April 30, 1999

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

YOUNG BUCKEYES WANTED--April 30-May 2. Do you want your little brother or sister to follow in your footsteps? Do you want them to experience life in a dorm, meet all your friends and have so much fun they will talk about it for weeks? Then bring them to the 4th annual Sibs Weekend Friday through Sunday (4/30-5/2) on the Ohio State campus. The weekend kicks off with "Shake Up Your Sib," featuring milkshakes, contests and games, Friday (4/30) from 6-8 p.m. at Stradley Hall, 138 W. 11th Ave. Other events include "Larkins Lollapalooza" Friday (4/30) from 8 p.m. to midnight at Larkins Hall, 337 West 17th Avenue, the "Lincoln Luau," Saturday (5/1) from 5-10 p.m. on the north side of Drake Union, 1849 Cannon Drive, and "Water Wars: Soak Your Sibling," Sunday (5/2) at 11:30 a.m. on the South Oval across from Baker Hall, 129 W. 12th Ave. For more information or a complete list of events, call the Parent Association at 292-9153 or Ohio State homepage at http://www.osu.edu.
CONTACT: Karen Fisher, program coordinator for the Parent Association, 292-9153.

TAKE A WALK BACK IN TIME AT THE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL -- May 1. Knights, dancing and Celtic music are just a part of the Renaissance Festival on the South Oval, at the corner of 12th Avenue at College Road, Saturday (5/1) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Festivities begin with a grand processional, English country dancers and a whirl around the Maypole. Other activities throughout the day include medieval sword fights, a human chessboard, magic and juggling.
CONTACT: Mary Simonetti, Council for the Medieval and Renaissance Faire, 294-6113.

BUCKEYE WORLD TOUR--May 1. International dances, food, cricket and a 5k and 10k run are just a taste of what's available at The Buckeye World Tour 1999, representing 120 nations, Saturday (5/1) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lane Avenue Park, at the intersection of Lane Avenue and Kenny Road. Students will challenge David Williams II, vice president for student and urban/community affairs, to a cricket match from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Lane Avenue Park softball field #8. The 5k and 10k races start at 9:45 a.m. at the intersection of Carmack Road and Woody Hayes Drive. Race registration the day of the event will be $20.
CONTACTS: Niki Davis or Mike Penner, graduate associates in intermurials, (614) 292-1562.

CAN A CONCRETE CANOE FLOAT?--May 1. A team of civil engineering students will see whether their year-long project--to design and build a concrete canoe--floats. The team has worked all year toward the Rigid Regatta, a regional competition held May 1 at the University of Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky. Students designed the vessel during autumn quarter, built the canoe mold during winter quarter, poured the canoe over spring break and practiced paddling in the Olentangy River while it cured.
CONTACT: Carolyn Merry, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science, 292-6889.

ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA AND PHI ETA SIGMA INDUCT NEW MEMBERS--May 2. President William E. Kirwan, an honorary member of Alpha Lambda Delta, will be the keynote speaker at the freshman honor society initiation, where more than 550 freshmen students will be honored. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St. Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma are national honor societies recognizing and encouraging academic excellence among first-year students. Membership in the organizations is open to full-time freshmen who earn a scholastic average of 3.5 at a four-year college or university. Phi Eta Sigma celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1998, and Alpha Lambda Delta is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
CONTACT: Ann Pavlov, ALD/PES Advisor, 292-3135 or pavlov.4@osu.edu.

A BALANCE BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE?--May 2-4. The classic conflict between religion and science will be examined in Religion and Science: Tension, Accommodation and Engagement-An International Conference, May 2-4. Sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, the conference brings speakers from around the world to campus for a variety of talks. Among them: Ernan McMullin of the University of Notre Dame will deliver The Quest for Consonance, Sunday, noon, Holiday Inn on the Lane; Owen Gingerich of Harvard University will deliver Can a Scientist Believe in Design?, Monday, 4 p.m., 014 University Hall; Denis Lamoureux of the University of Alberta, Canada, will deliver Are Evangelicals Inheriting the Wind? Tuesday, 1 p.m., at the Faculty Club. In addition, there are a number of panel discussions on related topics.
CONTACT: Tamar Rudavsky, Department of Philosophy, 292-7914.

OHIO STATE HONORS BLACK STUDENT LEADERS--May 3. Ohio State will hold the 24th annual Black Student Leadership Awards Monday (5/3) at 6 p.m. at the Frank W. Hale, Jr. Black Cultural Center, 153 W. 12th Ave. The purpose of these awards is to inform the university community of the accomplishments of African American students and to give personal recognition to graduate and undergraduate students for their commitment to the campus and community. This year, awards will be given to two graduate and six undergraduate students.
CONTACT: Cynthia McDonald-DeVese, coordinator, African American Student Services, 292-6584.

TORT LECTURE TOPIC: "SUING OVER SPILLED COFFEE"--May 3. The University Distinguished Lecture will explore the question of the existence of a crisis in Ohio tort laws. Deborah Jones Merritt, the John Deaver Drinko/Baker & Hostetler Chair in Law, will present Suing Over Spilled Coffee: How Hot is the Tort Crisis? at 4 p.m. May 3 in the Wexner Center Film/Video Theater, 1891 N. High St. Merritt specializes in federal-state relations, affirmative action and equality. She'll examine data collected from Franklin County jury verdicts rendered during the 12 years before Ohio adopted tort reform in 1996 that suggests jury verdicts are modest in most personal injury lawsuits. The University Distinguished Lectureship honors Ohio State's finest faculty.
CONTACT: Deborah Jones Merritt, College of Law, 688-4039

ENGLISH PROFESSOR OFFERS THOUGHTS ON "SMARTS"--May 4. Professor Valerie Lee, Departments of English and Women's Studies, will present "Smarts" at the College's fourth Inaugural Lecture of the year on Tuesday (5/4), 7:30 p.m. at the Faculty Club. Using cautionary tales about knowledge and learning from African American folklore and literature, Lee will discuss the promise and predicament of being a scholar caught between notions of education and "edumacation," or how smarts (noun) smarts (verb). The lecture is rescheduled from March 9, when it was canceled due to severe weather.
CONTACT: Shari Lorbach, College of Humanities, 292-1882.

OHIO STATE HOSTS NATIONAL MINORITY AFFAIRS CONFERENCE--May 4. Representatives from 40 colleges, universities, organizations and corporations nationwide meet at Ohio State on Tuesday (5/4) for Racial Legacies and Learning: An American Dialogue. The fifth annual conference of offices of Minority Affairs will be held 9 a.m.-2:15 p.m. in the Ohio Union Ballrooms, 1739 N. High St. Attendees will discuss issues affecting minorities in higher education, including mentoring, cultural appreciation, diminishing minority university scholarships and the role of corporations in diversity matters. "Racial Legacies and Learning," a program that fosters communication between campuses and communities on issues of race, is the topic of the luncheon address by former U.S. Rep. Ronald Dellums, D-Calif., and other talks during the day. The event is co-sponsored by the Office of Minority Affairs and the Division of Student Affairs.
CONTACT: Rose Wilson Hill, Minority Affairs, 292-8156.

FREE ANXIETY SCREENINGS OFFERED--May 5. Ohio State is one of several Franklin County sites participating in National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day by offering free screenings to the public. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on May 5, clinical psychologists and doctoral students in clinical psychology will interview and assess participants in the Townshend Hall psychology clinic, 1885 Neil Ave. Organizers hope to increase awareness about the existence of anxiety problems, which affect nearly 23 million Americans. People who are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder may obtain free treatment in the psychology clinic to learn skills designed to correct the thinking patterns that contribute to anxiety.
CONTACT: Norman Schmidt, Psychology, 292-2687.

ADVICE FOR STRESSED-OUT PARENTS--May 5. James Levine, director of the Fatherhood Project, Families and Work Institute in New York City, will offer tips for working parents in a speech Working Parents: New Strategies for Balancing Work and Family, at 7 p.m. at the Hyatt on Capital Square. Levine, author of Working Fathers: New Strategies for Balancing Work and Family, will suggest how parents can reduce the conflict they feel between work and family life; increase their connection with their children; and improve the quality of their relationships and their effectiveness at work. The event is sponsored by the College of Human Ecology and Ohio State Extension. To arrange an interview with Levine, call Dawn Allman at 292-4481.
CONTACT: Dawn Allman, College of Human Ecology, 292-4481.

HONOR MOM BY PAINTING A TILE--May 5. You're invited to recognize a special woman in your life by painting a tile in her honor, 6-9 p.m. at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Hand-painted personalized tiles will be used to decorate the Spirit of Women Park at the University Medical Center, which is due to open next spring. The Wexner Center for the Arts is joining with University Medical Center for a special tile-painting session in conjunction with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure. Construction of the park is funded through contributions, which are recognized by the tiles, each serving as a tribute to a woman who has made a difference. Contribution levels range from $25 for a 4" x 4" tile to $500 for a 12" x 12" tile.
CONTACT: OSU Women's Resource Line, 293-7575.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETS--May 7. The Board of Trustees and its committees will meet Friday (5/7) in the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road. Committee meetings, where most of the discussion takes place, begin at 9 a.m. Board Chair Ted Celeste completes his nine-year term as a trustee with this meeting.
CONTACT: Emily Caldwell, University Communications, 292-8309.

SCIENCE VILLAGE SITE TO BE DEDICATED--May 7. A dedication ceremony for the site of Science Village, a component of the Science and Technology Campus (STC) at Ohio State, will begin at noon Friday (5/7) on the southeast corner of Kinnear and North Star roads. President William Kirwan and Ora Smith, president of the STC Corp., are scheduled to speak at the ceremony, during which outgoing Board of Trustees Chair Ted Celeste will be recognized for his commitment to technology development at the university. The ceremony will include a sign unveiling. Construction on the first 40,000-square-foot segment of the multibuilding, multistage village is expected to begin by late summer; between two and 10 companies, featuring a mix of technologies, are expected to be housed there by the middle of 2000. Science Village is designed to attract companies that have undergone initial growth and need higher-quality facilities, as well as divisional or regional offices of national technology companies.
CONTACT: Vicki Butland, Science and Technology Campus, 675-4100.

ALUMNI RETURN FOR ANIMATION CELEBRATION--May 7. Seven alumni who now work for prestigious computer graphics and animation firms-- and contributed to movies like Star Wars and The Prince of Egypt- -will participate in an Animation Celebration, 5-7 p.m. in 014 University Hall, 230 N. Oval Mall. During the panel discussion, they'll answer questions, discuss current trends and debate The Role of Motion Capture in Computer Animation, and Film versus Video Production. The event is sponsored by the Department of Computer and Information Science (CIS) and the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD).
CONTACT: Tamera Cramer (CIS), 292-6875; or Elaine Smith (ACCAD), 292-1053.

ASIAN AWARENESS MONTH HIGHLIGHTS DIVERSITY IN ASIAN CULTURES-- through May 31. George Takei (Sulu from the original "Star Trek" series) will discuss his personal journey in the film industry, and how he overcame racism and stereotypes in the keynote address for Asian Awareness Month at Ohio State. Takei, a Japanese American who at age 4 was taken with his family to a Japanese internment camp during World War II, will discuss Infinite Diversity at 7 p.m. May 20 in the Ohio Union Ballrooms, 1739 N. High St. Asian Awareness Month features film and video screenings and two panel discussions: Asian Women's Health Issues, May 19 at 7 p.m., and Women and Race: Choosing the Future, May 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. Both take place in the Ohio Union Stecker Lounge. On May 6, look at Asian dating in the 1990's at The Dating Game: The Ups and Downs of Choosing a Partner, 6:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union Memorial Room.
CONTACT: Sheila Kapur, coordinator of Asian American Student Services, 292-0625.

OHIO STATE ROCKS WITH REGGAE FEST--May 8. The rhythmic beat of the steel drums and deep bass lines will help transform the Kappa Sigma house, 1842 Indianola Ave., into a Caribbean Island paradise for the Reggae Fest Saturday (5/8) at 6 p.m., rain or shine. The fest features OAR...of a revolution, The Ark band, Hector Welsh Project and The Itals. Advance tickets are available at World Records, 1980 N. High St., and room 218 of the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St., for $6. Tickets are $8 at the gate. Buck IDs are accepted. Proceeds from the event go to the Hannah Neil Center, a charitable organization serving children and their families who experience problems with such things as depression, learning difficulties and sexual abuse. The event is the Undergraduate Student Government and the Office of Student Affairs in support of nonalcoholic programming.
CONTACT: Matt Couch, coordinator of student involvement for the Office of Student Activities, 292-8763.

RAINBOW GRADUATION HONORS GAY, LESBIAN AND BISEXUAL STUDENTS--May 8. Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Student Services at Ohio State holds the first annual Rainbow Graduation at 1 p.m. at the Goodale Park Shelter at the corner of Goodale and Park Streets. The Spring Fling follows.
CONTACT: Sheri Atkinson, GLB Student Services, 292-6200 or atkinson.60@osu.edu.

17-YEAR EVENT PROMISES TO BE NOISY CONCERT--A brood of periodical cicadas, tallying into the billions, are due to make their once- every-17-year emergence over a two-week period starting in early May. The cicadas are noticeable for three weeks, ending about the first week of June. This year's event will cover a whopping 40- plus counties, including Franklin. By comparison, the next brood emergence in 2002 will cover only four counties in northeast Ohio. The males make a deafening buzzing noise in unison with thousands of other males, all hoping to attract a mate. Periodical cicadas can damage young trees. Homeowners with trees less than four years old can protect the trees with nylon netting or cheesecloth during the egg-laying period.
CONTACT: Dave Shetlar, Entomology, 292-3762; or Susan Mantey, Communications and Technology, 292-2011.

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).