March 19, 1999

This and every University Communications news release is available at http://www.osu.edu

NEW WEB CAMERA GIVES COMPUTER USERS EYES ON SAFETY--A new Web camera system at Ohio State is inviting computer users to fight crime from the safety of their computer. The Public Safety Web Cameras offer nearly live images (refreshed every seven seconds) from stationary cameras around campus. The program, Eyes on Safety (www.ps.ohio-state.edu) is a project to enlist help of the university community while enjoying current scenes from the campus. If you view safety or security problems on the site, notify University Police at (614) 292-2121. Currently, the site offers a view of the Oval, but new sites will be added.
CONTACT: John Kleberg, Business and Administration, 292-7970.

SMOKIN’ BUCKEYE TACKLES ARIZONA TRACK--March 20-21. The Ohio State Formula Lightning electric race car team competes against seven other universities at the Arizona Electrics at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, March 20-21. The Smokin’ Buckeye, which is capable of 144 mph, enters the race with a two- race winning streak and back-to-back ABB University Spec Series Championships. The electric car, along with four other student- engineered project teams, is part of the new Ohio State Motorsports program which raises awareness of Ohio State’s Center for Automotive Research and the Student Projects motorsports program and links alumni involved in professional motorsports with OSU.
CONTACT: Chris Maupin, 688-4084; cell phone at the track, 614- 440-0870.

SPRING GOSPEL TOUR--March 20-22. The African-American Voices at Ohio State will travel to Portsmouth, Va., for a spring gospel tour. The 27-voice choir will perform a Saturday evening concert for the public, and will worship on Sunday with their hosts, New Bethel Baptist Church, 4212 Greenwood Drive, Portsmouth. The choir bus will leave the Hale Black Cultural Center at 11:30 p.m. today (3/19) and return on Monday (3/22) evening. Founded in 1922, the choir comprises undergraduate students.
CONTACT: Michael Bailey, African-American Voices, 292-0074.

OHIO STATE GRADUATE NOMINATED FOR ACADEMY AWARD--March 21. Alumnus Chris Wedge is vying for an Oscar in the category of Best Animated Short Classic for his computer-animated film Bunny. Wedge, who earned his M.A. from the Department of Art Education, is a former student at the university’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD). Bunny is the tale of a tattered old rabbit baking alone one night in her kitchen who deals with a hairy, battered moth that seems to stalk her. The seven-minute film is the first to use radiosity, an advanced rendering technique that mimics the most subtle properties of natural light. While at ACCAD, Wedge did two short films--Tuber’s Two Step and Balloon Guy.
CONTACT: Victoria Ellwood, College of the Arts, 292-8835.

NOBEL LAUREATE TO PRESENT LECTURE--March 22. Edmond H. Fischer, the 1992 recipient of a Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, will speak at noon in University Medical Center’s Rhodes Hall, 450 W. 10th Ave. Among his topics will be the benefits of basic vs. targeted research and the role serendipity can play in scientific discoveries. Fischer, along with his collaborator Edwin G. Krebs, was awarded the Nobel Prize for discoveries related to reversible protein phosphorylation as a biological regulatory mechanism.
CONTACT: David Crawford, Medical Center Communications, 293-3737.

FORMER BUCKEYE FOOTBALL PLAYERS FORM NEW TEAM--March 23. A group of former Ohio State football players will form a motorsports team and tap an alumni/professional race car driver to compete on NASCAR’s Busch Grand National Series. The new team will make an official announcement at 2 p.m. Tuesday (March 23) at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe. The new team will be connected to Ohio State Motorsports.
CONTACT: Rick Van Brimmer, Trademark & Licensing Services, 292- 1562.

DON’T BE ALARMED BY AN UNUSUAL NOISE--March 24. If you happen to be on campus next Wednesday morning, (March 24), you might hear some unusual noises. At about 9 a.m., utility engineers and regulatory officials will begin testing a new boiler at McCracken Power Plant, located just east of Ohio Stadium. Noise levels should be below the 85 decibels OSHA limits. There will be a “pop” when the valve opens followed by a whooshing sound. The noise will be most noticeable in Baker Systems, Larkins Hall, Dreese Labs, Independence Hall, the Central Classroom Building and Cockins Hall. The new 600,000-pound, 36-foot-tall boiler will produce 220,000 pounds of steam per hour, four times the capacity of the old boiler it replaced, which was installed in 1947. Steam from the boiler is used to generate electricity.
CONTACT: Dave Sweet, Department of Physical Facilities, 292- 2377.

LECTURE LOOKS AT HEALTH POLICIES FOR CHILDREN--March 30. The Center for Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies (HOPES) presents a talk from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Prior Health Sciences Library, Heritage Room (5th floor). Antoinette Eaton, interim dean of the School of Public Health, will discuss American Academy of Pediatrics’ Child Health Policy Agenda. The Center for HOPES is Ohio State’s multidisciplinary center for the study, awareness and promotion of health policy.
CONTACT: Kris Clark, Center for HOPES, 688-3724.

OFFICIALS TRY TO MAKE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL SAFER--More than 100,000 faculty, students and staff travel internationally each year from colleges and universities across the country. Reports of serious crimes, with students as victims, are of significant concern to college and university administrations. Last month, representatives from the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), Department of State, campus public safety officials and representatives of international studies organizations met at Ohio State to explore how the State Department could help enhance safety and security awareness for traveling academics. As a result of the meeting, selected colleges and universities will work with OSAC to subscribe to State Department information about travel safety. The service is available to all colleges and universities that receive password access to a restricted data base of important information. Ohio State, Pepperdine and Michigan State public safety officials participated in the initial planning meeting.
Ohio State developed a program more than a year ago that provides briefing materials to travelers, a travel safety folder and a 24-hour emergency contact point.
CONTACT: John Kleberg, Business and Administration, 292-7970.

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--Amy Murray, 292-8385; Ruth Gerstner, 292-8424; and Emily Caldwell, 292-8309.
**Compiled by Amy Murray, University Communications, (Murray-Goedde.1@osu.edu).