There's no place like Ohio State for Homecoming festivities

Faculty share expertise between parade and football game; Spielman walk returns

Alumni returning to Ohio State for Homecoming activities, continuing through Oct. 14, will have a chance to relive a classroom experience as part of a new event this year.

Homecoming University will offer visitors the chance to hear some of Ohio State's top professors discuss the wonders of nanotechnology, cars of the future, the real story behind the Florida presidential election and other topics in free classes before the 3:30 p.m. football game against Wisconsin.

This first-time event offers the public an opportunity to catch a glimpse into the world of Ohio State education and gives returning alumni the chance to see cutting-edge research happening at their alma mater.

The classes will run simultaneously from 11:30 a.m. (one-half hour after the conclusion of the Homecoming Parade) until 12:30 p.m. in Mendenhall Laboratory. No registration is required, and all classes are free. Seating is limited to a first-come/first-served basis. For more information, call the Office of Student Activities at 292-8763.

Listed below are the instructors and their course descriptions:

Mauro Ferrari, Biomedical Engineering, Nanotechnology and Medicine.

Leading biomedical researcher Ferrari is taking the fight against the world's deadliest diseases to a new level -- with tiny machines, no bigger than the width of a human hair, that will work virtually inside the body to treat cancer, diabetes and even heart disease.

Raimund Goerler, University Archives, OSU in its Early Years: Lofty Aspirations but Humble Beginnings.

Goerler will discuss the origins of Ohio State as a land-grant college in 1870, the controversies surrounding its founding and the functioning of the University in its early years.

Mary Schiavo, Aerospace Engineering and Aviation, The Inside Story of the Wright Brothers.

Schiavo, best-selling author and NBC aviation on-air consultant, will acquaint students with an accurate account of the Wright Brothers' work, success and heartbreak.

Giorgio Rizzoni, Mechanical Engineering, Transportation in the 21st Century.

Will your next car run on water? Rizzoni will discuss new automobile technology and how Ohio State is playing a role in shaping the future of personal mobility.

Candace Feck, Dance, Democracy Meets the Body: American Modern Dance.

Feck positions the body in modern dance as a reflection of the distinctly American spirit of democracy.

Herb Asher, Political Science, The Media and the Presidential Selection Process.

Renowned political expert Asher will discuss how the media, in reporting about the presidential selection process, influence what happens as the process unfolds.

C.K. Shum, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science, Space Research at Ohio State: Monitoring Global Sea Level Rise and Climate Change.

Shum focuses on cutting-edge research being conducted at Ohio State that uses space geodetic measurements on Earth-orbiting artificial satellites to contribute to our understanding of global climate change and consequences.

The Homecoming schedule, which included activities beginning on Oct. 8, features a number of other highlights, as well:

Oct. 11:

• Under Construction on the Oval, Habitat for Humanity project, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

• National Coming Out Day, flag raising at 11:45 a.m. at the Ohio Union front entrance.

• Religion Roundtable Discussion, 2-4 p.m., Ohio Union Multicultural Center.

• Buckeye Blast, featuring comedian Kathy Griffin, 7:30 p.m., Mershon Auditorium. Admission is $5 for students with OSU ID, $10 for nonstudents.

Oct. 12:

• Behind the Curtain, visits to President Kirwan's office, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Bricker Hall.

• Study Abroad Fair, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Oxley Hall.

• Cultural Extravaganza, noon-3 p.m., Honors House lawn and Browning Amphitheatre.

• Late Night at the Ohio Union, 8 p.m.-midnight.

• Virginia West hosts Bring on the Bucks, 8 p.m., Union Station Video Cafe, 630 N. High St. Ohio State's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Society Pep Rally will serve as the kickoff for the organization's campaign to endow Ohio State's first scholarship targeting GLBT students.

Oct. 13:

• Homecoming Parade, 10 a.m., begins at Woodruff and Neil (see map in this section for route).

• Emerging Talent Contest, 7:30 p.m., Ohio Union Ballrooms.

Oct. 14:

• Stefanie Spielman Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, 2:30 p.m. registration, Fred Beekman Park. Participants can join in a one-, two- or three-mile walk benefiting the fund established by Stefanie and Chris Spielman. To date, the fund has raised nearly $2 million for breast cancer research at the Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

For more information about these and other activities, visit the Homecoming 2001 Web site at www.osu.edu/homecoming.

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