BGSU Research Conference focuses on ‘Engaging Minds
Across Disciplines’

“If you have an abounding intellectual curiosity, there is nothing on earth that will make you happy except research,” said Robert Vincent, geology, in accepting the Olscamp Research Award at the third annual BGSU Research Conference Nov. 4.

“It’s the only thing to do—the only thing you won’t get bored with. And to be paid in part for doing it is an added bonus,” he told the audience, who came from BGSU, the University of Toledo, Heidelberg College, MCO and several state and local agencies.

That BGSU faculty share Vincent’s enthusiasm for the pursuit of new knowledge was evident at the two-day conference, which drew participants from all disciplines at the University and their collaborative partners around the country.

With more than 170 poster displays in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom in Bowen-Thompson Student Union and a number of panel discussions, research presentations and speakers, the two-day conference showcased the University’s efforts to recognize interdisciplinary research and the role of higher education in the health of the state.

Vincent noted that Bowling Green is an unusually "open society" in terms of receptiveness to cross-disciplinary inquiry. “The walls have really come down here,” he said.

Referring to the exigencies of current economic and political conditions, the geologist noted that he has friends who are searching for gold in the Sierra Madres and welcome the fierce storms that can occur there because they often reveal buried nuggets. “Changing times reveal opportunities,” Vincent reminded listeners.

BGSU researchers’ passion is good news for Ohio, as many of the projects are directly applicable to issues facing the state.

At a Nov. 4 panel discussion called “Focus on Ohio,” four projects were presented. Andrei Federov and Ina Manea of the Wright Photoscience Laboratory in the Department of Photochemical Sciences explained that the laboratory, which was funded by the state, is currently the “only card BGSU has in the Third Frontier deck.”

Its projects include the development of such commercially viable products and techniques as self-illuminating plastics that can be used in the region’s large greenhouse industry; relief printing and graphics for use by the visually impaired, and remote curing for use by the automobile and other industries on products that cannot be heated or are inaccessible to light.

“Through these and other projects, we hope to help solve Ohio’s economic problems. It’s disheartening to hear how young people are leaving Ohio because they feel there are no opportunities here,” Manea said. “We’re here to change that and to prove them wrong.”

The laboratory also seeks creative funding opportunities instead of traditional sources such as the National Science Foundation, by finding and partnering with regional industries to fund research and development of products, Federov said.

In an environmentally oriented project, Jeffrey Miner, biological sciences, and John Farver, geology faculty member and director of the University’s undergraduate research office, discussed their joint study of sport fish in Lake Erie, specifically the white bass.

The lake is the “jewel of the Midwest,” Miner said, and a resource that must be protected to safeguard Ohio’s economic health. Not only does it provide water, but the recreational industry it supports garners $800 million a year, he added.

Miner and Farver have been studying a bone in the forehead of the white bass that, like rings in tree trunks, contains traces of chemicals and metals encountered throughout the fish’s life. By analyzing these rings, the two researchers are able to learn the migration patterns of the fish and pollutants encountered that could affect their populations.

Gary Silverman, director of environmental health, related efforts on behalf of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency by BGSU faculty and students to address the little-known problem of pollution from household septic systems. The systems are the second-largest contributor to water pollution in rural areas and can affect groundwater, he said, yet people are largely unaware of how to care for their systems or even that they are failing.

The department conducted a study to see if education efforts, which are the least expensive of remediation means, could be effective. Unfortunately, after conducting a preliminary survey, an educational program and a follow-up survey, the research revealed that the homeowners “didn’t change. We didn’t influence people’s decisions,” Silverman said. “This is a major water-quality problem, and now we know we must use regulatory means to address it.”

On a related topic, Vincent told about his work using satellite remote sensing to study the application of sewage sludge on farm fields in Wood and Lucas counties. “There’s been a major change in the last 10-15 years,” he said. “When they disallowed dumping of sewage in the ocean, they started spreading it on fields. We are the new farm animals.”

Faculty from the departments of biology and environmental health are collaborating on the project to map where the sludge is applied and measure particles of potential toxins such as coliform bacteria that become airborne as a result.

Other conference sessions focused on such topics as successful technology transfer, featuring panelists from within and outside the University; the “hot topics” in research, and the basics of research collaboration.

Also on Nov. 4, a talk was given by David Gruetzmacher, technology commercialization director for the DuPont Center for Collaborative Research and Education and a former student of Douglas Neckers, McMaster Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Photochemical Sciences. Gruetzmacher spoke on how universities and companies can work together for mutual benefit, with an emphasis on business opportunities through licensing and collaborative research.

Provost John Folkins noted that the conference theme, “Engaging Minds Across Disciplines," fit very well with the Academic Plan and the president’s Organizing for Engagement initiative.