OHIO makes regional economic impact
Located in the rolling hills of Appalachian Ohio, Ohio University acknowledges the important role it plays in fueling the local and regional economy.
Story by Samantha Pelham, Photos by Ben Siegel | August 11, 2022
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Located in the rolling hills of Appalachian Ohio, Ohio University acknowledges the important role it plays in fueling the local and regional economy and the access it brings to the surrounding community for necessities such as health care and education. Through research, innovation, engagement, and experiential learning, Ohio University continues to make significant contributions to the region and state of Ohio while preparing students to be the leaders of tomorrow and to serve their communities.
OHIO, which was designated a national Carnegie R1 research university in 2022, provides more than 28,000 students with opportunities to access a high-quality education not just in the classroom but also through hands-on service to the community. Research labs such as the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (ISEE), the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology (ICMT), and the Edison Biotechnology Institute (EBI), are just some of the many institutes at OHIO working to provide students with firsthand experience and connections, as well as providing jobs to local researchers and aiming to create a more sustainable environment.
As a top producer of health professionals in the state, OHIO – which has been named among the top 10 largest Schools of Nursing in the country and Ohio’s top provider of primary care physicians – serves its community and the surrounding region through outreach programs like Mobile Health Clinics and the Diabetes Institute, where patient education and care delivery programs help improve treatment for those in Appalachia with diabetes.
The reach of OHIO’s contributions goes beyond Athens, assuring that each of our regional campuses are serving and engaging with their communities through creating partnerships and working toward meeting the local workforce needs by expanding academic offerings and access to education.
For more information on Ohio University and its contributions to the region and experiential learning, visit https://www.ohio.edu/forward.
To read about the recent visit of two Ohio Congressmen to tour campus facilities and learn more about OHIO's myriad contributions to Appalachian Ohio and the state through research, innovation, engagement, and experiential learning, see this OHIO News article.
Principal investigator for more than $18 million in competitively sponsored research, primarily for the U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Jason Trembly is Russ Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and a graduate faculty member in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He is also Director of Ohio University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment.
Srdjan Nesic, a Russ Professor, has also been director of the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Flow Technology since 2002 and is responsible for more than $30 million in external research funding, almost all from private industry.
Dr. John Kopchick, Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar and professor of microbiology in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, developed a drug treatment for acromegaly that has earned more than $75 million in royalty income from the license for Ohio University. He is the principal investigator for the Edison Biotechnology Institute.
Jason Trembly, Russ Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (ISEE), is utilizing waste from this coal mine in western Pennsylvania to manufacture construction composite building materials.
Trembly's team has collaborated with Engineered Profiles in Columbus to manufacture composite deck boards.
An employee of Engineered Profiles produces a deck board comprised mostly of coal waste.
Congressmen Troy Balderson (left) and Bill Johnson (center) speak with Dr. Bruce Brown at the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology to learn more about the institute's economic impact on the region.
Congressmen Troy Balderson tours the Edison Biotechnology Institute.
Dr. John Kopchick reviews data with his team at the Edison Biotechnology Institute.
Dr. John Kopchick poses for a photo with his team at the Edison Biotechnology Institute.
Each year, two 40-foot mobile clinics from the Heritage College's Community Health Programs travel throughout 24 Ohio counties, providing clinics at churches, community centers, worksites, schools and more.
Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine is the largest medical school in the state of Ohio.
The vast majority of doctors graduating from Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine stay in Ohio to practice medicine.
The majority of doctors graduating from Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine practice primary care, addressing a national shortage.
Faculty researchers in the College of Health Sciences and Professions contribute their expertise through a number of groundbreaking statewide collaborations such as the OHIO Alliance for Population Health, which brings together more than 40 affiliated universities, hospital associations, and health care providers to solve the most complex and pressing population health concerns across the state.
Faculty and students from the OHIO's Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab often work with external partners, including collaborating on multiple projects with OhioHealth.
Artist and College of Fine Arts Professor of Painting + Drawing John Sabraw helps convert acid mine drainage (left) into paint that is sold and used to help pay for the restoration of waterways that have been polluted by coal mining.
Ohio University researchers, with support from entities like TechGROWTH Ohio and the Innovation Center (pictured), have the opportunity to commercialize their work. For example, researchers founded AEIOU Scientific, now known as OsteoDX, to develop a device that can check the strength of bones easily and non-invasively using vibration analysis.