An architectural rendering provides one view of the center to be constructed at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park.     Courtesy of NBBJ

Wetland park enters high-tech era with new research facility

Researchers from five Ohio universities and colleges have unveiled plans for the next phase of the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP) on Ohio State's campus. This phase -- the construction of the $2.8 million Ohio Center for Wetland and River Restoration -- is scheduled to begin in April.

The center is a cooperative venture of Ohio State, Shawnee, Youngstown and Wright State universities and Kenyon College, said William Mitsch, a professor of natural resources at Ohio State and the director of the ORWRP.

The new facility will allow scientists and the public to monitor conditions in the wetlands through a variety of high-tech sensors. Specially designed monitoring systems will give researchers vital information such as water temperature and the amount of nitrogen being retained by each wetland, according to Mitsch.

At least two "swamp cams" positioned in the research park will allow researchers to monitor how ducks and other wildlife are using the area. The plans also include adding control systems that automatically deliver the right amount of water to the experimental wetlands.

"We want to go high-tech and use the latest tools to continuously monitor the wetlands and collect data for researchers," Mitsch said.

Most of the information gathered in the new facility will be available not only to scientists, but to the public, as well.

"Our wetlands research will be on display for the public even more than it is now," Mitsch said."The visitors' lobby in the new building will display instant readouts of information taken directly from sensors in the wetlands." The ORWRP is accessible to the public via a bike path that runs adjacent to the Olentangy River.

In addition, he said,"Results will be connected to the Internet so that every school kid in the world can find out what's going on at this university research station."

The new building, designed by the Columbus architecture firm NBBJ, will also house reference and conference rooms, two labs, an operations room used for collecting the data from the sensors, and faculty offices. Also, Mitsch said once construction of the new building is under way, two more wetlands -- constructed to clean runoff from the building of the center -- will add to the 25 acres of wetlands already in place at the 30-acre site.

The 9-year-old ORWRP is a kind of natural "supermarket" in that it is where terrestrial and aquatic life comes to eat, Mitsch said. Currently on site are four wetlands: two kidney-shaped marshes primarily used for research; one billabong wetland (Òbillabong" is an Australian term for a wetland along a river); and the wooded corridor stretching along the bank of the Olentangy River.

Mitsch and his colleagues from the other four Ohio institutions formed a wetland consortium in 1999 to develop the research and education center. To date, the $2.8 million building project has received $1.2 million from the Ohio Board of Regents and $300,000 from the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center for a total of $1.5 million.

"We are still looking for more than $1 million in private donations to make this building a reality," Mitsch said.

Senior reporting lines change

Some senior reporting lines at the University have changed in light of leadership changes in the Division of Student Affairs.

President Kirwan has said that Ohio State will focus on recruiting a"student affairs professional of the first rank" in its search for a successor to former Vice President David Williams II. Kirwan has reassigned reporting lines for the Department of Athletics and Campus Partners, which fell under Student Affairs during Williams'tenure.

Andy Geiger, director of athletics, now reports to the president, working collaboratively on legal, financial and academic issues with the executive assistant to the president and general counsel, the senior vice president for business and finance, and the vice provost and dean for undergraduate studies, respectively.

Terry Foegler, president of Campus Partners, will continue to report to the Board of Campus Partners and also will report to the president through the Campus Partners Oversight Committee.

The search for a vice president for student affairs is being led by Bobby Moser, vice president and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

NCAA board selects Kirwan as chair

President Kirwan has been elected as the next chair of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Board of Directors, effective after the January 2001 board meeting.

Kirwan, whose term on the board will run through 2005, will replace Pennsylvania State University President Graham B. Spanier, whose term expires in January.

Kirwan was an original member of the Board of Directors when he was president of the University of Maryland, College Park.

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