and Women’s Varsity Volleyball teams as well as the competition site for Men’s and Women’s Fencing, Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics and Men’s Wrestling.

The Jennings Family Wrestling Practice Facility will include five practice mats, coaches offices and support spaces. Combining two former stand-alone buildings allows for efficiency in design and construction. The users will also benefit from proximity to other athletics facilities.

“Innovation and creative planning helped find a new opportunity for the Covelli Multi-Sport/Jennings Family Wrestling Facility,” said Fischer. “Combining the arena and the practice facility will ultimately realize a cost savings on both projects.”

And there is a plan to spend $43 million for construction on the Schumaker Student-Athlete Development Center. The project will replace the existing Biggs Facility to the west of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The new facility will include a state-of-the-art athletic training center and athletic offices to serve about 800 student-athletes.

Artist rendering of Schumaker Student-Athlete Development Center.

All of the athletics construction projects are self-funded through fundraising and athletics revenue.

In addition to the athletics projects, the board will consider:

• About $6 million to support the restoration of Mirror Lake and the surrounding district. The overall Mirror Lake District, including Browning Amphitheatre and Oxley and Pomerene Halls, is being renovated to create modern learning environments for students and faculty in data analytics, linguistics and the history of art – while retaining its significance, ambience and appearance as an early and iconic area of campus.
• $700,000 for design work for an expansion of Ohio State Veterinary Hospital. The $7 million project includes a new clinical skills lab and space for future expansion.
• Bricker Hall is in line for a $5 million investment for heating and air conditioning repairs as well as replacing the plaster ceilings on the third floor.

The academic projects are funded through a mix of auxiliary funds, university funds and debt.

The construction projects to be considered by the trustees are the latest in a series of historic investments by the university to support the core academic mission.

That mission includes the recently completed North Residential District Transformation. The $371 million project added 3,200 beds and 10 new buildings for student living.

A $31.6 million investment in Sullivant Hall renovated the cornerstone of the university’s arts district. Those renovations were finished in 2014 and created a new home for the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library Museum.

And a $32 million expansion to the Veterinary Medical Center in 2014 added a new intensive care unit and new surgery suites.

The group heard a nearly hour-long presentation by Caroline Whitacre, senior vice president for research; Carla Bailo, assistant vice president for mobility research and business development; and Joanna Pinkerton, co-director of the Honda/OSU Partnership.

Collaboration between Columbus and 17 local partners, including Ohio State, helped the city beat out 70 competitors to be named the nation’s Smart City by the U.S. Department of Transportation in June. Ohio State is the primary research partner on the project, intended to develop connected vehicle/autonomous vehicle technology to reduce congestion, give access to all and improve the environment.

The $140 million program, which will transform central Ohio into the nation’s premier transportation innovation region, includes $40 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, $10 million from Vulcan, Inc., and $90 million matched by area businesses and public organizations, including $15 million from Ohio State.

Bailo said the project will bring a number of smart innovations to central Ohio. They include:

• the Northwest 33 Innovation Corridor, which will offer both contained test beds and a public road test bed in the area between Dublin and Marysville
• autonomous shuttles in the Easton area that will intermingle with cars, signals and signs
• truck platooning, which comprises a number of automated trucks – one closely following the other
• technology solutions to address obstacles that low-income residents face in using transportation
• real-time information about traffic and parking conditions to minimize impacts associated with major events or incidents.

Pinkerton told forum attendees that “Some of the most creative minds at the university are sitting in this room.”

She said four buckets of technology need to be developed:

• The Columbus Connected Transportation Network, a connected traffic system that joins connected vehicles, buses, lights, data and other features
• an Integrated Data Exchange, a platform that works with transportation and non-transportation sources as well as data from the Smart COLUMBUS Program
• Enhanced Human Services, including an integrated common payment system that goes across all economic levels, a multimodal trip planning application and inclusive mobility
• an electric vehicle infrastructure to accommodate a goal of 3,200 electric vehicles and 1,900 chargers.

“It’s up to people like us to tell the city of Columbus how to build the platform. It’s never been done before,” said Pinkerton.

Projects are broken into needs of four geographic areas.

• The Residential District (Linden area) includes development of technology for Smart Corridor, Mobility and Safety Applications, Neighborhood Hubs and Smart Lighting and Wi-Fi.
• The Commercial District (Easton) includes development of an Electric Autonomous Vehicle, an Inductive Charging Station, Enhanced Human Services and the Columbus Connected Transportation Network build-out.
• The Downtown District includes development of technology for Event Parking Management, Loading Zone Parking Management, Managing Permit-Only Parking Spaces and a Transit Benefit Program.
• The Logistics District (Rickenbacker) needs development of technology for Driver Assisted Truck Platooning, Minimizing Incidents Due to Low Bridges or Narrow Roads and a Regional Truck Parking Information and Management System.

Next steps include engaging with partners to define tasks and roles and identify deliverables and scheduling monthly progress meetings.

All pilot projects are expected to be on the road by late 2017 or early 2018 with some form of maturity. Even those that are not scaled up will continue beyond the four-year project period. SEE: go.osu.edu/smartc

Collaboration between Columbus and local partners, including Ohio State, helped the city beat out 70 competitors to be named the nation’s Smart City by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the grant at a news conference today in the city’s Linden neighborhood, which will see transportation upgrades under the grant.

Present at the announcement were Ohio State University President Michael V. Drake, Ohio State University Board of Trustees member and Columbus Partnership President and CEO Alex Fischer, U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Vulcan Inc. President and COO Barbara Bennett, Columbus City Council President Zach Klein, American Electric Power CEO Nick Akins and South Linden Area Commission member Stu Hampton.

Ohio State is the primary research partner on the proposal for the Smart City grant. Other partners include AT&T, Battelle, Car2Go, Central Ohio Transit Authority, Clean Fuels Ohio, CoGo, Columbus 2020, Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Columbus Partnership, Experience Columbus, General Motors, IBM, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, the Ohio Department of Transportation, Rev1Ventures and Uber.

Columbus will be awarded up to $40 million from the federal government to implement bold, data-driven ideas that make transportation safer, easier and more reliable. Also, Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. will award up to $10 million to support electric vehicle deployment and other carbon emission reduction strategies. In addition, central Ohio businesses and public organizations have pledged an additional $90 million to the project, including $15 million from Ohio State.

“The university is thrilled that Columbus has been selected to receive this transformational grant,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the city to build a more connected community — and congratulate our partner Mayor Ginther, our business leaders, community leaders, and all who made this opportunity possible.”

Columbus’ application includes numerous transportation innovations.

These include: the expanded use of smart and electric vehicles; technology solutions to address obstacles that low-income residents face in using transportation; the development of smart corridors to improve transit service and efficiency; enhanced quality and timeliness of traffic condition data along with a routing app for trucks to improve movement and delivery of freight; and real time information about traffic and parking conditions to minimize impacts associated with major events or incidents.

“Ohio State worked with the City of Columbus on every element of the bid,” said Carla Bailo, assistant vice president for mobility research and business development at Ohio State. “We applied our leadership in research of connected and autonomous vehicles, as well as transportation systems and human behavior.”

Through its expertise in sensors, for example, Ohio State will play a major role in developing the initiative for a publicly available real time traffic condition database.

Bailo and Joanna Pinkerton, Ohio State’s co-director of the Honda/OSU Partnership, coordinated involvement among university centers and affiliates, including the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), Crash Imminent Safety University Transportation Center, Transportation Research Center, Center for Urban and Regional Analysis, Department of Transportation and Traffic Management and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The university’s existing partnerships with mobility companies and vehicle manufacturers, industry groups and government agencies also helped contribute to the city’s comprehensive and winning approach.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide connectivity between the university and the community,” said Keith Myers, Ohio State’s associate vice president for planning and real estate and chair of the Campus Partners Board. “A signature public space east of High Street, soon to be known as University Square, will complement Ohio State’s dynamic arts district on the west side of High Street.”

The new 15^th and High will open the university’s front door and connect to the heart of the University District. Campus Partners spent the last several years working with the city and neighborhood to realize a vision created through decades of planning. Key components include:

• A new public space, University Square, located at 15^th and High on the east side of High Street.
• A high quality, walkable, pedestrian-focused environment.
• Mixed-use buildings with active ground floor uses.
• A “Signature Building” anchoring the new University Square featuring direct sightlines to The Oval and William Oxley Thompson Library.
• A comprehensive parking strategy designed to support the existing and new development.
• Improvements to the street network and infrastructure as well as streetscape enhancements.
• A reimagined Pearl Alley serving as a retail corridor.

“This is an exciting time as we’re now going to see all of our planning and community discussions come to fruition,” said Amanda Hoffsis, president of Campus Partners. “We can now begin the infrastructure improvements that will benefit the neighborhood well beyond this development’s boundary.”

In 2015, Campus Partners led a rezoning of 9 acres along the High Street corridor bordered by 17^th Avenue on the north and 14^th Avenue on the south, to a Commercial Planned District to guide the future development to create a distinct sense of place that is visually connected to the University District and Ohio State. An Urban Framework document was developed. The revitalization plan will be guided by a vision based on five objectives for the area:

• Promote a vibrant, mixed use environment within a multi-block district centered at 15^th Avenue and High Street.

• Create a new community gathering space at 15^th Avenue and High Street to serve as the physical and visual link between the University District east of High Street and the entry to the University’s Campus west of High Street.

• Prioritize pedestrians by designing all streets to be walkable, comfortable and safe environments that allow for street level activity and vibrancy.

• Reconnect neighborhood streets to High Street, and, where possible, convert to two-way traffic to allow for easy vehicular access and wayfinding.

• Address Parking requirements and reduce traffic circulating on neighborhood streets seeking on-street parking by providing a new garage strategically located to serve the new development and existing neighborhood needs.

In addition, Ohio State developed plans on the west side of the intersection for a world-class arts district. Recently approved by Ohio State’s Board of Trustees, the Arts District Master Plan intends to elevate the profile of arts programming and provide a connection between students and the local community.

“Ultimately, when the full vision is realized, we will be bringing students, faculty, staff and community partners involved in the arts closer together to enhance collaboration and hands-on learning—a reflection of the importance we place on the arts and humanities,” said Bruce A. McPheron, Ohio State’s executive vice president and provost.

Renderings unveiled Friday, and developed under the guidance of Myers, depict a cohesive connection between the new University Square on the east side of High Street with the west-side Arts Plaza to create a premiere destination for the university and for the city. Infrastructure work on the east side is expected to begin in early 2017 but an official timeline is not yet known.

Craig Stone

Stone’s appointment comes a little more than one year after he was initially hired to serve as the university’s deputy chief. Stone later served as acting police chief following the retirement of Paul Denton in June 2015.

“I have learned a lot in my first year as a Buckeye,” Stone said. “My No. 1 priority continues to be the safety of our campus community and I look forward to continuing the meaningful partnerships our police division has with Ohio State’s students, faculty and staff.”

Stone oversaw key safety initiatives and milestones during his first year at Ohio State, including:

• Oversight of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accreditation renewal process.
• Reinstating police bicycle patrols.
• Initiating additional police diversity training.
• Serving as incident commander for home football games and concerts.

“Ohio State is home to nearly 100,000 students, faculty, staff and visitors every day, so it is important to have a proven leader overseeing our sworn police,” said Mark Evans, associate vice president of the Office of Administration and Planning. “Our Department of Public Safety prides itself on hiring the best, and Chief Stone brings 30 years of law enforcement experience with an expertise working with a college campus community.”

Stone, who served the Columbus Division of Police with distinction for 29 years, joined Ohio State on May 1, 2015, as deputy chief. Previously, he served one year as Cleveland State University’s director of campus safety and chief of police.

Stone is certified as a “Gold Standard” assessor for CALEA and served two terms as president of the State of Ohio Accreditation Resources, which represents 60 law enforcement agencies in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. A member of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and the International Association (IACLEA) of Chiefs of Police, Stone was also appointed to the Ohio Commission on African-American Males, serving two terms as commissioner.

Stone earned a master of science in the administration of justice from the University of Louisville. He is a graduate of the 120th session of the Southern Police Institute’s Administrative Officers Course. He is a graduate of the IACLEA Executive Development Institute and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) Police Executive Leadership College.

Ohio State President Michael V. Drake and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther announced the partnership on March 24 at the Reeb Avenue Community Center. The scholarship program will benefit Ohio State’s Early Head Start Partnership, a nationally recognized initiative that provides education, health and community support for children and families in at-risk neighborhoods.

“The Early Head Start Partnership is a great example of the incredible work that can be done when we work together,” said Drake. “We are bringing together a team of the leading minds from higher education, government, community programming and child care agencies to ensure the most vulnerable children in our community have every opportunity to succeed in life.”

“Studies show that children who have access to quality early childhood education are more likely to thrive,” said Ginther. “I am thrilled at the opportunities this partnership with Ohio State provides to our teachers now and to our children in the future.”

Joining Drake and Ginther at today’s announcement were White House Domestic Policy Council Deputy Assistant to the President for Education Roberto Rodriguez, Invest In Us President Kris Perry, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Columbus City Council President Zach Klein and Councilmember Elizabeth Brown, and Executive Director of Action for Children Erik Kerolac.

Ohio State’s 2020 Vision calls for a commitment to access, affordability and excellence. Ensuring that children are ready for kindergarten and that current and prospective teachers have access to higher education speaks to that commitment, said Drake.

Over the next five years, Ohio State will provide $3.9 million in scholarships to preschool and child care teachers who already have an associate degree and wish to earn their bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Graduates of the scholarship program must commit to teaching in Columbus for at least three years.

The Early Head Start Program is one of only a handful of university-led partnerships in the country. The College of Education and Human Ecology’s Schoenbaum Family Center at Weinland Park leads the program, which aims to ensure that children in Columbus receive a healthy and enriching start in life and to create family stability by assisting in the healthy development of infants and toddlers throughout Franklin County.

Columbus was selected first among 400 cities around the world after a year-long evaluation that included a quantitative analysis of extensive data, site inspections and votes from an international jury made up of experts from around the world. Communities are evaluated based on five criteria, including broadband connectivity, knowledge work force, innovation, digital inclusion and marketing and advocacy.

“Ohio State played a key partnership role in the selection for work on broadband access, autonomous vehicles and planes, precision agriculture, health care and data analytics,” said Jennifer Evans-Cowley, professor of city and regional planning in the Knowlton School of Architecture and vice provost for capital planning and regional campuses. Cowley led the Ohio State contribution to Columbus’ nomination. “The key point is to be able to showcase both Ohio State and Battelle as major centers of research that have global impact and our key partnerships with Columbus.”

Cowley said one innovative partnership between the city and Ohio State involves a memorandum of cooperation to advance the interconnectedness of vehicles and infrastructure. Ohio State’s Center for Automotive Research works on the autonomous vehicle portion of the project and Columbus works on the infrastructure part, which involves developing roads that can interact with driverless cars.

ICF praised Columbus for programs such as TechColumbus, Connect Ohio, the cultural revitalization of the East Franklinton neighborhood initiatives to make higher education more accessible for low income residents, and for its regional approach to economic development with surrounding communities such as Dublin.

It also noted that Columbus is one of a handful of U.S. cities that has turned a brain drain into a brain gain. It’s been named one of the top 10 Best Cities for New College Grads by BloombergBusiness. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized Ohio State with the 2015 Community Engagement Classification, which acknowledges the university for its advanced teaching and learning practices and extensive community engagement. In 2008, Columbus was named the #1 Up and Coming Digital City by Forbes.

Beyond the ties to broadband infrastructure, Ohio State’s partnerships with the city are numerous. New first-year students are officially welcomed and learn about all the city has to offer at the Columbus Welcome Event. Illustrating its land grant heritage, students volunteer and mentor in area schools, and faculty experts work with community leaders and members to respond to challenges.

In announcing the award, the organization described Columbus as a city of sharp contrasts where the rebirth of the American Midwest was in full view for the world to see.

For Columbus and Mayor Michael Coleman, the award was a culmination of work that has been under way for nearly 15 years. Columbus had reached the finals of the ICF’s awards program three times before.