TRUSTEES RENAME, CREATE DEPARTMENTS, HEAR STONE LAB REPORT

   PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees, meeting at F.T. Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island, on Friday (7/2) approved several departmental changes in the College of Medicine and Public Health and heard a report on Stone Lab.

Three departments renamed, new department and school created

   The board approved changes to the names of three departments and the creation of a new department and school, all in the College of Medicine and Public Health and effective immediately.

   Trustees authorized changing the name of The Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology to the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics. The new name more accurately reflects the molecular teaching and research focus and draws greater distinction between this unit and the Department of Microbiology in the College of Biological Sciences. The department name also identifies increased emphasis on virology and, with the term "medical genetics," recognizes the Division of Human Cancer Genetics within the department.

   The Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy was renamed the Department of Anatomy and Medical Education. As part of the change, 12 faculty will transfer to other units in the college. The new name better describes the membership and redefined mission of this department resulting from the restructuring.

   The Department of Physiology is now the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology. The new name better reflects the current and future mission and expertise of the department under the new structure. The combination of physiology and cell biology expands the scope of each discipline, and is considered valuable for graduate students who require a broader training experience to be competitive in today's marketplace.

   Trustees approved creation of the Department of Neuroscience in the college. Neuroscience has held division status within the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy; nine faculty from that department will transfer to the new neuroscience department. The new department will provide a focus for neuroscience education and research, facilitate the recruitment of faculty and graduate students seeking common scholarly interest, and provide a unit through which to develop an integrated undergraduate program in neuroscience.

   The board also approved creation of the School of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medicine and Public Health. The new school will house six departments, each of which functions as a tenure-initiating unit: Anatomy and Medical Education; Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics; Physiology and Cell Biology; Neuroscience; Pharmacology; and Medical Biochemistry. Creation of the school is designed to strengthen the teaching, research and service missions of the college and to increase collaborative research with institutes, programs and centers.

Reutter gives report about F.T. Stone Laboratory

   Jeffrey M. Reutter, director of Ohio State University's Lake Erie programs, updated the trustees on participation and enrollment in courses at F.T. Stone Laboratory. Professors and students conduct research year-round at the 104-year-old Gibraltar Island facility.

   Each summer, Ohio State offers 12 to 18 one- and five-week courses at Stone Lab, ranging from aquatic ecology to geology. These courses are geared toward college students, teachers and outstanding high school students. Stone Lab also offers custom- designed field trips, conferences, workshops and educational tours in the spring and fall for students from grade four to adults.

   Annual enrollment in courses has increased 350 percent, from an average of 57 students during the 1980s to 228 students in 1999. In the last nine years, courses at Stone Lab have attracted students from 40 universities and colleges in Ohio, 27 out-of-state universities and 251 high schools. Within a decade, the research facility's efforts to increase women's participation in science quintupled the number of women students, from 27 in 1988 to 137 in 1998.

   Last year, Stone Lab and the Friends of Stone Lab, a volunteer organization of former students, faculty and individuals, set a record for the number of scholarships awarded (43) and the total value of those scholarships ($13,632). Also in 1998, the lab hosted record numbers of workshop, tour and conference participants: 151 groups and 5,246 participants surpassed the previous records by 40 groups and more than 1,200 participants.

   Lake Erie programs include the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, the Great Lakes Aquatic Ecosystem Research Consortium (GLAERC) and the Center for Lake Erie Area Research (CLEAR).

   Reutter also discussed Ohio Sea Grant. Ohio's chapter is one of 29 Sea Grant programs in the National Sea Grant College Program, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA.) Issues tackled by Sea Grant include coastal economic development and habitat enhancement, aquaculture and seafood technology.

   "The Ohio Sea Grant Education Program is considered one of the best in the country," Reutter said. The Ohio program has five extension specialists, each with a volunteer advisory committee that assists with projects. The volunteers' accomplishments include planning and constructing the world's largest freshwater artificial reefs at Lakewood and Lorain; enhancing the charter fishing industry; and developing a 94-acre wetland, which allowed the development of a resort valued at several hundred million dollars.

Contact: Bernadine Healy, Medicine and Public Health, (614) 292-1200
Jeffrey Reutter, Lake Erie programs, (614) 292-8949