Events

Judges Needed for the Buckeye Science and Engineering Fair

Dear Colleagues:

The Buckeye Science and Engineering Fair (BSEF) is Ohio’s premier STEM competition for students in grades 9-12. More than 120 students will compete for the opportunity to represent the BSEF at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The BSEF will advance a total of six (6) student projects to the ISEF, where they will be joined by 1,700 students from nearly 70 different countries. ISEF students will compete for nearly $4,000,000 in scholarships and awards. The 2019 ISEF will be held in Phoenix from May 12-16.

For the BSEF to operate effectively, we need approximately 60 judges from among a variety of disciplines. Historically, there seems to be a shortage of professionals to represent Biomedical & Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Translational Medical Science.

The Ohio Academy of Science needs you! Please consider lending your expertise by volunteering as a judge for BSEF 2019. You will be challenged by these high-level projects. But you will also enjoy a great day of fellowship with colleagues from across the state as you evaluate and help develop Ohio’s pipeline of STEM talent. I think you will have fun, be inspired, and leave with a positive outlook on the future.

The BSEF is on April 6, 2019 at the CAS complex (2540 Olentangy River Rd., Columbus, OH 43202). You can register as a judge at this site

 

Annual Banquet and Research Symposium

The Annual Banquet and Research Symposium for our Ohio State chapter of Sigma Xi will be on Thursday, April 18 from 5-9 pm in room 115 of the Biomedical Research Tower (460 W. 12th Ave). Our keynote speaker for this year will be Dr. Omowunmi (Wunmi) Sadik from the State University of New York. The cost for tickets will be $30, with early-bird dinner tickets available until April 1, 2019 for a reduced price of $25. A cash bar will also be available.
Tickets can be purchased by credit card here on Eventbrite (http://go.osu.edu/Cr55). Please contact Dr. Lynette Rogers (Lynette.Rogers@nationwidechildrens.org) for information or to purchase your ticket by check. Additional details on the research symposium will follow separately and all members are welcome to present a research poster. To reserve a poster board or for more information please contact Dr. Noah Weisleder (noah.weisleder@osumc.edu).

E-cigarettes: Not a lucky Strike

Ohio State Sigma Xi and the Ohio State University Libraries sponsor our OSU Science Cafe. These events represent a grassroots movement that exist all over the world. They take place in casual settings, are open to everyone, and feature an engaging conversation with a scientist about a particular topic. More infortmation is at: go.osu.edu/osusciencecafe

Our next science cafe is on “E-cigarettes: Not a lucky strike” on Feb 6th at 6:30pm in the Research Commons, 18th Avenue Library
Despite having been introduced ten years ago, little is known of the impact of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) on human health. ENDS usage is rapidly rising among adolescents and young adults, partially due to a perception that ENDS are safer than cigarettes. The CDC recently reported that 20.4 million individuals have tried ENDS at least once, and that 2.5 million children have used the products as well. This talk will focus on the effects of e-cigarettes on oral health.

The speaker is: Purnima Kumar, Professor of Periodontology, College of Dentistry About our speaker:

Dr. Purnima Kumar is a Professor of Periodontology at The Ohio State University. She received her dental degree from Annamalai University in India and Masters in Periodontology and PhD in Molecular Microbiology from The Ohio State University. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. Dr. Kumar has practiced and taught periodontology in India, United Arab Emirates and the USA. She maintains an active research that is funded through the NIH, NCI and industry.

Photos from the October Science Cafe

On October 3rd, The Ohio State Chapter of Sigma Xi and Ohio State University Libraries hosted a seminar at our monthly “Science Cafe” on the 3rd Floor of the 18th Avenue Library in the Research Commons. Our speaker was Dr. Marie-Catherine de Marneffe who is an assistant professor in Linguistics at OSU and her talk was entitled – Linguistics and “Big Data” Learning from Each Other.

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Recent Sigma Xi Presentations

On August 9th, Dr. Barbara Ryden from the OSU Department of Astronomy presented as part of the COSI After Dark – Time Travel program! Sigma Xi supports the COSI After Dark program by providing speakers from our membership for their events. If you are interested in serving as a speaker in future COSI After Dark events please contact Bailey Dye.

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On September 5th, The Ohio State Chapter of Sigma Xi and Ohio State University Libraries hosted a seminar at our monthly “Science Cafe” on the 3rd Floor of the 18th Avenue Library in the Research Commons. Our speaker was Dr. Alex Oliszewski, an OSU Associate Professor of Media Design gave a talk entitled: “Disciplinary Illusions: Enter the TransDisciplinary”. During his talk, Dr. Oliszewski discussed how transdisciplinary approaches and efforts are crucial to solving the worlds big problems!

 

Vote of our next Suds n’ Science event

The final opportunity to vote of a time for our next Suds n’ Science event is this Friday, August 31st, The event will be held at 4 pm in the evening later this fall on a date you can help determine. Please take a few moments to complete the doodle poll with your availability for the listed dates.  doodle.com/poll/ms4vwsqcnpi7w59q

 

As a reminder, Suds n’ Science is a free, biannual Sigma Xi program in which a host scientific group presents their research, and guides a tour of their facilities to other science and research professionals within the Ohio State community.  The tour group and host group then generally adjourn to a campus pub for further discussions.  These events provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about key research groups on campus, and establish interdisciplinary collaborations. This fall we will be touring the OSU Driving Simulation Laboratory, featuring simulators, software and systems for obtaining physiological measurements, all working together to measure driver behavior.  More information about this facility can be found at http://drivesim.osu.edu

Additional event information will be communicated once the date is set.  Please email Bailey Dye (bailey.dye@nationwidechildrens.org) with any questions.

Science Cafe: “Disciplinary Illusions: Enter the TransDisciplinary”

Science Cafes represent a grassroots movement that exist all over the world. They take place in casual settings, are open to everyone, and feature an engaging conversation with a scientist about a particular topic.Our first OSU Science Cafe of this year will be on “Disciplinary Illusions: Enter the TransDisciplinary”. It will occur September 5th @ 6:30pm in the 18th Avenue Library (175 W 18th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210) Research Commons (3rd Floor). More information can be found at: library.osu.edu/news/science-cafe

Our speaker will:
• Describe and then argue for transdisciplinarity approaches and efforts as being crucial to solving to the worlds big problems of the day.
• Provide examples from my work and research.
• Describe a design process he has been developing that supports and fosters transdisciplinary creations.

The speaker will be Alex Oliszewski, Associate Professor of Media Design Alex Oliszewski’s specialization is in theatrical media design + devising. His technical knowledge includes sound, lighting, stagecraft, and performance in video, musical, dance, play, and interactive forms. His MFA graduate studies in Interdisciplinary Digital Media and Theatre at Arizona State University. His interdisciplinary work includes online training resources for women in STEM, dementia care training, public art, and course development work.

Upcoming Science Cafe Seminars

Join us tomorrow (June 20th) and on June 28th for our Science Cafe Public Seminars!

Cool Chemistry

Talk by Angie Miller (Demonstration Lab Supervisor in OSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry)

Wed June 20th 7-8pm in Old Worthington Library

Ice that never melts, a gas that’s colder than Antarctica, and what would happen to a marshmallow in outer space, – everything can be explained by chemistry! Learn about all this and more during this fun program, presented in partnership with OSU Libraries. You bring the kids, we bring the chemistry. The Chemistry Demonstration lab provides models and demos for undergraduate chemistry classes. We also provide, perform, and facilitate upwards of 50 outreach events each year, from demo shows to hands-on tables to experiments. Angie has been the supervisor in the Demo Lab since 2010, and she estimates she has made at least 200 marshmallow people and used 1000L of liquid nitrogen.

 

Ohio Animals

Talk by Amanda Kriner (Director of Education and Volunteers, Richland County Park District)

Thurs June 28th 7-8pm in Northwest Library

Frogs and turtles and snakes, oh my! This presentation will talk about the cool creatures you can find in Ohio natural areas, including your own backyard. Participants will have opportunities to see, touch, and hold native wildlife during and after this presentation. This family friendly program will be fun and educational for all ages. Amanda has a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental science from Ashland University and uses it daily as the Education Director for the Richland County Park District. No animal is too big or too small to escape her interest, and she loves talking to people about them all.

 

 

Photos from Suds n’ Science – Byrd Polar Tour

The photos from our most recent Sigma Xi Suds n’ Science Tour are now available on our facebook page. Check them out here! 

Suds and Science events are where a host research group of Sigma Xi members present their research and guide a tour of their facilities. The tour group and host laboratory then adjourn to a campus pub for further discussions. These events provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about key research groups on campus and establish interdisciplinary collaborations. These “members first” events are open to the OSU community, but reservations are required and Sigma Xi members have the opportunity to sign up early.

 

Suds n’ Science Byrd Polar Tour (05-10-18)

Suds n’ Science Tour TODAY

This is a reminder that our event next Suds n’ Science event is this Thursday, May 10th, with the tour of the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (1090 Carmack Rd, Columbus, OH 43210) beginning at 4 pm.  Please allow time for travel and for parking.  Parking can be found in the adjacent Carmack lots.  Please see the attached PDF file for more information.  The tour will begin with an overview of the center and brief film screening in Room 240 Scott Hall, the second-floor auditorium.  You will need to enter Scott Hall through Door #2 (each door is labeled) on the east side of the building and ascend the steps near the statue of Admiral Byrd. Tours typically last between 75 and 90 minutes. Some have asked about dress for the tour, and we will be in the freezers for a minute or two but not for most of the tour, so dressing comfortably is more important than dressing for cold temperatures.

 

Following this session, the tour group will then adjourn to King Avenue 5 (945 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43212) for further discussion. All are welcome to join even if you did not attend the Byrd Center tour. If you have any further questions, please contact Bailey Dye (Bailey.Dye@nationwidechildrens.org).