North Columbus News

Students and faculty at The Ohio State University gathered for the College of Education and Human Ecology's annual Research Forum, held recently at the Ohio Union. The event featured a series of presentations and concluded with EHE’s Legacy Lecture.

Penny Pasque, professor of educational studies, delivered the keynote address, focusing on Ohio State’s land-grant mission and community engagement. She said, “Community engagement involves ‘making sure you’re looking for research questions from the community, but also community-involved work or community-directed work.’”

Traci Lepicki and Elizabeth Kazemi presented their review of CETE’s Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) International Training Institute. Lepicki emphasized the importance of using current job practices in DACUM assessments: “Working with subject matter experts helps to ensure that DACUM is job-relevant.” Kazemi noted how her work aligns with her human resources background: “I recognize that Ohio State is at the forefront of bridging that gap.”

Graduate students Arushi Paul, Yvonne Gong, Ciera Fankhauser, and Xin Feng researched coping mechanisms among mothers dealing with anger and depression. Paul shared insights: “If they didn’t have a therapist, they used their partners or friends as people they could turn to.”

Another group comprising Langston Myers, Kat Diana, and Garrett Price explored adolescent smoking related to mental health factors. Price remarked on their findings: “Is isolation enough to lead [teenagers] to smoking?”

The Legacy Lecture featured professors emeriti Evelyn Freeman and Bruce Kimball discussing their academic journeys. Freeman highlighted joy in higher education: “It’s really important for people who are going into higher education to find joy in what they’re doing.” Kimball advised following personal interests: “You have to follow your intrinsic interest.”