7-31-98 STORY TIPS This and every University Communications news release is available on the Internet and World Wide Web. Our Web address is www.acs.ohio-state.edu. EDUCATION HOLDS FIRST-EVER “L2” CONFERENCE--July 31-Aug. 1. Literacy teachers and researchers from around the world will join educators from Midwest institutions for the English as a Second Language Programs’ first second language -- or “L2” -- conference today and Saturday (7/31-8/1). Topics will range from international students’ use of dictionaries to the effect of the Internet on reading. The conference, based in the College of Education, includes keynote presentations in 100 Stillman Hall, 1947 College Road. Speakers are: John Swales, professor of linguistics at the University of Michigan, reporting on English writing and reading skills required of international graduate students at 3:30 p.m. Friday; and Joan Carson, associate professor of applied linguistics and English as a Second Language at Georgia State University, concentrating on tasks used to teach reading and writing skills to international students at 9 a.m. Saturday. A full schedule is available at http://www.esl.ohio-state.edu/conference/index.html. CONTACT: Diane Belcher, English as a Second Language Programs, 292- 6360. MEDIA OPEN HOUSE HELD AS FISHER COLLEGE MAKES ITS MOVE--Aug. 5. Faculty and staff of the Max M. Fisher College of Business are moving from Hagerty Hall on the Oval to the newly constructed Fisher and Gerlach halls at Woodruff and Neil avenues. The graduate programs, including MBA, will be operating out of the new facilities this fall, with undergraduate programs to follow next year. Reporters and photographers are invited to preview the buildings -- the first two to be completed in the six-building complex -- and get some move-in photos on Wednesday afternoon (8/5). Dean Joseph A. Alutto, President William E. Kirwan and several faculty members will meet with media at 1:30 p.m. in Fisher Hall, followed by a guided tour of Fisher and Gerlach halls. Further details, including parking instructions, will be faxed on Monday. CONTACTS: Melissa Lamb Peale, Fisher College, 292-8022; Ruth Gerstner, University Communications, 292-8424. OHIO STATE HOSTS U.S. TRANSPLANT GAMES--Aug. 5-8. An anticipated 1,500 transplant recipients will compete in the 1998 U.S. Transplant Games Wednesday through Saturday on the Ohio State campus. Transplant athletes will participate in Olympic-style competition for medals in 14 sports, including bicycling, bowling, golf, racquetball, swimming, tennis, and track and field events. The games highlight the successful rehabilitation of transplant recipients and recognize the contributions of thousands of families who donate organs and tissues of loved ones each year. The games will feature special programs, including Kids’ Time for children ages 2-11 and “Race for Organ Donation,” a 5K road race to promote organ donation awareness. The opening ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (8/5) in Ohio Stadium, and will include the National Donor Recognition Ceremony honoring families of organ donors, and the dedication of a new organ donor postage stamp. Call the National Kidney Foundation of Ohio for more information or a schedule. CONTACT: National Kidney Foundation of Ohio, 481-4030. EXHIBIT FEATURES EVERYONE’S FAVORITE COLOR--through Aug. 15. The celebration coats of prominent fiber artist Robert Hillestad are on exhibit at the Geraldine Schottenstein Wing of Campbell Hall. The free exhibition of “Choreography in Fiber: The Celebrations of Robert Hillestad” features vibrant colors and rich textures. Hillestad, an alumnus of the College of Human Ecology, is a frequent exhibitor in national and international juried and invitational shows. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. CONTACT: Gayle Strege, curator, 292-3090. CLARK KELLOGG HOSTS FIRST 3-ON-3 BASKETBALL TOURNEY--Aug. 8-9. The first Clark Kellogg 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament will be held in the St. John Arena parking lot (northeast side by Lane Avenue) next Saturday and Sunday (8/8-8/9) beginning at 8:30 a.m. The event will feature 3-on-3 competition, a slam dunk contest, a three-point shootout and a youth clinic. Divisions of play include Junior (16 and under), Open (17 and over) and Top (serious players). The tournament will benefit the nonprofit organization Friends of Hoop and is scheduled to become an annual event. CONTACT: Teri Fournier, Recreational Sports, 292-2732. SURVEY SAYS: MOST THINK GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL--About 79 percent of Americans believe global warming is real, and one-third of them think it is an extremely serious or very serious problem, according to a new study by Ohio State University’s Survey Research Unit. The survey included a national sample of 688 Americans interviewed last fall, before the White House Conference on Global Climate Change, and another 725 adults interviewed late last year and early in 1998. The extensive news coverage about global warming between the first and second wave of interviews deepened divisions in the American public along political party lines, said Jon Krosnick, a professor of psychology who helped conduct the survey. More Democrats came to believe global warming exists and will have undesirable consequences, while more Republicans came to believe that global warming is not a reality and will not have undesirable consequences. The research was sponsored by Resources for the Future, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that conducts independent research on environmental and natural resource issues. An executive summary of the survey can be downloaded on the Internet at http://www.rff.org/misc_docs/osu_short.pdf. CONTACT: Jon Krosnick, Psychology, 292-3496 The person listed as the contact for each item will have the best information about the story. Feel free to call on our news services staff for assistance with these or other Ohio State news stories -- Ruth Gerstner, 292-8424; Tracy Turner, 688-3682; and Emily Caldwell, 292-8309. **Compiled by Emily Caldwell, University Communications, (Caldwell.151@osu.edu).