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: TRACE OSU is providing random COVID-19 testing by invitation at its Corvallis and Bend campuses and at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Testing will take place in Corvallis in the Memorial Union Ballroom and at Reser ticket booths, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. In Newport, testing will be provided every other week beginning Jan. 19, Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Thursday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. At OSU-Cascades, testing is provided only to students living and working on campus, and employees working on campus. Visit the OSU-Cascades Safety and Success website to learn more about testing schedules. 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: Do Zoom meetings and classes exhaust you? The Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab has identified causes of Zoom fatigue and potential solutions. They recommend countering fatigue by reducing the size of the Zoom window, hiding your self-view, moving around a bit, and taking an “audio only” break for a few minutes during lengthy periods of meetings.
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.
Oregon State University president F. King Alexander strongly responded in a letter to the school community Monday regarding results of an investigation into sexual misconduct complaints at Louisiana State during his seven-year tenure as president. In the 875-word letter sent electronically and posted on Oregon State University’s website, Alexander acknowledged he regrets not taking stronger action against former LSU football coach Les Miles and his inappropriate behavior with female students. Alexander also wrote that he has a lengthy track record in preventing sexual misconduct, and that Title IX and sexual misconduct issues are handled much differently at Oregon State than LSU. (see also KLCC)
Oregon State University's Genome Research Director says several of the UK strain were identified from a health care setting, one with the mutation "eek" also found in South African and Brailizan strains.
“Genre is always a blending of both formal structure and cultural context,” Ehren Pflugfelder, a professor of writing at Oregon State University, told me recently. “This may be the most frustrating thing about genre for those who want it to be stable over time. What makes something country music is often just as much about what the audience for that genre expects it to be as it is the chord progression, instruments, time signature, or lyrical content.”
A collaborative effort between the city of Corvallis and Oregon State University researchers has been progressing since July 2020 to monitor city-wide COVID-19 prevalence in a uniquely non-invasive way, and their results may play a large role in future re-openings of schools and business in Benton County.
Oregon State University Extension Service wildlife experts encourage Oregonians to learn more about these underappreciated native birds. They’ve developed the following information to help people foster robins in their landscape.
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: Effective Feedback: Discovering One of the Joys of Teaching and Learning. Cheridy Aduviri (CoEd) and Dan Rockwell (CoS). Grading got you down? Effective feedback is more than just a key element in student learning; it can also add purpose and joy to grading. Join us as we explore the who, what, where, when, why and how of effective feedback. This workshop will be facilitated on March 9 at 10 a.m. via Zoom: beav.es/ZOOMT4 *Password: CTL.
Fiscal Policy Updates: Learn more about OSU’s Fiscal Policy Program, recent policy updates and how you can be involved in the process. Presented by Cindy Draper. For more information about the event and how to register CLICK HERE. This PFLA Zoom event takes place Tuesday, March 9, noon to 1 p.m.
NEW! Parent Connections for Employees – Strategies for Reentering Public Schools: COVID has presented parents with many new challenges regarding the reopening of public schools. Are you a parent willing to share your share your concerns, scheduling challenges and strategies for combining work with your child(ren)’s schooling? Join Parent Connections for Employees today from 1-2 p.m. via Zoom. For more information visit https://familyresources.oregonstate.edu/parentconnect or email familyresource@oregonstate.edu.
“Queer Resilience in the Era of Climate Change with Vanessa Raditz: Join us for a free, public lecture and question and answer session with Vanessa Raditz (they/them), queer educator, activist and filmmaker, on Tuesday, March 9, 6-7 p.m. via Zoom. Registrants to this free event will also receive a link to view the collaborative documentary, "Fire & Flood: Queer Resilience in the Era of Climate Change," directed by Raditz. Raditz is a queer cultural geographer, educator, and culture-shifter dedicated to community healing, opening access to land and resources and fostering a thriving local economy based on human and ecological resilience. Register here: oregonstate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8BOE9dp_Sjuv0wHNM5LV6Q.
Oregon's Black History: A Virtual Event and Conversation with Walidah Imarisha: Walidah Imarisha is a writer, activist, educator, and spoken word artist who will be giving a talk about Oregon's Black History. Following her program, Imarisha will answer questions from the audience. March 9, 7 p.m. Registration is required. Link: https://beav.es/oEx.
NEW! 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.
Tuition Forum: The University Budget Committee has begun meeting to discuss recommendations for tuition rates for the 2021-22 academic year. As part of developing recommendations for the Board of Trustees, representatives of the Budget Committee and the Office of Budget and Resource Planning are offering a series of weekly forums to discuss the tuition setting process, tuition rate scenarios for FY22, and to answer any questions about tuition and the university budget. The next forum is Thursday, March 11 from 11 to noon via Zoom. To register for this forum, click here. A short discussion of common questions about tuition are available at https://beav.es/tuition-forums. The committee welcomes questions, comments, and ideas. For more information, to provide an idea or opinion, or to ask a question please contact Sherm Bloomer.
Career Meetup Day: One of the biggest Beaver networking opportunities of the year is happening Thursday, March 11, at noon. Spark connections with people who can help you achieve your goals at the Oregon State Alumni Association’s annual Career Meetup Day. Gather with OSU professionals and students from across the country and around the globe for conversations about thriving in uncertain times. Discover the new tools of virtual networking, pick up pointers for using LinkedIn and join a friendly quiz game with prizes. Register for free at osualum.com/careermeetup.
NEW! Trees to Tap: Forest Management and Drinking Water Virtual Conference: Join us for key findings from the recent Trees to Tap Science Review, and connect research findings with management actions for the future of Oregon’s drinking water. March 11 (afternoon) and March 12 (morning) via Zoom. Free but registration required. For more information please visit beav.es/out.
NEW! Biological & Ecological Engineering Winter Seminar Series: Alex Gonyaw, of the Klamath Tribes, will present “Ecological Alteration of the Upper Klamath Basin from the Klamath Tribes’ Perspective,” on Thursday, March 11 at 4 p.m., with a meet-and-greet at 3:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting ID: 917 1196 8021 | Password: 769617. Free and open to the public.
NEW! Accessibility Basics for the Web: Learn how to make websites accessible to people with disabilities. We’ll also discuss the OSU Policy on Information Technology Accessibility. All are welcome, employees with website responsibilities are encouraged if they have not attended yet. Register for a session, offered March 15
NEW! 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.
NEW! Core Curriculum for Current OSU Supervisors and Managers: This workshop consists of online modules followed by 4 half-days of classroom training via Zoom. Topics include the performance management cycle (position descriptions, expectations/standards, engagement, appraisals and integration), equal employment and affirmative action, ADA, discrimination and misconduct, safety and compensation, and supervising represented employees. Monday, April 5 through Thursday, April 8, 8:15 a.m. to noon each day. Register by March 31.
NEW! A New Faculty Learning Community for Instructors and TAs: The Community for the Advancement of Antiracist Instruction (CAAI) seeks instructors and TAs for a spring pilot, weeks 5 through 8. In this professional development opportunity, participants will explore antiracist teaching in a community of peers of similar ranking and create an antiracist teaching action plan. Apply here (by March 31).
NEW! Crucial Conversations: Crucial Conversations is a 10-hour course that teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement — by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional, or risky topics — at all levels of your organization. By learning how to speak and be heard (and encouraging others to do the same), you’ll surface the best ideas, make the highest-quality decisions, and then act on your decisions with unity and commitment. This program consists of a series of five (5) live, online sessions on Thursdays, 9-11 a.m. April 15 through May 13. There is a $100 fee to attend Crucial Conversations. Learn more and register here.
Creating Compassionate Kids: Shauna Tominey, assistant professor and parenting education specialist will give a talk hosted by OSU’s Contemplative Studies Initiative and the Hundere Endowed Chair in Religion & Culture. March 10, 8:30-9:30 p.m. via Zoom. Recording will be available following the event. All welcome. Free/by donation. Please register here.
Targeted Drug Delivery to Treat Nervous System Disorders: DL Sellers has developed strategies to promote regeneration in the injured and diseased central nervous system. Recently, Sellers’ lab has begun to develop small peptides that function as targeting ligands and enhance drug uptake and delivery into the CNS. By engineering CNS targeting-ligands to enhance their structural and serum stability, his research aims develop novel drug delivery strategies to treat nervous system pathologies. Sellers will talk March 10, 3 p.m. Register here: https://beav.es/ozC.
Womxn in Science Outside the Lab event: Kishana Taylor, postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, will speak as part of the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology (EECB) seminar series on "Prioritizing Intersectionality in Interdisciplinary Infectious Disease Research: Intersectional identities (and scientists) must inform how we study disease" on March 10, 4-5 p.m., via Zoom (beav.es/eecb) or YouTube: (beav.es/oSs).
Changing lives through literacy – CLA Changemakers webcast: Creating a lifelong reader and writer requires all hands on deck. That’s why Penny Kittle, ’83, founded the Book Love Foundation. She works with educators to donate classroom libraries, helping young readers discover diverse and impactful stories that fuel a passion for reading. She’s authored several books of her own and teaches at Plymouth State University. Join a conversation with Kittle March 10 at osualum.com/Changemakers, presented by the College of Liberal Arts and the OSU Alumni Association.
Floor Monitor Training: Training for Floor Monitors and Building Managers on roles and responsibilities when evacuating their building. Training is the second Wednesday of every month via Zoom. Sign up for Zoom Floor Monitor Training at: https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1ZhCgowN8AukjPf.
2021 Starker Lecture Series: Resilience in the face of disturbance: Learning from disasters. Topic: Research: How do we best study rare disturbances? What have we learned about disturbances? How can these research findings help prepare research studies, forests, buildings and society as a whole for future disturbances? Wednesday, March 10, 2:-3:30 p.m. Register here. Panelists include Fred Swanson, emeritus professor, College of Forestry; Katy Kavanagh, associate dean for research, College of Forestry; and John van de Lindt, George T. Abell Professor in Infrastructure Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University. Hosts are Klaus Puettmann and John Nairn.
Hops dissertation: Ph.D. candidate Isabelle Logan will present her dissertation defense titled: “Cheers to Hops! How Xanthohumol can Improve Health,” on Thursday, March 11, 9 a.m. Join here: https://beav.es/JX2 Password: 394889.
Call for Applications: Career Champions Faculty Program: Applications for the Spring 2021 Career Champions program for teaching faculty and instructors are now being accepted. The program will provide tangible ways to include career readiness in the classroom, while also taking a hard look at the barriers to access that our first generation, high financial need, and/or students of color face. A $500 honorarium will be awarded to participants. More information can be found on the Center for Teaching and Learning website. To apply, please complete the application form by March 12.
Search Advocate Workshop: OSU Search Advocate workshops for the rest of this academic year are available for registration. Search advocates are outside process advisors who participate on employee search committees; their goal is to encourage culture and practices that favor equity, validity and diversity. The initial workshop series is a sequence of four 4-hour Zoom workshops. Those who complete the series may choose to have their names added to the Search Advocate Directory and will be eligible to serve as advocates until September 2022. Three-hour continuing education workshops for current advocates are also available. To register, go to the new Search Advocate/Workshops website. Questions? Contact Anne Gillies at anne.gillies@oregonstate.edu or 541-760-6160.
Social Justice Education Initiative workshops are happening now, including NEW Tier Two workshops: The SJEI is a foundational professional development program for all faculty, staff and graduate students. Join your colleagues to begin, or expand, your equity and inclusion journey. See the schedule and register for remote Tier One Platform workshops here. See the schedule and register for remote Tier Two Next Level workshops here. Interested in this work for your unit? Contact SJEI director Jane Waite for further information: jane.waite@oregonstate.edu
NEW! 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.
NEW! 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.
NEW! 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.
Call for Proposals: Explore and develop solutions for teaching challenges across all Corvallis and Cascades campus course modalities. Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching and Learning invite proposals to participate in the Spring ’21 Blended Faculty Learning Community. Group members will learn ways to enhance their use of educational technology to benefit student learning. See Call for Proposals. Apply by March 8.
NCBI/PubMed Login Changing on June 1: Login to NCBI/PubMed accounts will change beginning on June 1 and require federated account credentials. Login to NCBI/PubMed, click on your username, and check the Native NCBI Account and Linked Accounts boxes. If you ONLY have a Native NCBI Account box, link your NCBI account to a federated credentials tools (like OSU login). See "What do I need to do?" section of NCBI's announcement. Help options include the FAQ, info@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, and Uta.Hussong-Christian@oregonstate.edu.
Sales academy winners: The Oregon State Sales Academy will be recognized for winning the national title at the University of Toledo National Sales Competition (UTISC). https://www.utoledo.edu/business/essps/utisc/.
Marine Science-Themed Virtual Programs: Bring fun, hands-on marine science activities to your home this spring. Oregon Sea Grant is offering a variety of two-hour virtual programs for students grades Pre-K-12 this March and April. Students will connect live with marine educators via Zoom. Cost is $30 per person and pre-registration is required. Registration includes a “homeschool day in a box/envelope” that will be mailed to registrants ahead of time. Learn more and register today.
PCOSW seeks input: The President's Commission on the Status of Women's (PCOSW) Work-Life Fit Committee would like to better understand the gendered impact of COVID-19 within OSU’s community, focused on caregiving responsibilities. Your responses will directly inform PCOSW advocacy. We are looking at the effects that the pandemic is having on people who identify as women, but we do not discount the effect it has had on all faculty and staff at OSU. Take the survey. Questions? pcosw@oregonstate.edu.
Cats with chronic kidney disease wanted for a study performed at the OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital (Corvallis): Dr. Stacie Summers, a veterinarian and specialist in feline medicine, is looking for cats diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Cats with CKD without diabetes, thyroid, or intestinal problems may qualify. The study pays for all study exams and tests. Your cat would receive an examination, bloodwork, urine tests, blood pressure and urinary ultrasound at enrollment to stage your cat’s chronic kidney disease. We then collect a small blood sample from your cat weekly for 6 weeks. Volunteers will receive a $100 Amazon gift card and a free 3-month supply of a kidney therapeutic diet for their cat. PI: Stacie Summers, DVM, Ph.D., Diplomate of ACVIM (Small Animal Medicine). Title: Biological variation of kidney values in cats with chronic kidney disease. Contact Dr. Summers at Stacie.summers@oregonstate.edu if you are interested in knowing more or enrolling your cat.
PCOSW special funding opportunity: The President’s Commission on the Status of Women invites applications for project funding (up to $1,000) for scholarly research work addressing the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent fallout on women in the workplace. This is particularly for proposals that increase our understanding of the strategies that can be implemented to mitigate these disproportionate impacts. This may include research on organizational change strategies, directed resources found to be effective or a literature review of efforts implemented in the higher education sector or other sectors that are transferrable to a university setting. Apply by Monday, March 15. NOTE: This is a one-time award for research, even if research is ongoing. For more info, visit https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/pcosw or email pcosw@oregonstate.edu.
$15K of Funding Available: The OSU Advantage Accelerator is currently seeking applications that describe technology-based projects in any discipline that will move OSU-owned technologies closer to commercialization. Proposals should describe a project that requires $15,000 or less of funding to achieve an important milestone(s) connected to commercialization. Proposals can include expenses for activities related to customer discovery, prototyping, student time, research, commercialization plan development and more. Each project may be awarded up to $15,000 and should span 9 months or less, beginning in April 2021. Proposals are due before 5 p.m. on Friday, March 5. Learn more here: https://advantage.oregonstate.edu/advantage-accelerator/funding-opportunities/aid-fund.
Health & Safety: The University Health & Safety Committee wants to promote health and safety by reminding employees that they have access to a variety of free safety related trainings online at https://www.saif.com/trainings.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.
Participants wanted for a short-term vegetable sprout research study (Corvallis): If you are healthy, age 18-60, non-smoking, not pregnant or breastfeeding, without diabetes, heart disease or stroke, bariatric surgery, kidney, thyroid or intestinal problems, you may qualify. The study lasts 72 hours. Volunteers will receive $150. PI: Emily Ho, Ph.D. Title: Discovery of Biological Signatures for Cruciferous Vegetable Intake. Contact us at MFCResearch@oregonstate.edu, 541-737-5049, or visit https://tinyurl.com/y7437mo4 for information and online screener.
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.
This email only lists new or recently updated job postings. For a full list of current job postings for OSU Today, go to: http://today.oregonstate.edu/email/jobs To apply for the below positions, visit jobs.oregonstate.edu unless otherwise specified.
NEW! Certified Veterinary Technician: The Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine’s Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital will begin review of applications in the University’s Veterinary Technician 2 pool for a full-time technician in Small Animal Oncology on April 5. Posting #P02830CT. Applications due no later than midnight on April 4 for full consideration. Applicants must be Certified Veterinary Technicians to be considered.
“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” ~ Gilda Radner
Corvallis: Showers likely today, high of 50, low of 33. Slight chance of showers tomorrow.
Central Oregon: Chance of snow showers today, high of 46, low of 27. Slight chance of snow showers tomorrow.
Newport: Showers today, high of 48, low of 35. Slight chance of showers Wednesday.
Statewide: For OSU employees around the state, find your local forecast here: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/
