January 22, 2001

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

News
Ohio State anthropologist is off to Africa for TV documentary – Later this week, anthropologist Scott McGraw will fly to Africa in search of something he believes he will not find. McGraw, assistant professor at Ohio State's Mansfield Campus, is accompanying a film crew from National Geographic Television as part of a documentary on a rare monkey thought to be extinct. For the last half-dozen years, McGraw has led an effort to search for the Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey (Procolobus badius waldroni), a primate last seen in 1978 in the forests of Africa's Ivory Coast and Ghana. He has walked the rain forests of West Africa looking for the monkeys, hired hunters to capture them and even offered rewards to people who said they had heard the monkey's distinctive call. After six years of searching through 19 different areas of forest, no one was able to claim the rewards, leaving McGraw and his colleagues to conclude that the animal is no more, making it the first primate to become extinct in the last two centuries. McGraw reported his findings in the journal Conservation Biology three months ago. The announcement has been widely reported and was included in Discover magazine's 50 most important scientific discoveries of the year 2000 released this month. According to McGraw and many conservationists, the extinction should serve as a warning of the threat to other remaining mammals in the region. Contact: W. Scott McGraw, (419) 755-4337; mcgraw.4@osu.edu

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Experts

California power crisis not likely for Ohio -Rolling blackouts and economic troubles for California power companies are making many Ohioans think twice about deregulation of electric utilities. But Ken Rose, a research specialist at Ohio State’s National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI) says the circumstances causing problems in California are unique to California. He says it is unlikely that the “insanity” of California could happen in Ohio. In addition to unprecedented new demand for power, Rose points to the power exchange system unique to California, plus the fact that no new power plants have been built there for many years. Ken Rose, NRRI, (614) 292-9434.

Events

Gypsy moth devastation to be discussed – Jan. 22-24.. The gypsy moth, an invasive insect that can destroy thousands of trees in a single season, continues to spread across Ohio, and one Ohio State University researcher fears it will "rip through" the prime oak forests in the south when conditions are right. "Southeast Ohio houses the best moth habitat that exists in the state. It's going to happen. We just don't know when," says Dan Herms, of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Herms will discuss management options at the OSU Nursery Short Course, Jan. 22-24 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Tree defoliation by the gypsy moth has been substantial over the last five years in northeast and northwest Ohio. Last year more than 20,000 acres of trees were eaten – and Herms says the moths are "knocking on the door of Columbus suburbs." Though management practices for gypsy moth control are available, most are either ineffective during outbreaks or have met controversy. Contact:Dan Herms, OARDC, (330) 202-3506.

University area schools celebrate collaboration – Jan. 23. Thirteen Columbus Public Schools in the University District are enjoying the fruits of collaboration with Ohio State University. The schools benefit from initiatives such as an arts-based after school program at Medary Elementary School, an internship program matching high school students with Ohio State offices and departments, and an extensive tutoring program involving honors students at Ohio State with Indianola Middle School. The collaboration will be celebrated during a reception on Tuesday (1/23) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Ohio State. The reception will welcome five principals who are new to university area schools and Donna Browder Evans, the new dean of Ohio State’s College of Education. Both Columbus Public Schools Superintendent Rosa Smith and university President William E. Kirwan will attend. The reception will be in the Grand Lounge of the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road. Contact: : Mike Casto, director of the Campus Collaborative, (614) 292-5621 or Doreen Uhas-Sauer, chair of the University District Education Committee, (614) 294-7151.

Preparing better teachers for Ohio – Jan. 23.Dr. Susan T. Zelman, Ohio's superintendent of public instruction, will present a lecture on "Teacher Education Reform in Ohio" from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in 160 MacQuigg Lab, 105 W. Woodruff Ave. The lecture is part of the interdisciplinary research seminar, “Higher Education's Responsibility in Teacher Education Reform.” Contact:Gemma McLuckie, (614) 292-4658 or mcluckie.1@osu.edu

Workshop puts estate planning in perspective – Jan. 24, 31 and Feb 7. To help people learn more about estate planning issues, Ohio State University Extension is sponsoring an Estate Planning Workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 24, Jan. 31 and Feb. 7, 2001, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Granville Inn in Granville. The sessions will cover the legal framework in which estate planning takes place in Ohio and some basics, such as trusts and life insurance; long-term care insurance and distribution of personal property. Contact:Howard Siegrist, Ohio State University Extension, (740) 349-6904.

Tuskegee president to speak on leadership – Jan. 25.Benjamin F. Payton, president of Tuskegee University, will present "The Leader Within You" at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday (1/25) in 200 Campbell Hall, 1787 Neil Ave. Payton has served as president of the historically black university since 1981. Payton's lecture is rescheduled from October 26, when it was postponed because of illness. Sponsored by the College of Human Ecology and the Office of Minority Affairs, Payton's lecture marks the Fourth Annual Lena C. Bailey Lecture on Leadership. Bailey is a former dean of the College of Human Ecology. Contact:Janet Ciccone, Human Ecology, (614) 292-6761.

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 – Elizabeth Conlisk, (614) 292-3040; Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385; Lesley Deaderick, (614) 292-0569; Melinda Sadar, (614) 292-8298; and Karissa Shivley, (614) 292-8295.
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