New Orleans Service Learning

IMPACT. 1: Videos and websites have brought media attention and donations to support the important work of three nonprofits. Students interviewed six Mardi Gras Indian chiefs to create a 22-minute film (go.osu.edu/MGIndians) and a web site for the Mardi Gras Indian Council (mardigrasindiancouncil.org). -- 2. They created a lively video of Sylvester Francis, founder of the Backstreet Cultural Museum, a one-man folk museum archiving jazz funeral obituaries and Mardi Gras Indian suits. The video is prominently displayed on the BCM website (backstreetmuseum.org). -- 3. Finally, they took professional photos and gathered information to create a website for Coastal Communities Consulting, providing accessible information on its services to the Vietnamese and Cambodian fishing communities (ccc-nola.org). Several students developed research projects based on their New Orleans experiences and have presented at conferences and won awards.OSU PARTNERS: Ohio State Newark; Office of Outreach and EngagementCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: The Backstreet Cultural Museum; Coastal Communities Consulting (Lower Plaquemines Parish); The Mardi Gras Indian Council; Michael Yearling, Yearling Group; Granville Studio of Visual ArtsPRIMARY CONTACT: Virginia Cope ([email protected])Fifteen scholarship students spent two weeks in New Orleans conducting interviews and gathering materials to create short films and websites to bring attention to the work of three nonprofits that seek to preserve the city's unique culture

Spirit Leads My Needle: The Big Chiefs of Carnival

IMPACT. 1: The documentary captures the artistic genius, stamina and resourcefulness of the chiefs and queens of New Orleans and the power of cultural traditions to create community bonds. -- 2. The PBS affiliate in New Orleans aired the documentary during Mardi Gras 2016 and because of positive response plans to show it every year. -- 3. Students gained experience in filmmaking, deepened their knowledge of African American history, received grants to continue their research, and presented their work at local and national conferences.OSU PARTNERS: Newark Campus; African-American & African Studies; College of Arts and SciencesCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Yearling Productions; The Mardi Gras Indian Council; The Queens of the NationPRIMARY CONTACT: Virginia Cope ([email protected])Students worked with faculty and a filmmaker to create a moving documentary that captures the artistry and resilience of New Orleans' Mardi Gras Indians, fighting to preserve a 150-year-old neighborhood parading tradition. Each year African American practitioners "mask Indian" by appearing on the streets in elaborate, hand sewn suits of the finest beads and feathers, confronting other tribes in ritualistic encounters that involve chanting, dancing and competition for the "prettiest" suits

Global Citizenship for the Non-Traditional Student

After taking students from The Ohio State University at Newark to Berlin and New Orleans, we recognized the many obstacles nontraditional students face in participating in such programs, and we sought innovative ways to overcome those difficulties and prepare participants for cross-cultural encounters. We developed an approach grounded in the concept of what we call cosmopolitan courtesy. Blending the notion of everyday “civility” with the philosophical and intellectual background of the concept of cosmopolitanism, we crafted a set of classroom exercises and discussion prompts that encourage students to articulate and practice strategies for coping with unfamiliar and potentially unsettling cross-cultural experiences. This preparation positions students to take full advantage of study abroad, service learning, or domestic travel courses by inviting them to see themselves as global citizens

The Mardi Gras Queens of New Orleans

IMPACT. 1: Interviewing queens and crafting the film provided students a deeply engaging service learning opportunity focusing on cultural preservation while expanding their skills and their knowledge of African-American and women's history. -- 2. The students received grants to pursue independent research on the Mardi Gras Indian queens, which they intend to present at conferences on campus and elsewhere, increasing their academic profiles. -- 3. The film will be screened at the downtown Newark FAMFEST and potentially at the 2016 Columbus campus film festival and elsewhere, bringing attention to a unique and overlooked culture and women's crucial role in its preservation.OSU PARTNERS: Tiyi Morris, Assistant Professor in African-American & African StudiesCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: The Mardi Gras Indian Council; The Mardi Gras Queens Council; Michael Yearling, Yearling PicturesPRIMARY CONTACT: Tiyi Morris ([email protected])Five students of African-American history traveled to New Orleans to interview Mardi Gras Indian Queens, the female leaders of an African-American parading tradition that originated in the 19th century as an alternative to mainstream Mardi Gras. They worked with a filmmaker and their professor to create a documentary that highlights the role of women in perpetuating a tradition that combats marginalization and creates community cohesiveness

Carbon-sensitive pedotransfer functions for plant available water

Currently accepted pedotransfer functions show negligible effect of management-induced changes to soil organic carbon (SOC) on plant available water holding capacity (θAWHC), while some studies show the ability to substantially increase θAWHC through management. The Soil Health Institute\u27s North America Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements measured water content at field capacity using intact soil cores across 124 long-term research sites that contained increases in SOC as a result of management treatments such as reduced tillage and cover cropping. Pedotransfer functions were created for volumetric water content at field capacity (θFC) and permanent wilting point (θPWP). New pedotransfer functions had predictions of θAWHC that were similarly accurate compared with Saxton and Rawls when tested on samples from the National Soil Characterization database. Further, the new pedotransfer functions showed substantial effects of soil calcareousness and SOC on θAWHC. For an increase in SOC of 10 g kg–1 (1%) in noncalcareous soils, an average increase in θAWHC of 3.0 mm 100 mm–1 soil (0.03 m3 m–3) on average across all soil texture classes was found. This SOC related increase in θAWHC is about double previous estimates. Calcareous soils had an increase in θAWHC of 1.2 mm 100 mm–1 soil associated with a 10 g kg–1 increase in SOC, across all soil texture classes. New equations can aid in quantifying benefits of soil management practices that increase SOC and can be used to model the effect of changes in management on drought resilience

Linking soil microbial community structure to potential carbon mineralization: A continental scale assessment of reduced tillage

Potential carbon mineralization (Cmin) is a commonly used indicator of soil health, with greater Cmin values interpreted as healthier soil. While Cmin values are typically greater in agricultural soils managed with minimal physical disturbance, the mechanisms driving the increases remain poorly understood. This study assessed bacterial and archaeal community structure and potential microbial drivers of Cmin in soils maintained under various degrees of physical disturbance. Potential carbon mineralization, 16S rRNA sequences, and soil characterization data were collected as part of the North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements (NAPESHM). Results showed that type of cropping system, intensity of physical disturbance, and soil pH influenced microbial sensitivity to physical disturbance. Furthermore, 28% of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), which were important in modeling Cmin, were enriched under soils managed with minimal physical disturbance. Sequences identified as enriched under minimal disturbance and important for modeling Cmin, were linked to organisms which could produce extracellular polymeric substances and contained metabolic strategies suited for tolerating environmental stressors. Understanding how physical disturbance shapes microbial communities across climates and inherent soil properties and drives changes in Cmin provides the context necessary to evaluate management impacts on standardized measures of soil microbial activity

Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma

SummaryWe report a comprehensive molecular characterization of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PCCs/PGLs), a rare tumor type. Multi-platform integration revealed that PCCs/PGLs are driven by diverse alterations affecting multiple genes and pathways. Pathogenic germline mutations occurred in eight PCC/PGL susceptibility genes. We identified CSDE1 as a somatically mutated driver gene, complementing four known drivers (HRAS, RET, EPAS1, and NF1). We also discovered fusion genes in PCCs/PGLs, involving MAML3, BRAF, NGFR, and NF1. Integrated analysis classified PCCs/PGLs into four molecularly defined groups: a kinase signaling subtype, a pseudohypoxia subtype, a Wnt-altered subtype, driven by MAML3 and CSDE1, and a cortical admixture subtype. Correlates of metastatic PCCs/PGLs included the MAML3 fusion gene. This integrated molecular characterization provides a comprehensive foundation for developing PCC/PGL precision medicine