Benchmarks of Excellence 2000-01

A Report For Our Alumni & Friends

Exciting things are happening in the College of Biological Sciences as we begin our third century offering outstanding programs for our students, conducting leading-edge research in our disciplines and providing meaningful outreach activities for the public. We invite you to get to know us better and "Experience the Excitement of the Biological Sciences!"

WHO WE ARE

• A full-service college, exemplar of University's land-grant mission in teaching, research and outreach & engagement
• Six departments: Biochemistry; Entomology; Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology; Microbiology; Molecular Genetics; Plant Biology
• 100 top-notch researcher-teachers, including two Ohio Eminent Scholars
• 1900 undergraduate majors-60 percent women
• 400 graduate students

WHAT WE OFFER

• Eight undergraduate majors
• Honors Program and Biological Sciences Scholars Program
• 11 departmental & interdisciplinary graduate programs
• An innovative Master's Degree Program in Biotechnology
• Research & leadership opportunities for students at all levels
• The Introductory Biology Program

WHAT WE DO

• Provide leadership in the life sciences at Ohio State and conduct leading-edge research in 21st Century biology
• Prepare undergraduates for a wealth of successful and diverse careers: in research, teaching, health science professions, and life-science related business, industry and government positions
• Sponsor Annual Undergraduate Research Colloquium
• Train graduate students to become productive, independent researchers in academia, government & industry
• Sponsor Graduate Seminars, Workshops & Lectures
• Enhance public awareness of the importance of the biological sciences
• Teach/train students at all levels-biological sciences courses offered to more than 15,000 Ohio State students per year
• Publish in top academic journals-268 refereed journal articles in 2000
• Present invited papers/seminars at major national/international meetings-400 invited presentations in 2000
• Serve as editors of professional journals-34 faculty on editorial boards in 2000
• Compete successfully for external research funding-$12 million in 2000

HONORS-2000-01

• In 2000, Michael Chan, Biochemistry-received prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship
• Clive Edwards, Entomology-named University Distinguished Lecturer in 2000
• Susan Fisher, Entomology-appointed Secretary, University Senate (OSU's three-year, top faculty governance position) by Provost, 2000
• In 2001, Mark Foster & Michael Chan, Biochemistry, and Helen Chamberlin, Molecular Genetics-received highly-competitive NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards, which support promising research projects by nation's outstanding junior faculty
• Marie-Alda Gilles-Gonzalez, Biochemistry-appointed council member, Forum Engelberg Foundation (Switzerland), 2001
• Gustavo Leone, Molecular Genetics-named 2001 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences by Pew Charitable Trusts (one of 20 researchers in the country)
• Allison Snow, Plant Biology-selected Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow/Ecological Society of America, 2000
• Harold Vaessin, Molecular Genetics-appointed Program Director, Developmental Neuroscience Program, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C., 2000-2001

MAJOR GRANTS

• F. Robert Tabita, $2.1 million consortium grant, Department of Energy (DOE) to lead research team from Ohio State, University of Iowa, UCLA, and University of British Columbia, to examine how key aspects of metabolism are integrated and controlled in single microbial cell with available genomic sequence
• The National Science Foundation (NSF) has provided more than $9 million for the National Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center since 1991. Randall Scholl, Plant Biology, is Center Director
• The Microbiology Department receives joint NSF/DOE funding to host summer course in Physiology of Microbial Adaptation, attended by world's top researchers
• Molecular Genetics receives NSF grant to provide summer undergraduate research experience for non-OSU students-now in its eighth year