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Welcome message from Dean Gretchen Ritter

This year we all are grappling with major societal challenges that have tested our resolve — including the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for racial justice and social equity. In the College of Arts and Sciences, our faculty, students and alumni don’t shy away from difficult problems. This year has been no exception.

Using psychology to encourage long-term healthy behaviors

Given the vehement polarization regarding coronavirus guidelines, Richard Petty, Distinguished University Professor, is teaming up with Xiaoyan Deng, associate professor in the Fisher College of Business, to uncover more effective methods of communicating public health recommendations.

What history can teach us about pandemics

Nicholas Breyfogle, associate professor in the Department of History, is leading a project to create publicly available materials and events that place the current coronavirus pandemic in historical context.

Building bridges between Ohio State and the state health department

It was all hands on deck across the country as many public health officials turned to experts at their local universities to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. Ohio State was no exception. Elisabeth Root, associate professor in both geography and the College of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology, was tasked with linking Buckeye scientists and experts with the appropriate state health officials.

Berkowitz raises profile of interpreters at state coronavirus briefings

The coronavirus provided us with new, unconventional heroes to cheer for from our homes as we sheltered in place during the spring. One of those heroes was deaf interpreter Marla Berkowitz, senior lecturer in the college's American Sign Language Program. Her daily, animated appearances offered not just a bit of levity during a tense time, but also a glimpse of how imperative her work is for the deaf community.

Weinberg's research finds state response had little economic impact

It’s hard to find an aspect of life that wasn’t influenced by COVID-19. From education to transportation, athletics to entertainment, it seems the pandemic shocked society from all angles. One of the biggest questions was how the coronavirus impacted the economy. Bruce Weinberg, professor of economics, determined the pandemic played only a secondary role in the historic spike in U.S. unemployment last spring.

Declines in demand show essential workers’ reliance on public transit and similar services

An analysis of public transit use across the U.S. reveals where essential workers rely more on public transportation while prompting questions about building sustainable, resilient cities in the future.

Beyond the newsroom: Lantern journalists step up to provide coronavirus coverage

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Ohio State community hard and fast — during spring break, no less. The journalists at The Lantern, Ohio State’s student newspaper, sprung into action to report on the public health crisis from all angles, keeping students, faculty and staff up to date on the sudden emergency.

The Buckeyes behind Can't Stop Columbus

Alumna Jordan Davis wanted to do more to help Columbus respond to the coronavirus, and a group of Buckeyes from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Fisher College of Business helped make her vision a reality.

Helping Arts and Sciences students find career success despite economic downturn

The Center for Career and Professional Success has pivoted to meet the altered needs of young Arts and Sciences Buckeyes as they continue to take their first steps to building a career in the face of COVID-19.

'Artists find a way'

The College of Arts and Sciences has compiled a virtual gallery of highlights from the wide variety of new and continuing forms of creative experimentation and imaginative expression recently generated by Ohio State students, faculty and alumni in the arts.

Start your engines: How cars can kill coronavirus

How hot would the inside of a car have to get to kill COVID-19? The Ford Motor Company solicited the help of Professor Jesse Kwiek and Jeff Jahnes in the Department of Microbiology to find out.

On the front lines of COVID-19 vaccine research

Chemistry alumnus Raymond Goodrich is now working at a prominent disease research center at Colorado State University. In this Q&A from March, Goodrich details how the team he leads is working hard to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Michael Neblo, professor of political science, chats with a student at an event in 2019. Photo credit Jo McCulty.

Putting deliberative democracy to work during COVID-19

Michael Neblo, professor of political science, and his colleagues are advancing relationships between lawmakers and their constituents by working to make our democracy more deliberative and representative. In the face of COVID-19, they’re striving to connect citizens and their elected representatives to navigate this period of uncertainty together.

Brayden Deemer during 2019 Drum Major tryouts

TBDBITL selects new drum majors via virtual tryout

Twirling from six different locations around the state, TBDBITL’s drum major candidates took part in a first-of-its-kind online tryout in May. When the virtual dust settled, the band selected Bryaden Deemer of Howland and Kyle Hustek of Plain City as its drum majors for the 2020 season.

National Guard assists in testing process for COVID-19

Uncovering the true spread of the coronavirus in Ohio

Working with Ohio State colleagues and the Ohio Department of Health, sociologist Samuel Clark is using strategies from developing countries to provide a more accurate, comprehensive picture of the prevalence of the coronavirus in Ohio — vital for planning how the state will reopen in the future.

College clinical outreach programs persist in face of pandemic

When Ohio State shuttered its doors as the coronavirus impacted the community, students, faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences strove to adapt. The college’s clinical outreach programs were no exception, showing remarkable flexibility to maintain service to their patients and continuity of education to their students.

Students dance during ballet class in a tent on the South Oval. Photo credit Jo McCulty.

On-campus tents accommodate the arts

Three arts tents on campus — on the South Oval, by Stillman Hall and at Browning Amphitheatre near Mirror Lake — will help facilitate classes in accordance to health and safety guidelines, and they will allow for the arts to be displayed on campus in ways they haven’t before.

Planting seeds for a more diverse, equitable future in STEM

Maria Miriti, associate professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, discusses how to strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion throughout STEM fields.

Jeffries presenting to his daughter's class

Teaching the "hard history" of slavery and racism in America

Hasan Jeffries teaches students of all ages "hard history." Now, through support of fellow educators and the conversations he has with his daughters, he's encouraging a more complicated understanding of American history.

Pushing diversity in economics forward

Trevon Logan, professor of economics and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was appointed director of the AEA Mentoring Program, which opens opportunities for underrepresented graduate and doctoral students looking to enter the economics field.

Chemistry earns Bridge Site status from American Chemical Society

The Ohio State Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will see increased diversity in the future thanks to its new Bridge Site status from the American Chemical Society. The honor provides scholarship funding to increase the number of graduate students from underrepresented groups.

Linking human rights and tech to support equity and justice

Sabrina Hersi Issa triple-majored in international studies, political science and women’s studies. She is a human rights technologist whose various endeavors work to keep communities of color healthy and thriving.

Climate change is already making impacts in Ohio

It’s no longer a thing of the future. The effects of climate change are being felt in Ohio right now. In this look into the impacts of climate change in Ohio, two professors from the Department of Geography highlight some things you may have already noticed in your backyard.

How the arts and humanities are confronting climate change

Climate change is no longer an issue confined to science. The problem is complex and requires a bold response from activists, artists, performers and creators. These are some of the ways experts in the arts and humanities are confronting a global environmental crisis.

Photo illustration of Donald Trump and Joe Biden

Election 2020 Q&A with Arts and Sciences experts

The upcoming presidential election between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democrat challenger Joe Biden comes during a time of social unrest over racial injustices, COVID-19 and an economic recession. We asked some of our experts in the College of Arts and Sciences to weigh in on what voters will be most passionate about this November.

$17M gift supports Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences

Ratmir Timashev MS ’96 and his wife, Angela Timashev, have committed their charitable foundation to provide the largest philanthropic contribution made by an individual or foundation in the college’s history. This gift will support construction of a new music building as part of the university’s emerging Arts District, the renovation of Celeste Laboratory of Chemistry and create endowed scholarships for Arts and Sciences students.

New Arts and Sciences faculty take positions in autumn 2020

Ohio State's autumn 2020 semester will be like no other. But these 19 new faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences bring their knowledge, flexibility and creativity, and they will bolster the college's effort to move forward.