96-10-14 COSI and OSU Telescope Partners

COSI, OHIO STATE ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
TO SHARE TELESCOPE BENEFITS BROADLY

     COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University and the Center Of 
Science & Industry will explore ways that the benefits of the 
university's proposed new telescope activities can benefit the 
citizens of Central Ohio and the entire state.

     Their efforts will be particularly focused on programs in 
support of K-12 educational efforts.

     "The university is proposing an extraordinary opportunity," 
said Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, COSI president. "We are eager to 
explore ways we can cooperate for the benefit of the people and 
pupils of Ohio."

     Sullivan is a former NASA astronaut who flew the space 
shuttle mission that placed the Hubble Space Telescope into 
orbit. COSI is located in both Columbus and Toledo and has 
outreach activities that extend statewide and nationally.

     "COSI is an enormously important asset to our community and 
we are delighted to be their partners in this very exciting 
venture," said Dr. E. Gordon Gee, Ohio State president. 

     "Dr. Sullivan's experiences and abilities -- and the fact 
that she is an adjunct professor at Ohio State -- present us with 
a unique opportunity to advance our mission of creating knowledge 
and transmit it to the people of Ohio though innovative service 
activities. We are pursuing this opportunity with great 
enthusiasm."

     Ohio State announced today that it was negotiating to become 
partners in two telescope projects. The first - the Large 
Binocular Telescope, or LBT - will be the world's largest single-
mount telescope, built on Mt. Graham in Arizona. The second is 
the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT, or MDM, Observatory which houses two 
large telescopes on Kitt Peak in Arizona.

     "These two projects will give Ohio State important tools it 
needs to fulfill its mission," said Dr. Patrick Osmer, chair of 
the Department of Astronomy. "The LBT will give our faculty and 
students access to some of the finest research capabilities 
available in the world today -- and which will be for years to 
come. The MDM telescope also will enable us to provide greatly 
expanded opportunities for our students."

     Sullivan agreed, adding that "this was exactly the kind of 
opportunity that encouraged me to come to COSI, and I am 
confident that COSI and Ohio State will be able to break new, 
important ground in their efforts to serve the people of Ohio."

                             #

Contact:  Patrick Osmer, chair of astronomy, (614) 292-2022; 
Osmer.1@osu.edu; or Kathryn Sullivan, president of COSI, (614) 
228-2674.


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:48:11 -0400]
All documents are the responsibility of their originator.