Ascent Spring 2014 by College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State

SPRING 2014

ASCENT

news from the College of Arts and Sciences

NEWS & NOTES Recent ASC news—read more at asc.osu.edu.

BIG DATA, BIG TIME

New data analytics major addresses workforce need Where there’s a will, there’s a way Chasmine Anderson navigates the world of scholarships

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE GOES A LONG WAY

Better Giving through chemistry Chemistry alumna Mary Chellis establishes a family fund for chemistry students Salt of the Earth Trailblazer Jessica A. Johnson is honored

Ohio commemorates the War of 1812 On Deep Ice Berry Lyons in Antarctica

The arts flourish At Ohio State

A new Arts District begins to take shape at the gateway to the campus

An honor, an installation and an archive— this world-renowned artist and Ohio State professor just doesn’t slow down

Speaking their language Ohio State students share dance, theatre and music in China

Cody Crothers dances his way to Ohio State

Don’t Give Up the Ship!

Ann Hamilton the art of it all

Jazz Boot Camp Imer Santiago’s jazz journey

But for Ohio State... Update on Ohio State’s campaign Alumni Notes Letters from our alumni

Going Pro Students perform with Opera Columbus

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How to Succeed in China Ohio State’s Chinese Flagship Program has the keys the changing american family Is there no longer such a thing as a typical American family?

Ready for primetime Jumping Ahead World-class rope jumper Tori Boggs

Who Was—? Maria Khrakovsky on Jeopardy! Honoring Alumni AcHievement The College of Arts and Sciences 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards and Recognition SCIENCE & SCHOLARSHIP Creating and sharing new knowledge is our primary mission—faculty awards and honors

ROOM WITH A VIEW Dome-to-floor renovation complete, the Ohio State Planetarium re-opened to enthusiastic throngs last fall, booking seats weeks in advance. It has been that way ever since. Not surprising. Astronomy graduate students run the showsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;imagine the latest in planetarium technology in the hands of a new generation of Neil deGrasse Tysons.

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 186 University Hall | 230 N. Oval Mall | Columbus, Ohio 43210 | asc.osu.edu

David Manderscheid | Executive Dean and Vice Provost Peter March | Divisional Dean, Natural and Mathematical Sciences Mark Shanda | Divisional Dean, Arts and Humanities Gifford Weary | Divisional Dean, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Read more about the Ohio State Planetarium at planetarium.osu.edu.

a message from dean MANDERscHEID It is good to be Dean. Yes, there are challenges and obstacles, but the joys of leading Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences are immeasurable and a constant source of pride. If my tasks seem unmanageable, all I need do is look out my window with its matchless view: my own slice of the Oval—its overarching trees and students going about the business of learning—reminding me of why I am here. A special joy is introducing ASCENT twice each year. The power of imagery and storytelling allows us to bring campus to your door and helps us remain connected with one another. On every page, you will see that we are on-the-move—dramatically extending our reach and taking the lead. Building on our strengths and maximizing our resources; developing powerful, visionary programs and initiatives Capitalizing on the enormous artistic potential on campus, installation and digital artists, painters, dancers, musicians, actors, and—oh yes!—TBDBITL, and partnerships with Columbus arts organizations and area artists Investing in a major Arts District that will make Ohio State and the Capital City a top national arts destination Putting our students first and addressing growing workforce needs; opening new career options with the data analytics major and China Flagship Graduate Program

ASCENT WELCOME to the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State. For us, ASCENT reflects the amazing potential and value of an Ohio State arts and sciences education. The Buckeye Experience is powerful, transformative and stays with us throughout our lives, reaching far beyond geographic borders. We want to share these stories with you and we hope that you’ll share your stories, ideas and feedback with us.

The act or process of ascending; advancement

CIRCULATION ASCENT is mailed 2x/year to our alumni (172,000). We also send supplemental updates to our alumni, students, faculty, staff, donors and friends throughout the year via e-newsletter. GO GREEN ASCENT is printed with environmentally friendly papers (30% post industrial and 100% postconsumer fibers) using soy-based ink. To receive just the e-newsletter and save a tree, please contact us. CONTACT US/UNSUBSCRIBE Please send us your feedback, comments and story ideas.

The value of an arts and sciences education and its power to inspire never dims. Please let us hear from you. Our alumni remain our best friends, strongest advocates and our ultimate legacy.

Additionally, you always can choose to stop receiving this magazine by sending a note or email to asccomm@ osu.edu, or by mail to: 1010 Derby Hall; 154 N. Oval Mall; Columbus, Ohio 43210

DAVID MANDERSCHEID, Phd Executive Dean and Vice Provost College of Arts and Sciences, The Ohio State University

Elizabeth Tarpy Alcalde, Victoria Ellwood,

EDITOR Libby Eckhardt | EDITORIAL STAFF Sandi Rutkowski | DESIGN STAFF Greg Bonnell, Andrew Bromwell, Karin Samoviski PHOTOGRAPHY Janell Strouse | WEB COMMUNICATIONS Eva Dujardin Dale, Jody Croley Jones

WANT MORE? SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER AT go.osu.edu/ascnews

NEWS & NOTES The OHIO STATE MARCHING BAND has always been “The Best Damn Band in the Land,” but after a stellar season last year, now it’s known around the world. Halftime-show videos have gone viral, attracting millions of viewers, and the band was featured in a new Apple commercial that aired internationally in January. Since then, the band has been featured in more than 6,700 news outlets, from the Wall Street Journal and USA Today to the New York Times, Today show and ESPN, potentially reaching billions. {go.osu.edu/marching-band}

Dot the ‘i’ : SUPPORT TBDBITL For 135 years, The Ohio State University Marching Band has provided the soundtrack to the Buckeye experience. This endeavor will create a “forever fund” to enable the band to continue its tradition of excellence. {dot-the-i.osu.edu}

Together, THEATRE and the ADVANCED COMPUTING CENTER FOR THE ARTS AND DESIGN (ACCAD) created a groundbreaking new work inspired by French mime Marcel Marceau, There is No Silence. Marceau’s signature movements were motion-captured by ACCAD when he was in residence a decade ago and, for the first time ever, used along with real-time motion-capture technology and digital projections to train actors. {go.osu.edu/marcel-marceau}

The DEPARTMENT OF SLAVIC AND EAST EUROPEAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES celebrated its 50th anniversary in March. It is dedicated to researching and teaching the languages, literatures and cultures of the East, Central and Southeast European nations and peoples. {slavic.osu.edu}

Get more Arts and Sciences News at asc.osu.edu/news.

BIG DATA, BIG TIME New Data Analytics Major Addresses Strong Workforce Need The Harvard Business Review has referred to data science and analytics as the “sexiest job in the twenty-first century.”

Sexy or not, the need is obvious. Companies are seeking employees with the skills to build and query large data sets and understand how to ask the right questions to extract critical knowledge. Ohio State listened. Our new interdisciplinary undergraduate major in data analytics—the first of its kind in the country offered by a major research institution—begins autumn semester. It is specifically designed to address the need for data analytics professionals and it will open doors to nearly limitless career opportunities for its graduates. “That the colleges and university came together so quickly to put together this major is a testament to the commitment of Ohio State to bring its comprehensive strength to bear on issues of importance to Ohio, our

data-analytics.osu.edu

nation and the world,” said David C. Manderscheid, Executive Dean and Vice-Provost, College of Arts and Sciences. “Indeed, this has been a wholeinstitutional response to a strongly articulated need,” said Peter March, mathematics professor and divisional dean of the natural and mathematical sciences in Arts and Sciences. “Expertise in data analytics will be in demand in virtually all areas of human endeavor and will engender partnerships with diverse business enterprises. Name any major industry— banking, insurance, health care, retail, oil and gas, logistics—and there are analytics issues,” March said. The colleges of Arts and Sciences and Engineering are partnering to deliver the core courses in computer sciences, mathematics and statistics. Majors will receive a BS from Arts and Sciences. The core curriculum will provide solid foundational footing. Students will learn principles of data representation and big data management, software design and programming, and statistical modeling and analysis. Then, students choose courses in an area of specialization to learn how

DISCOVERY THEMES The data analytics major is aligned with Ohio State’s Discovery Themes Initiative, a 10-year, multi-million dollar investment designed to make Ohio State a leader in critical research on massive global problems that pose enormous challenges—Energy and Environment; Food Production and Security; and Health and Wellness. The Discovery Themes Faculty Advisory Boards unanimously agreed that data analytics was the foundational tool for tackling these challenges. Therefore, they’ve determined that the first of the Discovery Themes investments will be in data analytics. discovery.osu.edu

data analytics is applied in a particular field. This will prepare them for a capstone experiential learning opportunity through partnerships with businesses. “The important thing is that we wanted to build in a structure to develop both highly technical skill sets and the ability to function in solutions-oriented teams. Core courses coupled with a specialization in business, medicine, social and behavioral sciences, or any unit on campus that can identify a workforce need that meshes with the major, will strengthen the students’ ability to function in the marketplace,” March said. Right now, the specializations available in the major are: Biomedical Informatics—introduces students to the core sub-disciplines of biomedical informatics that play a role in data analysis and discovery in biological and medical information systems Business Analytics—familiarizes students with how to practice data analytics in business—focusing on applications in finance, accounting, customer insights, and operations and logistics Computational Analytics—allows students to explore and specialize in in the areas of large-scale data analytics and architectures from theory to practice with a computational focus. Christopher Hans, associate professor of statistics; and Srinivasan Parthasarathy, professor, computer and engineering science, are program co-directors.

discovery.osu.edu

Where there’s a will, there’s a way Sociology undergrad Chasmine Anderson navigates the world of scholarships to pursue her dream of being an Ohio State Graduate Shortly after she received her acceptance letter from Ohio State, she also was notified that she would receive the Alumnae Scholarship, Housing Scholarship, National Buckeye Scholarship, Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Prominence Scholarship, and Trustees Scholarship—$15,000 in scholarships and grants to cover some of her expenses. But she has not rested on the generosity of others. She works two jobs, one as an office assistant in a dorm and another at Ohio State’s Recreation & Physical Activity Center. After graduation, Anderson plans to go to graduate school in the field of higher education and student affairs.

CREATE A “FOREVER FUND” When Chasmine Anderson, a third-year sociology student from Indianapolis, Indiana, started thinking about where she would go to college, she knew two things: she wanted to come to Ohio State and she would be paying for it herself. “I never expected my parents to pay for my college,” said Anderson, a third-year sociology student. “I knew that I had to work hard and study even harder to qualify for a scholarship.”

Ohio State is big, exciting and spirited. It’s rooted in tradition, but also on the forefront of groundbreaking research and studies. People are really invested in this school. Anderson got to work and started researching scholarships that would allow her to attend Ohio State. “Navigating the college search was quite an adventure for me. It’s so easy to forget that when students apply to college and for financial assistance, they’re only 17 years old. It’s overwhelming to be faced with having to make large-scale financial decisions.” With the help of her mother, Anderson applied for every scholarship she could find.

An endowment is a “forever fund” that permanently supports scholarships, fellowships, professorships, chairs and programs to provide the highest quality undergraduate and graduate education and research in the arts and sciences. The principal investment remains intact in perpetuity, while interest earnings support the area designated by the donor. With a minimum investment of $50,000, you can create and name an endowed student scholarship, leaving a legacy for you or a loved one. This is a meaningful way to make a difference in the life of a student. Endowed scholarships may benefit a student from a specific department, major, program or may serve any ASC student. For more information about giving, please contact the ASC Office of Advancement at (614) 292-9200 or visit asc.osu.edu/giveto.

Read more about the impact of giving in the College of Arts and Sciences at asc.osu.edu/giveto.

But for ohio state …

ALUMNI NOTES

Elizabeth McCrae (BS, zoology, 2002) was named 2013 Ralph D. Harris Employee of the Year by the Oklahoma City Zoo (OKC). The Cincinnati native is a veterinary technician at the OKC Zoo; prior to moving to Oklahoma, McCrae worked at the Columbus Zoo.

Tell us your stories! The fundraising goal for the College of Arts and Sciences is $200 million; as of the end of March, we have achieved 80 percent of our goal—$159 million.

The But for Ohio State campaign will continue through June 2016 and a great deal of work remains to ensure the advancement of the college continues at the highest levels possible. Part of the work includes: PLACING STUDENTS FIRST by growing the number of endowed scholarships, graduate fellowships and study abroad awards. Raising the remaining $4.5 million for the new CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING AND CHEMISTRY BUILDING (CBEC), a multi-disciplinary research facility. Developing funds to create a new interdisciplinary MOVING IMAGES PRODUCTION degree for future filmmakers.

asc.osu.edu/yourstory

Mary Ann Anderson (BA, history, 2011) earned her bachelor’s degree at the age of 65 and after eight years of attending classes while working full time at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center: By offering free classes to employees, I was able to accomplish my and my mother’s dream for me, to get a college degree. I had great academic counselors to whom I owe a large debit of gratitude, as I never would have finished without their help and guidance. I’ll never forget that day in 2011, holding hands with my fellow classmates and singing “Carmen Ohio.” Thanks again Ohio State, you made my dream come true.

Michael Bailey (BA, African American and African studies, 1999) created WeDiversity.com, a website geared toward helping colleges and universities recruit and enroll minority students: As one of the first Young Scholars Program students, I received a full scholarship for which I am grateful. Proud to be a Buckeye!

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE GOES A LONG WAY

Cody Crothers danceS his way to Ohio State In the summer of 2013, Cody Crothers, a first-generation student from Hillsboro, Ohio, found out he was accepted to Ohio State. There was just one little hitch—he didn’t know how he was going to pay tuition.

“I decided to take a job as a sign artist for Mattress Solutions in Cincinnati to save money for tuition and found myself dancing on a street corner five days a week through rain, snow, sleet and heat,” said Crothers. “I’m really shy, so I was nervous to say the least, but I decided that I could either do a lousy job or dance like a complete fool and have a blast.” Apparently, that’s what he did, and people started to notice. When several of Crothers’ fans expressed support for his work ethic and positive attitude to mattress company management, they learned about Crothers’ dream of earning enough money to get to Ohio State. Unbeknownst to him, fans set up a Facebook page, “Beechmont Dancing Guy,” to celebrate Crothers’ energy and optimism and to solicit donations for his college tuition. “One day in late December, more than 100 people showed up on my corner dancing and waving signs and handed me two paint buckets filled with money they had raised for my tuition,” Crothers said. “My family and my friends were there too—they have been such an inspiration to me. I was overwhelmed.” People started delivering checks for Crothers at the mattress store. One in particular read, in part, “Cody, you are a great example that you can have a great attitude about any job. Thank you for bringing so much joy to Beechmont.” He received messages from as far away as The Netherlands. Crothers enrolled at Ohio State spring semester and is majoring in English. “I’m a writer by nature,” said Crothers. “My high school English teacher, Mary Lou McCormick, really inspired me to pursue creative writing.” Crothers is working on his poetry and hopes to continue work on a novel he started in high school. Does he plan to dance for the mattress store this summer? “Oh yeah,” says Crothers. “I don’t want to take any of this for granted. I’ll continue to work as hard as I can.”

Watch Cody’s dancing and flash mob surprise, go.osu.edu/codycrothers.

Alumni Notes continued from pg. 9 Chris Jones (MA, theater, 1986; PhD, theater, 1989) longtime Chicago area theater critic and columnist, has been appointed director of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute, an intensive writing workshop designed for arts journalists, bloggers and critics looking to strengthen their skills in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced industry.

John Louton (BA, history, 1965): William Lyell (former associate professor, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures) of the Ohio State Chinese department, changed my life. His wry, but inspiring, teaching style led me on a winding path from Ohio State to Princeton and on to the University of Washington, where I received my PhD in Chinese, to a career with the U.S. Foreign Service, which took me to Taipei, Beijing and Chengdu for more than 12 years.

Barbara Mueller (BA, Spanish, 1950) is a retired flight attendant with United Airlines: I am forever grateful to Ohio State for wonderful professors and atmosphere. After graduation, I worked as an editor at both LOOK and ESQUIRE and then as a flight attendant at UAL for 46 years thanks to speaking Spanish and Portuguese and thanks to Ohio State for giving me confidence.

Julie O’Neil (MA, Slavic and East European studies, 1995) was selected by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to serve Team USA as the chef de mission of Team USA for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. O’Neill has worked at the USOC for more than 10 years and currently serves as the team leader of sport performance for U.S. Paralympics.

Fernando OrellanA (MFA, art and technology, 2004) is an internationally renowned artist, and an associate professor of digital art at Union College in New York. He is known for his interactive artworks and has won the The Vilcek Foundation’s dARTboard Digital Art Award supporting foreign-born scientists and artists who have made outstanding contributions to society in the United States.

BETTER GIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY alumna Mary Chellis establishes a family fund for chemistry students Dr. Mary Chellis (BA, chemistry, 1988) wanted to set up a fund to support talented young students in chemistry, and she wanted to do it before she turned 50. On March 18, 2013, she signed on the dotted line endowing the Chellis Family Fund for students in chemistry at the sophomore rank or higher. She was just one week shy of turning 48.

My parents instilled in me the importance of getting an education,” said Chellis. “It wasn’t until I was much older that I started realizing the true value of that. Chellis is a mother of three and a physician at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, specializing in emergency medicine. She is also one of 10 children. “My father died when I was 13 and it became necessary for me to pay for my own high school and college education, though my mother helped as much as possible.”

Chellis says that she is fortunate that her mother supported her enough that she could work and use that money for her education. It is the young students today, in similar circumstances but with no support system, whom Chellis hopes to help through her scholarships. “I see young people throughout the world, and in our own cities, who cannot do what I was able to do because they don’t have the stability in their homes or financial security to get them through school. I know there are so many kids out there who cannot only provide valuable contributions to the sciences, but can have a positive impact on society and break the negative cycle that has been perpetuated for generations.” Adoption drove that point further home for Chellis. In 2006, she adopted a young girl with a disability. “In her country (China), Hanna would never have been given any opportunities to advance her education and have an independent, successful life. Here, with her education, she has a chance to make a difference in this world, and hopefully give something back to future generations of kids looking for their own opportunities. My hope is that my scholarship may have a similar impact on all those who receive it.” Chellis strongly believes that education is key to breaking the cycles of poverty, violence, drug abuse, racism and all the negatives that are destructive to society.

Dr. Mary Chellis with her children (L to R) Andrew, Jacob and Hanna.

“If I can help one person advance themselves, who knows how many times over that gift will perpetuate itself?”

Salt of the Earth In 2006, Jessica A. Johnson (MA, journalism, 1994; PhD, education, 1998) and Wilburn H. Weddington, Sr., met at a gala in Columbus, Ohio, honoring 12 African-American men and women trailblazers in the fields of medicine, education, the arts and law. Johnson wrote the profiles of the honorees, including Weddington’s, the son of a sharecropper from Georgia who went on to become one of the first black professors of clinical family medicine at Ohio State, and in the course of doing so, they became friends. She did such a good job that Weddington’s family asked her to write a book about their father. The only problem was that she was doing a few other things at the time. “I was trying to juggle my teaching responsibilities, reporting and writing deadlines, all the while meeting with Dr. Weddington and going over boxes and boxes of notes and journals, many of them going back 70 years.” Johnson, a special correspondent for The Columbus Dispatch and an opinion columnist for The Athens Banner-Herald (Georgia), had her hands full writing columns and teaching at Columbus State Community College. “It takes a lot of time and thought to capture the essence of a life like Dr. Weddington’s,” said Johnson. “He truly was a pioneer—the only black surgeon assigned to the Lockbourne Air Force Base in Columbus in 1955; the youngest black physician in Columbus in 1957; one of the first black doctors in Columbus to become board certified in family medicine; and, one of a handful of black physicians to join the faculty at Ohio State in clinical family medicine.” It would take Johnson more than six years to comb through his memoirs and records. Late last year, the years of work and long conversations with Weddington culminated in Johnson’s book, Salt of the Earth Georgia Boy (Tate Publishing, 2013), a fascinating look at the life of Weddington, who today, at 89, still lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Alumna and author Jessica Johnson with a Columbus legend, Dr. Willburn Weddington.

Weddington retired from the Ohio State medical faculty in 1995 and co-founded The Weddington Society to provide support and assistance for any undergraduate student in pre-health programs at Ohio State.

I am truly humbled by all the years of service I was allowed to give my students at Ohio State, as well as all of my patients,” said Weddington. “Those of us who are blessed to have and provide access to medical care must be concerned about our fellow citizens who are less fortunate. Johnson, an educator at heart, has lectured in the comparative studies and African American and African Studies departments at Ohio State and has taught English composition at Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio). She recently was selected recipient of the 2013 Excellence Award in Research from Central State’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, in recognition of her book, Salt of the Earth.

A misnomer if there ever was one, the War of 1812 began on June 18, 1812, and ended on February 15, 1815. This largely forgotten war left a lasting legacy:

• the unquestioned sovereignty of the United States of America

• our national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”

• the indelible image of Dolly Madison rescuing items from a burning White House

• the first real presidential campaign slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler too”

• and one of the most famous sentences in American military history that began,

“We have met the enemy and he is ours.” -Oliver Hazard Perry’s message to Secretary of the Navy William Jones after the decisive Battle of Lake Erie, the most important strategic battle for control of the lake that also helped end Great Britain’s reign as the world’s undisputed naval power

Last Labor Day weekend, the bicentennial of Commodore Perry’s victory during the Battle of Lake Erie was properly celebrated with tall ships, an unfurling of flags and a rousing performance by The Ohio State University Marching Band at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial at Put-In-Bay on Lake Erie.

Photo Credit: Karl Rabeneck

DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP! Ohio Commemorates the War of 1812

Beginning in 1812 and ending nearly three years later in 1815, the War of 1812 settled a significant question: the sovereignty of the United States of America. To resolve the matter once and for all, significant battles were fought up and down the East Coast from Canada down to New Orleans and west to Ohio and beyond. (The British and its allies occupied parts of Michigan and Wisconsin until the end of the war—Ohio held tight.) During its bitter course, the White House and other capitol buildings were burned to the ground, the legendary Battle of New Orleans was waged, and Ohio’s Shawnee Chief Tecumseh joined forces with the British and was himself killed. It was a long, furious and fateful war, yet most Americans today know very little about it. Many Ohioans, like Department of History Chair Peter Hahn, have worked to ensure that Ohio remembers its role in this historic war. Hahn; history PhD alumnus Anthony Milburn, who teaches at Central State University; and 14 other Ohioans were appointed by former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland to serve on the State of Ohio War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission. They were charged with planning activities to commemorate the war during 2012-2015. They have been doing just that—with dedication and zeal. Last Labor Day weekend, the bicentennial of Commodore Perry’s victory during the Battle of Lake Erie was properly celebrated with tall ships, an unfurling of flags, and a rousing performance by The Ohio State University Marching Band at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial at Put-In-Bay on Lake Erie. “Due to Ohio State’s rich resources,” Hahn said, “I’ve been able to facilitate interesting and productive partnerships over the past two years. There was never any difficulty in getting colleagues from various disciplines—history, anthropology, music—to roll up their sleeves and collaborate on a variety of exciting projects.” Last summer, Hahn asked the School of Music about recording War of 1812 music scores for a major exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art. Graduate student Katie Kuvin took charge of the project—playing flute and singing—with doctoral student Katie Morell on clarinet and undergraduate Megan Rainey on piano. The Museum invited them to perform a live concert in a gallery in the center of the exhibit—Rainey playing on a period instrument—a piano-forte. For Hahn, one of the most gratifying projects involved putting the director of Fort Jennings (in NW Ohio) in touch with graduate students on Ohio State’s forensic anthropology team. Last spring, the students set off with cadaver dogs and high-tech earth scanning devices to the fort to search for the remains of U.S. soldiers believed to be buried there during the war. PhD history alumna, Mary Ann Heiss, who now teaches at Kent State University, was on the steering committee for one of the crowning events of the bicentennial celebration: The Ohio Middle and High School Student War of 1812 Research Contest, open to students ages 13-18 in grades 7-12. First, second and third place cash prizes ($3,000, $1,500 and $500) were awarded in each grade level. “Students at both levels produced some truly wonderful work,” Heiss said. “We had 326 submissions from around the state—well exceeding our expectations,” Hahn said. The awards ceremony was held at the Statehouse rotunda in downtown Columbus on April 4. The commission plans a closing tribute in early 2015, marking the last great clash of the war—the Battle of New Orleans. artsandsciences.osu.edu

On Deep Ice

Berry Lyons in Antarctica

Few of us will ever travel to a place on Earth that many have said is the closest thing to Mars—Antarctica. Fewer still make repeat trips. Who better to tell us what it’s like than William “Berry” Lyons, professor and director of the School of Earth Sciences, who has made multiple trips that began in 1981. His most recent coincided with Ohio’s polar vortex. “It was a strange feeling to know that I was warmer in Antarctica than my colleagues in Columbus; I couldn’t have timed it better,” he said. Lyons confesses he has lost count of the exact number of trips “down south,” but estimates “15 or so.” He does remember the exact moment he got interested in working in Antarctica. “I was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Hampshire where my department had just hired a young glaciologist, an Ohio State PhD named Paul Mayewski. He ran a summer course and took undergrads to Alberta to work in the ice/snow fields there. All the students had to do a project; one of the students, interested in geochemistry, came to me and we set up a project for her that turned out very well. “The next year Mayewski received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to continue his work in Antarctica and asked me if I was interested in joining his team. I jumped at the opportunity; and, of course, as the cliché goes, the rest is history. I tell my own students not to plan their research futures too far ahead as serendipity can change one’s career direction.” Since 1993, Lyons has been involved with a group of researchers who study the McMurdo Dry Valleys. He recently stepped down as the lead investigator of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program, one of two Antarctic LTER sites funded by the NSF. “McMurdo is the largest ice-free area of the continent,” he said. “This allows us to look at the impact of climate change on the ecosystem. “The ecosystem we study is mainly microorganisms—there are no vascular plants or vertebrates, due to the very extreme environment— we’re looking at soils and streams, which flow only 4-8 weeks a year.” Lyons studies the biogeochemistry of Antarctic terrestrial/aquatic ecosystems and how they respond to climate change. “We are seeing lake levels rise, more melt from the surrounding glaciers, and more aquatic ecosystems replacing soil-based ecosystems.

Find out more about the McMurdo Dry Valleys at mcmlter.org.

Photo Credit: Robert Simmon

All global climate models predict a warming in the Antarctic and a decrease in sea ice along its margins. This will have a great impact on both the glacial dynamics of the continent and its fragile marine and terrestrial ecosystems. For now, Antarctica remains one of the last, great places to do research on a variety of critical questions. “The place is as pristine as exists on the planet,” Lyons said. “Except for the ice-free areas, which only make up two percent of the continent, everywhere else you look you see white/blue; white/gray—an ice sheetlandscape. It is an astonishingly beautiful place. “The area with its ice-covered lakes is like a vast polar desert; it is extraordinarily dry. It is like being in Arizona, except it is very, very cold! “Nothing exists for scale or context, so it’s difficult to be able to assess true distances. And it does affect your senses. “The first thing I notice when I get back to New Zealand is the smell of grass—it is intense and it strikes me the most.” Since Lyons first started working there in the early ’80s, he has seen substantial changes at the McMurdo site itself—in logistics, personnel and facilities. “The site is now run by civilian contractors, instead of the military. There are as many as 1,000 people in ‘summer,’ and a much higher percentage of women— in all aspects of Antarctic research and logistics. “Perhaps the most significant changes are the upgrades in lab facilities, communications, living quarters—all the modern conveniences. The modern age has moved to Antarctica. Unless you looked out the window—or happened to be outside, you could be anywhere else on the planet.”

Since 1993, Berry Lyons has been involved with a group of researchers who study the McMurdo Dry Valleys. “McMurdo is the largest ice-free area of the continent,” he said. “This allows us to look at the impact of climate change on the ecosystem.”

Lyons is a U.S. representative on the Geosciences Scientific Group of the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR), and a former Director of Ohio State’s Byrd Polar Research Center. “Ohio State has a special place in Antarctic science,” Lyons said. “A map at Byrd Polar shows all the places and names of faulty and students who have studied there.”

The arts flourish

The arts at Ohio State are taking center stage, and their transformation—and elevation—on campus and beyond is strikingly evident. Nowhere is that more true than at the university’s “front door,”the traditional gateway to campus at the intersection of 15th Avenue and High Street, where a new Arts District is taking shape. 18

At Ohio State The planned development of the Arts District supports the critical nature of the arts in higher education, and the natural connections between the arts and sciences. {David Manderscheid, executive dean and vice provost} “New and renovated facilities will open up creative opportunities for students to work together in the visual and performing arts,” said Manderscheid. “Our vision calls for placing a unified and comprehensive cluster of the arts at this entryway, centered around a preeminent Plaza of the Arts. This move will include expanding and reconfiguring existing spaces, renovating facilities, adding new performance venues, and opening up the university to the broader community.” The long-range plans for the Arts District include an investment of more than $200 million. But it won’t happen overnight— renovations and changes will be phased in during the next decade and are all part of the university’s broader Framework Plan. This investment by the university will also “distinctively expand our profile as a leader in the arts,” added Mark Shanda, divisional dean, arts and humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, “aligning our physical facilities with our historic academic strengths for the first time since the last facilities investments in the 1970s.” Shanda said current planning efforts emphasize a comprehensive inventory of all of the performance and gallery spaces in the Arts District and then outlining what

additional facilities will be needed to support our academic mission in the visual and performing arts. The plan will take shape during the next five to 10 years. That plan calls for a consolidated area for the arts, accessible to campus and the public that enables artists, designers, musicians, actors and dancers to create and perform together. It also calls for the university gateway, the Plaza of the Arts, to be restored, serving as a hub for ideas and as a collaborative space for the arts. Plans also include continuing renovations of existing arts facilities on the east side of campus and opening up the plaza, from High Street straight through to the Oval, to position the university within a broader cultural corridor. This resulting corridor will extend from 15th Avenue and High Street all the way down to the college’s Urban Arts Space and CAPA’s Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus.

One of the key aspects of this Arts District is the re-establishment of the historic gateway to Ohio State and recreating the symbolic entrance to the university. {Joseph Steinmetz, executive vice president and provost} “Don’t think of this renewed Arts District as just living on campus,” Manderscheid said. “Think of it as part of a larger arts corridor stretching from our campus all the way downtown, connecting and engaging the university with the city and with corporate and visual and performing arts organizations.”

Ohio State’s Town and Gown Committee for the Arts, in fact, is an advisory group dedicated to finding opportunities for collaboration among arts leaders in the city and at Ohio State. Since the 23-member committee was formed in 2012, more than 20 formalized partnerships with business and arts organizations have emerged, including a partnership with CAPA and a shared program for students with Opera Columbus. “Ohio State’s provost has really set the bar high with the Town and Gown relationship, and that’s something that the Columbus arts community welcomes,” said Bill Conner, president and chief executive officer at CAPA. “It helps connect the arts in Columbus and provides professional opportunities for students studying at Ohio State.” “The creation of the Arts District ‘bookends’ the arts corridor from campus to downtown,” he added. “Audiences are really going to love the new facilities oriented to High Street, and the opportunities they offer.”

Think of it—people will be able to have dinner at a great restaurant in the Short North then head either north or south to go to the theatre or a concert or a gallery. {Bill Conner} All of the changes, Manderscheid said, are geared to making the university a leader in academic visual and performing arts and to help expand Columbus’ reputation as a worldclass arts destination. “I think we’ll be right up there with preeminent arts complexes such as the Music Center in Los Angeles and the arts district in downtown Dallas, Texas.”

Newly renovated arts buildings Sullivant Hall (left) and Hopkins Hall have been reconfigured and transformed to create new spaces and an abundance of natural light.

recent renovations Sullivant Hall One of the most visible changes now taking place is the complete transformation of Sullivant Hall, a three-story Neo-Classical Revival building dating back to 1912. This Silver LEED-Certified, $33 million renovation included major core and shell infrastructure improvements, and floor-to-ceiling windows have been added to let natural light flood the building and open up the spaces to campus. New dance studios and a state-of-the-art, flexible, black-box theatre have been added. It brings together the Department of Dance; Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy; the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD); and the new Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise. The building also houses the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. Sullivant Hall has been in use by faculty, staff and students since the beginning of spring semester, but a celebratory grand opening is planned for September 2014.

Hopkins Hall Home to the Department of Art, the LEEDcertified renovation project was completed in late 2012 and reconfigured the building to create brightly lit and more effective use of space for artists, and added gleaming walls of glass to two facades to let in an abundance of natural light. Hayes Hall Home to the Department of Design, Hayes was renovated in 2011 to bring all three design programs (interior, industrial and visual communication design) together in one building with open studios for student work.

future plans School of Music Facilities renovations are a top priority and a School of Music New Day funding initiative is under way to raise approximately $40 million for upgrades. A new recital hall seating 200250 people will be built to complement the 700-seat Weigel Auditorium. The plan also calls for spacious rehearsal rooms to allow student ensembles to rehearse effectively, from the 20-member Jazz Ensemble to the 100-member Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Glee Club.

Department of Theatre Plans also are afoot, but not solidified, to move the Department of Theatre, and its performance spaces, from Drake Performance and Event Center on the banks of the Olentangy River to central campus and the Arts District. Wexner Center Film/Video Theater and Mershon Auditorium Aspects of the Wexner Center for the Arts and Mershon Auditorium will be expanded and reconfigured to create additional opportunities for integrating the academic arts with the strength of the Wexner Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programming. To create the Plaza of the Arts and open up campus from High Street to the Oval and all the way to Thompson Library, the Wexner Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film/video theater will be removed and relocated within the area.

asc.osu.edu/arts

Going Pro

students perform with Opera Columbus

Thanks to a new partnership between Opera Columbus and Ohio State, student voice majors from the School of Music are tucking some realworld, professional experience under their belts. Through a new Opera Theatre program, eligible students, when available, will participate in an Opera Columbus main-stage production and will regularly perform with its annual Opera Goes to School educational tours. Details also are being worked out for students in the Department of Theatre to become involved in stage management, costume design and set design. “This is a wonderful collaboration that opens the doors for increased performance and design opportunities for our students, and gives them a chance to share the spotlight with—and learn from—a professional opera company,” said Valarie Williams, associate dean and executive director of Ohio State’s Arts Initiative. “It’s a great example of our ‘town and gown’ endeavor that seeks to find ways for student artists from the university to work in tandem with professional artists downtown.” Last spring, more than a dozen Ohio State students sang in the chorus for the Opera Columbus production, Madama Butterfly, and this spring, four student vocalists and a pianist are taking the company’s school tour of Jack and the Beanstalk to a host of local elementary schools and Columbus Metropolitan Library branches. The students receive a stipend for their work.

“Our students are really enjoying working with Opera Columbus. The school tour in particular is a great example of educational, community outreach,” said A. Scott Parry, director of Ohio State Opera Theatre. It also helps make the school performances more readily available, according to Peggy Kriha Dye, general manager of Opera Columbus. “Because Ohio State is our partner, we’re able to provide local schools with the opera production free of charge,” she said. “That’s having a big impact in our community.” The production—which not only introduces children to opera, but also carries a message about bullying—is touring to 20 local schools. Next year, Dye hopes there will be three different children’s operas on tour locally. The collaboration, she adds, has gone very smoothly.

When you set the bar high, ambitious students like these from Ohio State are willing to meet it. They have far surpassed expectations already. {Peggy Kriha Dye} “By working together, Opera Columbus and Ohio State are making a big footprint in the community and in the schools,” said Dye.

Ohio State student voice majors Andrew Hall (far left) and Joshua Cook (second from left) join members of Opera Columbus in the chorus for Madama Butterfly.

Artist Ann Hamilton working on the installation of the event of a thread (2012-13) at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.

22 Photo Credit: Thibault Jeanson

honors Galore!

Ann Hamilton

the art of it all •••••• Ann Hamilton just doesn’t slow down. The accomplished and widely recognized artist, and Ohio State professor, has been collecting some lofty recognition lately, from a commission for a public installation on Seattle’s waterfront to having the highest U.S. artistic honor bestowed upon her. In between, Ohio State has established a new archive that chronicles the entire history of her groundbreaking work. The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced in March that it will induct nine new members into its 250-person organization in mid-May, including Ann Hamilton, professor, Department of Art, and Distinguished University Professor.

The honor of election is considered the highest formal recognition of artistic merit in the United States. The American Academy of Arts and Letters is an honor society of 250 architects, composers, artists and writers. Members of the academy are elected for life; as vacancies occur, the academicians nominate and elect new members. The City of Seattle also has announced that Hamilton has been selected for a commission to create a large public art installation on a new waterfront development in Seattle. The installation will become the centerpiece of Waterfront Seattle, to be constructed on new public piers there. She will join a team of architects, planners and city designers to create the project over the next several years.

Seattle is making the quality of its public spaces a central project in the imagination of the city. And I’m really thrilled to be able to participate and be part of that. {Ann Hamilton}

ARCHIVED: PRESERVING THE EPHEMERAL Hamilton’s works are being digitally archived in a new publicly accessible collection within the university’s Visual Resources Library, housed in the Department of History of Art. “Although my work has been materially dense, many of the projects are ultimately ephemeral. This documentation becomes very important as it gives the work a longer life and makes their fuller history and documentation accessible to students and researchers. They continue the conversation and circulation of ideas after a show comes down,” said Hamilton. The collection—the Ann Hamilton Project Archive— contains more than 1,000 downloadable, high-resolution images from 35 art installations by Hamilton, ranging from her time as a graduate student at the Yale School of Art to her current large-scale multi-media installations exhibited worldwide. The digitization of the collection is ongoing and publicly available through vrl.osu.edu. Andrew Shelton, chair of the Department of History of Art, summarized the importance of the collection this way: “Professor Hamilton is one of the most important artists active in the world today, and it is a real privilege for the Department of History of Art to play some role in the preservation and dissemination of her incredibly innovative and provocative work. That Ann has entrusted this task to the Visual Resources Library is also a fitting testament, I believe, to the dedication and hard work of the VRL’s talented staff, who are always seeking new ways to serve the entire university community.” The archive, run by Stephanie Bernhardt, curator, and Michelle Maguire, associate curator, is an online resource containing downloadable high-resolution images (both licensed and restricted) that may be used for teaching and research by individuals at Ohio State and beyond. All images are downloadable as TIFF files at 600 dpi. The VRL began digitizing and archiving Hamilton’s works two years ago. Each digital image contains detailed metadata—including extensive descriptions of the works, titles, dates, materials, sites, size and more.

Some of Ann Hamilton’s work represented in the VRL Archive: (left to right) between taxonomy and communion (1990), indigo blue (1991/2007), and reciprocal fascinations (1985).

vrl.osu.edu

Jazz Boot Camp Imer Santiago (center) jazzes it up with members of The Imer Santiago Quintet.

By day, Imer Santiago is a music educator, teaching at two Nashville, Tennessee, schools, directing a program that focuses solely on Mariachi music. By night, Santiago has “a couple of bands” and plays jazz in clubs and festivals around town. That’s putting it lightly—he just released a new album and even garnered consideration for a Grammy nomination this year.

He said it was Ohio State that put him on the fast-path to musical success. “Ohio State has a ‘boot camp’ in jazz,” he said. “They kicked my butt for four years, and I know for sure I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in today without the education I got at Ohio State, particularly the School of Music jazz studies program’s focus on improvisation.” His road to Nashville continued with a master’s degree from the University of New Orleans, then a stint with an Austin, Texas-based Latin/Christian rock band. “We came through Nashville a lot, and I said, there’s a whole lot more here than just country (music). I wanted to settle down, and I love it here!” He said Nashville’s Music Makes Us initiative seeks to bring music from a “diverse musical landscape” into the city’s public schools,

thus his Latin-based Mariachi program in a middle school and high school, where students learn violin, trumpet, guitar, vihuela and guitarron. His own bands include the seven-member El Movimiento, co-led by three of the musicians, which has belted out Latin jazz tunes since 2008. He also leads the Imer Santiago Quintet, in his words, playing “mainly straightahead jazz with a little R&B influence and some Latin jazz.” And he just released his first solo album, Imer Santiago: Hidden Journey.

People who know me know three things about me: I’m a man of faith. I’m Puerto Rican. And I’m a Buckeye.

asc.osu.edu/arts

Speaking their language

Ohio State Students Share Dance, Theatre and music in China Undergraduate dance and journalism double major Leisa DeCarlo knew her spring break study abroad experience in China would be enriching. But she had no idea how much.

Ohio State travelers stop at the Great Wall of China.

“As dancers, we prepared extensively for this opportunity. However, the experience proved much less grounded in ‘performance,’ as we increasingly encountered moments of cultural exchange. Although we couldn’t communicate with language, dancing with the students was immensely rewarding in creating an unspoken connection,” she said. DeCarlo was one of nearly 30 students from Ohio State—including jazz musicians, dancers and rappers—who traveled to China in March to share their uniquely American art forms with audiences in cities and universities throughout China. The endeavor was partially funded by a U.S. State Department grant awarded to the Center for American Culture collaboratively directed by Ohio State and Wuhan University (WHU) in Hubei Province. Students performed there and in Nanning, Xinxiang, Shenyang and Changchun—areas of China less familiar with the U.S. and western art forms. The tours featured:

Dance students (left to right) Kelly Hurlburt, Alice Bacani, Leisa DeCarlo and Tamara Carrasco during a performance of Dots by Rodney A. Brown in China.

Four contemporary dancers from the Department of Dance, who performed a program of contemporary works that represent U.S. and western dance trends 20 student musicians who comprise the OSU Jazz Ensemble who played a range of American jazz styles, including ragtime and traditional, swing, bebop and funk Three members of the Ohio State Freestyle Rap and BeatBox Club One Department of Theatre alumnus performing his solo show about Muhammad Ali “This short study abroad experience was a great opportunity to represent the university and create a stronger bond between the U.S. and China. The grant was focused on presenting American culture and arts to Chinese audiences, and what more American way is there to do that than with American jazz, American dance and rap?” said Ted McDaniel, professor in the School of Music and director of the Jazz Ensemble.

Theatre alumnus John Houston performs his one-man show based on the life of Muhammad Ali.

continued on pg. 26

flagshippers getting ready ready getting to ship out Who could resist a selfie with Ohio State alumnus and solo performer John Houston (left)? continued from pg. 25

At a Chinese university, for example, the Jazz Ensemble found the audience was unfamiliar with audience customs at a typical U.S. jazz concert. “As an ensemble, we broke down the rigidity of the classical Chinese customs,” said Gabriel Koempel, jazz studies major. “We shouted words of approval while playing, applauded soloists, and clapped to the beat of the music. The audience quickly caught on and enjoyed something so different and more interactive than what they were used to.” The musicians also were treated like celebrities. “The audience called for an encore and we treated them to Duke Ellington’s Oclupaca,” Koempel said. “As soon as we hit our last note, the audience flooded the stage to take pictures. All of a sudden we were the biggest thing in the university.” The dance students felt the warmth of the local people as well. “In addition to the dancing, we were stunned at the generosity of those we met,” DeCarlo said. “In each city, the Chinese culture proved one of immense hospitality, as the people displayed great kindness. “More than a lesson in what it means to be an artist in the world, I will take away from this a lesson in what it means to be, merely, a human being in this vast world.”

Ohio State’s Chinese Flagship Program Has the Keys

In 1997, before “succeeding in the global marketplace” became buzzwords, Ohio State’s fledgling Advanced Chinese Language and Culture (Flagship) Graduate Program began preparing students to do exactly that. Still the only program of its kind in the country, the rigorous twoyear immersion in Chinese language and culture—at Ohio State and in China—gives American students the tools to successfully work in China and with the Chinese in an academic discipline or career area. Galal Walker, professor of Chinese and program director, is always on the lookout for scholarship assistance to make this opportunity available to more qualified students. “It’s a pretty limited pool, though,” he said. “Very few students graduating with BAs in Chinese have the advanced language level required to be successful in our program.” For the past four years, all Flagship students received full scholarships from the Chinese government to study at universities in China. “This is because our students have the ability to study alongside Chinese students in their universities,” Walker said. Like others before them, the 2013–15 “Flagshippers” are a diverse, ambitious, high-achieving group from around the country. In early January, they got the chance to test their wings, as guests of China’s Haier Corporation, the world’s most recognized brand of Chinese consumer electronics.

The Ohio State Jazz Ensemble’s tour jacket

Front (left to right): Mack Lorden, Tina Li, Mac Carr; back (left to right): Nick Pochedly, Joel Poncz, Briun Greene

Haier flew Mac Carr, Briun Greene, Tina Li, Mack Lorden, Nick Pochedly and Joel Poncz to Las Vegas to advise them on marketing to American consumers at the Consumers Electronics Show, one of the world’s major trade shows. “This was a remarkable opportunity for our students to work with a significant Chinese organization on a real-life and real-time problem,” Walker said. The students immediately noticed the need for their services and were kept busy translating the Chinese company rep’s presentations; answering phones; fielding consumers’ questions about the products in English—after conferring with the Haier reps in Mandarin; giving interviews—including Li’s “first-ever with CCTV—Chinese television.” “For those students with a specific interest in business, this was a promising opportunity,” Walker said. “For others, it was a great chance to work directly with a major Chinese international corporation.”

Tina Li examines the internationalization of Chinese brands. “My dream is to work with the U.S. State Department to create better ties between China and America and remove politics from public affairs.” Mack Lorden studies cross-cultural marketing. “I want to open a tea shop and introduce the American public to the cultural experience of drinking Chinese tea.” Nick Pochedly researches cultural origins of HIV stigma and methods to reduce HIV discrimination in rural China. “I plan to attend medical school after I receive my master’s degree.” Joel Poncz explores ways to revamp China’s recycling system through a mix of government involvement and privatization. “I want to consult or work for the U.S. State Department.” The students, finishing their first year of classes at Ohio State, will head off to the program’s training center in Guangzhou, China, in June.

After graduation, most plan to put what they’ve learned to work—in China, in America or elsewhere.

They are armed to take on 11 months of language and culture courses; three- to six-month internships in Chinese organizations, and a semester of studies with Chinese peers at a Chinese university.

Mac Carr researches processes and effects of China’s rapid urbanization upon its society. He has been to 59 different places in China. “I hope to consult for Chinese and American companies.”

They return to Ohio State in 2015 for proficiency assessments, thesis completion and their hard-won degrees.

Briun Greene, a former Army linguist, studies cross-cultural automobile marketing in China. “I plan to find a job or start a business and live and work there indefinitely.”

artsandsciences.osu.edu

After that, those career doors are wide open.

Alumni Notes continued from pg. 11 Sam Shim (BS, computer and information science, 1994: MBA, Fisher College of Business, 1997) was elected to the Worthington City Schools Board of Education. Retired, Shim has worked for a number of major companies during his career, including Anheuser-Busch, CompuServe, Ernst & Young, LCI International, Lucent Technologies and Owens Corning.

Nancy Staudt ( BA, international studies, 1985) has been named dean of the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis, effective May 15, 2014.

There is no longer any such thing as a typical American family. {Zhenchao Qian, professor and chair, Department of Sociology}

Staudt is a nationally renowned scholar in tax, tax policy and empirical legal studies. Both she and her students have been featured in the media, including CNN’s “The Next List,” which documents up-and-coming visionaries across the country.

Analyzing data from the 2000 Census and the 2008-2010 American Community Survey, Qian found that across the board, regardless of race, young people delayed marriage longer than ever before, permanent singlehood increased, and divorce and remarriage continued to rise.

James Voorhies (BA, 1992; MA, 1995; PhD, 2012, history of art) has been appointed Harvard University’s first John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Director of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. Voorhies, a curator, art historian and writer, will be responsible for the development and presentation of exhibitions and public programming and will teach courses in curatorial practice and contemporary art.

Not only are young people putting off getting married, but also, when they do, they are more likely to get divorced and remarried; a cycle Qian calls the “marriage-go-round.” Among currently married men, Qian found the percentage of those who were married more than once increased from 17 percent in 1980 to 25 percent in 2008 to 2010.

Jeff Yungman (BA, sociology, 1973) is director of Crisis Ministries Homeless Justice Project in Charleston, South Carolina. He is an adjunct professor with the University of South Charleston College of Social Work and Charleston School of Law: Although it has been 40 years since I graduated from Ohio State, I have always considered Ohio State to be where, thanks to professors like Simon Dinitz and Paul Friday, I grew as a person and developed the social justice philosophy that has served me well over the years.

the changing american family

From 2008 to 2010, nearly half of young adults between the ages of 20 and 24 lived with their parents. During the same time, the percentage of U.S.-born women of that age who had ever been married declined from 31 percent in 2000 to 19 percent in 2008 to 2010. The decline for men was similar, dropping from 21 percent to 11 percent.

Most troubling is a polarizing divide that means white people, the educated and the economically secure, have much more stable family situations than minorities, the uneducated and the poor. Viewed against a background of widening gaps between the haves and have-nots in America, this is a particularly stark divide. “Race, education, the economy and immigration status weigh heavily on how well families fare financially,” explained Qian. “Economic inequality is key to the polarization of American families, and the disadvantages of children living in single and unstable families will just worsen the racial and ethnic inequalities we already have in this country.”

One group has remained stable and most closely resembles what was once considered the American norm and that is the immigrant community. Between 2000 and 2010, “immigrants married at a higher level at every agegroup compared with the U.S. born,” said Qian. “Their relatively high marriage rates have propped up the national marriage rate and mitigated the decline in marriage.” Married individuals are happier, healthier and have better socioeconomic status than their unmarried counterparts. Because of these benefits, marriage promotion was included in the 1996 welfare reform bill—the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act—which sought to end dependence of low-income single mothers on government benefits. And, since 2001, the federal government has spent $800 million on programs to encourage marriage. But does marriage improve the economic situation for all, especially single moms living in poverty? Not according to Kristi Williams, associate professor of sociology, and author of a new paper on the issue for the Council on Contemporary Families.

Sociologists Zhenchao Qian and Kristi Williams examine the transformation of the ‘traditional’ American family and challenge the conventional wisdom that marriage lifts single mothers out of poverty.

“Marriage isn’t the problem or the answer for single women living in poverty,” said Williams. “In fact, in some cases, marriage is actually risky for a woman who is already a single mother.” Williams’ paper reveals that approximately 64 percent of the single mothers who married were divorced by the time they reached ages 35-44. Moreover, single mothers who marry and later divorce are worse off economically than single mothers who never marry. “You have to remember that for many single women with children living in poverty, their choices for a marriage partner are constrained by their circumstances.”

Marriage isn’t the problem or the answer for single women living in poverty,” said Williams. “In fact, in some cases, marriage is actually risky for a woman who is already a single mother.

Research shows that single mothers living in poor neighborhoods are likely to marry men who won’t or can’t help them out of poverty. These men are likely to have children from other partnerships, lack a high school diploma, and have been incarcerated or have substance abuse problems. “If we are truly interested in the future wellbeing of these women and their children, we need to base our public policies on empirical evidence and not on opinion or political expediency,” said Williams. Williams and Qian agree that attacking poverty, and by extension widening the options for single women with children, is a long-term process, but a necessary one if we are to see marriage rates among the poor stabilize with both economic and emotional benefits. “We need to address the lack of high-quality, publicly funded daycare to enable single women with children to work; the need for a more robust parental leave policy; and the need for good jobs with growing wages at the bottom of the income scale,” said Williams. “It isn’t that having a lasting and successful marriage is a cure for living in poverty,” said Williams. “Living in poverty is a barrier to having a lasting and successful marriage.”

NO IMAGES?

ready for primetime Who Was—?

Jumping Ahead It’s hard to imagine Tori Boggs ever sitting still. The secondyear Ohio State Honors Collegium student studying industrial design with a focus on pre-med, is the reigning World Jump Rope Female Single Rope All-Around Champion and has nine world jump rope titles. She also stars in a jump-rope video created by Ohio State that’s been viewed on YouTube by nearly a million people. Oh yeah, and in January, Boggs was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she demonstrated her jump-rope prowess live on the Ellen set. But her hectic schedule is fine with Boggs. “I love it that way,” she said. “Any time I’m jumping rope, it’s all good.” The West Virginia native got hooked when she saw her first jump-roping demonstration when she was just 5. Throughout her school years she competed with her hometown team, Jump Company USA (where her mom is a coach), and will compete with the team at the World Championships in Orlando this summer. So just how much does Boggs have to train to hone her incredible skills? “At Ohio State, I train at RPAC, the mirrors are super helpful, and try to get in one and a half hours of jumping a day,” she said. “On weekends, I usually go home and do marathon sessions—about 10 to 15 hours.” How she wound up at Ohio State is the tale of a happy journey. “I never thought I’d come here and

just applied as my back-up school,” she said. “I applied to 19 schools and Ohio State was last on my list. I thought I’d go to Yale.” But Ohio State invited her to interview for the Honors Collegium so she came to campus and was surprised at what she found. “I said, ‘Holy cow!’ The opportunities at OSU are so incredible, more than the Ivy League schools I visited. When I got the call offering me a full scholarship, it sealed the deal. Now I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.” Boggs started as a physics major, but then sat in on an industrial design class one day and found her calling. “I absolutely love it!” she said. “I want to remain in pre-med too—together they’re the perfect balance of science and art. Maybe I’ll combine them and become a practicing doctor who also designs medical devices.”

Maria Khrakovsky started a to-do list when she was 8 years old. On it were three items: to be on Jeopardy!, to visit every single country in Europe, and to attend all four major tennis tournaments. The honors student, a double major in French and accounting, confesses she is 0-0 on tennis, has seen “only” 12 or so European countries, but happily crossed #1 off her list, when she appeared on Jeopardy! on Valentine’s Day. The fact that she did not end up a “big-winner” did not faze her. “It was surreal—I was ON Jeopardy! There is nothing like looking over and seeing Alex Trebek standing close enough to touch.” Now, she is focused on course work and looking forward to graduation. In the autumn, she will begin a master’s degree program in accounting. But that to-do list never dwindles. Khrakovsky, who is fluent in Russian—her family emigrated from Ukraine when she was a baby and spoke Russian at home—wants to learn Italian. Whether or not it made her list, Khrakovsky did perform at Carnegie Hall—with a Russian choir, when she was 12—“that was awesome!” And, she admits she sometimes fantasizes about being an opera singer. Never doubt that it could happen.

But being in the spotlight is in her future, too. “I also really want to be able to perform—my ultimate goal is to work as a performer with Cirque du Soleil.”

Watch Ohio State’s Tori Boggs video at go.osu.edu/toriboggs

Honoring Achievement The Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize and honor some of our outstanding alumni whose accomplishments are tangible evidence of the growing distinction of arts and sciences alumni. New this year, the Young Alumni Achievement Award celebrates the amazing work our young alumni are doing out in the world. The award recognizes an alumnus/a, 35 years old and younger, who has demonstrated distinctive achievement in a career or civic involvement or both.

Distinguished Achievement award

Anna Barker (MA, education, 1967 and PhD microbiology, 1971), professor and director of Transformative Healthcare Networks and co-director of the Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) Initiative at Arizona State University.

Martin Keen (BS, product design, 1989), founder, KEEN® Footwear and founder of Focal™ Upright furniture came to Ohio State to study engineering but shifted his focus to product design, one of the top industrial design programs in the country. There, he learned the design philosophy he has adhered to since: form follows function.

Barker has a long history in research and the leadership and management of advanced research and development in the academic, nonprofit and private sectors. She served as a senior scientist and subsequently as a senior executive at Battelle Memorial Institute for 18 years; and co-founded and served as the CEO of a public biotechnology drug development company. Prior to joining Arizona State, Barker served as the deputy director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and as the NCI’s deputy director for Strategic Scientific Initiatives from 2002 until her retirement in 2010.

In 2003, Keen launched KEEN® Footwear, with the focus on innovative design and unique corporate philosophy of consciousness and sustainability, KEEN® quickly became the fastestgrowing outdoor brand in the world. In early 2012, he sold his remaining stake in KEEN® and launched Focal™ Upright furniture with the aim of transforming the way we work.

Distinguished Achievement award

Distinguished Service award

Distinguished Young Achievement award

Charles Csuri (BS, education, 1947 and MA, fine art, 1948) is best known for pioneering the field of computer graphics, computer animation and digital fine art. Recognized by Smithsonian magazine as the “father of digital art and computer animation,” Csuri established the Advanced Computing Center for Arts and Design (ACCAD), one of the world’s first computer art, animation teaching and research programs.

GARY BOOTH (PhD, chemistry, 1965), retired vice president of research and development, Procter & Gamble (P&G).

PETER MICHAILIDIS (BS, biochemistry, 2007), created Pushpins, Inc. during his first semester at Harvard Business School with partner Jason Gurwin.

Csuri began his work intertwining art and computer science in the 1960s. With support from the National Science Foundation, the Navy and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, he directed basic research in computer graphics for more than 22 years. A decorated World War II veteran, Csuri was named MVP by his teammates of Ohio State’s first national championship football team in 1942.

After retirement from P&G, he began thinking about his career and the success that was made possible because of his education and a grant from Ohio State; during his second year, he received a research fellowship. In 2007, Booth, along with his wife Jane, established several scholarships to provide support for undergraduates in chemistry and biochemistry. For Booth, it’s as much about mentoring as it is about the monetary support. He recently took 18 chemistry students to P&G to expose them to science beyond the academic walls. Booth is the committee chairman for Ohio State’s CBEC Chemistry and Biochemistry National Committee and is leading the committee’s efforts to raise $8 million for the new facility.

Read more about the winners at go.osu.edu/2014_alumni-awards

A Columbus-born and raised entrepreneur, Michailidis started working on his first company, Substruct Systems, specializing in retail point of sale and inventory management software, while in high school. In 2009, Michailidis created Pushpins, a free mobile shopping app that provides digital manufacturers’ coupons and rewards to shoppers when they scan UPC bar codes at the grocery store. In addition to discounts at the checkout counter, it provides shoppers access to digital shopping lists, nutritional information and shopping history. In 2013, Pushpins was sold to retail giant, Performance Marketing Brands, parent of Ebates.com and Fatwallet.com for $10-15 million.

SCIENCE & SCHOLARSHIP All across the arts and sciences, our faculty and students take on the BIG challenges of our time, bending their energies and skills to finding viable solutions for current and emerging problems. Never satisfied with the status quo—at home or abroad—they push boundaries, build bridges and form collaborations and partnerships worldwide to ask questions and find solutions that lead the way toward living in a better world. Their work is recognized and supported by major granting agencies. These include: NSF-CAREER AWARD

JST PRESTO AWARD

The National Science Foundation’s top award given to the nation’s most promising junior faculty members whose work shows potential for major, ongoing contributions to their fields. ASC’s latest CAREER Award winner, MATTHEW KAHLE, assistant professor, mathematics, will receive $450,000 funding for his project, “Random spaces and groups,” from NSF’s programs in Geometric Analysis and Topology and Probability and Combinatorics.

JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY (JST) PRESTO (Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology) AWARD, from the Japanese government, helps outstanding young scientists initiate their research programs. It is open to Japanese scientists working anywhere in the world or any researcher working in Japan. KOTARO NAKANISHI, assistant professor, chemistry and biochemistry, received a three-year PRESTO grant for $400,000450,000 (depending on the rate of USD to Japanese yen) to support his studies of the structure of macromolecules to better understand their mechanisms of recognition, which one day might lay foundations for therapeutics to treat human diseases.

THE HELEN B. WARNER PRIZE The American Astronomical Society’s top recognition for young astronomers who are already leaders in their fields. CHRISTOPHER HIRATA, professor of astronomy and physics, is this year’s Helen B. Warner Prize winner for: “The extraordinary depth of understanding he brings to his work on cosmological recombination, structure formation, and dark energy and cosmic acceleration is facilitating the next generation of important cosmological experiments.”

SLOAN FELLOWSHIP Awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, supports U.S. and Canadian early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and ability identify them as the next generation of scientific leaders. JULIE GOLOMB, assistant professor, psychology, is one of 126, Alfred Sloan Fellowship winners this year and the only Sloan Fellow chosen from Ohio. The two-year $50,000 award will support her research on interactions among visual attention, memory, perception and eye movements that uses a variety of tools, including human psychophysics, gaze-contingent eye-tracking, fMRI, ERP and TMS.

FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, awards grants to exceptional scholars in diverse fields to further their studies abroad. Nine ASC scholars are recipients: CAROL BORAM-HAYS, lecturer, art history; PHILIP BROWN, professor, Japanese and East Asian history; ALCIRA DUEÑAS, associate professor, history; LISLE GIBBS, professor, evolution, ecology and organismal biology; BRYAN MARK, associate professor, geography; STEPHEN PETRILL, professor, psychology; ANIL PRADHAN, professor, astronomy; ANA ELENA PUGA, assistant professor, theatre; and LINN VAN WOERKOM, associate provost, director, University Honors & Scholars, and professor of physics.

DOCTORAL CANDIDATE DISCOVERS NEW SPECIES/GENUS OF MITE It was just another day of collecting soil samples for evolution, ecology and organismal biology doctoral candidate SAMUEL BOLTON, who studies mites and collects a gazillion samples. He never dreamed that the bucket he brought back to his lab would contain an extraordinary discovery—a new species and genus of mite—the first mite from a strange worm-like family (the Nematalycidae) to be described in more than 40 years. Bolton’s description of Osperalycus tenerphagus is published online in the Journal of Natural History.

NEW EXPERIMENT FINDS DIAMONDS MAY BE COMPUTING’S BEST FRIEND Chris Hammel, Ohio Eminent Scholar in Experimental Physics and director of the NSF-funded Center for Emergent Materials, led a landmark study that could revolutionize computing. His group demonstrated that information can flow through a diamond wire— passed along by a magnetic effect called “spin”—which could be used to transmit data in computer circuits, making computers both faster and more powerful. This experiment showed that diamond transmits spin better than most metals previously used.

GEOGRAPHER FINDS DRUG TRAFFICKERS DESTROYING CENTRAL AMERICAN FORESTS KENDRA MCSWEENEY, associate professor, geography, is lead author of a new study published in Science, finding that drug trafficking endangers rainforests in Central America.

ECONOMIST’S NEW STUDY SHOWS COHABITATION AFFECTS LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS Professor of economics AUDREY LIGHT is co-author of a new study finding that cohabitation, in the long run, plays “a major role” in the overall number of couples that stay together for eight-plus years.

Arts and sciences Faculty Named American Association for the Advancement of science (AAAS) Fellows In recognition of outstanding contributions to their fields: JOHN FREUDENSTEIN, evolution, ecology and organismal biology (EEOB); NORM JOHNSON, EEOB; DAVID MANDERSCHEID, mathematics, and executive dean and vice provost; and ZUCAI SUO, chemistry and biochemistry, have been named American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows. The AAAS is the world’s largest general science organization.

Divisional Dean will serve as chair of National committee for mathematics PETER MARCH, divisional dean, natural and mathematical sciences, will serve a four-year term as chair of the National Committee for Mathematics, which represents the U.S. in the International Mathematical Union and promotes the advancement of the mathematical sciences.

Geography Professor named Distinguished scholar in regional development and planning DANIEL SUI, professor and chair, geography, was named Distinguished Scholar in Regional Development and Planning by the Association of American Geographers. This award recognizes Sui’s ongoing research contributions to the applied or theoretical understanding of development, planning and/or policy issues.

Graduate Students in 2013 Capital one modeling competition A team of five statistics graduate students: XIN HUANG, ANDREW LANDGRAF, LIUBO LI, SRINATH SAMPATH and RAN WEI, won the 2013 Capital One Modeling Competition, competing against top data modeling teams from around the country.

EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERIES ARE BEING MADE EVERY DAY! artsandsciences.osu.edu

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But for Ohio State â&#x20AC;Ś Devin oliver would not have been able to pursue his research on the politics behind gay-friendly urban branding and tourism campaigns in Rio de Janeiro. Devin Oliver, from Cleveland, Ohio, has a double major and a double minor: Spanish and geography; and Portuguese and international studies. He has developed his own research in the areas of advanced Brazilian Portuguese and Brazilian favela-sertao culture and its relevance in Brazilian society.

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