CFAES’s Department of Entomology hosts talks by two of its graduate students starting at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12: “Lady Beetles in the City: How Does Urban Habitat Management Affect the Abundance and Diversity of Native and Exotic Lady Beetles?” by Denisha Parker; and “The Impacts of Soil Legacy and Management on Biodiversity and Biocontrol Services in Urban Landscapes” by Emily Sypolt.
On Campus
Lal receives World Soil Prize
CFAES scientist Rattan Lal (pictured) received the Glinka World Soil Prize in a ceremony at the Rome headquarters of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization on Dec. 5, World Soil Day. The award is considered the highest honor in the soil science profession.
Lal, whose scientific career spans more than 50 years, is Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science in the School of Environment and Natural Resources. He was recognized for, among other things, his contributions to sustainable soil management and his research on restoring soil carbon, the latter being a way to increase crop yields, reduce hunger and remove climate change-causing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Read the full story. (Photo: Ken Chamberlain, CFAES.)
Sustaining ‘the people’s universities’
Former Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee talks about land-grant universities (of which Ohio State is one), colleges of agriculture (such as CFAES), the importance of agriculture, research, Extension and more in an interview with Inside Higher Ed about his new co-authored book Land-Grant Universities for the Future.
Ahead to a resilient, sustainable future
Mark your calendar for Ohio State’s second annual Community Engagement Conference, set for Jan. 23-24 in Columbus. The theme: “Partnering for a Resilient and Sustainable Future.” Former Irish president Mary Robinson will be the keynote speaker. CFAES’s OSU Extension outreach arm is one of the event’s sponsors. Find out more and register.
How to boost bicycle commuting
“Let’s make biking work!” It’s a worthwhile goal for traffic, environmental and health reasons, and it’s the title of the Thursday, Nov. 15, breakfast program by the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN).
‘What kind of world is this when a biologist needs to be scared to tell the truth?’
CFAES’s 2018 Environmental Film Series continues at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19, with “A River Below.” It’s the story of two South American activists’ attempts to use media coverage to help save the endangered Amazon River dolphin, but who face ethical and moral issues along the way.
“What sacrifices are acceptable in the battle for this endangered animal, and what are the grander social, economical and environmental issues involved?” Cara Cusumano, Tribeca Film Festival programming director, asks in writing about the film on the festival’s website. “Mark Grieco’s surprising documentary digs into the ethics of activism in the modern media age.”
Watch the trailer above. Get full details about the screening.
‘A model of collaborative problem-solving’
Ohio State’s Ohio Sea Grant program has released a third-year update on the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, a statewide effort that seeks solutions to Ohio’s harmful algal blooms. Scientists from CFAES are some of the many involved.
New algal bloom effort has CFAES partners
Toledo Blade writer Tom Henry recently reported on Bowling Green State University’s new Lake Erie Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health. The center aims, he wrote, “to greatly expand how scientists investigate harmful algal blooms.”
Nine other universities and institutions, including Ohio State and its Ohio Sea Grant program, are cooperating with Bowling Green on the center.
Justin Chaffin, research coordinator for CFAES’s Stone Laboratory, will be one of the scientists involved with the center.
‘Exceptional achievements’ on behalf of soils
CFAES scientist Rattan Lal, pictured, who studies the ability of soil to address such global issues as climate change, food security and water quality, has received the 2018 World Agriculture Prize from the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA).
The award honors Lal’s “exceptional and significant lifetime achievements” in the agricultural and life sciences, GCHERA officials said. It was presented Oct. 28 in a ceremony at China’s Nanjing Agricultural University.
Lal is Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science in the School of Environment and Natural Resources. He is the director of CFAES’s Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, is an adjunct professor with the University of Iceland, and is the president of the Vienna-based 60,000-member International Union of Soil Sciences.
Read the full story. (Photo: John Rice, CFAES.)
See Wooster arboretum’s ‘hidden gems’
There are places in CFAES’s Secrest Arboretum that few people see or know about. But a free tour hopes to change that. Called “Hidden Gems of Secrest,” it’s from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 26, in Wooster. Learn more.