discovery.osu.edu                                October / November 2017
Ohio State launches institute to address global threat of infectious diseases 
At a kickoff event Oct. 12 at the Faculty Club, Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce A. McPheron and Senior Vice President for Research Caroline Whitacre formally announced the launch of Ohio State’s Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI). The institute represents a culmination of several university investments over the years, including the Discovery Theme in Infectious Diseases. IDI connects more than 260 faculty across 22 disciplines that span human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Michael Oglesbee, professor of veterinary biosciences, directs the institute and leads a six-member executive team focused on building a cohesive, robust infrastructure that supports existing research and educational strengths and fosters internal and external partnerships. University students, faculty and staff are invited to join the institute to support and grow its work. More.

$3M awarded for long-term study of traumatic brain injury
The Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was awarded a five-year, $3 million grant by the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to study the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Ohio Regional TBI Model System was one of 16 centers nationally that were funded to continue examining the initial recovery and lifelong changes that result from TBI. The Ohio Regional TBI Model System was first funded in 1997 and will now be continuously funded as a Model Systems Center through 2022. Ohio State is the longest continuously funded TBI Model System in the country. Over the past 20 years Ohio State has recruited more than 1,150 patients into the TBI Model Systems National Dataset that follows people from the onset of their injury throughout their lifetime. Jennifer Bogner and John Corrigan, affiliates of the Chronic Brain Injury program who also serve on its advisory board, oversee the TBI Model Systems grant. More.

$2.4M grant supports study of food-energy-water nexus 
An Ohio State research team led by the Sustainable and Resilient Economy program has been awarded a $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to examine how deglobalization — in the form of a trade war, for example — might alter how land, water and energy resources are used in the Midwest. The team includes researchers from multiple Discovery Themes programs and three colleges: Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Engineering; and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. SRE is jointly led by Faculty Director Elena Irwin, the principal investigator on the grant, and Executive Director Joseph Fiksel, a research faculty member in Integrated Systems Engineering. More.

H&A to focus on human dimensions of grand challenges
Building on 11, two-year pilot projects it launched in 2016, the Humanities and the Arts Discovery Theme recently announced its first focus area—Human Dimensions of Global Challenges. It also identified the focus area’s first priority area— Global Mobility and Migration. A strategic plan for the focus area will be developed after a faculty director is hired, according to lead dean Peter Hahn. Review of applications began Oct. 9 and will continue until the position is filled. Details.

Data network to link Sacramento, Columbus foodsheds
Two Discovery Themes researchers are involved in devising a collaborative analytics network that would allow communities to collect, curate and share essential data to reduce regional food insecurity. Ayaz Hyder, assistant professor of environmental health sciences and a TDAI faculty hire, and Casey Hoy, professor and Kellogg Endowed Chair in Agricultural Ecosystem Management, and the InFACT Faculty director, are co-principal investigators on a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded to the University of California, Davis. The project’s focus is to enable regional food systems in the Sacramento and Columbus regions to coordinate diverse data from multiple partners on the food supply chain and its health outcomes to develop “smart” foodsheds that achieve food security and community health, from farmers through distributors to consumers. This research coordination network (RCN) is aimed at bridging the work of technologists and researchers involved in the emerging field of food system informatics, and supporting recently published local food action plans in Sacramento and Columbus. Ultimately, the project will provide a blueprint for the foodshed informatics needs of other communities. More.

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author J.D. Vance headlines Provost’s Lecturer Program 
J.D. Vance will propose a hands-on approach to solving critical problems in Ohio when he outlines the work of his non-profit organization, Our Ohio Renewal, at the Discovery Themes provost’s lecture from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Mershon Auditorium. Vance, a 2009 alumnus of Ohio State, will examine the problems of opioid addiction, inadequate workforce preparation, and domestic instabilityissues that shaped his upbringing in Middletown and the subject of Hillbilly Elegy, Vance’s New York Times best-seller. Registration is encouraged by Thursday, Nov. 2.

Opioid Innovation Fund created to address crisis 
Ohio State has established the Opioid Innovation Fund, a grant program designed to leverage the university’s expertise and resources to hasten solutions to Ohio’s opioid crisis. More than $1 million is available and will be distributed in grants of up to $100,000. Teams are encouraged to include partners in the public and private sectors, but each team must be led by an Ohio State faculty or staff member to be eligible for the grants. The deadline is 5 p.m. Nov. 3. More

Three DT programs to showcase seed-grant research
Researchers investigating issues related to food, agriculture and sustainability will provide brief insights into their work during a presentation showcasing seed-grant recipients on Nov. 15 at Thompson Library, 11th Floor Reading Room. Three Discovery Themes programs are hosting the event: Foods for Health, Sustainable and Resilient Economy, and the Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation. Presentations are from 3 to 5 p.m., followed by a two-hour reception and networking event. Register by Nov. 8.
IMR program connects students to real-world experience
In its September issue, Industry Today takes a closer look at a campus externship program created by the Institute for Materials Research (IMR) that connects students hoping to gain industry experience with companies wanting better access to Ohio State and its undergraduates. The Materials Innovation Lab is helping drive the success of the joint effort, according to Jay Sayre, IMR’s innovation director, and Kari Roth, the senior technology integrator in the Materials and Manufacturing for Sustainability focus area. Of particular importance is the lab’s INNOVATE-O-thon weekend, in which teams of students from Ohio State and other area colleges compete to solve real-world problems proposed by Ohio companies.
Latest CBI seed grant cycle is most competitive yet
The Chronic Brain Injury program has awarded $25,000 seed grants to seven teams, a total of $175,000. The awards involved 23 faculty members across six colleges and 15 departments. For the first time, CBI required a 1-to-1 match, asking each team to provide $25,000 or more in cash or in-kind contributions. This was the most competitive cycle to date, generating 15 proposals and $494,000 in matching funds. More.
FFH rewards 3 grad researchers with 50 percent support
Foods for Health has announced awards to three graduate student researchers that provide 50 percent support for the 2017-18 academic year. This includes stipend, benefits and three credit hours of tuition. Bernice Agana, Pengfei Bai, and Cheng Wang will each work on a collaborative project that uses metabolomics to address a relevant problem in the food-nutrition-health axis, with mentoring by two or more affiliates in the FFH initiative. The support is expected to result in presentation of discoveries at a national meeting, one or more first authored manuscript(s), and provide data towards a proposal that the co-advisors submit to a federal agency or industrial sponsor. More.
3 postdocs earn Foods for Health research awards
Foods for Health announced three recipients of postdoctoral researcher awards: Husheem Michael (OARDC Food Animal Health), Jalal Siddiqui (Biomedical Informatics), and Bo Zhang (Chemistry and Biochemistry). Recipients will each work on a transdisciplinary, collaborative project that uses metabolomics to address a relevant problem in the food-nutrition-health axis, with mentoring by two or more faculty affiliates in the FFH initiative. The award, worth $32,205, is expected to result in the development of a competitive proposal submitted to a federal agency or industrial sponsor, one or more first authored manuscripts, and presentation of results at the annual meeting of the Metabolomics Society and possibly other international metabolomics conferences. More.
FFH seeks proposals for research team grants
An RFP is open for grants to support multi-college teams of researchers in the development of ideas to advance the Foods for Health mission. A maximum of $10,000 is available to support up to five research teams in 2017-18, with a $2,000 maximum budget to support the development of each new collaboration. Funds can be used in a variety of way. Examples include, but are not limited to, holding team meetings, hosting seminar speakers, conducting a workshop or mini-symposium, and hiring a facilitator.  Download RFP.
2017 Ohio Food Policy Summit set for Nov. 6
The Ohio Food Policy Summit is an annual event that aims to inspire action by highlighting food policy activities at the local and state levels. This year's event will be Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on the Ohio State Columbus campus. Any stakeholder involved in food system work in Ohio is encouraged to attend. The 2017 gathering will highlight a mapping and visioning project completed by the Ohio Food Policy Network, which was funded by an InFACT grant. More.
InFACT launches 2017-18 Linkage and Leverage program
InFACT invites teams of faculty, staff, students, and external partners to submit proposals for its  Linkage and Leverage seed grant program. The grants should address compelling food security challenges. Three grant cycles will be offered during the 2017-18 academic year with multiple awards of up to $35,000 funded each cycle. The deadline for the first grant cycle is Oct 31. The other deadlines are Jan. 31 and April 20. More.
Ohio State celebrates Data Analytics Month
The Translational Data Analytics Institute coordinated a successful second-annual Data Analytics Month @ Ohio State during October and doubled the number of events compared to last year. Together, units and colleges from throughout the university hosted more than 40 workshops, lectures, and special opportunities focused on various aspects of data analytics and decision science. Events were open to people across the Ohio State community, often geared toward professional and personal development. Many events were particularly well attended by students, including the Oct. 24 roundtable discussion on Careers in Data Analytics, which featured students from a dozen majors and leaders from four local companies using data science and analytics. More.
Midwest Big Data Hub focuses on workforce development
The Translational Data Analytics Institute was well represented at the Midwest Big Data Hub's All Hands Meeting in October. Managing Director David Mongeau spoke as part of a panel about Education and Workforce Development, a key focus area of TDAI. Interim Faculty Director Raghu Machiraju moderated a session on Smart Columbus: Data Ecosystems for Smart and Healthy Communities, which also featured TDAI Affiliates Ayaz Hyder and Anish Arora. The annual all-hands meeting, supported by the National Science Foundation, brings together the broad MBDH membership along with new participants to share information on data and data science-related projects, collaborations, tools, practices, and discoveries.
SRE invites proposals for 2018 seed grant program
The Sustainable and Resilient Economy program seeks to address key challenges of sustainable development by generating new knowledge and guiding solutions that enhance the efficiency of material and energy inputs, reduce adverse environmental and social impacts and protect critical ecosystem functions and services. To expand Ohio State University’s research capacity in this domain, SRE has awarded more than $600,000 in seed grant funding to 22 interdisciplinary teams with a similar total in matching cost-share allowances to date.  We invite proposals for the 2018 SRE Seed Grant program with a letter of intent due by Dec. 8, 2017.  More information and the full RFP can be found at this link.
Sustainability fund available for campus projects
Funding is available to faculty and staff for sustainability projects that benefit any Ohio State campus by advancing current programs, creating campus cultural change, or directing sustainable campus policy or project development. Projects eligible for Sustainability Fund awards must contribute to sustainability, provide campus impact, and not be covered by an existing university operating budget. Details and application forms are on the President and Provost’s Council on Sustainability web page, under “Involvement.”
TEDx to welcome another affiliate
of Infectious Diseases program

For the second time in two years, TEDx Columbus will feature an Ohio State faculty member whose start in TED-style talks began with training provided by the Discovery Themes’ Infectious Diseases program. Dr. Ken Lee, director of Ohio State’s Food Innovation Center, will talk about trust and food safety. Dr. Debra Goff spoke at TEDx Columbus last year about antimicrobial stewardship. This year’s event is Nov. 3 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at the Vern Riffe Center, 77 S. High St. More.
Goff recognized for efforts to expand global health pharmacy practices
Dr. Debra Goff, an infectious disease specialist and a clinical pharmacist at the Wexner Medical Center, is being honored for her commitment to improve and expand global health pharmacy practices. Her work during 35 years of clinical practice includes establishing a network of pharmacists across six continents who share her passion to improve antimicrobial stewardship. Goff, an affiliate of the Infectious Diseases Institute, received the Renee Holder Memorial Award at the annual meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.
Ohio State expands its photonics research capability
Ohio State got a major boost for its photonics research with the addition of more than $1 million in new laboratory equipment this fall. Sanjay Krishna, electrical and computer engineering professor and George R. Smith Chair, said the new Antimonide Molecular Beam Epitaxy Reactor (AMBER) equipment will help position Ohio State as the only university in the country with such specific photonics research and manufacturing capabilities. Photonics is the physical science of manipulating, detecting or generating light, typically in the range of visible and infrared. Krishna was hired in 2016 as part of the Materials and Manufacturing for Sustainability program.  More.
Ohio Mass Spec, Metabolomics team up for conference
The Ohio Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Symposium will be May 16-17, 2018, at the Blackwell Inn. Building on the success of the May 2017 joint meeting, the 15th Ohio Mass Spectrometry Symposium and the 2nd Conference on Food and Nutritional Metabolomics for Health will be held jointly to provide an opportunity for academic and industrial researchers in the region to present their findings, share information, discuss research challenges with colleagues, and spark new collaborations in the rapidly advancing fields of metabolomics and mass spectrometry.   
Hoy delivers message of change
at Colombian entomological conference

The Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation was represented at the 44th Congress of the Colombian Entomological Society, at the Universidad el Bosque in Bogotá, where Casey Hoy, InFACT faculty director and the Kellogg Endowed Chair in Agricultural Ecosystems Management, served as a master lecturer. Hoy emphasized that with the anticipated impacts of climate change, a transformation in food and agriculture is needed locally and globally. More.
Snyder helping fine-tune FDA rules
for sustainable fruit, vegetable farms

Brian Snyder, executive director of InFACT, has been involved in responding to new regulations by the Food and Drug Administration under the Food Safety Modernization Act that promise to bring federal regulators onto fruit and vegetable farms for the first time. With partners from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Snyder is helping to craft appropriate exemptions, particularly for farmers who market directly, to make sure the new rules are appropriate relative to the size of operations. More.
Kawa brings Amazonia experience to biosolids research 
In a recent edition of the magazine Edible Columbus, Nick Kawa, a new faculty hire through InFACT and an assistant professor of anthropology, talks about his recent research on the use of biosolids in agriculture. Kawa's work focuses on human-environmental interaction, with specific focus on human relationships to plants and soils. He has written about the highly fertile soil produced by the indigenous people of the Amazon basin in “Amazonia in the Anthropocene.” More.

Report considers options for humanities PhDs 
The Next Generation PhD Project planning committee, with a $50,000 grant from the Humanities and the Arts Discovery Theme, has completed its year of work on supporting preparation for non-academic careers. The committee recently submitted a summary report to Discovery Theme leaders. Authors Barry Shank (Comparative Studies), Simone Drake (AAAS) and Rick Livingston (Humanities Institute) are working with Interim Humanities Institute Director David Staley on pilot programming for a Center for Humanities in Practice. Please forward any comments on the report to Melinda Nelson.19@osu.edu. More.

Ohio Humanities publication turns focus to agriculture
Rick Livingston, associate director of the Humanities Institute and executive committee member and faculty affiliate for InFACT, served as guest editor for the summer/fall edition of Pathways, a publication of Ohio Humanities. The edition focuses on culture, agriculture and the humanities, and was supported by a Linkage and Leverage seed grant from InFACT. The publication opens with an essay from Livingston that explores some of the challenges that farmers encounter in the 21st century. Read Pathways.

DARPA seeks applicants for Young Faculty Award
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced its annual Young Faculty Award competition, which identifies and engages rising stars in junior faculty positions in academia and equivalent positions at non-profit research institutions. The long-term goal is to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers  who will focus a significant portion of their future careers on Department of Defense and National Security issues. While DARPA is particularly interested in identifying outstanding researchers who have not been involved in DARPA programs previously, the program is open to all qualified applicants with innovative research ideas. The response deadline is 4 p.m. Dec. 4. More.

Proposals invited for BETHA grant competition
Proposals for the 2018 Battelle Engineering, Technology and Human Affairs (BETHA) Grants are due Nov. 21. The BETHA grant competition is open to full-time assistant, associate and full professors (with a minimum 75 percent appointment for a nine- or 12-month period). The BETHA Endowment seeks outstanding projects that examine the relationship between science and technology and its impact on broader social and cultural issues. Typically, three to six projects are selected for awards ranging from $10,000 to $60,000. For details, contact mailto:betha@research.osu.edu.

Research/creative expression: A pillar of strategic plan
Research and Creative Expression is one of five pillars of the strategic plan that Ohio State recently unveiled. As the plan points out, the university has an extraordinary opportunity to build on its recognized strengths while investing strategically in areas that directly address what matters most to the broader community. The Discovery Themes will help do that, especially as they relate to three goals outlined in the plan:
1. To attract, retain and support leading national scholars and rising stars.
2. To be a leader in prioritized research and creative expression to improve society.
3. To provide world-class support and enhance accountability for our faculty researchers.
More information on the strategic plan can be found here.
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Ohio State is a founding university partner with The Conversation, an independent, nonprofit publisher of commentary and analysis, authored by academics and edited by journalists for the general public. The Conversation develops articles two ways: by soliciting specific subject-matter experts through its newsletter, and by encouraging academics to pitch their ideas directly to the editors. Once an idea is accepted, The Conversation works with faculty to produce the story, typically 800 to 1,000 words. Ohio State professors have seen their work republished in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, Newsweek and other major outlets.
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More information on the Discovery Themes programs is available at the following links:
Chronic Brain Injury

Foods for Health
Humanities and the Arts
Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation
Infectious Diseases Institute
Materials for Manufacturing and Sustainability (IMR newsletter)
Sustainable and Resilient Economy
Translational Data Analytics Institute
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