| 11-6-98 TRUSTEES HEAR REPORTS ON RESEARCH, TEACHING, STUDENT LIFE COLUMBUS The Ohio State University Board of Trustees on Friday (11/6) heard reports on space-related research conducted at the university and distance-learning technology developments, as well as an update on autumn quarter student activities. Ohio State research reaches into space Ohio State has showcased some of its more than $20 million in NASA-funded research during Space Week events coinciding with U.S. Sen. John GlennÂs return to space. Projects highlighted for the board Friday focused on astronomy, polar studies and mapping. ÂNASA projects such as the Hubble Space Telescope have given us unprecedented new views of the universe, including the most distant galaxies ever detected, said Patrick Osmer, chair of the Department of Astronomy. Osmer noted astronomy research at Ohio State includes a search for planets around stars, studies of stars and galaxies, use of data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Infrared Space Observatory, and theoretical astrophysics work needed to improve understanding of data obtained from space observations. The university will have a one-eighth share of the upcoming Large Binocular Telescope Project, which when completed in 2004/2005 will have 24 times the light-gathering power of the Hubble telescope. For the project, Ohio State will provide a spectrograph, which will allow astronomers to study objects formed when the universe was 10 percent of its present age. Another major proposed effort for the astronomy department is the Kronos mission, a satellite observatory to be built and launched by NASA. Bradley Peterson, an Ohio State professor of astronomy, is leading an international team of scientists, engineers and managers in the planning stages for the mission. If the teamÂs proposal is accepted, Kronos will provide new observations of some of the most extreme conditions known in the universe, Osmer said. Kenneth Jezek, director of the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State, told trustees that NASA-funded research has enabled the centerÂs research team to conduct projects in several areas related to EarthÂs polar regions. ÂSpaceborne remote sensing of EarthÂs polar regions is revolutionizing our understanding of polar processes and their role in global systems, Jezek said. He added that because remote sensing can provide all weather, day/night, photographic- like images of remote and inhospitable locations, research with these data is revealing for the first time new details about the ice, land and ocean of the Arctic and Antarctic. The Radarsat Antarctic Mapping Project (RAMP) is one example of the Byrd Polar Research CenterÂs application of spaceborne technology to look back at Earth. A collaboration between NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the Byrd Polar Research Center, the RAMP objective is to create the first, complete, high-resolution radar image of Antarctica which also will complete the radar mapping of Earth, a job completed several years ago for the planet Venus. Processing of the RAMP data to the final image is ongoing, but Jezek said the RAMP image already demonstrates how the margins of the Antarctic Ice Sheet are changing. In addition to detailed data on the movement of ice sheets, the image provides information about the Antarctic continent, now buried beneath ice on average more than a mile thick. The interdisciplinary Center for Mapping was established as a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space in Real- Time Satellite Mapping in 1986, and is now a NASA Center of Excellence. The center has developed both airborne and Earth-based precision methods to capture data, said Joel Morrison, the centerÂs new director. The center also has completed a five-year project in which scientists oversaw the complete digitization by geographic layer of the USGS quadrangle maps for the state of Ohio. Morrison, former chief of the Geography Division for the U.S. Bureau of Census, said the center is working to integrate data-capture capabilities into a completely automated process that includes data interpretation, storage and analysis, and the communication of resulting geographic information in multiple formats. The Center for Mapping also is involved with a consortium of Ohio universities in the ÂOhio View project that will result in current satellite imagery of Ohio being made available to every citizen of the state. The imageryÂs uses will range from identifying prime development locations to mitigating natural disasters. ÂWe are following the development of the Digital Earth project suggested by Vice President Gore and implemented by NASA, and plan to submit proposals for funding to that project in the March 1999 time frame, Morrison added. The centerÂs role in the project would involve creating the software infrastructure for real-time image processing as part of the Digital Earth program, he said. Distance education availability is increasing Despite dramatic growth in technology-based learning initiatives at Ohio State in the past three years, the university may be at the crossroads of the next major step in classroom cyberspace, said Jim Davis, associate vice provost and director of University Technology Services (UTS). Davis presented an overview of the universityÂs strategic and financial commitments to student-oriented technology. University Technology Services established the new office of Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR) this fall. Stephen Acker, associate director of information technologies for UTS, is director of the new group. The TELR office plans to work with faculty, colleges, regional campuses and the DeanÂs Learning Technology Committee to develop policy at the university level, integrate technology into the teaching and research environments, and coordinate universitywide distance education activities. ÂThere has been a significantly increased university commitment in this area in the past couple of years and thereÂs been a significant realignment of resources, Davis told trustees. ÂWe are now at a point where strategic integration, faculty integration, and economic viability all need to be well- defined. ÂIf a faculty member says he wants to offer a distance education course, we can tell him where he can get help, but, as with most institutions, Ohio State still hasnÂt resolved the issues of pricing and intellectual property. A task force on distance education policy, pricing and revenue distribution has been commissioned by the DeanÂs Learning Technology Committee and is expected to recommend procedures and costs involved in launching distance education courses, possibly later this academic year. Davis defines distance education as meaning a student needs minimal presence on the Ohio State campus to complete a course. He defines technology-enhanced learning as representing the use of technology in a course that enhances the educational experience. According to Davis, Ohio State has increased its number of distance education courses for residential and nonresidential students from 40 to 100 over the past three years. Twenty-five courses are Web- and Internet-based, while 75 courses are based on video and videoconference technologies. Seventeen colleges and regional campuses are actively involved in the delivery of distance education, he said. Davis estimates that about 2,000 courses more than 15 percent of all Ohio State courses and 25,000 Ohio State students on all campuses utilize the Web in some form of classroom work. A recent survey indicates that there are 150 computer laboratories on the Columbus campus, with 3,500 computers connected to the Internet. There also are 85 classrooms on the Columbus campus wired with either video or Internet technology. Since 1995, Davis said, Ohio StateÂs Columbus campus has: Increased the amount awarded as part of three grant programs for design, development and delivery of technology- enhanced learning to $2.5 million annually. Increased the number of on-campus e-mail accounts from 50,000 to 62,000. Added two new commercial services for faculty, staff and students accessing the Ohio State Internet and the Internet from off campus. More than 35,000 now have off-campus e-mail accounts with those services. Added 50 online student service features, serving the areas of admissions, registration and the library. Data provided by the UniversityÂs Student Information System will continue to improve and expand, Davis said. Board hears report on autumn quarter activities David Williams II, vice president for student and urban/community affairs, reported on autumn quarter activities, including residence halls move-in, Welcome Week, Buckeye Blast, Community Commitment, Parents Weekend and the National Make a Difference Day project at Northwestern University. Williams showed a video highlighting the events and said these and other activities are part of the Office of Student Affairs efforts to continue to improve the student experience at Ohio State. He noted that many of the activities were new and resulted in more student and community participation in campus activities. Several students spoke to the board about their participation in the activities. Jessica Smith, a freshman from Enon, Ohio, said her experiences with the Welcome Week events have helped her feel connected to Ohio State. ÂIt made me feel as though I was an important part of the university. You would think that it would be hard to be a part of something so big, but it is not, Smith said. ÂIÂve had nothing but wonderful experiences here at Ohio State thanks in part to the activities of Welcome Week that have allowed me to become involved and meet great people. Josh Mandel, president of Undergraduate Student Government, said the fall quarter activities have helped students feel that they are a part of something significant and made them feel important and connected to each other and the university. ÂIÂve never seen a year quite like this before. The programming has been relevant and productive, Mandel said. ÂThings are really being done right. # Contact: Patrick Osmer, Astronomy, (614) 292-2022 Kenneth Jezek, Byrd Polar Research Center, (614) 292-6531 Joel Morrison, Center for Mapping, (614) 292-1600 Jim Davis, UTS, (614) 292-6553 David Williams II, Student Affairs, (614) 292-9334 | |
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