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COVID-19 website: To facilitate the ongoing sharing of information about the virus, Oregon State University has added a link on the OSU homepage to a new page that provides detailed and up-to-date COVID-19 information; links to OSU, local, state and federal resources; and updates on the latest federal travel restrictions
NEW! Today’s Timely Teaching Tip: Did you miss the recent Ecampus virtual Faculty Forum? You can view the recorded keynote address to explore tools and techniques to apply learning science in all teaching modalities. Visit Keep Teaching for all the Week 10 Timely Teaching Tips.
Today in the News Media is a synopsis of some of the most prominent coverage of OSU people and programs. Inclusion of any item constitutes neither an endorsement nor a critique, but rather is intended only to make the OSU community aware of significant items in the media. Content appearing includes timely news and feature stories from broadcast, print and online sources. Occasionally, opinion pieces and first-person columns appearing in mainstream media outlets that are written by faculty members and pertain to their academic or professional expertise may be included based on their unique, informative value, timeliness and space constraints. It is not the policy of OSU Today to include Letters to the Editor.
If you’re feeling anxious or uncomfortable these days — despite the gains made toward reopening Oregon — you’re not alone. In fact, Regan A.R. Gurung, Ph.D., might be more concerned if you felt no anxiety. “It is very healthy to feel some anxiety,” said Gurung, an author and the director of Oregon State University’s (Corvallis) General Psychology Program.
The blue, discovered in 2009 by Oregon State University chemist Mas Subramanian, was the first new blue pigment developed in more than 200 years. Subramanian made the discovery accidentally while trying to create new materials to use in electronics.
Oregon State announced significant cutbacks Wednesday to its athletic department, including 23 staff positions, in response to an expected revenue shortfall due to an impact from the coronavirus outbreak.
Some calls have been in the quiet back country of social media, but in a May 29 open letter to College Board trustees, Jon Boeckenstedt, Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at Oregon State University, called for “a change at the top” for the company. Boeckenstedt includes a “partial list of the embarrassing or educationally unsound things that have happened on his watch.”
Today’s workspaces: Deborah Gould, academic program coordinator for the Department of Food Science & Technology, is assisted by Denko and Yuri.
Lori Hodgert, office specialist for the College of Agricultural Sciences, Academic Programs Office, has made her own version of a stand-up desk. Follow OSU Today on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/osutoday1/ and catch up on any workspace photos you might have missed so far.
DEI Response to COVID-19: From Principles to Action: Charlene Alexander, vice president and chief diversity officer, will host a conversation on “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the time of COVID-19” with a group of leaders on June 4, from 9-10:30 a.m. Speakers include Yvette Gullatt, vice provost for Diversity and Engagement and interim vice president for Student Affairs in the University of California Office of the President. Gullatt along with chief diversity officers from the University of California developed guiding Principles on Equity and Inclusion During COVID-19. Panelists will consider the application of DEI principles in their work, lived experiences and identify ways to move from thought to action. Click HERE to register.
M.S. Defense – Sustainable Forest Management: Liam Gilson will present his thesis, “Drivers of Productivity Differences between Native and Exotic Range Douglas-fir Plantations in Oregon and New Zealand,” on Thursday, June 4, at 10 a.m. via Zoom. To participate, contact Liam for the Zoom information. Gilson is pursuing his M.S. in Sustainable Forest Management with his major professor, Doug Maguire, in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management.
Winning: LinkedIn Best Practices: LinkedIn is a popular and powerful tool connecting career-minded Beavers everywhere. Maximize the benefits of this free tool by attending the LinkedIn best practices webinar hosted by the OSU Alumni Association June 4 at noon. Presenters will cover what to include, how to maximize a profile’s reach and online networking best practices. See details: osualum.com/winning
Investment and PERS webinars: The Maps Credit Union CFS investment team is conducting a Weekly Webinar Series on a variety of investment topics that include current market updates. This is one way to educate yourself without leaving the comfort and safety of your own home. Thursday, June 4, noon - Investing With Social Responsibility Join the Maps Investment team as they host a presentation on what to make of the current volatility and gain perspective on strategies for the approaching months and years.(These are not OSU events but are tailored to OSU clients and during normal circumstances are held on campus. There is no charge.)
University Budget Conversation: On Thursday, June 4 from noon to 1 p.m., the Office of Budget and Resource Planning will hold a Zoom webinar to discuss Budget Planning in Uncertain Times with a very brief update and Q&A about budget planning for the balance of the current year and for 2020-2021. The Budget Conversation sessions are limited to 60 minutes with the initial 15-20 minutes spent on presentation of the topic, leaving time for discussion and Q&A. More information about University Budget Conversations is located on the Office of Budget and Resource Planning website. If you have questions, please contact Sherm Bloomer for more information.
Beyond Benefits: Oregon State University’s Office of Human Resources is introducing a new employee assistance program (EAP) called Beyond Benefits. Beyond Benefits will replace Cascade Centers EAP effective July 1, 2020, and will provide extensive resources for employees. It is available to Graduate Assistants, Post-Doc Scholars, Classified Staff, Academic Faculty, Professional Faculty and their household members. Employees will be able to access Beyond Benefits support by phone, online or through a mobile app. A webinar about Beyond Benefits takes place June 4, 2-3 p.m., at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/717128509. The webinar will be recorded and available for employees to view at a later time here. You can also dial in at +1 (646) 749-3122, Access Code: 717-128-509. New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/717128509. For more information, contact Employee Benefits at employee.benefits@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-2805.
Do you have a business idea or tech with commercialization potential but need some help? The OSU Advantage Accelerator is offering Iterate, a free virtual class for researchers, entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs who have a business idea or technology with commercialization potential but aren't sure what to do next. Come learn how to create a value proposition, find and understand your market, and more. Iterate consists of four workshops that build on each other: June 4, all from 4-5:30 p.m. Learn more and register: https://advantage.oregonstate.edu/advantage-accelerator/programs/iterate
Under the Orange Light: COVID 19: The Faculty Senate Executive group will present a series of lightning talks by faculty who will take the audience on an intersectional journey to better understand the current COVID-19 global pandemic, June 4, 5-7 p.m. The faculty presenting are: Bill Ripple, Chunhuei Chi, Christopher McKnight Nichols, Jennifer Alix Garcia, Daniel López-Cevallos, Dina Ribbink, James Sterns, John Selker, and Jeffery Bethel. Faculty will look at the cause of the disease, the history of pandemics, the cultural, political, social and economic impacts and the OSU faculties efforts to study the disease. A Q&A also will take place. Zoom link: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/97430347676
NEW! University Budget Committee: The University Budget Committee will meet this Friday, June 5 from 2-3:30 p.m. via Zoom. The UBC is OSU’s advisory body to the Provost for recommendations on tuition rates, budget priorities, and budget policies. The committee will discuss projections and planning relevant to developing budget recommendations for 2020-21. Members of the university community are welcome to join the meetings as observers. If you are interested in joining as an observer you may register for the webinar here. Future meeting times and locations can be found at https://fa.oregonstate.edu/budget/university-budget-committee/ubc-meeting-schedule.
Engineering Virtual Showcase: Experience more than 100 engineering virtual projects, featuring videos, digital posters, websites and more presented by College of Engineering students. June 5, 10 a.m. to noon. Learn about the amazing work students are doing with artificial intelligence, virtual reality, nuclear energy, robotics, earthquake safety, clean water and more. More information: https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/showcase2020.
World Oceans Day Virtual Event: Celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8 at 6 p.m. This virtual event features a short OSU produced film, a Q&A session, trivia, art, music, and a special reading of a children's ocean storybook. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-oceans-day-event-oregon-state-university-science-pub-tickets-105897923540
World Oceans Day is June 8: The OSU Marine Studies Initiative is compiling OSU-led events and resources to recognize this day and help raise awareness about the importance of a healthy ocean. We invite you to join this celebratory effort. Is your college or unit hosting or involved with seminars or other special events at the end of May through mid-June that raise awareness about issues of the coasts and ocean? If yes, send the information to us at Marine.Studies@Oregonstate.edu.
NEW! Ph.D. Defense – Sustainable Forest Management: Cory Garms will present his research, “Assessing the Size of Seedlings and Leaning of Mature Conifers with Unmanned Aircraft and Mobile Lidar,” on Monday, June 8, at 1 p.m. via Zoom. Garms is pursuing his Ph.D. in Sustainable Forest Management with his major professor, Bogdan Strimbu, in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management.
NEW! Monthly Ice Breaker Series: The Adventure Leadership Institute invites you to learn new activities and ice breakers to encourage group development and engagement in remote or hybrid delivery settings. Check out this month’s activity, “All About Me," explained by Experiential Education Coordinator, Mark Belson. For more activities or programming opportunities, contact the ALI Challenge Course at challenge@oregonstate.edu.
TRACE-COVID-19 lecture: On Friday, June 5, Benjamin Dalziel, College of Science; and Jeff Bethel, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, will present “TRACE: A scalable community-based approach to estimate the prevalence of SARS-Cov-2 infection” via Zoom from 1-2 p.m. Access the lecture live, also recorded, at health.oregonstate.edu/seminars, and learn more about the project at trace.oregonstate.edu.
Challenges for the Future: The Center for Teaching & Learning would like you to invite you to our presentation of Lessons Learned From Spring 2020: Challenges For the Future. Friday, June 5, noon to 1:30 p.m. CTL staff and instructors will review the student and faculty survey results, highlight college efforts, and share guides for the future. Free to attend via Zoom.
Beavers: Ben Goldfarb, author of “Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter,” and Jefferson Jacobs, Riparian Restoration Coordinator for the Oregon Natural Desert Association, will discuss and answer your questions about the natural history of Oregon’s state animal and OSU’s mascot, as well as their importance in restoring ecosystems. They will present on June 6, from 9-10:30 a.m. on Zoom. Register HERE.
Oregon Teen Science Café: Maximillian Alvarez shares how he developed his authentic voice. He is a writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education and creator of the podcast "Working People." Join Max live on June 7 at 4 p.m. to ask him questions about his experiences. Event is open to any middle and high school students. Registration is required.
Department of Integrative Biology Ph.D. Defense Seminar: Claire Couch will present “From Microbes to Megafauna: The Ecology of Gut Microbiomes in Wild Herbivores” on Monday, June 8 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. Couch is completing her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology under the guidance of Anna Jolles. Free and open to the public. https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/96512826543
Take part in OER workshops online: The OSU Open Educational Resources Unit is hosting a series of virtual workshops this month on how faculty can find or create no-cost and low-cost learning materials. Topics include implementing affordable learning materials to save students money (June 15); the Creative Commons licensing process (June 16); and reviewing and becoming familiar with open textbooks (June 17). Learn more about each workshop and register today.
No-cost access to online learning virtual conference: An institution-wide pass to the Online Learning Consortium’s Innovate conference, to be held online from June 15-26, is available for all OSU faculty and staff. OLC Innovate gathers higher education faculty, advisors and administrators throughout the U.S. to share ideas and best practices. In this virtual event, synchronous conference sessions will be available daily, and you’ll also have access to all session recordings. To learn how to register at no cost, visit the Ecampus website.
Call for Applications: Blended Learning Innovations in Pedagogy (BLIP) Faculty Fellowship. Applications for the 2020-2021 BLIP Faculty Fellow (.25 FTE) are now being accepted. The Initiative offers a teaching faculty fellow the opportunity to shape blended learning programming for colleagues across campus, in partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning, Ecampus, Academic Technology, and the Office of Undergraduate Education. More information can be found here. Deadline to apply: July 1.
Repair Fair Virtual Edition - Archive: Did you miss our virtual Repair Fair demos? Find them here and learn some new skills! The Waste Watchers Club partnered with ASOSU’s #DIYwalkthru instagram campaign to host virtual Repair Fair demos from May 18-29, and now you can watch them all. Check out the website, Instagram @osusustainable, or our Facebook page (Sustainability at OSU), to see the videos.
Health and safety: The University Health & Safety Committee wants to promote health and safety by providing the following information from SAIF in regards to heat/cold stress before our summer heat wave starts, available online at https://www.saif.com/safety-and-health/topics/prevent-injuries/heat/cold-stress.html. You can also access OSU’s University Health & Safety Committee online at http://ehs.oregonstate.edu/uhsc, including past meeting minutes, information on how to contact a committee member, and a link to report safety concerns online.
Larry Landis, Director of the Special Collections and Archives Research Center of OSU Libraries, is retiring: After 30 years in archives at OSU, Larry Landis is retiring, and his last day is June 30. Among his many accomplishments, Larry helped to establish the Oregon Multicultural Archives in 2005, authored A School for the People: A Photographic History of Oregon State University in 2015 (available from OSU Press), and worked on various OSU150 activities. After June 30, Larry can be contacted at tro2005@gmail.com.
Summer fitness: OSU’s Faculty Staff Fitness Program is offering over 200 pre-recorded online fitness classes for 14 weeks of summer term June 15-Sept. 18. Classes range from 10, 20, 30 to 60 minutes and involve formats including Weight Training, Cardio Kickboxing, Cardio Dance (similar to Zumba), Barre Fusion, Pilates, various Yoga styles, and more. Registration is $35 and is now open via: https://health.oregonstate.edu/fsf/online.
A minute of your time = support for OSU students. Approximately one-third of OSU students have been financially impacted by COVID-19, and they need our help. All you need to do is spend a minute or two reviewing your favorite brands, and for each review submitted, Express Feedback for Good will donate $2 to the OSU Beavers Care initiative. Sign up today and voice your opinion. Your personal information will not be sold to third parties. It won’t cost you a penny, but it’ll make the world of difference for OSU students.
Teaching Infographic: See practical solutions to remote teaching issues from the Center for Teaching and Learning. The infographic provides evidence-based solutions with links to useful resources. Need assistance for finishing Spring term or developing Summer or Fall courses? For a teaching consultation, contact CTL.
New Oregon State OER services microsite: Oregon State’s Open Educational Resources Unit has launched a new services microsite to support faculty. This site serves as a comprehensive guide for working with the unit to integrate OER into courses. OSU faculty are encouraged to explore the site and learn how the OER Unit can assist, consult and collaborate. For more information, visit https://open.oregonstate.edu/services.
2020 Faculty and Staff Climate Survey: The 2020 Faculty and Staff Climate Survey launched on May 6 with an invitation from President Ray, with additional invitations from Deans and Division leaders. Please check your e-mail to access the survey link. The survey is open until June 5. Copy and paste this link to access the Office of Institutional Diversity website for past reports: https://diversity.oregonstate.edu/climate-assessment Questions about the survey can be directed to OID at diversity@oregonstate.edu.
Call for submissions: The ADVANCE Journal, hosted by OREGON STATE ADVANCE, announces a special issue in honor of the 20th anniversary of the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program. The special issue theme is Collaborations, Collisions, and Connections. The goal of ADVANCE “is to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.” Additional information and submissions portal found here: https://www.advancejournal.org/post/444. Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2021.
InclusiveExcellence@OSU: IE@OSU is a professional development program for STEM faculty to understand and confront inequities in STEM education. The IE@OSU team is recruiting interested faculty for the Fall 2020 cohort of Fellows. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fall Academy is shifting to a virtual format, which will take place over the course of Fall term. More information about the program can be found here. If you are interested in participating, please click here to complete a short survey; deadline to indicate interest is Friday, June 5. Please contact program coordinator Ann Sitomer with any questions.
Faculty & Staff COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund Under IRS Code Section 139: In collaboration with the OSU Foundation, Oregon State University is offering emergency financial assistance grants through the OSU Faculty and Staff COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund. The purpose of this fund is to help regular classified and unclassified employees in our university community with unexpected needs during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic. All classified staff, professional faculty and academic/research faculty are eligible regardless of service time or FTE. An individual must be actively employed on the date of grant distribution. Read more about the details of the program here. Student hourly employees, graduate assistants, and stipend recipients (e.g., fellows) are not eligible. There are separate programs for students located here: https://financialaid.oregonstate.edu/covid-19.
"It's fine to have talent, but talent is the last of it. In an acting career, as in an acting performance, you've got to have vitality. The secret of successful acting is identical with a woman's beauty secret: joy in living." ~ Rosalind Russell, born today in 1907.
Corvallis: Mostly sunny today, high of 74, low of 51. Mostly cloudy tomorrow.
Central Oregon: Sunny today, high of 71, low of 49. Mostly sunny tomorrow.
Newport: Mostly sunny today, high of 63, low of 48. Mostly cloudy tomorrow.
Statewide: For OSU employees around the state, find your local forecast here: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/