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.

Dennis Guenther, professor of mechanical engineering, received international attention for a study he did for the Bridgestone/Firestone Co. His study examined what happened when Firestone and other brands of tires experience tread separation on a Ford Explorer. He concluded that resulting accidents are the fault of the Explorer, not the tires. Coverage included: CNN, May 31; ABC News Good Morning America, Agence France Presse, Associated Press, CBS Morning News, Reuters News Service, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, June 1; Detroit News, June 1 and 7; Detroit Free Press and New York Times, June 1 and 9; St. Petersburg Times, June 1 and 17; Los Angeles Times, June 1 and 19; and International Herald Tribune, June 2.

Caroline Whitacre, professor and chair of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, was quoted in the April 2001 Self about how autoimmune diseases often tend to improve when a woman is pregnant, although the benefits usually aren't long lasting. Whitacre was quoted in the New York Times, June 19, and the International Herald Tribune, June 21, about how women make up nearly 80 percent of people with autoimmune diseases.

Articles about research by Raymond Noe, professor of management and human resources, ran in the Chicago Tribune, April 1 and May 22, and United Press International, April 6. His research found that employees who are caregivers for elder dependents report lower work performance than those employees whose dependents are children.

On April 2, Reuters News Service carried an article about Philip Johnson, professor of pediatrics. The article was about his research in animals testing an experimental vaccine against the monkey form of HIV. The early results are promising, he said.

Randy Heiligmann, associate professor of natural resources, was quoted in an April 3 Associated Press article about the progress of maple sap production last spring in Ohio.

The Los Angeles Times, April 4, and the London Daily Telegraph, April 5, quoted John Quigley, professor of law. Quigley was quoted in articles about the international laws that applied to the situation involving the U.S. spy plane that was downed in China.

An article about research by Joseph Green, associate professor of psychology, Lima campus, ran in the Calgary Herald, April 5. His research suggests hypnosis treatment alone is no better than standard treatment approaches for people who are trying to quit smoking.

Several publications ran articles about research by Hans Klompen, assistant professor of entomology, on a 90-million-year-old tick found in New Jersey. The tick is the oldest representative of the order Parasitiformes ever found. Coverage included: New Scientist, April 7; Portland Oregonian, April 11; and Science, April 13.

Robert Michler, chair of cardiothoracic surgery and transplantation, was quoted in the April 10 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about how robotic surgery may one day allow surgeries to be done endoscopically, using long tools and cameras inserted through a handful of small incisions. Michler's pioneering work using robotic surgery was the subject of a major feature article in the June 4 Time.

An April 11 San Diego Union Tribune article was about research by Joseph Barr, professor of optometry, that found wearing a special kind of contact lens while sleeping may help a nearsighted person go without contacts or glasses during the day.

Peter Curtis, associate professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology, was quoted in the April 12 Newsday about a University of Minnesota study that found a lack of plant diversity in grasslands may later lead to more global warming. Curtis called it a significant study.

United Press International carried an article April 13 about research by F. Robert Tabita, professor of microbiology and plant biology. He found the evolutionary ancestor to one of life's most critical proteins -- the protein that changes carbon dioxide into energy for plants and bacteria.

Marilyn Scott, librarian in the Cartoon Research Library, was quoted in an April 14 New York Times article about the popularity and subsequent backlash against the"smiley face" image that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s.

An April 15 Copley News Service article discussed research by Bruce Weinberg, assistant professor of economics. His research suggests increased computer use in the workplace is partly responsible for the increase in the demand for women workers since the mid-1970s.

Stephen Cecchetti, professor of economics, has been quoted in numerous publications during the last several months. Cecchetti was quoted in the Financial Times, April 19, about some of the possible reasons behind the Federal Reserve Board's decision to cut U.S. interest rates. He wrote an op-ed column applauding the Federal Reserve Board's unexpected decision to cut U.S. interest rates for the April 20 Financial Times. The May 7 U.S. News & World Report quoted Cecchetti in an article about estimates showing that the gross domestic product was expanding at more than twice the rate generally expected. He was quoted in the May 16 Financial Times about how fears of consumer inflation will keep the U.S. Federal Reserve from being overly aggressive in cutting interest rates. He talked about the prospects for inflation and how it might affect the economy in the coming months in a May 21 Barron's article. Cecchetti wrote an op-ed article for the May 31 Financial Times about how productivity growth will be a key factor in U.S. Federal Reserve decisions concerning monetary policy. The June 18 Wall Street Journal quoted Cecchetti about debates within the U.S. Federal Reserve Board concerning how much to reduce interest rates.

Ivy Pike, assistant professor of anthropology, received media attention for her research in Africa that raises questions about the hypothesis that morning sickness serves a beneficial function in protecting a developing fetus. Coverage included: the Chicago Tribune, April 22; San Diego Union-Tribune, April 25; Calgary Herald, May 3; and Tampa Tribune, May 6.

President Brit Kirwan, as part of his role as chair of the board of directors of the NCAA, was quoted in an April 26 Associated Press article discussing why the board chose to postpone decisions on whether to allow athletes to take out bank loans based on future earnings and whether to eliminate the exemptions on certified basketball tournaments. Kirwan was quoted in The Economist, June 2, in an article about how the mission of land-grant universities has to become broader as the world moves into the knowledge economy."If higher education was ever a luxury, that day has long since passed," Kirwan said.

Articles about research by Nancy Lowe, associate professor of nursing, were carried by United Press International, April 27, and Reuters News Service, May 3. Lowe found that self-confidence may make labor and delivery easier by alleviating a pregnant woman's fears about childbirth.

Research by Patrick McKenry, professor of human development and family science, was the subject of an April 29 Toronto Star article. McKenry found, over a five-year period, that getting married or staying married reduces symptoms of depression far more than being single or divorced.

Joseph Bull, director of trusts and estates, University Development, was quoted in the April 30 Forbes about a fiscal planning technique that allows a divorced person to use a charitable remainder trust to pay a charity and make alimony payments at the same time.