· Ohio State faculty:Outstanding on the field
· Competitive admissions standards now year-round
· Meditating on the world
· OSU scientists develop new way to preserve food
· Faculty named one of 'Top 50 Women Scientists'
· New recreation center will be state-of-the-art
· Citino named Poet Laureate of Ohio State
· New capsule creates 'movie' of small intestine
· Penn State's Taliaferro returns to thank OSU
· University well-represented in Science journal
· Scholarships available for transfer students
· Genetics expert honored for lifetime achievement
· For the love of language

Ohio State faculty: outstanding on the field

Football took a back seat to academia when Ohio State’s outstanding professors took to the field for the second annual Faculty Recognition Day during halftime of the Buckeye’s Nov. 2 game in Ohio Stadium. President Holbrook and Provost Ray joined faculty and the OSU Marching Band for an “Academic Celebration” ceremony. The event honored recipients of the university’s six most prestigious awards: the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, Distinguished Scholar Award, Faculty Award for Distinguished University Service, Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award, University Distinguished Lecturer and the Distinguished University Professor. Also recognized this year was the new University Poet Laureate. READ MORE >

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Competitive admissions standards now year-round

Although admission to Ohio State has been competitive for autumn quarter since 1987, the Board of Trustees has voted to apply competitive admission standards year-round beginning autumn 2003 to improve the university’s academic profile and retention and graduation rates, all central themes of the Academic Plan. The plan is part of the university’s strategy to make Ohio State one of the nation’s top universities. Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies Martha Garland said the university’s primary interest is student success. “We’re now pairing our mandate to provide Ohio citizens with broad access to advanced study with one of equal and urgent importance: Student success. Applying competitive admissions standards year-round allows us to admit the students who are the most qualified and have the highest potential to earn their degree.” READ MORE >

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Meditating on the world

Graduate Kathy Wesley retreated from the world for three years to get into closer touch with it. She had first heard about meditation in the 1960s, when the Beatles started practicing it. She was a sixth-grader attending Catholic school in Columbus, and while she wanted to learn more, she didn’t know how to begin. Now a lama, or teacher, in the Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Wesley credits her early curiosity about meditation with starting her on her path to Buddhism. READ MORE >

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OSU scientists develop new way to preserve food

Food scientists at Ohio State lead the nation in research that may soon change the way foods are processed and preserved. The developing technology, Pulsed Electric Field (PEF), substitutes the use of heat with bursts of electricity to keep fresh foods safe and flavorful. “This is subtle technology,” said Ken Lee, professor and chair of food science and technology. “There’s enough energy being put into the food to kill the bacteria, but not so much energy as to cause it to heat up or to cause chemical breakages or flavor changes.” READ MORE >

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Faculty named one of 'top 50 women scientists'

An Ohio State researcher who has studied how chimpanzees learn is one the most important women in science, according to Discover magazine. Sarah Boysen, professor of psychology and head of the Comparative Cognition Project here, is named in the November issue of the magazine as one of the top 50 women in science. Boysen was recognized for her work as one of only a handful of researchers in the country who exclusively studies the behavior of chimpanzees. In her work, Boysen has learned that chimpanzees can do simple arithmetic, have rambunctious behaviors similar to preschoolers, and share with humans the ability to perceive the knowledge state of a peer, and perhaps the intention to protect that peer. READ MORE >

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New recreation center will be state-of-the-art

Plans are well under way for a new, state-of-the-art Recreation and Physical Activities Center that will replace Larkins Hall, the university’s current and outdated main recreational and intramural sports facility. A large glass-enclosed atrium where students can gather, overhead and underground walkways, wireless Internet connections and a Student Wellness Center are included in the design for the main recreation center, to be built in two phases on the site of Larkins Hall. “We’re trying to create a new image of what a recreation center on a college campus can be, rather than create another Larkins Hall with a new look,” said Diane Jensen, associate director of recreational sports. Other features include 20,000 square feet of fitness conditioning space, a suspended jogging track, five swimming pools, and more. READ MORE >

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Citino named Poet Laureate of Ohio State

In a surprise tribute, David Citino, professor of English, has been named Poet Laureate of The Ohio State University. Citino has taught at Ohio State since 1974 and has authored 12 volumes of poetry, as well as a long list of publications in prestigious journals and anthologies. “This master wordsmith has used his creativity time and time again to bring us joy at moments of celebration, inspiration on occasions for reflection, and solace at times of profound sadness,” the university wrote in a resolution in honor of the nationally recognized poet.

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New capsule creates 'movie' of small intestine

A new, vitamin-sized capsule that delivers a tiny camera to a patient’s small intestine is providing Ohio State physicians with better diagnostic capabilities and ../ previously impossible to achieve. The capsule, which contains a lens, a color camera chip, two batteries, a radio frequency transmitter and an antenna, can deliver more than 50,000 ../ to a special computer during the eight-hour procedure. Early studies have shown it to be significantly more effective in providing a diagnosis for diseases and disorders of the small intestine, such as Crohn’s disease, chronic diarrhea and cancer, than barium X-rays or enteroscopy. Patients swallow the capsule with water and go about their daily routine, wearing sensors on their abdomen and a data recorder around their waist. Physicians download the ../ to review. READ MORE >

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Penn State’s Taliaferro returns to thank OSU

Penn State’s Adam Taliaferro accompanied the Nittany Lions to Ohio Stadium last month, as Penn State played in Columbus for the first time since Taliaferro suffered a serious neck injury during a game here, ending his football career. Despite an initial prognosis that his chances were slim of ever walking again, Taliaferro’s exhaustive rehabilitation, tremendous spirit and desire had him walking without assistance six months after the horrific injury. Taliaferro came back to thank and show his appreciation to the staff members from the Ohio State Medical Center and OSU sports medicine who provided care to him immediately after the injury. “The people at Ohio State basically saved my life,” he said. “They helped me out a lot those first few days.”

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Scholarships available for transfer students

As part of the university’s long-standing articulation agreement with Columbus State Community College, some students in good academic standing who choose to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Ohio State may now earn merit scholarships. “We find that students who have done well and transfer from community colleges are performing in our classrooms at a rate nearly equal to the rest of the student body,” said Martha Garland, vice provost for undergraduate studies. “Community college campuses, which are traditionally more ethnically diverse than our four-year institutions, can be an important resource for Ohio State in continuing to attract a diverse student body.”

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For the love of language

Teaching English as a deaf person motivates Brenda Brueggemann’s interest in disability studies. Brueggemann was born with an impairment that allows her only a moderate level of hearing in the lower frequencies and no hearing at all in the higher frequencies. She has never heard birds, or school bells. Even the sounds of individual letters give her some trouble. But instead of shying away from words, Brueggemann has embraced them. READ MORE >

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