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WELCOME TO OSUToday, the latest news and information for faculty and staff of The Ohio State University for Wednesday, May 23. The deadline for submissions is noon the prior business day.

Headline news

GRANT HELPS RESEARCHERS FIND CAUSES OF DRY EYE DISEASE

The National Institutes of Health have awarded an Ohio State optometrist nearly $1.7 million to study dry eye disease, a disorder that affects more than 12 million Americans. Kelly Nichols, the grant's lead investigator and an associate professor of optometry, received the award from the National Eye Institute, a division of NIH. The name of the project is Dry Eye in Postmenopause. For the next five years, Nichols and her team will study 500 women, age 50 and older, in one of the largest efforts ever to uncover the causes of dry eye disease. The disease is more common in women, particularly women who have reached menopause. Read More >

NWAUBANI TO DISCUSS GOLD COAST PROTESTS TODAY

Chidiebere Nwaubani, director of African and African-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, will deliver “The Gold Coast Protests of February 1948: A Turning Point in African History,” from 1-2:30 p.m. today (5/23) in 347 University Hall. The event is sponsored by the College of Humanities and the Department of African American and African Studies and is open to the university community. Contact: 292-3700 or boykin.1@osu.edu

OSU STUDENTS UNVEIL ALTERNATIVE, SUSTAINABLE VEHICLE TODAY

Students at OSU’s Center for Automotive Research are improving automotive options for consumers through their work in Challenge X, a national competition to design a marketable alternative energy vehicle. Students will unveil their Challenge X vehicle and host a “ride and drive” event from 3-5 p.m. today (5/23) at CAR, 930 Kinnear Road. Ohio State is one of 17 North American universities to compete in Challenge X, a series that challenges engineering students to decrease total cycle emissions and energy consumption, while maintaining or exceeding vehicle utility and performance. Contact: Azher Salikuddin, (513) 265-4088. Read More >

UNIVERSITY MEMORIAL SERVICE SET FOR TODAY

A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. today (5/23) in Browning Amphitheatre to remember the OSU students who died during the current school year. The annual nondenominational service is co-sponsored by the University Interfaith Association and the Student Advocacy Center. All members of the Ohio State community, as well as family and friends of the deceased, are welcome. The rain site is the Faculty Club. Contact: kyle.41@osu.edu

TRIGO TO PRESENT HUMANITIES INAUGURAL LECTURE MAY 24

Abril Trigo, OSU Distinguished Humanities Professor of Latin American Cultures, will deliver “A Critique of the Political and Libidinal Economy of Contemporary Culture” at 4:30 p.m. Thursday (5/24) at the Faculty Club. The lecture is part of the College of Humanities Inaugural Lecture Series that honors Humanities faculty who have obtained the rank of full professor, and provides the opportunity to present their work and research interests to fellow college faculty and other university guests. The event is free and open to the public. Read More >

ENGINEERING HONORS STUDENTS HOLD ROBOT COMPETITION

First-year engineering students will enter robots they designed and built in a competition to simulate a space mission where robots work with humans to take care of tasks on an International Space Station, from 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday (5/24) in St. John Arena. Students will set their robots in motion around a specially built, 12-foot by 12-foot course and must complete the tasks within two minutes. Contact: lamp.36@osu.edu or demel.1@osu.edu
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WETLANDS RESEARCH AREA HOSTS READALOUD PROGRAM MAY 24

The Libraries’ ReadAloud program is participating in Listening to The Land…A Year Long Reading of Aldo Leopold’s A Sand Country Almanac. Join in on a reading of the essays “Odyssey” and “Clandeboye’ by Rick Perkins of the National Park Service and Christina Wieg from the Ohio EPA, from 3-4 p.m. Thursday (5/24) at the Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetlands Research Park. Enjoy a guided or a self guided tour of the Wetlands after the reading and explore the 25 acres of created and restored wetlands with its abundant wildlife and birds. Free parking. Read More >

GAUSE TO SPEAK ON OIL, DEMOCRACY IN PERSIAN GULF STATES

Gregory Gause, associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont, will deliver “Oil and Democratic Prospects in the Persian Gulf States” at noon Thursday (5/24) at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. Gause is author of “Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States” and director of University of Vermont’s Middle East Studies Program. The event is free, but an RSVP is required. Read More >

OSU CHILD CARE OFFERS SUMMER SCHOOL AGE PROGRAMS

School age children can enjoy the support of consistent, experienced elementary school teaching staff over the summer in the OSU Summer School Age Programs. KIKS is designed for children entering first grade; Club Create is designed for children entering second grade through age 11. Creative experiences, outdoor and indoor play, field trips and in-house programs, fun reading, writing, and math experiences are part of the summer curriculum at KIKS and Club Create. Enrollments are available beginning Monday (6/11) and run through Thursday (8/23). Contact: dodson.1@osu.edu or 292-4453

JENSEN TO EXAMINE POLITICS OF MULTINATIONAL FIRMS

Nathan Jensen, assistant professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis, will discuss “Firm Responses to Politics” at 3:30 p.m. Friday (5/25) at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave. Drawing on a confidential data set covering all U.S. foreign direct investments abroad, Jensen finds that U.S. multinationals restrict the size of their operations in authoritarian regimes relative to democratic regimes. The event is free, but an RSVP is required. Read More >

ACCESS THE AGING NETWORK WORKSHOP SET FOR JUNE 15

As a part of the Quest for the Best initiative, Human Resources is presenting “Accessing the Aging Network” from noon-1 p.m. Friday (6/15) in 425 Gateway building. Sue Howson, Central Ohio Agency on Aging will present an overview of the resources available to older adults and their family members. This will include basic eligibility and services information about the PASSPORT program, Franklin County Senior Options, the Assisted Living program and other resources in the area. The program is free and open to all. Register online (select Customized Events). Contact: shockley.21@osu.edu