Please join SENR in congratulating Eugene Braig, who received the Ohio Lake Management Society’s Lifetime Achievement/Distinguished Service award presented at the 50th Annual WMAO Conference, “Engaging Water Professionals Through the Decades” on November 3, 2021.  

Eugene is the aquatic ecosystems program director for The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). The Ohio Lake Management Society is a division of The Water Management Association of Ohio with a mission “to promote scientific research and sound management of Ohio’s lakes through education and technical assistance, collection and dissemination of water quality data and advocacy of the policies that enhance the quality and protect the ecological and recreational benefits of lakes for the people of Ohio.”

Eugene with current Ohio Lake Management Society President, Mandy Razzano (Photo credit: Craig Smith)

CFAES proudly named their top 26 seniors on Tuesday. Congratulations to all the seniors named, including from SENR: 

• Gautam Apte, Forestry, Fisheries & Wildlife, Shaker Heights, Ohio
• Danielle Hutchison, Natural Resource Management, Lewis Center, Ohio
• Alisa Mancini, Environmental Science, Girard, Ohio 
• Andrew Moffitt, (double major) Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability, and Agribusiness and Applied Economics, Dublin, Ohio
• Katherine Orlyo, Forestry, Fisheries & Wildlife, Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Read more about the Top 26 Seniors and this year’s recognition ceremony on March 23 via a YouTube Premiere video.

Faculty member Stan Gehrt shared some of the research he leads on coyotes and coexistence during Tuesday's Environmental Professionals Network program. Stan's talk featured some incredible footage of our coexistence with coyotes, but also interesting ways he and his team are studying their behavior and why in different environments. Stay tuned for the recording on EPN's YouTube channel.

It's maple syrup tapping time at Ohio State Mansfield. 

A team, including SENR's Kathy Smith, Gabe Karns, Marne Titchenell and Extension Educator Carri Jagger (Morrow county) were on hand to prepare and tap trees for this season's production. 

O-H-I-O

O - Elizabeth Homewood

H - Katie Mayton

I - ‘sugar maple’

O - Carri Jagger

Learn more about Ohio State Maple here.

A winter storm recently made its’ way through Ohio bringing with it colder temperatures, ice and some snow. Continuing SENR’s exploration of winter habitats, we met up with Eugene Braig, Extension program director for Aquatic Ecosystems in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University to learn more about the functions of ponds, how winter weather may impact ponds and aquatic life and ways to mitigate for any disruptions. Read the SENR Q&A to learn more.

SENR faculty member Chris Tonra is quoted in "The perilous migratory journey of the eastern whip-poor-will" by Jeff Grabmeier, Ohio State News on research published and conducted by SENR faculty and graduate students including Aaron Skinner, James Wright, Stephen Matthews and Chris Tonra and colleagues in Diversity and Distributions.

"Canaries in a coal mine: Energy transitions in Appalachian coal regions, and a roadmap for the rocky transition out of coal" by Holly Davis, CFAES News Team on research conducted by faculty Mark Partridge (AEDE) and Linda Lobao (SENR). In addition to Partridge and Lobao, other authors of the study included students Oudom Hean, Paige Kelly, and Seung-hun Chung. Chung is currently a post-doc researcher in AEDE, while Hean (AEDE) and Kelly (SENR) were doctoral students during the report's construction.

SENR alum Joshua Fergen was on NPR's Morning Edition (February 15), "In the misinformation wars, renewable energy is the latest to be attacked." Listen or read the transcript here. Josh was advised by faculty member Jeffrey Jacquet. To learn more about the study referenced in the Morning Edition story, read the published paper the two authored, ‘Doomscrolling’ in my backyard: Corrosive online communities and contested wind development in rural Ohio.

Beetstra, M., R.S. Wilson, and M. Doidge. 2022. “Conservation behavior over time: Examining a Midwestern farmer sample”. Land Use Policy, 115: 106002

Chen, Catherine, Tanya Heikkila, Christopher M. Weible, Jill Yordy, Hongtao Yi, Ramiro Berardo, and Jennifer Kagan. 2022. “Policy composition and adoption duration: Capturing conflict in the legislative process.” Policy Studies Journal DOI: 10.1111/psj.12457.

Palomino-Ángel, S., R.F. Vázquez, H. Hampel, J.A. Anaya, P.V. Mosquera, S.W. Lyon, and F. Jaramillo (2022) Retrieval of Simultaneous Water-Level Changes in Small Lakes with InSAR, Geophysical Research Letters,49, e2021GL095950.

Slaton, N. A., Lyons, S. E., Osmond, D. L., Brouder, S. M., Culman, S. W., Drescher, G., Gatiboni, L. C., Hoben, J., Kleinman, P. J. A., McGrath, J. M., Miller, R. O., Pearce, A., Shober, A. L., Spargo, J. T., & Volenec, J. J. (2022). Minimum dataset and metadata guidelines for soil-test correlation and calibration research. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 86(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20338

IN FEBRUARY

Webinar - Ohio Woodland Stewards Program - The Ecology of the Herbaceous Layer in Ohio Forests on February 18
In eastern forests, the herbaceous layer harbors the great majority of plant diversity. This webinar will focus on various aspects of the herb-layer vegetation, including the life history and ecology of select species, the response of plant communities to disturbance, and threats such as the impacts of non-native invasive species and deer browsing. Learn More | Register

Faculty member Christine Sprunger is one of the notable scientists on SOIL CON - Washington Soil Health Week (Feb. 22-23) round table, "What can we expect from soil biology?" Functionality & Limitations. Details | Registration

IN MARCH

2022 Ohio Woodland Water and Wildlife Conference on March 2
We will once again be live at the Mid- Ohio Conference Center in Mansfield.  The program offers updates on spotted lanternfly and beech leaf disease and presentations on management for wild turkey, ticks and tick-borne pathogens, European frogbit id and control and streambank stabilization to name a few.  Access the Conference brochure to view sessions - several presenters are from SENR, including Eugene Braig, Kathy Smith, Risa Pesapane, and Roger Williams.

Registration HERE.

2022 Small Farm Conference & Trade Show on March 22 at Ohio State Mansfield.
The day-long conference includes a Natural Resources Track with Kathy Smith, Marne Titchenell and Gabe Karns presenting on timber harvesting and marketing; managing your woodland for wildlife; landscaping for wildlife; and maple syrup production. Learn more.

And Water for All: A World Water Day documentary film screening and discussion on water access and affordability in Ohio on March 22. 
Ohio State’s Environmental Professionals Network (EPN), partnering with the Water Management Association of Ohio (WMAO), School of Earth Sciences (SES), and TerrAqua (an Ohio State student organization), is co-hosting this event to focus attention on water access and water affordability in Ohio. Learn more | register.

2022 Ohio Rivers Symposium on March 25
Presented By: ODNR Division of Natural Areas & Preserves Scenic Rivers Program, Ohio Scenic Rivers Association and the Water Management Association of Ohio

Purpose: This event brings together people who share an interest in Ohio’s rivers. Watershed professionals, naturalists, community members and all others who would like to learn and connect with other river advocates should attend. Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Several SENR faculty and experts are on the program, including: 
Dr. Richard Moore, who will deliver the keynote address; Eugene Braig, who will present on aquatic invasive species; and Dr. Mažeika Sullivan, who will present on land and water ecosystem linkages. Flyer | Register  

***

Other on-going learning opportunities:

CURA's Choosing our Climate Legacy - view CURA's calendar of upcoming talks. 

CFAES Research & Graduate Education Seminar Series – access schedule and find out how to join.

CFAES Office of Diversity and Inclusion Spring 2022 Webinar Series– access schedule and find out how to join.

SUSTAINABILITY INSTITUTE LAUNCHES 2022 STUDENT GRANT PROGRAM

The Ohio State University is dedicated to advancing education, research, innovation and partnerships related to sustainability. To further these goals, the Sustainability Institute is pleased to offer funding to support student research or projects in sustainability and resilience.

Priority will be given to student research or projects that directly impact university operations; incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion themes; and/or connect to our communities and allow opportunities to use our campuses as living laboratories.

The maximum award per application is $5,000, and the total funding available is $40,000 for our spring semester 2022 grant process. Since the Sustainability Institute launched in 2019, we have supported over 30 student research and campus-as-lab projects with more than $105,000.

This award is open to all degree-seeking full-time undergraduate, graduate and professional students from any academic discipline or unit, in good academic standing, and with a graduation date of spring semester 2023 or after.

The application form must be sent via email to Gina Jaquet, director, sustainability education and learning, at jaquet.6@osu.edu by Friday, March 11. Awards will be announced no later than Friday, April 15.

Application form

Questions? Email Gina Jaquet.

2022 CFAES Poster Competition

Registration is open for the 2022 CFAES Poster Competition until Wednesday, March 9, 2022. There will be separate competitions held for Undergraduate students, Master’s students, Doctoral students, Post-doctoral Scholars, and Research Assistants/ Associates/ Scientists. All participants are expected to register for the competition, submit an abstract and PDF of their research poster, and participate in one 2-hour, in-person poster session. Participants must register for the competition online by 5:00pm on Wednesday, March 9. Posters must be submitted online as a PDF along with abstracts by 5:00pm on Wednesday, March 23. Poster sessions will be held in-person on Monday, April 11 and Tuesday, April 12. 

You can find out more about the poster and abstract guidelines and submission process on our websites. View the full Graduate and Professional Guidelines or the Undergraduate Guidelines online. Questions for the Graduate and Professional competitions should be directed to Kayla Arnold.1065. Undergraduate questions should be directed to Pat Whittington.6 or Susie Sheller.1.

Register today!