Dr. Ozeas Costa

Dr. Ozeas Costa studies the biogeochemistry of nutrients (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus) in aquatic systems (streams, lakes and wetlands). He seeks to understand the processes (both natural and anthropogenic) that drive and influence the biogeochemical cycles of these nutrients, including: sources and transport of nutrients in watersheds, the effects of nutrients on aquatic ecosystems, and how these systems retain nutrients and control their transformations. This is done by conducting measurements in the field, running experiments in the laboratory, and developing and applying models. He is also interested in the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on watershed hydrology, and the use of GIS in research and education. Dr. Costa has conducted nutrient research in Brazil, Canada, Panama, and in Ohio. To learn more about his research projects and how to get involved visit this website.

Research News

Dr. Ozeas Costa and his student John Volk have recently published an article in the Journal of Natural and Environmental Sciences (November 2010). The article, entitled “The influence of land-use and seasons on SOM distribution in headwaters of a central Ohio watershed”, shows the results of a study designed to elucidate the controls on the spatial and temporal variations of the distribution of soil organic matter along the Clear Fork River, which drains a mixed urban-agricultural landscape in north-central Ohio. Dr. Costa came to the Mansfield campus in 2006. He has a doctorate degree in Aqueous Biogeochemistry from the University of Plymouth in the U.K.

STUDENTS

Starting in the Spring 2011 students can graduate with “research distinction” written in their transcripts if they get involved in undergraduate research.

More info

Undergraduate Research at Ohio State Mansfield

OSU Undergraduate Research Office

OSU Research Page

Research Assistant: Faculty at The Ohio State University at Mansfield are highly involved with research, scholarship, and the creation of new knowledge. You can play an important role in this research by providing assistance to faculty members in a variety of fields. Sometimes independent study (693) or research (699) course credits can be given, depending on the nature of the assistance. Sometimes students are paid in exchange for their help on a research project. Occasionally students volunteer for this activity simply for the experience.

Senior Honor's Thesis: One of the most challenging and fulfilling aspects of your college education could be completing an honors thesis. This is an opportunity for students who have at least a 3.3 GPA on 90 graded Ohio State hours. The student must enroll in 8 and 15 hours of independent research and/or course work applicable to the project. Departments in the College of Arts and Sciences offer an H783 course option for this purpose and the College of Education offers H599. The student must complete a research project, submit it in written form and undergo a minimum one-hour oral examination by a three-person faculty committee. Fulfilling these requirements will enable the student to graduate "with Distinction" in their major.

The important first step is to think about what topic you might be interested in researching and approaching a professor in your major to asking if he/she would be willing to advise you. This should be done before the end of your junior year. The necessary forms and other advice may be obtained from Dr. Mark Ellis, Director of the OSU-Mansfield Honors Program in Riedl Hall, Room 226.

Student Research Projects: Students who do not wish to or cannot undertake an honors thesis project can still pursue research areas that interest them. The student must find a professor willing to provide guidance and advice. Research, especially research involving human subjects, must go through an approval process before you can implement it. It is possible to get course credit for undertaking your own research project.

FACULTY

Name: Tim M. Berra
Position Title: Professor Emeritus
Date: February 6, 2011
Publication:
Berra, Tim. M. 2010. Clarification of field characters for three freshwater sharks and a photographic atlas of Glyphis glyphis and G. garricki from the Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory: 26: 109-114.

Name: Cynthia Callahan
Position Title: Assistant Professor of English
Date: February 2, 2011
Publication:
Callahan, Cynthia. Kin of Another Kind: Transracial Adoption in American Literature. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2011.

Name: Daniel Amsterdam
Position Title: Assistant Professor of History
Date: February 4, 2011
Grant/Award:
Amsterdam, Daniel. "Immigration and the New Metropolitan Geography," co-authored with Michael B. Katz (primary author), et al. The 2010 Journal of Urban Affairs Best Article Award.

Name: Barbara A. Lehman
Position Title: Professor of Teaching and Learning
Date: September 16, 2010
Presentation:
Lehman, Barbara A. 2010. Reading globally: The reader's responsibility in literary transactions. Paper presented at 32nd International Board on Books for Young People World Congress, Santiago de Campostela, Spain, September 11, 2010.

Name: Barbara A. Lehman
Position Title: Professor of Teaching and Learning
Date: February 21, 2011
Publication:
Stone, R., & Lehman, B.A. (2011). Breaking new ground with Reviva Schermbrucker: South African writer and illustrator. Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, 49, 9-16.

Name: Dawn Kitchen
Position Title: Associate Professor of Anthropology
Date: October 19, 2010
Publication:
Kitchen, D.M., Bergman, T.J., Nicholson, J., Cheney, D.L., & Seyfarth, R.M. 2010. Responses of four ungulate species to experimental playback of baboon loud calls. Animal Cognition 13: 861-870.

Name: Dawn Kitchen
Position Title: Associate Professor of Anthropology
Date: October 19, 2010
Grant/Award:
Kitchen, D.M. Causes and Consequences of Vocal Variation in a Howler Monkey (Alouatta spp.) Hybrid Zone. National Science Foundation Grant in Physical Anthropology. May 2010-May 2013. $63,389.

Name: Dawn Kitchen
Position Title: Associate Professor of Anthropology
Date: October 19, 2010
Presentation:
Kitchen, D.M., Bergman, T.J., & Cortes-Ortiz, L. 2010. Acoustic differences in the vocalizations of purebred and hybrid mantled (Alouatta palliata) and black howler monkeys (A. pigra). Paper presented at the 23rd Congress of the International Primatological Society, Kyoto, Japan, September 13, 2010.

Name: Dawn Kitchen
Position Title: Associate Professor of Anthropology
Date: October 19, 2010
Presentation:
Boose, K.J., Kitchen, D.M. & White, F.J. 2010. Distribution and function of separating interventions as a political behavior in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus). Poster presented with former student at the 23rd Congress of the International Primatological Society, Kyoto, Japan, September 14, 2010.

Name: Terri Fisher
Position Title: Professor of Psychology
Date: November 8, 2010
Presentation:
Fisher, T. D. (November, 2010) Frequency of sexual cognitions: Is the moderate sex difference real or a function of reporting bias? Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, Las Vegas.
Grant/Award:
Fisher, T. D. Elected a Fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.

Name: Ozeas S. Costa, Jr.
Position Title: Assistant Professor
Date: October 28, 2010
Publication:
Volk, J.M. and Costa, O.S.Jr. 2010. The influence of land-use and seasons on SOM distribution in headwaters of a central Ohio watershed. Journal of Natural & Environmental Sciences 1(2): 19-27.

Name: Dr Tena I. Katsaounis
Position Title: Instructor
Date: December 21, 2010
Service:
Continuing Education Chair, 2010, Section of the Physical and Engineering Sciences, American Statistical Association.

Name: Dr Tena I. Katsaounis
Position Title: Instructor
Date: December 21, 2010
Service:
US Representative, Women in Statistics Committee, International Statistical Institute, 2010 and 2011, on behalf of the Caucus for Women in Statistics.

Name: Norman Jones
Position Title: Associate Professor of English
Date: December 13, 2010
Publication:
Hamlin, Hannibal and Norman W. Jones, eds. The King James Bible after 400 Years: Literary, Linguistic, and Cultural Influences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Name: Norman Jones
Position Title: Associate Professor of English
Date: December 13, 2010Publication:
Jones, Norman W. “Post-Secular Queer: Christianity, Queer Theory, and the Unsolvable Mysteries of Sexual Desire.” Intersections in Christianity and Critical Theory. Cassandra Falke, ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.

Name: Terri Fisher
Position Title: Professor of Psychology
Date: August 16, 2010
Publication:
Fisher, T. D., Davis, C. M., Yarber, W. L., & Davis, S. L. (Eds.) (2010). Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge. [cover art by John Thrasher]

Name: Tim M. Berra
Position Title: Professor Emeritus
Date: February 25, 2011
Presentation:
Berra, Tim M. Charles Darwin: The Concise Story of an Extraordinary Man presented at the Lecture and Travel Series of the Friends of the Island Library, Holmes Beach, Florida on 16 Feb. 2011.

Name: Norman W. Jones
Position Title: Associate Professor of English
Date: March 9, 2011
Publications to appeaer in:
InterSpeak
OnCampus
Publication:
“Final word—or flawed translation?” The Church Times 25 February 2011: 18-19.