On Campus

Ohio State hosts UK diplomats for climate change discussion

From Ohio State News: Representatives of local government, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and Ohio State gathered on Wednesday, June 2, to share climate successes and insight with United Kingdom diplomatic leaders as they prepare to host the U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, in November.

During the discussion, Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson highlighted the university’s climate change research, including the work of Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science with CFAES.

Read the story.

CFAES sustainability news, May 28, 2021

Nature can save humanity from climate doom—but not on its own

Wired, May 25; featuring Daniela Miteva, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics

Appreciate, don’t fear, the ‘bugs of history’

Farm and Dairy, May 24; featuring Joe Boggs, OSU Extension

Scientists urge restoration of federal gray wolf protections

Associated Press and Holland (Michigan) Sentinel, May 15; featuring Jeremy Bruskotter, School of Environment and Natural Resources

CFAES sustainability news, May 25, 2021

Opinion: Bill aims to strip away water safeguards and hang Ohioans out to dry

Columbus Dispatch, May 14; featuring Mazeika Sullivan, School of Environment and Natural Resources and Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park

New hope for killing algae blooms

Trade Only Today, May 6; featuring Heather Raymond, CFAES Water Quality Initiative

They’re showing the hows and whys of fighting food waste

Food waste rotting in landfills emits methane, a greenhouse gas that makes climate change worse.

But an award-winning group of CFAES students is doing its part to fight the problem, starting at home on the Ohio State campus.

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CFAES sustainability news, May 12, 2021

New York Times, May 5; featuring Marne Titchenell, School of Environment and Natural Resources

Toledo Blade (subscription required), May 2; Ohio State and CFAES research mentioned

Akron Beacon Journal, April 11; featuring Jeff Reutter, special advisor, Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab

5 things to know about CFAES’ new sustainable agriculture major

At CFAES, our mission is: We sustain life. Soon, our students will gain a new path for learning to do just that.

CFAES’ four-year degree program in sustainable agriculture—centered on a balance of food production, environmental quality, economic viability, and social responsibility—will start fall semester 2021. Here are five things to know about it …

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How to build resilient communities

“The need to incorporate the community in my research and teaching is representative of my experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer. I learned how to sit and listen, how to ask questions, and saw how interventions that don’t incorporate their voices will fail.”

Those are the words of Mary Rodriguez as she describes some of her work as an assistant professor in the CFAES Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership.

Rodriguez—whose research centers on women and community development, building resilient communities, developing community food security, and community leadership—recently was featured in the Engaged Scholars series by Ohio State’s Office of Outreach and Engagement.

Read the full feature. (Photo: Rodriguez, left, working in Tanzania before the pandemic.)

REALLY tiny bubbles could help fight algal blooms

New technology using something called nanobubbles—tiny gas bubbles that are several thousand times smaller than a grain of sand—could help fight Ohio’s harmful algal blooms. Testing, with CFAES as a partner, is about to begin.

“This could be a game-changer for small lakes and reservoirs,” said Heather Raymond, director of the CFAES Water Quality Initiative.

Read the story. (Photo: Getty Images.)