Ohio State to offer Mini-Med School educational series

Mini-Med School, the popular educational series offered by the Ohio State Medical Center geared for the general public, will be held on several dates during February and March.

The series is free and open to anyone who wants more in-depth knowledge about medicine and health topics such as genetics, hypertension, heart disease, infectious diseases, asthma, diabetes and cancer.

The two-hour sessions are led by the same physicians responsible for medical education at Ohio State. Along with each week's presentation, free health screenings, health risk assessments and other informational opportunities are available.

Each class will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium at East High School, 1500 E. Broad St. To register, call 293-5123.

Topics of the sessions are:

• Feb. 2: "Genetics 101" will be taught by Paula Gregory, director of human cancer genetics.

• Feb. 9: "Hypertension and Heart Disease" will be taught by David Frid, medical director for OSU Centers of Wellness and Prevention. Frid will discuss how the heart works and how it is affected by high blood pressure and other disorders.

• Feb. 16: "Infectious Diseases" will be taught by Michael Para, a nationally recognized expert, discussing such topics as HIV, AIDS, and other infectious diseases and their treatment.

• Feb. 23: "Asthma," a debilitating lung disorder, will be instructed by Philip Diaz, a professor of internal medicine. Diaz will discuss the causes of asthma, its treatment and current research.

• March 1: "Diabetes," a disease that affects millions of Americans, will be covered by Samuel Cataland, nationally recognized as an expert in the field. He will discuss the causes of the disease and long-term controls.

• March 8: "Cancer," discussed by Robert Rupert and Ahmed Ghany, will highlight the latest treatment options and their rates of success.

onCampus makes staff changes

Emily Caldwell, a public relations coordinator at Ohio State for 2 1/2 years, has been named editor of onCampus.

Bill Estep, who has served as editor since August 1998 and in the combined position of editor and advertising manager since March, has taken over as advertising manager full time. He will continue to contribute to the writing, copy editing and production of onCampus.

Caldwell joined News Services in the Office of University Communications in July 1997, writing and serving as principal copy editor of news releases, helping coordinate news conferences, responding to media requests and overseeing the office's coverage of the Board of Trustees. She reported from 1989 to 1992 for the Journal Tribune in southern Maine, and was an assistant editor/writer for faculty-staff and alumni publications at Ohio University for 3 1/2 years before coming to Ohio State. She earned her master's and bachelor's degrees in journalism from Ohio University.

The onCampus staff also includes Managing Editor Randy Gammage and Reporter Susan Wittstock.

Reception to discuss Lake Erie, Stone Lab

The second annual Ohio Sea Grant/Friends of Stone Laboratory Winter Lecture will be held from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Agricultural Administration Building auditorium (room 43). The lecture focuses on Lake Erie issues and Ohio Sea Grant research projects.

The featured speaker will be Scudder Mackey, supervisor of the Lake Erie Geology Group, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, presenting "Lake Erie Water Levels: Diversions, Controls and Impacts." Other presentations include Richard Sayre, chair of plant biology, discussing current research on contaminant clean-up using bioengineered algae, and Jeffrey Reutter, Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab director, discussing the history and future of Stone Lab.

RSVP by calling 292-8949, or e-mail cordi.2@osu.edu by Feb. 16.

Distinguished Staff nominations sought

Nominations will be accepted through March 1 for the Distinguished Staff Awards to be presented to 12 staff members for their exceptional accomplishments, leadership and service to Ohio State. Award recipients will be honored at a luncheon in June, and each will receive a $1,500 cash award and a trophy.

All part-time and full-time staff with a minimum of three years of continuous service at Ohio State in a regular nonfaculty position are eligible.

Award recipients will be selected for the following kinds of contributions: significantly improving or enhancing the quality of worklife in ways that make a substantial difference for their colleagues; contributing to outstanding and sustained improvements in customer services to faculty, staff or students; and developing creative solutions to problems that result in significantly more effective, efficient University operations.

For more information, contact Ned Cullom, Office of Human Resources, 292-4341.

Symposium focuses on ophthalmology

The 43rd annual Postgraduate Symposium in Ophthalmology, titled "Blood, Sweat and Tears: Orbital Disease and Oculoplastics in the New Millennium," will be held March 10-11 at the Hyatt on Capitol Square. The course director is Steven E. Katz, assistant professor of ophthalmology.

For further details, call Dee Strawser at 293-8117. Call the Center for Continuing Medical Education, 293-3576, by March 1 to register.

Children's literature conference set

Children's Literature 2000, a conference devoted to children's books and their role in education, will take place Feb. 10-12 at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. The annual event, which brings authors, illustrators, editors and educators together, is sponsored by the School of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education.

Keynote speaker for this year's conference is internationally acclaimed author Katherine Paterson, whose novels for children include Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins and Jip, His Story. She has twice won the American Library Association's John Newbery Medal and the National Book Award for children's fiction, and is a recent recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal from the International Board on Books for Young People. Paterson is the Charlotte S. Huck Professor of Children's Literature this quarter at Ohio State.

Other highlights of Children's Literature 2000 include presentations by Kevin Henkes, author-illustrator; Jerry Pinkney, artist; Richard Jackson, editor; and Kathy G. Short, professor at the University of Arizona.

To register or for more information, call the Office of Continuing Education, 292-4230, or visit its Web site at home.earthlink.net/~elbond/lc.html.

Thurber House topic of Women's Club

Donn Vickers, executive director of the Thurber House, is the guest speaker for the upcoming program of the University Women's Club, to be held at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 7 at the Faculty Club.

The program is titled "James Thurber and his House: A Little History, A Little Humor."

The Thurber House is where author, humorist, cartoonist and playwright James Thurber lived with his family during his college years at Ohio State. Restored and maintained as a literary center, the Thurber House sponsors readings and seminars by nationally recognized writers and artists such as John Updike, Toni Morrison, Russell Baker, Garrison Keillor and more.

For reservations or more information, call 457-3032.

Cancer survivor nominations sought

The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and Chris and Stefanie Spielman have established the "Stefanie's Champions" awards to recognize and celebrate the champions in the lives of cancer survivors. The award program is in addition to the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at The James, and was inspired by the commitment her husband, former NFL linebacker Chris Spielman, showed during Stefanie's battle with breast cancer.

Beginning this year, the annual awards will commend the most outstanding examples of inspiration and motivation in the lives of cancer survivors. Cancer survivors are invited to submit nominations and include why their nominee is the champion in their lives and in their victory over cancer.

Nominations will be accepted until Feb. 18. Award recipients will be honored at a luncheon on April 12, with featured guest speakers Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker.

For more information or nomination forms, call The James Line, (800) 293-5066, or visit its Web site at www.jamesline.com.

Medical Center holds genetics primer

If the terms genetic code and gene therapy seem foreign to you, the Ohio State Medical Center will help unravel these mysteries at a free program to be held from 7-9 p.m. Feb. 7 in Rhodes Hall Auditorium.

Paula Gregory, a genetics specialist at University Medical Center and former researcher with the National Institutes of Health, will lead the discussion on how genes play a role in everything from heart disease to mental health.

To register, call 293-5123.

Herman to kick off February story series

The Faculty Club and Ohio State's Creative Writing Program will present informal poetry and short story readings titled "Story Time for Adults" at the Faculty Club during February.

The work of Michelle Herman will be featured at the Feb. 1 session. Herman is director of the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing and a recipient of the University's Distinguished Teaching Award. She is the author of the collection of novellas A New and Glorious Life (1998). Her first book, Missing (1990), a novel, was awarded the Harold U. Ribalow Prize for best Jewish fiction and was selected as one of the 25 Best Books of the Year by VLS, the literary supplement of The Village Voice. Her awards and honors include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a James Michener Fellowship and two Individual Artist's Fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council.

Also on the roster are: Chene Heady, a recent graduate of the MFA program; Matt Zambito, a poet and MFA student; and Jesseca Cornelson, Southern poet and MFA student.

Call 688-8584 for times and information.

Proposals sought for Research Seminars

Proposals for the Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Program should be submitted to the Office of Research by Feb. 11, with awards set for April 17.

The program was developed in 1992 by the University Research Committee as one mechanism to stimulate and support new interdisciplinary research and graduate education at Ohio State, and is supported by funds available through the Office of Research and the Graduate School.

The goals of the program are: to foster new interactions among faculty, graduate students and research staff about research problems of current interest in the academic community; to encourage new collaborative interdisciplinary research; and to bring distinguished researchers to Ohio State to interact with faculty, staff and students.

Faculty from different disciplines should prepare a short proposal (3-4 pages) to conduct a seminar series and/or workshop focusing on interdisciplinary research problems or research methodologies, along with a cover letter and budget page. The proposed seminar series should be endorsed by at least 10 faculty, representing at least two different disciplines. Eight copies of each proposal must be submitted.

Typical proposals will range from $2,000 to a maximum of $5,000.

Questions about the program should be directed to Nancy Ingold, Office of Research, 292-1035, or ingold.1@osu.edu.

Schottenstein Center hosts Disney On Ice

Ohio State faculty and staff can enjoy discount rates for special group performances when Disney On Ice Toy Story comes to the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Group performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17 and 11:30 a.m. Feb. 19. Ticket prices range from $7 to $17.

For more information, call (800) 783-0444. The deadline to order is Feb. 9.

WOSU-TV to air best of Buckeye football

WOSU-TV will celebrate Super Bowl Sunday Jan. 30 with "Buckeye Super Sunday," a series of memorable Buckeye football games of the past and a special on the Ohio State Marching Band.

Beginning at 11 a.m., the station will air one-hour replays of three WOSU-produced telecasts: the 1982 and 1984 games against Michigan, and the 1989 Minnesota game.

Ohio State defeated Michigan 24-14 in '82 and won 21-6 and the Big Ten championship in '84. OSU overcame a 31-0 deficit to beat Minnesota 41-37 in 1989.

At 2 p.m., WOSU will air its special "TBDBITL: The Ohio State University Marching Band," an inside look at the history and tradition of the band.

A similar WOSU lineup of programming on New Year's Day was met with a positive audience response, prompting the Super Bowl Sunday game plan, said Station Manager Ed Clay.

Infertility specialists join Ohio State

Three infertility specialists have joined their practice with the Ohio State Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, making Ohio State's program one of the largest in the United States for treating couples with medical conditions that restrict their ability to conceive.

Joining Ohio State as full-time faculty are Clemens M. Grosskinsky, Grant E. Schmidt and Steven Williams. They join Chad I. Friedman and Elizabeth A. Kennard, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, at the Medical Center.

Ohio State's infertility program was founded in the early 1980s and in 1983 became the first program in the Midwest to successfully conceive a baby through in-vitro fertilization. The division is renowned for its pioneering efforts in the area of in-vitro fertilization, gamete intrafallopian transfer and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Readings planned for winter quarter

The Ohio State Creative Writing Program will sponsor several readings this quarter. All events are held in 311 Denney Hall.

Associate Professor of English Bill Roorbach will read with MFA students Jenny James and Brian Granger at 7 p.m. Feb. 9.

Novelist and essayist Rick Moody will give a reading at 7 p.m. Feb. 3. Moody is the recipient of several awards, including the 1991 Editor's Choice Award from the Pushcart Press for his first novel, Garden State. His novel The Ice Storm was made into a 1997 movie.

Georgina Kleege will read at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 23. She is the author of a novel, Home for the Summer, and a collection of personal essays, Sight Unseen. She has taught writing and literature at the University of Oklahoma and at Ohio State.

HR offers training for faculty and staff

The Office of Human Resources is sponsoring a series of free training opportunities for faculty and staff. Workshops are held in 099 Pressey Hall, unless otherwise noted.

For more information, visit the OHRD Web site at: www.ohr.ohio-state.edu/ohrd/ohrdmenu.htm. To register for a workshop, call 292-4500 or e-mail OHRD@hr1.ohr.ohio-state.edu.

Workshops are filled on a first- come, first-served registration basis.

Workshops for Supervisors

• Feb. 24, 8:30-11:30 a.m.: What Supervisors Need to Know about Discrimination;

• March 9, 8:30-11:30 a.m.: Conducting Effective Performance Reviews;

• March 16, 1:30-5 p.m.: Managing Conflict in the Workplace

Staff, Faculty Workshops

• Feb. 3, 8:30 a.m.-noon: If I Only Had a (Creative) Brain!;

• Feb. 8, 8:30-11:15 a.m.: Creating a Healthy Office Environment;

• Feb. 15, 8 a.m.-noon, and Feb. 22, 8 a.m.-noon: A Grammar and Punctuation Refresher (two parts);

• March 8, 8:30-10 a.m.: Introduction to Sexual Harassment (016 Archer House);

• March 23, 8:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.: Improving Your Presentation Skills

Process Improvement Four-Part Workshop

• Feb. 9, 8:30-11 a.m.: Process Improvement Basics;

• Feb. 16, 8 a.m.-noon:"I Can See Clearly Now" -- Discovering Customer Expectations;

• Feb. 23, 8:30 a.m.-noon: >Practical Tools and Techniques for Analyzing Work Processes;

• March 1, 8:30 a.m.-noon: What Gets Measured Gets Managed