Morrison earns ICA award

Joel L. Morrison, professor of geography and civil and environmental engineering and geodetic science, and director of the Center for Mapping at Ohio State, has been awarded the Carl Mannerfelt Gold Medal by the International Cartographers Association.

The Mannerfelt Medal is the more prestigious of two awards presented by the ICA, and has been awarded only eight times in the 40-plus-year history of the organization. It honors cartographers of outstanding merit who have made significant contributions of an original nature to the field of cartography and is awarded only on rare occasions to emphasize its distinction.

Morrison earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1968, and taught there for many years, where he educated and inspired numerous cartography and geography students and served as chair of the Department of Geography.

Morrison served as an ICA vice president for a number of years and as ICA president from 1984-1987. He was the recipient of an ICA Honorary Fellowship in 1991, was a member of the board of directors of the International Union of Surveying and Mapping, a U.S. representative to the ICA Commission on Cartographic Communication, chair of the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, and president of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.

Morrison was one of the organizers of the Cartography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers (AAG). In 1999, he was awarded the Anderson Medal, the highest honor of the AAG Applied Geography Specialty Group, in recognition of highly distinguished service to the geography profession.

His career includes service in major government agencies, including as assistant division chief for research in the National Mapping Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, and chief of the Geography Division of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Morrison is one of the long-time co-authors of Elements of Cartography, the classic English-language resource in cartography; has been associate editor and senior consultant to Goode's World Atlas; and has published articles in professional journals worldwide.

Evans to co-direct Learning Center

Donna Evans, dean of the College of Education at Ohio State, has been named co-director of the Center for Learning Excellence, an affiliate of the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy. Evans takes the helm alongside David Andrews, dean of the College of Human Ecology, who has served as director of the center since its inception in August 2000.

The center receives nearly $1 million a year to support 127 alternative education programs serving more than 500 Ohio school districts.

Most of the programs provide an alternative to out-of-school suspension or expulsion for students who have been truant, disruptive, threatened other students or school staff members, or are at risk of dropping out.

The center supports the programs by:

• Conducting and collecting research to identify strategies aimed at removing the barriers to school success that at-risk learners face.

• Providing training and technical assistance for staff working in alternative programs and for their community partners.

• Evaluating the programs.

"I'm very pleased that Dr. Evans has agreed to join me in directing the work of the center,"Andrews said. "The College of Education and the College of Human Ecology have been partners in the development of the center since its inception. That partnership will become even stronger as Dr. Evans takes a more active leadership role."

Evans said that in its first year of operation, the center has proven to be an excellent resource for both the state sponsors and the staff working in alternative education programs.

"I'm truly excited to have the opportunity to become more involved and to encourage College of Education faculty members to become more involved in the center's activities,"Evans said.

Over time, Andrews and Evans will recruit a full-time director whose responsibility will be to move the center toward national prominence and service. The director will hold a joint faculty appointment in the two colleges.

Lane Avenue bridge closure delayed until November 2002

Closure of Lane Avenue at the bridge over the Olentangy River has been delayed until after the OSU-Michigan football game in November 2002.

The closure, originally announced to begin after the last home football game in 2001, will be in effect for approximately 10 to 11 months.

The 80-year-old bridge will be replaced by a six-lane, one-of-a-kind "cable stay"bridge with two towering pillars that support the cable suspension.

Jim Pajk, Franklin County bridge engineer, said that work on those pillars, relocating underground utilities and a temporary pedestrian bridge south of Lane Avenue is expected to begin in January 2002.

Meanwhile, plans to widen Lane Avenue to five lanes between High Street and Olentangy River Road remain on schedule. Construction is expected to begin in May 2002 and conclude in September 2003, said Mark Richards, project manager with the city of Columbus. However, he said the starting date is dependent on private utilities being moved out of the way.

With the exception of the bridge closure, roads will be open throughout the entire project.

Senior Campus Planner Jean Hansford said that negotiations are currently under way with the city and county, with Ohio State seeking upgrades to features normally included in a road project. For example, he said the University is lobbying for decorative, rather than stock, lampposts, and larger sidewalks and pavers instead of grass to accommodate the high pedestrian traffic in the area.

"We want to end up with a street that is not only wider but better looking than what we have now,"Hansford said, adding that Lane Avenue is a major gateway to the Columbus campus and the University community.

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