Professor John M. Horack, Ohio State vice president of research for the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge and the Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace Policy, received the 2026 Distinguished Service Award from the International Astronautical Federation for decades of leadership in the international space research community.
Horack has participated in the International Astronautical Federation for nearly 25 years, serving on technical committees, chairing committees and completing a term as vice president on the organization’s board. His dedicated work strengthens Ohio State’s connections within the global aerospace research community while expanding opportunities for collaboration and student engagement.
Additional Faculty Accomplishments
Several Glenn College faculty and courtesy faculty members received promotions approved at the June Ohio State University Board of Trustees meeting. Meta Brown, economics; Shoshanah Inwood, environment and natural resources; and Wendy Xu, public health, have been named professors. In addition, Carly Dearborn was promoted to associate professor with tenure.
Associate Professor Jeffrey M. Bielicki and colleagues’ paper, “Just Transition to Electric Vehicles in Disadvantaged Communities: Integrating Transportation, Energy, Environmental, and Climate Justice,” in Energy Research & Social Science, explores capabilities and barriers to transitioning to electric vehicles.
Defense Acquisition Magazine published research by Associate Professor Amanda Girth, director of Washington Programs. “A Systems Approach to Sustainable Innovation” outlines a decision-making model and tool that continuously monitor and identify the barriers to and facilitators of a healthy innovation culture.
Assistant Professor Esra Gules-Guctas received a Russell Sage Foundation Pipeline Grant, awarded to emerging scholars to cultivate an academic pipeline of researchers from a broad range of backgrounds, experiences and institutions. She is using the grant to test whether AI-generated fraud flags in unemployment insurance increase administrative burdens for applicants and whether effects differ across applicant profiles. The American Society for Public Administration selected her article “How Do Algorithmic Decision-Making Systems Used in Public Benefits Determinations Fail? Insights From Legal Challenges,” published in Public Administration Review, for the Excellence in Science and Technology in Government Research Award.
Professor Russell Hassan, the Ambassador Milton A. and Roslyn Z. Wolf Chair in Public and International Affairs, published “Motivation, Burnout, and Resignation: A Longitudinal Study of Law Enforcement Officers” in the journal Review of Public Personnel Administration, finding that public service motivation can help sustain law enforcement officers in their roles during challenging periods by dampening burnout-related resignation pressures. Hassan also published “Anticipated Stigma and Burnout: The Impact of Concerns About Being Perceived as Racist Among Law Enforcement Officers” in Public Administration Review. The results extend stereotype-threat research to a high-power public service context and underscore the need for organizational interventions that reduce stereotype-related stress and support officer well-being.
Professor Josh Hawley this spring provided interested party testimony to the Ohio Senate Education Committee on how the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive and Ohio Education Research Center at Ohio State provide the trusted, longitudinal data needed to understand whether state investments in education, workforce training and credentialing are achieving the hoped-for results. The testimony was part of hearings on Senate Bill 328, regarding the Education and Workforce Return on Investment Initiative, a middle school career exploration course requirement, and student academic and career plans.
Faculty Emeritus Ned Hill published two articles in Economic Development Quarterly recently: “The Value of Economic and Community Development Anchors” and a commentary, “Wrestling with Markets in Economic and Community Development.” In addition, Hill testified in a panel before the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing, “America 250: Industrialization and the Rise of Small Manufacturers.” He outlined the role of manufacturing in the nation’s economic development and the national policies that supported manufacturing throughout history.
Courtesy Associate Professor Alex Hollingsworth, economics, was selected to be on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board, with service on the board’s Economic Analysis Committee. The board is a 45-member group that provides independent scientific and technical peer review and advice to the EPA administrator and Congress for the agency’s actions.
Courtesy Associate Professor Shoshanah Inwood, environment and natural resources, received a Community Engaged Scholar Award from the university’s Office of Outreach and Engagement for advancing research with communities at the nexus of food systems, agriculture and rural development.
Courtesy Professor Caezilia Loibl, human sciences, published “Scarcity Mindset’s Positive Association With Using Alternative Financial Services” in PLOS One and “To What Extent Did Social Media Use Contribute to Financial Hardship During the COVID-19 Pandemic?” in the Journal of Consumer Affairs.
Assistant Professor Ashley Orr received an Ohio State Engaged Scholarship Seed Grant to evaluate the Resilient Housing Initiative, a City of Columbus pilot program.
Assistant Professor Tasha Perdue received one of Ohio State’s 2026 Community Engaged Scholar Awards. Perdue’s community engaged research examines the intersection of criminal justice and public health responses to drug crises and their implications for risk and substance use outcomes, demonstrating the essential relationship of public health and criminal justice policy.
In Public Performance & Management Review, Professor Jos Raadschelders published “Good Government: The Future of Research in the Study of Public Administration.” The study serves as a springboard to argue for a revival of conceptual research while acknowledging the importance of links between micro-, meso- and macro-levels of analysis.
Assistant Professor Victor St. John’s study “Locked down or Let Out After COVID-19: Political Systems and Global Incarceration,” published in the International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, emphasizes the need for policies promoting adaptability and fairness in global criminal justice systems to address systemic issues and inequality effectively.
Assistant Professor Long Tran published “Drivers of Citizens’ Willingness to Donate to Local Governments” in Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, offering practical implications for local governments seeking citizen support for infrastructure deficits and budget shortfalls.
Read the latest edition of Public Address, the Glenn College magazine.