February 10, 2022 Page 1
Ohio State spends record-breaking $1.2 billion in research in 2021 COURTSY OF THE WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER
Ohio State exceeded $1 billion in research spending in 2021.
JESSICA OROZCO Campus Editor orozco.55@osu.edu Ohio State funded $1.2 billion in research in 2021, a record-breaking amount for the university. Grace Wang, executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge, revealed the university’s research spending figure at the Board of Trustees Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Committee meeting Wednesday. Research at the university is funded through both internal and external sources. Most notably, federal research spending grew from $539 million in fiscal year 2020 to $581 million in fiscal year 2021, while the university’s institutional investment in research grew from $152 million to $404 million. University President Kristina M. Johnson
said the community benefits from every dollar the university funds in research. “We’re one of the best research enterprises in the world, and we need to talk about that because it’s important and success breeds success,” Johnson said. Wang said the increase in federal research dollars — up 7.7 percent in 2021 — results from the university’s research in artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge areas. “’It’s driven a lot by computing data, artificial intelligence, machine learning and also the breakthroughs in life sciences,” Wang said. According to a university press release, Ohio State received a $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation for the creation of the Imageomics Institute. Wang said Johnson plans to double research and development funding in the next 10 years — aiming for an almost $2 billion investment.
Johnson said while much of the university’s research is internally funded, a large portion is funded by outside contributors. Universities self-report research funding to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development survey. According to the release, the survey serves as a source on research and development spending at colleges and universities nationwide. “We’re in the top five of doing research with industry in the country,” Johnson said. Johnson said the university has undercounted research spending in previous years as a result of inefficiencies in the reporting system — a process that improved, becoming more accurate, in 2021 reporting. Johnson said she expects the addition of two Intel chip factories near Columbus will create more opportunity for research
spending in the coming years. As part Intel’s factory construction in Columbus, the company pledged $100 million to develop partnerships with Ohio educational institutions over the next decade. According to a press release from the company, it hopes collaboration with Ohio universities and community colleges will “build a pipeline of talent and bolster research programs in the region.” Intel stated this venture broadly aims to develop collaborative research projects and semiconductor-specific curricula for associate and undergraduate degree programs. Wang said the Intel partnership with Ohio universities will set a precedent for corporate partnerships. “It’s going to open many, many opportunities, so I think it’s really just the start of a great ecosystem for many decades to come,” Wang said.
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Thursday, February 10, 2022
CAMPUS
What to know about the emergence of new COVID-19 variants
MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR
As the omicron variant becomes more widespread in the U.S., Dr. Carlos Malvestutto said there are currently three subvariants: BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.
HOSNA SADAQAT Lantern reporter sadaqat.3@osu.edu The omicron variant has become more widespread in the U.S., leading to subvariants — descendents of the mutated virus. Dr. Carlos Malvestutto, an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State, said viruses mutate into new variants constantly, representing a natural process. As students returned to campus for the spring semester Jan. 10, COVID-19 cases spiked to a positivity rate of nearly 10
percent. Malvestutto said once the virus mutates, it is able to replicate more efficiently. “That variant of the virus can have an advantage over the other circulate variants in a certain region or in a community,” Malvestutto said. “So as it spreads more efficiently, and it’s transmitted more efficiently, then it’s able to overtake other variants that may not spread quite as efficient.” Malvestutto said there are currently three subvariants of the omicron variant: BA.1, the version of omicron that most people have been infected with; BA.2, which often presents with mild and unnoticeable symptoms and is more infectious than
other subvariants; and a newer BA.3. Mikkel Quam, assistant professor in epidemiology, said COVID-19 spreads from an infected person’s respiratory system. “Infections can be mitigated through vaccination, through distancing, through masking,” Quam said. Malvestutto said BA.2 is now the most common subvariant of COVID-19 in places like Denmark, and it will likely become more widespread everywhere else. Despite these new COVID-19 variants, Malvestutto said the current vaccines remain effective. He said while there is a reduction in the level of protection, the vaccines are still useful in protecting
against serious side effects from omicron as they are from the delta variant. “It’s protection from having severe disease that would lead to hospitalization,” Malvestutto said. “Estimates for omicron are that the level of protection is about the same for our current vaccines.” Quam said masking and vaccination will help the university, and life beyond Ohio State, revert to pre-pandemic life. “It’s these good strategies that have made it possible for the university to continue in person and for the state and city to be more and more open,” Quam said.
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Thursday, February 10, 2022
ARTS&LIFE
Student musician prepares for show at A&R Bar.
Ohio State’s Hale Hall features one of largest collections of Black art in the nation
ON PAGE 4
Buckeye Twirl represents Ohio State on and off campus ALEXIS SCHUPBACH Lantern reporter schupbach.10@osu.edu
PHOEBE HELMS | LANTERN REPORTER
Hale Hall, located on the South Oval, houses the Black Cultural Center and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and one of the largest Black art collections in the country.
PHOEBE HELMS Lantern reporter helms.121@osu.edu Hale Hall, which is known to host events, exhibitions and meetings, also houses an art collection worth more than $1.5 million. The Frank W. Hale Black Cultural Center boasts one of the largest collections of Black art in the country, according to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s website. The collection comprises over 750 pieces of art from artists around the world, Larry Williamson, director of the center, said. Named after Frank W. Hale Jr., vice provost for the Office of Minority Affairs from 1978-1988, the center is located in Hale Hall at 154 W. 12th Ave. Hale placed special emphasis on prioritizing art within the space, which is what ultimately sets it apart from other Black culture centers, he said. “Culture centers are basically known for what it is that they have,” Williamson said. “Dr. Hale’s emphasis of wanting to have visual artwork in it, it really helped our art center be recognized for the arts.” Some of the works in the collection, according to the Office of Diversity and
Inclusion’s website, include “King’s Life” by Larry Winston Collins, which chronicles some of the most iconic moments in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, and “Zero” by local artist Charles Hollingsworth, which Williamson said is one of his personal favorites. “Our art ranges from being functional to being just a lot of famous art pieces that are related to African culture and African American culture,” Andre Brown, assistant director of the Hale Black Cultural Center, said. The center is also set apart from other spaces on campus because of the representation it provides for Black students, Brown said. “A lot of places on campus you don’t get to see imagery — positive imagery — of Black Americans,” Brown said. “I think it celebrates that.” Williamson worked under Hale’s direct supervision, according to his Ohio State Black Alumni Society page, and is responsible for collecting more than 80 percent of the works currently held by the center in his more than 30 years at Ohio State, he said. “It’s an asset because you can walk in and see some of the top artwork in the
nation,” Williamson said. Williamson said he and Hale put in a tremendous amount of work to find the art currently displayed at Hale Hall. He said they connected with people they knew could donate well-known works and knocked on the doors of local artists within the community. From realism to abstract, South Africa to the Caribbean, the artwork in the center represents a wide variety of genres and groups, Williamson said. “There’s a lot of meaning behind each of these pieces,” he said. “Seeing a piece from an aesthetic perspective is one thing, but once you know the meaning of the piece, it could change your perspective.” Making the art collection one of the focal points of the Hale Black Cultural Center has been instrumental in ensuring Ohio State continues to have one of the premier cultural centers in the country and provides a unique representation of the Black experience, Williamson said. “Art is culture,” Williamson said. “So anytime you walk into our center, you have a better understanding of the culture, what we’re trying to present and the relevance of the African American experience.”
Buckeye Twirl will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a trip to Disney World for an international competition. The baton twirling team for Ohio State, which is now recognized as a sports club with both a competition and club team, had humble beginnings when it was founded as a student organization in 2012. The team went to its first national competition — American Youth on Parade in Indiana — with just four members in 2013, Brittany Lohmeyer, head coach and co-founder, said. Now, Buckeye Twirl has approximately 10 members and is in the process of preparing for Twirl Mania, an annual, international, collegiate competition held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Disney World Feb. 18-21, Marissa Fogg, president and captain of the club and team, respectively, said. “We’re just super excited to go,” Fogg, a fourth-year in health sciences, said. “A lot of our girls have never been to Twirl Mania, so it’s a really great experience. It’s just super fun, especially with it being at Disney. It’s very lighthearted, and, while we’re still at a competition, we’re there to do well.” The team members focus on being good teammates and developing as athletes, Fogg said. She said members of the team also find excitement in representing their school. “Representing Ohio State and wearing my Buckeye Twirl jacket, or even my costume when we’re at competitions, and people come up to us and, oh my gosh, they almost treat us like celebrities,” Fogg said. Buckeye Twirl has competed at Twirl Mania three times since 2016, BUCKEYE TWIRL CONTINUES ON 5
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Adam Paddock and fellow Ohio State musicians set to perform at A&R Music Bar AUSTIN MUCCHETTI Lantern reporter mucchetti.1@osu.edu Opening a concert for Waka Flocka Flame and MAX may be a tough act to follow, but one Ohio State student has his sights set high. Adam Paddock, a fourth-year in strategic communication and alternative chamber pop musician, is co-headlining a show Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. with indie pop group Telehope at A&R Music Bar, located at 391 Neil Ave. The show was originally scheduled to be held at The Basement, but enough tickets were sold to upgrade the venue to the A&R Music Bar. Paddock’s name may sound familiar to some Ohio State students, as he was an opening act for the Ohio Union Activities Board Welcome Back Concert at Express Live! in September 2021. “That Express show was monumental in terms of getting me where I am now,” Paddock said. “That show really gave me more confidence that I didn’t know I lacked.” Following the concert, Paddock said he was invited to perform the national anthem before a Columbus Crew game at Lower. com Field in October 2021, as well as at the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament semifinals that December. Although getting his name out was an important part of the experience for Paddock, he said performing at Express Live! also helped him feel more secure in his passion for music. “When I was on stage, I really felt like this is what I’m meant to be doing,” Paddock said. “And that’s so cliche, but when I was on there, I was like, this is the thing.” Paddock said he started making music in fifth grade and played the trumpet and baritone horn all throughout high school. He learned how to play guitar and piano along the way, but said it wasn’t until he received advice from friends in his high school show choir that he gave singing a try. Paddock said the show choir, Loveland By Request,
COURTESY OF ANNA NGUYEN
Adam Paddock sings the national anthem before a Columbus Crew game at Lower.com Field Oct. 16, 2021. He is set to perform at A&R Music Bar Feb. 25.
is considered one of the best of its kind in the country. He said he ended up landing the role of male soloist and has been singing ever since. “I went from never singing to essentially being thrown into, like, the top level of it,” Paddock said. Paddock said his current discography — which is available on Spotify and Apple Music — is positive and uplifting but also deliberately diverse to fit a variety of settings. “I want there to be music that is meant to be played at an arena in a stadium, and I want there to be music that can make you feel something if it’s literally you, me and a couple of friends sitting with an acoustic guitar,” Paddock said. Max Lew & The Midwest Experience, a band made up of Ohio State students — Max Lew, a second-year in marketing, Auden Stevenson, a third-year in music,
and Simon Grome, a second-year in computer and information science — will open the performance. Lew, lead singer and guitarist for the group, said he and Paddock have known each other for a year and met on campus. “He was actually my RA last year,” Lew said. “It was like my third day on campus. I walked down the hall and this dude’s door was completely open, not even cracked open, and he was playing music.” From there, the two struck a chord, and over the course of the next year, Paddock would reach out for his feedback to tweak aspects of his unreleased songs, Lew said. “He and I, our styles are so different, yet he does a great job of meeting me where I want to be, and I do the same with him,” Paddock said. Paddock said he is proud to be taking the stage with Lew and fellow Ohio State musicians.
“The collaborative process on campus is so interesting,” Paddock said. “It’s so tightknit, everybody’s kind of dedicated. We have such a good culture around here that we can have an opener and a headliner all be students.” Anna Nguyen, a fourth-year in pharmaceutical sciences, is a videographer and has documented Paddock’s musical journey since the two met at Ohio State. Over the course of working with Paddock, Nguyen said she has witnessed his growth as an artist firsthand. “I think that he’s become a phenomenal performer,” Nguyen said. “I’ve just seen him grow musically, like, I can see where his music is shifting direction, and he’s just way more proud of the things he’s making.” Tickets to Paddock’s performance at A&R Music Bar are $15 and can be purchased through PromoWest’s website.
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Lohmeyer said. In previous years, Fogg said they have not placed very well. However, Fogg said this may be in part because of the relatively small size of the team in past years. With bolstered numbers, she said the team’s hopes of achieving higher ranks have also increased. “This routine has been in the works for a couple years now, so we’ve worked really, really hard this year,” Fogg said. “We’ve gotten a lot of input from other judges, from other coaches. So, this year I’m feeling really good about our routine and how we’ll compete at Disney.” Lohmeyer said a win is not the only thing the team hopes to gain from this experience, as the bonding experience alone is worth the trip. “Just allowing them to kind of go out with this amazing experience of getting to go back and represent Ohio State with a much larger team, a more advanced team,” Lohmeyer said. “Just to have that experience and have that bonding together is definitely something we’re hoping to walk away with.” Though Buckeye Twirl has competed in
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some intense competitions, Fogg said the club and the competition team perform at numerous events in their own backyard, such as the Ohio State Homecoming Parade, Ohio State Relay for Life and some tailgates. However, Fogg said the team has its sights set on one coveted goal in particular. “A lot of us, our goal is to get on that football field and get that recognition and be able to showcase some fieldwork,” Fogg said. Lohmeyer said Ohio State is one of the only Big Ten schools that does not feature baton twirlers with the marching band. As a result, she said prospective twirlers do not tend to view Ohio State as an option if they want to continue twirling at the collegiate level. “One of our main goals is to show the twirling community that Ohio State does have the top twirlers, despite not being on the field,” Lohmeyer said. “We are a huge part of the university.” Kelsey Bitner, a first-year in math education, said Buckeye Twirl hosts a clinic once a semester to allow young twirlers to
learn new tricks and get to know the team. “This is our way to get to know them and show them that we are not just a little club,” Bitner said. Much like the team itself, the Buckeye Twirl clinics have also grown in numbers, Fogg said. The last clinic, which was hosted in the fall of 2021, had approximately 50 young twirlers in attendance, and she said twirlers tend to come back year after year. For some twirlers, getting to show people who they are and how far they’ve come is the most rewarding part of being in the organization, Bitner said. “This organization has grown so much just within the past few years, and because of COVID, no one was able to see us, but now we’re this big group and our skills have improved,” Bitner said. “I’m just very excited for them to see how Buckeye Twirl has evolved.”
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7 former Buckeyes to play in Super Bowl LVI
The Cincinnati Bengals will play in the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years, and seven Buckeye alums will compete.
JACOB BENGE Assistant Sports Editor benge.30@osu.edu For the first time since 1989, the Cincinnati Bengals will play in the Super Bowl. Not only will it mark their first appearance in over three decades in the NFL’s championship game, but a number of Buckeye alumni, including five starters and three captains, will play in hopes of bringing the Bengals their first Super Bowl win in franchise history. Among the group, former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow leads Cincinnati’s offense in just his second year in the NFL.
Burrow spent the 2015-17 seasons at Ohio State, graduating with a consumer and family financial services degree in 2018, before transferring and winning both the College Football National Championship and Heisman Trophy with LSU in 2019. “I’m definitely still a Buckeye; I graduated from there,” Burrow said. “I still have relationships to this day that I wouldn’t have without being there. I’m still in contact with coach Mick (Marotti) and coach (Ryan) Day and Corey (Dennis), all those guys. I’m still a Buckeye.” Ryan Day joined Ohio State in 2017 as the team’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, overseeing Burrow in the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks room.
ALEXA MAVROGIANIS AND JACK WESTERHEIDE | LANTERN FILE PHOTO
The now-head coach said Burrow’s journey from Ohio State to the transfer portal, and even recovering from a torn ACL and MCL during his rookie season in 2020, has made for a great story. “His whole journey has been tremendous to be someone to watch and enjoy and cheer him on,” Day said. In addition to Burrow, safety Vonn Bell and defensive end Sam Hubbard will captain the Bengals against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Former Ohio State safety Jordan Fuller is also a Rams captain, but suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss the playoffs. Cornerback Eli Apple and offensive tackle Isaiah Prince round out the former
Buckeyes in Cincinnati’s starting lineup. Linebacker Keandre Jones, who spent the 2016-18 seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Maryland, is also on the Bengals roster, bringing the total number of Buckeyes in the Super Bowl to seven. Cincinnati claimed its first playoff victory in 31 years earlier this postseason, overcoming three consecutive last-place finishes in the AFC North. Day said it’s exciting for the state of Ohio that the Bengals will compete for a championship, and he’s pulling for them in the Super Bowl. “How exciting to come back to your home state and bring your team to a Super SUPER BOWL CONTINUES ON 7
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MARK BATKE, CASEY CASCALDO, JACK WESTERHEIDE AND CORI WADE | LANTERN FILE PHOTO
SUPER BOWL FROM 6
Bowl. Excited for them,” Day said. “I think they have a real chance to win that game. They’ve been underdogs the whole way.” Burrow and Hubbard are Ohio natives, hailing from Athens and Cincinnati, respectively. However, they aren’t the only ones who call Ohio State “home.” “Looking back, I just meshed. It felt
like home to me,” Bell said. “That was the biggest thing with coach (Luke Fickell), coach Everett (Withers) that recruited me, coach (Urban) Meyer and coach (Kerry) Coombs. I just felt that.” The Rams will make their second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons, winning the NFC West for the first time since 2018. They’ll have a bit of home field advantage,
as SoFi Stadium is their home stadium. Cincinnati already snapped the NFL’s longest conference championship drought against the Tennessee Titans before defeating two-time reigning AFC champion Kansas City Jan. 30. Burrow and Prince — who entered Ohio State in the same 2015 recruiting class — have one more obstacle to clear with the
help of several other Buckeyes in hopes of helping the Bengals win the Super Bowl. “We reminisced after the game about the times we had in the dorms, seeing each other out on High Street,” Burrow said. “We just say we came a long way.”
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Thursday, February 10, 2022
SPORTS
Find out which former Buckeyes will play in Super Bowl LVI between Cincinnati and Los Angeles Sunday ON PAGE 7
Buckeyes celebrate Bengals’ return to Super Bowl ZACHARY TAYLOR Lantern reporter taylor.3762@osu.edu Bengals fans are buzzing around Ohio State’s campus as Cincinnati makes it to its first Super Bowl since 1989. Cincinnati defeated the twotime defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 Jan. 30 to secure its third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The Bengals seek their first-ever victory in the big game Sunday. They will face the Los Angeles Rams, winners of the NFC championship game, in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California — the Rams’ home stadium. Even though the AFC championship was a road game for Cincinnati, Arrowhead Stadium was full of Bengals fans. One of those fans was Ben Kimmet, a fourth-year in materials science and engineering and lifelong Bengals fan, who said the atmosphere was extraordinary due to Kansas City’s high-caliber reputation. “Kansas City is like a whole different animal,” Kimmet said. “They’ve hosted the AFC championship for four straight years. Nobody expected us to be here.” The game was a thrilling contest that saw Bengals rookie place-kicker Evan McPherson make a game-winning 31-yard field goal in overtime, sending Cincinnati to its third Super Bowl in team history. Former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow led the Bengals back from an
COURTESY OF BEN KIMMET
Ben Kimmet, a fourth-year in materials science and engineering, attended the AFC Championship in Kansas City, Missouri.
18-point deficit, tied for biggest comeback in AFC championship game history, by throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, Kimmet said the scenes were unbelievable. “I was in Arrowhead just hugging people that I had no idea who they were; we were all crying,” Kimmet said. “It’s the best moment of my life, as far as being a Bengals fan. I’ve never experienced anything like it. ” To clinch its spot in the playoffs, Cincinnati had to play that same Chiefs team during week 17 of the regular season. The Bengals
edged them out in a 34-31 thriller and for Matt McKeon, a thirdyear in history, it was one of the best moments of his life as a Bengals fan. “My favorite was beating the Chiefs the first time to win the AFC North,” McKeon said. “My favorite play, the Ja’Marr Chase touchdown, where he outran at least four or five Chief defenders; that was a crazy play”. Tate Fishman, a second-year in early childhood education who is also a lifelong fan, echoed this time in his life as a Bengals fan. “We haven’t won anything ever
in my life,” Fishman said. “If I had to say a moment to encapsulate everything, it would be this run.” Being college students and the price of Super Bowl tickets starting near $6,000, Fishman and Kimmet both said they wouldn’t be able to make it out to Los Angeles for the big game. However, both of them plan to be part of Cincinnati’s lively atmosphere on the day. “I’m going to Cincinnati,” Fishman said. “Either watching it with family or a combination of family and friends.” After losing both of their
previous Super Bowl appearances to the San Francisco 49ers, Bengals fans hope that a different opponent this time around will mean a different outcome. Cincinnati and the Rams kick off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. with the NFL crown on the line. “We’ll watch in my buddy’s apartment together,” Kimmet said. “Hopefully after we win, we’re going to be celebrating in the streets of Cincinnati that night.”