Story Ideas for Media: 1-12-2009

-more-

Ohio State's news, experts and events give you more on the news

Story Ideas for Media 1/12/09

News

WOSU Public Media awarded DTV outreach contract. The Federal Communications Commission has selected WOSU Public Media as one of eight regional grassroots organizations selected to receive funding for local outreach efforts related to the upcoming transition to digital broadcasting. WOSU is designated to receive $196,500.
WOSU was chosen, in part, because it is the only broadcaster in the country with an established outreach campaign to seniors and those most in need of assistance during the transition.
CONTACT: petrilla.6@osu.edu, Public Relations Manager, (614) 292-9678 ext. 49730.

Experts

Salmonella and peanut butter – Reporters looking for information about foodborne illness related to Salmonella in light of the recall of King Nut and Parnell's Pride peanut butter, distributed from Ohio to food-service providers across the country, may contact Ohio State University Extension food safety specialist Lydia Medeiros. Medieros is is a professor of human nutrition in the College of Education and Human Ecology and a researcher with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
Medeiros says two elements are of special concern:
-- The institutions using the peanut butter included schools and nursing homes; children and the elderly are among the most at risk for foodborne illness.
-- When foods like peanut butter become contaminated, it's difficult to combat because unlike raw meat, peanut butter isn't usually cooked before being consumed. Thorough cooking destroys pathogens.
The national Salmonella outbreak has sickened more than 400 people, including at least 53 in Ohio.
Medeiros is a national authority on food safety education and much of her research has been on foodborne illness and at-risk populations. CONTACT: Lydia Medeiros, (614) 292-2699.

Research

Ohio State research: Foodborne illness costs Ohio more than $4 billion annually. As Ohio food distributor King Nut Cos. recalls potentially tainted peanut butter, Ohio State researchers have derived new estimates for the cost of foodborne illness in Ohio. They have developed a method for comprehensively measuring the social cost of foodborne illness that could become the standard model used nationwide.
Using the new model, the best estimate of the annual cost of foodborne illness in Ohio is approximately $4.1 billion. This represents an annual cost of $355 for each Ohio resident.
Robert Scharff, researcher with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, presented the new model at the Society for Risk Analysis annual meeting in Boston in December 2008.
Scharff says the importance of the method and results for policymakers is clear. "In a time of tightening budgets the ability to conduct thorough evaluations demonstrating the value of programs that may be targeted for cuts is crucial." CONTACT: Robert Scharff, Consumer Sciences, (614) 292-4549. SEE: http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~news/story.php?id=4947

Ohio State study: Restoring trust harder when it is broken early in relationship. In relationships built on trust, a bad first impression can be harder to overcome than a betrayal that occurs after ties are established, a new study suggests.
While betraying trust is never good for a relationship, the results show that early violations can be particularly devastating, and plant seeds of doubt that may never go away, said Robert Lount, co-author of the study and assistant professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.
"First impressions matter when you want to build a lasting trust," Lount said.
"Our results fly in the face of this Hollywood notion of hating someone at first sight but then developing a wonderful, passionate relationship," he said. "The likelihood of that happening in real life is pretty low." CONTACT: Robert Lount, (614) 292-0737. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/trustrelate.htm

Events

Saturn's "Road to Change" Hybrid Caravan visits Ohio State on route to presidential inauguration – Jan. 13-14. A caravan of Saturn's newest hybrid vehicles will stop on the Ohio State campus as it travels from Detroit on its way to presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C.
The caravan's theme is "The Road to Change Starts in Your Driveway" and encourages people to pledge to help reduce the nation's energy consumption.
The caravan will make two stops at Ohio State: at 5:30 p.m. (prior to Ohio State/Indiana Basketball game) on Tuesday (1/13) at the Value City Arena; and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday (11/14) at the Wexner Center Plaza.
During the stops, Ohio State University students will have the opportunity to sign an over-size card wishing President-elect Obama well as he assumes the presidency. In addition, students can have their photo taken as they hold a sign declaring their individual "Pledge for Change." These photos will be posted on www.ImSaturn.com.
Vehicles participating in the caravan – 2009 Vue 2 Mode Hybrids – will be on display. Once in Washington, the hybrid vehicles will be used to provide courtesy transportation for inaugural events.
Student participating in Ohio State's EcoCAR Challenge team will also be on hand to talk about their involvement in the national collegiate competition to reengineer a Saturn Vue for improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. CONTACT: Mike Morrissey(Saturn), 586-596-8259 (cell)Mike Morrissey

Expert speaks on urban youth violence – Jan. 14. Deanna L. Wilkinson, Ohio State professor of Human Development and Family Science will discuss "Understanding and Preventing Urban Youth Violence: How Every Voice Matters" at 6 p.m. Wednesday (1/14) at the Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center, 905 Mt. Vernon Ave. The dynamics of violence among minority male youths cannot be fully understood without exploring the youths' family situations, perceptions of their environment, and experiences with mainstream institutions such as schools, community agencies, and employers. Wilkinson found that the breakdown in informal social control and fear contribute to violence in the community. Wilkinson has just published a new book, "Guns, Violence and Identity: Among African American and Latino Youth." The lecture is free and open to the public. CONTACT: African American and African Studies Community Extension Center, (614) 292-3922.

The person listed as the CONTACT will have the most current information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story: Liz Cook; (614) 292-7276; Shelly Hoffman; (614) 247-4748; Jim Lynch; (614) 247-4110; or Amy Murray; (614) 292-8385.