Creating a campus that is environmentally friendly

By Timothy Lawrence Martin Quigley, center, assistant professor of urban landscape ecology, identifies for students some of the plants that will be used for a bioretention area north of the Jack Nicklaus Museum.

CampUShed focuses on clean water solutions

By Randy Gammage, onCAMPUS staff

A dedicated group is raising environmental awareness at Ohio State by promoting alternative methods of storm water management, while at the same time creating real-world training experiences for students.

CampUShed is a unique collaboration between students, faculty and staff from the academic sector, and members of the professional and service sectors on and around the University to introduce the best scientifically based environmental solutions.

Led by Timothy Lawrence, coordinator of CampUShed and program director for Ohio NEMO, a nonpoint pollution education program of Ohio State Extension, NEMO is assisting communities throughout the state to make adjustments to comply with federal clean water legislation that will be implemented beginning March 2003.

"What we do here on campus will serve as a demonstration of how they can do things in an environmentally friendly and economically feasible method," Lawrence said.

Besides the potential for Ohio State to become nationally recognized as an environmentally friendly campus, the work of CampUShed has career implications for students, Lawrence said. While engineers have traditionally focused on cost and structural integrity of new buildings, they now will have to consider the impact on the environment.

"It is going to increase a student's marketability if they have experience in handling water quality issues," Lawrence said.

River systems are affected by their surrounding watersheds, which is the land that water flows over and under on its way to the river. Here on campus, Lawrence said that careful evaluation is going into the storm water runoff from buildings and parking lots, which eventually makes its way into the Olentangy River.

Because it is collaborative in nature, CampUShed can provide opportunities for students to interact with faculty and staff outside of the classroom, to receive hands-on learning experiences to supplement their current coursework, and to have a platform where students can have a stronger, unified voice concerning environmental impacts and issues on campus, Lawrence said.

Martin Quigley, assistant professor of urban landscape ecology in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, joined CampUShed to help promote landscape unity and environmental quality of the OSU campus.

"I intend to work CampUShed projects into the curriculum using student labs so they can learn ecological values while participating in real projects," Quigley said.

By spring quarter, at least two or three of the landscape design and management courses he teaches will include either a stream or wetland landscape design, and an installation project. One potential project may involve transforming a storm water detention ditch -- north of the Jack Nicklaus Museum and south of the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility -- into a low-maintenance bioswale, where a mix of highly organic, porous material and native plants will absorb and filter water before it passes through to the Olentangy River.

"Instead of having an eyesore, you have an ornamental landscape that serves a biological function," Quigley said.

Kevin Wagner, acting director of Physical Facilities' Roads and Grounds Division, said the creation of CampUShed at OSU is reflective of a national trend toward better storm water management.

"Coastal areas such as Oregon, California, South Carolina and Maryland all have strict guidelines and permitting processes that require owners to use best management practices in treating their storm water," Wagner said.

The Clean Water Act and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program initiated by the Environmental Protection Agency will make it mandatory to improve storm water quality. The NPDES controls water pollution by regulating sources -- parking lots, buildings and any pipe network that leads to a waterway -- that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. For details, visit the Web at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/.

A former senior engineer in the University Engineers Office, Wagner said he is actively seeking storm water quality projects on campus.

Traditionally, buildings have been designed to direct water runoff out and away as quickly as possible, said Laura Shinn, senior campus planner with the Office of Facilities Planning and Development. Architects and designers realize improved water quality is the wave of the future, yet they have had little experience dealing with experimental conservation concepts such as bioswales and capturing runoff to be used for irrigation purposes, Shinn said.

CampUShed can play a significant environmental role in future campus construction projects, she said; the key is finding the right project to get them involved in and use that as an example.

"In an ideal scenario, they could be available as an advisory team and let us know what is out there in terms of alternative ways to handle watershed," Shinn said.

Besides the offices of Engineering and Facilities Planning and Development and the Roads and Grounds division, project partners also include OSU Extension; the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering; the School of Natural Resources; the City and Regional Planning program; the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Sciences; the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center; Secrest Arboretum and 13 environmentally-oriented student groups. Off campus partners are Campus Partners, City of Columbus, Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District, Friends of the Lower Olentangy and National Resources Conservation Service.

For details, visit the Web at http://campushed.osu.edu.

Gorbachev offers global insight

By Jo McCulty Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev speaks at the Fisher Council on Global Trade and Technology lecture hosted by the Fisher College of Business Nov. 12 at Mershon Auditorium. Speaking through an interpreter, Gorbachev said all nations must work together to reduce poverty, foster world stability and security, and save the environment. A detailed article about the lecture and a transcript of President Gorbachev's speech can be found at http://fisher.osu.edu/news/2002/activities_programs/fishercouncil2002.htm.

AAAS honors seven Ohio State faculty named to the rank of Fellow

By Pam Frost Gorder, Research Communications

Seven Ohio State faculty members have just received the rank of Fellow from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The new Fellows include:

• Albert de la Chapelle, director of the Human Cancer Genetics Program at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and holder of the Charlotte and Leonard Immke Chair of Cancer Genetics, for his "pioneering studies on the familial and genetic basis of human colorectal cancers and other malignant diseases."

Among his many achievements, de la Chapelle has identified genes that play a part in promoting or suppressing tumor growth, and developed more accurate genetic testing.

• Arthur J. Epstein, Distinguished University Professor of physics and chemistry and director of the Center for Materials Research, for "leadership in the fundamental and applied interdisciplinary science of conducting, semiconducting, and magnetic polymers, particularly for the co-discovery and studies of organic-based magnets."

Epstein has invented plastics and devices that could one day replace metals in electronics and lead to light, flexible video screens and high-density computer memories. His extensive publications and patents are among the most cited in the field.

• Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychology and psychiatry, and director of the Division of Health Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, for "pioneering research on the relations between psychological and immunological factors and for a key role in the development of the field of psychoneuroimmunology."

Kiecolt-Glaser and Ronald Glaser, professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, have demonstrated that psychological stress can decrease a person's immune response and even lessen the effectiveness of influenza and pneumonia vaccines.

• Randy Nelson, Distinguished University Professor of psychology and neuroscience, for "integrative perspectives on behavioral biology that are both evolutionarily and medically grounded."

Nelson has shown how seasonal changes affect animals' susceptibility to illness. For instance, shortened daylight hours cause mice to produce melatonin, which boosts immune response; the work has implications for humans who take melatonin supplements for sleep disorders. Nelson has also used mice to study the physiological mechanisms underlying motivated behaviors such as aggressive and reproductive behaviors.

• William F. Saam, professor and chair of the Department of Physics, for "innovative research on interfacial phenomena, especially wetting transitions, and for academic leadership."

Saam pioneered modern ideas of how solids, liquids and gases interact with each other -- leading to predictions of whether a liquid will form beads on a surface or spread evenly. Since becoming chair in 1998, Saam expanded departmental research to include new areas such as experimental biophysics and string theory, and hired a new Ohio Eminent Scholar in Experimental Physics.

• Steven A. Slack, associate vice president for Agricultural Administration and director of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, for "basic contributions to pathogen detection and host plant resistance in potatoes, potato tissue culture and certification systems, and for leadership in two professional societies."

Slack has identified genes that help plants resist bacteria and viruses, and developed hearty potato varieties using these genes. He has served as president of both the American Phytopathological Society and the Potato Association of America.

• Brian H. Smith, professor of entomology, for "distinguished contributions to the field of learning and memory, particularly for studies of olfactory conditioning and discrimination in honey bees."

Smith investigations include the genetic and neural mechanisms underlying odor learning and discrimination. He has demonstrated that insects can be trained to respond to different scents, and that there is a genetic basis for this behavior. These studies help to reveal broad mechanisms of olfaction that apply to a wide array of animals, including humans.

With these seven new additions, Ohio State now has 61 AAAS Fellows among its faculty.

AAAS members are elevated to the rank of Fellow because of their efforts toward advancing science or fostering applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. AAAS represents the world's largest federation of scientists and works to advance science for human well-being through its projects, programs and publications. It conducts programs in the areas of science policy, science education and international scientific cooperation.

The association will publish the names of all 291 new Fellows in an upcoming issue of the journal Science. The Fellows will be honored in February in Denver, during the AAAS Annual Meeting.

Ohio State employees can now receive W2 forms online

Ohio State faculty, staff and student employees can now choose to receive their Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement online instead of by mail.

Ohio State is required to furnish all employees with a Form W-2 showing their compensation and tax withholding amounts for the calendar year, for use in completing their 2002 tax returns. The IRS has now approved the delivery of W-2 statements online with the employee's consent.

This year, TALX, the same company that provides the University's employment verification service through The Work Number, will distribute both electronic and print versions of the W-2, and corrections and reprints. Employees may continue to receive their Form W-2 via U.S. Mail, or may opt to download their W-2 from a secure site and store it on their computer.

There are several benefits to receiving the Form W-2 electronically vs. through the mail:

• Online delivery provides access to the Form W-2 earlier than the traditional mail process.

• Online delivery eliminates the chance that the W-2 will get lost, misdirected or delayed during delivery, or misplaced once the employee receives it.

• The electronic format allows employees to import the Form W-2 information into Quicken TurboTax® or H&R Block's TaxCut software rather than rekeying the information.

• Signing up for online delivery is easy and secure, and employees can change their minds and withdraw from online delivery at any time.

• Employees can receive their Form W-2 even while traveling or on assignment away from their home address.

• The Web site offers OSU employees discounts on Quicken TurboTax® software.

To receive the Form W-2 online, faculty, staff and student employees must register Nov. 22 through Jan. 9, 2003. Any election made on or after Jan. 9 will be regarded as consent for the next year. Any employee who does not register to receive his or her W-2 online will receive a copy via U.S. Mail.

Employees can register by taking the following steps:

• Visit www.theworknumber.com.

• Under "Employees," click "LOGIN."

• Employees will be asked to enter the Ohio State code which is 10380, then their Social Security Number (SSN) and PIN number. The PIN number is the last four digits of the employee's SSN, and can be changed when the employee logs into his or her account.

• Click on "Sign up for online delivery" and follow the prompts that will ask for a primary (and secondary) e-mail address, mailing address, and home/work phone number.

• Employees will receive a confirmation e-mail when enrolling for online delivery, as well as confirmations of any changes made to contact information. Those who choose to receive their Form W-2 online will not receive another copy via U.S. Mail.

In January, those who registered to receive the Form W-2 online will receive e-mail notification that their Form W-2 is posted on the secure site, along with instructions for retrieval. The employee just downloads the W-2 file to his or her computer and can refer to it, print it, or import it into a tax software package at any time. The files will be accessible on or before Jan. 31, 2003.

"Making the Form W-2 available online is another step toward providing better service to Ohio State faculty, staff and student employees by taking advantage of the Web platform," said Karen Carroll, director of payroll for human resources. "Upgrading the HR System allowed the Office of Human Resources to be able to provide more self-service features via the Internet because Peoplesoft 8 is a Web-based application."

Carroll also emphasized that providing multiple channels of access to information is important. "Those who have corrections to their W-2 or who need a reprint will be able to access those options via the Internet, IVR (Interactive Voice Recognition), or phone so that employees can use the method that is most convenient to them."

Security has become a big issue when dealing with personal information on the Web.

"TALX states clearly that they do not resell, distribute, or disclose personal information like Social Security Numbers to third parties for use in mailing lists, by telemarketers, et cetera," Carroll said. "They have a comprehensive privacy statement available online."

All activity and data within personal accounts are protected by multiple levels of security, both online and offline. All orders and account activity on the Internet are protected by industry-standard SSL encryption.

Faculty, staff and student employees will receive detailed information on their options for receiving the W-2 and who to contact for corrections or reprints via a memo, e-mail, reSources newsletter, and other University communication channels.