Grants available for distance education

The Office of Academic Affairs has made available approximately $500,000 to support creation or enhancement of distance education courses to be offered no later than spring quarter 2001. These grants, to be awarded through Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR) in amounts between $5,000 and $25,000, must be targeted to specific credit-bearing or noncredit-bearing OSU courses in one of eight strategic categories. A college match is required.

The submission deadline for proposals is March 23.

The funding may be used for:

• Conversion of course materials to a Web-based or video-based format;

• Student assistance in course delivery;

• Faculty release time;

• GRA assistance;

• Assessment activities associated with the new or enhanced course; or

• Connection charges for courses delivered via digital video.

Most successful distance education courses begin in a more traditional format with technology enhancements introduced over time. TELR will ask grant recipients to demonstrate how they have used technology in earlier course offerings, or work with them to build technology into their on-campus courses prior to delivering the course in a fully distance education format.

The funding for this program mandates that the course developed be offered as a true distance education course. This means that the course requires two or fewer on-campus meetings, generally associated with orientation sessions or test-taking. Ideally, both orientation and test-taking will be accommodated at a distance as well, but this is not a precondition of the grant program.

More information can be found at the TELR home page at: http://telr.ohio-state.edu.

Lal warns soil must be managed

Don't disrespect the soil that feeds you.

That is a message from Rattan Lal, who dedicated much of his University Distinguished Lecture Feb. 17 to cautioning that the world's quantity and quality of soil won't meet food demands if the population continues to grow at its current rate and efforts aren't taken to improve the condition of soil globally.

"I tell my students that 'In soil, we trust,' " Lal, a professor of soil science in the School of Natural Resources, said during his lecture in the Wexner Center Film/Video Theater. "It's time that we as a community give proper respect to what we call dirt."

Lal has worked with colleagues around the world to assess the potential for agricultural practices that would improve soil quality and, at the same time, reduce emission of carbon dioxide into the air. His lecture was titled "Controlling Greenhouse Gases and Feeding the Globe Through Soil Management."

By Kevin Fitzsimons

Rattan Lal advocates better soil management.

A specialist in soil degradation and carbon sequestration (keeping carbon in place in the soil), Lal argues that two key 21st century concerns -- global food security caused by a rapid increase in world population and increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases -- are linked to the sustainability of soil quality, especially in relation to carbon in soil. Other concerns also are linked to soil degradation, including water quality, loss of biodiversity, and progressive decline in per capita arable land caused by the growing population and conversions of agricultural land to nonagricultural uses, such as housing.

Soil supports terrestrial life through five processes: biomass productivity; restoration and resilience of ecosystems; purification of water; detoxification of pollutants; and cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur and water. The processes are affected by the quality and quantity of carbon in the soil.

In addition to focusing on soil improvements, Lal suggests humans need to curb their reliance on carbon to curb greenhouse gas emissions, estimating that scientists must find alternatives to carbon fuel within 25 to 50 years. He recommended that in the short term, the greenhouse effect could be reduced by commodifying carbon as a farm product. But in reference to the long term, he emphasized that "we have no choice but to de-carbonize our energy system."

The increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide is occurring at the rate of 3.3 billion metric tons per year. In addition to fossil fuel combustion, the increase is caused by soil cultivation, biomass burning and deforestation. Even more gaseous emissions -- including methane and nitrous oxide in addition to carbon dioxide -- are caused by further declines in soil quality, such as accelerated erosion and nutrient imbalance.

Before the 1970s, more carbon emitted from soils and land use conversion than from fossil fuel combustion. Now, agricultural activities are responsible for about 25 percent of global emissions.

Lal recommends a variety of agricultural practices, including conservation tillage, precision farming and growing cover crops, to keep carbon in the soil, thus improving its productivity and reducing the release of the carbon into the air. He estimates judicious land use and soil management techniques could resequester 60 percent to 70 percent of the historic carbon loss of 80 billion to 100 billion metric tons of carbon.

"Soil carbon sequestration is a bridge to the future that will buy time during which alternatives to fossil fuel must be found," Lal said. In the United States alone, carbon sequestration could affect 212 million metric tons of carbon per year, or about 12 percent of the total carbon emissions. Through a global program of soil management, "the potential of soil restoration is enough to nullify the annual increase in atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide," Lal said.

Increasing soil carbon has other societal benefits, as well: resisting erosion, reducing the transport of pollution-laden sediment into water, decreasing siltation and downstream flooding, and lowering the release of particulate matter into the atmosphere -- thus, decreasing the risks of global warming. "It's truly a win-win strategy," Lal said.

Though the water and air quality concerns are high priorities, Lal emphasized that world hunger -- already a problem for 790 million people globally -- will intensify if agricultural productivity is not improved. "There are not many troubles in the world more alarming than those caused by an empty stomach," Lal said.

He suggested the combination of "the best soils with the best management practices will produce the optimum sustainable yield and spare marginal land from nature conservancy." More specifically, he said his vision of agricultural intensification includes implementing more efficient water and soil management techniques that allow for delivery of water and nutrients directly to plant root systems, and which minimize losses of chemicals into natural waters and into the atmosphere.

Concerns about food availability are particularly high in developing countries, where almost 97.5 percent of the estimated annual population increase of 73 million people is expected to occur, Lal said. Malnourishment in these areas is exacerbated in cases where crops and animals are raised on degraded soils missing many nutrients -- among them, zinc, copper and iron.

Time is running out to reverse the damaging trends because of their long-term effects, he said: "If you misuse the land, that misuse is going to be evident for generations to come."

Lal's collaboration with other scientists in a national, multi-institutional research effort to quantify the potential of soil carbon sequestration has led to publication of 12 books that are the source of a major global body of literature on the topic of soil carbon sequestration.

Lal, who joined the Ohio State faculty in 1987, was part of an Ohio State delegation to India led by President Kirwan in January 1999 that resulted in the creation of new and re-established institutional relationships in areas of agriculture, engineering, the social sciences and the humanities. He is the author of five books and almost 300 journal articles, and has received numerous awards.

The University Distinguished Lectureship recognizes outstanding faculty at Ohio State, giving recipients the chance to discuss their work with the community and a $5,000 award to support an academic program or project of the lecturer's choice. Lal is donating his award to graduate student study in soil science.

Women's month continues

Womyn's Month 2000, Ohio State's observance of Women's History Month, continues through March 12 with a variety of lectures, meetings and events covering issues of interest to University women and celebrating the 25th anniversary of Women Student Services. Events include:

Feb. 26

• Screening of "BODYSTATE" followed by discussion with Toledo filmmaker Tinola Mayfield, 2 p.m., Campbell Hall room 309.

Feb. 28

• "Honoring Columbus Women Series," featuring Judith Fountain, director of the Women's Place at Ohio State, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Ohio Union Failer Lounge.

• "Honoring Columbus Women Series," featuring Susan Hartmann, professor of women's studies, 7-9 p.m., Kuhn Honors & Scholars House.

Feb. 29

• "Honoring Columbus Women Series," featuring Judge Yvette McGee Brown, Juvenile and Domestic Court, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Ohio Union Failer Lounge.

• "Vagina Monologues," 7-9 p.m., Ohio Union South Main Lounge.

March 1-14

• Womyn's Shelter Clothing Drive. Collection site is Lincoln Tower, 15th floor front desk.

March 1

• "Health Issues for Lesbians," 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Ohio Union Failer Lounge.

• Soup & Substance on Women's Self Defense, 4-5 p.m., Ohio Union Buckeye Suites A&B,

• "Strike Back," 6:30-7:30 p.m., Larkins Hall.

March 2

• "Honoring Columbus Women Series," featuring Susan Huntington, dean of the Graduate School, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Ohio Union Failer Lounge.

• "Nike Women's Safe Night Run/Walk," 5 p.m., begins at West Lawn behind the Ohio Union.

• Womyn's Month Movie Series, "Divorce Iranian Style," 7:30 p.m., University Hall room 014.

March 6

• Soup & Substance on Women's Health and Nutrition, 4-5 p.m., Ohio Union Buckeye Suites A&B.

March 7

• "Honoring Columbus Women Series," featuring attorney Sandra Anderson, first female president of the Columbus Bar Association, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Ohio Union Failer Lounge.

• "A Celebration of Women's Studies," 5:30-7 p.m., Longaberger Alumni House.

• "Honoring Columbus Women Series," featuring Nancy Rudd, professor of consumer textiles; Penny Winkle of clinical social work; and Jan Fonarow, clinical dietitian at Ohio State, 7-9 p.m., Ohio Union Stecker Lounge.

March 8

• "International Women's Day: Women Coming Together," 3-7 p.m., Hale Center.

March 9

• "Honoring Columbus Women Series," featuring Pricilla Tyson, executive director of City Year, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Ohio Union Failer Lounge.

• "Stitching Sisterhood," 3-7 p.m., Columbia Gas Lounge and Gallery, Campbell Hall.

• Womyn's Month Movie Series, "Down in the Delta," 7:30 p.m., University Hall room 014.

March 12

• "Let's Sing it for the Girls," 7 p.m., Morrison Lobby.

The entire calendar is available at womens-studies.ohio-state.edu/wmn2000 on the Web.

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