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Earth Week at Ohio State

April 19, 2012

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What started out as a one-day event has turned into a week-long celebration (Earth Week usually runs from April 16 to Earth Day, April 22) of this planet we all share. Ohio State’s Earth Week offerings have so far included a Food & Fashion Spring Summit, Green Lunch Series events, volunteer workdays at service sites around Columbus and a Sustainability Summit. Below is a list of events still to come:

Community Recycled Art Project on the Oval
The OSU Urban Arts Space invites you to participate in creating a sculpture on the Oval using recycled materials. Throughout the day students walking across the Oval will be able to engage in an art-making process that reflects unnecessary waste and conservation efforts. Visit uas.osu.edu for more information.
April 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., on the Oval.

Green Lunch Series: Does the Earth Have a Prayer?
What role does religion play in sustainability?

For a long time, American environmentalists commonly held that Western religions were a significant “source” of environmental problems, but that perception is changing after decades of significant environmental engagement, thought and leadership by a diverse range of faith communities. What does this movement look like, and how does this change the prospects for sustainability?
April 19, 12-1 p.m., Ohio Staters Inc. Founders Room (Ohio Union).

Think Before You Throw
Created in 2011 by Ohio Staters Inc., this unique interactive event engages students, staff and faculty on how to properly recycle on campus. Once again you have an opportunity to brave our university’s waste by sorting through trash and recycling in order to understand how to make OSU a greener community one throw at a time. Limited free Earth Day T-shirts are available to participants.
April 19, 3-6 p.m., Ohio Union West Plaza.

Green Buckeye Office Certification Information Session
Learn how to become “Green Buckeye Certified” and make your office, area or department a leader in sustainable practices on campus. Energy Services and Sustainability is hosting this information session for offices, groups of staff members, areas and individuals who want to become certified. For more information visit: go.osu.edu/april19.
April 19, 3:30 p.m., 270 Central Services Building.

Green Lunch Series: Wetlands Tour
Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park is a world-renowned, large-scale wetland research facility on Ohio State’s campus that studies how wetlands function and if and how we can create and restore wetlands. It also is a nature park for a wide variety of plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. Bring your lunch and join us for this exploration of this unique space. RSVP to Bill Mitsch, mitsch.1@osu.edu.
April 20, 12-1:30 p.m., 352 Dodridge St.

OSU Urban Arts Space Rooftop Garden Tour
Take a tour of the OSU Urban Arts Space, where you will get the first look at the OSU Masters of Fine Arts exhibition, learn about the many green aspects of the gallery and visit the beautiful Lazarus rooftop gardens. RSVP to uas@osu.edu.
Meet April 20, 12-1 p.m., at the Historic Lazarus Building (50 W. Town St., Suite 130).

It’s Easy Being Green Fair & Swap
This interactive event will showcase student organizations, as well as Columbus businesses and organizations that educate others about environmental topics. Each booth will cover various aspects of sustainability, from composting, ways to repurpose items and urban gardening, to water conservation and recycling. A new component of this event this year is the “gear swap.” Students will bring their unwanted items, from clothing to sports gear, and will be able to swap these items for something else they like that has been donated from another student. This promotes the reuse of items and minimizes waste that goes to the landfill. It also is a fun way for students to interact with each other and feel a sense of caring for the environment. Contact: boyland.34@osu.edu.
April 20, 12-3 p.m., at the Ohio Union West Patio.

Environmental Film Screening: Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time
The first full-length documentary film ever made about legendary environmentalist Aldo Leopold, Green Fire highlights Leopold’s extraordinary career, tracing how he shaped and influenced the modern environmental movement. Leopold remains relevant today, inspiring projects all over the country that connect people and land. Contact: Trish Raridan Preston, raridan-preston.1@osu.edu, senr.osu.edu.
April 20, 6 p.m., Maudine Cow Room, Ohio Union lower level.

Earth Day Celebration & Group Bike Rides
Walk, bike or ride the COTA buses to commemorate Earth Day downtown. Celebrate what the local environment has to offer with live music, a green art show, food trucks, informational booths and much more presented by Green Columbus. Group bike rides, sponsored by Bike OSU, are leaving from the Ohio Union to the celebration at various times.
April 21, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Columbus Commons (160 S. High Street).


Practice makes perfect

April 19, 2012

practicedayUrban Meyer wanted a way to bring his team and the Ohio State students, faculty and staff closer together, and he more than got his wish. More than 3,100 fans from the Ohio State community accepted Meyer’s invitation to attend the April 14 practice at Ohio Stadium, and spirits remained high even when inclement weather forced the event inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. At one point, Meyer invited all the fans to come onto the field during field goal drills (see above picture). As the field goal distances got shorter, the crowd drew closer. Meyer motioned for the fans to circle the team in a Block O-like formation as kicker Drew Basil took six attempts: He made four, missed one wide right and had another blocked by Johnathan Hankins. Having a chance to watch the Buckeyes practice, and then to be able to spend 30 minutes after practice mingling with them and having a huge group photo taken, was the highlight of the day. “We feel so much closer to the players now,” senior Strategic Communications major Raquel Aquado said. “It just seems that now the players are much more approachable.” Quarterback Braxton Miller said the students were into the action. “I loved it,” Miller said after practice. “And the students loved it. They were involved. Every time you looked at the crowd their eyes were just focused on the play. And then every time coach asked them to do something, like move up, they did it. It was a lot of fun.” In spite of the weather, tours at Ohio Stadium, a part of the originally scheduled day, went on and approximately 2,000 individuals took part in seeing the stadium, locker room and press box areas.


Newsbriefs, 4/19/12

April 19, 2012

President Gee asks for help in improving higher education

Ohio State President Gordon Gee has asked students, parents, alumni, community members and local business leaders to give him input via social media on how to improve higher education. Gee chairs the Commission on Higher Education Attainment, and he wrote in a recent post that the commission is searching for ideas on college cost and access.

“Tell me your ideas. Share them on social media. If you use Twitter, tweet them with the hashtag #HigherEdFuture,” Gee wrote. “I am eager to hear what you have to say, and I look forward to a diverse, vibrant discussion in which every idea — big or small — is on the table.”

To read Gee’s entire entry, visit go.osu.edu/J2K.

National Conference on Diversity, Race & Learning begins May 1

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosts its 18th National Conference on Diversity, Race & Learning with Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, keynoting May 1 at the Fawcett Center.

The William H. Watson Jr. Memorial Award also will be presented. Watson was associate dean of University College and professor of Agricultural Education prior to his untimely passing in 1975. Among previous awardees are former OSU presidents Edward Jennings, William “Brit” Kirwan and Karen Holbrook; the late OSU Vice President William “Bill” Hall and Columbus attorneys Ben Espy and Alex Shumate.

For conference registration, visit odi.osu.edu/ncdrl or call 292-1417 or 292-8156 for more information.

Sign up to receive OSU weather alerts

Ohio State’s Emergency Management office has announced a new service available to the campus community. Students, faculty and staff can now sign up to receive a text message and phone call on their cell phone when severe weather is threatening our campus. To learn more or register for this free service, visit go.osu.edu/weatheralert. For more information, contact emergencymanagement@dps.ohio-state.edu.

UCAT accepting applications for GTA funding opportunities

UCAT has funding opportunities for enhancing or supporting the teaching of GTAs. Seed grants of $10,000 are available to enhance GTA programs within departments, schools, colleges or consortia of units. Nominations are open for University Departmental Awards for Exemplary GTA programs (awarded to two departments for $2,500 each) as well as the Graduate Teaching Fellows program. The deadline is May 7. UCAT also offers $500 grants on an ongoing basis to reimburse professional development expenses for GTA coordinators. Read more at ucat.osu.edu/GTAprograms.

International Affairs reopens graduate study abroad scholarship

The Office of International Affairs is reopening the Phyllis Krumm scholarship, awarded to graduate students for research or study in a European country or China. Applicants must be enrolled as a graduate student at Ohio State in an academic program of study in any field. The scholarship is awarded for independent travel only, and preference is given to US citizens pursuing a career in diplomatic or other governmental international service. The deadline is April 23.

For more information, contact grants@oia.osu.edu.

The James to offer free skin cancer screenings

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is offering free screenings for skin cancer from 1-4:30 p.m. May 7 at the Martha Morehouse Medical Plaza, 2050 Kenny Road, fourth floor clinic in the Tower Building.

To register for an appointment, call The James Line at 293-5066 or (800) 293-5066. Appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Free parking is available in the attached surface lots.

People who have any of the following symptoms should schedule a screening appointment: Moles that are changing in color, size or shape; new skin growths; skin lesions that are painful, itchy or bleeding; or skin sores that will not heal.

Astronomy graduate student receives P.E.O. Scholar Award

Courtney Epstein, a PhD candidate in astronomy, has received the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Scholar award. The P.E.O. is a sisterhood of “women helping women reach for the stars,” literally in this case.

Epstein studies the chemical evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy using a new technique, called asteroseismology, to measure more precise ages of stars. Epstein’s graduate advisor is Astronomy Associate Professor Jennifer Johnson.

Epstein intends to share her good fortune with other Ohio State students and the community by creating and presenting a new planetarium show next fall. Additionally, she plans to use this award for travel to conferences around the globe to present her research.

Five OSU professors named to Top 300 list

Five Ohio State professors were named in a new book listing the top undergraduate professors in the country. Published April 3, The Best 300 Professors profiles outstanding professors at 122 colleges.

The five Ohio State professors named to the list are: Paul Clingan, lecturer, Engineering Education Innovation Center; Lisa Cravens-Brown, senior lecturer, Department of Psychology; Joe Irvine, instructor, Business Law; Elizabeth Renker, English; and Douglass Schumacher, Physics.

Category: Newsbriefs

Sustainable success

April 19, 2012

Kennedy Commons becomes OSU’s fourth LEED Silver building


By Adam King

Kennedy Commons this year became the fourth Ohio State building to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver status, following the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, the Ohio Union and the Student Academic Services Building.

Senior Project Manager Kristin Poldemann and her team couldn’t have been happier when the news came down. But there was a bit of temptation to become the first LEED Gold building on campus. Kennedy Commons was so close in the point system to Gold that the team looked at what it might take to reach the next level.

Continue reading ‘Sustainable success’

Category: onCampus

‘Playing football was my passion, but fighting cancer is my purpose’

April 19, 2012

ESPN analyst and former NFL star Chris Spielman shares heart-wrenching story of his wife’s battle with breast cancer and enduring legacy of hope


spielmanChris Spielman was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker, Ohio State football legend and perhaps the only high school student to appear on a Wheaties box.

But he didn’t tackle his toughest opponent until his playing career was almost over, when his wife, Stefanie, was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer.

Together, Chris and Stefanie tackled the ensuing 11-year fight against her cancer. Their touching love story is chronicled in his new biography, That’s Why I’m Here: The Chris and Stefanie Spielman Story (Zondervan, April 2012).

The shocking diagnosis for these parents of two young children came just as Chris was undergoing neck surgery after years of pushing himself to the brink physically on the football field. Coming to grips both with the end of his professional sports career and the crushing weight of his wife’s cancer diagnosis, he poured every ounce of his energy into leading his wife and family through this grueling battle with cancer.

The book chronicles that journey, one that brought both joy and suffering to the Spielmans as well as hope and inspiration to thousands of others.

“For my entire NFL career, and for all the years before it when I devoted everything to reaching my goal of playing professional football, I never once imagined that what would come afterward could be so much more meaningful than any game,” he said.

For more than a decade Stefanie and Chris worked together trying to beat her cancer, all while sharing their struggles and successes with the public to help raise awareness and research funding for the disease.

During that time, Stefanie underwent chemotherapy and radiation, participated in several clinical trials and founded The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research and The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Patient Assistance at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

“I could have taken my wife anywhere in the country to receive the best care, but I chose to have her treated at The James,” Chris said. “It became our mission to make her diagnosis public in hopes of helping others. We knew enough about cancer to realize the importance of early detection.”

Tragically, Stefanie lost her fight with cancer in November 2009. Since then, Chris has dedicated his life to raising their four children and to defeating cancer by acting as a spokesman and fundraiser for The Spielman Funds, where they have raised more than $9.1 million in support of the mission of the OSUCCC – James to create a cancer-free world.

“Despite the outcome of Stef’s battle, I consider myself very fortunate,” said Chris. “I found my soul mate and I believe her death will have an impact for eternity.”


What are 10,000 pictures worth?

April 4, 2012

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A lot of Buckeye pride worth commemorating


By Adam King

They do it at weddings and at funerals, by the ocean and up on mountaintops, in dangerous war zones and delightful locales throughout the world. People with an affinity for Ohio State get their family, friends, athletic rivals and complete strangers to join them in spelling out O-H-I-O in a photo, showing their pride for a university that is part of who they are no matter where they are.

Continue reading ‘What are 10,000 pictures worth?’

Category: onCampus

OSU lab snaps first pics of atoms moving in a molecule

April 4, 2012

By Pam Frost Gorder, Research Communications

Using a new ultrafast camera, researchers have recorded the first real-time image of two atoms vibrating in a molecule.

Key to the experiment, which appears in this week’s issue of the journal Nature, is the researchers’ use of the energy of a molecule’s own electron as a kind of “flash bulb” to illuminate the molecular motion.

The team used ultrafast laser pulses to knock one electron out of its natural orbit in a molecule. The electron then fell back toward the molecule scattered off of it, analogous to the way a flash of light scatters around an object, or a water ripple scatters in a pond.

From left, Cosmin Blaga, Louis DiMauro and Anthony DiChiara developed a way to use an electron’s energy as a “flash bulb” and capture an image of its movement (inset).

From left, Cosmin Blaga, Louis DiMauro and Anthony DiChiara developed a way to use an electron’s energy as a “flash bulb” and capture an image of its movement (inset).

Principal investigator Louis DiMauro of Ohio State said that the feat marks a first step toward not only observing chemical reactions but also controlling them on an atomic scale.

“Through these experiments, we realized that we can control the quantum trajectory of the electron when it comes back to the molecule, by adjusting the laser that launches it,” said DiMauro, who is a professor of Physics at Ohio State. “The next step will be to see if we can steer the electron in just the right way to actually control a chemical reaction.”

A standard technique for imaging a still object involves shooting the object with an electron beam — bombarding it with millions of electrons per second. The researchers’ new single-electron quantum approach allowed them to image rapid molecular motion, based on theoretical developments by the paper’s coauthors at Kansas State University.

A technique called laser induced electron diffraction (LIED) is commonly used in surface science to study solid materials. Here, the researchers used it to study the movement of atoms in a single molecule.

The molecules they chose to study were simple ones: nitrogen, or N2; and oxygen, or O2. N2 and O2 are common atmospheric gases, and scientists already know every detail of their structure, so these two made a good test case for the LIED method.

In each case, the researchers hit the molecule with laser light pulses of 50 femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second. They were able to knock a single electron out of the outer shell of the molecule and detect the scattered signal of the electron as it re-collided with the molecule.

DiMauro and Ohio State postdoctoral researcher Cosmin Blaga likened the scattered electron signal to the diffraction pattern that light forms when it passes through slits. Given only the diffraction pattern, scientists can reconstruct the size and shape of the slits. In this case, given the diffraction pattern of the electron, the physicists reconstructed the size and shape of the molecule — that is, the locations of the constituent atoms’ nuclei.

The key, explained Blaga, is that during the brief span of time between when the electron is knocked out of the molecule and when it re-collides, the atoms in the molecules have moved. The LIED method can capture this movement, “similar to making a movie of the quantum world,” he said.

Beyond its potential for controlling chemical reactions, the technique offers a new tool to study the structure and dynamics of matter, he said. “Ultimately, we want to really understand how chemical reactions take place. So, long-term, there would be applications in materials science and chemical manufacturing.”

“You could use this to study individual atoms,” DiMauro said, “but the greater impact to science will come when we can study reactions between more complex molecules. Looking at two atoms — that’s a long way from studying a more interesting molecule like a protein.”

Coauthors on the paper included Anthony DiChiara, Emily Sistrunk, Kaikai Zhang, Pierre Agostini and Terry Miller of Ohio State; and C.D. Lin of Kansas State. Coauthor Junliang Xu pursued the theoretical side of this research to earn his doctorate at Kansas State and will soon join DiMauro’s lab as a postdoctoral researcher.

Funding came from the US Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences Program.


President talks energy to friendly crowd at RPAC

April 4, 2012

By Jeff McCallister

The cavernous Davis Special Events Gym at RPAC could hardly be described as an intimate setting for a gathering.

But when the White House announced that President Barack Obama was coming for a March 22 visit, it suddenly became quite the hot ticket.

President Barack Obama speaks to an enthusiastic crowd March 22 at RPAC’s Davis Special Events Gym. Earlier in the day, he visited the Center for Automotive Research, where students updated him on research projects such as the EcoCar (right) and the Buckeye Bullet.

President Barack Obama speaks to an enthusiastic crowd March 22 at RPAC’s Davis Special Events Gym. Earlier in the day, he visited the Center for Automotive Research, where students updated him on research projects such as the EcoCar (below left) and the Buckeye Bullet.

obama2Lines snaked around the Ohio Union well in advance of the announced giveaway times the day before the visit, then the line to get into RPAC for the event formed four hours before the scheduled start and extended all the way between the library and the Wilce Student Health Center, past the statue of William Oxley Thompson and all the way to the Faculty Club.

About 2,600 attended the event, which was billed as a speech about American energy policy, and the president spent much of his speech telling them about his “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that includes not only increased drilling for oil and natural gas but also increased reliance on biofuels, wind, solar and advanced battery power.

“And you all know what I’m talking about here, because this school is a national leader in developing new sources of energy and advanced vehicles that use a lot less energy,” he said, drawing cheers from the crowd.

The visit also had some of the trappings of a campaign stop, with some not-so-subtle digs at Republicans and others he compared to the “Flat-Earth Society” for their seeming opposition to his all-inclusive energy focus — and the crowd seemed to be mostly pro-Obama.

The president began his visit with a stop at the Center for Automotive Research on Kinnear Road, where he met students working on alternative energy.

He was given a basketball signed by the Buckeyes and earned some cheers for his O-H-I-O gesture. But seeing the Buckeye Bullet — a battery-powered electric racecar created by students — was the highlight of Obama’s visit to Ohio State.

“The best part of the tour was seeing the Buckeye Bullet, which has gone over 300 miles per hour and is now shooting for 400 miles an hour,” Obama said. “It’s the fastest electric car in the world, and it’s a testament to the ingenuity here at Ohio State and what is essential to American leadership when it comes to energy: Our brainpower.

“We’ve got to look at renewable energy as the key to our future … and we’ll do it by harnessing the same type of American ingenuity and imagination that’s on display here at Ohio State.”

At CAR, undergraduate and grad student researchers showed projects to the president.

“It was an honor to explain our project to the president and show how we are trying to advance alternative energy transportation,” said Evan Maley, an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering and one of the Buckeye Bullet team leaders.

In addition to the Buckeye Bullet team, Obama met students and faculty working on the EcoCAR, a fuel-efficient student project that placed No. 2 in an international competition last year.

He also learned about biofuel development, clean coal technology and solar research.

Category: onCampus

Offices on the move

April 4, 2012

UAFYE move consolidates all student services in one place; Hale Center, Diversity, Outreach get a new home in a stately old building


By Jeff McCallister

The Student Academic Services building opened just over two years ago as a “one-stop shop” for all of students’ registration needs.

It houses the offices of Admissions, the University Registrar, Financial Aid, the University Bursar, and the Consolidated Student Service Center.

The move of the Undergraduate Admissions and First-Year Experience offices to the three-year-old SAS building (above) will open Enarson Hall (right) to become the new home of the Hale Black Cultural Center, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Outreach and Engagement.

The move of the Undergraduate Admissions and First-Year Experience offices to the three-year-old SAS building (above) will open Enarson Hall (below) to become the new home of the Hale Black Cultural Center, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Outreach and Engagement.

In the final move to consolidate that type of service, Executive Vice President and Provost Joe Alutto announced March 27 that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience, currently housed in Enarson Hall, will move to the SAS building by May 2013 — opening Enarson, the original home of the student union, to become the new home of the Frank Hale Black Cultural Center.

Hale Hall, originally built as a commissary and dining hall, will be demolished to make room for new student housing — as called for in the One University Framework.

enarsonIn addition, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Outreach and Engagement, both under the leadership of Valerie Lee, will move their operations into Enarson Hall.  Diversity and Inclusion currently has staff spread throughout campus.

Campus Tours, which currently operates out of Enarson, will move to the Ohio Union.

“These moves will build on our goal of the ultimate one-stop shop for our students and will be paid for through the significant cost-savings that will be achieved by these consolidations,” Alutto wrote in a memo to faculty, staff and students. “These program adjacencies (in the SAS building) will enable the university to provide greater service to our students.”

Staff cuts are not expected as part of any of the moves.

Alutto said there is one part of the move that he found at least a bit regrettable.

“We all regret that Dr. Frank Hale was unable to see his dream come true of moving Hale Hall to more expansive and aesthetically pleasing quarters,” Alutto wrote.

Hale, the former vice provost and professor, was a fierce advocate for diversity and civil rights.

“Obviously, Enarson Hall is one of the most premier locations on central campus. The opportunity for the Hale Center to move into the historic home of the university’s first student union will certainly benefit the more than 100,000 students and visitors who come to the Hale Center each year,” Alutto wrote.

The Hale Center, considered one of the finest Black Cultural Centers in the country, serves many academic units and the larger Columbus community as classroom space and a programmatic site for dialogue on race, politics, economics, art and culture.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which oversees the Hale Center, also is home to the Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male, the Americans with Disabilities Act program and the Young Scholars Program.

Ohio State’s second global Gateway opens in India

April 4, 2012

By Adam King

Ohio State President Gordon Gee traveled to Mumbai last month to officially open the university’s India Gateway, which officials say will improve recruitment, student experience and alumni and corporate relations in the world’s second-most populous country.

Ohio State President Gordon Gee traveled to Mumbai last month to officially open the university’s India Gateway, which officials say will improve recruitment, student experience and alumni and corporate relations in the world’s second-most populous country.

Nothing beats talking face to face. It shows a higher level of engagement and commitment than merely communicating electronically, especially when the people you want to converse with are a 15-hour flight away.

So that’s exactly why Ohio State in March opened up its latest international Gateway in India — to bring more meaning to what it hopes will be a successful relationship on many levels.

“Establishing face-to-face interactions is critical to producing productive collaborations,” said William Brustein, OSU’s vice provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs. “Physical presence displays a seriousness of commitment to your international partners. The presence of a Gateway office with a director conversant with Indian culture and the strengths and interests of Ohio State should help us enormously to enhance our academic, alumni engagement and corporate partnership interests in India.”

India Gateway Director Ratnesh Bhattacharya, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree from Ohio State, likes to think the Gateway is capable of grandiose possibilities.

“If Bill Gates didn’t meet Steve Balmer, would there be a Microsoft?” said Bhattacharya. “Maybe there’s a Bill Gates in Ohio and maybe there’s a Steve Balmer in India, and maybe they just haven’t had the chance to meet yet. What if our entrepreneurial students were able to meet other entrepreneurial students in India? I believe that sort of interaction would create new innovations that would have a huge effect on Ohio and India.”

The India Gateway, similar to the one Ohio State opened in China, builds upon already-established connections.

In terms of recruitment, Ohio State has more than 660 Indian students on the Columbus campus, and the Gateway in Mumbai gives Bhattacharya a platform to talk with potential students about his own experience at OSU. Compared to China, which has more than 2,800 students enrolled at OSU, Brustein said some extra effort in recruitment might be required to make Ohio State an attractive higher-education option to Indian students, which makes Bhattacharya the perfect advisor.

“As a student who got to be here for both undergrad and law school, I got to see firsthand all the great opportunities we have inside our school, the great resources we have,” Bhattacharya said. “To be a part of the effort to connect those resources to our stakeholders in India is exciting.”

Of course, the India Gateway will work both ways, opening up internship and study abroad opportunities for OSU students and teaching and learning collaborations for OSU faculty while providing stronger connections to OSU alumni in India. The Gateway also aims to assist Ohio-connected companies operating in India with career services, workforce development and consulting.

And through the Gateway, Ohio State is positioned to use its research prowess to help solve the most critical challenges facing India and the world — one of OSU’s key strategic goals as outlined by the President’s and Provost’s Council on Strategic Internationalization.

“For instance, Ohio State’s College of Medicine is in discussions with the All India Institute of Medical Science and the Tata Trust to develop solutions to specific health-related afflictions confronting millions of Indian citizens,” Brustein said. “The India Gateway office has played and will continue to perform an important role in coordinating and facilitating this initiative.”

The Gateways are expected to enhance the already solid reputation Ohio State has internationally thanks to its research, teaching and alumni. In Asia, especially, Brustein said, institutions that hold ‘status’ or brand-name recognition are significant players in the region.

“Improving Ohio State’s standing in the highly circulated league tables such as the Shangai Jiao-Tong world rankings and the US News & World Report rankings of colleges and universities will certainly help our reputation worldwide as will our continued success at attracting the best and brightest students and scholars to Ohio State.”

OSU will open its third Gateway in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2014.

OSU’s key India research partnerships

• Ohio State has been collaborating with universities and corporations in India since 1958, focusing on advancements in educational training and agricultural research with partners such as the Punjab Agricultural University.

• Researchers from Ohio State and Pondicherry University have teamed up to study the evolutionary effects of gene flow between crops and their wild relatives, supporting further research in the areas of food production, safety and supply.

• Students from Ohio State’s University Agricultural Technical Institute and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, India, are collaborating to study the challenges of marketing products internationally.

• Ohio State’s internationally recognized Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is working with partners in India on the development of a joint executive education program in automotive noise and vibration control.

Category: onCampus
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