Inspiring the next generation of scientists
Former student continues tradition at Stone Lab

Thirty years ago, John Hageman stepped onto a Lake Erie boat as part of his high school Stone Laboratory field trip, and he was hooked. "The moment I pulled up a net full of fish, I knew science was what I wanted to do," said Hageman. Now the leader of the same program that sparked his own interest as a high school student, Sea Grant Extension's Hageman brings science to life for more than 7,000 grade school and high school students every year.

Stone Laboratory's aquatic workshop program started in 1973 with the idea that kids learn science better and retain information longer if they can participate in hands-on activities. "We saw early on that if students are wading in Lake Erie water with nets in their hands and catching fish and invertebrates, they're going to remember what they learned much better than in a classroom," explained Hageman.

Located on Ohio State University's island campus on Lake Erie, Stone Laboratory uses the lake as a living laboratory to provide student groups from all over the country with one-of-a-kind, interactive science experiences.

From the kids' perspective, they're Lake Erie scientists for the day. They venture out onto Stone Lab research vessels to take water samples and head back to the lab to analyze what they captured. They dissect fish from a trawl they pulled earlier in the day and scour the island for native bird, plant, and reptile species. From their teachers' perspective, Stone Lab is applying science concepts that the students could never fully understand if they were anywhere else.

Hageman points out that for many of his students, the workshop program is the first time they have ever had the opportunity to see Lake Erie, Ohio's most valuable natural resource. "When they see firsthand all the life that Lake Erie holds, it's hard not to want to preserve and protect it," said Hageman.

And that may be why so many of the 100,000+ students who have gone through the workshop program over the years end up returning later in college to take one of Stone Lab's 30 summer courses. Stone Lab incites learning all around.

"There is nothing better than seeing a student get excited about the science they're learning," said Hageman. "And if that excitement can lead to sparking the next Lake Erie scientist, like it did for me, that's all the better."

For more about Ohio State's Stone Laboratory Program, call (614) 292-8949 or go to http://stonelab.osu.edu.

Note: The Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory Program was selected as Ohio State University's nominee for National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges "2009 C. Peter Magrath Engagement Award," an award honoring the nation's top university outreach and engagement projects.

--By Jill Jentes Banicki

OSU Extension: Restructuring for 2009 and beyond

In May 2008, Ohio State University Extension launched what promised to be an exciting venture: a strategic plan to guide the organization through 2014.

Less than a year later, Extension has turned time and again to that plan to guide the organization through a rocky recession and the deep budget reductions that have resulted, including a 4.75 percent state funding rescission in October 2008 and a 5.75 rescission in January 2009.

Looking ahead to the next biennium, it's unclear what the future holds. But the governor's proposed state budget would mean 24 percent less for Extension in fiscal year 2011 than in 2008.

"We know this loss of income in no way reflects the value we offer," said Keith Smith, director of OSU Extension and associate vice president of agricultural administration. "No other organization provides the delivery system for lifelong learning that Extension does. Our reorganization plan is designed to allow us to continue, even in a grim economy, and will allow us to bounce back quickly as economic conditions improve."

Reduced funding has led to a swifter restructuring than anticipated. A key tactic allows Extension educators to specialize more in their areas of expertise and to share their knowledge across county lines, in clusters of nine to twelve counties called Extension Education and Research Areas.

Such a change makes sense, said Treva Williams, who was named in April as one of the new area leaders.

"This strategy is going to allow Extension educators and support staff to become more specialized," Williams said. "They will be able to focus on their strengths and their interests, and really be allowed to shine."

In Extension's traditional structure, educators often needed to be "an expert on everything," Williams said. Now, questions about garden tomatoes, for example, can be directed to an educator in a nearby county who specializes in consumer horticulture instead of relying on the expertise of an educator who might know more about grain. Similarly, support staff who prefer working with numbers will be able to focus on fiscal matters across counties, while those who are best at updating web pages and editing newsletters can concentrate on that.

As always, county funding is essential, Smith said, and counties that provide more funding will receive more from OSU Extension. "Services will follow dollars--that's only fair," Smith said. "But our plan is to continue to have some type of Extension presence in every county in Ohio."

OSU Extension's Strategic Plan (2008) and Reorganization Model (March 2009) both are available at http://extension.osu.edu.

--By Martha Filipic

Grow your own scarlet buckeye--and why

Buy and plant these Signature Trees--and you, your yard, and your community will be greener for it

Ohio State University President Gordon Gee planted a scarlet buckeye in March in Wooster, the first in a forest of Signature Trees that will soon grace Ohio communities.

Ohio State's new Signature Trees project has grown 1,700 young scarlet buckeyes, silver lindens, and pagoda dogwoods and will start to sell them later this year. It's an offshoot of OSU Extension's Why Trees Matter Signature Program.

The idea is to raise money to support Ohio State's long-term tree research--in particular, in Secrest Arboretum and in the Tree Research Evaluation and Extension (TREE) plot, both at the university's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster.

"It's also about connecting people to the environmental services trees provide and to the importance of sustainable urban forests," said Jim Chatfield, an OSU Extension horticulture educator and a co-leader of Why Trees Matter.

"Trees," he tells people in his talks, "pay us back."

• A Why Trees Matter study of 1,804 street trees in Xenia, for example, showed an average contribution of $102 per tree per year in cleaner air, energy conservation, carbon sequestration, stormwater remediation, and higher property values.

• Ohio's green industry generates $10 billion in economic impact a year and provides more than 180,000 jobs.

• Some 7,000 jobs alone are with The Davey Tree Expert Company of Kent, Ohio, the nation's biggest tree-care company and a partner in the Signature Tree work.

There will be sales of trees to individuals, sales at public events such as Farm Science Review, and ceremonial plantings on Gee's many visits to Ohio counties.

The overall aim, Chatfield said, "is to focus on the kinds of things Ohio State is doing to support tree research, urban forests, and the green industry."

The shape of the trees' labels? Naturally, like Gee's own signature bowtie.

For more information, log on to http://treesmatter.osu.edu and http://secrest.osu.edu.

--By Kurt Knebusch

Clarifying climate change: A new university partnership helps Ohioans grasp issue

As news reports about climate change continue to flood our airways, just understanding the basics about climate change and how it will affect Ohio can be overwhelming. A new university partnership launched earlier this year could make deciphering that information a lot easier.

Led by Ohio State University Extension researchers, the Climate Change Project is a collaborative effort among several Ohio State University departments, OSU Extension, and the Ohio Sea Grant College Program to get climate change information out to the general public.

"As people hear about climate change, we've found that many don't really know how it will affect things here at home--Ohio's agriculture, plants and animals, Lake Erie," said Brent Sohngen, CFAES researcher and partner on the project. "We realized, with the great resources we have across the university, we could help localize the climate change issue and fill in those informational gaps."

Proposed projects for the group include a web site with resource links, fact sheets, and a web-based seminar series on how climate change could affect issues like water quality, Ohio industry, and state and federal policies.

 "Our hope is that anyone can find the information they may need to make an informed decision about climate change," said Sohngen.

For more about the project, go to http://ohiowatersheds.osu.edu/climate.

--By Jill Jentes Banicki

Plan ahead to attend Farm Science Review

Popular farm show Sept. 22–24, 2009

Stay on the cutting edge in agriculture by planning ahead, and "bale" out of the challenging times by attending this year's Farm Science Review.

The Ohio State University-sponsored farm show is heading into its 47th year of being the venue for what's new in terms of equipment, technology, research, and services. This year's theme is "Your 2009 Bale Out."

Agriculture's positive position amid the economic downturn has producers, agribusinesses, and national farm show exhibitors in a good mood, said Chuck Gamble, Farm Science Review manager. He hopes that upbeat attitude carries over to Farm Science Review.

"Farmers are looking at their operations with guarded optimism," said Gamble. "But even when times are rough, they are still planning ahead for future purchases."

Farm Science Review will be held Sept. 22–24 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio. One of the nation's top farm shows, Farm Science Review is unique in that it draws upon both industry collaboration and university-driven research and education to support Ohio agriculture.

Visitors have access to over 80 acres of exhibit space, showcasing 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors. Within that exhibit area sits OSU Central, an area of university-based research, outreach, and education in agriculture, 4-H, horticulture, family and consumer sciences, and nutrition and health. There are also demonstration fields, where the latest in farm equipment and technology is showcased, as well as the Gwynne Conservation Area for all the latest in natural resources and the environment.

"It is the gem of our college and a hidden treasure for those who attend," said Gamble. "Once farmers discover the show, they really like the venue and keep coming back," said Gamble. "We provide a nice experience and what attendees are looking for in terms of equipment, exhibitors, food, and infrastructure."

For more information, log on to http://fsr.osu.edu.

Farm Science Review is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

--By Candace Pollock