September 14, 1999

Here are descriptions of the radio stories available on the Ohio State University Info Line, September 17 through September 24, 1999. Stories are changed at noon. All feeds include one wraparound report of approximately 1:00 and at least one other actuality plus background material. If you have questions, want additional information, or need a re-feed of a missed story, call Amy Murray at 614-292-8385.

Friday 9/17 - Monday 9/20 - Now that scientists have created crops with genes for herbicide resistance, there is a new concern about the spread of those traits. Transgenic crops--those that are engineered with special traits like herbicide resistance--can pass their resistance on to nearby weedy relatives via hybridiztion. Allison Snow, a plant biologist at Ohio State University, says the weeds resist the herbicides that were designed to kill them without acquiring any other traits to make them fragile.

Monday 9/20-Wednesday 9/22 - Contrary to popular belief, low self-esteem in teens doesn’t lead to later delinquent behavior. A study by Ohio State University Sociology Professor Sung Joon Jang has found,in fact, that involvement in delinquent behavior actually leads to lower self-esteem.

Wednesday 9/22-Friday 9/24 - Engineers at Ohio State have found a way to convert two common car window components into AM/FM radio antennas. Eric Waldron, a senior research scientist, says it won’t be long until your windshield contains an invisible radio antenna, a film to keep your car cooler, and a defroster. Visible wire antennas now embedded in car windows must often be hidden by black paint around the edges of the windshield. He says the new designs take advantage of materials already present in car windows so the antennas don’t need to be hidden by paint.

Many news outlets are getting our news releases electronically. Would you like to receive your weekly Info Line rundown via e-mail? It’s faster than the postal service and offers less chance for bad addresses, lost or damaged mail. We can e-mail this and other news releases directly to your computer. E-mail Amy at murray-goedde.1@osu.edu or call 614-292-8385 to make arrangements.

www.osu.edu is Ohio State’s Internet address. News releases (including this rundown sheet) from University Communications and many other offices are posted on the website. The site is also a great source for answers to frequently asked questions about OSU.