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WELCOME TO OSUToday, the latest news and information for faculty and staff of The Ohio State University for Wednesday, Nov. 19. The deadline for submissions is noon the prior business day.

Headline news

Football helmet shields can protect against a kick in the face

Researchers have determined that the two most popular brands of football helmet faceshields can withstand a hit equivalent to a kick in the face and provide that protection without disrupting players’ vision. Gregory Good, professor of clinical optometry in the College of Optometry, and his team of researchers used an air cannon to hurl baseballs at the plastic faceshields at velocities of nearly 150 miles per hour. The impact was designed to mimic the force of a kick to the face, considered the riskiest way to sustain an eye injury in football. The faceshields’ protective potential bolsters an argument favoring mandatory use of the shields for college-age football players and younger, Good said. Read more >

Ohio State cancer researcher elected to national post

Michael D. Lairmore associate director for basic sciences at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center and a veterinarian in the College of Veterinary Medicine, has been elected vice president/president-elect of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, which has more than 1,500 members in 17 countries. He will help implement the organization’s strategic plan. Lairmore received the Distinguished Scholar Award from Ohio State in 2004, and his clinical research includes veterinary medicine, retrovirology and pathobiology. Read more >

4-H Center gains LEED certification; hosts tour and tailgate Nov. 20

The Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center has officially become the first LEED-certified "green" building on the Ohio State campus. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a third-party certification program conducted by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Read more >

• The university community is invited to tours and a caterer- sponsored tailgate tastings from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursday (11/20) at the 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive. The facility has meeting spaces that can accommodate up to 400 guests and is available for meetings, receptions, conferences or a dinner party under the stars. Read more about 4-H Center services.
  

onCampus shines staff spotlight on McGuffey

Beth Yaple McGuffey, an OSU employee for 20 years, is featured in the Topspot staff profile in the Thursday (11/6) issue of onCampus. McGuffey is a graphic designer with Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience. To nominate a staff member for an upcoming issue, contact oncampus@osu.edu. Read more >

African Studies professor and 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner to speak

Caroline Elkins, Hugo K. Foster Associate Professor of African Studies at Harvard University, will speak from noon-1:30 p.m. Friday (11/21) at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave. Elkins won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in general non-fiction for her book, Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya. She will speak about colonial violence and post-conflict reconciliation in Africa. RSVP to russell.16@osu.edu by Wednesday (11/19). Read more >

Today: Annual Faculty Recognition Program reception

University Libraries, Academic Affairs and the Faculty Club will host the sixth annual Faculty Recognition Program reception from 3:30-5 p.m. today (11/19) at the Faculty Club Grand Lounge to honor all OSU faculty granted tenure or promotion in 2008/09. The reception is open to the university community and guests and includes music and refreshments. Faculty honorees have the opportunity to select a book or a bound journal volume from the University Libraries' collection to be book-plated in their name in recognition of their accomplishments. Contact Marsha Hamilton, 247-7461 or Dana DeRose, 247-8183. Read more >

OSU Newark launches Green Wednesday

OSU Newark students are launching a weekly “Green Wednesday” at 11 a.m. today (11/19) in the John L. and Christine Warner Library & Student Center, to raise awareness of environmental issues by visually reminding people of many environment-affecting decisions made each day. Free green sour apple smoothies and $5 Green Wednesday t-shirts will be available. The event is free and open to the public. The campus community also will receive a weekly Green Report e-mail, containing current campus recycling statistics and relevant information and facts about the environment. Contact: barrington.9@osu.edu

Latest iMix episode airs on Big Ten Network

Ohio State will air another episode of iMix on the Big Ten Network at 5 p.m. Thursday (11/20), 5 a.m. Monday (11/24), and 11 a.m. Wednesday (11/26). This episode will feature Lonnie Thompson and his wife Ellen Mosley-Thompson and the Byrd Polar Research Center; Professor William Mitsch and the Olentangy Wetlands Research Park; and the Scarlet, Gray & Green initiative at Ohio State. iMix is a television magazine program produced by WOSU Public Media. Read more >

OSU CCTS and PHPID request for proposals

Ohio State’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science and the Public Health Preparedness for Infectious Diseases request proposals for pilot funding for the development of new clinical and translational multidisciplinary scientific teams which lead to the generation of pilot-scale public health preparedness and infectious disease data, technologies, and prevention/treatment methods. Apply by Friday (1/9/09). Must have OSU faculty status and be affiliated with, or apply and be accepted for membership to the PHPID. Download the RFP. Contact: lutz.12@osu.edu

Graduate Associate Teaching Award nominations open

The Graduate Associate Teaching Award, sponsored by the Graduate School, is Ohio State’s highest recognition of this exceptional teaching. Winners receive $1,500 and are recognized at the annual Graduate School awards reception. Nominate your best GTA online (select the GA Teaching Award link). The deadline is Monday (12/1). Contact: the Graduate School, 247-7300, or mayer.113@osu.edu

Lose the Blue merchandise sale, clothing donation continue

Visit the Schottenstein Center's Official Team Shop "Lose the Blue" merchandise sale from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. through Thursday (11/20). Donate a blue clothing item and receive a free Buckeye t-shirt while supplies last. Donations will go to Central Ohio Goodwill. Get stocked up on official Ohio State gear with discounts in excess of 75 percent off. There will also be collections of blue items at the student Beat Michigan Pep Rally on Friday (11/21) and at all Buckeye Corner locations, College Traditions and the Barnes and Noble bookstore on North High Street throughout the week. View details and locations.