January 19, 2016   
Voinovich School evaluations show effectiveness of anti-obesity program 
 
After a three-year evaluation, researchers at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs have shown that a federally funded program to reduce obesity among adults in northeastern Ohio is an effective way to improve health.

In June 2015, the Voinovich School completed a study of the Trinity Hospital Twin City's Fit for Life program, which offers a multi-agency approach to reduce the number of overweight and obese adults in Tuscarawas County and in nearby replication sites, which vary in location from year to year based upon needs and resources. During the three-month program, participants meet for 60 to 90 minute classes once a week to discuss not only nutrition and fitness, but also stress management, healthy aging, disease prevention, and other wellness factors not typically covered in traditional weight-loss programs. Participants also follow customized nutrition and fitness plans developed specifically for them by the Fit for Life team.

Dr. Timothy McKnight, certified family physician with Trinity Hospital Twin City, created the program in 2006, at which point it was offered only in Tuscarawas County. However, the program soon received funding from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Rural Health Policy to expand into surrounding counties and conduct the research necessary to turn the program into a replicable best practice. That was when the Fit for Life grant coordinator, Jennifer Demuth, contacted the School to request that a research team evaluate the program. Demuth was familiar with the efficacy of the Voinovich School's work prior to this evaluation, as she had previously worked on projects with Voinovich School staff.

Beginning in 2012, the Voinovich School's evaluation team gauged the effectiveness of Fit for Life's use of resources, measured improvement in the health of program participants, and assessed the success of the program's replication sites. At least one student assisted the evaluation each year, including graduate assistants, students in the Master of Public Administration program, and Voinovich Undergraduate Research Scholars.
Crushing mediocrity: The sure way to become a world changer 
  
The CEO of the first aircraft broker and dealer to be certified as woman-owned shared her secrets to success with an audience of Ohio University students and faculty during a presentation in celebration of Women's Entrepreneurship Day Nov. 18. The seminar was sponsored by the Center for Entrepreneurship, Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, TechGROWTH Ohio, OHIO Women in Business and ohiowomen.

Ren� Banglesdorf's company, Charlie Bravo Aviation, was certified as woman-owned in 2009, thus qualifying for federal, state and corporate contracts that give preference to such enterprises. Banglesdorf is a leading advocate for women in business aviation and an active member of the Women President's Organization, International Aviation Women's Association, the National Business Aviation Association and the National Air Transportation Association's President's Council.
In her presentation, Banglesdorf shared six life principles to live by in order to crush mediocrity:

1. Be excellent.
2. Do the work.
3. Solve problems.
4. Share successes.
5. Be a servant leader.
6. Know your purpose.

In a closing question and answer session, Banglesdorf was asked, "How should a women navigate in a male dominated field?" She responded, "You've got to work harder, read more books, learn more and look good doing it."

Enactus awarded grant to create workforce development program for single mothers
  
Student organization Enactus Ohio University was awarded a grant of $1,500 by the Women's Economic Empowerment Project Partnership, an Enactus program sponsored by the Walmart Foundation, to design and execute a workforce development program in the Athens area.
Enactus Ohio University plans to develop a program to empower single mothers in the Southeastern Ohio area by providing job preparedness training, such as resume writing and job search assistance; personal skills building, such as communication, professionalism and self-confidence; and, childcare services.

Knowing that 66.2 percent of female-headed households in Athens County with children under the age of 18 live below the poverty line, Enactus Ohio University recognized an opportunity to make an impact. They proposed the idea for a co-housing community in Athens to host single mothers and their children for up to a year and provide a supportive environment, in addition to job training sessions, mentorship opportunities and childcare for single mothers in the area. The money provided by the grant will be used to develop and implement these proposed initiatives.

Enactus is a national student organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and communities through social entrepreneurship and innovation. The "Final Impact Report" on Enactus Ohio University's project, due April 13, 2016, will be evaluated and has the chance to win a national grand prize cash award at the 2016 Enactus United States National Exposition in St. Louis May 15-17, 2016.

Ohio University debuts three new experiential entrepreneurship programs for students and researchers.
  
Faculty, staff and students at Ohio University are giving thumbs-up to three new programs added to the University's entrepreneurial ecosystem this year.

Two of the three additions - Bobcat LaunchPad (MGT 3735: Entrepreneurship in Practice) and the Bobcat Research Course: Moving Innovation to Commercialization - were offered through the Center for Entrepreneurship, a partnership between the College of Business and the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. The third, I-Corps@Ohio, is a statewide initiative funded by the Ohio Board of Regents.

Introduced during first summer session 2015, Bobcat LaunchPad simulates what startups and entrepreneurs experience when starting a business. Students learn how to use a business model to brainstorm each part of a company, practice customer development outside of the classroom and rapidly develop a prototype or concept based on customer and market feedback gathered during the course. Upon completion of the course, students and teams can compete for admission into Ohio University's Bobcat LaunchPad mentoring program, access up to $25,000 grant and investment funding opportunities via TechGROWTH Ohio and admission to other mentoring and funding opportunities designed to help start ventures.

"I would absolutely recommend the Bobcat Launchpad," Alex Kneier, a student double majoring in entrepreneurship and management and strategic leadership, said. "It was a jam-packed seven weeks that propelled the concept I was working on."

Students interested in learning more about the Bobcat LaunchPad (MGT 3735: Entrepreneurship in Practice) or the Bobcat Research Course: Moving Innovation to Commercialization, should contact Lee Groeschl at [email protected]. Researchers interested in applying for I-Corps@Ohio, can read the details here or contact Faith Knutsen at [email protected].

Undergraduate Research Scholars Program Taking Applications for 16-17 
  
The Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs is offering Undergraduate Research Scholar funded positions for the� 2016-2017 academic year.� Students selected for these positions will work 10 hours per week, 14 weeks per semester for two semesters at the rate of $11 per hour.� Scholars will be assigned to work with Voinovich School faculty and professional staff.� Opportunities include innovative research and work related to:

    Sustainability 
    Watershed management 
    Ecology 
    GIS 
    Field and lab research opportunities 
    Small business planning 
    Economic development 
    Entrepreneurship 
    Product design and marketing 
    Community health 
    Public policy 
    Public relations and communications 
    Research and evaluation 
    Climate change 
    Natural resource governance 
    International development 
    Environmental policy 

The deadline to apply is Friday, January 29, 2016.

Click here for more information and how to apply.
TechGROWTH Ohio launches new website
  
Eight years after its founding, TechGROWTH Ohio is launching a newly redesigned website. Now visitors to techgrowthohio.com will see revamped content sections, new and improved graphics, an option to sign up for TechGROWTH Ohio's newsletter and testimonials, videos and upcoming events.  The new website will reflect TechGROWTH's mission to serve as a portal for entrepreneurship information and activities in Southeastern Ohio.

TechGROWTH Ohio is a $40 million public-private partnership between the Ohio Third Frontier program, Ohio University and the private investment community. It is one of the Ohio Third Frontier Program's regional entrepreneurial signature programs designed to provide business expertise, services and investments for start-up companies - in this case, in the 20-county Southeast Ohio area. As one of the premier programs of the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, TechGROWTH Ohio is part of an entrepreneurial ecosystem that includes programs supporting university and regional technology commercialization and small business incubation.

TechGROWTH Ohio has generated $232 million in economic activity since 2007 and nearly 250 new, high-paying jobs in the region. In addition, TechGROWTH Ohio has engaged with more than 850 entrepreneurs, with 525 of those qualifying for intensive operational assistance and more than 88 companies receiving financial support to speed their path toward sustainable businesses, creating wealth, jobs and economic activity in Appalachian Ohio.
JOB HIGHLIGHT
Director of Executive Education with Ohio University's College of Business    

Location
:
Athens, OH

Description:
The Director of Executive Education will develop and implement a strategy to grow the College of Business market presence through the delivery of executive education offerings. This position will identify opportunities for collaboration and program development and work with both executives and internal expertise to develop tailored executive education offerings. The Director will prepare an annual budget and strategic plan, as well as, assist in delivery of programs.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
MSES student shares his nature blog 
 
Michael Whittemore, MSES graduate student, is a native of Massachusetts but found his passion for conservation in southeastern Ohio. Whittemore started a blog on the Flora and Fauna of Appalachia in order to share "some of the plant communities and biology (he) encountered while working with OSU this summer at Vinton Furnace State Experimental Forest."

Follow this link to check out his ecological findings!
STUDENT UPDATE  
Ohio Academy of Science opens second call for research abstracts
  
The Ohio Academy of Science is opening a second call for research abstracts until Jan. 31 to be featured on the OAS website and the April 16 Annual Meeting.

Abstracts submitted to OAS must be peer-reviewed at the college or university level. Space is limited, so interested researchers are encouraged to submit early.

Ohio University students and faculty will receive free abstract submission as the OAS Annual Meeting will be held on campus on April 16. Click here for more information about the Annual Meeting.

Contact Professor of Environmental Health Science Michele Morrone at [email protected] with questions.
 
 ON THE HORIZON
Ecolunch Seminar Series 
Jan. 20, 11:50 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. 
Irvine 159 

Science Cafe:
Dr. Winfried Just "Spread of Contagions: Diseases, Rumors & Mathematical Models"
Jan. 20, 5 - 6 p.m.  
Front Room 

Center for Entrepreneurship Social  
Jan. 20, 5:30 - 7 p.m..
Baker 240
More information

Spring Film Sustainability Series: This Changes Everything
Jan. 27, 7 p.m.
Athena Cinema

Voinovich Scholar Deadline
Jan. 29
More information

Jeff Finkle Fellowship Deadline
Feb. 1, 5 p.m.
More information

3-Minute Thesis
Feb. 2 & 3, 7 p.m.
Stocker 103
Register here

TAD Services Workshop
Feb. 9 & 10, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
More information

Balkans Study Abroad Registration Deadline
Feb. 22
More information
 VERBATIM
Voinovich School in the News   
 
"Ohio University and collaborating community partner Rural Action will assist stakeholders to plan, design and write grants for water quality improvement projects by utilizing funds available through EPA grant programs,"   


Jen Bowman, senior environmental project manager at the Voinovich School, quoted in The Athens Messenger's article "With EPA support, watershed initiative being formed by OU and Rural Action."

Impact & Innovation is a newsletter for the students, faculty and professionals of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.

Have an article idea? Contact Laura Alloway, Voinovich School Director of Marketing and Communications.
 


  Impact & Innovation is written and created by undergraduate students Diana Wiebe, M.C. Tilton, Jasmine Grillmeier, Daniel Kington.
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