CFAES Faculty and Staff Highlights

Wellbeing Wednesday: Brought to you by the CFAES Buckeye Wellness Innovators

Lifestyle Spending Account – Due April 15 
Ohio State’s Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) reimburses employees up to $125 per quarter for eligible expenses related to health, fitness, family, emotional, and social wellness. The first quarter ended March 31.  Employees have until April 15 to submit reimbursement request documentation for eligible expenses incurred Jan. 1, 2024 through March 31, 2024. Unused LSA funds do not carry over to the following quarter. To submit a claim for reimbursement, log into Workday and navigate to the Benefits and Pay Hub from the main menu. From here, select My FSA/HRA/LSA under selected links and follow the instructions.

Celebration of Students Faculty & Staff Volunteer Request

Join us in celebrating our CFAES students in Columbus & Wooster at various volunteer events scheduled for this spring. Sign up by clicking on the tabs on this link for the events you are available to support. All events are free for undergraduate and graduate students in CFAES. Additional information regarding details to share with students is on our website.

Better Research through Better Mentoring

April 11 & 12, 3:00-5:00 p.m. | Zoom
The Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) is offering a workshop for faculty to help foster good mentoring. Attendees will enhance their mentoring skills and receive resources and materials to support effective mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. The workshop is offered via two Zoom sessions and will cover aligning expectations, fostering independence, and assessing understanding. Participating in these workshops can also earn a Research Mentoring endorsement for your CV from the University Institute on Teaching and Learning. The event is limited to 30 faculty, so don’t wait to register!

CFAES Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Updates and Workshops

CFAES DEI Events, Webinars, and Workshops (click the title to learn more and register):

• Wednesday, April 10 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: The Language of Inclusion: Pronouns and Other Gendered Words (Click to register via Buckeyelearn or search for title manually in Buckeyelearn)
• April 18th | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.:  Responding to Microaggressions: Bystander Intervention Strategies that Work for Everyone
• April 23rd | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.:  The Gift of Accountability: How to Respond When Someone Calls You In/Out for Causing Harm
• April 25th | 11:00a.m.. – 1:00 p.m.:  Implicit Association, Insidious Assumptions: Manifestations of Bias in Everyday Life *two-hour workshop

CFAES Undergraduate Student Council T-shirt Fundraiser

The CFAES Undergraduate Student Council is selling t-shirts for $20/shirt. Visit Suite 100 in Ag. Admin. in Columbus or email CFAES-SC@osu.edu to order yours today. 

The Ohio State Leadership Center Upcoming Workshops

April
18 - Leadership Compass online
How well do you know yourself? Self-awareness is essential to being a good leader. When you understand who you are; your talents, beliefs, and skills, you are better prepared to not only lead yourself, but others too. Join the OSU Leadership Center for this April 18th online workshop. Beth Flynn is facilitating this workshop. For more information, or to register, click here.

24 - Communicating to be Understood online
How we communicate with each other, whether it is a co-worker or spouse, can make or break a relationship. In this workshop we will explore how people communicate differently, and how you can use your strengths to build relationships with your team and increase people's feeling of being heard. Learn more about communication at the April 24th workshop hosted by the OSU Leadership Center. Click here for more information, or to register.

Foundational Leadership Certificate - Register now for August Co-hort
High-performing leaders are essential to the success of an organization. A high-performing leader has a keen self-awareness, the ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment, and can build, strengthen, and gain optimal performance from teams. The OSU Leadership Center wants to help you develop the skills needed to be a high-performing leader through gaining the Foundational Leadership Certificate. Learn more. 

The Shoemaker’s Children Go Barefoot: Self-Perception of Food Security Among Smallholder Farmers in Poland

Wednesday, April 17, 10:00AM - 11:30AM | 100 Enarson Classroom Building
Join the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies for a special guest lecture with our spring 2024 visiting Fulbright Slavic scholar, Dr. Agnieszka Poczta-Wajda (Poznań U. of Economics and Business). Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.

Celebrate Ohio’s Native Plants on Earth Day

On April 22, the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) with the Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens will host a free public event, Eat this Earth Day! Ohio’s Native Plants for Food at the Fawcett Center. Attendees will have an opportunity to discover through their senses, the edible flora of the Buckeye State and discover over extended periods of history, through the tastes, smells, and eyes of diverse native wildlife and human cultures, both ancient and present, how these plants have sustained life.

Gardening for Conservation Webinar Series

Join the Nature Conservancy and Ohio State University Extension for a webinar series to learn about ways to have a positive impact on nature from your own backyard.

• Wednesday, April 24th: Homegrown Conservation: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies and Birds
• Wednesday, May 22nd: An Update on Ticks for 2024
• Wednesday, June 26th: Growing Your Own Food for Conservation
• Wednesday, July 24th: Rooting Out Trouble: Managing Invasive Plants in Your Landscape
• Wednesday, August 28th: The Good, The Bad and the Hungry: Dealing with Wildlife in the Garden
• Wednesday, September 25th: Everyone Loves Free (plant) Food!

Diet, Nutrition, Cancer: Collaborating Toward a Cancer-Free World (In-person)

April 25th | 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |  Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex | 2515 Carmack Road
This conference is designed to stimulate collaborative research that explores connections among diet, nutrition, and cancer.

Sponsored by the OSUCCC – James, the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), and the Foods for Health Discovery Theme.

Chadwick Arboretum Arbor Day Celebration

Friday, April 26, 2024: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. | Kottman Hall Patio
Since 1984, this celebration has been a time for all to come together to celebrate Arbor Day and recognize this year's Tree Hero Award, Chadwick Arboretum Collaborator Awards, and the Aesculus Lifetime Achievement Award. Be inspired by insightful remarks on the significance of trees, and don't miss the chance to enjoy a tree-themed art exhibition and delicious refreshments as we come together to celebrate a thriving tree canopy on our campus. Rain or shine, your presence is valued in supporting our mission for a greener future.

We Grow Scientists

CFAES will host the second annual “We Grow Scientists” event on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, from 3:00-7:00 PM at Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory. This afternoon of hands-on learning and activities will showcase the many STEM fields CFAES has to offer and will include a look at Waterman facilities such as the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex. “We Grow Scientists” is a free event open to learners of all ages looking to learn more about STEM in their community as part of the COSI Science Festival (May 1-4, 2024). Bring the whole family!

AEDE Ohio Pathways to Sustainability

May 8 | 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, Columbus
AEDE’s Ohio Pathways to Sustainability is an educational program exploring key terminology and ideas in sustainability, in the context of Ohio’s journey. This conference will serve as a platform to discuss Ohio’s progress in the following areas: electricity and solar, circular economy and waste, voluntary business commitments, and carbon-neutrality goals.

Chadwick Arboretum 37th Annual Spring Plant Sale and Auction Fundraiser

May 9 - 11, 2024 | Northwest corner of Lane Avenue and Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43210
Spring into greenery at Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens! Join us for our annual Spring Plant Sale Fundraiser and dive into a lush world of botanical delights. With over 16,000 fresh, exotic, and time-tested edible and ornamental plants, there's something for every green thumb. NEW in 2024 will be additional local vendors and many new educational demonstrations by experts on native plants, conifers, and container gardens. Free parking - credit/debit cards accepted at the sale only.

Registration is Open for the 2024 Urban Food Systems Symposium

June 11-13, 2024 
In 2024, CFAES will host the Urban Food Systems Symposium in Columbus. The event includes keynotes, a grower panel, 40 presentations, a reception with approximately 50 posters, a choice of six off-site educational tours, and dinner at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory. 

Act now to take advantage of early registration prices through April 13. Hotel reservations close May 21 and registration closes on May 24. Tour capacity is limited and is on a first-come basis. 

CFAES Principles of Community 

We affirm our conviction that racism and inequality have no place in CFAES. Our CFAES Principles of Community serve as a base for managing these actions. We all contribute to our community and our collective experience. You are encouraged to download and post the principles, discuss them during meetings, share them with others, and most importantly, use them as a guide in all that we do to sustain life.

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