January 21, 2000

This and every University Relations news release is available at www.osu.edu HIGHLIGHTS:

UNIVERSITY HONORS FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN ASTRONAUT--Jan. 21. PRESIDENT KIRWAN PAINTS A TILE FOR SPIRIT OF WOMEN PARK--Jan. 24. HISTORIAN DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN SPEAKS ON CAMPUS--Jan. 26.

TODAY UNIVERSITY HONORS FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN ASTRONAUT--Jan. 21. The Department of Chemistry will honor Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., by naming a lecture hall for him in a ceremony at 4 p.m. today (1/21). Lawrence, who earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at Ohio State in 1965, is recognized as the nation’s first African-American astronaut. Lawrence died in the 1967 crash of an F-104 Starfighter crash at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. His flight maneuvers data contributed to the later development of the NASA's space shuttles. A plaque naming 1000 McPherson the Major Robert H. Lawrence, Jr. Lecture Hall will be unveiled at a 4 p.m. dedication ceremony in the newly renovated building, located at 140 W. 18th Ave. CONTACT: Melissa Weber, College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 292-2254.

SCHOOL VIOLENCE EXPERT GIVES LECTURE--Jan. 21. Author Deborah Prothrow-Stith will present the 2000 Karlsberger Lecture, Deadly Consequences: Violence as a Crisis of Public Health, at 4 p.m., today (1/21), in the Fawcett Center Auditorium, 2400 Olentangy River Rd. Prothrow-Stith, professor and director of the Division of Public Health at Harvard University, is the author of Deadly Consequences. She says the rise in violence is a public health issue, not one of law and order. The College of Education and the Columbus Education Association sponsor the annual event in honor of the late Penny Chapdelaine Karlsberger, an Ohio State alumna. CONTACT: James Azzaro, College of Education, 688-4582 or azzaro.1@osu.edu.

ATTENTION BUSINESS EDITORS: FISHER COLLEGE HOSTS CONFERENCE ON FINANCIAL ANALYSIS--Jan. 21-22. Faculty from several institutions will gather this weekend at the Fisher College of Business to discuss a popular topic for MBA students and the business community--the use of accounting information in corporate valuation and performance evaluation. Peter Easton, professor of accounting and MIS is hosting the event. His research into performance evaluation and economic value-added models have been adapted by consulting firms to every Big 5 accounting firms in the nation. Easton and colleagues who teach similar material at their institutions will discuss ways to improve their teaching of this information. Conferees meet from 1:30-5:10 p.m. today (1/21) and 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. tomorrow (1/22). CONTACT: Anna Rzewnicki, Media Relations Coordinator, Fisher College of Business, 292-8937; or Peter Easton, Professor of Accounting and MIS, Conference Coordinator, 292-3141.

PRESIDENT KIRWAN WILL PAINT A TILE FOR SPIRIT OF WOMEN PARK--Jan 24. President Kirwan will show his artistic side as he decorates a ceramic tile for the Spirit of Women Park, noon-12:15 p.m. in the lobby of Bricker Hall, 190 N. Oval Mall. Construction of the park, adjacent to the University Medical Center, is set to start this spring. The hand-painted ceramic tiles will become part of a waterfall fountain at the park that honoring the achievements of women. For contribution of $25 or more, participants can paint personalized tiles with a message to honor special women in their lives. More than 1,000 people, including Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, have painted tiles for the project. CONTACT: Kirsten O’Dell, Medical Center Communications, 293-3737 or odell-1@medctr.osu.edu

DO YOU CALL IT POP OR SODA? --Jan. 25. Linguistics professor Donald Winford will present Ideologies of Language and Socially Realistic Linguistics at the College of Humanities’ third Inaugural Lecture of the year, Tuesday (1/25) at 7:30 p.m. at the Faculty Club. Winford will discuss beliefs and attitudes toward language varieties. He will focus on varieties such as the English-lexicon creoles of the Caribbean, African-American Vernacular English, and other New Englishes. CONTACT: Shari Lorbach, College of Humanities, 292-1882.

HISTORIAN DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN VISITS CAMPUS--Jan. 26. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will deliver a free public address at 3:30 p.m., Jan. 26, at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St. Goodwin’s visit is sponsored by The Ohio State University’s John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy. In her Ohio State talk, Shared Memories: The Lessons of History, Kearns Goodwin will discuss her experiences in writing biographies of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and John Kennedy, as well as the process of writing her own memoir. Kearns Goodwin received the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front During World War II. There are no tickets for the presentation. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. CONTACT: The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy, 292-4545.

MEDICAL SCHOOL WILL PRESENT WHITE COATS TO KICK-OFF MINI-MED SCHOOL--Jan. 26. Extending an Ohio State University medical school tradition to The Ohio State University Hospitals East, white laboratory coats will be presented at a reception on Wednesday (1/26) to kick-off the start of Mini-Med School, a free educational program being held at East High School during February and March. Reporters are welcome to attend the event from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Wallace Auditorium of The Ohio State University Hospitals East, 1492 E. Broad St. Entrance to the auditorium is at the rear of the hospital. Community and government leaders will attend the event, which includes health screenings, displays, and the presentation of white laboratory coats to Mini-Med School enrollees. The reception comes from the traditional Ohio State ceremony of presenting first-year medical students with the white coats they’ll wear while in medical school. Mini-Med School is free to the public and is being held one evening a week for six consecutive weeks. Sponsored by The Ohio State University Medical Center and taught by Ohio State physicians, the course focuses on health topics including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. CONTACT: David Crawford, Medical Center Communications, 293-3737 or crawford.1@osu.edu

BI OUR SIDE IS THEME OF AWARENESS WEEK--through Jan 29. Bi Our Side is the theme of Ohio State's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex & Ally Awareness Week 2000, Jan. 17-29. The two-week program focuses on issues that surround bisexuality and how it enriches and challenges the community. Two keynote speakers will be featured: Writer and activist Robyn Ochs, who will lead a fireside chat concerning bisexuality issues from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 25 in the Ohio Union Main Lounge South; and former Major League Baseball umpire Dave Pallone, author of the 1990 best-selling autobiography Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball, with a speech titled "Who's Really on First" at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Ohio Union Conference Theatre. For a complete calendar, call the Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services, 292-6200. CONTACT: Chad McCoury or Sile Singleton, Student Gender and Sexuality Services, 292-6200.

The person listed as the contact for each item will have the best information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for assistance with these or other Ohio State news stories--Amy Murray, 292-8385; Melinda Sadar, 292-8298; and Karissa Shivley, 292-8295.

*Compiled by Amy Murray, University Relations, (Murray-Goedde.1@osu.edu).