News tips and events for the week of Jan. 27

Writer(s): 
Photo: A transmission electron micrograph of a coronavirus. Courtesy of Linda Saif.

Tip 1: Ohio State experts available for comment on new coronavirus—Scientists with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) can offer insight into the new coronavirus that is being blamed for at least 81 deaths and more than 2,800 confirmed illnesses internationally since December 2019, with at least five cases of coronavirus reported in the United States—in Washington state; Arizona; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Orange County, California. Additionally, at least 100 other people in the United States are under observation in 26 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that include the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), all of which can infect both humans and animals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The following Ohio State Experts are available to comment on coronavirus:

  • Linda Saif, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Distinguished University Professor at Ohio State, where she is a faculty member in the Food Animal Health Research Program (FAHRP), a CFAES unit that is affiliated with the CVM. Saif is known nationally and internationally for her work on enteric viruses, including coronaviruses, which affect food-producing animals, wildlife, and humans. Saif is also a member of Ohio State’s Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), where she is a co-director for the Viruses and Emerging Pathogens Program. Saif can be reached for comment at 330-263-3742 or saif.2@osu.edu.
  • Qiuhong Wang is an associate professor and specializes in prevention, detection, pathogenesis, and vaccine development for viral infections, especially for coronaviruses and other emerging viral pathogens. Wang can be reached at 330-263-3740 or wang.655@osu.edu.
  • Anastasia Vlasova is an assistant professor and specializes in innate immunity and molecular characterization of emerging animal, human, and zoonotic viruses. She also focuses on emerging and re-emerging animal, human, and zoonotic viruses, to understand their molecular evolution and interspecies transmission and to develop diagnostic tools and control measures. Vlasova can be reached at 330-263-3740 or vlasova.1@osu.edu.
  • Scott Kenney is an assistant professor and specializes in expertise in delta coronavirus, hepatitis E virus, molecular virology, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, RNA viruses, Zika virus, zoonosis, host-defense and microbial biology, and emerging pathogens. Kenney can be reached at 330-263-3747 or kenney.157@osu.edu.

Tip 2: Fostering urban farming in the city—The Columbus Urban Farmer Network in conjunction with Ohio State University Extension, will host a meeting Jan. 30 updating new changes to the rules and regulations surrounding urban farming in Columbus. Updates will include information on allowing food salses at residential locations, hoophouse structures, and composting. The program will be held from 7–8:30 p.m. at the Franklin County office of OSU Extension, at the Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Building, 2548 Carmack Road, Columbus, Ohio, at CFAES’ Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of CFAES. For more information, contact Mike Hogan, OSU Extension educator, at 614-292-7670 or hogan.1@osu.edu.

January 2020

28 Environmental Film Series, Ice on Fire (new Leonardo DiCaprio documentary featuring firsthand accounts by people at the forefront of the climate crisis), 7–8:50 p.m., plus postscreening discussion by Ohio State and local experts, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC), Room 130, Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio. Free. Pizza and beverages at 6:30 p.m. Details: go.osu.edu/Bjzq

31 HABs: The Latest Science, 1–2:30 p.m., online webinar about harmful algal blooms and recent research to understand and prevent them, presented by Chris Winslow, director of Ohio Sea Grant and The Ohio State University Stone Laboratory. Free. Details: go.osu.edu/Bjzk

February 2020

4 Environmental Film Series, A River Between Us (Klamath River restoration project), 7–8:50 p.m., plus postscreening discussion by Ohio State and local experts, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC), Room 130, Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio. Free. Pizza and beverages at 6:30 p.m. Details: go.osu.edu/Bjzq.

6 2020 Tri-State Green Industry Conference, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Cincinnati, Ohio. Seven education tracks will cover annuals and perennials, tree and shrub care, turfgrass management, garden center and greenhouse innovation, general pest and disease management, emerging ideas and issues, and landscape ecosystems. Early bird registration: $80. Student registration: $45. Details: go.osu.edu/BjJS.

6 Conifer Tree ID, 12:30–3:30 p.m., Secrest Arboretum, CFAES Wooster campus, Jack and Deb Miller Pavilion, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, Ohio. Hands-on workshop teaching ways to identify pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, and other common evergreens. Registration: $5 by Feb. 3. Details: 330-263-3761 or go.osu.edu/BjzZ

7 Northwest Ohio Crops Day 2020, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Bavarian Haus, 3814 State Route 18, Deshler, Ohio. Cost is $35 by Jan. 31 and $45 after that date; the fee includes lunch. Education credits offered include 1 hour Ohio Department of Agriculture recertification; 3 hours of pesticide recertification for categories 1, 2, and 6 Core; 2.5 hours of commercial pesticide CEU Core, 2c and 10c; and 4.5 hours of CCA credits. For more information, contact Garth Ruff, 419-592-0806 or ruff.72@osu.edu.

11 Environmental Film Series, Earthrise and Earth Days (celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day), 7–8:50 p.m., plus postscreening discussion by Ohio State and local experts, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC), Room 130, Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio. Free. Pizza and beverages at 6:30 p.m. Details: go.osu.edu/Bjzq.

12 Ohio Commercial Pesticide Recertification Conference, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., John S. Knight Center, 77 East Mill St., Akron, Ohio. Sponsored by OSU Extension and the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Attending the entire day is necessary to meet the five hours required for an Ohio commercial license. Preregistration for the conference only is $90 by Jan. 29. Preregistration for the conference with lunch is $115 by Jan. 29. On-site registration is $100 and does not include lunch. Details: go.osu.edu/BjJv.

17 Hemp Production and Marketing Opportunities Workshop, 7–8:30 p.m., at the Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Building, 2548 Carmack Road, Columbus, Ohio, at CFAES’ Waterman Lab. The workshop will include an update on hemp production in Ohio; legal and business issues related to hemp production; and agronomic requirements of hemp. For more information, contact Peggy Kirk Hall, OSU Extension legal educator, at hall.673@osu.edu or 937-645-3123; or Lee Beers, OSU Extension educator at beers.66@osu.eduor 330-638-6783.

18 An Evening with Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory, 6:30–9:30 p.m., Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, Ohio. Annual fundraising program features a look at the master plan for The Ohio State University Stone Laboratory at Lake Erie, details on the lab’s summer courses and research, a silent auction, and the sale of Stone Lab merchandise to support student scholarships. Free, but an RSVP is required. Details and link to RSVP: go.osu.edu/Bjzn.  

18 Environmental Film Series, Birds of North America (episodes from video series by Bronx, New York, native and National Audubon staff member Jason Ward), 7–8:50 p.m., plus postscreening discussion by Ohio State and local experts, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC), Room 130, Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio. Free. Pizza and beverages at 6:30 p.m. Details: go.osu.edu/Bjzq.

19 Witchhazel Discovery, 1–3:30 p.m., Secrest Arboretum Welcome Center, 2122 Williams Road, CFAES Wooster campus, Wooster, Ohio. Details on witchhazel trees, one of spring’s earliest bloomers, and a tour of those growing in Secrest Arboretum. Free. Details: 330-263-3761 or go.osu.edu/Bjzb

21 Darke County Ag Outlook, 8 a.m. to noon, Romers Party Room, 118 E. Main St., Greenville, Ohio. The meeting will include projections for commodity markets in 2020 as well as weather. Details: 937-548-5215 or go.osu.edu/darkecountyoutlook.

25 Environmental Film Series, Living Soil (importance of soil health to food security, human health, economics, and more; includes interview with CFAES Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science Rattan Lal), 7–8:50 p.m., plus postscreening discussion by Ohio State and local experts, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC), Room 130, Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio. Free. Pizza and beverages at 6:30 p.m. Details: go.osu.edu/Bjzq.

27 Cancer Prevention in the Kitchen, 5:30–7 p.m., Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Building, 2548 Carmack Road, Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio. The class will focus on how to make meals focus more on plants, and how that can help reduce one’s risk for cancer and other diseases. Free, but registration is required by Feb. 24. Contact Jenny Lobb at 614-292-7775 or lobb.3@osu.edu

27 Ohio Commercial Pesticide Recertification Conference, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Columbus Convention Center, 400 North High St., Columbus, Ohio. Sponsored by OSU Extension and the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Attending the entire day is necessary to meet the five hours required for an Ohio commercial license. Preregistration for the conference only is $90 by Feb. 13. Preregistration for the conference with lunch is $115 by Feb. 13. On-site registration is $100 and does not include lunch. Details: go.osu.edu/BjJx.

March 2020

8 Environmental Film Series, The Devil We Know (industrial pollution in West Virginia), 7–8:50 p.m., plus postscreening discussion by Ohio State and local experts, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC), Room 130, Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio. Free. Pizza and beverages at 6:30 p.m. Details: go.osu.edu/Bjzq.

17 Improving Grain Marketing Plans, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., The Andersons, 5728 Sebring Warner Road, Greenville, Ohio. Along with discussing how to build a grain marketing plan, the discussion will provide information about risk capacity, hedging, and cash contracts. For more information, contact Sam Custer at 937-548-5215 or custer.2@osu.edu.

19 Feeding Cattle for the Consumer Series, 5:30 p.m., at the Southern Roots Ranch, 12568 County Road 21N, West Unity, Ohio. A two-part program focused on cattle feeding and beef quality, live animal evaluation, and a grid-pricing discussion. Cost is $20 per person or $30 per family. RSVP at the Henry County office of OSU Extension at 419-592-0806 by March 13. 

20 Appalachia Cooperates Initiative 2020, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m at Ohio University Eastern, Shannon Hall, Room 219, 45425 National Road, St. Clairsville, Ohio. Learn the nuts and bolts of worker-ownership, and start recognizing coop opportunities in your community. Cost is $25. To register, contact Charissa E. Gardner, 740-289-2071, ext. 132, or gardner.1148@osu.edu.

April 2020

7 CHAIRE Inaugural Research Symposium, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Brittany Fischer, chaire@osu.edu.

Writer(s): 
Tracy Turner
614-688-1067