Two faculty awarded NSF career awards

Gopalan and Peng awards total $1.1 million

The National Science Foundation has awarded Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards to two more Ohio State faculty members: Venkant Gopalan and Mike Peng. The 2003 CAREER awards, which recognize young researchers' dual commitment to scholarship and education, will total about $1.1 million in CAREER funding for the two researchers over the next five years.

Gopalan, an assistant professor of biochemistry, will receive nearly $750,000 to develop a method for figuring out the role each gene plays in a plant genome. He will use the funds to study an enzyme -- RNase P -- which can block, or turn off, the expression of individual genes. Turning a gene off in a growing plant might provide vital information on the specific characteristics that the gene controls. Doing so will help build a roadmap for the genome, one that tells researchers which genes are essential to the survival and development of an organism. Using RNase P as a tool to uncover gene function can help researchers figure out which processes control a plant's susceptibility to stresses such as drought and pathogens. With this information in hand, Gopalan's work may make it possible to increase the amount of land on which crops are grown by creating transgenic plants that can withstand certain environmental stressors.

Peng, assistant professor of management and international business at the Fisher College of Business, will receive $422,890 to explore how organizations in countries undergoing tremendous institutional transitions make strategic choices. He said little is known about how organizations make strategic choices when confronting large-scale fundamental institutional transitions, such as those taking place throughout numerous emerging economies. Peng will be conducting three large-scale, multi-year studies involving organizations in China in the first two years and extending to Thailand and Russia for the remaining years. His research will explain, predict and document how businesses move from a network-based strategy to one based on competitive capabilities as the country advances through market-supporting institutional transitions.

Gopalan and Peng are the third and fourth NSF CAREER award winners from Ohio State announced this year. Announced earlier were awards to James Davis, assistant professor of computer and information science, and Philip Schniter, assistant professor of electrical engineering.

As NSF announces CAREER awards throughout the year, news of other Ohio State faculty winners may follow.

State invests $17 million in OSU imaging research

By Jim Brown OSU radiologist Michael Knopp, left, receives a check from Gov. Bob Taft, who presented the award on behalf of the Third Frontier Project May 28 at Failor Plaza. Knopp received a $9.1 million grant to create the state's first Wright Center of Innovation in Biosciences at Ohio State, and his research in the field of biomedical research and imaging was selected to receive an $8 million Biomedical Research and Technology Transfer (BRTT) Partnership Award. The funding is among the largest ever awarded to a medical researcher at Ohio State.

MacDonald appointed academic dean at Newark

By TERI HOLDER, Newark Communications

Ohio State's Board of Trustees approved the appointment of William MacDonald as the academic dean of Ohio State Newark at its meeting May 30. MacDonald has been serving as interim academic dean since July 1, 2002. His appointment will officially begin on July 1.

MacDonald received his doctorate in sociology from Bowling Green State University and joined the Newark faculty as an assistant professor of sociology in 1992; he became an associate professor in 1998. Prior to serving as the interim academic dean, he served as the assistant academic dean and, during the past three years, has concurrently served as the honors director at the Newark campus.

"Dr. MacDonald's proven academic experience and leadership skills, as well as his extensive knowledge of the campus, bode well for the continued improvement of academic programs at Newark," said Provost Edward Ray.

Published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, MacDonald's research and teaching interests include a wide range of sociological topics, including issues related to religion, stepfamilies, racial and ethnic divisions, methods and statistics. In addition, he has extensive experience in service at the campus, departmental and university levels.

"I am very pleased with the appointment of Dr. MacDonald," said Anne Cairns Federlein, president of the Newark campus. "He has done a wonderful job this past year as the interim dean gaining the respect and support of the faculty and staff. I look forward to his continued success as we work together to grow OSU Newark."

Operation Feed 2003 raises nearly $80,000

Thanks to a donation of $57,200 from the Department of Athletics, the 2003 Operation Feed campaign on Ohio State's Columbus campus raised a total of $79,967 -- more than triple the $22,000 collected last year.

When the 13,380 pounds of food collected this year from faculty, staff and students are added to the total, Ohio State is responsible for providing 172,773 meals for central Ohioans.

"We are thrilled to be able to provide so many meals to support the work of the Mid-Ohio FoodBank," said Ned Cullom, program manager for human resources. "It's really incredible for one institution to generate such a large donation."

The large gift from the Department of Athletics was the result of a pledge to donate $1 per person who attended the April 26 spring football game.

The drive took place on the Columbus campus April 14-May 9. Through financial and food donations, Operation Feed supports 228 food pantries, soup kitchens and emergency shelters in six central Ohio counties. The Office of Human Resources coordinates the effort at Ohio State.

News briefs

Commencement will move to Sundays

The university administration has approved a plan to move commencement to Sunday afternoons, effective with the autumn quarter ceremony in December, and to eliminate early senior finals.

"The change has been long-sought by students whose families are forced to take time off from work to travel to Columbus for their loved ones' graduations on Fridays, and by faculty who are required to conduct early separate final examinations for graduating seniors during the last week of the academic quarter," said Provost Edward Ray.

"Faculty requesting this change also have advocated that the elimination of early senior exams provides the additional benefit of lengthening the instructional time for students, adding another 10 percent to their final quarter. With advances made possible by electronic grade tracking and degree audits, we firmly believe that now is the right time to make this decision and begin its implementation," he said.

The Office of Academic Affairs will immediately convene a planning committee of key contributors to the commencement process to begin planning for the autumn commencement, which will now take place on Sunday, Dec. 14. The planning team will provide Ray and President Karen Holbrook with regular updates on details.

Outreach, engagement review committee named

Provost Edward Ray has appointed a review committee to examine the university's outreach and engagement initiative. Ray hopes the committee will help provide a broad understanding of the domain of the university's outreach and engagement office, review the office in the context of best practices at other universities, and provide recommendations to enhance outreach and engagement as part of the university's mission. The committee, which is headed by Gifford Weary, chair of psychology, is expected to present its report -- including recommendations to increase the effectiveness of outreach and engagement at Ohio State -- by the end of June.

Committee members are: Carole Anderson, David Andrews, Barbara Ludwig, John Riedl, Randy Smith and Edward Malecki.

OSU establishes national security consortium

Todd Stewart, retired Air Force major general and executive director of Ohio State's Program for International and Homeland Security, has announced the creation of the National Academic Consortium for Homeland Security (NACHS), an alliance of academic institutions across the nation with research, technology development, education, training and service programs focused on various aspects of homeland security. Nearly 40 universities and colleges have joined with Ohio State in the consortium. The NACHS Web site can be found at: www.osu.edu/homelandsecurity/NACHS.

Holbrook names committee for VP search

President Holbrook has appointed a 17-member committee to head the search for a new vice president for research. Fred Sanfilippo, dean and senior vice president of the College of Medicine and Public Health, will chair the search committee. Former Vice President C. Bradley Moore left the position in April to take a similar post at Northwestern University. Thomas J. Rosol, professor of veterinary biosciences and second-in-command in the Office of Research, is serving as vice president in an interim capacity.

Fermilab touts Ohio State connection

The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory published an article detailing its longtime connection with Ohio State in the May 9 issue of its magazine, FermiNews. Since the 1970s, Ohio State faculty members have led Fermilab experiments, and graduate students have participated in research conducted there.

In particular, the article praised the faculty of the Department of Physics for its speedy development of an electronic device, called the Extremely Fast Tracker (XRT). Brian Winer and Richard Hughes, both associate professors of physics, led the team that built the XRT, which was recently used as part of an experiment in Fermilab's particle accelerator.

Speaking of Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati, Fermilab spokesperson Janet Conrad commented in the article that "Ohio has produced a lot of good physicists," and "there are no more than two degrees of separation between the state of Ohio and any physicist."

Alumnus, student win HUMAS awards

Humanities alumnus Wayne P. Lawson (B.A. Spanish, '63; M.A. English, '66; and Ph.D. theatre, '73), executive director of the Ohio Arts Council, was awarded the Humanities Alumni Society (HUMAS) Alumni Award of Distinction at the College of Humanities Baccalaureate, an annual celebration of the achievements of graduating students and alumni which took place June 12 at the Fawcett Center. Ohio State Trustee and alumnus (B.A. history, ‘77) Douglas Borror, chairman and CEO of Dominion Homes, was the featured speaker. HUMAS also presented the Outstanding Student Award to Craig Evers, a major in English and economics.

Athletic appointments announced

President Karen Holbrook announced June 2 the appointments of Beverly Moss as the Office of Academic Affairs Liaison to the Department of Athletics and John Bruno as the Faculty Athletics Representative to the NCAA and Big Ten Conference.

Moss, an associate professor in the Department of English and director of the Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing, will work with the Student Athlete Support Services Office (SASSO) in managing the academic progress of Ohio State student-athletes. Bruno, professor in the departments of Psychology, Neuroscience and Psychiatry, succeeds Susan Hartmann in representing the academic interests of Ohio State's faculty and 961 Division I student-athletes.

Moss' term will expire in 2005. Bruno's appointment will run through 2006.

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