OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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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 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.
TRACE OSU testing: OSU has invited all OSU students to be tested through TRACE-OSU before, and the week after, spring break, which is March 22-26. All students living in the residence halls are required to be tested within the first three days of spring term. Prevalence testing for university faculty and staff will be offered in Corvallis and at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport by TRACE-OSU, both the week before and the week after spring break. Employees working on-site at OSU-Cascades in Bend can be tested on March 30 and 31. Testing will not take place during Spring Break. Please join the effort to build a safer and healthier Oregon State University community. To enroll and for more information: https://trace.oregonstate.edu/osu.
Timely Teaching Tips: Looking for effective course design and teaching practices to use in your Spring courses? See the Remote and Blended Teaching Principles for guidance. For instance, give students the opportunity to encounter course content multiple times through multiple modalities, using media as appropriate.
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.
Jonathan Hurst has a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Melon University. He teaches robotics at Oregon State University in nearby Corvallis and founded Agility Robotics years ago. Early versions of his machines were just two legs, getting them to move correctly and sense steps or a slope, took years to get right. Then arms were added.
Cases in college students are a clear contributing factor, said Dr. Chunhuei Chi, professor of international health at Oregon State University and director of its Center for Global Health. OSU saw a substantial rise in COVID cases on its Corvallis campus in February, although the numbers have fallen in recent weeks.
Oregon State University is increasing COVID-19 testing for staff, faculty and students with spring break beginning on March 20.
Oregon State University researchers are looking at the environmental impact on beef and whiskey. They want to see if the soil in which the mash is grown makes a difference when marketing other types of alcohol. It is similar to what the wine industry does. One researcher thinks "regional added value" could become a part of the beer and liquor industry.
Seattle-based SRG Partnership has unveiled designs for Edward J. Ray Hall, a new Oregon State University Cascades Campus building with ambitious net-zero energy targets in Bend, Oregon. Designed to showcase OSU-Cascades’ commitment to sustainability, Edward J. Ray Hall will serve as a scalable and adaptable prototype for future buildings that, in addition to a goal of net-zero energy, will be built from regionally sourced mass timber for a small carbon footprint. The 50,000-square-foot building will be the first campus structure to engage a 46-acre reclaimed pumice mine that the university acquired for future expansion.
The Oregon State University Board of Trustees announced plans to hold a meeting Wednesday to discuss recent reports regarding President F. King Alexander's handling of sexual misconduct and Title IX issues during his tenure at Louisiana State University and to consider possible disciplinary action against Alexander.
Oregon State University Theatre will present a student-created play “Ten minutes at the Townsend” on March 19 at 7:30 p.m. This virtual play consists of six ten-minute excerpts from students’ plays followed by a three-minute coda, all set in a fictional small town, Pine Riverbend, CA in 1980-1989.
Postcards to Campus is an ongoing project centered around the OSU community. This project is open for submissions of mailed, dropped off or uploaded postcards. OSU community members are encouraged to share art, writings and sentiments on their postcards that range from personal to OSU-specific. Postcards submitted will be on display in the Valley Library rotunda and online, and will be archived through OSU's Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC) to be featured in their COVID Collecting Project. To find out more go here: https://spark.adobe.com/page/DoBPihuByIA4D/ and also click on Postcard Archive to see more of these great works of art.
CTL’s Tuesday Teaching + Tech Talks: Reflection, Metacognition, & Celebration. Brooke Howland and Kelby Hahn (CTL) and Logan Bingler (BIC). Excited to wrap up a tumultuous Fall term? We are too. Teaching Portfolios and CORE as a means to celebrate and support your reflective teaching success. This workshop will be facilitated on March 16, at 10 a.m., via Zoom: beav.es/ZOOMT4 *Password: CTL.
Being Adaptive in an Ever-Changing World: "Because we have always done it like that" may not be the best answer anymore to, "Why do we do the things we do?" In our ever-changing world, we are seeing shifts in our markets, our economies, our cultural norms, our behaviors and ourselves. Now is the time to thrive by learning how to be adaptive to accommodate and maximize the benefits of change. March 16, 11 a.m. Register Here.
NEW! Parent Connections for Employees – Strategies for Coping a Year After the Onset of the Pandemic: COVID has presented parents with many new challenges during the past year. Meet with other parents to discuss your challenges and strategies for coping. Join Parent Connections for Employees today from 1-2 p.m. via Zoom. For more information visit https://familyresources.oregonstate.edu/parentconnect or email robynn.pease@oregonstate.edu
NEW! Support Spaces for Students and Staff Impacted by Sexual Violence: The constant influx of media around campus sexual violence has a significant impact on our community. If you are seeking support and would like to connect with others, SARC and CAPS are hosting Zoom support group sessions for students on Tuesday, March 16, 1:30-2:30 p.m. and for staff on Friday, March 19, noon to 1 p.m. Please sign up to participate.
Diffusions: A Music Technology Concert: Satisfy your senses with something different — an entertaining evening of sight and sound — as students from the OSU music technology program present a showcase of their winter term projects. It's "Diffusions: A Music Technology Concert." Directed by Jason Fick. Tuesday, March 16, 8 p.m. Free, remote, watch on the College of Liberal Arts YouTube Channel.
NEW! SEIU meeting: Join the SEIU 503/OSU Sublocal 083 Monthly meeting. We will be joined by two guests: Stephanie Prentiss, the UO SEIU Union President and SEIU Board of Trustee representative, and Victor Reyes, United Academics leader. Thursday, March 18 from noon to 1 p.m. Join Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94363519074?pwd=SSt5ZEF5MzdiRG1SQlkwc3JoMktNQT09 Meeting ID: 943 6351 9074. Passcode: 822518. For questions, contact SEIU organizer Siobhan Burke at 630-699-0281 or burkes@seiu503.org.
NEW! Crossroads Conversation School for Women: Crossroads invites international women to join them for spring term English conversation classes beginning on Tuesday, March 30. In volunteer-taught classes, students explore other cultures, practice English, and develop friendships. Classes meet via Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. For more details and registration information go to www.facebook.com/Crossroads-Conversation-School-for-Women-111562023572850 or contact Kara Hanson at crossroadsconversationschool@gmail.com.
Board of Trustees: The Oregon State University Board of Trustees board will meet Wednesday, March 17, from 12:30 to 5 p.m. to hear public comment, and in public session with President Alexander review and discuss the findings and recommendations of the Husch Blackwell report as it regards his leadership at LSU over Title IX, his handling of sexual misconduct, and subsequent information regarding sexual misconduct that has been shared. Following the public session, the Board will meet in executive session in accordance with Oregon law to discuss personnel matters. No votes or decisions are allowed in an executive session. Following the executive session, the Board of Trustees will return to public session for discussion and consideration of next steps and may take potential action. A link to the Board Chair’s message is available here. To accommodate anticipated interest in providing public comment to the board, those interested should email trustees@oregonstate.edu to register for making public comment by noon on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Written public comments also may be submitted to trustees@oregonstate.edu. Written comments received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16, will be shared with trustees in advance of the meeting.
Authors and Editors Recognition: Attend the OSU Authors and Editors Recognition events for two nights of lectures and discussion. Register to attend on March 17 at 5:30 p.m. and hear featured authors of select literary work focused on equity, inclusivity and surveillance. Visit the Authors and Editors Recognition page for more information.
Women in STEM Wikipedia Editathon: In this informal “drop in” editathon, you can learn more about the Wikipedia gender gap, how to edit Wikipedia, talk with faculty teaching with Wikipedia and much more. March 19, 1-5 p.m. See the schedule and register here: https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/womenscientists2021.
University Theatre: Ten Minutes at the Townsend: This is an anthology of student plays set in a small-town diner. The event will be streamed with the support of KBVR-TV on the KBVR YouTube channel. The original works by OSU students are all based in the real town of Strawberry, California. The short slice-of-life conversations are set in a small diner in the fictional town of Pine Riverbend during the years of 1980-1989, and all take place in the same diner booth. Directed by Elizabeth Helman. Friday, March 19, 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the virtual event are available for purchase. Patrons can name their own price to support the work of OSU Theatre. The project is also supported by KBVR and the OSU campus branch of U.S. Bank.
Orange Media Network Spring '21 Open House: Orange Media Network is hiring. OMN is recruiting student writers, photographers, directors, graphic designers, engineers and much more. An open house will be held Wednesday, April 7 at 6 p.m. to explore opportunities within your passions and interests, connect with current OMN students and staff and learn how to get involved. Event link: beav.es/JLy.
Graduate Health Plan Q&A: The Oregon State University Office of Human Resource is hosting a graduate health plan Q&A session for graduate assistants and graduate fellows on April 15 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. Learn more about the grad health plan and get questions answered. Email gradhealth@oregonstate.edu for more information.
NEW! Director of the Oregon IPM Center Candidate Open Forum Presentation: Andrew Hulting, professor and Extension Weed Management Specialist in the Department of Crop and Soil Science at Oregon State University, will address the presentation topic: Describe your vision for leading the OIPMC with a focus on how you will coalesce and manage diverse groups of faculty, stakeholders and agencies to meet statewide and national mandates and challenges, and discuss how your skills and experiences would make you an effective director. Wednesday, March 17 from 2-3 p.m. Zoom details: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/94508211077?pwd=OER0dyt6VlM4emd3d2ZGeUlVaEVUZz09.
NEW! Director of the Oregon IPM Center Candidate Open Forum Presentation: Silvia Rondon, professor and Extension Entomology Specialist at Oregon State University, affiliated to the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center and the Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, will address the presentation topic: Describe your vision for leading the OIPMC with a focus on how you will coalesce and manage diverse groups of faculty, stakeholders, and agencies to meet statewide and national mandates and challenges, and discuss how your skills and experiences would make you an effective director. Wednesday, March 17 from 3:15-4:15 p.m. Zoom details: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/99530950878?pwd=eU5Lbk5nbU9ZN0djYVUrQ3RqYURkdz09.
NEW! Career Webcast March 18 – Careers in SciComm and Storytelling: Science communications can take you many places, from the ocean depths of marine biology, to the innovative edge of biohealth sciences, down to the molecular understanding of chemistry. Learn from alumni professionals about what it takes and where you can work in this exciting new field by attending a free webcast, Careers in Science Communication and Storytelling, Thursday, March 18, at noon via Zoom. Megan Cook, '09, and Jeremy Hoffman, Ph.D. '17, guide an exploration of career trajectories and the future of the field, followed by an interactive Q&A. OSU Alumni Association’s Career Webcast series offers guidance for students and alumni entering the workforce, changing fields or advancing a career. Register and find additional resources at osualum.com/careerwebcasts.
NEW! HMSC Research Seminar: Samreen Siddiqui, postdoctoral scholar, Brander Lab, Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) at Oregon State University, will be giving a seminar titled “Contaminants of emerging concern in surface water (including marine or coastal) ecosystems with possible climate change impacts.” Thursday, March 18 at 3:30 p.m, Zoom link. Password: 972587 or call +1-971-247-1195 Meeting ID: 945 5573 115. Click here for more information.
NEW! Get to know Zoom with Media Services: Season 2: Friday, March 19 from 2-3 p.m. Location: Zoom.
To register for this event and for more Zoom information from Media Services, go to https://uit-at.oregonstate.edu/media-services-zoom/.
NEW! College of Engineering Virtual Lecture: "Perspectives on the Future of Transportation: Data and Connectivity as Enablers," presented by Robert L. Bertini, head and professor of civil engineering, School of Civil and Construction Engineering. March 22, noon to 1 p.m. Free and open to the public. Registration and details here.
NEW! This spring, it’s time to ACCELERATE your startup, technology, and/or business idea: The OSU Advantage Accelerator is offering a virtual Accelerate program starting this April. In just 10 weeks, streamline your value proposition, get to market faster, and validate your product-market fit. The Accelerate program is open to OSU researchers, students and staff, and members of the Corvallis community who intend to start or grow an entrepreneurial venture and can qualify teams to receive NSF i-Corps funds. The fun starts April 13. Learn more and apply here: https://advantage.oregonstate.edu/advantage-accelerator/programs/accelerate.
Care.com, How to help the pandemic generation thrive: How can we best support our children during this time? Michele Borba explains why empathy and resilience are key and offers practical, evidence-based and proven ways to reach kids and help them overcome adversity, be more resilient and learn skills they will need both now – and in the future – to thrive. March 17, 9 a.m. Register Here.
Under the Orange Light vaccine discussion: “We Have Three Effective COVID 19 Vaccines: What are the hold-ups with distribution?” Five OSU faculty panelists will help disentangle the impact of public policies on vaccines, the communication of public health information, the ethical issues in vaccine dissemination and the different strategies for reaching vaccine-hesitant individuals. The audience will have an opportunity to pose questions to the panelists. March 17, 5-7 p.m. Zoom link: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/99906956676. No pre-registration required. For more information: https://beav.es/Jur.
Racial Aikido – March 26-27: Racial Aikido explores the experiences of Students of Color (SOC) at OSU and beyond. Our focus for the 2021 experience is on community-building, the recognition of identity and racism, and response and replenishment to these realities. Our goal is to build a supportive network to learn and thrive at OSU and beyond. Our priority deadline for applications is Friday, March 12. Applications will be accepted until retreat is full. Check out the application here: https://uhds.link/racialaikido
The Fulbright Experience: OSU Faculty Reflect on Their 2019-20 Fellowship. Join us Thursday, March 18, 4-5 p.m. for a series of reflections by several of last year’s U.S. Fulbright Scholar recipients: Kevin Ahern (Malta), Marit Bovbjerg (Ireland), Julie Elston (Austria), Joan Gross (Belgium), Karl Haapala (Finland), Elise Lockwood (Norway), Hannah Rempel (Czech Republic), and Brian Sidlauskas (Brazil). In addition to each Fulbrighter’s short presentation, the webinar will include Q&A and resources for faculty considering a Fulbright in their future. Presented by the Office of Global Opportunities. Register here: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WuHYOyBGQG2mvuf3V3LxjA.
Dear Survivors: An open letter from faculty and staff at the Survivor Advocacy and Resource Center, Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services and the Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center reaffirming support for all survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence. The full letter is available here.
Mid-Month Emergency Preparedness Topic: Food. If an earthquake, winter storm or other disaster strikes your community, you might not have access to food, water and electricity for days or even weeks. By taking time now to store emergency food supplies, you can provide for your entire family. People can survive for long periods of time without food. However, going days without eating can cause nutrient deficiencies and unpleasant – even dangerous – side effects. Consider maintaining a two week food supply. This month’s poster can be downloaded at https://emergency.oregonstate.edu/emergency-preparedness/preparedness-topics/food-emergencies.
Visualize Your Bibliography Competition: The OSU Libraries and Press invite currently enrolled graduate students to enter this year’s Visualize Your Bibliography Competition. Submissions should creatively display 20+ sources used in a thesis, dissertation or other scholarly work. Displays might range from a series of erasure poems made for each source to a multimedia timeline of your sources. Prizes: 1st: $750, 2nd: $500, 3rd: $250. Deadline: April 1. For questions, contact colleen.johnson@oregonstate.edu.
Ecampus Online Teaching Principles now available: Quality online education happens when courses are well-designed and well-facilitated. With that in mind, Oregon State Ecampus is sharing its new Online Teaching Principles. Building on a strong foundation of research-based course design, these teaching principles help faculty facilitate engaging, student-centered learning experiences in online and hybrid courses. Read more about the principles and how you can apply them in your work.
Invitation to participate in a COVID study: The OSU Health, Environment, and Leisure (HEAL) Lab and the Play2Cope team are recruiting parents and caregivers for a research study on recreation, coping and adaptation during COVID-19 among families with children. Participants are invited to fill out a 10-15-minute online survey. To participate, follow this link. For more information, please email the Principal Investigator Xiangyou Shen at sharon.shen@oregonstate.edu.
Nominations open: The President’s Commission on the Status of Women, Office of Institutional Diversity, Office of the Provost and OSU Athletics are accepting nominations for the Breaking Barriers awards. All OSU community members whose work advances gender equity in alignment with the award categories are eligible. Categories include Breaking Barriers in Education, Breaking Barriers in Research, Breaking Barriers in Athletics, the PCOSW Community Builder and the Harriet "Hattie" Redmond awards. Learn more and submit nominations at beav.es/Jby. Nominations close Tuesday, April 6. For questions, contact pcosw@oregonstate.edu.
Our Little Village (OLV) Child Care: Registration for spring term ’21 is open until Wednesday, March 31 at noon. For children ages 5 months to 12 years, OLV high quality short-term campus child care is offered for 3.5 hours/day and is available two, three or five weekday sessions for winter term. To learn more about the Our Little Village program and/or register for spring term, visit the OLV|Milne or OLV|Dixon page. Have questions? Email the Family Resource Center at familyresources@oregonstate.edu.
Animal Interludes: Spring Creek Project has released four new videos in its Animal Interludes series: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Meadowlark, Western Sage Grouse and Timberwolf Pups. The Animal Interludes are a series of 20 tiny concerts, each an original composition of words and music in honor of a threatened or beloved animal. They are part of the series Music to Save Earth's Songs, inspired by Kathleen Dean Moore's new book Earth's Wild Music.
Now accepting FYI Friday presentation proposals for Spring 2021: FYI Friday is a weekly remote program where campus partners are invited to present brief, one-off, awareness- or skill- building topics intended for a wide audience of professional faculty, academic faculty and classified staff. Does your group have a service, process or system you want to share with the campus community? Consider FYI Friday as your venue: Learn more about the requirements and application process here.
Call for Volunteers: Members of the campus and Corvallis community are invited to help make this year’s virtual commencement ceremony a memorable event for OSU’s 9,000+ graduates. In-person volunteers are needed to help prepare Graduate Gift Boxes that will be mailed to all 2021 graduates. The preparation will take place in the LaSells Stewart Center on campus, following strict social distancing and safety processes, starting March 9 and continuing into early April. Click here to volunteer for graduate gift box assembling.
Campus Way: As part of a construction project at the RAIL 244 facility, this is an informational campus-wide notification to inform pedestrian path users about the potential for increased vehicle traffic along Campus Way between SW 35th Street and SW 53rd Street (view map) from March 4 through June 15. Vehicles will be traveling to and from the RAIL facility and the Building 244 construction site. The general contractor for the project will post signs at key points for the duration of the project. For questions or comments on this closure, please contact Construction Manager Amy Keene at 541-214-1038.
Bike counter equipment installed along SW Campus Way bike path. Bike counter equipment has been placed on a utility pole on the north side of SW Campus Way (view map). The counter equipment will be in place through mid-March. Tubes are marked with signage and traffic barrels.
Motor Pool Canopy Construction Project work: As part of the Motor Pool Canopy Construction Project, a new canopy is being built at the fuel island north of the Motor Pool Building. Fencing will go up around the area, and work will start on Tuesday, March 2 and continue through Friday, April 2 (view map). Staging will occur in the parking lot west of the Motor Pool Building. For questions or comments on this closure, contact OSU Infrastructure Project Manager Aaron Collett at 541-207-2780.
“What greater gift than the love of a cat." ~ Charles Dickens
Corvallis: Mostly sunny today, high of 53, low of 30. Mostly sunny Wednesday.
Central Oregon: Mostly sunny, high of 45, low of 24. Mostly sunny tomorrow.
Newport: Mostly sunny today, high of 50, low of 34. Mostly sunny tomorrow.
Statewide: For OSU employees around the state, find your local forecast here: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/
