Statement of Purpose for Mba

School of Environment and Natural Resources SENR BiWeek August 6, 2012 A NOTE FROM DAVID~ AN UPDATE STAFF APPRECIATION PUBLICATIONS EVENTS DIVYA GUPTA SHARES HER FIELDWORK IN INDIA ~ I returned from India this summer after spending six months collecting data for my dissertation. My dissertation is on the role of local institutions in natural resource management. For data collection I was working in the central Himalayan region where I visited several villages to interview people about forest management activities that are conducted and coordinated by the local institution in the region.This local institution is called Van Panchayat (Forest Committee), it is a traditional institution that dates back to 1931. Since it was formed before independence (India got its independence in August 1947), it is significant in terms of rights of locals’ to natural resources. I collaborated with an NGO working in the region that helped me with navigating remote villages and also with arranging accommodations in the villages. Going from one village to another was a challenge as there was lack of proper road network so driving was near to impossible, but thankfully there were paths/trails that very intricately connected all the villages.Those trails were very beautiful, they cut through dense tropical forests and since I would walk on those trails on early mornings and evenings, it also gave me a chance to spot some beautiful birds on my way. I walked 7-10 miles/day on an average to get to my destination, which was hard in the beginning, but with time my body adapted. Also, the walking helped with keeping the body warm during cold winters. Unlike the west, the east experienced one of the coldest winters last year.The houses on the hills in India don’t have central heating systems, they barely receive a continuous 24 hour supply of electricity and water, so people burn wood to keep their houses warm and drink lots of ginger tea to keep their bodies warm. To understan d the dependence of people on the forests, I did a lot of homestays – staying with local families was one of my most enriching experiences, it gave me a chance to see firsthand how closely these people’s lives were associated with forests. Also it was amazing to see how self-dependent those people were.They almost grew all their food, from grains to cereals to fruit and vegetables and even spices. Without any outside help, family members would work together to manage their fields – it was quite incredible! I became very attached to all the families I lived with, they took very good care of me and always made sure that I was comfortable. While conducting field work in India, I received funding from the Environment Change Institute (University of Oxford) to participate at a conference in London.This was a unique opportunity for me to share ideas about my research, talk about its progress, and at the same time get valuable feedback from experienced people working i n the same area. Being my first time in the UK, this was a great chance for me to also explore parts of England and Scotland too! Continued on page 2 SENR BiWeek — 2 On behalf of Ron Hendrick, I am excited to share information about a new service for a broad range of people who are professionally engaged in managing, protecting, and using our environment and natural resources, including students.The SENR will launch the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) August 7th with two main components: multi-disciplinary interaction and networking through a community-oriented website at epn. osu. edu, and a monthly 2nd Tuesdays Breakfast Club on campus featuring great speakers on timely topics and offering additional networking opportunities. The EPN will strengthen SENR's support of people and organizations engaged in environmental management across Ohio and beyond. We recognize that even though society is information rich, quickly accessing information useful for your own needs can be quite challenging.This is often true in environmental management where so many social, economic, and technical factors crossing so many disciplines may be critical to solving a problem or creating an opportunity. The online querying capability of the EPN will facilitate quick access to information and knowledge from network colleagues who share a commitment to excellence in environmental management. It will also help work be more efficient and effective. The EPN online is free and participants can set their own level of involvement.Our speaker at the first 2nd Tuesdays Breakfast Club will be Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the 4 million-member National Wildlife Federation, which is actively engaged in many critical environmental issues. I hope that you and others will want to be part of initiating the EPN at this exciting event Tuesday, September 11th, at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center – OSU’s first LEED-certified building. Go to epn. osu. edu for information/registration. Please contact me with questions or for a copy of our brochure at 614. 47. 1908 or hanselmann. [email  protected] edu. I would also appreciate you sharing information about EPN with your many colleagues. We need to cast a broad net and be inclusive. So please spread the word and forward our information; contact me for e-materials. Also, I would be happy to come out to your events to briefly share information about EPN and participation. Contact me anytime. I hope to see you for breakfast Tuesday, September 11th. Be there, and be part of starting something new, different, and important. O H – I O!A Note from David Hanselmann ~ Divya cont. Before I started my field work, I was apprehensive about going to a strange place and being able to work successfully. But I was pleasantly surprised by the kind of encouraging response I got from people. I feel thankful to have had the opportunity to live and work in India amidst the beautiful Himalayas an d it’s people – it was the most rewarding and inspiring experience. A great trip overall! Divya Gupta is a PhD candidate in the Environment and Natural Resource graduate program.Her advisor is Tom Koontz. OSU Wellness Celery — more than a crunch! Once thought of as a nutritional zero, celery is actually a great source of potassium, a nutrient that helps reduce blood pressure and regulate the balance of fluids and minerals in the body. If you thought bananas were tops for potassium, here’s a stalking surprise — four medium celery stalks deliver about the same amount of potassium as a medium banana. For a quick snack, dip celery in hummus or peanut butter for some added protein. SENR BiWeek — 3The New Undergraduate Major in Sustainability at Ohio State An Update from the Conference Chair There are 1500 to 1600 delegates from 75 countries expected to come to Columbus for EcoSummit 2012 on September 30 – October 5 to hear 10 plenary prese ntations from the world’s premier ecologists and environmental scientists and practitioners, and 600 invited presentations from around the world in 65 symposia and to participate in 21 forums and workshops on practical issues related to improving our environment.In addition, there will be another 850 general sessions and poster presentations during EcoSummit 2012. There are 6 pre-conference field trips based in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, and Columbus that will educate an estimated 100 international delegates about some to the large ecosystem restorations in the USA. Most delegates will take part in one of the 33 all-day mid-conference field trips that radiate throughout Ohio. This conference will focus on prescriptions for solving the world’s environmental problems far more than on descriptions.Symposia and lectures will involve ecological engineering, ecological restoration, green infrastructure, the prosperous way down, adapting to climate chan ge, earth stewardship, ecohydrology, eco-informatics, ecological modeling, sustainable agriculture, protecting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, human ecology, and enhancing ecosystem services. The plenary speakers, Pulitzer Prize winners E. O. Wilson and Jared Diamond, will give a memorial to the work of the recently deceased Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom, and a summary of the global contributions of H. T. Odum in ecological economics, engineering, and modeling, and energy futures.There will also be a 50th anniversary event of Rachel Carson’s landmark book Silent Spring at this first conference to link the Ecological Society of America (ESA), The International Association for Ecology (INTECOL) and the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER). Individuals can still register to attend at http://www. ecosummit2012. org/index. htm. Students who have a passion for sustainability can put their passion into practice by enrolling in Ohio State’s new major c alled Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability (EEDS) (http://eeds. osu. edu/).The EEDS major is a multi-disciplinary degree program in sustainability that provides students in-depth training in the economic, business and social aspects of sustainability. This cutting-edge major provides the core knowledge and skills students need to pursue a career in sustainability in the private, public or non-profit sector. Sustainability is a rapidly growing field and knowledge of sustainability is becoming an important competency in many types of jobs. The academic rigor of this major, coupled with opportunities for hands-on learning, will give students an important advantage when it comes time to launching their careers.Students can enroll now for Fall 2012! Learn more about this pioneering major and how to enroll, sign-up for our newsletter, like us on facebook, and start following us on twitter and pinterest by visiting http://eeds. osu. edu/. Alumni Award Selection Rattan Lal w ill be honored with the OSU Alumni Association's Professional Achievement Award at a ceremony on Sept. 14th. He received his PhD in Agronomy in 1968. SENR BiWeek — 4 Staff Appreciation The 2012 Staff Appreciation Week will be held August 13-17, 2012. Activities on the Columbus campus include the Rally for Wellness, Tuesday (8/14) from 9:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. . in the RPAC. Your Plan for Health and OSU Health Plan, the Department of Recreational Sports, and USAC sponsor this event. Nearly 100 healthand wellness-related exhibitors and professionals offer biometric screenings, chair massages, osteoporosis and skin cancer screenings, and samples of delicious, healthy food. Attending the health fair earns points toward the university's YP4H Faculty and Staff Incentive Program, so be sure to attend! The Staff Arts ; Crafts Exhibit will begin Thursday (8/16) with a reception 11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. at Bricker 2nd Floor area. This exhibit will be on display into October.On Friday (8/ 17) a USAC Pep Rally at the Ohio Union will be held 12:00 to 1:30 p. m. Planned by USAC's Outreach and Engagement Subcommittee and staffed by USAC members, the pep rally features Ohio State cheerleaders, members of The Ohio State University Marching Band, Brutus Buckeye, and special guests to kick off the football season. The CFAES SAC will hold the Columbus Staff Appreciation Day on Tuesday (8/14) from 11:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. on the Kottman Hall lawn & gazebo area. There will be free lunch, ice cream, games and door prizes. RSVP at http://go. osu. edu/K6p. Wooster Fun Fest is Aug. 7th, 11:30-3:00, where staff will enjoy free food, games, and cheer on your tug-of-war team! The OARDC and ATI Staff Council sponsor this event. The CFAES SAC is currently accepting nominations for their 2012 Staff Recognition: Above and Beyond Awards and the Shirley Brooks-Jones Award. The Shirley Brooks-Jones Award recognizes staff excellence, the Key Values Award recognizes staff with less than 3 yea rs of experience. The Innovation Award goes to staff who initiate new improvements to the workplace, and the Special Recognition goes to a staff member who offered special assistance.Nomination forms are available online at the Staff Advisory Council website. Laura E. (Bast) Lindsey graduated with Honors in 2009 with BS and MS degrees from SENR, with a research focus in soil fertility. She has now joined the faculty in the HCS where she will serve as the Extension Specialist in Soybean and Small Grains for OSU Extension in collaboration with OARDC. Her focus will be to develop extension outreach education and research on soybean and wheat production within sustainable cropping systems. Laura is originally from Plymouth, OH.She obtained the PhD degree in Crop and Soil Science from Michigan State University in May 2012, where she conducted research in weed science and soil fertility. She has received several fellowships and grants, including the 2011 Outstanding Graduate Student Award in recognition of exceptional accomplishment, research, and service from the North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference in Des Moines, IA. She is author of several peer-reviewed journal articles, numerous abstracts and proceedings articles, extension newsletter articles, and extension bulletins. If you would like to reconnect with Laura her email is lindsey. [email  protected] edu. Alum Returns One Last Thing —> Don’t wait! Take your PHA Today! Enrolled in an Ohio State medical plan? Complete the YP4H Personal Health Assessment (PHA) and Biometric Health Screening by Sept. 30th to receive the full 2013 PHA Medical Plan Premium Credit of $360. SENR BiWeek — 5 PUBLICATIONS Bhatti, Tariq M. , Jerry M. Bigham, Antti Vuorinen and Olli H. Tuovinen. 2012. Chemical and bacterial leaching of metals from black schist sulfide minerals in shake flasks. International Journal of Mineral Processing 110:25-29. Chaudhary, D. R. , J. Saxena, N. Lorenz and R. P. Dick. 2012.Distribution of recently fixed photosynthate in a switchgrass plant-soil system. Plant Soil and Environment 58(6):249255. Drobyshev, Igor, P. Charles Goebel, Yves Bergeron and R. Gregory Corace, III. 2012. Detecting changes in climate forcing on the fire regime of a North American mixedpine forest: A case study of Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Michigan. Dendrochronologia 30(2SI):137-145. Goebel, P. C. , K. S. Pregitzer and B. J. Palik. 2012. Influence of flooding and landform properties on riparian plant communities in an old-growth northern hardwood watershed. Wetlands 32:679-691.Goebel, P. C. , B. J. Pailk and K. S. Pregitzer. 2012. Structure and composition of riparian forests in an old-growth northern hardwood-hemlock watershed. Forest Ecology and Management 280:52-61. Gorney, Rebecca M. , Marsha G. Williams, Dawn R. Ferris and Lance R. Williams. 2012. The influence of channelization on fish communities in an agricultural coldwater stream system. American Midland Naturalist 168(1):132-143. Graser, William H. , III, Stanley D. Gehrt, Laura L. Hungerford and Chris Anchor. 2012. Variation in demographic patterns and population structure of raccoons across an urban landscape.Journal of Wildlife Management 76(5):976-987. Kautza, Adam and Mazeika P. Sullivan. 2012. Relative effects of local- and landscapescale environmental factors on stream fish assemblages: evidence from Idaho and Ohio, USA. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 180(3):259-270. Lane, Matthew, Nicola Lorenz, Jyotisna Saxena, Cliff Ramsier and Richard P. Dick. 2012. Microbial activity, community structure and potassium dynamics in rhizosphere soil of soybean plants treated with glyphosate. Pedobiologia 55(3):153-159. McConnell, T. E. 2012. The economic impact of Ohio’s wood furniture industry.Proceedings of the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention, Washington, DC. 7 p. Publications cont. McConnell, T. E. 2012. Forest products: Building economic growth i n Ohio. Procedings of the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention, Washington, DC. 6 p. McConnell, T. E. and D. K. Apsley. 2012. Jackson County’s forest economy. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet F-76-12. McConnell, T. E. and G. W. Graham. 2012. Holmes County’s forest economy. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet F-75-12. Sloan, John J. , Peter A. Y. Ampim, Nicholas T.Basta and Roger Scott. 2012. Addressing the need for soil blends and amendments for the highly modified urban landscape. Soil Science Society of America Journal 76(4)):1133-1141. Sullivan, S. Mazeika P. and Kerri T. Vierling. 2012. Exploring the influences of multiscale environmental factors on the American dipper Cinclus mexicanus. Ecography 35(7):624-626. PRESENTATIONS Charles Goebel presented ‘Complexity, resiliency, and restoration – Lessons from the forests of eastern North America' as an invited presentation to the School of Natural Resources, Trinit y College in Dublin, Ireland (July 16, 2012).Eric McConnell presented ‘The economic impact of Ohio’s wood furniture industry' and ‘Forest products: Building economic growth in Ohio' at the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention in Washington, DC (June 3-5, 2012). SENR BiWeek — 6 EVENTS Monday, August 6, 2012 CMASC Seminar @ 1:00 p. m. @ 460 Kottman Hall Speakers: Drs. Cerri and Maia, CMASC Visiting Scholars Title: Carbon Budget by Land Use Change and Biofuel Production in Brazil 2012 Teaching Orientation @ Ohio State Monday, August 13, 2012 CMASC Seminar @ 1:00 p. m. 460 Kottman Hall Speaker: Atanu Mukherjee, CMASC Postdoctoral Researcher Title: Impacts of Various Amendments in Soil Quality Friday, August 17, 2012 SENR Faculty Retreat @ 8:30 a. m. – 4:30 p. m. @ Alum Creek State Park Guest: Kaz Obrietan, Marketing Specialist This annual event has been designed specifically for new Ohio State GTAs, to reduce anxieties, provide some tech niques and strategies for effective teaching, and suggest resources for further assistance. The orientation is sponsored by the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT).Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 1:00–2:00 p. m. , Hitchcock Hall Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Overview 2:20–5:00 p. m. , Central Classroom Building Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Part I Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 9:00 a. m. –12:30 p. m. , Central Classroom Building Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Part II Teaching as a Grader Teaching in the Clinical Setting Lunch – On Your Own, 12:30–2:00 p. m. 2:00–3:30 p. m. , Hitchcock Hall University Policies and Procedures Every Teacher Should Know 3:30–5:00 p. m. Physics Research Building Teaching Resource Fair Thursday, August 16, 2012 9:00–10:15 a. m. and 10:30–11:45 a. m. (morning sessions) 1:00–2:15 p. m. and 2:30–3:45 p. m. (afternoon sessions) Central Classroom Build ing (Unless otherwise noted) College Teaching Topics For more information visit the UCAT website. A New Website is Coming to SENR A team from SENR met on July 24th with a team from CommTech to officially kickoff a new SENR website. A college-wide project championed by Linda Martin, all academic units will have their web presence fall under a new CFAES umbrella site.Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership, along with Plant Pathology, have launched their new websites. A new CFAES Academic Programs website is scheduled to launch in August. The SENR website is scheduled to launch in January 2013. Kaz Obrietan of Kaz & Co. will also be contributing to the School's online presence. This SENR BiWeek contains highlights from the School along with announcements of upcoming seminars, programs and events. If you have items to be included in future mailings please forward your information to Pat Patterson.