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News and Notes: March 28, 2025

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OUR VISION: Ohioans have the knowledge and resources they need to actively engage in creating conditions in which they thrive.  

OUR MISSION: We create opportunities for people to explore how science-based knowledge can improve social, economic, and environmental conditions.  

In This Issue:

Leadership Notes

  1. Note from David Civittolo

College Connections

  1. CFAES Awards and State of the College – April 4
  2. We Grow Scientists – April 30

Community Connections

  1. Forestry In-Services Planned – starting May 21

Programming Perspectives

  1. Southern Ohio Women in Ag Conference – April 4
  2. Agriculture and Natural Resources In-Service Planned – April 4
  3. Southern Ohio Perennial School – April 10

Operations/Business of Extension

  1. Extension Marketing Meetup – April 2
  2. Minding the Brand: Email signature creation tool

Celebrating Colleagues

  1. Office of Outreach and Engagement Announces Award Winners
  2. Extension Professionals Coming and Going

Professional Development Opportunities

  1. CES Professional Development Opportunities
  2. ESC International Conference at Virginia Tech
  3. Call for Abstracts: NETtra Tourism Conference

Health and Wellness

  1. Health Benefits of Eating Fish
  2. Lifestyle Spending Account Overview and Claims Reminder

  1. Note from David Civittolo

    A huge thank you to all the committee members who diligently planned, managed on-site logistics, and provided leadership to the East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference last Friday. The conference celebrated its 10th anniversary with record-breaking attendance. More than 200 individuals participated—representing 38 Ohio counties, two states, and Canada (where the keynote speaker was from). Many thanks, too, to all of our faculty and staff who were onsite to share their knowledge and expertise with conference attendees. 

    As the days get longer this spring and many of you gear up for an incredibly busy season, I hope you find ways to balance your work-life commitments. I’m very grateful for the work we do every day as Extension professionals, and it is important that we carefully balance all the tugs on our time. 

    Kindly, David 

  2. CFAES Awards and State of the College – April 4

    The 2025 CFAES Awards and State of the College will be held April 4 (9:30-11 a.m.). Join the college in this celebration of the outstanding achievements of our faculty, staff, and students and the success of our college. The event will be held in person at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center auditorium, concurrently with a watch party on the CFAES Wooster campus in the Shisler Ballroom, or live-streamed here.

  3. We Grow Scientists – April 30

    CFAES will host COSI’s annual We Grow Scientists event on April 30 (3-7 p.m.) at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory in Columbus. The afternoon of hands-on learning and activities will showcase the many STEM field-related majors the college offers and will include a look at the Waterman facilities such as the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex (CEARC). We Grow Scientists is a free event open to learners of all ages wanting to explore STEM in their community. Learn more at go.osu.edu/cosi25.

  4. Forestry In-Services Planned – starting May 21

    The Ohio Division of Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service Department of Agriculture, and Extension are hosting monthly in-service opportunities May through November 2025. All workshops will be onsite and in person (bring lunch, water, and dress for the weather). Learn more here.

  5. Southern Ohio Women in Ag Conference – April 4

    The Southern Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference will be held April 4 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) in Chillicothe. Some of the conference topics will include grant writing, marketing strategies, photography skills, a producer panel, and a take-home floral creation. Learn more here.

  6. Agriculture and Natural Resources In-Service Planned – April 4

    There will be an in-service for agriculture and natural resources professionals on April 4 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) in Wooster. Some topics for the in-person learning opportunity include manure management, livestock mortality compositing certification, biosecurity, beef quality assurance, and a beef facility tour. Click here to register (deadline April 2).

  7. Southern Ohio Perennial School – April 10

    The Southern Ohio Perennial School will be held April 10 in Owensville. Some topics for the in-person day of learning includes cultivating woodland wildflowers, ponds, pond-loving plants, herbaceous ornamentals, brambles, and more. More information can be found here.

  8. Extension Marketing Meetup – April 2

    The next Extension Marketing Meetup will be April 2 (1:30-2:30 p.m.). This meeting will focus on logo use. There will be time for other questions, idea sharing, and discussion about anything brand related during the meeting. Here is a list of the 2025 Meetups for the rest of the year. Join this informal Teams meeting here (no need to pre-register).

  9. Minding the Brand: Email signature creation tool

    Ohio State offers a simple, user-friendly email signature creation tool (scrool to the bottom of the page) for all Extension faculty and staff (you’ll need your name.# information to use it). This tool ensures your electronic communication aligns with university guidelines and maintains a professional and consistent appearance.

  10. Office of Outreach and Engagement Announces Award Winners

    The Ohio State Office of Outreach and Engagement recently announced its 2024 award winners. Congratulations to the following Extension professionals for the work they did to earn these recognitions: 

    Nicole DeBose – Community Engaged Practitioner Award 

    Tim McDermott – Programs of Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Award, Growing Teachers through the Season 

    Kyle White – Programs of Excellence in Engaged Scholarship, First Time Homebuyers Series 

    Visit the Office of Outreach and Engagement website for more information on all the award recipients. 

  11. Extension Professionals Coming and Going

    Over the past couple of months, we’ve added new Extension professionals to our statewide team. We’ve also had some team members take on new roles and others have retired. Congratulations to all! 

    Extension Welcomes 
    Jean Backs – educators coordinator, horticulture; Licking County 
    Vinny Cervilieri – educator, urban ANR/CD; Cuyahoga County 
    LuAnn Duncan – educator, FCS; Mahoning County 
    Yiyun Lin – assistant professor, urban agriculture; state 
    Alivia Mock – educators coordinator; Morgan County 
    Chevula Motswaledi – educator, ANR; Mahoning County 
    Garth McDorman – educator, ANR; Allen County 
    Emily Peters – office services coordinator; Scioto County 
    Holly Pohlman – educators coordinator, horticulture; Greene County 
    LaVanyaWatkins – educators coordinator, FCS; state HOPS 
     
    New Roles within Extension 
    Michelle Duffy – educators coordinator, SNAP-Ed.; Knox County 
    Lindsey Van Gundy – continuing education specialist, shooting sports; state 
     
    Happy Retirement 
    David Crawford – educator, 4-H youth development; Stark County 
    Maria Carmen Lambea – program director, EFNEP; state 
    Jane Thoman – program assistant, SNAP-Ed; Hocking County

  12. CES Professional Development Opportunities

    Chi Epsilon Sigma is hosting monthly Take a Break to Educate—Bite-Sized Learning sessions. The next session will be April 30 (11 a.m.) and will focus on records retention. Click here to view the calendar and list of topics for 2025. Join the meetings here.

  13. ESC International Conference at Virginia Tech

    Save the date for the Engagement Scholarship Consortium’s international conference Oct. 8-9 at Virginia Tech. Conference proposals are due March 31. Nominations for Awards for Excellence in Engaged Scholarship are due April 4. And applications for the Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop are being accepted through April 11. Visit the conference’s official website for more information.

  14. Call for Abstracts: NETtra Tourism Conference

    The National Extension Tourism Network (NETtra) is now accepting abstracts for its annual conference Oct. 7-10 in New Hampshire. The deadline to submit an abstract is April 18. More information is available here.

  15. Health Benefits of Eating Fish

    The Live Healthy Live Well team recently shared information about the health benefits of consuming fish, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acid. Learn about the impact it can have on cancer prevention, Alzheimer’s disease, type 1 diabetes, and more here.

  16. Lifestyle Spending Account Overview and Claims Reminder

    To support health and well-being, Ohio State offers eligible employees the option of using a Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) to reimburse personal expenses related to health, fitness, family, emotional and social wellness. The LSA reimburses you up to $125 quarterly (a total of $500 per year) for an eligible service or expense. No enrollment is needed to participate. This benefit is part of Ohio State’s commitment to wellness. LSA claims for Jan. 1 through March 31, 2025 are due by April 15, 2025.