Ohio State boasts two Guggenheim winners

The Guggenheim Foundation, which provides annual fellowships to support research and artistic creation, has announced its fellowship winners for 2003. Among the 184 artists, scholars and scientists selected from more than 3,200 applicants for the prestigious awards totaling $6.75 million are two winners from Ohio State: Carter Vaughn Findley, professor of history, and Fei-Ran Tian, associate professor of mathematics.

Findley won his fellowship to support the writing of a book about Ignatius Mouradgea d'Ohsson and his "Tableau général de l'Empire othoman." His study will have three parts: The first will examine the life of d'Ohsson, emphasizing the genesis of the Tableau. The second will analyze the work, which scholars have mined for information but never studied as a whole. The third will present selected passages in translation to convey a sense of the work to readers -- including many scholars -- who lack access to the original.

"The Tableau was arguably the most important book published about the Ottomans in 18th century Europe," Findley said. "It is also a singular work. The book never produced the impact in Europe that d'Ohsson desired; yet Ottoman historians have never ceased to study it."

Findlay, who earned his B.A. from Yale and his Ph.D. from Harvard, also won a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which he will use this year to work on a different book project. He will take the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2004-05. At Ohio State, he is a Distinguished University Scholar.

Tian won his fellowship for the study of nonlinear dispersive oscillations. "These oscillations are the type found in optical fibers," he said. "I am trying to develop a macroscopic picture of the oscillations from a theoretical, mathematical point of view." An example of an oscillation is the variation in a sound wave. For mathematical purposes, oscillation is the fluctuation in a mathematical function that varies above and below some particular mean value.

Tian will use the fellowship to spend a year working on the partial differential equations generated through the study of these oscillations. He will spend part of the year at New York University, as well as spending some time at universities in Hong Kong and Italy. His wife and their two children will remain in Columbus while he travels. He will miss working with his 6-year-old son on math problems. "I find it much easier to teach math than reading or writing," he said.

Tian, who has taught at Ohio State since 1995, holds a B.S. from Jinan University, an M.S. from Clarkson University, and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Courant Institute.

New 4-H center to boost outreach efforts

By RANDY GAMMAGE, onCAMPUS staff

With $9.2 million raised toward a $12 million goal, the new Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center to be built on the Ohio State campus is close to becoming a reality.

The architectural firm of Lincoln Street Studio of Columbus is currently working on the final design, expected to be completed in a couple of months. A tentative timetable calls for construction bids to go out by the end of the year, with construction lasting one year, said Bill McCleery, development officer with 4-H Youth Development.

"A grand opening in mid-2005 would be the ideal target," McCleery said.

The approximately 26,500 square-foot facility will be located on a four to five acre site off Fred Taylor Drive between Chadwick Arboretum North and Dakan Hall.

The facility will showcase the role 4-H has as Ohio State's primary youth outreach organization, and will serve as a youth development and training center for volunteer leaders. Currently, more than 300,000 youth and more than 25,000 volunteers are involved in Ohio 4-H programs, said Ryan Schmiesing, Extension specialist and 4-H liaison with the project architects.

"We believe the new facility is going to give us the space, technology and the resources that will increase our identity across the state," Schmiesing said. "We'll have the ability to communicate not only across the state, but across the country."

The first of its kind on a land-grant university campus, the center will be teeming with distance learning capabilities. A computer laboratory will contain 40 permanent computer stations and video conferencing capabilities that will link to the OSU Extension Learning Centers, located in Piketon, Caldwell and Franklin counties.

"Our long range goals would be to link into all 88 counties through their Extension offices, so the new center will benefit every county in the state," McCleery said.

The majority of the building will be designed for program and conference space, with a portion of the third and fourth floors housing suites for the state 4-H offices, currently housed in the Agricultural Administration Building.

Features will include a large auditorium that seats 300-400, classrooms and demonstration areas, a multimedia technology room, an outdoor education area and patio, and a large reception area or great hall, with interactive kiosks that highlight the multitude of ongoing 4-H activities.

"The great hall will feature in some dramatic way the four H's -- head, hand, heart and health -- so that as people walk into the building they will immediately be reminded what 4-H stands for and that, programmatically, everything in the new center is linked to those H's," McCleery said.

He said part of the fund-raising campaign is directed at recruiting corporations that have some type of affinity with one of the H's, such as medical professionals, to sponsor a letter. As a side note to the campaign, Athletic Director Andy Geiger sent an autographed football to each of the 88 Ohio counties. To date, McCleery said 80 of those counties have either auctioned off or raffled those footballs, netting $50,000 for the 4-H Center fund-raising campaign.

With more than six million members in this country alone, 4-H has become the largest youth organization in the world. In Ohio, 4-H is part of OSU Extension under the umbrella of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, and provides 4-H members with the latest research-based information, distributed through a network of county OSU Extension faculty and 4-H volunteers, McCleery said.

"4-H is a tremendous outreach and engagement arm for Ohio State University," McCleery said.

More people get exposed to Ohio State through 4-H than any other means, he said. A prime example is the 87th Ohio 4-H Youth Expo that attracted more than 350 teens to the Ohio State campus June 18-20. Ohio teens learned new ideas and skills they could use in their 4-H clubs and in their communities while exploring everything from puppetry to computer technology and community service to culinary skills.

While a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new 4-H center was held Sept. 7, 2002 at Ohio State in conjunction with statewide celebrations to honor 100 years of 4-H in Ohio, an official groundbreaking ceremony will be held as construction nears.

For details on the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center or to make a donation, contact McCleery at 247-6904 or visit the Web at www.ohio4-HCenter.org.

Senate wraps ups busy but productive year

By JONI BENTZ SEAL, onCAMPUS staff

After reviewing an incredible number of issues that could change the face of the university for years to come, University Senate concluded its 31st year in existence at the June 5 session.

Issues of major institutional impact included the restructuring of the arts and sciences, two actions resulting in changes for medical and non-medical clinical faculty, and the enactment of two academic issues -- the move to Sunday commencement and a revision to the Code of Student Conduct.

Presiding over the senate, President Karen Holbrook praised the concept of shared governance. "This has been a very productive year for the University Senate. I am pleased to work with such a dedicated group of faculty, administrators and students, and to be part of such an important collegial process."

The senate's powers include: establishing the educational and academic policies of the university; recommending the establishment, abolition and alteration of educational units and programs of study; recommending candidates for honorary degrees and candidates for degrees and certificates; and making recommendations concerning the rights, responsibilities and concerns of students, faculty, administrators and staff.

Susan Fisher, who was reappointed to a second, three-year term as secretary of the senate at the June 5 meeting, described the unique role the governing body plays: "The senate at Ohio State is different, serving three constituencies -- faculty, students and administrators," Fisher said. "With our senate, once a decision is made about an issue, the matter goes directly to our Board of Trustees. A more traditional senate, which is composed only of faculty -- goes through the administrative structure, and then to the board. Our relationship with the board is much more direct, although, of course, the board has final disposition of all matters."

Typically, the senate weighs in most heavily and authoritatively when rules are involved, Fisher said. "There are no hard and fast guidelines for what or how the senate as a whole entertains items and proposals," she said. "Many committees never send anything to the senate unless they need a rule change, or have something that is outside their realm. For example, the procedures and policies of the Committee of Enrollment and Student Progress are pretty well established, so they don't need much senate involvement."

CESP oversees the academic calendar, so items -- like the recent change in commencement from Friday to Sunday -- are discussed at the committee level. Fisher said in this particular example, the change in commencement was endorsed by CESP, the Council on Academic Affairs and the Steering Committee, and was brought before the senate June 5. Although just a formality at this point, the rule change needed to accommodate the action will be voted on by the senate when it resumes meeting next fall, and is expected to be followed by trustee approval.

In addition to the change in commencement, several other key issues were addressed or heard by the senate this past year, including:

Arts and sciences restructuring

Culminating in a white paper issued by Holbrook and Executive Vice President and Provost Ed Ray at the senate meeting May 8, the restructuring of the arts and sciences was discussed among many senate subcommittees and in an open forum panel discussion at the Feb. 13 meeting. The white paper was accepted by the Board of Trustees at its meeting May 30. Implementation of the new structure will begin in July.

Clinical track cap removal

At its Jan. 16 meeting, the senate approved the removal of the cap on regular clinical faculty in the College of Medicine and Public Health, which was subsequently approved by the Board of Trustees at its Feb. 7 meeting.

Non-medical clinical appointments

At the conclusion of the 2002-03 academic year, the senate voted to allow clinical faculty appointments outside of the health sciences. Guidelines to describe criteria and set procedure for these appointments were written and submitted to the senate June 5 by the Committee on Academic Affairs. With the guidelines now available, the senate expects to hear from colleges interested in adding clinical tracks.

GEC review

The final report of the Undergraduate Curriculum Review Committee, a senate subcommittee that examined the general education curriculum and the time to degree for undergraduates, has been submitted to the Arts and Sciences Faculty Senate, which has jurisdiction over the general education requirements in the arts and sciences and will have final disposition of the matter.

Code of Student Conduct revision

A rule change to revise the Code of Student Conduct, making it more explicit of the university's authority and judicial processing in regard to student bystanders of off-campus disturbances, was approved by the senate at its June 5 meeting, and will be presented for approval at the July 11 Board of Trustees meeting.

The first senate meeting of the 2003-04 academic year will be Oct. 9, when 22 new senators begin their service. The October meeting in Weigel Hall Auditorium also will include the president's State of the University address. All members of the university community are welcome to attend senate meetings. For a meeting schedule or for more information about the senate, visit http://senate.ohio-state.edu/.

Kangaroo gets new jump on life

Courtesy of New Media and Video Services Stumpy the kangaroo jumps again after receiving a prosthetic hind leg from David Anderson, associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Anderson has provided prostheses to injured animals since 1988. Richard Nitsch of American Orthopedics in Columbus assisted Anderson, and the manufacturer, Ottobach, donated the technology for the $15,000 leg, which consists of a spring device similar to the one worn by para-Olympian Thomas Bourgeois. The kangaroo belongs to Tammy and Larry Rogers of the International Kangaroo Society, located in Lancaster, Ohio.

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