A lot happened in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2023. We wanted to take a look back at some of our top stories from the past 12 months, and we look forward to sharing another year of excellence and innovation with our community in 2024.

Music alum Orlay Alonso shares how a liberal arts education shaped his career

When asked what advice he would give to current and future students, School of Music alumnus Orlay Alonso said, “There is no one single path. There are a million possibilities, but it all depends on which one calls to you the most.” He admitted that the life of a professional musician can be challenging, but “for those who cannot live without it, you will find a way.” A Cuban native who spent many of his formative years in New York, Alonso ’15 is a musician in every sense of the word: he performs with his brother Orlando as The Alonso Brothers, serves as director of music for St. Mary Catholic Church in German Village, and will return to the School of Music to teach piano in spring 2024.

Ohio State introduces first undergraduate forensic anthropology major in U.S.

Forensic anthropology was approved in summer 2023 as an official major, allowing students to declare it as a major in the Department of Anthropology beginning in the fall of 2023. “The demand for forensic anthropology training has never been greater. Students have been asking for a program like this for years, but until now the only options in our department were the forensic minor or a more general major in anthropological science,” said Department of Anthropology Chair W. Scott McGraw. “Now we’ve got a dedicated forensic anthropology major leading to a Bachelor of Science that provides superb training – including casework in our state-of-the-art forensic lab – for a variety of medico-legal careers or advanced graduate study.”

New Department of African American and African Studies chair Cynthia Young excited about fresh opportunities at Ohio State

Despite growing up in Cleveland, new Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) chair Cynthia Young did not know much about Columbus prior to her appointment, which started on July 1, 2023. However, after five years at Penn State University, Young saw an opportunity to come back to the Buckeye State and join a department that was investing in itself. “Ohio State is in a moment of real growth, change and possibility,” she said. “Ohio State understands the importance of African American studies. There has been a lot of investment into faculty and grant-seeking opportunities, and I wanted to be a part of that.” In her new role, Young will be tasked with identifying ways in which the department can continue to grow, reviewing the curriculum, course development and faculty research support, and teaching courses.

Spanish, international studies student finds room for rock music in her portfolio

Raylee Smith's love of music followed her to Columbus when she came to Ohio State to study. Combined with a formative high school study abroad experience in Madrid that led her to getting degrees in Spanish and international studies, Smith hopes to bring all her passions together as she starts her career at PromoWest Productions, the Columbus-based entertainment agency that owns venues including KEMBA Live!, Newport Music Hall and A+R Music Bar. Smith found herself frequently attending concerts at the venues, so going to work for PromoWest seemed like a natural fit. “The pipeline from Spanish major to music industry, it was shocking. But it's definitely helped me grow as a person for sure.”

Ohio State students Ella Roxey, Anusha Singh successfully advocate for $5 million in funding for period products in schools

Eliminate the tampon tax, free period products in schools, free period products in homeless shelters and prisons. Those are the three primary goals of the menstrual justice movement “Period”, two of which have now been accomplished in the State of Ohio. While the tampon tax in Ohio was eliminated in November of 2019, funding for period products in schools had not been approved until July 2023, after two Ohio State students and members of Period at Ohio State stepped up. Senior Ella Roxey and medical student Anusha Singh played a significant role in successfully advocating for $5 million in state funding to put period products in public schools across the Buckeye state. The funding will provide menstrual products to students who might have otherwise had to miss school because they did not have the means to access the products at home.

Ohio State CCIC welcomes state-of-the-art NMR spectrometer

In September 2023, the Campus Chemical Instrument Center (CCIC) and Gateway National Ultrahigh Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility welcomed the delivery of a state-of-the-art, 1.2 gigahertz NMR spectrometer that will transform biochemical and materials engineering research at Ohio State. The National Science Foundation-funded spectrometer, which traveled more than 4,500 miles to reach its new home in Columbus, is one of eight currently in service in the world and the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Lead Research Scientist Alexandar Hansen described the instrument as the “crown jewel” of the CCIC’s array of NMR spectrometers. Hansen said that receiving the grant that allowed for the instrument’s purchase “speaks volumes as to the quality and caliber of research that goes on at The Ohio State University.”

Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus offers new conducting opportunities, sense of community for Ohio State music students

For undergraduate music students, finding chances to conduct can be difficult. Jared Brayton Bollenbacher, the artistic director of the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus (CGMC) and 2006 graduate from Ohio State’s School of Music, saw this as an opportunity. In 2022, Bollenbacher, with help from Jordan Saul, assistant teaching professor of choral music education, created the CGMC Choral Conducting Intern program in an effort to give undergraduate music students an opportunity to conduct in front of an audience and extra practice time on the podium. The first year of interns featured three Ohio State music students, each of whom conducted a song at a live concert with CGMC.

PhD student Caleb González invited to Vice President Harris’ home, acknowledged for work in writing education

Caleb González, a doctoral student in rhetoric, composition and literacy within the Department of English and a first-generation Latino student, has spent months researching the various ways in which first-year writing programs at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) shape and are shaped by their minority-serving institutional focus. After writing a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris about his experience teaching in the Young Scholars Program at Ohio State, González found himself with an invitation to the vice president's home for a Mexican Mother’s Day celebration.