Fulbright experience enhances University life

More than 100 faculty and professionals at Ohio State have played a role in internationalizing the University's collective intellectual life in the last 20 years by participating in the Fulbright Scholars program.

"Globalization, which used to be a buzz word, is now mainstream. ... The term -- and the concept -- are facts of life today," College of Humanities Interim Dean Michael Hogan said during a presentation to the University's Board of Trustees Feb. 4. "Globalization is like a steamroller: If you aren't on the steamroller, you're destined to become part of the pavement."

Hogan cited the Fulbright Program as a central resource for "staying on the globalization steamroller." The program, established in 1946 as the flagship international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, provides grants to teachers, scholars and students to study, teach, lecture and conduct research abroad. In addition, foreign nationals engage in similar activities at U.S. institutions. Approximately 220,000 people -- including 82,000 Americans -- have participated in the Fulbright program since its establishment.

Ohio State faculty have had a strong showing among participants in the Fulbright American Scholar Program. Between 1981 and 1996, 90 Ohio State faculty and professionals traveled to 40 countries -- ranging from Australia to Ecuador to Japan to the United Kingdom -- under the Fulbright program, according to a directory compiled by the Office of International Education. Ohio State also hosted 129 visiting scholars and lecturers during those years. And Hogan said that since 1995, more than 30 OSU faculty have held Fulbright appointments.

Christopher Reed, assistant professor of history and one of Ohio State's five Fulbright Scholars for the 1999-2000 award cycle, told trustees how the program has enhanced his teaching and research. Reed, a specialist in the history of modern China, traveled to Taiwan from July to September 1999 to pursue research at the Institute of Modern History at the Academia Sinica in Taipei.

In his presentation, Reed noted Fulbright awards are important because they support Ohio State's mission as a public teaching and research university as well as its ambition to become a top 10 U.S. public research institution.

"One of the things that makes an institution stand out is the kinds of internationally known awards its faculty receive. Fulbrights are such an award. The recognition they bring to OSU helps this institution get more money to support teaching and research," Reed said.

He also said international travel conducted under the Fulbright program keeps University faculty who specialize in other countries current regarding international events, people and scholarship relating to their expertise.

"What's more, our Fulbright-supported residence in foreign countries enriches the classroom experience of our undergraduates and increases our potential to train our graduate students. This Fulbright experience can be applied in a wide variety of ways, from anecdotal illustrations that illuminate an issue of concern to students, to the rewriting of lectures and to the publication of articles and books," he said.

Reed urged the University to support faculty financially and through professional leave policies to encourage their participation in the program. "Although many of these awards appear from the outside to be sufficient financially, a number of faculty are prevented from applying for or from accepting these awards because of hidden and direct costs and penalties," he said.

School of Music doctoral candidate Eleanor Pearson described a student Fulbright experience. Pearson studied flute with Liisa Ruoho at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, in 1998. Ruoho specializes in teaching the Alexander Technique of flute performance, which is a body awareness method that helps prevent injury and enhance performance.

"While in Finland, I was able to share some of the research I have done on African-American women composers while at Ohio State," Pearson told trustees. She also taught classes in a new approach to music education that trains music teachers to teach from a whole-body perspective. Pearson will return to Finland in the fall to teach at several music conservatories.

"Living in a different country was a wonderful experience for me," she said. "Apart from broadening my perspective on the world, my time in Finland broadened also my children's and my students' approach to culture. I continue to share what I learned from my Fulbright experience with many people."

Hogan cited several statistics as evidence that Ohio State and other universities are "setting the pace for the global village," including the fact that more than a quarter of the state's almost 17,000 international students study at Ohio State and that international students make up almost 8 percent of OSU's enrollment.

He also noted Ohio State ranks ninth nationally in study-abroad numbers among the top 20 research institutions, and that international exchange of faculty -- with Ohio State both hosting visitors and sending scholars abroad -- is increasing. "The benefits of the Fulbright program can be felt right here at Ohio State," Hogan said.

Distinguished lecturer to discuss global benefits of good soil

The future of our world depends on the quality of its soil. Soil quality plays a vital role in whether or not we can produce enough food to eat and have clean enough air to breathe.

Soil will be the topic of this quarter's University Distinguished Lecture Feb. 17.

Rattan Lal, a professor of soil science in the School of Natural Resources, will discuss "Controlling Greenhouse Gases and Feeding the Globe Through Soil Management" at 4 p.m. in the Wexner Center Film/Video Theater. A reception will follow.

Rattan Lal

Lal specializes in soil degradation and carbon sequestration. He has worked with other scientists in a national, multi-institutional study that has assessed the potential for carbon sequestration in agricultural soils in the United States and around the world.

According to Lal, the atmosphere is being inundated with massive amounts of carbon dioxide each year -- about 3.3 billion metric tons. The key culprits are fossil fuel combustion, agriculture, soil cultivation, biomass burning and deforestation.

"But by adopting recommended agricultural practices, we can reverse the trend in CO2 emissions," Lal said. Practices such as conservation tillage and growing cover crops can sequester -- or keep in place -- carbon in the soil.

"The potential of carbon sequestration through restoring soil is enormous. It's a win-win situation: Improving soil productivity also helps lessen the accelerated greenhouse effect," he said.

The University Distinguished Lectureship recognizes outstanding faculty at Ohio State. It gives them the chance to discuss their work with the community as well as a $5,000 award to support an academic program or project of the lecturer's choice. Lal will donate his award to graduate student study in soil science.

Biomedical Science pursues new program

The School of Biomedical Science, established last July, expects to hire a director for a new graduate program this spring. The addition of the director is essential to the school achieving one of its primary goals: development of an Integrated Biomedical Science Ph.D. program.

The school is made up of the six basic science departments -- Anatomy & Medical Education; Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry; Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics; Neuroscience; Pharmacology; and Physiology and Cell Biology Ñ in the College of Medicine and Public Health. James S. King, associate dean and director of the school, said the basic mission of the school is to foster, expand and facilitate the departmental research and educational missions.

The school has assumed responsibility for administration of the Campus Microscopy and Imaging Facility (CMIF). This shared equipment facility, under the direction of Richard Burry, provides investigators the use of state-of-the-art research equipment at low cost. The CMIF is the only full-service microscopy facility on campus for scientists who need access to instrumentation for the examination of tissues, cells and polymers.

A Web site for the school also is in development. For more information, contact the school's administrative office, 254 Meiling Hall, 292-8725.

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