Today OSU is holding a Repair Fair from 6-8pm on 644 SW 13th Street in Corvallis.  This event is organized by the student group Waste Watchers. Don’t worry if you cannot catch today’s repair fair, they occur twice per term.   This is a great opportunity to help get something that is broken around your house fixed or insight on how to work to repair it yourself.  Additional benefits are participants will save money, reducing waste, and saving natural resources.   There will also be demonstrations going on for people to learn more about Home water conservation, common sewing fixes, and bike maintenance.  This event is Free and open to all

Repair Skills Offered:

• Appliances (small items only, please)
• Bicycles
• Clothing (hand and machine sewing)
• Computers (hardware and software)
• Electronics (small items only, please)
• Housewares (furniture, ceramics, lamps, etc.)
• And more!

Repair Demonstration:

6:10-6:40 pm – DIY: Home Water Conservation (Mark Taratoot): Overview of Corvallis’s water system, water treatment and quality, conservation measures, DIY water audit and irrigation issues

6:50-7:20 pm – 3 Common Sewing Fixes (Annie Kersting): Demonstrations for buttons, patches, and zippers

7:30-8:00 pm – ABC’s of Bike Maintenance (Kevin Grant): Air: Proper inflation and tube-patching/replacing; Brakes: Safe and efficient stopping; Chain: Keep things oiled and running smoothly and quietly; Recommendations for basic/minimal tools.

For more information contact Andrea Norris at andrea.norris@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-5398-GG

Folklife Festival Exhibitions on the Mall
Happening daily 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

June 27 through July 1
July 4 through July 8

OSU Exhibitions
Displayed under tents every day on the dates listed above.  We will be in the “Sustainable Solutions” sections.

•  Surimi School (located in the main exhibit area) Internationally recognized surimi expert Dr. Jae Park and his OSU Seafood Laboratory team will present the historic origins of the versatile fish paste and how surimi products have created a $2.1 billion industry in the United State over the past 30 years with major growth ahead. Within that, they’ll note OSU’s singular role in the “Americanization of surimi.”  (Learn more about Surimi School)
•  Tech Wizards (located in the USDA 4H area) Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas and others with the nationally recognized 4H program will be leading Folklife participants through the process of building robots. A bilingual after-school program that teaches technological skills to low-income, marginalized youth ages 8 through 18, Tech Wizards is now active at more than 100 sites around the U.S.
•  Making Waves (located in the main exhibit area) The O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory will show how scientists and engineers are learning how wave action affects our coastal areas, helping us better prepare for tsunamis and hurricane waves. They’ll be working with one of Hinsdale’s mini-flumes, crashing waves over models of coastal structures created by Folklife attendees.

Other OSU Presenters
Happening on the Mini-University/Discussions Stage

•  The OSU Folklife Committee has put forward a list of OSU and OSU Extension faculty members as potential presenters in the Smithsonian “Mini-University” area. Faculty in this area will be making 15-minute presentations on a wide range of topics throughout the Festival. We’ll provide additional detail on who the Smithsonian curatorial staff has selected as soon as that information is available.

Happy Traveling this Summer!

-GG

 The ewes and lambs are part of ongoing research studies in animal health, breeding, feeding and grazing management conducted by the OSU Agricultural Experiment Station. The animals are used also in instructional programs in the OSU Animal Sciences Department and the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine

Each year the Sheep Center draws thousands of children and adults for the lambing event. This is a great opportunity to cure some of the winter blues and look forward for the spring time ahead.  For more information on visiting the Oregon State University Sheep Center click on the link below.

 OSU Sheep Center

-GG

Greenest Colleges in America

The Princeton Review just came out with its annual list of the greenest colleges in America, and OSU was among the top 16 green universities in the country! OSU received the highest ranking possible from the Princeton Review. This recognition is due to the high recycling efforts on campus, student involvement in sustainability, and the large amount of green energy purchased.

 ”Student involvement on sustainability issues is high on campus and that is one of the things the makers of the ranking probably looked at,” said Brandon Trelstad, OSU’s sustainability coordinator. “We are doing a lot here in terms of buying green energy,” said Trelstad. “Also, 35 percent of the food budget is spent on purchasing local and organic food in the dining halls.”

This ranking is among many that OSU continues to receive for its sustainability efforts. For OSU being ‘green’ is no passing fad. The dedication to sustainability is seen throughout campus, and we continue to be on the cutting edge of sustainability efforts. Come visit OSU and check it out for yourself!

Go Beavs!
- KT

Oregon State’s green power commitment should serve as an example of leadership that I hope will be emulated by every other school in the Pac-12 and across the NCAA”, said Blain Collison, director of the U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership.

For the fourth year in a row, OSU has been the top Pac-10 Conference champion in the EPA Green Power Partnership 2010-11 College and University Green Power Challenge. In addition to OSU’s high ranking, the city of Corvallis was also named an EPA Green Power Community of the Year for 2010.

This is another example of Oregon State’s commitment to renewable energy.

GO BEAVS!

kg

April 7th has been dedicated to nature’s engineer, the amazing BEAVER!  Today is a very special day here on campus because the beaver is OSU’s official fierce mascot.

April 7th was chosen as International Beaver Day because it is the birthday of the late Dorothy Richards of Little Falls, New York who studied beavers for 50 years.

Have you ever wondered about Benny the Beaver, OSU’s mascot?  Click here and here to learn more about Benny!

Please celebrate this super day and HAPPY INTERNATIONAL BEAVER DAY!

Thanks for reading…
cyn

DRC Main Entrance

What draws students and community members to Dixon Recreation Center (DRC) are the broad activities that are available.  Specifically getting into shape, places like the lower and upper courts are a host to pick up games such as; basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, pickle ball and anything else imaginable. If racquetball, squash or wallyball is more your style, there’s about nine courts dedicated to such sports!

DRC Weight Room 1

If bulking up is on the list of things to do this 2011, Dixon has not one but two weight rooms to achieve strength goals.  Weight Room 1 is a larger space that has selectorized weight equipment, plate-loaded weight equipment, a variety of free weights and benches. Equipment choices include Cybex, Magnum, Ivanko and Irongrip.  For a space that is a little more private, Weight Room 2 can also be an excellent spot to hit the free motion weight equipment.  Students looking for a little guidance on a weights routine have access to a personal partner training.  This program allows two students to go through a personal training session together. With partner training, the trainer can design a program that is both catered to the students’ goals while flexible enough to be continued in the future.

DRC Cardio Room 1

Similar to the weight rooms, Dixon has two cardio rooms and a running track to enjoy getting back in shape.  The cardio rooms are very unique and first of its kind.  Why you ask?  Here is an article from the Oregonian describing OSU’s cardio exercise equipment:

Oregon State University is harnessing the energy the machines can generate and converting it to electricity to feed back into the power grid.
It is among the first universities in the United States to do so.
With new technology developed by a Florida firm, Oregon State has retrofitted 22 elliptical exercise machines in its student fee-funded Dixon Recreation Center and already is collecting the power produced by students.

DRC Lap Pool in Steven’s Natatorium

For students looking to hit the pool, can swim or find sanctuary in Steven’s Natatorium (Dixon Pool).  Water in the lap swim pool, dive well and hot tub are all heated to perfection; 81.5 degrees, 83 degrees and 104 in the 16 person hot tub.  The lap pool is available during the duration of the day with lanes divided by, slow, medium all the way to fast.  Also, the Natatorium is home to the amazing Division I; Pac 10 Women’s Swimming team.

DRC Climbing Center

Another alluring amenity in Dixon is the breath taking climbing center.  It is the tallest college climbing facility in the Pacific Northwest, 42.5 ft tall and is highly used by our OSU community.  The multi pitched climbing surface caters to a broad spectrum of climbing abilities and variety of  functions; bouldering cave, hang boards, universally accessible rappel station, cracks, arêtes and overhangs.  Click here to take you to pictures from the 2009 Vertical Festival held in the lovely climbing center.

Lastly, Dixon Recreation (including Rec Sports) is the second largest student employer on OSU’s campus.  In fact, my first job at OSU was working at Dixon Café for two glorious years.  Click here to explore student employment at Dixon.

There is so much more Dixon Recreation Center provides anyone seeking to recharge, rejuvenate, revamp, get buff, or similarly to feel physically better!  Click here to check out Dixon for yourself or here to join there facebook page.

Thanks for reading,
CYN

Kelly Falkner, at the South Pole

Kelly Falkner an OSU professor in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences will begin a new chapter in her career as she moves to a leadership position with the National Science Foundation. She will take a position with the Office of Polar Programs, which oversees research and funding in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Falkner is among the long list of OSU Faculty members that have taken governmental leadership positions. Another recent OSU faculty member was Zoologist Jane Lubchenco who was named Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year.

Falkner has already accomplished a lot during her career. During a two-year leave from OSU Falkner was the director for the Integrated Antarctic Research. This position took her to the North Pole, where her work so impactful she even had a glacier named after her. Falkner is now looking to broaden her impact as she takes on the new position at the National Science Foundation.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, because I’ve had a great career at OSU and I’ll miss my excellent colleagues, the students, and the supportive staff here,” Falkner said. “But I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to take my polar interests into broader community service.”

The stellar work our faculty does goes a long way to attracting high-achieving students to Oregon State. University Honors College sophomore Sam Kelly-Quattrochi doesn’t know what his major will be, but was initially impressed by the quality of OSU’s marine biology program, and the research opportunities available to undergraduate students at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Honors College sophomore Emily Pickering became the first freshman at OSU to accompany Mark Hixon and his crew to Lee Stocking Island, where she helped survey lionfish and created her ownproject on lionfish prey preference and digestion. Pickering also blogged about her experiences there.

- KT

OSU will wear new turquoise uniforms during game this Sunday against Texas Southern

This Sunday the Oregon State University basketball team will be sporting a new look on the court. In partnership with Nike N7, OSU unveiled the new uniforms for Sunday’s game. The uniforms are part of the Nike N7 campaign to create awareness and access to Native American and Aboriginal youth in sports.

In a break from the traditional orange and black, these new uniforms are turquoise which is represents friendship and community in Native American cultures. The uniforms were also designed with the environment in mind. Using recycled polyester, every jersey and short combination is made from 32 recycled water bottles. These new uniforms will be worn on Sunday’s game in honor of Native American Heritage month.

“N7 is about creating access to sport for Native American and Aboriginal youth, and I believe our partnership with OSU men’s basketball is an incredibly impactful way to get the word out,” said Sam McCracken, General Manager of the Nike N7 program in North America, at the unveiling at Oregon State this morning. “Basketball is the most popular game among youth on native lands. Our goal is create awareness–both inside and outside Native communities–for the need to inspire all youth in these communities to lead physically active lifestyles and be a force for positive change in generations to come.”

“It is a little outside of the box for us, but it’s for such a great and important initiative,” Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson said. “I came to this because I was looking for something to support. Everyone’s out there, and this is no slight to the Coaches vs. Cancer or many of the other things that are out there, but I wanted something that was meaningful given my heritage of being an American and being an African American, and wanting to embrace that ethos of looking back and learning from your past and moving forward and adding to the footprint.”

If you want to see these new uniforms for yourself check out the OSU vs. Texas Southern game this Sunday, November 21st at 4:30pm at Gill Coliseum. The first 500 fans and first 1,000 Oregon State students to enter the game will receive a free Nike N7 t-shirt!

Go Beavs!!
-KT

This is the fourth consecutive year that OSU has achieved that designation, raising its overall score each year. The Sustainable Endowments Institute’s 2011 Report Card has profiles for 322 institutions, based on 1,100 survey responses. The surveys looked at different areas, including overall campus sustainability, dining services, and student involvement.

The university got top marks for its student involvement, green building practices, administrative policies, operations, transportation initiatives and investment priorities, according to Brandon Trelstad, the university’s sustainability coordinator.

Some of the sustainability efforts include in 2007 when students passed the renewable energy fee. The renewable energy fee was an additional fee for students that allowed OSU to purchase renewable energy for the energy used on campus. Another initiative was using the elliptical machines in the recreation center to create power when students use them. This energy is fed back into the grid to be used. Initiatives like these are some of the reasons that OSU was named as a “Campus Sustainability Leader” and continues to receive awards from other environmental organizations!

-KT