HIGHLIGHTS:

READIN', WRITIN', 'RITHMETIC - AND RESULTS - July 18-21. How to help students achieve on proficiency tests will be the focus of the College of Education's National Academy for Superintendents. Administrators from across the U.S. will concentrate on "The Fourth 'R': Results" at the Holiday Inn on the Lane, 328 W. Lane Ave. Nationally recognized experts will discuss how administrators are a positive influence on student achievement, a topic receiving unprecedented attention from lawmakers, parents and educators alike. Speakers include Benjamin Canada, president of the American Association of School Administrators. Contact: Franklin Walter, (614) 292-5249 or baugher.1@osu.edu.

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW - Wearing a special kind of contact lens while sleeping may help a nearsighted person go without contacts or glasses during the day. After just seven nights of wearing reverse-geometry gas permeable contact lenses, researchers saw improvement in the daytime eyesight of seven out of eight nearsighted - or myopic - subjects. At the end of 60 days, all of the subjects could see clearly during the day without contacts or glasses. "Wearing these lenses overnight is an effective way to temporarily reduce myopia," said Joseph Barr, a co-author of the study and a professor of optometry at Ohio State University. The study appears in the journal Optometry and Vision Science. Contact: Joseph Barr, (614) 292-0437.

WHEN BABY BOOMERS ARE 64 - A new study of wealth in the United States concludes that baby boomers have already accumulated more wealth than their parents did at similar ages. The study predicts that this gap will continue as baby boomers retire, and that they will actually continue accumulating wealth after retirement. The results, if true, may ease concerns that the Social Security system will fail as the glut of baby boomers leaves the workforce. "Based on these results, speculation about baby boomers shocking the Social Security system may be overstated," said Lisa Keister, author of the study and assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State. "Of course, the sheer size of the baby boomer generation may worry policy-makers, but at least there is reason to believe that the boomers would be able to support themselves in retirement if necessary." The results of the study appear in Keister's new book Wealth in America: Trends in Wealth Inequality (Cambridge, 2000).Contact: Lisa Keister, (614) 688-8685.

YOUNG SCHOLARS WIND DOWN -July 20. University President William E. Kirwan will speak to some 250 minority students at a picnic Thursday (7/20) at 11 a.m. - part of the Young Scholars Program (YSP) Samuel DuBois Cook Summer Scholars Conference, which runs through Friday (7/21). The Scholars could use some relaxation after two weeks of 6 a.m. wake-up calls rousing them for an intensive program of academic enrichment, study and social skills enhancement, and exposure to career opportunities. Students attend classes at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day. Since 1988, the Young Scholars Program has offered economically disadvantaged Ohio minority youth the kind of year-round academic, personal and skill development needed to succeed in higher education. Students are chosen in the sixth grade by educators in their hometowns: Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lorain, Toledo and Youngstown. Once chosen, students must keep up their grades and participate in other YSP programming, including the Summer Scholars Conference. Contact: Liz Griffith, Young Scholars Program, 292-6222 or pager 651-3749.

NEARSIGHTED? SORE KNEES? OHIO STATE WANTS YOU!

· Nearsighted Children Needed for Study - Healthy children ages 8 to 12 years are needed for a study of a new eye medication that is being investigated for its potential to slow down the progression of nearsightedness. The study involves twice daily application of eye medication and eight office visits over a period of one year. Transportation and parking costs are paid for the parent or guardian, and the child receives small prizes to make the study fun. Contact: Tracy Kitts at (614) 292-1113 or Dr. Marjean Kulp at (614) 688-3336.

· Sore Knees Needed - Researchers at the Ohio State University are investigating pain-coping strategies among men and women with osteoarthritis. Participants will be asked to complete a short diary checklist assessing pain and mood each day for 30 days. At the end of the 30-day period, participants will be paid $40. Results of this study will contribute to our knowledge of osteoarthritis pain-coping strategies and may help to develop future treatment strategies. Participants should have osteoarthritis in one or both knees, knee pain persisting for at least 6 months, and female participants must be post-menopausal. Contact: Karen Wilson at (614) 292-6527.

· Children Needed for Eye Movement Study - Healthy children from 7 to 13 years old are needed for a study of eye movement testing and therapy. The study involves an initial testing session of one to two hours. The results of the eye movement testing will be provided upon the completion of testing. Children who are found to have an eye movement inefficiency will be given the opportunity to participate in the treatment phase of the study. The eye movements of children participating in the treatment phase will be reevaluated. The child will receive a small prize to make the study fun.Contact: Dr. Marjean Kulp at (614) 688-3336.

OSU SCIENTISTS FIND NEW USES FOR COAL COMBUSTION PRODUCTS - Nearly 90% of Ohio's electricity is produced by burning coal. Coal burning generates coal combustion products (CCP), most of which end up in landfills. Charged by the Ohio Department of Development's Ohio Coal Development Office with finding innovative and safe uses for the CCP's, Ohio State's Coal Combustion Products Pilot Extension Program has issued its findings in a report titled "Market Opportunities for Utilization of Ohio Flue Gas Desulfurization and Other Coal Combustion Products." The report was released July 10 by State Development Director C. Lee Johnson. Ohio generates 10 million tons of CCP's each year, which include fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag, and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) materials. Ohio State University scientists who researched and co-authored the report are Tarunjit Butalia and William Wolfe in the College of Engineering. They say when treated and applied correctly, CCPs can be put to used in highway applications, mineland reclamation and agricultural applications. The full text of the report, including recommendations, is available at http://ccpohio.eng.ohio-state.edu/ccpohio/. Contact: Tarunjit Butalia, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 688-3408.

The person listed as Contact will have the best information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story--Reggie Anglen, 292-8423; Elizabeth Conlisk, 292-3040; Amy Murray, 292-8385; Lesley Deaderick, 292-0569; Melinda Sadar, 292-8298; and Karissa Shivley, 292-8295.

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