LAW DEAN RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD--July 30. Gregory H. Williams, dean of Ohio State’s College of Law, has been named the first recipient of the National Bar Association’s A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Award. The award recognizes a member of the National Bar Association who is committed to the ideals and goals of the late Higginbotham, one of the country’s most influential African American judges and a passionate advocate for civil rights. Higginbotham, who died in December 1998, was a retired chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals after serving as a federal judge for 30 years and received the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1995. The National Bar Association is the nation’s oldest and largest national organization of African American attorneys, representing more than 17,000 lawyers, judges, legal scholars and law students.

The association is to present Williams with the award tonight (7/30) during a ceremony capping its annual convention in Philadelphia. Williams, president of the Association of American Law Schools, also is the Carter C. Kissell Professor of Law at Ohio State. He joined the Ohio State College of Law in 1993; previously, he had been a law professor and administrator, including associate vice president for academic affairs, at the University of Iowa since 1977. He is the author of the nationally acclaimed book Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black, an autobiography that details his youth growing up in the housing projects of Muncie, Ind.
CONTACT: Gregory Williams, Law, 292-0574.

BUSINESS JET DESIGN IS AWARD-WINNER--A futuristic hypersonic business jet designed by a team of Ohio State University engineering students has won of one of the top awards in an aviation design competition. A five-member team of students majoring in Aerospace, Applied Mechanics, and Aviation (AAA)won the award for Best Use of Technology Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The Ohio State design is one of five winners in the National General Aviation Design Competition, sponsored by NASA and the FAA. The National General Aviation Design Competition, now in its fifth year, asks teams of students from U.S. engineering schools to participate in a major national effort to rebuild the U.S. general aviation sector. General aviation aircraft are defined as fixed wing, single-engine, single-pilot aircraft for 2-6 passengers. The award carries a $3,000 prize for the department.
CONTACT: Gerald Gregorek, Aerospace, Applied Mechanics, and Aviation, 292-7354.

The person listed as the contact for each item will have the best information about the story. Call on our news services staff for assistance with these or other Ohio State news stories--Amy Murray, 292-8385; Ruth Gerstner, 292-8424; Emily Caldwell, 292-8309; and Karissa Shivley, 292-8295.
*Compiled by Amy Murray, University Communications, (Murray- Goedde.1@osu.edu).