Established in 2005, the L.L. Stewart Faculty Scholars Program recognizes an outstanding faculty member at Oregon State University and provides resources to stimulate creative advancements in teaching, research, and extended education.

Stacey Harper studies the environmental, health and safety impacts of nanotechnology.

Each year, a Stewart Faculty Scholar will be selected by the OSU President from a pool of applicants who have been nominated for this prestigious award. The theme of the award is to support creativity and innovation among the university’s top scholars.

The L.L. Stewart Faculty Scholars Program is supported by an endowment established by L.L. Stewart and provides $30,000 in financial support for faculty selected as a Stewart Scholar. Ten thousand of this amount will be awarded as a stipend to the faculty member, and $20,000 may be used for any allowable teaching, research, or extended education expenses, including faculty release time. Recipients will have up to two years to spend the funds.

As a signature research scientist with the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), Harper’s research utilizes a novel, multidisciplinary approach and state-of-the-art technology to address important questions arising from human exposures to nanomaterials as potential causes of human environmental diseases. In 2011, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) awarded Harper the Outstanding New Environmental Scientist Award to advance her work in nanotoxicity.

With funding from the LL Stewart Faculty Scholars award, Harper is proposing to develop a “Nanotechnology Environmental Health and Safety (NanoEHS) Personnel Certification Program” at OSU. The development of this certificate will provide dynamic workforce training to serve a rapidly growing field and be the first of its kind in the U.S.

~Angela Yeager

Procurement and Contract Services worked with OSU contract stakeholders to identify areas where the contract could be improved. Negotiations resulted in a contract extension that not only increased the revenue share, but also included new provisions to benefit a variety of campus groups, including a new student scholarship fund, an investment in sustainable ventures, and a fall term student event, all paid for by PepsiCo.

A variety of PepsiCo products pictured. OSU has extended its contract with PepsiCo through June 30, 2020.

“OSU has experienced exceptional service from Pepsi, and the company’s willingness to invest both in our sustainability ventures and in student scholarships is a significant commitment,” said Brian Thorsness, OSU’s director of Business Services Administration. “We have found Pepsi to be a responsive campus partner since we first signed with them in 2005.”

The extended contract includes:

• A $35,000 investment in student scholarships for the general fund to be given out through the life of the contract;
• A back-to-school fall event, which will be planned by students at the Memorial Union Planning Council. Currently OSU has a Battle of the Bands concert at the end of spring term. Thorsness said this new Pepsi-sponsored event would give students a way to kick-off the new school year;
• Better coordination between OSU Athletics, University Marketing and PepsiCo to brand signature sporting events;
• An additional $203,000 in investments in sustainable ventures, including additional bottle recycling receptacles near every campus vending machine.

Questions regarding the contract can be directed to Thorsness, brian.thorsness@oregonstate.edu or Kelly Kozisek, kelly.kozisek@oregonstate.edu.

~ Angela Yeager

They also will receive grants in aid of their research jointly via their Departments and the College of Science made possible by the generosity of donors, and in particular donations to the College of Science’s Women in Science Fund.

The Women in Science Fund was established with the goal of supporting and encouraging scientists as they progress toward the rank of Professor.  The generous support of donors has made this program possible.

Peter Clark, an Oregon State University scientist who is known internationally for his work on climate history, has received a prestigious fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Peter Clark, an Oregon State University scientist who is known internationally for his work on climate history, has received a prestigious fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Clark is the lone recipient nationally in the category of Earth Sciences. Most of the Guggenheim fellows are in humanities and social science fields.

Clark is a professor in OSU’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, where his research has focused on the relationship between ice sheets and global climate, and the impact of a changing climate on sea level. He is a coordinating lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, which is due out in 2013.

An OSU faculty member since 1988, Clark is author of more than 120 peer-reviewed science articles, many of which have been published in Science and Nature. His latest publications have focused on the underlying mechanisms that drove the Earth out of its latest Ice Age.

The 2012 Guggenheim Fellowships were awarded to 181 scholars, artists and scientists, chosen from among 3,000 applicants. Selection is based on prior achievement and exceptional promise, according to the Guggenheim Foundation.

Rich Meganck, an Oregon State University faculty member specializing in international water resources, has been appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to a three-year term on the United States National Commission to UNESCO.

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, which is a specialty agency within the U.N. that has several areas of focus, including oceans, the environment, and water.

Meganck has been the international program leader of OSU’s Institute for Water and Watersheds. He most recently was on assignment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management, which is affiliated with UNESCO.

He also spent six years as rector and professor of the United Nations Institute for Water Education in The Netherlands.

Meganck, who received his Ph.D. from OSU in 1974, has been on dozens of economic development missions and natural resources projects during his career, which has taken him to more than 100 countries around the world.

~ Mark Floyd

The following proposals have been selected for funding:

• Almog, Roy [Major: Exercise and Sports Science – Pre-Med Option, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Urszula Iwaniec, School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences): “Role of Marrow Adipocytes in Bone Loss during Simulated Spaceflight”
• Colesar, Michael [Major: Biological Engineering, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Liney Arnadottir, School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering): “The Effect of Temperature, Salt, and Poly(ethylene oxide)-Poly(butadiene)-Poly(ethylene oxide) Concentration on PEO Grafting Density on Silica”
• Dominguez, Maximilian [Major: Biochemistry and Biophysics, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Ryan Mehl, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Science): “Development of a pH-Regulated Carbonic Anhydrase Protein-Polymer Hybrid”
• French, Kellie [Major: Biology, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Andrew Blaustein, Department of Zoology, College of Science): “The Ecology of Disease and Anthropogenic Stressors in Amphibians”
• Hartman, Steven [Major: Biochemistry and Biophysics] (Faculty Project Advisor: Andy Karplus, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Science): “Testing the Flood Gate Hypothesis in Zebrafish”
• Hinkle, Nathan [Major: Chemical Engineering, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Skip Rochefort, School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering): “Understanding Public Perceptions of Energy and Climate Change for the Development of Educational Materials”
• Lee, Jamy [Major: Chemistry, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Vincent Remcho, Department of Chemistry, College of Science): “Anti-Malarial Testing using Paper Microfluidics”
• Methven, Andrea [Major: Animal Sciences, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Debbie Mustacich, Linus Pauling Institute): “Vitamin E, PAH Exposure and Prostate Cancer Susceptibility”
• Nguyen, Mai Anh [Major: Public Health, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Siew Sun Wong, School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences): “Better Eating Starts Today (B.E.S.T.)”
• Ostertag-Hill, Claire [Major: Biology and Psychology, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Ling Jin, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine): “Characterizing the Genetic Difference between Bovine Herpes Virus Type 1 Variants and Vaccine Strains”
• Park, Bo R. [Major: Microbiology, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Aleksandra Sikora, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy): “On the Path to Uncover the Function of Novel Secreted Protease of Vibrio cholerae”
• Solisti, Stephanie [Major: Biochemistry and Biophysics, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Michael Freitag, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Science): “Expression of an Unusual Novel Histone Gene in Neurospora”
• Tepper, Jacob [Major: Biology with Marine Option, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Rebecca Vega Thurber, Department of Microbiology, College of Science): “The Effects of Encroaching Macroalgae on Coral Bacteria”
• West, Nick [Major: Bioresource Research, University Honors College] (Faculty Project Advisor: Joseph Beckman, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Science): “Metal Affinity of Metalothionein by Protein Expression Examination”
• Wong, Peter [Major: Microbiology] (Faculty Project Advisor: Jerri Bartholomew, Department of Microbiology, College of Science): “Infection Dynamics of Salmon with a Common Salmon Parasite, Ceratomyxa shasta”

OSU must now provide its own insurance coverage, including insurance for its campus buildings such as this one.

Beginning this July 1, Oregon State University and its fellow OUS institutions must begin providing their own insurance coverage. No longer will the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) take care of insuring OSU’s employees, equipment and property.

“The good news is that Oregon State is way ahead of the game because of investments the university made six years ago at the instigation of (vice president) Mark McCambridge to expand and formalize our risk programs,” said Brian Thorsness, OSU’s director of Business Services Administration.  “We have some of the most vibrant and comprehensive programs around.

“What SB 242 means is that we will have to purchase our insurance policies through brokers instead of relying on DAS to take care of business,” Thorsness added. “The campus community needs to be aware of the change.”

Thorsness and Patrick Hughes, OSU’s new chief risk officer, have established a website that provides information on various services offered: http://risk.oregonstate.edu/. They suggest that faculty and staff who may need to insure equipment or property, or who oversee activity groups of students, go to the website as a starting point.

As of July 1, OSU will be on its own for insurance and most of the coverage falls into three areas, Hughes said. They include:

• Liability – automobile (for job-related transportation), torts (for slips and falls, etc.);
• Property – all buildings, equipment and general property;
• Workers compensation

Additionally, Hughes said, general insurance includes such things as malpractice insurance for physicians at Student Health Services.

Since passage of SB 242, the Oregon University System has hired its own chief risk officer, Ellen Holland; enlisted a broker to purchase independent insurance policies; and contracted with a third-party administrator to handle claims.

One of the goals of the new system OSU is implementing will be to reward individuals and units that are proactive in reducing risk and protecting their people and property in the most effective manner.

“The more claims we have for lost or damaged property, for example, the steeper our payments will be,” Hughes said. “Therefore, there should be an incentive to keep claims to a minimum – and the best way to do that is to reduce risk. This cannot be a solely centralized process – as a campus, we need to share in the responsibility for planning, readiness and prevention.”

The Risk Management Office will work with faculty, staff and administrators on the right approach to managing risk – and insurance isn’t always the best option, Hughes pointed out.  An online template will help OSU employees get started on their assessment, then the Risk Management staff can step in and help prioritize.

The types of coverage the university must maintain is mind-boggling, Thorsness admits. There are oceanographers working on ships in Antarctica, student groups traveling to various competitions, 4-H volunteers and children working with animals at fairs, football games that may attract 45,000 fans, and a range of facilities from cattle ranches to a nuclear reactor.

“We even have to consider ‘extraction’ insurance in the case of someone being kidnapped in another country,” Thorsness said.

As July 1 nears, Thorsness and Hughes say they want the campus community to know that the Risk Management Office is working to make the transition as seamless as possible. But, they also want faculty, staff and administrators to begin examining their needs and opportunities.

“The budget for insurance for 2012-13 is $4.2 million,” Hughes said, “so this is a rather in-depth process. Some of the coverage we get may be more expensive, and there may be savings on other policies. But this is an opportunity to do things in the best way possible and as an institution, Oregon State University is extraordinarily well-positioned for the transition.”

~ Mark Floyd

Cara Tomlinson, Born With, 2011, oil on wood, 16 x 20 inches

Cara Tomlinson’s exhibit of paintings and installation opens May 7 in Fairbanks Gallery, on the Oregon State University campus.

Tomlinson’s recent painting is concerned with the process of construction: how houses, paintings and bodies are made. In these works, paint conceals and covers over but also creates the illusion of an opening and space, transforming familiar boundaries into the unfamiliar. Her continuing body of work is motivated by questions about the construction of self, boundaries of subjectivity, and the interconnection of self and environment.

Cara Tomlinson has exhibited her work nationally in museums and galleries. She has received numerous national artist residency fellowships as well as an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission. She has lectured on her work at many universities and colleges, including Carnegie Mellon, University of Montana and University of Iowa. In the last few years, the breadth of Tomlinson’s studio practice has expanded to include not just painting, but drawing, video installation, and sculpture—work she undertakes with a shared material and philosophical approach taken from painting.

Currently Tomlinson lives and works in Portland, where she teaches painting at Lewis and Clark College. She earned her undergraduate degree from Bennington College and her M.F.A. from the University of Oregon.

Fairbanks Gallery is free and open to the public Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m.-noon. The exhibit ends May 30.

~ Douglas Russell

OSU Pet Day takes place May 5, 2012 in conjunction with Moms Weekend.

Entertainment, athletic events, food and other activities are on tap this May 4-6 when hundreds of mothers of OSU students will visit campus for the annual Moms Weekend celebration.

Many of the events are free and open to the public, though several have charges and other require tickets.

Moms Weekend features literally dozens of events, including tours of campus facilities, Pac-12 Conference baseball and softball games, workshops, booths, films and other entertainment.

Among the popular events held in conjunction with Moms Weekend are:

• Pet Day, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at Magruder Hall, located on 30th Street in Corvallis. The OSU College of Veterinary Medicine opens its doors for tours, displays and a number of family-oriented events. One of the more popular events at the university, Pet Day annually draws 3,000 to 4,000 visitors – many of whom bring their pets. Among the activities will be dog agility demonstrations, a petting zoo, a pet wash, Frisbee contests for dogs, tours of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and more. Numerous organizations and vendors will have displays, providing free samples, information and other resources on everything from pet food to shelter medicine;
• The All-University Sing and Greek Life Showcase, Saturday, May 5, in Gill Coliseum (tickets are $30);
• Hawaiian students at OSU will bring a taste of the islands to campus this Saturday, May 5, when Hui-O-Hawaii with the Polynesian Cultural Club hosts its 57th annual Lu’au at Gill Coliseum. This year’s lu’au begins at 5 p.m. and includes dinner, a show and a concert. Advance tickets are priced at $25 for all three; or $20 for just the show and concert; they are available in advance this week on the brick mall adjacent to the Memorial Union quad from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Hawaiian dinner includes Kalua pork, lomi salmon, chicken long rice, steamed white rice, shoyu chicken (soy sauce), and haupia (coconut flavored gelatin dessert). Following dinner, the show will feature a range of Polynesian dances;
  

  The Memorial Union Program Council (MUPC) Comedy Show, featuring Alonzo Bodden and opening act Comedy Sportz, will take place at 6:30 and 9 p.m. May 5 in LaSells Stewart Center.

• The Memorial Union Program Council (MUPC) Comedy Show, featuring Alonzo Bodden and opening act Comedy Sportz, will take place at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday in LaSells Stewart Center. Tickets are priced at $38 and $34;
• The MUPC fashion show called “Beyond the Edge” will be held at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday in the Memorial Union ballroom. Tickets are priced at $15;
• The Showcase of OSU will feature food, arts and crafts, and entertainment in the Memorial Union quad on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.  Hot air balloon rides are offered from 9 to 11 a.m.;
• The International Students of Oregon State University (ISOSU) will hold its annual Spring Festival on Sunday, May 6, in the Memorial Union quad on campus, with the theme “Celebrating Mothers around the World.” This free event begins at noon and continues through 4 p.m. ISOSU is a student-led program through the Student Leadership & Involvement office. The Spring Festival will serve as a final event for the Moms Weekend celebration at OSU. In addition to international cuisine, the festival will feature live music and dance performances from students and groups around Oregon, and a children’s corner with games, face-painting and other activities.

For those seeking more active pursuits, a Bald Hill hike and yoga event will take place on Saturday, as will a pistol club fundraiser shoot, a Challenge Course experience, and a 5-kilometer fun run.

OSU Kidspirit

Oregon State University’s Childcare and Family Resources office is sponsoring a campus-wide event on Friday, April 27, with “Bring your Kids to Campus Day.” The day, which corresponds with an early release day for the Corvallis School District, is a way to celebrate family, the importance of education, and to highlight family-friendly activities on campus. Additionally, it coincides with the national Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work day (April 26).

A number of campus organizations will be providing activities throughout the day, including KidSpirit, the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Lab, Dixon Recreation Center, and MU Bowling.

With an advance registration each child will receive a reusable lunch bag with a snack and coloring pages. Activities planned range from a tour of the Sea Anemone Lab to field games such as Frisbee and rugby.

While department heads are encouraged to make offices, classrooms and work spaces family-friendly during the day, parents are fully responsible for their children while on campus, and are expected to check in with their supervisors to see what is permissible. Some departments may choose to allow their employees an extended break to take their children to attend some of the free or low-cost events taking place on campus.

For advance registration, a schedule of activities and more information visit: http://oregonstate.edu/childcare/bring-your-kid-campus-day-2012

Please contact Childcare and Family Resources at familyresources@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-4906 with any questions.

Gus Bedwell

During the past three years, the number of military veterans or their dependents has nearly doubled at Oregon State University, prompting the university to hire a veteran services adviser to help them navigate the labyrinth of state and federal regulations.

The timing couldn’t be better, officials say. New federal benefit guidelines go into effect this June, opening the door for even more veterans or the families to receive tuition assistance. Some of these new benefits specifically target unemployed veterans.

Veterans may be dealing with issues that rarely affect other students, including post-traumatic stress disorder, which can affect how they learn and interact with others. OSU has a variety of resources to help veterans and their dependents deal with academic life.

OSU has 881 students receiving Veterans Administration benefits, but the number of students on campus who may qualify for assistance is likely much higher, said Gus Bedwell, OSU’s veterans services adviser.

“Historically, only about a third of the veteran population utilizes VA benefits,” Bedwell said, “so the actual number of OSU students who may qualify for aid might be closer to 2,000 or 3,000. Some of these students are soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan; others are the spouses or children of veterans who may qualify under some of the new benefit packages.”

Bedwell suggests that veterans or their dependents interested in OSU first go to the university’s website for veterans at: http://oregonstate.edu/veterans/home/, which lists different resources and activities on campus. Any veteran, or family member, needing assistance may also contact him directly at gus.bedwell@oregonstate.edu, or call his office at 541-737-7662.

In 2008, OSU had just 395 students register for class using VA benefits, but the number has gone up every year, Bedwell said. One reason is the number of soldiers returning from serving overseas; more than 2,100 Oregon National Guard troops returned stateside.

Perhaps more significant has been the passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which funds Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarships. Since 2009, it has provided assistance for the children of veterans killed in active duty.

At a time when more and more veterans are seeking a college education, regulations are becoming more complicated – and assistance is getting harder to find. A pilot program in Oregon to provide Campus Veteran Services Officers for the state’s colleges and universities ran out in 2010, leaving many institutions scrambling to serve its veterans.

“With nearly a thousand eligible students, we felt we needed someone on a full-time basis who could help them with VA benefits,” said Tracy Bentley-Townlin, OSU’s associate dean for student life. “It can be incredibly complex and we were lucky to get Gus, who had worked at the Oregon Department of Veteran Affairs as well as with the campus veterans program.”

Bedwell grew up in Mills City, Ore., graduated from Santiam High School, and served in the U.S. Army for six years as a mechanic.

“Like most vets, I spent two-and-a-half years trying to figure out what to do after I got out of the service,” Bedwell said.

Eventually, he enrolled at Western Baptist College (now Corbin University) in Salem and earned a bachelor’s degree in family studies and psychology. While studying there, he began working with the Oregon Employment Department as a veterans representative, and eventually wound up with the Oregon Department of Veterans Services as an accredited Veteran Service Officer, and then lead worker/trainer.

“As a veteran who went to school, worked full-time, and raised a family, I totally understand where our veterans are coming from,” Bedwell said. “You may have to juggle a budget, stay up until midnight studying, and then get up at 5 a.m. and go to work. Oregon State University is really trying to reach out to help its veteran students, which is why I took this job.”

“I really want to help the faculty and staff here to help the students.”

~ Mark Floyd

Maganck is on assignment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (UNESCO-ICIWaRM). He brings a wealth of knowledge in international development and water resources education to OSU. From 2003 until 2009 he was rector and professor of the United Nations Institute for Water Education, UNESCO-IHE in the Netherlands. Maganck’s career also includes dozens of natural resources and economic development missions to more than 100 countries around the world. He received his PhD from OSU in 1974.  View a video about one of Dr. Maganck’s projects in Brazil.

More information regarding Meganck’s work can be found at:

http://water.oregonstate.edu/view/kudos

The second-generation Trysting Tree at Oregon State University will be honored as a state Heritage Tree during a ceremony on Friday, April 6, at the tree near OSU’s Benton Hall. The Trysting Tree at Oregon State University, a state Heritage Tree. (Photo by Pat Breen, courtesy of Oregon State University)

The second-generation Trysting Tree at Oregon State University will be honored as a state Heritage Tree during a ceremony on Friday, April 6, at the tree near OSU’s Benton Hall.

The tree, a gray poplar which was planted in 1982 from cuttings of the original tree that dated to the 1880s, is one of four in Oregon that will be recognized during Oregon Arbor Week by the Oregon Travel Experience and the Oregon Heritage Tree Program.

The event announcing the new tree selections will begin at 2 p.m., with remarks by OSU President Ed Ray and several other speakers. A keynote address will be made by Larry Landis, OSU university archivist; a plaque will be unveiled; and the OSU chamber choir will perform. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

OSU’s Trysting Tree was a popular gathering spot on campus that dates back almost to the university’s origins as Oregon Agricultural College – it was the lover’s lane of its day, said to have a “magical effect” on students, especially in the springtime. The nickname evolved around 1900 when President Thomas Gatch admonished two students who were regularly meeting there for romantic purposes.

Apparently, the president’s scolding of the students did not have its intended effect. The tree’s popularity became such that illuminating lights were placed on Benton Hall “to keep the tree from being overworked,” and its legend grew.

A poem, published in 1908, refers to “a youth and maiden” standing “beneath the faithful Trysting Tree,” and concludes:

Long may’st thou live, thou worthy friend

Thou dear old Trysting Tree

Long may thy branches proudly wave

Majestic’ly and free

To mind us of those happy days

Spent at old OAC.

The original gray poplar had to be removed in 1987 due to advanced disease, but prior to that cuttings from it had been used to establish the replacement tree – now tall and healthy – that will be recognized in this ceremony. The tree is located in a National Historic District and is a widely recognized symbol of OSU – including a local golf course named after it and a lounge in OSU’s Memorial Union.

Other trees being recognized at the ceremony include a 250-year-old sugar pine that Oregon settlers passed on the southern Applegate Trail; a large pine tree in Josephine County that served as a base for smoke jumpers; and a grove of trees planted over a century on the Shipley Cook Farmstead in the Willamette Valley.

“Being recognized for the best paper in the region is a tremendous start, but it is the just the beginning.  My goal all along was to be the best college paper in the country. We’re one step closer to being just that,” Editor-In-Chief Brandon Southward said.

The Daily Barometer was awarded the following Mark of Excellence awards at the regional conference in Tacoma, Wash. on March 31:

First place, “Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper”

First place, “Sports Column Writing,”  Jesse Severson, writer

First place, “Breaking News Reporting,” Kristin Pugmire, writer

Second place, “General News Photography,” Vinay Bikkina, photographer

Second place, “Sports Column Writing,” Grady Garrett, writer

Second place, “Sports Writing,” Grady Garrett, writer

SPJ’s region 10 includes Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Alaska and Washington.  The first-place award winners will go on to compete at the national competition.

“These awards reflect the commitment to excellence of our student journalists. The Daily Barometer has a long history of greatness.  The students have honored the legacy with these awards,” said Julia Sandidge, director of Student Media.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the goal of the course, titled “Monte Carlo Methods in Artificial Intelligence,” was to get undergraduate computer science students interested in research.

Lorelei Lee, a junior in computer science at the University of West Florida, and Alex Clemmer, a junior in computer science at the University of Utah, work on their project during a week-long artificial intelligence course at Oregon State University in March 2012.

About 200 students applied for the limited spaces available, and included sophomores and juniors ranging from the University of Utah and University of Illinois at Chicago to the California Institute of Technology, Tufts University and also OSU.

“We introduced the students to state-of-the art research in a very short amount of time,” said Prasad Tadepalli, professor of computer science and co-organizer of the course. “We wanted to show them new areas of artificial intelligence research including applications in ecology, computer games, air traffic control, and disease surveillance.”

OSU faculty teaching the course included Tadepalli and computer science professors Tom Dietterich, Alan Fern and Weng-Keen Wong, and mechanical engineering professor Kagan Tumer. They discussed their research while students worked on relevant projects.

Alex Clemmer, a junior at the University of Utah, said he was drawn to the course because of the research talent at OSU and especially the opportunity to learn from both his peers and computer science professor Tom Dietterich, a process he called “intellectual ventilation.”

“I would never pass up the opportunity to spend time with smart people,” Clemmer said.

Clemmer is especially interested in large-scale statistical inference in processing data.

“For example, Google processes billions of queries each day,” explained Clemmer. “This is something we have never dealt with before and this creates new and interesting problems to solve.”

Lorelei Lee, who is a junior at the University of West Florida, also works full time as a reliability and maintainability analyst for ManTech, the fifth largest defense contractor for the Navy.

“Artificial intelligence helps us develop tools to analyze large amounts of data,” said Lee. “This helps us make better decisions where I work in weapons systems development.”

Lee, an older-than-average student, said she was very impressed with the students she met during the week. “I was blown away by these youngsters with their talent and energy,” she said. “The future looks great.”

OSU educators said they hope that these students will eventually attend graduate school, either at OSU or elsewhere.

“Our AI faculty at OSU are the leaders in this field and want to cultivate the next generation of leaders,” said Terri Fiez, head of the OSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

~ Gail Sumida

Artist Too $hort will perform March 9 at a concert that will benefit a local youth center.

Members of Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Phi, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Theta Chi are helping support a concert on March 9 featuring hip-hop artist “Too $hort,” with proceeds directly benefiting the youth center being created in Oakland, Calif., in his memory by Thompson’s mother, Cora Wilcots.

The center will help local youth children become active in sports and activities to help stimulate positive growth in the community.

The concert will take place at the Benton County Fairgrounds, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Opening performances include Cali Kidd, T-Walk, D. Worthy, Lalaboy, Oxymoron, Blaze and Jove, and DJ Cloud N9ne. Too $hort will perform at 8 p.m. His 19th album, “No Trespassing,” is being released Feb. 28.

Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketsoregon.com or at thINKit, a local business located on 25th and Monroe between Dominoes and Subway. Regular tickets will be $15 before the day of the concert and $20 at the door.

If you would like to meet Too $hort, meet-and-greet tickets will be $35 and can be purchased at the same locations.

Persons can make a donation to the Fred Thompson center at the following website:
http://evolvewithevlove.com/?pg=special&sb=donations

Karren Cholewinski was presented with the PFLA'’s “Our Hero” award.

Two Oregon State University professional faculty members have recently been honored with the PFLA (Professional Faculty Leadership Association)’s “Our Hero” award. Karren Cholewinski, assistant to the Director of Administrative Services and the Director of Budget and Fiscal Planning, for Finance and Administration, and Terralyn Vandetta, Unix administrator for Forest Computing Resources, were both presented with awards and flowers this month by members of PFLA.

Cholewinski is known to be unfailingly friendly and helpful to all she meets. She is considered a tireless worker and no task is too big or small for her to tackle. Currently, she is working for three top-level management officers, two directors and a vice provost.

Her nominator says, “Her positive attitude is an inspiration to us all in how to handle the shifting tides at OSU with grace and dignity.”

“Karren is a hero to everyone who knows her.”

Vandetta has been instrumental in creating a secured website that allows faculty to review graduate applications and participate in virtual conversations without having a physical meeting about it.  They are now also able to view application documents on line without having to pull the physical files from the office.

Terralyn Vandetta was awarded the PFLA Our Hero award.

In addition, Terralyn is involved in every aspect of the College of Forestry’s food drive.  Her annual commitment and dedication to the food drive effort on campus has led to the college raising more funds and food than any other on campus, several years in a row.

A nominator says, “She is very responsive to any requests and follows up in a very timely manner.  Her customer service skills are exceptional and she is always willing to help.”

Shay has studied viticulture and enology for a decade and is an award-winning amateur winemaker in his own right. In addition to his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from Florida, he holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in physics education and zoology, respectively, from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His primary research has focused on bioactive compounds in plants. Most recently, Shay’s work has led him to investigate health benefits of grape and wine consumption.

“There has been lots of interest generated by the discovery of certain bioactive components in grapes that have beneficial actions on human metabolism,” said Shay, whose studies include the ability of bioactive compounds to lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

As the director of the Oregon Wine Research Institute, Shay will work closely with the state’s robust and innovative wine and grape industry, connecting OSU’s research and extension programs with growers and winemakers throughout Oregon, thus contributing to the economy of the state. He will begin work August 15.

“Neil has worked in land grant universities and in private industry with the W. K. Kellogg Institute for Food and Nutrition Research. He understands how to connect research and business in large-scale projects that are results-oriented. We are excited about the vision and passion Neil brings to the Oregon Wine Research Institute and to the industry,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, dean of OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

Neil Shay

“We were impressed with his incredible skills at leading departments and industry groups and his ability to mentor faculty members and to find resources,” said David Adelsheim, a pioneer in the Oregon wine industry, a founder of the Oregon Wine Board, and chair of the Oregon Wine Research Institute policy board. “He’s also a passionate wine consumer. Having made his own wine, grown his own grapes, worked informally at a winery and toured wine regions of France makes him quite rare in academia.”

Adelsheim and several other leaders of the Oregon wine industry from throughout the state worked closely with the College of Agricultural Sciences to establish the institute and recruit its director. An earlier search for a director concluded last year without consensus. The industry and the university later redefined the director’s position with increased responsibilities to develop collaborative and interdisciplinary research relationships with other OSU centers and institutes.

“The hiring of the wine institute’s director is the culmination of more than six years of collective efforts between the university and the industry,” said Robert McGorrin, the head of OSU’s food science and technology department and the chair of the search committee. “The director’s role is twofold: to build partnerships that coordinate a multitude of research efforts across the university and the state and to help leverage the results to produce top-quality Oregon wines.”

The seven-member search committee was composed of industry representatives across the state’s grape-growing regions, and faculty from the enology, viticulture and business disciplines. During the candidate interviews, the committee solicited industry input in Jacksonville, Ore., at the Northwest Viticulture Center in Salem, and in the Portland area.

“We really valued the major involvement and tremendous feedback from industry, USDA scientists and university researchers. It made the search committee’s job much easier,” McGorrin said.

The Oregon wine industry worked with Gov. Ted Kulongoski and the state legislature to make available a special policy option package funding, and has raised nearly $2 million to help cover the institute’s operations for several years, giving the institute a solid base from which to grow.

“It’s a virtual institute,” Adelsheim said. “The offices, laboratories and other facilities already exist within the College of Agricultural Sciences and other parts of OSU.”

Among the facilities available to the institute is a research vineyard (Woodhall Viticultural Center) and a 34,000-square-foot pilot plant winery where students learn fermentation science firsthand. OSU is home to the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research, the Linus Pauling Institute (researching anti-oxidants in the diet), the Austin Family Business Program and the Horticultural Crops Research Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service in Corvallis. OSU also runs the Food Innovation Center in Portland. All of these entities work to help Oregon’s wine industry. Additionally, as Oregon’s only land grant university, OSU has Extension Service faculty across the state who provide specialized help with viticulture.

According to Ramaswamy, no wine region has achieved major prominence without the ability to identify and research the regional problems it faces in its vineyards, wineries and marketplaces and to communicate that new knowledge to its members.

“Every great wine-growing region in the world has a research institute associated with its regional industry,” Shay agreed. “The Oregon Wine Research Institute, in association with the variety and quality of Oregon’s wine regions, has the opportunity to be one of the top grape and wine institutes in the world.”

For example, Bordeaux has its Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, which coordinates research in four local universities. Burgundy has the Institut Jules Guyot, which coordinates research at the University of Burgundy. The Australian Wine Research Institute has played a pivotal role in the rapid progress of Australian wine.

The Oregon Wine Research Institute draws on a wide range of viticultural and enological research at OSU that has grown along with the Oregon wine industry since the 1960s.

OSU scientists were responsible for many discoveries important to the industry — isolating the first malolactic bacteria to grow at cold temperatures and low pHs, devising a “lag growth phase crop estimation system” that is now used universally, importing the Dijon clones and many varieties for the first time into the United States, and creating the first International Cool Climate Symposium for Viticulture and Enology in 1984.

Oregon State University alumnus Scott Rowley (on right) and his friend Sammy Carlson have organized a 1,000-mile bicycling trip to promote and raise funds for autism awareness.

Oregon State University alumnus Scott Rowley and his friend Sammy Carlson have organized a 1,000-mile cycling trip to promote and raise funds for autism awareness.

The trip, titled Hood River 2 Ogden or H2O, will take place from July 8-18 and will start in Hood River and end in Ogden, Utah. The team has begun raising funds for the cause, all of which will support Talk About Curing Autism, a national nonprofit that provides information, resources, and support to families affected by autism.

Rowley and Carlson’s goal is to raise $25,000.

“This endeavor has been motivated by a strong desire to do something big for our community, and help families affected by autism in the state of Oregon,” Rowley and Carlson said in a written statement.

“All of our proceeds will help to establish a chapter of their (TACA) organization in Oregon and continue helping families affected by this disorder.”

Talk About Curing Autism specializes in education for families affected by autism. Autism is a national crisis impacting one in 91 individuals in the United States. Beginning in 2007, TACA expanded its services in an effort to assist more than 16,000 families.

Rowley graduated from OSU in spring 2010 with a degree in business administration and options in entrepreneurship and international business. Carlson is a professional ski athlete and three-time X-Games medalist in freestyle skiing.

For more information or to donate, visit http://www.tacah2o.com

A record number of Oregon State students received diplomas this year. (contributed photo)

A record 4,496 men and women were recognized as graduates from Oregon State University in OSU’s 141st commencement ceremony Saturday, June 12.

The graduates include 2,274 men and 2,222 women; between them, they are earning 4,695 degrees – also a record. While 3,531 graduates-to-be are from Oregon, 751 are from other states, and 204, foreign nations. The youngest graduate in this class is 19, while the oldest is 76.

In total, those students raise OSU’s historic total of graduates to 205,973.