Survey will create database in event of power outages

With the summer sun comes the summer heat, which brings on the summer fans and air conditioners as people try to stay cool in the soaring temperatures.

The increase in the demand for electricity to power those air conditioners and fans could create a strain on American Electric Power (AEP) power supplies, which could result in brownouts or rolling blackouts across the Ohio State campus this summer.

To prepare for such an occurrence, the Department of Physical Facilities is creating the Utilities Building Prioritization Database that can be used to identify campus buildings that are un-interuptable, such as the hospitals and various research labs.

"We sent out surveys to all offices, departments and colleges across campus to determine which buildings we could shut off in case of a power shortage," said James E. Stevens, associate vice president for physical facilities. "The information is then used to create our database so we can have quick and easy access to information on which buildings can least be affected if we are faced with a brownout. We want to make sure we are prepared."

Stevens said power shortages could occur when the temperatures stay near, at or above 90 degrees for a couple of days. The electrical power can face a shortage when everyone turns on his or her fans and air conditioners to keep cool.

OSU relies on AEP for 95 percent of its power and generates the other 5 percent from Ohio State's McCracken Power Plant.

Stevens explained that AEP keeps power in reserve in case of increased usage. When that power is not enough, AEP can purchase power from other power companies to supplement its customer use. If that still is not enough, AEP has in the past asked its industrial customers to shut down some of their load.

This occurred last summer after several 90- and higher-degree days in a row. At that time, AEP requested their customers to cut back on power usage to avoid brownouts or rolling blackouts.

Brownouts are when electricity is not constant and blackouts are when neighborhoods take turns losing electricity in four-hour blocks.

Although Stevens is not anticipating any power shortages, brownouts or rolling blackouts, he does concede that "conditions are ripe already."

"AEP believes they are in better shape this year and already has requests out to other power companies (for surplus power), so it may not happen this year," he said.

Stevens said in case of an emergency, the University can detach its power supply from AEP and generate enough power from McCracken for critical campus areas such as University Hospitals for a short period of time. He said the hospital complex would have enough energy to perform its critical issues.

Ohio State uses enough electricity in one hour to run 70,000 homes and the monthly electric bill is more than $1 million, according to David Sweet, who works in communications and marketing for Physical Facilities.

$1 million to support study abroad trips

A $1 million endowment fund supported by The Dispatch Printing Co. will establish the Wolfe Study Abroad Scholarships at Ohio State.

The new scholarship program is expected to increase the number of Ohio State students who study in foreign countries and will primarily benefit students from Central Ohio who have demonstrated excellence in academics and show a strong interest in foreign affairs.

David Williams II, vice president for student and community/urban affairs, said the Wolfe Study Abroad Scholarship program will help Ohio State make progress toward its goal of becoming one of the top 10 public universities in the country.

"It will help us reach the specific goal of sending 1,500 students abroad by the 2003-2004 academic year," Williams said.

In 1997-98, Ohio State sent 845 students abroad.

The scholarship program will begin autumn quarter. Scholarship applications should be made through the Office of Student Affairs.

Updates needed for campus directory

Updating procedures for the Faculty/Staff Directory have been sent to all academic and administrative units. Changes and corrections are due by June 30.

Individual offices should update the departmental listings found in the front section of the directory. Department/school/college name changes must be approved by the Board of Trustees before they will be included in the directory.

Individual listings are generated from data in the University's Human Resources files. Faculty and staff can submit changes to their departmental human resources professional through Sept. 1. An office telephone number must be listed in ARMS for an individual listing to appear in the directory, including emeriti faculty.

All staff with e-mail addresses are responsible for updating their own information with University Technology Services at 688-4357.

Return updated listings to Carol Miller, University Marketing Communications, 1125 Kinnear Road, or by fax at 292-2387. Contact Miller at 292-7243 if your department has not received its information and if your update will be late.

James takes part in breast cancer study

The Arther G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is among 400 centers across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico taking part in one of the largest breast cancer prevention studies ever.

The James is teaming with the Columbus Community Clinical Oncology Program in the study of tamoxifen and raloxifene. Volunteers are now being recruited across the country in a trial that will include 22,000 postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer to determine whether the osteoporosis prevention drug raloxifene is as effective in reducing the chance of developing breast cancer as tamoxifen has proven to be.

"Studies of raloxifene suggest it may have the potential to reduce the risk of breast cancer," said William Farrar, chief of surgical oncology and principal investigator for the trial at the James. "The only way to prove that potential is to conduct a clinical trial in which the risks and benefits of raloxifene are compared with the risks and benefits of tamoxifen."

Tamoxifen was shown to reduce the chance of developing breast cancer by about half in a study of more than 13,000 premenopausal and postmenopausal women at high risk for breast cancer. Results of that trial were announced a year ago.

Information about the safety of raloxifene is limited compared to data available on tamoxifen.

Spirit of Women lunch set for June 16

David Lambert, director of dermatologic surgery at Ohio State, will present a free educational session about skin cancer prevention on June 16 as part of the Spirit of Women Lunch Series at University Hospitals.

The presentation takes place at noon in S125B Rhodes Hall. To reserve a seat, call the OSU Women's Resource Line at 293-7575.