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Spring 2014

In this issue: Archive

A Message from Dean Manderscheid

I am very pleased to introduce the spring 2014 issue of ASCENT. We believe the selection of stories and images capture the excitement and relevance of Ohio State arts and sciences.

News & Notes

A few timely updates from around the college. Want more? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter, News & Updates.

Big Data, Big Time

New data analytics major addresses strong workforce need. The Harvard Business Review has referred to data science and analytics as the “sexiest job in the twenty-first century.”

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

Sociology undergrad Chasmine Anderson navigates the world of scholarships to pursue her dream of being an Ohio State Graduate.

Campaign Update: But for Ohio State …

The fundraising goal for the College of Arts and Sciences is $200 million; as of the end of March, we have achieved 80 percent of our goal—$159 million.

Alumni Notes

In each issue of ASCENT, we ask our alumni to send us updates—we have received some great letters and feedback and many are included here. Be sure to tell us your story!

The Right Attitude Goes a Long Way

In the summer of 2013, Cody Crothers, a first-generation student from Hillsboro, Ohio, found out he was accepted to Ohio State. There was just one little hitch—he didn’t know how he was going to pay tuition.

Dr. Mary Chellis with her children (L to R) Andrew, Jacob and Hanna.

Better Giving Through Chemistry

Dr. Mary Chellis (BA, chemistry, 1988) wanted to set up a fund to support talented young students in chemistry, and she wanted to do it before she turned 50.

Salt of the Earth

Alumna Jessica A. Johnson, a special correspondent for The Columbus Dispatch and an opinion columnist for The Athens Banner-Herald (Georgia), authors biography of Columbus legend,Wilburn H. Weddington.

Flagship Niagara participating in the reenactment of the Battle of Lake Erie. Photo Credit: Karl Rabeneck

Don't Give Up the Ship!

Ohio commemorates the War of 1812. Many Ohioans, like Department of History Chair Peter Hahn, have worked to ensure that Ohio remembers its role in this historic war.

On Deep Ice

Since 1993, Berry Lyons, professor and director of the School of Earth Sciences, has been involved with a group of researchers who study the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica.

Rendering of future plans for the Arts District.

The Arts Flourish at Ohio State

The arts at Ohio State are taking center stage. Nowhere is that more true than at the university’s “front door,” at 15th Avenue and High Street, where a new Arts District is taking shape.

Ohio State student voice majors Andrew Hall (far left) and Joshua Cook (second from left) join members of Opera Columbus in the chorus for Madama Butterfly.

Going Pro

Thanks to a new partnership between Opera Columbus and Ohio State, student voice majors from the School of Music are tucking some real-world, professional experience under their belts.

Artist Ann Hamilton working on the installation of the event of a thread (2012-13) at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. Photo Credit: Thibault Jeanson

Ann Hamilton: The Art of it All

Ann Hamilton just doesn’t slow down. The accomplished and widely recognized artist, and Ohio State professor, has been collecting some lofty recognition lately.

Imer Santiago (center) jazzes it up with members of The Imer Santiago Quintet.

Jazz Boot Camp

By day, Imer Santiago is a music educator, teaching at two Nashville, Tennessee, schools, directing a Mariachi music program. By night, Santiago has “a couple of bands” and plays jazz in clubs and festivals.

Ohio State travelers stop at the Great Wall of China.

Speaking Their Language

Ohio State students share dance, theatre and music in China. The endeavor was partially funded by a U.S. State Department grant awarded to the Center for American Culture collaboratively directed by Ohio State and Wuhan University.

Front (L-R): Mack lorden, Tina Li, Mac carr; back (L-R): Nick Pochedly, Joel Poncz, Briun Greene

Flagshippers Getting Ready to Ship Out

Ohio State’s fledgling Advanced Chinese Language and Culture (Flagship) Graduate Program began preparing students to succeed in the global marketplace.

Sociologists Zhenchao Qian and Kristi Williams examine the transformation of the ‘traditional’ American family and challenge the conventional wisdom that marriage lifts single mothers out of poverty.

The Changing American Family

Sociologist Zhenchao Qian and Kristi Williams examine the transformation of the 'traditional' American Family.

Jumping Ahead

It’s hard to imagine Tori Boggs ever sitting still. The second-year Ohio State Honors Collegium student studying industrial design with a focus on pre-med, is the reigning World Jump Rope Female Single Rope All-Around Champion and has nine world jump rope titles.

Who Was—?

Maria Khrakovsky started a to-do list when she was 8 years old. On it were three items: to be on Jeopardy!, to visit every single country in Europe, and to attend all four major tennis tournaments.

Honoring Achievement

The Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize and honor some of our outstanding alumni whose accomplishments are tangible evidence of the growing distinction of arts and sciences alumni.

Science and Scholarship

ASC faculty and their students collaborate on leading-edge work with colleagues on campus, across the country, and around the world to solve critical scientific problems and address important issues in scholarship.