By Stephen M. Gavazzi, Ph.D.

The Latest News, Views, and Announcements

What's New at CHRR

CHRR at The Ohio State University is known for the longevity of its employees (our average length of service is approximately 17 years). Inevitably, however, there comes a time when we must say goodbye to valued members of our team as they move into retirement.

Such has been the case over the past two months. At the end of May, we said goodbye to Lori Stevens, who retired from CHRR after 13 years of dedicated service. This past month, we also bid farewell to Tammy Zimmerman, who was with CHRR for 24 years. Lori and Tammy have each played an important role in shaping CHRR into the organization it is today. Their sense of professionalism, commitment, and collegial spirit have left a lasting mark on their colleagues and on the many projects they have helped bring to life.

While we will deeply miss their daily presence, we celebrate their careers and this well-earned next chapter. We thank them both for their many contributions and the relationships they built along the way. On behalf of all of us at CHRR, we wish Lori and Tammy joy, good health, and fulfillment in the years ahead. They will always remain a valued part of the CHRR community.

CHRR’s Leadership Team

There is, admittedly, less news than usual to report from the leadership team this month, a reflection not of inactivity, but of a very full season. Between extensive work-related travel and the welcome arrival of summer vacations, many of our colleagues have been balancing professional commitments with time away to recharge. This rhythm serves as an important reminder of the value of stepping back when possible. We encourage everyone to take advantage of the summer months to rest, reconnect, and invest in their own well-being. Sustaining the important work we do at CHRR depends not only on our dedication, but also on our ability to refresh ourselves along the way.

CHRR Team Member Celebrations

"Collaboration is multiplication." -John C. Maxwell

This month we are observing the work anniversaries of six valued employees:

• Omar Durvesh, 8 years of service to CHRR.
• Steven Evans, 19 years of service to CHRR.
• Tennison Gray, 7 years of service to CHRR.
• Lisa Neilson, 14 years of service to CHRR.
• Brittany Poast, 4 years of service to CHRR.
• John Stevens, 15 years of service to CHRR.

That’s a total of 67 years of service to our center. Thank you for your commitment to the CHRR mission!

Things You Might Want to Know

New CHRR Research Featured in the Columbus Dispatch

A recent Columbus Dispatch guest column co-written by Ryan King, ASC Divisional Dean, and yours truly highlighted new CHRR survey findings on how Ohioans view artificial intelligence. Based on a statewide sample drawn from the American Population Panel, the research reveals broad, bipartisan agreement: while most residents regularly use AI and see its benefits for productivity, they overwhelmingly want human oversight and thoughtful government regulation to ensure it serves (not replaces) people. At a time of deep political division, the findings point to a rare area of consensus and offer a clear directive for policymakers navigating the future of AI.

The survey results also underscored how deeply AI is already embedded in everyday life across Ohio, from voice assistants and chatbots to workplace tools. At the same time, respondents drew clear boundaries around its role: AI is widely accepted as a helpful advisor, but not as an independent decision-maker in areas like health, education, or the legal system. Strong majorities emphasized the importance of human oversight and expressed support for regulation – even if it slows innovation – highlighting a shared expectation that technological progress must remain firmly anchored to human judgment and accountability.

Hawley Presents at the Society for Longitudinal Life Course Studies

Josh Hawley presented "Modeling school to work transitions education beyond compulsory schooling using linked panel data from Thailand: 2012-2024” at the Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies in Brussels, Belgium in June 30 2026.

Dr. Hawley’s co-authors included Sungjin Lee, Nuttanan Wichitakorn, Thanarat Chotikasathian, and Seongji Jeong.

Ramser Presentation at the Massive Data Institute

Nick Ramser recently travelled to Washington D.C to speak at the “2026 Summer Institute on Privacy Enhancing Technologies for Education Data”. This conference was hosted by the Massive Data Institute (MDI) at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Nick presented, along with Kelsey Badger from the University Libraries, about CHRR’s recent efforts to create a secure data repository paired together as a service with our data enclave offering. Nick and Kelsey were the hosts of an “Ask me Anything” session on secure enclaves and repositories and then hosted an interactive session with attendees discussing CHRR’s approach to public access of sensitive data.

Presentation at the American Science@250 Public Design Forum Workshop

I was in Washington, DC on June 18-19 to attend the American Science@250 Public Forum Design Workshop put on by the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes (CSPO, a DC-based initiative headed by Arizona State University). During a portion of that gathering, I presented a lightning talk on "Rebuilding the Land-Grant Science–Society Compact!" I am indebted to CSPO’s Mahmud Farooque for the invitation to attend and present. I was most struck by the great interest in how to measure the public’s trust in science more generally and university research activities most specifically, something that CHRR will be doing quite a bit of in the coming months.