As we returned from the Thanksgiving break, we were shocked by the events of last Monday morning. I have heard many expressions of concern about this disquieting series of events. We are grateful for the coordinated and professional response by safety officers and join in wishing a speedy recovery to those who were hurt. We are also grateful for the many expressions of concern and support from around the world.
It may help here to personalize the severity of the attack on our normally peaceful campus: a colleague and friend, Emeritus Professor William Clark (Materials Science, and a former Associate Dean of the Graduate School) sustained cuts and was (as reported in the New York Times) initially unaware of his injury.
A word on the rapid diffusion of information via Buckeye Alert -- this has been an excellent innovation and we have seen first-hand the value of timely and accurate information in keeping people away from the scene and in providing valuable and timely directives to shelter. If you have not signed up for Buckeye Alerts on your smart phone, this seems like a very good time to remind you to do so.
Thanks to all for the flexibility in rearranging any missed classes.

In faculty news this week:

Max Woodworth has been awarded an Early Career Grant offered through the Regional Studies Association. The award will fund research on new-town planning and design in China. This is a nice recognition of Max's growing leadership on these topics.

Desheng Liu has been appointed as the Associate Editor for Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, the official journal of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). PE&RS is a highly respected journal in the field of imaging and geospatial information science and technology.

Stavros Constantinou (Associate Professor, Mansfield) gave an invited lecture on "Persistence and Change in Greek American Ethnicity: A Retrospective.”  The talk was co-sponsored by the Greek Olympic Society and The Ohio State University Modern Greek Program, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Columbus, Ohio, November 17, 2016.

The department is making good progress on both active searches and hopes to have some new developments to report early in 2017. We also hope to have a "2016" version of GeoSpectrum ready soon with lots of nice photos and kudos for all the good work.

Faculty: Let me just add that I am incredibly impressed with the great energy around research and teaching that I have had the pleasure to observe this semester. From the notes that you all send me I am convinced that we are at a high point in faculty productivity and drive -- making fundamental discoveries and writing excellent reports and papers. Please keep up the good work, and continue to provide outstanding role models for our grads.