OHIO making headlines
Read about just a few of the Bobcats who have made headlines in recent months
October 7, 2022
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Mission accomplished. History made.
Larry Connor, AB ’72, has made Ohio University and world history—and hundreds of headlines around the Earth he spent 17 days orbiting. In April, Connor piloted Axiom Mission 1, the first fully-private mission to the International Space Station, where he conducted experiments in collaboration with the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics and engaged in live broadcasts with schoolchildren. He is the first Bobcat to travel to space and the first person to travel to the deepest points of the ocean and to space within a single year. Feature photo: Larry Connor, AB ’72, looks back at planet Earth from the cupola of the International Space Station during April’s history-making Axiom Mission 1. Photo courtesy of Michael López-Alegría
From Ukraine to Athens—and back
Just three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, as millions started fleeing the country, OHIO MFA candidates Oleksandr (Les) Yakymchuk and Olena Zenchenko returned to their home city of Kyiv to support their families and country. Their story, captured in a short documentary by fellow MFA candidate Akash Pamarthy, was shared by numerous media outlets, including CNN.
A tough act to follow
Chuck Cooper, BFA ’76, made big news in the theater world, receiving his second Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play. Nominated for his role as Sheldon Forrester in the decades-in-the-making Broadway debut of Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind, Cooper won a 1997 Tony Award for his performance in The Life.
OHIO at the heart of Ohio tourism ad
Ohio University—its historic College Green and heart-warming Cutler Hall chimes—took center stage in a TourismOhio commercial, dubbed “Big Moments,” that debuted in April. OHIO graduates Doug Edwards, BSC ’73, Roth Foth Jr., BFA ’88, and Ron Foth III, BSC ’21—members of the creative team at Ron Foth Advertising—created, directed and produced the video.
Ohio University’s historic Athens Campus was one of several Ohio locations to be featured in the state tourism’s new campaign video, “Big Moments.” Photo by Eli Burris, BSJ '16
A front-page ending to a successful career
The retirement of Dr. Joyce Dorsey Kenner, BSED ’78, was front-page news in The Chicago Tribune. In an article headlined, “An academic legacy, and prominent post,” the newspaper highlighted Kenner’s nearly 27 years of service as principal of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, described as one of the top high schools in the country.
OHIO research takes aim at fertilizer crisis
In May, The Washington Post highlighted Russ College of Engineering and Technology faculty Jason Trembly, BSCHE ’03, MS ’05, PHD ’07, director of OHIO’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (ISEE), and Damilola Daramola, BSCHE ’04, PHD ’11, ISEE assistant director for research. They are leading U.S. Department of Energy-funded research exploring the converting of wastewater into fertilizer, which could help address the rising cost of synthetic fertilizers that have become key to global food production.
A federal advisor and champion for inclusivity
As an OHIO student, Jordyn Zimmerman, BSS ’20, was an advocate for inclusivity on campus. In March, President Joe Biden appointed Zimmerman, who has autism and uses technology to communicate, to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, serving as a federal advisor to the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on matters related to persons with intellectual disabilities.