97-03-07 Story Tips for Local Media STORY TIPS This and every University Communications news release is available on the Internet and World Wide Web. To access by Internet, you may reach us through either OASIS (Ohio State Information System), the Columbus Freenet or World Wide Gophers. Our Web address is www.acs.ohio-state.edu. (SHHHHH!) GEE TO SURPRISE AWARD-WINNING TEACHERS AND SCHOLARS-- President Gee will drop in unannounced on unsuspecting faculty members this week to personally notify them that they've won one of the two highest awards that faculty can receive at Ohio State. Gee will interrupt classes or meetings to present a shiny red apple and his congratulations to winners of the 1997 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching or the Distinguished Scholar Award. The 10 winners of the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching are honored for superior teaching. The Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes exceptional scholarly accomplishments by senior professors who have compiled a substantial body of research, as well as the work of younger faculty who have demonstrated great scholarly potential. Reporters are invited to accompany Gee on one or more of these visits. To preserve the surprise element, we ask that you call Ruth Gerstner (292-8424) or Amy Murray (292-8385), in the Office of University Communications, to discuss the schedule and meeting places. FLOOD UPDATES AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE WEB-- Ohio State Extension has gone into action to assist in flood relief and coverage. Relaying information from the state's Emergency Operations Center, it has constructed an easy to locate site on the Ohio State University World Wide Web homepage that features the latest flood information as well as links to resources on a number of related issues. For example, safety experts recommend that you carry a stick when re-entering a flood-damaged home. You can use the stick to test water depth and turn on light switches. Among the information available: updates on weather, flood information, Red Cross shelter locations, re-entering a flood-damaged home, applying for aid, emergency mail service, water availability, disinfecting laundry and immunization recommendations. The information is available at http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu CONTACT: Suzanne Steel, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 292-2011. A TOURISTS' PERSPECTIVE OF ANTARCTICA--Mar. 12. The Byrd Polar Research Center offers a series of brown bag lunches with researchers on Thursdays through March 12. Jim Collinson will discuss The Antarctic Peninsula from a Tourist's Perspective at noon, 240 Scott Hall, 1090 Carmack Rd. CONTACT: Lynn Everett, Byrd Polar Research Center, 292-9909. NEW PROGRAM MAKES HOSPITAL FOOD MORE APPETIZING--The mention of hospital food often brings to mind visions of warm salad and cold soup. An innovative system at The Ohio State University Medical Center is ensuring patients' food is always served at the appropriate temperature. Hot Meals on Hot Wheels uses a reheating method that eliminates common problems associated with microwaving, which is what most institutions use to reheat their meals. A conduction system can reheat 20 trays simultaneously. CONTACT: Megan Uhl, Medical Center Communications, 293-3737. FUTURE FASHIONS DISCUSSED AT WORKSHOP--Mar. 11. Fashioning Future Fashions will be presented by Professor Gwendolyn O'Neal at 4:30 p.m. in the Geraldine Schottenstein Wing of Campbell Hall, 1787 Neil Ave. O'Neal, of the Department of Consumer and Textile Sciences in the College of Human Ecology, will explore the theories of fashion as well as futurists' perspectives on some possibilities for the next millennium. The lecture is the final in the Fashioning the Future lecture series, which looks at how we fashion our future based on revivals of styles from our past. CONTACT: Historic Costume Collection, 292-3090. DANCE STAR MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV COMES TO WEXNER CENTER--Mar 14-15. The White Oak Dance Project featuring dance superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov and ten dancers and live accompaniment by a chamber music ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. at Mershon Auditorium. Baryshnikov founded the White Oak Dance Project in 1990. All proceeds from the two White Oak Dance Project concerts go to support the newly organized National Dance Project, a consortium of leading arts organizations dedicated to developing new works and providing touring support for innovative dance companies. CONTACT: Darnell Lautt, Wexner Center, 292-0330. WINTER COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES--Mar. 21. Commencement exercises for some 1,500 winter quarter graduates of Ohio State will be held beginning at 9 a.m. at St. John Arena, 410 Woody Hayes Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, president and chief executive officer of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), will be the commencement speaker. A former astronaut and veteran of three space shuttle missions, Sullivan is the first woman to perform a spacewalk, which she did aboard the Challenger in 1984. She flew on the Discovery in 1990 for the Hubble Space Telescope deployment mission and on the Atlantis in 1992 for the ATLAS-1 Spacelab mission. CONTACT: Tracy Turner, University Communications, 688-3682. The person listed as the contact for each item will have the best information about the story. However, feel free to call on our news services staff for assistance with these or other Ohio State news stories. Amy Murray, 292-8385; Ruth Gerstner, 292-8424; and Tracy Turner, 688-3682. -Compiled by Amy Murray, University Communications, (Murray- Goedde.1@osu.edu). [Submitted by: Von Vargas (vargas.12@osu.edu) Fri, 7 Mar 1997 14:02:34 -0500 (EST)] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.