Making Headlines
The following articles reflect our commitment to share sustainability-related accomplishments across the university — representing its colleges, departments, institutes, centers and other units — in the areas of research, student engagement, campus stewardship and collaborations with the public and private sectors.
The Lantern, April 9, 2025
University sustainability leaders and experts gathered in the Ohio Union’s Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom to discuss sustainability at Ohio State and beyond, with over 50 students in attendance. Known as State of Sustainability Night, the event was a collaboration between the Undergraduate Student Government and Time for Change Week, an annual seven-day series of environmental education and awareness events at Ohio State. ...
Featured expert(s): Kate Bartter
Sustainability Institute
Columbus Dispatch, September 5, 2024
It's hotter in Columbus than in many neighboring communities. That's because the city is impacted by something known as the urban heat island effect. The heat island impacts anyone in downtown Columbus, but it does not impact all areas equally. A recent study from Ohio State University doctoral candidate Peng Chen found that socioeconomically disadvantaged areas tend to be hotter than other more affluent downtown areas. ...
Featured expert(s): Peng Chen
City and Regional Planning
Science news, May 20, 2024
The analysis represents “a significant step forward” in reconstructing the population size of ancient villages, says ecological anthropologist Sean Downey of Ohio State University. But actual sizes of ancient populations are difficult to pin down, he cautions. ...
Featured expert(s): Sean Downey
Anthropology
NPR Weekend Edition Sunday, May 26, 2024
The world is awash in plastic waste. But plastic wasn't always ubiquitous. This National Public Radio (NPR) story examines a decades-long effort by the plastics industry to get people hooked on disposable products and packaging. ...
Featured expert(s): Bart Elmore
Department of History
Columbus Underground, May 2, 2024
In years past, many political and industrial leaders — and even some environmentalists — believed that there could be no economic growth without causing environmental damage. But panelists at a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum told a packed crowd that economic growth doesn’t have to be destructive. ...
Featured expert(s): Elena Irwin
Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
Wisconsin State Journal, February 21, 2024
Scientists advocate for alternative crops. ...
Featured expert(s): Katrina Cornish
Horticulture and Crop Science and Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Plainview Herald, February 20, 2024
Researchers at Ohio State University are finding ways to use dandelions and other shrubs to make alternative rubbers, and professor Katrina Cornish notes the plant could be the wave of an eventual future. ...
Featured expert(s): Katrina Cornish
Horticulture and Crop Science and Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
The Lantern, February 6, 2024
Katrina Cornish, professor of horticulture and crop science, is researching ways to develop more sustainable, domestic production of rubber. ...
Featured expert(s): Katrina Cornish
Department of Horticulture and Crop Science
The Atlantic, January 2, 2024
When a natural disaster strikes, renters are in trouble. In addition to damaged infrastructure, flooding, and trauma following a severe storm, tenants can face the looming threat of unaffordable rent—and even eviction. New research suggests that renters, who make up roughly one-third of the population in the United States, are hit hard by and struggle to recover from hurricanes. ...
Featured expert(s): Kelsea Best
Department of Civil Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, SI affiliated faculty
All Sides with Anna Staver, December 19, 2023
The 2023 U.N. climate summit, known as COP28, ended last week in Dubai. Attending the summit was a delegation from Ohio State University. All Sides host Anna Staver interviews Bart Elmore, professor of environmental history and core faculty member of the Sustainability Institute, who helped lead the student delegation at the summit. ...
Featured expert(s): Bart Elmore
Department of History, SI core faculty member