CFAES Connect: August 2018

  1. SmartAg4.0 Sets Sights on Dairy Industry

    Participants and judges from the SmartAg4.0 2017 event pose together before the final round of judging.

    Did you know that CFAES holds its own annual hackathon inviting students to generate ideas to revolutionize agriculture?  The event is open to undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the university.  They form a team and then have 24 hours to formulate and pitch their idea to a panel of academic and agriculture industry sponsors.  Last year's winning team came up with an idea for a community garden app for subscribers.  This year, participants will focus their idea on one of four topics related to the dairy industry: sustainable nutrition, sensors and smart packaging, the Internet of Things, and blockchain.  Read more about this exciting event.

     

     

  2. Solving the Science of Taste

    Chris Simons leads the Food Perception and Liking Laboratory.

    CFAES is home to the Food Perception and Liking Laboratory, the only academic lab of its kind in the United States.   The lab is used to explore people’s food and drink preferences - what they like and why - and gives students a chance to lead this exciting research. 

    Read more about this amazing lab and how it is helping to launch careers.  And if you would like to sign up to participate in a consumer test within the lab, visit this page and click on "Create new account."

  3. The Tractor Evolution

    Autonomous farm equipment

    As farm technology advances into robotics and autonomous vehicles, Dr. Scott Shearer, professor and chair of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, shares what's driving these changes and what the challenges are for these advancements. Read his comments from the recent InfoAg conference.

  4. What's Going on at Stone Lab?

    Whether you have fond memories of studying at Stone Laboratory as a student or have yet to set foot on the island, you are welcome to come explore!  The area is bustling with students, scientists, history, and visitors.  Learn about the area's history and opportunities to take a tour and learn more.

    Want to support the amazing education and research being conducted at Stone Lab?  Make a gift here.

     

  5. Nominate Someone Great for a CFAES Alumni Award

    2018 CFAES Alumni Award honorees

    The CFAES Alumni Society Board is accepting nominations for the annual CFAES Alumni Awards.  Each year, CFAES alumni and friends are recognized for the following honors:

    • Young Alumni Award 
    • Distinguished Alumni Award 
    • International Alumni Award 
    • Meritorious Service Award (open to alumni and non-alumni candidates) 

    To review the criteria for each award and see a list of past recipients, visit our website. The process is simple and requires a one-page nomination and up to two additional pages of supporting materials such as a resume or letter of support.

    Nominations are due Saturday, October 13th, and the awards will take place Saturday, March 2, 2019. If you have any questions, contact me at 614-292-0250 or badger.50@osu.edu.

    Our alumni award recipients mean so much to CFAES. We hope that you’ll help us identify and honor the next group of honorees.
     

  6. Events Calendar

    Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park

    Here are some interesting events coming up that we thought you might like:

    Career Closet Accepting Donations - Now through September 12 - Columbus and Wooster, Ohio
    Please consider donating your gently used professional clothing, shoes and accessories to the CFAES Career Closet. The Career Development Office and Student Success Services in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences will get those items into the hands of students who need professional attire for opportunities such as career fairs, interviews, internships, and career employment.  More information here.

    OSU Wetlands Invasive Weed Removal - August 31 - Columbus, Ohio
    The Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park is in need of volunteer help to remove invasive ragweed from the prairie! Come get involved, meet site engineers, and help a good cause.  Volunteers will meet between 10 a.m. 11 a.m. at the Heffner Wetland Research and Education Building.  Sign up here.

    Annual Common Milkweed Pod Collection - September 1 to October 30 - Columbus, Ohio
    Collect common milkweed seed pods for the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District.  The seeds will be provided to ODOT for sewing onto "conservation corridors", designated areas along highways that are planted with native prairie perennials. For guidelines on seed collection, go here.

    Urban Farm Tour Series: Jedidiah Farm & Studio - September 1 - Westerville, OhioJedidiah Farm & Studio is part of the Urban Farm Tour Series
    Tour a 5-acre certified organic farmstead, where the Taylor family utilizes ecologically inclusive principles to encourage biodiversity and resilient food production.

    Buckeyes After Work at Seventh Son Brewing Company - September 5 - Columbus, Ohio
    Join The Ohio State University Alumni Association for a fun evening of casual networking at Seventh Son Brewing Co.   Register here.

    Stone Lab Open House - September 8 - Put-In-Bay, Ohio
    Have you ever been curious about the Lake Erie science that takes place at Stone Lab? Do you want to take a peek inside Cooke Castle or peer down from Perry’s Lookout?  Now is your chance!

    EPN Breakfast: The Lake Erie Impairment Designation - September 11 -  Columbus, Ohio
    For the first time in our state’s history, the open waters of western Lake Erie have been deemed impaired by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.  Come to EPN for an exciting panel conversation to discuss efforts to monitor harmful algal blooms, keep drinking water safe, address public health concerns, and engage stakeholders in the process to reduce and mitigate harmful algal blooms on Lake Erie, Chesapeake Bay, Grand Lake St. Marys, Sandusky Bay, and within the City of Columbus.

    OSU Women & Philanthropy: Hope Grows for Cancer Survivors - September 11 - Columbus, Ohio
    Explore beautiful Waterman Laboratory's garden-based nutrition program for cancer survivors, featuring Dr. Colleen Spees, Ohio State College of Medicine and Dr. Cathann A. Kress, Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Dean, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.  Preregistration is required for this complimentary event!

    Local Foods Farm Tour Series: Hugus Fruit Farm - September 13 - Rushville, Ohio
    Fairfield Extension office offers on-farm educational programs highlighting local producers in Fairfield County.  This tour features a large family-run orchard with several varieties of peaches, apples and a working cider press.  More information available here.

    Timber Harvesting - September 14 - Zaleski State Forest, Ohio - Visit an active or recently closed timber sale. Learn how to make sure that your timber harvest is compatible with theJack Hanna goals that you have for your woodland.  Registration fee $12.  More information on this series available here.

    An Evening with Jack Hanna and the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium - September 14 - Columbus, Ohio
    Join the Center for Human-Animal Interactions Research and Education (CHAIRE) for an evening featuring Jack Hanna and animals from the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium! The evening includes an introduction to CHAIRE, a plated dinner, and of course, a presentation by Jack, featuring animals from the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. A cash bar will also be available. This is a fundraising event for CHAIRE and seats are limited.  Ticket and sponsorship information is available here.

    Fall Native Tree Sale - September 14 & 15 - Columbus, Ohio
    A variety of native trees from locally-sourced seeds will be featured in 3 gallon containers, 4'–5' tall.  Most will sell for between $35 and $45.

    Buckeye Bash at TCU - September 15 - Arlington, Texas
    Enjoy this pep rally style event with fellow Buckeyes prior to the Ohio State vs. TCU football game. This event is hosted by the Ohio State Alumni Association.  More information here.

    Family Fun Day at Young’s Jersey Dairy - September 16 - Yellow Springs, OhioBuckeye Bash
    Join fellow Buckeyes for a day of play in Yellow Springs hosted by the OSU Alumni Association. The event begins with a buffet lunch followed by family-friendly activities including mini golf, a petting zoo, batting cages, driving range, and kiddie corral. Register here.

    Ohio State ATI Turfgrass Scholarship Golf Tournament - September 20 - Wooster, Ohio
    Enjoy a great day of golf and support Ohio State ATI turfgrass scholarships at the same time by registering for the Tournament at Hawk's Nest Golf Course.  Register here.

    Farm Science Review - September 18 - 20 - London, Ohio
    The Farm Science Review and attracts upwards of 140,000 visitors from all over the United States and Canada who come for three days to peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, and learn the latest in agricultural production. The educational programs feature Ohio State and Purdue specialists and are second to none in the agricultural exhibition world.  CFAES and 4-H alumni are encouraged to stop by the alumni tent!  Learn more here.

    Ohio State ATI Turfgrass Scholarship Golf Tournament - September 20 - Wooster, Ohio
    Enjoy a great day of golf and support Ohio State ATI turfgrass scholarships at the same time by registering for the Tournament at Hawk's Nest Golf Course.  Register here.

    Celebrate fall with the Alumni Club of Los Angeles at Sony Studios - September 23 - Culver City, California
    Spend a Sunday afternoon with the Alumni Club of Los Angeles at Sony Studios. Hear from the winners of the Outstanding Buckeye Award, Chris Woltman, founder of Element 1, and actress and artist, Gigi Rice. Enjoy a tailgate-style lunch, and Scarlet and Gray camaraderie.  Register here.

    Women Inspire Construction - September 25 - Columbus, Ohio
    Presenters will look at what pay equity research is really telling us and why it matters. They will also discuss how women may approach compensation and negotiations differently than men in the industry.  Registration is free.  See the schedule and sign up here.

    Books & Brews: CFAES Alumni Society Scholarship Fundraiser - September 27 - Columbus, Ohio
    Join the CFAES Alumni Society for a unique and fun scholarship fundraiser at Land-Grant Brewing Company not only to network with fellow alums, but to raise money for CFAES scholarships!  RSVP here.

    CFAES Alumni Community Service Project - September 29 - Columbus, Ohio
    Join your fellow CFAES Buckeye Alumni in helping clean up the Olentangy with a service project on September 29 with Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW)! During this service event, volunteers will plant trees, clear out invasive species, and more.  All CFAES alumni and their families are welcome. RSVP here.

    CFAES Fallfest & Homecoming - October 6 - Columbus, Ohio
    Join us at the Fallfest Tailgate, which will be held rain or shine on Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center before the Buckeyes face the Hoosiers of Indiana University in Ohio Stadium. Expect delicious tailgate fare, excellent entertainment and some CFAES camaraderie. We will be celebrating the anniversary classes from 1968 and 1993. The Tailgate starts at 11:30 a.m. and runs until one hour before kick-off.  More information on Homecoming weekend and how to purchase Fallfest and football tickets.

    Looking for more to do?  Upcoming events are frequently added to our events page.

  7. Join Fellow CFAES Alumni at Upcoming Events

    Networking event

    The CFAES Alumni Society Board has two great September events in Columbus lined up for their fellow alumni!

    Books and Brews: CFAES Scholarship Fundraiser & Networking on September 27
    Join the CFAES Alumni Society for a unique and fun scholarship fundraiser at Land-Grant Brewing Company to network with fellow alums and raise money for CFAES scholarships! This is a win : win!  This event takes place following the college's career expo so we hope to see plenty of out of town alums at this event.  RSVP via the Facebook event or by emailing CFAESAlumni@osu.edu.

    Community Service Project with the Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) on September 29
    Join your fellow CFAES Buckeye Alumni to help clean up the Olentangy with a service project!  During this service event, volunteers will plant trees, clear out invasive species, and improve the health of the Olentangy.  All CFAES alumni and their families and friends are welcome.  RSVP via the Facebook event or by emailing CFAESAlumni@osu.edu

     

  8. CFAES Alumni Making News

    Rosa Raudales (Photo by Kara Bonsack)

    Our alumni are out in the world making great things happen.

    Here are some recent newsmakers from The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences:

    Michelle Adkins, BS in Animal Science and MS in Human and Community Resource Development, 1995 & 2001 - Adkins named outreach program coordinator

    Allen Auck, BS & MS in Agricultural Education, 1983 & 1999 - 2018 Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

    Greg Conrad, BS in Dairy Science, 1989 - Meet the Conrads: Growing Up with Dairy

    Megan Dresbach, AS in Agronomy, AS in Agricultural Business Technology, and a BS in Agribusiness and Applied Economics, 2015, 2016 & 2016 - 17 selected for AgriPOWER class

    Katie Esselburn, MS in Animal Science, 2012 - 17 selected for AgriPOWER classDr. Daniel Herms

    Brittany Fischer, BS in Animal Science, 2018 - People Behind the Pint: Brittany Fischer & CHAIRE Welcomes Brittany Fischer

    Jack Fisher, BS & MS in Animal Science, 1967 & 1969 - Virgil Strickler Works to Revive the Fair Again

    Dr. Daniel Herms, BS & MS in Horticulture, MS in Entomology, 1983, 1984 & 1984 - 2018 Entomological Society of America Fellow

    Dr. Shanna Bruer Hess, MS in Agricultural Economics, 2003 - Monmouth College welcomes 7 faculty members to start new academic year

    Janessa Hill, BS in Agricultural Communications, 2012 - Janessa Hill bringing a variety of skills to 4-H educator position

    Christian Hoffman, AS & BS in Animal, Dairy & Poultry Science, 2007 & 2009 - Growing our Generation: Second generation

    Bill Keck, BS in Agricultural Mechanization and Systems & MS in Agricultural Education, 1984 & 1991 - Talking Shoppe: Born to be a teacher

    Olivia Keener, BS in Agricultural Communications, 2015- Millennial Dairy Farming

    Paul Keener, AS in Dairy Science and BS in Agribusiness and Applied Economics, 2009 & 2010 - Millennial Dairy FarmingChristian Hoffman and son Stetson

    Dr. Rattan Lal, PhD in Agronomy, 1968 - Lal Receives Medal of Honour

    Kaitlyn Meeker, BS in Agribusiness and Applied Economics, 2012 - Growing our Generation: The challenges of diversifying our business

    Dr. Megan Meuti, MS & PhD in Entomology, 2008 & 2014 - ESA Names Winners of 2018 Professional and Student Awards

    Jason Miley, BS in Animal Science, 2011 - Millennial Dairy Farming

    Dr. Steve Neal, BS & MS in Animal Science, 1982 & 1984 - CFAES Leadership Updates

    Vicky Popp, BS in Animal Science, 2015 - 17 selected for AgriPOWER class

    Trish Raridan Preston, BS in Parks Recreation & Tourism Administration, 1994 - 17 selected for AgriPOWER class

    Dr. Rosa Raudales, MS in Plant Pathology, 2008 - Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo to feature hydroponic production education sessions

    Ashley Rose, AS and BS in Community Leadership, 2014 & 2016 - 17 selected for AgriPOWER class

    Nancy Snook, BS in Agricultural Economics and MS in Agricultural Education, 1989 & 1996 - Beef cattle a family tradition on Nobleland FarmDr. Megan Meuti

    Lindsey Walls, BS in Agribusiness and Applied Economics, 2017 - 17 selected for AgriPOWER class

    Laramie Wells, BS in Sustainable Plant Systems, 2014 - 17 selected for AgriPOWER class

    Dr. Benjamin Wenner, MS in Animal Science, 2012 - The Department of Animal Sciences Welcomes New Faculty Members Wenner and Enger

    Dr. Roger Williams, BS in Forestry and MS in Natural Resources, 1977 & 1981 - Excellence Recognized and Strange Evidence: Doomsday at Yellowstone

    Jonathan Zucker, BS in Agribusiness and Applied Economics, 2016 - 17 selected for AgriPOWER class

    Spot an alum in the news? Let us know!

  9. Roommate Memories

    Andrew Wiley

    Andrew Wiley, a 2006 Construction Systems Management alum, shared his roommate memories:

    I was in the ag college living learning dorm in Scott house (R.I.P) for my freshman year.  The randomness of placement put me with a person that grew up less than 30 minutes from me despite never meeting in 18 years of life prior, a person that his mom went to high school with my mom as well as his grandparents being good friends with my grandparents, and finally a person with no apparent connection to me.  All in all, it made for an overall good mix.  One fond memory involved my most hardcore of Buckeye fan roommates and I collecting a large amount of “Go Bucks” signs handed out at a basketball game and proceeding to wallpaper our entire dorm room while the other two were gone for the weekend.  The looks on the faces of our returning roommates that Sunday evening were priceless.

    Mike Simpson, a 1968 graduate of the Animal Sciences program, told us about the many people he roomed with:

    To begin, this will sound like a sad story and one might say “what was wrong with him”.  In the four years I attended OSU I had 23 roommates!  Three of those years were on the fifth floor of Park Hall and the remaining year was in the student housing above the sheep barn where there I had just one.  My roommates were all assigned at random.  Mike Simpson

    In those days the Park Hall rooms were all set up for three to a room unless you were in a corner room and there it was either four or five.  I was always in a three to a room situation.  My first two roommates were agriculture guys from rural farm backgrounds.  When both came to OSU, they were assigned to remedial math and English classes.  Neither were “goof-offs” but at the end of two quarters both had failed the remedial classes and thus were destined to flunk out and did.  Obviously, they didn’t have the college prep training from high school that would have helped them succeed at OSU.  I was glad I attended a city high school in Dayton which prepared its graduates very well for going on to college.

    I don’t remember the names of most all those guys or stayed in touch with any of them as all of the rest of them were non-ag students.  One of them was a foreign language student and was only a roommate for less than 2 weeks.  As I remember, he was a good guy but out of nowhere just disappeared.  Never heard what happened to him but after about 5 days his parents came and picked up his belongings.

    I did have a lot of friends on the fifth floor of Park Hall, though, and can remember other good times and stories of pranks and activities.

  10. We Want to Hear from You!

    OSU students in a chemistry class.

    Fall semester has begun, and with it came thousands of returning students and bright-eyed first years to OSU campuses across the state.  Share with us what surprised you most when you started at Ohio State.  Was it the astounding array of classes available to you or learning how to do your own laundry?  

    Tell us about your biggest surprise upon starting school, and we will share with fellow alumni and friends in the next issue.

    And if you have a good idea for a future question, please email it to CFAESAlumni@osu.edu.