What is CFAES doing on behalf of Ohio’s water quality? A lot. Our efforts fall under four core activities: science, innovation, education, and collaboration/extension. Just what does that mean? A colorful, quick-to-read fact sheet explains.
On Campus
Zoo animal behavior talk on tap
Wouter Stellaard, animal programs training director at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, presents “Zoo Animal Behavior and Training” from 5:30–6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, in the Animal Sciences Arena in the Animal Science Building on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. Admission is free and open to the public. The host is the Human-Animal Interactions Club, which is the undergraduate student arm of our college’s Center for Human-Animal Interactions Research and Education (or CHAIRE).
‘His story is one of perseverance, dedication, and humility’
Read the CFAES press release about Rattan Lal winning the Japan Prize.
CFAES soil scientist Rattan Lal wins Japan Prize
Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science in CFAES’ School of Environment and Natural Resources, was today (Jan. 16) announced as a winner of the 2019 Japan Prize, considered one of the most prestigious honors in science and technology.
A Japan Prize Foundation press release said the award is for Lal’s work in proposing and practicing sustainable soil management methods that contribute to “both the stability of food security and environment conservation for climate change mitigation.”
More details to come.
‘Green Drinks’ on Jan. 16 in Columbus
Columbus’s next Green Drinks event is from 6–8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, in the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. The Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens, part of CFAES, is the host.
The casual event is part of a monthly series promoting networking for people interested in the environment. “Some attendees work in the environmental industry, most practice sustainable lifestyles, and all are ‘green curious,’ ” says the event’s website. “Everyone comes for different reasons because everyone is invited.”
Speaking at the event will be Columbus City Council member Emmanuel Remy and Kate Bartter, director of Ohio State’s Office of Energy and Environment.
Admission is free and open to the public, but donations of $5–10 by those who are able are welcome.
A focus on keeping Lake Erie healthy
Classes and workshops at Stone Laboratory are helping educate the next generation of Lake Erie water quality scientists, says an article in the latest issue of Ohio Sea Grant’s Twine Line newsletter.
Stone Lab, part of CFAES, is located at Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie. (Photo: 2018 Introduction to Aquatic Biology course, Stone Lab, Daniel Combs, via Flickr.)
Local response to global warming
The Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) presents its next breakfast program, “Climate Action: Our Local Response to a Global Challenge,” from 7:15-9:30 a.m. Jan. 15 in Ohio State’s Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, in Columbus. Registration is free for EPN members and Ohio State students, $10 for nonmembers, and includes breakfast. Find out more and register.
EPN is a statewide professional group coordinated by CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources. Membership is free and is open to anyone studying or working in an environmental field.
Can beef be part of a sustainable food system?
Sara Place, senior director of sustainable beef production research with the Centennial, Colorado-based National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, presents “Beef in a Sustainable Food System” (“Can a sustainable global food system include beef?”) from 10–11:30 a.m. Jan. 11 in Ohio State’s Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus. There’s no charge to attend.
Insect diversity in urban landscapes
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.
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.)