CFAES Connect: December 2017

You know that CFAES is a wonderful place for a student to gain the knowledge and experience that he or she needs to succeed.

But do you also know that our faculty, staff, students, and county extension offices work to solve the world’s biggest issues?

From feeding the world to preventing cancer and other diseases to battling the opioid epidemic to protecting the environment, CFAES is dedicated to improving the world for you and everyone around you.

As you consider your year-end giving, please consider making a gift to CFAES. Your gift gets us closer to a better world for everyone.

Did you know that you can take OSU classes for free?  Maybe you want to brush up on your calculus, learn about beekeeping or take a class on the relationships between comic books and film.  You can do all this and more via Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and iTunes University.  CFAES offerings include several new introduction courses to environmental science, peer mentoring in STEM, climate impacts in the Great Lakes, golf course design and management, turfgrass management, fruit diseases of the Midwest, and beekeeping. 

There is a wide variety of upcoming events to take part in.  Whether you like football or bees, we have you covered.  (We do not recommend combining football and bees, though.  Bad idea.)

Cotton Bowl Activities – December 28-29,  Dallas, Texas
The OSU Alumni Association has planned a wide variety of fun for those headed to Dallas to cheer on the Buckeyes. You can rally with the Ohio State Alumni Club of Dallas Fort Worth or lend a hand volunteering at the Dallas Goodwill or take part in the Buckeye Bash – and that’s not even all of it! Take a look to see all the fun you can have in Dallas before the game.

What’s the Buzz? – January 5, 10 to 11:30 am, Troy, Ohio
Join master gardener volunteers and Extension staff as they dive into honey bee hives and discover the complexity of the bee colony and how it relates to pollination and the development of our food. Uncover ways you can help promote bee health in your very own backyard through management practices and planting the right plants to attract pollinators. More information here.

EPN Breakfast: Lessons in Sustainability from Land-Grant Brewing Company - January 9, 7:15 to 9:30 am, Columbus
Land-Grant Brewing Company's Sustainability Manager, Vincent Valentino will share successes, challenges, and failures that the brewery has faced in its first year of pursuing sustainability, talk about their partnership with urban farmers, Columbus community groups, and where they want to go next. Prof. Chris Tonra, whose family has participated in The Garden of Hope at Ohio State’s Waterman Farm that Land-Grant has supported, will provide introductory program remarks.  Register here.

What You Didn’t Learn Watching Batman – January 23, 7 to 9 p.m., Columbus
Marne Titchenell, Wildlife Program Specialist, The Ohio State University Extension, who will give the lowdown on bats. She will dispel the myths surrounding bats, discuss how they help us, and how we can help them as they face a very deadly disease called white-nose syndrome. Learn more about this free event here.

Community Engagement Conference – January 24-25, Columbus
Join this two-day conference and gain professional development and networking opportunities related to supporting health and wellness in communities. Program and registration are available here.

Both Ryan Conklin and Irene Wallbaum shared stories of the CFAES faculty who made a difference for them.

Ryan Conklin, BS in Agribusiness and Applied Economics, shares his story about how Dr. Linda Martin made a difference in his life:

In the spring of 2008, I began working in Ag Admin Room 100 as a student receptionist. Dr. Linda Martin, who was still in her first year as Associate Dean, regularly noticed that the shirts that I wore to work were wrinkled and unkept. Seeking to rectify the problem, Dr. Martin politely asked if I owned an iron with which to iron my shirts. Being a student a receptionist, Dr. Martin knew that I regularly come in contact with important people from the College and University.

Although wearing an ironed shirt is a minor matter, Dr. Martin really taught me the importance of presenting yourself appropriately and making a good impression. After almost ten years, this story is always good for a laugh between Dr. Martin and I.

Irene Wallbaum, BS & MS in agricultural economics, was so touched by a faculty member, that she's paying it forward.  

I graduated from CFAES with a BS degree in Agricultural Economics.   I had interest in pursuing a Master’s degree.  However, the costs associated with Graduate School made that choice difficult. A Graduate Research Assistant position, under the supervision of Dr. Marvin T. Batte, eliminated the cost concern, and an MS degree became feasible for me. 

Thanks to Dr. Batte’s guidance, I broadened my skill set, gained valuable experience and ultimately enjoyed very different opportunities compared to what I might have had without Dr. Batte’s guidance.  He quite literally changed the trajectory of my career.  John Magee, my husband, and I established a scholarship in Dr. Batte’s name to honor his leadership and contributions to the Department, College and University as well as recognize his influence on me as an individual.  Our intent is to pay back the investment made in my education by contributing to the education of others.  We hope that students benefitting from the Batte scholarship will consider the pay forward principle as they become contributors within their chosen communities.