Each month staff in the Office of University Relations report on Ohio State research and connect reporters with experts across the University. They then monitor articles that mention Ohio State in the 50 largest U.S. and select world media markets. The dozens of articles each month are just one indication of the high profile the University enjoys in the national media.

Recent events in Afghanistan caused reporters to seek out the expertise of John Huntington, professor of history of art. Huntington was interviewed for NPR's All Things Considered on Feb. 27, CNN's Today on March 2 and NPR's Talk of the Nation on March 6. The reports were about a plan by rulers in Afghanistan to destroy all statues to guard against the possibility that they would be worshipped as idols. Huntington has studied historically important statues of Buddha in the country that were threatened by this plan.Lucia Dunn, professor of economics, was interviewed Dec. 19 on NPR's Marketplace for a report on how the gloomy economic forecast affects spending by consumers in the Midwest.

A Dec. 21 New York Times article noted that faculty from Ohio State were among a team of researchers that received a $15 million grant to develop drugs for several diseases that are prevalent in Africa.

Anne Bower, associate professor of English, Marion campus, was quoted in the Kansas City Star, Dec. 27, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Feb. 1, in articles about The Historical Cookbook of the American Negro, a recently re-published book. In addition to featuring recipes, the book is also a compilation of important social, cultural and political information relating to the African-American experience.

Research by Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychology, and Ron Glaser, professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, was featured in the Houston Chronicle, Dec. 27. The article was about their research that found the success of a pneumonia vaccination at protecting elderly Americans may depend on how stressed the recipients are when they get the shots. An article in the Jan.-Feb. 2001 Psychology Today featured Glaser and Kiecolt-Glaser's research that found women suffer more emotionally and physically from marital arguments than do men. A Jan. 2 Washington Post article quoted Kiecolt-Glaser about a recent study by Pennsylvania researchers that suggests group drumming may boost the immune system of participants. Glaser was quoted by Reuters News Service Jan. 30 in an article about a review of several studies that suggest stress hurts the immune system, particularly the elderly. Kiecolt-Glaser was quoted in a March 12 USA Today article about a new study at the University of Pittsburgh that suggests a happy marriage can help protect women from strokes and heart attacks after menopause. She said the results make sense. She also was interviewed for a March 13 CNN Newsroom report on how chronic stress can impair the function of the immune system. The April 9 Los Angeles Times included an article about Kiecolt-Glaser's research that found hormone levels in newlywed couples can help predict whether the couples will eventually divorce. Researchers found levels of stress hormones detected during discussion of the couple's relationship history were associated with later divorce. Kiecolt-Glaser, William Malarkey, professor of internal medicine, Catherine Stoney, professor of psychology, and John Mirowsky, professor of sociology, were quoted on ABC News' Stress Hurts: A Wake-up Call for Women. All four faculty members were interviewed for this special one-hour program concerning their research examining the health consequences of psychological stress in women.

Stephen Kuusisto, assistant professor of English, presented a commentary about the special relationship between a blind person and his guide dog Dec. 27 on NPR's All Things Considered and a commentary about his experience as a blind man touching the faces of chimpanzees on April 20.

Robert Davis, associate professor of history, was quoted in a Dec. 31 Chicago Tribune article about the history of gondolas as a means of transportation in Venice.

The Dec. 31 Detroit News quoted Gary Graham, Ohio State University Extension associate, in an article about how thick ice should be on a lake or river before it is safe for walking, fishing or snowmobile use.

The January 2001 Men's Health mentioned research conducted by Firdaus Dhabhar, assistant professor of oral biology, that suggests short-term stress may sometimes be beneficial by helping the body mobilize the immune system.

Research by Thomas Lippmann, research scientist in civil and environmental engineering and the Byrd Polar Research Center, was the subject of articles carried by the Xinhua News Service (Chinese wire service), Jan. 3, and the Financial Times, Jan. 11. The articles were about his work to help develop a new way to map the ocean currents that erode beaches, cost coastal towns millions of dollars in annual property losses, and threaten a tourist industry worth billions.

Stephen Abedon, assistant professor of microbiology, was quoted in articles about how phages -- tiny viruses that attack only bacteria -- are the most numerous organisms on Earth. Coverage included the Miami Herald and Knight-Ridder News Service, Jan. 4.

Roger Blackwell, professor of marketing, was quoted in the Jan. 4 USA Today about how many old-line products are being redesigned to add value to their brands. Blackwell was quoted by Scripps Howard News Service, Jan. 17, and the Chicago Sun-Times, Jan. 21, about the reasons behind the financial success of the yearly Girl Scout cookie drive. The Feb. 22 Wall Street Journal quoted him about why the economy of Columbus has continued to slowly grow even as some cities have suffered a downturn lately.

A study by Lorraine Silver Wallace, former doctoral student, and Janet Buckworth, assistant professor of sport and exercise sciences, generated a lot of media interest. Wallace and Buckworth found that women were more likely to exercise if they had the social support of family, while the support of friends was more important for men. Coverage included: the Associated Press and United Press International, Jan. 5; Philadelphia Metro, Jan. 9; Detroit News, Jan. 10; Chicago Tribune, Jan. 17; Self, March 2001; and Men's Exercise, May-June 2001.

Richard Hamilton, professor emeritus of sociology and political science, wrote an op-ed article arguing that American textbooks and encyclopedias don't give enough attention to the Congo holocaust, in which some 10 million people died between 1885 and 1908. The op-ed ran in the Washington Post, Jan. 7, and the International Herald Tribune, Jan. 9.

A Jan. 7 Atlanta Journal and Constitution article noted that Ohio State ranked third in the nation in 1999 among top research universities for the number of black faculty who were tenured or in tenure-track positions and who were American citizens.

Sha Rahnema, associate professor of animal nutrition at the Agricultural Technical Institute, received media attention for his research that found that pigs who were fed potato chips along with their regular corn diet put weight on faster than pigs fed only corn, because the oil in the chips supplies hogs with more energy. Coverage included: the Associated Press, Jan. 8; USA Today and CBS Radio's The Osgood File, Jan. 29; and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Feb. 3.

Several articles ran recently about research by Catherine Stoney, professor, and Montenique Finney, graduate student, both in psychology. Stoney and Finney found having a supportive friend with you during a stressful event may not always be good for your health. Coverage included the Chicago Tribune, Jan. 10; Self, March 2001; and Allure, April 2001.

Lee Abbott, professor of English, wrote a review of the new book True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey for the Jan. 14 Miami Herald.

Several articles and reviews of a newly published collection of short stories by the late author Raymond Carver noted that several of the stories were found in a Carver archive at Ohio State. Coverage included: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan. 14; New York Times and Boston Globe, Jan. 21; and the International Herald Tribune, Feb. 1.

Doug Downey, associate professor of sociology, was mentioned in a Jan. 14 Minneapolis Star-Tribune article about his research that suggests the more siblings a child has, the lower his or her grades will be in school.

Kenneth Costello, senior economist, National Regulatory Research Institute, was quoted in the Jan. 15 Wall Street Journal about how states should plan carefully before deregulating their natural gas industries to provide more choices to consumers. Costello also was quoted in the April 9 Denver Post about how consumers are affected by programs that allow them to choose their natural gas supplier.

A Jan. 17 Washington Post article was about how Peter Swire, professor of law, was making the transition from President Clinton's chief counselor for privacy back to his previous role as law professor at Ohio State. Swire was quoted by the Washington Post, April 13, in an article about new federal protections that will safeguard the confidentiality of patients' medical records.

A Jan. 17 Washington Post article noted that Ohio State signed an agreement with the Ohio Supercomputer Center and LabBook, makers of a unique software program designed to decipher the human genetic code. The goal of the partnership is to develop an annotated map of the human genome.

United Press International, Jan. 18, carried an article about research by Jason Nichols, research associate in optometry. Nichols found people who wear contact lenses overwhelmingly prefer extended-wear disposable contacts to daily-wear disposable lenses.

Morgan Lewis, research scientist, Center on Education and Training for Employment, was quoted in the Jan. 22 Philadelphia Inquirer about how improvements and makeovers of school buildings may help student achievement.

Ken Rose, senior economist at the National Regulatory Research Institute, was quoted in a Jan. 23 front-page article in the New York Times about how deregulation of the electricity generation industry in California helped lead to the electricity crisis in that state.

A Jan. 23 Boston Globe article about a new MRI in a Boston-area hospital noted that Ohio State is home to the world's most powerful MRI.

Robert Graniere, senior economist at the National Regulatory Research Institute, was quoted in the Jan. 24 Atlanta Journal and Constitution about how the electricity crisis in California is unlikely to be repeated in most areas of the country because most areas have enough capacity to meet demands for power.