By Jo McCulty Professor Harold Moellering teaches the basics of cartography to Geography 580 students in Derby Hall. "Growth in spatial sciences in the last 30 years has been phenomenal, and our enrollment patterns have followed that growth," he said. "I'm enthusiastic to share my knowledge and experience in the field with students."

Geographical science an integrated endeavor

By JONI BENTZ SEAL, onCAMPUS staff

Have you requested driving directions from the Internet lately? Looked up the property value of your home on the county auditor's Web site, or listened to the weather forecast to be sure you dress appropriately for Saturday's game? If so, then you've benefited from search tools powered by geographical information systems (GIS).

Founded at Ohio State in 1907, the geography department is far removed from the days when maps were drawn by hand and climatic change was more guesswork than theory. Today, the field benefits from an interdisciplinary research approach and the application of technology, which has brought the resulting data within easy reach of many citizens through desktop computers, cell phones and global positioning devices.

"There is strong demand for geographers not only with experience in GIS and mapping, but who have the ability to integrate with the broad social science and/or climate training, and to use technology to support the theoretical insight of the field," said Morton O'Kelly, department chair.

In addition to interdisciplinary research and outreach, O'Kelly, who succeeded Larry Brown as chair in July, points out that the department's efforts to enhance the teaching and learning environment and build a world-class faculty contribute directly to three of the six strategies of the Academic Plan.

Improving the undergraduate experience

With 220 students, enrollment in the undergraduate geography program has nearly quadrupled since the mid-1990s, which O'Kelly attributes to the vitality of the major's tracks, the rigorous curriculum and the department's commitment to quality instruction. About 30 percent of geography majors are women; 10 percent are in the honors program.

"I think the perception is that we have a balanced and diverse program that offers a variety of skills and applications, contributing to understanding over a very wide range of situations. Examples include measuring access to community services and analyzing housing and economic development," he said.

O'Kelly also credits the program's advising staff with funneling students with interests in cities, mapping, weather, or world or regional development into the program, and then identifying one of four tracks best suited for their interests: Analytical Cartography and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Urban and Regional Systems (URS), Atmospheric and Climatic Studies (ACS), or studies of People, Society and Environment (PSE). These topical concentrations parallel those in the graduate program.

O'Kelly said a number of students consider geography because of their interest in severe weather phenomena, such as tornados, flash floods and periodic drought, therefore, the climate track accounts for roughly half of the program's students. One-third of the majors are in URS, and one-quarter are enrolled in GIS.

GIS is indeed the buzzword of the 21st century, and has been gaining popularity thanks to geography, or more specifically, spatial analysis, said O'Kelly. The accuracy of spatial data and standards is critical, for instance, in placing warning buoys; having up-to-date maps of flight obstructions, such as cellular antenna towers; and in identifying potential hazards from tunneling mines in areas that might contain hidden, abandoned or flooded shafts. The mine collapse in Pennsylvania last year demonstrates what can happen with the absence of precise and up-to-date information.

The new undergraduate PSE track explores the environmental impact of human interaction by identifying sources of conflict between the use of resources and the depletion of non-renewable or fragile aspects of the environment. The effects of traffic congestion on urban air quality, the impact of suburban settlement on natural resources, and the preservation of farmland and watersheds in settlement conversion are among the topics studied.

"It should be clear from these examples that geography is a very interactive discipline," O'Kelly said. "Our faculty are actively collaborating with researchers in many departments throughout the university, serving on multidisciplinary study teams and working side-by-side with colleagues with ecology, natural resources, economic and engineering perspectives."

Interdisciplinary research and outreach

Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Distinguished University Scholar and professor of geography, agrees that coordination among scientists from different disciplines and the financial support of various federal agencies is integral to the field's success.

"Most of the grand challenges in the area of global climate change are now made by teams of scientists, engineers and students, rather than the lone scientist," she said, referring to her work in climatology and atmospheric science. "The numerous systems and processes that need to be understood and the complex processes by which they are coupled require at a minimum a working knowledge of several disciplines and multiple methodologies."

O'Kelly said the department's interdisciplinary record is strong, having successfully incubated the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA) and establishing solid ties between faculty and research scholars at the Byrd Polar Research Center, where Mosley-Thompson co-founded the Ice Core Paleoclimatology Research Group with Lonnie Thompson, a professor in geological sciences.

Research opportunities available to students mirror the focus and integration of the field as well. The department offers a variety of opportunities for undergraduates to become involved in faculty research projects and encourages participation in the Denman Research Forum. The department is proactive in making students aware of scholarship and internship opportunities.

Bill Ackerman, associate professor of geography at the Lima campus, has developed an internship relationship with the Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Department that opens opportunities to some of his students.

"Through this internship arrangement, I'm able to place students into meaningful research situations where the outcomes actually apply to solve problems, such as traffic flow studies, urban renewal studies and neighborhood assessment studies," he said. "Many students are then hired by the planning department and get on-the-job experience that proves invaluable to their post-collegiate career success," he added.

O'Kelly said that research opportunities such as these help bridge the gap between the learning experience for students and the contribution of the university -- and the department -- to the community.

"We have taken the approach that the transfer of knowledge through engaged scholarship makes the most sense in a field where the technical aspects of what we do can be most useful to neighborhood and community groups," O'Kelly said.

The department also is active with the Ohio Geographic Alliance, which encourages and facilitates the distribution of teaching materials to K-12 teachers, thereby increasing the currency of teaching materials in the schools, and, as a long-term strategy, stirring early interest in geography as a college-level choice.

Building a world-class faculty

O'Kelly said the department's primary emphasis in recent years has been the pursuit of scholarly excellence. The department's success in this area is evident by the numerous honors its faculty has received, within the university and at local, national and international levels.

Since 1990, five geography faculty -- including Ackerman -- have received the university's Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching; Associate Professor Paul Robbins joined that list this year. Also recognized this year were Professor Kevin Cox (Distinguished University Professor), Mosley-Thompson (Distinguished Scholar) and Ed Malecki, director of CURA (the Joan N. Huber Faculty Fellow awarded by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences).

Beyond the university, Mosley-Thompson, an internationally respected researcher and expert on global climate change, was recently inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame and serves on a number of national boards and committees. Harold Moellering, professor of geography and geodetic science, received a recognition from the International Cartographic Association in August for his work in connecting analytical cartography and GIS.

Ackerman said he is honored to be part of such a dynamic department that is populated with outstanding faculty committed to high-quality teaching and research.

"We enjoy international recognition and are considered one of the top five programs in the country," he said. "More importantly, our students recognize our commitment to them, which has resulted in tremendous growth in our undergraduate program and strengthened the camaraderie between the faculty and graduate students. There's a lot of good, solid work going on between the groups."

Ohio State rocks: Byrd Polar Center home to national rock repository

By HOLLY WAGNER, Research Communications

Tracking down rare rocks from the coldest reaches of the planet just got a little easier for polar geologists with the opening of the U.S. Polar Rock Repository at Ohio State's Byrd Polar Research Center.

In addition to rock collections already donated by several polar scientists, the one-of-a-kind repository also houses materials associated with polar rock collecting, such as field notes, annotated air photos and maps, paleomagnetic cores, and ground rock and mineral residues. Scientists from all over the United States and the world can easily access information on the rock collections housed at the repository via the online Antarctic Geologic Database at www.bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/rr/projects/agd.

While 1,000 chunks of polar rocks have already been cataloged and shelved, the rock repository has enough space to hold up to 180,000 specimens. The 4,200- square-foot extension of Scott Hall on the university's west campus houses rocks from some of the most remote reaches of the Earth -- Antarctica and the Arctic. In many cases, the field sites where some of the rocks were collected were so isolated that scientists had visited the sites only once.

Conducting field experiments in polar regions is quite expensive and often dangerous, making the rocks in the repository's collections valuable. The National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs understood this and also realized the extent to which Ohio State's faculty were involved in polar research, and granted the university close to $1 million four years ago for the development of the repository and associated projects. Ohio State and the Ohio Board of Regents supplemented the funds received from NSF.

"Ohio State has a long history of research in the polar regions," said Tom Rosol, interim vice president for research at Ohio State, during the facility's dedication on Oct. 11. "The people here worked for many years to develop a safe house for these collections."

The rock collections housed in the repository lend themselves to countless research opportunities, such as studying ancient pollen residue to assess environmental and climatic change and dating minerals from rock samples to get an idea of tectonic events.

"These rocks give us clues to Earth's history," said Rosie Askin, a research scientist at the Byrd Polar Research Center. Askin spearheaded the effort to create a rock repository on campus. "We want to know how the rocks got to be where they are, and what happened to them along the way."

News briefs

Recent news items in an abbreviated format.

OSU hosts "Smart and Sober" celebration

Ohio State hosted the inaugural event of Ohio First Lady Hope Taft's "Smart and Sober" campaign Oct. 13 in the Schottenstein Center. Open to children in grades 5-9 across the state, and to high school and college students serving as mentors, chaperones and volunteers, the event celebrated the positive choice of young people to stay substance-free and launched the campaign to teach the dangers of underage drinking and the importance of a healthy, tobacco- and drug-free lifestyle. President Karen Holbrook welcomed attendees to the half-day program, and residents of the substance-free floors of Morrill Tower and Smith Hall served as spokespeople for the lifestyle. Ohio State is one of nearly 30 organizations partnering in this effort.

Preventing and reducing underage drinking is a top priority of Taft, who serves on the National Advisory Council for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and on the National Conference of State Legislatures' Advisory Committee on the Treatment of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. A video produced by the First Lady's office, featuring actor Henry Winkler and rapper Bow Wow -- a Columbus native, is being used in school districts across Ohio and 28 other states to reduce and prevent underage drinking.

Third Frontier award

The Ohio State College of Engineering received a $10 million Third Frontier award Oct. 27 to establish the Ohio Center for Advanced Propulsion and Power. Gov. Bob Taft presented the award to Jim Williams, dean of engineering, in a ceremony at the Gas Turbine Laboratory at the Ohio State Airport.

The center will help position Ohio as the leader in aerospace technology and research, and will allow Ohio to be a major supplier of engines to power new aircraft for military, commercial and space applications. Collaborators with Ohio State on the center include the Air Force Research Laboratories, NASA Glenn Research Center, GE Aircraft Engines and other Ohio industries, together with researchers from the universities of Cincinnati, Dayton and Akron, Case Western Reserve University and the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Piketon centers break ground on incubator

Ohio State's South Centers and Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative of Piketon broke ground Oct. 31 for a 27,000 square-foot building to house a business incubator and training center. The Endeavor Center will provide space to multiple tenants on a flexible lease basis. A variety of business assistance services also will be made available on-site to new and expanding businesses within Ross, Pike, Jackson, Scioto and adjacent counties. The facility will offer 26 spaces differing in size and use for entrepreneurs and will provide flexible office and light industrial spaces to small business owners.

Veteran health care executive Fraley to retire

R. Reed Fraley, vice president for health services and chief executive officer of OSU's Health System, has announced his retirement from the university effective Jan. 31. Fraley has spent the last 14 years at the helm of the Health System, where he is responsible for coordinating the operations of University Hospital, University Hospital East, the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, OSU Harding Hospital and a primary care network comprising more than 30 sites throughout central Ohio. Combined, the hospitals have more than 1,600 beds and serve patients from all over the United States.

Fraley will join the Ohio Hospital Association, where he will serve as senior vice president. The OHA represents more than 170 hospitals throughout Ohio and provides its members with representation, education and information on a variety of health care matters.

Bloomfield receives Minton Hero of Hope award

Ohio State's first Cancer Scholar, Clara Bloomfield, has been selected the winner of this year's John P. Minton Hero of Hope Research Champion Award, an honor given annually by the American Cancer Society's Ohio Division to acknowledge individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of cancer research in Ohio. Bloomfield is an internationally recognized expert in leukemia and lymphoma, and the William G. Pace III Professor of Cancer Research at Ohio State. She also is senior adviser to the Comprehensive Cancer Center -- the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, which she directed until this past July.

The Hero of Hope award is given in memory of John Peter Minton, a former Ohio State physician, professor and world-renowned cancer researcher. The society presented the award on Oct. 25.

TI announces photography contest winners

Texas Instruments Inc. and the Department of Art's art, technology and photo programs announced the winners of the first collegiate Digital Intelligence Competition, which took place on campus from Sept. 29-Oct. 10. Tasked with capturing their vision of "intelligence," participating OSU students used 150 cameras granted by Texas Instruments to the Department of Art to further the development of its digital photography and art and technology programs. Winners in the three categories were: Heather Willems, first-year graduate student in photography, in the Lighting Category; Rocky McCorckle, senior photo major, in the Action/Motion Category; and Jessica Larva, first-year graduate student in art and technology, in the Multimedia Category. Runners up included: Michelle Segna, Shannon Bird, Heather Miller, Han-Kiel Lee, Mathew Hashiguchi, Daniel Thompson, Fernando Orellano, Irene Verweij and Stephanie Zimmerman. Winning images (still and video) were chosen from more than 175 entries by a panel of judges who reviewed and scored entries based on concept, impact, visual characteristics, use of image resolution, overall image composition and overall use of the camera. (See www.ti.com/media_contest.)

Willems, McCorckle and Larva each were invited to the PhotoPlus Expo in New York City, Oct. 30-Nov. 1.

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