October 2007

What's going on at Ohio State?

President Gee outlines his goals for the university. Classes are an adventure on Ohio State's "island campus." Caregiver stress has devastating effects on the body, researchers find. Ohio State connects rural communities to the Internet. Young women at an Ohio State summer camp learn to create computer animations. Coach Tressel's in-laws donate money to renovate football facilities. Summer gave Ohio State students time for internships, study abroad, and volunteer opportunities. And break out your Buckeye football sweatshirts: It's Homecoming time.

Gee's goals

President E. Gordon Gee isn't wasting any time in getting down to business.

Gee became president last Monday; three days later, he outlined his six goals for the university in a speech to Faculty Council.

“We are ready for the stride from excellent to eminent, the leap from visible to visionary," Gee said.

Watch or read the president's Faculty Council speech. And see him discuss his new role.

Welcome to the island

Most college students don't take a ferry, then a water taxi, to get to campus. At Stone Lab on Lake Erie, it's the only way to get to school.

Each summer, the lab--the oldest freshwater research station in the United States--buzzes with activity, from fly-fishing courses to SCUBA research to studies of endangered water snakes.

See Stone Lab video footage and find out more about the island campus.

The strain of caregiving

Caring for a seriously ill spouse or parent is emotionally and physically draining. It's so stressful, Ohio State researchers have found, that it can take years off a caregiver's life.

The lives of partners and children of Alzheimer's patients may be cut short by as much as eight years, according to a recent study.

Find out more about the study.

Wired Ohio

Times can be tough for Ohio's small rural towns, which often struggle to adapt to a fast-paced, technology-driven world.

The university has a solution: Its Connecting Rural Ohio initiative has put wireless technology in three communities so far. The goal is to give Ohioans access to online education, in an effort to stimulate local economies and increase communities' standards of living.

"As a land-grant university, part of Ohio State's mission is outreach," said Bob Dixon, a research engineer who divides his time between the CIO's office and the Ohio Supercomputer Center. "We have unique skills and abilities to offer these communities, and it's been very rewarding work."

Find out more about the project.

Animators of the future

Six years ago, Ohio State began a highly selective technology mentoring program for junior high school girls who were interested in computer animation.

Now, it's time for the first of those students to go to college--and some of them are choosing majors in animation and design.

Watch "The Worm Hole," an animation created by the students, and learn more about the program.

Tressel's family plays backup

When Coach Tressel watches tape on the flat-screen TV in his new office, he can thank at least some of the donors personally.

Tressel's in-laws--Frank and Norma Watson, the parents of his wife, Ellen--have helped pay for the renovation of the completed Les Wexner Football Complex, which houses training facilities and classrooms as well as coaches' offices.

Find out more about the Watsons.

What they did this summer

From studying Arabic in Yemen to providing free dental care in Mexico, many Ohio State students made the most of the summer.

Read what 10 students wrote about their incredible summer experiences--and see their photos.

It's Homecoming time

The weather is cool and the Buckeyes are hot. In other words, it's time for Homecoming (Oct. 20, against Michigan State).

The Alumni Association sponsors several events, including a lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu, a human rights activist whose parents and brother were tortured and killed by Guatemalan forces.

See details for all Homecoming events, including the parade and pep rally.

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