Announcements

SENR is Here

The Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Lab (TWEL) celebrates 20 Years! Learn about TWEL and the two visions that have played a role in its lasting impact and forward momentum in wildlife science, education and outreach.

Students in “ENR 3335.02- Wildland Fire Lab” had the opportunity to participate in the 8th prescribed burn at The Larry R. Yoder Prairie Learning Laboratory on the Ohio State Marion campus. Lead image above shows students listening to Mr. Mike Bowden, a lecturer in the SENR, who is discussing the different methods of fire control line construction systematically as a team/crew. Mr. Bowden co-instructs the course with faculty member Roger Williams. Photo credit: Roger Williams
Read more about the course, how it prepares students and the role of fire management for restoration here. 

Today is a big day - at the Tick Symposium (Oct. 12) - the new Bite website launches - check it out. The website houses general safety and protection information for various audiences about disease vectors – we’re talking ticks, mosquitoes, and bed bugs. Contributors to the Bite website include SENR faculty member Risa Pesapane.

This week - the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) welcomed an internationally renowned panel of fashion and sustainability leaders for the first of a two-part series on circular economy strategies. Designing Circular Economy Strategies from within the Textiles and Fashion Industries is available to watch on YouTube. Plan to join on Nov. 14 for a program focused on new circular economy approaches for plastics with potential to make a difference (scroll below under Happenings to access link for more information on this event).

And ... about last week SENR hosted an Open House as part of the CFAES Homecoming activities at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park on Friday, Oct. 5 - the weather could not have been better, and alumni and friends had the opportunity to connect and hear from SENR faculty Suzanne Gray and Chris Tonra (shown below at the Open House) about how Stone Lab and the wetlands are unique and special environments to engage students, researchers, and the public in outreach and experiential and immersive education, and to conduct long-term studies and interdisciplinary research on critical environment and natural resources topics. A special thanks to the planning committee, including Krystal Pocock, research and outreach coordinator and Emma, wetlands intern who led the guided tour.

Funding News

Read about FLEETS for All and bringing new resilient infrastructure to all communities - a recently funded interdisciplinary project SENR faculty member Jeffrey Jacquet is part of. The FLEETS for All project is part of an $11 million grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Bielicki and his collaborators at Ohio State received $1.1 million to conduct their research, joining ten other institutions to investigate drivers and environmental impacts of energy transitions in underserved and Tribal communities nationwide. Jeffrey Bielicki, associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs is the principal investigator of the funded project.

Learn about a newly funded project through NIFA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) to advance productivity, profitability, and resilience in the organic sector through collaborative on-farm research. The project will be co-led by The Ohio State University, Central State University, and the Ohio Ecological Farm & Food Association, partnering with organic producers and leveraging personnel, resources, and knowledge of the three lead organizations. SENR faculty member Douglas Jackson-Smith is the principal investigator of the project.

Call for Pre-Proposals: Ohio Department of Higher Education Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative

On behalf of the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), the Ohio Sea Grant College Program and The University of Toledo are requesting Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative (HABRI) pre-proposals for one- to two-year research projects from Ohio colleges and universities that provide:

(1) strategies and tools to evaluate or mitigate HABs
(2) research assistance to guide wetland restoration projects to reduce nutrient and sediments 
(3) research on manure, agricultural drainage practices and nutrient application methods 
(4) evaluation of climate change effects on nutrient runoff 
(5) watershed studies 
(6) cost effectiveness analysis of agricultural nutrient reduction practices 
(7) assessment of occurrence of cyanotoxins and health effects 
(8) evaluation of treatment technologies for water treatment systems

Ultimately, this request for proposals is seeking research and innovation that will aid the management efforts of state agencies and will support Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio Initiative.

We anticipate approximately $5 million in funding to be available for this competition. Proposed project budgets will be evaluated/assessed based on the scope of work; there is no predetermined minimum or maximum funding amount per projects. ODHE HABRI encourages both large, multi-investigator, interdisciplinary proposals as well as smaller, more targeted proposals.

Matching funds are not required, and indirect costs are limited to a maximum of 8%. Proposal instructions and documents are linked below. Project funding will begin on 1 March 2024 and will end on 28 February 2026.

Pre-Proposal Deadline: 5:00pm Thursday, November 9, 2023

Full Proposal Deadline: 5:00pm Thursday, January 11, 2024

All documents must be submitted online. For detailed instructions and required forms, visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu/research/funding.

Publications

Hemendra Kumar, Samuel A Miller, Steve W Lyon, Assessing nutrient concentrations and field-scale seepage load under an automated drainage water management system in Ohio, Smart Agricultural Technology, Volume 6, 2023, 100328, ISSN 2772-3755, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2023.100328.

Weiqin Xing, Linchong Fang, James A. Ippolito, Fengying Cai, Yali Wang, Yale Wang, Yongqiang Yang, Liping Li, Effect of soluble phosphate and bentonite amendments on lead and cadmium bioavailability and bioaccessibility in a contaminated soil, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 900, 2023,166370, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166370.

Qingyuan Zhang,  Xuesong Zhang, Mark J Lara, Zhengpeng Li, Jingfeng Xiao, Kaiguang Zhao and Tongxi Hu. 2023. Impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on tundra productivity near Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Environ. Res. Lett. 18 094070. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf7d6

Happenings

OCTOBER

• October 12 - Ohio Regional Tick Symposium - Tackling Tick Range Expansion at the 4-H Center | Details
• October 12 - NAAEE Research Symposium (Live online) - Details
• October 13 - OWS class Fascinating Woodland Fungi at Ohio State Mansfield 
• October 14 - Ohio Avian Research Conference at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center | Details
• October 16 - Maple Syrup Workshop | Details 
• October 17-20 - 2023 North American Association for Environmental Education Conference: Together We Thrive (held virtually) | Details
• October 21 - Join the Spotted Lanternfly (SPL) Squad to help raise awareness of this invasive insect during the Ohio State vs. Penn State football game | Learn more
• October 20 - The Fifth Annual Byrd Center Symposium on Climate Change Research | Read more
• October 22 - Fall Hiking: Conkles Hollow part of the SENR Community Event Series brought to you by the SENR Ambassadors | Learn more
• October 23 - John Glenn College of Public Affairs' Colloquium Series | Learn more 
• October 26 - Crane Policy Chat: Child Care in Rural Communities (webinar) with faculty member Shoshanah Inwood | Details and registration
• October 26 - Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission Summit on Sustainability | Learn more
• October 27 - OWS Friday's Escape to the Forest (webinar series - starts at 10 a.m.) presents Managing Forests for Bats | Details and registration
• October 27 - ArboBlitz 2023 | Details and RSVP to volunteer
• October 31 - Freshwater Science Webinar presenting new research from Ohio Sea Grant, Stone Lab and the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative - Environmental Microbiomes as Indicators of Coastal Lake Erie Resilience | Details and registration

NOVEMBER

• November 2 - 2023 Autumn Undergraduate Research Festival (application window closes on Oct. 15) | Details
• November 3 - Interdisciplinary Water Symposium - The Ohio Water Resources Center (WRC) is excited to announce that the First Annual Interdisciplinary Water Research Symposium will be taking place this year! “Diving into water research across OSU – An interdisciplinary symposium” | Details, including opportunities for students to submit poster abstracts
• November 5-9 - The Wildlife Society's Annual Conference in Louisville, KY | Details
• November 8-9 - Computational Approaches for a Just and Sustainable World Co-hosted by the Translational Data Analytics Institute (TDAI) and Sustainability Institute (SI) | Full details including Call for talks and posters available here
• November 13 - 17th Annual Stinner Summit - Building More Resilient and Equitable Food Systems In Metropolitan Regions at Happy Days Lodge in Cuyahoga National Park in Northeastern Ohio | Full details, including registration
• November 14 - EPN Breakfast - Plastics, we got your number! New circular economy approaches unveiling potential to make a difference | Details and registration
• November 15 - The Ohio Community Wildlife Cooperative Conference - a conference focused on the role of local government in managing human-wildlife conflict | Full conference agenda here and registration here
• November 16 - 2023 CFAES Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Speaker Series welcomes Dr. Robert Bullard (he/him), Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University and Director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, Houston, TX, who will present, "The Quest for Environmental and Climate Justice: Why Race and Place Still Matter" | Register here
• November 19 - Fall Hiking: Alum Creek part of the SENR Community Event Series brought to you by the SENR Ambassadors | Learn more
• November 29 - Freshwater Science Webinar presenting new research from Ohio Sea Grant, Stone Lab and the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative - Testing Waters and Fish for Pharmaceuticals and PFAS Contamination On-Site | Details and registration

If you are planning an event in 2023 and 2024 and would like it featured in Announcements or on SENR's calendar, please send details to the SENR Communications Team via email at: faes-senrcomm@osu.edu

Nominate a graduate teaching associate for the Graduate Associate Teaching Award

Every year, the Ohio State University Graduate School recognizes the exceptional teaching provided by graduate teaching associates (GTAs) through the Graduate Associate Teaching Award (GATA), which includes a one-time $2,000 award and recognition at the annual Graduate School Awards Ceremony.

Any Ohio State student, faculty member, or staff member may nominate a GTA for this award. The nomination is anonymous unless you choose to identify yourself. Eligible nominees must have taught for at least one full semester as a GTA.

To submit a nomination, use this Qualtrics form. Nominations are due by November 15, 2023 at 5 p.m.

After nominations have closed, the Graduate School will contact all nominees who meet the full eligibility requirements. Any nominee who wishes to accept a nomination and compete for the award may attend an information session and submit an application packet.

For full details of the GATA, refer to the Graduate School website.

Keep sharing this opportunity for students - Sustainability Competition: Win $60k and Travel to Paris for Free! Ohio State Energy Partners is hosting the second ever Smart Campus Challenge! Teams of up to four students will propose campus sustainability projects for a chance to win $60,000 in project funding. The winning team will also travel for free to ENGIE’s headquarters in Paris, France in the summer of 2024!!! The proposal deadline is November 17th, 2023. View flyer and more information here.

Are you connected with SENR on social media? Did you know we have a school page on LinkedIn? If not, check out https://senr.osu.edu/about-us/follow-us-social-media for all our account information.

Here are a few ways you can optimize SENR's professional visibility on social media through LinkedIn:

1. When posting something about SENR or an accomplishment of yours (publishing a paper, winning an award, etc), please tag our account so we can see it and reshare. This is the only way we will be able to see your post on LinkedIn.*
2. Please consider resharing any of our LinkedIn posts that are applicable to your connections and followers. This will help spread the word about SENR.
3. Be sure to use #SENRisHere to show off your SENR related content in addition to tagging us. This hashtag is our most used hashtag to show SENR is engaged here, there, and everywhere!

*To tag our page on LinkedIn, use @ and then type in School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. A dropdown menu will appear to select our page. You might not need to type out our whole name to tag. A successful tag will appear in bolded text which creates a hyperlink to our page and alerts us to your posting.

SENR Announcements is a way to share highlights, happenings, and opportunities. We look forward to helping shine a light on your research, outreach, and teaching. If you'd like to submit content for Announcements, please send to the following Communications Team email: FAES-SENRComm@osu.edu

Announcements Schedule
October 26
November 9, 23
December 7, 21
 

Thank you for sharing your news with us!