OHIO STATE IN THE MEDIA

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.

The April 13 Chronicle of Higher Education ran an article about research by Richard Petty, professor of psychology. Petty's research suggests students who harbor negative stereotypes about other people may be harming their own academic performance.

Research by Catherine Stoney, professor, and Montenique Finney, graduate student, both in psychology, was featured in the May 2001 Redbook. Stoney and Finney found that having a supportive friend with you during a stressful event may not always be good for your health.

Several media outlets carried articles about research by Richard Steckel, professor of economics and anthropology. Steckel found that equestrian Indian tribes on the American Plains in the late 1800s were the tallest people in the world, suggesting that they were surprisingly well-nourished given disease and their lifestyle. Coverage included: United Press International, May 29; Science Magazine, June 8; Atlanta Journal and Constitution, June 24; and the Portland Oregonian, July 4.

Dorota Brzezinska, senior research associate, Center for Mapping, was quoted in an article carried by Scripps Howard News Service, May 29, and the Washington Times, May 30, about how global positioning system technology gives employers the capacity to identify potential misbehavior by their employees by tracking where they are at any given time.

On June 2, NBC's Saturday Today reported on a training program for medical students at Ohio State that uses actors to portray older patients. The program is designed to help medical students become better prepared for dealing with the unique problems of the elderly.

Terry Beck, Ohio State University Extension agent, was quoted in the June 3 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about a dispute in Pennsylvania concerning whether the Amish must display state-mandated orange reflective triangles on their horse-drawn buggies.

Deborah Jones Merritt, professor of law and director of the John Glenn Institute, was quoted in the June 3 New York Times about how U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is known for her decisiveness. Merritt is a former clerk of O'Connor's.

Andrew Stephens, doctoral student, and Jay Frogel, professor, both in astronomy, were the subjects of a June 5 United Press International article. The article was about their research that found the nearby galaxy M33 has a much smaller central bulge than astronomers had previously thought -- or perhaps no bulge at all. The finding may expand current theories of how spiral galaxies form.

John Mirowsky, professor of sociology, was interviewed for a report on ABC's Good Morning America on June 6 about his research that found women feel and express anger more often than men do.

Stephen Reed, professor of veterinary clinical sciences, was quoted by the Associated Press on June 7 about how Ohio State's equine hospital has treated two horses recently with inflamed hearts, a condition that has been unexpectedly on the rise in Kentucky.

Eric Herbst, professor of physics and astronomy, was quoted in a June 9 New Scientist article about new research at the University of Hawaii that suggests nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere came here on comets.

The June 9 Science News included an article about research by Ralph R.B. von Frese, associate professor of geological sciences. von Frese and his colleagues did research that mapped miniscule magnetic variations in Antarctica and the seafloor surrounding it. This will help scientists learn more about the geologic features of the continent that are hidden under the ice.

K. Austin Kerr, professor of history, was quoted in the June 10 New York Times about the long business relationship between Ford and Firestone, which has come unraveled recently with the controversy over the safety of Ford Explorers and their Firestone tires.

Bill Cosby's humorous speech at spring commencement made international news. Coverage included: the Associated Press, June 8; ABC Radio's Paul Harvey News & Comment, June 9; Detroit News, June 10; Miami Herald and USA Today, June 11; Montreal Gazette, June 12; and Bangkok Post, June 13.

Media around the world reported on new research by David Hirshleifer, Kurtz Chair in Finance at the Fisher College of Business. His study found that morning sunshine at the sites of 26 leading stock exchanges around the world -- including the New York Stock Exchange -- is linked to positive market returns that day. Coverage included: CNN, June 11; United Press International, June 15; New York Times, June 17; National Post and Reuters News Service, June 19; Financial Times, June 20; Agence France Presse, June 21; London Independent, June 24; Associated Press, June 28; Forbes, July 23; London Daily Telegraph, July 30; Washington Post, Aug. 5; Associated Press, Aug. 16; Philadelphia Inquirer, Aug. 26; and Des Moines Register and NBC's Today Show, Aug. 28.

Lonnie Thompson, professor of geological sciences, was quoted in a June 11 Los Angeles Times article about how global warming will mean less snow and ice in most parts of the world -- but some places may experience different effects. Articles about Thompson's research were carried by the Washington Post, July 9, and the Associated Press, July 12. His research suggests that many glaciers and ice caps atop mountains in Africa and South America will probably have melted within the next 15 years because of global warming, and little can be done to save them. Thompson recently was named one of America's best in science and medicine by Time magazine and CNN. He was honored for his work drilling ice cores in glaciers around the world to seek clues about global climate change. Coverage included: CNN, Aug. 12; CBS's The Early Show, Aug. 13; and Time, Aug. 20.

Alamin Mazrui, associate professor of African American and African studies, was quoted in the Dallas Morning News, June 14, about his research on how the Internet is causing changes in world religions.

Newsday, June 17, and the Chicago Tribune, June 22, quoted Mansel Blackford, professor of history, about the USS Mason, a Navy warship in World War II that was the first to have a predominantly black crew. Blackford's father was captain of the ship.

Tanya Chartrand, assistant professor of psychology, received media attention recently for her research that found negative"mystery moods" can occur when people fail at nonconscious goals -- goals they didn't even know they had. Coverage included: United Press International, June 18; Reuters News Service, July 9; Investor's Business Daily, July 10; New Orleans Times-Picayune, July 12; and Copley News Service, Aug. 6.

Articles in the Ottawa Citizen, June 19, and the National Post, Sept. 8, were about a viewpoint paper published by Robert Essenhigh, E.G. Bailey Professor of Energy Conservation in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Essenhigh argued global warming is a natural geological process that could begin to reverse itself within 10 to 20 years.

The June 21 Indianapolis Star published an article about poison ivy which included information provided by Ohio State University Extension.

Mauro Ferrari, professor of internal medicine, mechanical engineering and materials science, was quoted in the June 21 San Francisco Chronicle about how biotechnology is going to change the way that soldiers fight wars. Ferrari was a member of a National Research Council advisory committee that prepared a report on the issue.

The London Guardian, June 21, ran an article about microwave technology that Joel Johnson, associate professor of electrical engineering, is helping develop that may improve global weather mapping and even detect buried land mines.

Stephen Pariser, professor of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology, was quoted in the June 23 Chicago Tribune about how depression during pregnancy has been linked to postpartum depression.

The Associated Press, June 27, quoted Jay Barney, professor of management and human resources, about how entrepreneurs often find it difficult to delegate business responsibilities at their growing companies. Barney was quoted by Reuters News Service, July 4, about reasons behind the failure of the planned merger of the General Electric and Honeywell corporations.

Grady Chism, professor of food science, was quoted in the Houston Chronicle, June 27, in an article that debunked a current rumor that canola oil is hazardous to your health.

A feature article in the June 30 New Scientist described work Sally Boysen, professor of psychology, is doing with chimpanzees to learn more about the kinds of intelligence that chimps show.

Gregory Good, clinical professor of optometry, was quoted in a July 1 Atlanta Journal and Constitution article about how to choose sunglasses that provide adequate protection from ultraviolet rays.

The Los Angeles Daily News ran an article on July 2 about research by Frederick Leong, professor of psychology, that found a child's place in the family birth order may play a role in the type of occupations that will interest him or her as an adult.

Herb Asher, professor emeritus of political science, was quoted in the July 3 USA Today about how Democrats have been emboldened to attack President Bush's policies if his approval ratings continued to fall. Asher was quoted by the New York Times, July 22, in an article about the problems with public opinion polls on human embryonic stem cell research. Many people don't yet know enough about the issue to have an opinion, Asher said.

Several recent articles mentioned research by Lisa Keister, assistant professor of sociology. Keister's research suggests the wide gap in wealth ownership between black and white Americans could be narrowed substantially if African Americans invested more in stocks and mutual funds. Coverage included the Associated Press, July 3, and the Boston Globe and Memphis Commercial Appeal, July 8.