Voices of Excellence

Danielle Schoon, assistant teaching professor of sociology, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) fellow, and recipient of the Ohio State University’s Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, discusses her many areas of expertise with host David Staley. Schoon, trained in cultural anthropology with earlier work in dance studies and Middle Eastern studies, emphasizes culture and power...

On the 250th Anniversary of the United States, take a minute to reflect on Christopher McKnight Nichols’ question of “Can Those Who Know History Avoid Repeating It?”

Nick Passalacqua , associate professor of anthropology , discusses how anthropologists recover and analyze skeletal remains to build biological profiles including age, sex, stature, and ancestry. He contrasts real methods with those of TV dramas (such as Bones ), noting the field relies on careful measurement and collaboration rather than flashy technology. Ethics remain central, guiding respectfu...

Steve MacEachern, distinguished professor of statistics, discusses his field, how he got into statistics, and what feature he has to have in his job. MacEachern earned a doctorate at the University of Minnesota, researching Bayesian methods, a way to use probability to represent uncertainty via prior and posterior distributions informed by data. He sees statistics as different from data science/an...

“I’ve loved dinosaurs since I was a little kid. A lot of kids like dinosaurs. It’s sort of like measles: most kids get it, most kids get over it. I never got over it. I still love dinosaurs.” Dale Gnidovec, collections manager and curator of the Orton Geological Museum, received the Ohio Department of Natural Resources 2025 Cardinal Award , which recognizes individuals and...

Ryan Joyce, assistant professor of French and Francophone Studies, researches decolonization, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic World. His scholarship foregrounds the study of creolization, gender and sexuality, diaspora and migration, performance, and marronage (slaves escaping captivity). Joyce is especially interested in decolonization, the ways former colonies reclaim their economic, political a...

What’s causing yellow perch to disappear from Lake Erie’s waters? Ohio State professor of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology Stuart Ludsin is on the case. One part of his research is a look at Lake Erie where he suspects the spiny water flea, a half-inch invasive zooplankton with a barbed spine, to play a role in the declining catch rates of yellow perch. The flea’s abunda...

Lucia Dunn, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Economics, studies a wide range of topics in the realm of empirical economics. She talks about her vast body of research, which covers topics from baseball cards and credit cards to wages in the U.S. Army. Dunn discusses her research emphasis on labor market economics, where she’s employed many unconventional methodologies like in-person in...

John E. Davidson, Professor of Germanic Languages and Literature and Founding Director of OSU’s Film Studies program, discusses film as a field of study and its power to shape social memory. Davidson outlines recent research on the postwar “disappearance of race” in Germany and the work of Dadaist Hans Arp and his contemporaries. He also talks about his role as Faculty Athletics Representative, wh...

Felecia Ross, Associate Professor in the School of Communication, discusses her research and writing on the history and influence of the Black press. She describes her field research contributions to the PBS documentary Bombshell , particularly journalist Charles Loeb and his reporting on the truth about radiation casualties in Hiroshima. Ross also describes other projects, including one on Booker...

Nima Dahir, Assistant Professor and Provost’s Fellow in the Department of Sociology, discusses her research in urban sociology and the intersections of race, ethnicity, and immigration. She talks about a current project on the historic presence of Black immigrants in cities, including New York’s Harlem neighborhood and Columbus, and their portrayal in both media and government document...

Agus Munoz-Garcia, Associate Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at the Ohio State Mansfield Campus, explains his research in physiological ecology, including studies on resource allocation (how animals distribute limited nutrients among different biological functions) using a unique cockroach species that he raises in the lab. He also discusses his current re...

John Hunter, Associate Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at the Ohio State Newark campus, discusses his research in the evolution, paleoecology, and biogeography of mammals and dinosaurs. He talks about his recently published research on duck-billed dinosaurs, where he studied roughly 75 to 80 million year old fossils found in Montana. Hunter also explains hi...

Klaus Honscheid, Professor of Physics , talks about dark energy, dark matter, and his work on the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). He discusses the universe’s accelerating expansion, the unknowns of dark energy, and how working with cosmology has impacted his view on human life and history. Honscheid recently delivered the 16th Annual Biard Lecture , ho...

Kurt Gray, Professor and Weary Foundation Endowed Chair in Social Psychology at the Ohio State University, talks about his research on morality, political division, beliefs, and polarization. He discusses his novel, Outraged: Why we Fight about Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground , in which he makes conclusions about division, common morals, and possible ways to bridge gaps between...

David Brewer, Associate Professor in the Department of English, talks about his research on 18th-century literary culture, the history of the book, and the fantastical and historical functions of magic. He discusses his upcoming book project The Fate of Authors , which challenges conventional literary-historical narratives and emphasizes the impact of reputation on authors in the 18th century. He...

Chris Coleman, Professor of Arts and Director of ACCAD ( the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design ), describes his identity as a “critical arts engineer,” who translates technology for creative practice. He recounts leaving mechanical engineering for art, and explains how his work in sculpture, animation, creative coding, and interactive installations focuses on complex systems, contr...

Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Sociology, discusses her board range of work in the field of genocide studies. She explains the concept and legal definition of genocide, rooted in the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, and shares insights into her research on forecasting and preventing future genocides. Nzitatira has worked with both the US a...

Nathan Whelan, Associate Professor of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology and Director of the Museum of Biological Diversity, discusses the core mission of the museum. The museum focuses on research rather than public exhibits, emphasizing the importance of understanding and documenting natural history through collections of various organisms such as mollusks, insects, plants, birds, and mam...

Melisa Diaz, Assistant Professor in Earth Sciences, specializes in geochemistry and the study of the cryosphere. She discusses her broad research interests, including her focus on the Antarctic and Arctic, urban geochemistry, and the environmental impact of redlining. Diaz elaborates on her role as a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar , her work on Greenland’s periodic lake drainage, astrobiology,...

Dr. Joyce Chen, Professor of Economics in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University, discusses her research and teaching at the intersection of economics and societal contexts. She highlights how she integrates a feminist and humanistic approach to economics, developing courses such as “Data Feminism”, which teaches students to apply new ways of thinking...

Laura Wagner, professor of psychology and the Director of the Language Sciences Research Lab at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), discusses the unique setup of her lab, which allows COSI visitors to participate in and observe real-time research. Wagner discusses with host David Staley educational activities involving the International Phonetic Alphabet and its impact on public understandi...

George Rush, Professor of Art at The Ohio State University, delves into his recent work, including international exhibitions Curtain Walls in Mexico City and Dresden Cabinet in Germany. Rush discusses the integration of site characteristics into his works, his use of photography and collage, and his exploration of themes like urban landscapes and architecture. Rush also reflects on the evolution o...

Nicole Kraft, Professor of Journalism Practice at Ohio State University and Director of the Sports and Society Initiative, emphasizes the critical role of journalism in sustaining democracy and ensuring the public receives accurate information. She outlines the challenges now facing journalism, often in differentiating authentic journalism from misinformation. Kraft describes solutions journalism,...

Danielle Fosler-Lussier, Professor of Musicology, discusses her research in historical and social inquiries about music. She describes the focus of her third book, Music on the Move , which examines how music migrates and adapts through technology as well as sociopolitical and cultural interactions. Music on the Move is a digital open access work with multimedia elements, a mode that has allowed h...