Newsroom

CORVALLIS - For Oregon State University alumni and other members of the public who would like to return to campus without memories of "final exam anxiety," the OSU Alumni Association has something for you.

It's called, Classes Without Quizzes.

On Friday, Oct. 31, the association is hosting a series of fun, no-pressure classes where participants can learn about screenplay writing, Prozac, outer space and more. The activities are part of OSU's annual Homecoming celebration.

Highlighting the classes will be opportunities for the public to meet with this year's three Alumni Fellows - astronaut Donald Pettit, screenwriter Mike Rich, and neuroscientist David Wong. Also scheduled are tours of the Memorial Union and Weatherford Hall, both of which are celebrating their 75th anniversaries, and the Biomechanics Laboratory in the College of Health and Human Sciences.

To register for the events, which cost $15 for Alumni Association members and $17 for non-members, go to the web at: http://alumni.oregonstate.edu/learning/cwq.html, or call 541-737-2351.

• Tour of Weatherford Hall and the Memorial Union. Both buildings are celebrating their 75th anniversary. Weatherford is undergoing remodeling to become headquarters for the Austin Entrepreneurial Program, and the MU is still the hub of campus. From 9 to 10:30 a.m., beginning at the MU.

   

• "So You Want to be a Superhero?" - Starting at the MU and proceeding to the Biomechanics Laboratory, where you can see how this cutting edge lab aids in the study of how humans can achieve peak performance with our bodies. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

   

• "Stories from Space" - Lunch with Don Pettit. Hear first-hand from this OSU graduate what it was like aboard the International Space Station in the aftermath of the shuttle crash. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the CH2M HILL Alumni Center.

   

• "Behind the Silver Screen" - Hear from Mike Rich, screenwriter and radio host, about his experiences since leaving OSU, including writing the films, "Finding Forrester," "The Rookie," and the forthcoming "Radio," to be released in November. He will show the trailer from that latest film. 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., CH2M HILL Alumni Center.

   

• "Medical Marvels" - Listen to David Wong tell about how he parlayed his OSU education into a career as a leading neuroscientist with the Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Co., including being part of a three-person team that discovered Prozac. 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., CH2M HILL Alumni Center.