Alumnus Named Senegal’s Ambassador To U.S.

Amadou L. Ba, who earned an undergraduate degree and his doctorate in biology from Ohio State, has been named Senegal’s ambassador to the United States. Ba had helped organize political support in the United States for Abdoulaye Wade, who won the presidency of Senegal in 2000 over the ruling Socialist Party, which had held power for 40 years. As ambassador, Ba hopes to spearhead student exchanges between America and Senegal. Most recently, Ba has served as associate professor at Bunker Hill Community College.

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OSU Scientist Wins Prestigious Genetics Award

Albert de la Chapelle, director of the Human Cancer Genetics Program at the Comprehensive Cancer Center and holder of the Charlotte and Leonard Immke Chair of Cancer Genetics, has won the 2002 Mauro Baschirotto Award for outstanding achievement in the field of human genetics. Established in 1992, the award is presented annually by the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG). de la Chapelle, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, has devoted most of his life researching the relationship between genetic mutation and disease.

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OSU Receives $9.1 Million For Osteoarthritis Study

The University Medical Center is one of four clinical centers being established as part of a national initiative to understand one of the most disabling conditions suffered by older adults: osteoarthritis. Ohio State will receive $9.1 million to carry out its portion of the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), launched by a public-private partnership consisting of the National Institutes of Health and several pharmaceutical companies. The seven-year project, which will recruit 5,000 people considered at risk of developing osteoarthritis, will collect information and design disease standards intended to speed drug development, which is hindered by a lack of measurable standards for disease progression needed for drug evaluation. READ MORE >

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Alumna Leads Fight To Save Schoolhouse

Alumna Kristine Swisher, who earned bachelors and masters degrees in education in 1973 and 1984, was already known in her community of Bellefontaine, Ohio, as "the teacher who saved a theater" when she received a call that a nearby barn was facing demolition. What intrigued Swisher was the suggestion that the barn was actually a one-room schoolhouse, used around 1868 to educate the children of escaped slaves who had traveled the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. Taking her Bellefontaine Middle School enrichment class to the barn, Swisher and her sixth-grade students discovered math problems still legible on a chalkboard attached to the building's back wall. The class raised more than $40,000 to save the barn from 20 public and private sources, secured a permanent site, had the building moved, and began rehabilitation of the barn. More importantly, Swisher's students have salvaged their community's history, gained a newfound respect for African-American history and issues, and received valuable introductions to prospective career paths for themselves.

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OSU Gets $1.5 Million To Recruit Migrant Students

Ohio State will use a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to recruit and retain students who are children of migrant, agricultural or seasonal workers. The five-year grant, which will fund Ohio State’s residential College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), will help students from migrant working families pursue a higher education. Jose Villa, interim director of CAMP and assistant vice provost for the Office of Minority Affairs, says the program gives aspiring students a better opportunity for earning a college degree. Ohio State is the only institution in the state to have this type of program. READ MORE >

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Oncology Resident Wins Prestigious Minton Award

A surgical oncology resident studying new ways to treat melanoma is the recipient of the 2002 John P. Minton Award of the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. Brian Badgwell is pursuing a surgical oncology research fellowship at the James Cancer Hospital and is a 1999 graduate of the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University. Minton was a professor of surgery at Ohio State, internationally known for his treatment of breast, colon, liver, and other gastrointestinal cancers.

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Everyday Culture Has Meaning For Folklorist

A childhood fascination with fairy tales has led to a lifelong interest in folk culture for Amy Shuman, director of Ohio State’s folklore center. In addition to being an academic discipline, folklore has a practical side that helps us make sense of current events and the relations between people, groups, and cultures.
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Bruce Vilanch Is The King Of Comedy

Making others laugh isn’t all fun and games. Just ask comedian and comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, who graduated in 1970. Whether onstage for “Hollywood Squares” or backstage at the Academy Awards, the Cowardly Lion look-alike isn’t a man to be ignored. READ MORE >

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Library, Diversity Benefit From Foundation Gift

Susan Winter Cohen and Marilyn Winter-Tamkin have made gifts totaling $3.85 million to Ohio State through the A.B., Dolly, and Ralph Cohen Foundation. The gifts were made on behalf of the estate of their mother, Julia Winter Cohen. Of the sum, $3 million has been allocated to the William Oxley Thompson Library Renovation Fund for the restoration of the library’s Grand Reading Room. Officially renamed the “Cohen Family Grand Reading Room,” the room will feature a plaque at its entrance. The remaining portion will be used to establish a new endowed scholarship fund, the “Ralph Irwin and Julia Winter Cohen Critical Difference for Women Re-Entry Scholarship Fund.” READ MORE >

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Well-Mannered Book Attracts Fans Of Jane Austen

Ohio State grad and lecturer Natalie Tyler has written “The Friendly Jane Austen: A Well-Mannered Introduction to a Lady of Sense and Sensibility.” Filled with biographical tidbits, trivia quizzes, and essays on Austen’s themes, Tyler’s book is a user-friendly introduction to the life and lore of England’s inimitable social critic. READ MORE >

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