North Columbus News

The Ohio State Energy Partners (OSEP) Academic Collaboration Awards for 2025-26 have been announced, supporting projects that aim to reduce carbon emissions and expand undergraduate research opportunities. The awards are administered by The Ohio State University in partnership with OSEP.

OSEP provides $810,000 annually to support programs at Ohio State or philanthropic causes affiliated with the university. This funding initiative began in 2017 when Ohio State and OSEP formed a partnership focused on promoting sustainability across campus operations and academic activities.

The Office of Academic Affairs at Ohio State oversees the annual request for proposals process. Awarded projects must align with the university’s sustainability goals, advance its land-grant mission prioritizing accessibility and student success, and demonstrate how their research benefits community health and well-being.

One of this year’s funded projects is “Increasing Carbon Sequestration in Turfgrass Through Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi,” which received $48,288. Led by Samaneh Tajik, a postdoctoral scholar in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), along with Florence Sessoms, CFAES assistant professor of horticulture and crop science, the project aims to enhance soil carbon sequestration—a process where land management practices increase soil carbon storage.

“Carbon sequestration is a process that captures the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” Tajik said. “By adding organic carbon to the soil, we can reduce atmospheric carbon and also increase the soil’s fertility, improve the soil’s physical structure and reduce degradation and erosion. We also can improve energy for the soil and microorganisms.”

Sessoms noted that this research could extend beyond Ohio State: “I would say that this research has a very high potential to reach beyond just Ohio State,” she said. “It could also be promoted for any place that uses turfgrass – it could be roadside parks, cemeteries, homeowners, golf courses, athletic fields. For us, it’s really the beginning of an exciting journey that can have a huge impact for the turfgrass industry.”

Another awardee is Nicole Karn from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her project—“A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience to Monitor Ions in the Olentangy Watershed”—received $50,000. The initiative not only compiles environmental data about local water quality but also increases hands-on research opportunities for undergraduates.

“I want to make sure that students feel included when they come into the classroom and feel like they have a sense of belonging, and research gives students that opportunity,” Karn said. “It helps them build confidence in the lab. It gives them some autonomy. … I find that it’s just really important developmentally for our students to be able to have research opportunities.”

For more information about all recipients of this year’s OSEP Academic Collaboration Awards or details about ongoing projects supported by OSEP at Ohio State University programs or philanthropic causes affiliated with https://energy.osu.edu/about/ohio-state-energy-partners-collaboration-funding-programs , visit their website.