On my gorgeously sunny drive to campus this morning I heard a great story on NPR about OSU Alumnus, Joshua Mater, a US Army Captain. Mater was recently wounded in Iraq when a rocket exploded near him in May.

From the Oregonian:

Capt. Joshua Mater, now stationed at Fort Bragg, has gathered about 200 engineering textbooks donated by the faculty at Oregon State.

They’re intended to help students at Dhi Qar University in southern Iraq learn how to construct roads, provide electricity and build bridges. The school has 10,000 students, one of the largest in the nation.

snip

Ron Adams, dean of the College of Engineering, said the texts were worth about $20,000, and they’re of recent vintage.

“The specific request was for 21st century textbooks,” he said.

It goes without saying that well trained engineers will make a huge difference as Iraq sets to the task of rebuilding itself. Just goes to show, that Land Grant service before self attitude, never fades! Kudos to Capt. Mater, keep up the good work.

-jm