Ohio state goes Hollywood

Ohio State freshman Mark Kehres will represent the Buckeyes in the Jeopardy! College Tournament, which will air locally Nov. 11-22 on WBNS-TV, Channel 10. The shows were taped in early October in Value City Arena at The Jerome Schottenstein Center, with the set designed to resemble University Hall. Kehres, a native of Livonia, Mich., majoring in humanities, was selected from the 2,000 Ohio State students who auditioned.   By Jo McCulty

Ohio State developing innovative technology to fight food bacteria

By Amy Murray, Media Relations

Food scientists at Ohio State lead the nation in research that may soon change the way foods are processed and preserved. The developing technology, Pulsed Electric Field (PEF), substitutes the use of heat with bursts of electricity to keep fresh foods safe and flavorful.

"This is subtle technology," said Ken Lee, professor and chair of Food Science and Technology. "There's enough energy being put into the food to kill the bacteria, but not so much energy as to cause it to heat up or to cause chemical breakages or flavor changes."

The research, which uses a key treatment process called electroporation, began in 1994 under Howard Zhang, associate professor of food process engineering.

In a fruit like apples, juice is squeezed and pumped through the PEF testing chambers for treatment. At that point, an electrical field builds over bacterial cell membranes, like a water balloon, to break them down. The process causes the microorganisms to lose their life-supporting substances and die. The treated juice is then packaged into containers for consumption.

Zhang said the benefits of the technology are tremendous. With about 102 million pounds of apples harvested each year, Ohio ranks 10th nationally. PEF would allow apple juice and cider to be processed, sterilized and even packed at an orchard, changing the industry significantly.

In addition to freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, specially formulated products such as protein-fortified orange juice, immunologically enhanced soy milk, yogurt drinks, salsa and salad dressings also have been tested. Results indicate that the technology maintains quality, extends shelf life and improves the safety of such products.

Zhang said the next step is to transfer the technology to the private industry. Research will continue in developing functional foods that could one day remedy illnesses related to bacteria and weakened immune systems.

The technology will soon be shared internationally with testing units, manufactured at Ohio State, scheduled for shipment to researchers in Spain and Australia.

"This is a university and the purpose of a university, fundamentally, is to improve the human condition through research and to improve the quality of life," Lee said.

To view the video news release, visit http://www.osu.edu/news_db/vnr/index.php.

Flying high

ROTC cadets raise the flag during the Ohio State — Penn State football game.   By Kevin Fitzsimons

Ohio State's Air Force ROTC trains future military leaders

By Susan Wittstock, onCAMPUS staff

When the University observes Veterans Day on Nov. 11, the institution will take one day to honor those men and women who serve the country in the military forces.

When Col. Sheila Brocki and her colleagues on the staff of Ohio State's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps come to work every day, they serve the veterans of the future.

Detachment 645 of the United States Air Force is one of 144 detachments in the country affiliated with more than 1,000 institutions. Ohio State's program is open to students at Ohio Wesleyan University, Capital University, Columbus State Community College and Otterbein College.

"I make sure the detachment meets all Air Force requirements for educating students," Brocki said. "We want students to come to learn what being in the Air Force means."

Ohio State supports ROTC programs in the Army, Navy and Air Force. By Kevin Fitzsimons

Brocki came to Ohio State in August to serve as the commander of Detachment 645 and as a professor of aerospace studies. Her last appointment was as the director of supply for HQ Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Ohio State's program has approximately 200 freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors involved, and each year commissions between 20 and 30 graduating cadets as 2nd lieutenants, normally for a four-year commitment to the Air Force. Students can go on to become pilots or navigators, as well as any number of careers, such as intelligence analysts, logisticians, electrical, mechanical or civil engineers, meteorologists and lawyers.

"Most of our students are not going to be pilots," Brocki said. "For the Air Force, what you hear about is flying planes, and yet there's this huge group of opportunities."

The AFROTC program is housed on the third floor of Converse Hall, directly across the street from the Blackwell at the Fisher College of Business. Ohio State's Navy and Army ROTC programs are located on the first and second floors, respectively.

The third floor space includes a spacious lobby and lounge area. A student display case in the lobby asks "Where are they now?" and shows maps of the United States and of the world with several hundred pins showing where former cadets currently are stationed. Staff offices are located off the lobby, as are several study and computer lab rooms for student use and a library/conference room. Classroom space is shared with the Army on the second floor.

Ohio State's AFROTC program is staffed by four military assistant professors, one assigned to each class year of students, two non-commissioned officers who work as personnel and administrative specialists, and two University employees who fill the positions of office manager and office specialist.

Brocki said the entire staff nurtures the cadets as they progress in their academic and military careers. Brocki, a mother of two college graduates, said she assured parents this fall that their children would be well-cared for while at Ohio State.

"It seemed comforting to them to know I was a parent, too. And that we'll be keeping not just a military eye, but a parental eye on them," Brocki said.

ROTC students are just that -- students, and 90 percent of their time is spent on campus, Brocki said. The program requires that each quarter they take one class that meets once or twice a week and one leadership lab that meets once a week. Many choose to participate in weekly physical training to ensure they'll meet the physical fitness standards required to maintain a scholarship. To be commissioned, all cadets also must participate in a four- or five-week field-training encampment at an assigned Air Force base, usually the summer after their sophomore year.

By Kevin Fitzsimons ROTC cadets line up outside of Converse Hall prior to OSU's football game on Oct. 26.

Freshmen are given a basic introduction and orientation to the Air Force -- "right down to how to put on a uniform," Brocki said. During the sophomore and junior years they study leadership and management styles.

Brocki is teaching the seniors about national security policy and strategies this quarter. Next quarter they'll conduct cultural and regional studies, including looking at the United States' relationship with the Middle East. During their final quarter on campus, the class will focus on getting the seniors ready for active duty.

"I just came from 25 years of operational Air Force," Brocki said. "I've been tromping around the world for 25 years and I'm teaching seniors on the cusp of their careers. I can give them insight into their roles as officers and their jobs because I've been there."

The ROTC students are organized with a structure similar to what they will experience when they enter the military after graduation. The Cadet Wing is comprised of Operations, Logistics and Support groups, and is led by a student Wing Commander. The Wing Commander is selected by the faculty, but he or she then puts together his or her own staff.

The students change positions every quarter. "The point is to give them the opportunity to test their skills," Brocki said. "We want them to build confidence. We provide the adult oversight if they have questions, but they are running it."

Part of cadet training includes participating in University ceremonies. ROTC cadets raise the flag at football games, they lead a Veterans Day observance ceremony (see box below) and, this year, they led a Sept. 11 anniversary ceremony.

"Ohio has a strong reputation of being supportive of the military. Ohio State, being a land-grant institution, has an historical connection with the military and has always supported the ROTC program," Brocki said.

Recruiting minorities and women also are shared priorities, Brocki said. In 1969, Ohio State was one of four original schools to open ROTC programs to women. Currently, the Cadet Wing is 26 percent female.

Brocki called it a "win-win" situation. AFROTC brings in more than $750,000 a year in scholarships, as well as attracts above average students to Ohio State, and the University, in turn, functions as a draw to recruit students to the Air Force.

Many reasons factor into what makes AFROTC appealing to a college student.

"I think that there is no one kind of person attracted to the Air Force," Brocki said. "I think for some the motivation is education, for others it's patriotism. There are those who want real action and some who want to make a difference in people's lives."

There is one common bond for cadets at Ohio State, though.

"The cadets, as far as they're concerned, are Buckeyes," Brocki said.

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