Research news
OSU Choirs “Sing Out!” in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon State University will bring an annual event, “Sing Out: The Orange & Black Choral and Vocal Scholarship Concert,” to Portland on Sunday, April 21.
The concert, previously held only in Corvallis, benefits the Orange & Black Scholarship Fund, which helps OSU music programs attract and maintain talented singers to study vocal performance and choral music education.
It features the best that the award winning OSU vocal program has to offer, including performances by OSU Meistersingers, Bella Voce, and Chamber Choir, with instrumental accompaniment and soloists.
The event will be at 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 1200 S.W. Alder St. Admission is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Advance tickets are available for purchase at TicketTomato.com. A limited number of free student tickets will be available at the door while seats last.
“This concert features Oregon State’s three premier choral ensembles in a performance to raise funds for scholarships that assist talented singers, many who come from Portland area high schools,” said Steven Zielke, director of choral studies. “It’s a great opportunity for us to share the quality of our program with our friends in Portland, and for our friends and alumni there to support a great cause.
“For Beaver fans in the Portland metro area who love singing, this is the ‘can’t miss’ concert of the year,” he said.
Highlights will include the OSU women’s choir, Bella Voce, performing the premiere of “Viva Sweet Love,” by Joan Szymko. The piece was commissioned for Bella Voce with funding from the Oregon State University Women’s Giving Circle. The choir will also perform “Wedding Qawwalli” by Ethan Sperry, with choreography by OSU student Daniel Fridley, a senior in music education and assistant conductor of the OSU Meistersingers. Bella Voce, directed by Tina Bull, is a select, 50-member chorus that performs each term and tours regionally and internationally.
The OSU Meistersingers, a 50-member, auditioned men’s ensemble, will perform “Dies Irae,” by Z. Randall Stroope, conducted by Fridley; the beautiful “Lux Aurumque,” by Eric Whitacre; and the traditional Celtic folk piece, “Loch Lomond,” featuring soloist Rich Meier, a senior in electrical engineering. The popular choir is conducted by Russell Christensen and performs in concert each term, tours regionally, and frequently entertains at community and campus sporting and special events.
Chamber Choir, OSU’s preeminent vocal ensemble, is a mixed voice choir comprised of 47 carefully selected singers, directed by Zielke. The choir will perform Movement One (“O Come, Let Us Worship”) of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “All Night Vigil,” as well as Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure on this Shining Night,” and a Mark Butler arrangement of the traditional spiritual, “Signs of the Judgment.” The Chamber Choir performs on campus each term and tours regionally or internationally each spring.
As is tradition at many Oregon State University choral events, the audience will have an opportunity to sing along with the choirs on “Carry Me Back,” the OSU alma mater song.
In May, all three choirs will head to New York for a tour that includes a performance in Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center. That concert will feature three OSU alumni soloists who have launched professional singing careers.
College of Liberal Arts Media Contact: Erin Sneller Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageOSU Choirs “Sing Out!” in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon State University will bring an annual event, “Sing Out: The Orange & Black Choral and Vocal Scholarship Concert,” to Portland on Sunday, April 21.
The concert, previously held only in Corvallis, benefits the Orange & Black Scholarship Fund, which helps OSU music programs attract and maintain talented singers to study vocal performance and choral music education.
It features the best that the award winning OSU vocal program has to offer, including performances by OSU Meistersingers, Bella Voce, and Chamber Choir, with instrumental accompaniment and soloists.
The event will be at 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 1200 S.W. Alder St. Admission is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Advance tickets are available for purchase at TicketTomato.com. A limited number of free student tickets will be available at the door while seats last.
“This concert features Oregon State’s three premier choral ensembles in a performance to raise funds for scholarships that assist talented singers, many who come from Portland area high schools,” said Steven Zielke, director of choral studies. “It’s a great opportunity for us to share the quality of our program with our friends in Portland, and for our friends and alumni there to support a great cause.
“For Beaver fans in the Portland metro area who love singing, this is the ‘can’t miss’ concert of the year,” he said.
Highlights will include the OSU women’s choir, Bella Voce, performing the premiere of “Viva Sweet Love,” by Joan Szymko. The piece was commissioned for Bella Voce with funding from the Oregon State University Women’s Giving Circle. The choir will also perform “Wedding Qawwalli” by Ethan Sperry, with choreography by OSU student Daniel Fridley, a senior in music education and assistant conductor of the OSU Meistersingers. Bella Voce, directed by Tina Bull, is a select, 50-member chorus that performs each term and tours regionally and internationally.
The OSU Meistersingers, a 50-member, auditioned men’s ensemble, will perform “Dies Irae,” by Z. Randall Stroope, conducted by Fridley; the beautiful “Lux Aurumque,” by Eric Whitacre; and the traditional Celtic folk piece, “Loch Lomond,” featuring soloist Rich Meier, a senior in electrical engineering. The popular choir is conducted by Russell Christensen and performs in concert each term, tours regionally, and frequently entertains at community and campus sporting and special events.
Chamber Choir, OSU’s preeminent vocal ensemble, is a mixed voice choir comprised of 47 carefully selected singers, directed by Zielke. The choir will perform Movement One (“O Come, Let Us Worship”) of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “All Night Vigil,” as well as Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure on this Shining Night,” and a Mark Butler arrangement of the traditional spiritual, “Signs of the Judgment.” The Chamber Choir performs on campus each term and tours regionally or internationally each spring.
As is tradition at many Oregon State University choral events, the audience will have an opportunity to sing along with the choirs on “Carry Me Back,” the OSU alma mater song.
In May, all three choirs will head to New York for a tour that includes a performance in Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center. That concert will feature three OSU alumni soloists who have launched professional singing careers.
College of Liberal Arts Media Contact: Erin Sneller Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageRemote-controlled aircraft to fly near Hermiston for potato research
HERMISTON, Ore. – Two small, remote-controlled aircraft are expected to start flying over potato fields in the Hermiston area this month as part of Oregon State University's efforts to help farmers more efficiently use water, fertilizers and pesticides to bolster yields and cut costs.
While taking photographs, the aircraft will fly over 50 acres of OSU's 300-acre Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC), as well as several crop circles totaling about 1,000 acres at a research cooperative farm west of Boardman. The flights will take place at least three times a week until the potatoes are harvested in the fall, beginning with a test run Wednesday at the Boardman farm.
OSU researchers will use various cameras on the aircraft to photograph the potato plants. The cameras will include ones that detect different wavelengths of light. One of these wavelengths, infrared, is reflected by plants, but unhealthy plants reflect less of it, and in infrared photographs sick plants are much darker. Researchers will also explore using other wavelengths of light to determine which ones will be most helpful in identifying troubled plants.
Researchers aim to see if the cameras, which are capable of zooming in on a leaf, can detect plants that aren't getting enough fertilizer and water. They'll purposely reduce irrigation and fertilizer on some plants and will then see how quickly, if at all, the equipment detects the stressed plants. If it works, the scientists hope that the project will continue in subsequent years so they can test the cameras to also find plants that are plagued by insects and diseases. The idea is to help farmers take action before larger crop losses occur and it becomes more difficult and expensive to control the problem.
"The key is to pick up plants that are just beginning to show stress so you can find a solution quickly, so the grower doesn’t have any reduced yield or quality issues," said Phil Hamm, the director of HAREC. "This in turn can save money. It's an early warning system for plants with issues as well as an opportunity for growers to reduce costs by being more efficient in water and fertilizer use."
Potatoes were chosen as the focus of the research because they're a high-valued crop, expensive to raise and must be carefully managed to reduce internal and external blemishes and irregular growth spurts, said Don Horneck, an agronomist with the OSU Extension Service. One of Oregon's leading crops, the state's farmers sold $173 million of potatoes in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But spuds are prone to devastating problems caused by diseases and insects, said Horneck, who is the lead researcher from OSU on the project.
"They are one of the most difficult and expensive crops to grow," he said, adding that it typically costs Hermiston farmers $4,000 or more per acre to grow them. That equates to about $500,000 for the average size of field in the area.
OSU hopes that the aircraft it tests will reduce these costs. The aircraft that will fly over OSU's land is called a HawkEye and is sold by a company called Tetracam. About the size of a suitcase and weighing only 8 pounds, its maximum flight time is 10-30 minutes. The hull-less, battery-operated machine is easy to operate and was made for farmers with plots of land that are less than one square mile. A motor and propeller allow it to take off on four wheels. A parachute keeps it in the air. Photos and videos of it are at http://bit.ly/10LDbjt.
A delta-winged aircraft made of plastic foam will fly over the private farm. Made by Procerus Technologies and called a Unicorn, it has a wingspan of no more than 6 feet and weighs less than 6 pounds. A bungee cord launches it like a slingshot. A factsheet on it is at http://bit.ly/XTqioS.
OSU is inviting the public to see the HawkEye fly during its potato field day at its Hermiston research center on June 26.
Allaying concerns about privacy, Hamm said, "These unmanned aircraft are for agricultural research only and will be used to do nothing more than that. This is about helping our local growers do a better job of growing crops, something HAREC has been doing for the past 102 years."
The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized the flights of the aircraft, which aren't allowed to fly higher than 400 feet and must stay within sight of the operator, typically less than a mile away.
OSU is leasing the aircraft from Boeing Research & Technology. n-Link, an information technology firm in Bend, is also a partner in the project. Ray Hunt, a plant physiologist with the USDA in Beltsville, Md., will collaborate with OSU's Horneck on the data analysis.
OSU aims to become one of the nation's premiere universities using unmanned aircraft for research. It is using or has plans to use them in studies on natural resources, wildlife, land-use management, forestry, oceanography and engineering.
Generic OSU Media Contact: Tiffany Woods Source:Phil Hamm, 541-567-8321
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageRemote-controlled aircraft to fly near Hermiston for potato research
HERMISTON, Ore. – Two small, remote-controlled aircraft are expected to start flying over potato fields in the Hermiston area this month as part of Oregon State University's efforts to help farmers more efficiently use water, fertilizers and pesticides to bolster yields and cut costs.
While taking photographs, the aircraft will fly over 50 acres of OSU's 300-acre Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC), as well as several crop circles totaling about 1,000 acres at a research cooperative farm west of Boardman. The flights will take place at least three times a week until the potatoes are harvested in the fall, beginning with a test run Wednesday at the Boardman farm.
OSU researchers will use various cameras on the aircraft to photograph the potato plants. The cameras will include ones that detect different wavelengths of light. One of these wavelengths, infrared, is reflected by plants, but unhealthy plants reflect less of it, and in infrared photographs sick plants are much darker. Researchers will also explore using other wavelengths of light to determine which ones will be most helpful in identifying troubled plants.
Researchers aim to see if the cameras, which are capable of zooming in on a leaf, can detect plants that aren't getting enough fertilizer and water. They'll purposely reduce irrigation and fertilizer on some plants and will then see how quickly, if at all, the equipment detects the stressed plants. If it works, the scientists hope that the project will continue in subsequent years so they can test the cameras to also find plants that are plagued by insects and diseases. The idea is to help farmers take action before larger crop losses occur and it becomes more difficult and expensive to control the problem.
"The key is to pick up plants that are just beginning to show stress so you can find a solution quickly, so the grower doesn’t have any reduced yield or quality issues," said Phil Hamm, the director of HAREC. "This in turn can save money. It's an early warning system for plants with issues as well as an opportunity for growers to reduce costs by being more efficient in water and fertilizer use."
Potatoes were chosen as the focus of the research because they're a high-valued crop, expensive to raise and must be carefully managed to reduce internal and external blemishes and irregular growth spurts, said Don Horneck, an agronomist with the OSU Extension Service. One of Oregon's leading crops, the state's farmers sold $173 million of potatoes in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But spuds are prone to devastating problems caused by diseases and insects, said Horneck, who is the lead researcher from OSU on the project.
"They are one of the most difficult and expensive crops to grow," he said, adding that it typically costs Hermiston farmers $4,000 or more per acre to grow them. That equates to about $500,000 for the average size of field in the area.
OSU hopes that the aircraft it tests will reduce these costs. The aircraft that will fly over OSU's land is called a HawkEye and is sold by a company called Tetracam. About the size of a suitcase and weighing only 8 pounds, its maximum flight time is 10-30 minutes. The hull-less, battery-operated machine is easy to operate and was made for farmers with plots of land that are less than one square mile. A motor and propeller allow it to take off on four wheels. A parachute keeps it in the air. Photos and videos of it are at http://bit.ly/10LDbjt.
A delta-winged aircraft made of plastic foam will fly over the private farm. Made by Procerus Technologies and called a Unicorn, it has a wingspan of no more than 6 feet and weighs less than 6 pounds. A bungee cord launches it like a slingshot. A factsheet on it is at http://bit.ly/XTqioS.
OSU is inviting the public to see the HawkEye fly during its potato field day at its Hermiston research center on June 26.
Allaying concerns about privacy, Hamm said, "These unmanned aircraft are for agricultural research only and will be used to do nothing more than that. This is about helping our local growers do a better job of growing crops, something HAREC has been doing for the past 102 years."
The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized the flights of the aircraft, which aren't allowed to fly higher than 400 feet and must stay within sight of the operator, typically less than a mile away.
OSU is leasing the aircraft from Boeing Research & Technology. n-Link, an information technology firm in Bend, is also a partner in the project. Ray Hunt, a plant physiologist with the USDA in Beltsville, Md., will collaborate with OSU's Horneck on the data analysis.
OSU aims to become one of the nation's premiere universities using unmanned aircraft for research. It is using or has plans to use them in studies on natural resources, wildlife, land-use management, forestry, oceanography and engineering.
Generic OSU Media Contact: Tiffany Woods Source:Phil Hamm, 541-567-8321
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageOSU creates new health promotion program, seeks participants
A new health promotion program aimed at people with physical mobility issues seeks participants from the Corvallis area.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new health promotion program aimed at people with physical mobility issues seeks participants from the Corvallis area.
Simon Driver, an associate professor in exercise and sport science at Oregon State University, is creating the program based on a successful model he created at a medical facility in Texas. The eight-week program is aimed at people ages 18 to 75 who have limited mobility – defined as having difficulty walking one block, or using an assistive device such as a walker, cane or wheelchair.
In addition, participants must be able to communicate in English.
The eight-week program is part of a research project by Driver to determine the effectiveness of the program on increasing physical activity for people with a mobility disability. The program will take place in the Health Promotion for People with Disabilities Lab in the Women’s Building on the OSU campus. Participants must be able to attend the program once a week for 90 minutes during an eight-week period.
The program helps people learn social and behavioral skills to become healthier. Participants will learn about setting goals, rewarding themselves for making their goals, and overcoming barriers to being healthy and active.
To learn more information on qualifications for the program and to sign up to participate, email health.disability@oregonstate.edu or call 541-737-5927.
College of Public Health and Human Sciences Media Contact: Angela Yeager Source:Simon Driver, 541-737-3263
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageOSU creates new health promotion program, seeks participants
A new health promotion program aimed at people with physical mobility issues seeks participants from the Corvallis area.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new health promotion program aimed at people with physical mobility issues seeks participants from the Corvallis area.
Simon Driver, an associate professor in exercise and sport science at Oregon State University, is creating the program based on a successful model he created at a medical facility in Texas. The eight-week program is aimed at people ages 18 to 75 who have limited mobility – defined as having difficulty walking one block, or using an assistive device such as a walker, cane or wheelchair.
In addition, participants must be able to communicate in English.
The eight-week program is part of a research project by Driver to determine the effectiveness of the program on increasing physical activity for people with a mobility disability. The program will take place in the Health Promotion for People with Disabilities Lab in the Women’s Building on the OSU campus. Participants must be able to attend the program once a week for 90 minutes during an eight-week period.
The program helps people learn social and behavioral skills to become healthier. Participants will learn about setting goals, rewarding themselves for making their goals, and overcoming barriers to being healthy and active.
To learn more information on qualifications for the program and to sign up to participate, email health.disability@oregonstate.edu or call 541-737-5927.
College of Public Health and Human Sciences Media Contact: Angela Yeager Source:Simon Driver, 541-737-3263
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pagePlay detailing the life of Frida Kahlo comes to OSU on April 26
“Frida, un Retablo,” a play detailing the creative life of acclaimed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, will be presented at Oregon State University on Friday, April 26, beginning at 7 p.m.
The performance will take place in the Lab Theatre of Withycombe Hall, 30th and Campus Way, Corvallis. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; latecomers will not be seated.
Written by Dañel Malán of Portland’s Teatro Milagro (Miracle Theater), the play follows the iconic Kahlo through her life as a visual artist, while intertwining the story of the streetcar accident that left her crippled and her torrid relationship with the muralist Diego Rivera.
The play was initially performed by Teatro Milagro in 2007, and was brought back by the group due to popular demand.
In this newest rendition, three Fridas take the stage: Tricia Castañeda-González as Frida, Dañel Malán as the spirit of Frida, and Oregon State alumnus Ajai Terrazas-Tripathi as Old Frida. Daniel Moreno plays Diego Rivera, and the play is directed by Gabriela Portuguez.
The performance is sponsored by Teatro Milagro in conjunction with OSU’s Center for Latin@ Studies and Oregon State University Theatre.
College of Liberal Arts Source:Susana Rivera-Mills, 541-737-4586
Multimedia:
(left to right) Dañel Malán, Ajai Terrazas-Tripathi, Tricia Castañeda-Gonzáles, and Daniel Moreno in Milagro's production of "Frida, un retablo", a play detailing the creative life of one of Mexico’s most acclaimed artists, Frida Kahlo, will show at Oregon State University on April 26 at 7 p.m. (photo by Russell J. Young)
Play detailing the life of Frida Kahlo comes to OSU on April 26
“Frida, un Retablo,” a play detailing the creative life of acclaimed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, will be presented at Oregon State University on Friday, April 26, beginning at 7 p.m.
The performance will take place in the Lab Theatre of Withycombe Hall, 30th and Campus Way, Corvallis. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; latecomers will not be seated.
Written by Dañel Malán of Portland’s Teatro Milagro (Miracle Theater), the play follows the iconic Kahlo through her life as a visual artist, while intertwining the story of the streetcar accident that left her crippled and her torrid relationship with the muralist Diego Rivera.
The play was initially performed by Teatro Milagro in 2007, and was brought back by the group due to popular demand.
In this newest rendition, three Fridas take the stage: Tricia Castañeda-González as Frida, Dañel Malán as the spirit of Frida, and Oregon State alumnus Ajai Terrazas-Tripathi as Old Frida. Daniel Moreno plays Diego Rivera, and the play is directed by Gabriela Portuguez.
The performance is sponsored by Teatro Milagro in conjunction with OSU’s Center for Latin@ Studies and Oregon State University Theatre.
College of Liberal Arts Source:Susana Rivera-Mills, 541-737-4586
Multimedia:
(left to right) Dañel Malán, Ajai Terrazas-Tripathi, Tricia Castañeda-Gonzáles, and Daniel Moreno in Milagro's production of "Frida, un retablo", a play detailing the creative life of one of Mexico’s most acclaimed artists, Frida Kahlo, will show at Oregon State University on April 26 at 7 p.m. (photo by Russell J. Young)
OSU's agricultural art exhibit opens in Corvallis, then Roseburg
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The work of 17 handpicked artists is on display in the 31st year of an Oregon State University exhibit inspired by agriculture and its bounty.
The Art About Agriculture exhibit, sponsored by OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences, runs through April 25 at LaSells Stewart Center on campus in Corvallis. The public is invited to meet the artists at a reception in the center's Giustina Gallery April 19 from 6-8 p.m.
The artwork will then be on tour May 10 to June 30 in Roseburg at the Umpqua Valley Arts Association at 1624 W. Harvard Ave. A public reception will take place there on the opening night from 5-7 p.m.
This year's work explores agricultural bounty and community – from consumers to marketers to farmers – in drawings, paintings, photographs, prints, wood and sculptures. Artists drew inspiration from vineyards, farmers markets and their own vegetable gardens. They hail from Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
One of them, Sally Finch of Portland, created an abstract piece depicting rainfall graphs of dryland farming. She used graphite and acrylic ink. Christine Bourdette of Portland produced six-inch bronze figurines riding potatoes. Lynn Miller of Sisters painted "Corn Shatter – Ditch Parrot's Dream" in oil on canvas.
The College of Agricultural Sciences convened a committee of art professionals to nominate artists to participate in the exhibit. Sally Houck, director of the Newport Visual Arts Center, and Irene Zenev, executive director of the Benton County Historical Society and Museum, judged the artwork. With more than $4,500, from patrons’ annual gifts and program endowment earnings, the judges recommended purchasing some of the works for the college's permanent collection, and awarding Mike Van this year's only cash honorarium for his watercolor-and-charcoal piece, "All Will Be Fed."
"Art About Agriculture was created in response to a need to develop a bridge between rural and urban Oregonians," said OSU Professor Gwil Evans. He wrote the original grant proposal that funded the inaugural exhibit in 1983.
Three decades later, 250 works of art in the exhibit's permanent collection grace the hallways, meeting rooms and offices at OSU, state agencies in Salem and government agencies throughout Oregon year-round, said Shelley Curtis, the directing curator for Art About Agriculture.
Participating artists:
Debra Beers - Portland, Oregon
Christine Bourdette - Portland, Oregon
Harrison Branch - Corvallis, Oregon
Mark Clarke - Eugene, Oregon
Sally Finch - Portland, Oregon
Caryn Friedlander - Bellingham, Washington
Yuji Hiratsuka - Corvallis, Oregon
Tracy Leagjeld - Portland, Oregon
Denise McFadden - Vancouver, Washington
Lynn Miller - Sisters, Oregon
Connie Mueller - Eugene, Oregon
Adam Ottavi - Ester, Alaska
Mike Rangner - Albany, Oregon
Sara Tabbert - Fairbanks, Alaska
Gary Tepfer - Eugene, Oregon
Maurice "Mike" Van - Eugene, Oregon
Jennifer Williams - Ridgefield, Washington
College of Agricultural Sciences Media Contact: Denise Ruttan Source:Shelley Curtis, 541-737-5534
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageOSU's agricultural art exhibit opens in Corvallis, then Roseburg
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The work of 17 handpicked artists is on display in the 31st year of an Oregon State University exhibit inspired by agriculture and its bounty.
The Art About Agriculture exhibit, sponsored by OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences, runs through April 25 at LaSells Stewart Center on campus in Corvallis. The public is invited to meet the artists at a reception in the center's Giustina Gallery April 19 from 6-8 p.m.
The artwork will then be on tour May 10 to June 30 in Roseburg at the Umpqua Valley Arts Association at 1624 W. Harvard Ave. A public reception will take place there on the opening night from 5-7 p.m.
This year's work explores agricultural bounty and community – from consumers to marketers to farmers – in drawings, paintings, photographs, prints, wood and sculptures. Artists drew inspiration from vineyards, farmers markets and their own vegetable gardens. They hail from Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
One of them, Sally Finch of Portland, created an abstract piece depicting rainfall graphs of dryland farming. She used graphite and acrylic ink. Christine Bourdette of Portland produced six-inch bronze figurines riding potatoes. Lynn Miller of Sisters painted "Corn Shatter – Ditch Parrot's Dream" in oil on canvas.
The College of Agricultural Sciences convened a committee of art professionals to nominate artists to participate in the exhibit. Sally Houck, director of the Newport Visual Arts Center, and Irene Zenev, executive director of the Benton County Historical Society and Museum, judged the artwork. With more than $4,500, from patrons’ annual gifts and program endowment earnings, the judges recommended purchasing some of the works for the college's permanent collection, and awarding Mike Van this year's only cash honorarium for his watercolor-and-charcoal piece, "All Will Be Fed."
"Art About Agriculture was created in response to a need to develop a bridge between rural and urban Oregonians," said OSU Professor Gwil Evans. He wrote the original grant proposal that funded the inaugural exhibit in 1983.
Three decades later, 250 works of art in the exhibit's permanent collection grace the hallways, meeting rooms and offices at OSU, state agencies in Salem and government agencies throughout Oregon year-round, said Shelley Curtis, the directing curator for Art About Agriculture.
Participating artists:
Debra Beers - Portland, Oregon
Christine Bourdette - Portland, Oregon
Harrison Branch - Corvallis, Oregon
Mark Clarke - Eugene, Oregon
Sally Finch - Portland, Oregon
Caryn Friedlander - Bellingham, Washington
Yuji Hiratsuka - Corvallis, Oregon
Tracy Leagjeld - Portland, Oregon
Denise McFadden - Vancouver, Washington
Lynn Miller - Sisters, Oregon
Connie Mueller - Eugene, Oregon
Adam Ottavi - Ester, Alaska
Mike Rangner - Albany, Oregon
Sara Tabbert - Fairbanks, Alaska
Gary Tepfer - Eugene, Oregon
Maurice "Mike" Van - Eugene, Oregon
Jennifer Williams - Ridgefield, Washington
College of Agricultural Sciences Media Contact: Denise Ruttan Source:Shelley Curtis, 541-737-5534
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageLieberman to help guide OSU Venture Accelerator
Mark Lieberman has been named as the new chief startup officer and co-director of the OSU Venture Accelerator, an initiative to help move university research to commercial success.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Mark Lieberman, an expert in business commercialization, entrepreneurship and international finance, has been named as the new chief startup officer and co-director of the OSU Venture Accelerator, an initiative to help move university research to commercial success.
The Venture Accelerator and a related effort, the Industry Partnering Program, are two key parts of the Oregon State University Advantage, a major new program to boost the university’s impact on job creation and economic progress in Oregon and the nation. It began this spring.
Lieberman most recently has been executive director of the Business Technology Center of Los Angeles County, and was named one of the 50 “Most Innovative Men for 2012” by THE Magazine. He has taught entrepreneurship programs at various colleges, consulted with several governments, worked in international finance, and served on President Obama’s “Rank Review Committee” for 2010.
“Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in launching new enterprises and in mentoring management teams,” said Ron Adams, executive associate vice president for research at OSU. “His leadership as chief startup officer will help ensure OSU’s success in fostering job creation and in developing Oregon’s future entrepreneurial talent.”
The Venture Accelerator is designed to identify innovation or research findings that might form the basis for profitable companies. It will aid their development with legal, marketing, financial and mentoring assistance to help turn good ideas into real-world businesses.
Generic OSU Media Contact: David Stauth Source:Ron Adams, 541-737-7722
Multimedia: Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageLieberman to help guide OSU Venture Accelerator
Mark Lieberman has been named as the new chief startup officer and co-director of the OSU Venture Accelerator, an initiative to help move university research to commercial success.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Mark Lieberman, an expert in business commercialization, entrepreneurship and international finance, has been named as the new chief startup officer and co-director of the OSU Venture Accelerator, an initiative to help move university research to commercial success.
The Venture Accelerator and a related effort, the Industry Partnering Program, are two key parts of the Oregon State University Advantage, a major new program to boost the university’s impact on job creation and economic progress in Oregon and the nation. It began this spring.
Lieberman most recently has been executive director of the Business Technology Center of Los Angeles County, and was named one of the 50 “Most Innovative Men for 2012” by THE Magazine. He has taught entrepreneurship programs at various colleges, consulted with several governments, worked in international finance, and served on President Obama’s “Rank Review Committee” for 2010.
“Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in launching new enterprises and in mentoring management teams,” said Ron Adams, executive associate vice president for research at OSU. “His leadership as chief startup officer will help ensure OSU’s success in fostering job creation and in developing Oregon’s future entrepreneurial talent.”
The Venture Accelerator is designed to identify innovation or research findings that might form the basis for profitable companies. It will aid their development with legal, marketing, financial and mentoring assistance to help turn good ideas into real-world businesses.
Generic OSU Media Contact: David Stauth Source:Ron Adams, 541-737-7722
Multimedia: Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageCH2M HILL chairman and CEO to speak at OSU April 15
Lee McIntire, chairman and CEO of CH2M HILL, will give a free, public lecture on Monday, April 15, at Oregon State University, discussing the opportunities and risks of running a global business.
Part of the OSU Division of Business and Engineering Lecture Series, the talk begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Austin Auditorium of LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St., Corvallis.
McIntire’s talk, “Working on the Frontier: The Changing Nature of Global Business,” focuses on the increased globalization of business, the reasons companies have for expanding internationally and how they can best accomplish it.
McIntire took over as CEO at CH2M HILL in 2009 and has more than 30 years of international engineering and construction experience. The firm serves clients on six continents, with 30,000 employees and annual revenue of $6.4 billion.
This will be McIntire’s first visit to the Oregon State campus. CH2M HILL was founded in 1946 by an OSU professor and his three students, and Corvallis remains home to one of more than 160 global offices.
Prior to joining CH2M HILL, McIntire was a partner and board director of the Bechtel Group. He is a non-executive director of BAE Systems, PLC and lends his leadership to forums such as the Business Roundtable and World Economic Forum. He was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award in 2011.
Generic OSU Media Contact: Angela Yeager Source:Jenn Casey, 541-737-0695
Multimedia: Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageCH2M HILL chairman and CEO to speak at OSU April 15
Lee McIntire, chairman and CEO of CH2M HILL, will give a free, public lecture on Monday, April 15, at Oregon State University, discussing the opportunities and risks of running a global business.
Part of the OSU Division of Business and Engineering Lecture Series, the talk begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Austin Auditorium of LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St., Corvallis.
McIntire’s talk, “Working on the Frontier: The Changing Nature of Global Business,” focuses on the increased globalization of business, the reasons companies have for expanding internationally and how they can best accomplish it.
McIntire took over as CEO at CH2M HILL in 2009 and has more than 30 years of international engineering and construction experience. The firm serves clients on six continents, with 30,000 employees and annual revenue of $6.4 billion.
This will be McIntire’s first visit to the Oregon State campus. CH2M HILL was founded in 1946 by an OSU professor and his three students, and Corvallis remains home to one of more than 160 global offices.
Prior to joining CH2M HILL, McIntire was a partner and board director of the Bechtel Group. He is a non-executive director of BAE Systems, PLC and lends his leadership to forums such as the Business Roundtable and World Economic Forum. He was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award in 2011.
Generic OSU Media Contact: Angela Yeager Source:Jenn Casey, 541-737-0695
Multimedia: Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageInvention could make spent nuclear fuel useful for irradiation purposes
An OSU engineering student has invented a way to use spent nuclear fuel for a useful purpose: the irradiation of medical supplies, food or other products.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A researcher at Oregon State University has invented a way to use spent nuclear fuel to produce the gamma rays needed to irradiate medical supplies, food and other products – an advance that could change what is now a costly waste disposal concern into a valued commodity.
The technology, if widely implemented, might allow each of the 104 nuclear reactors in the United States to create a revenue stream of $10 million a year while providing thousands of new jobs. And by lowering the cost of irradiation, it could become commercially feasible for a wider range of uses.
A provisional patent has been issued on the technology, and commercialization efforts are under way through a private company, G-Demption LLC, created for that purpose.
“This is essentially a way to re-use spent nuclear fuel for a valuable purpose,” said Russell Goff, a masters student in the OSU Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics. “Until now no one really thought to do this. But this approach is safe, practical and economical. Instead of treating all nuclear waste as a disposal problem, we could be putting much of it to good use.”
Irradiation is a growing industry, and is commonly used in the sterilization of medical supplies such as bandages or syringes. It’s also widely approved for helping to preserve foods – many spices, and some fruits and meat products are irradiated. The use of gamma radiation for these purposes does not make the underlying product radioactive, and generally has no effects on it that are any more pronounced than other sterilization or preservation technologies.
However, the gamma ray sterilization industry is constrained by the need for cobalt 60, the radioactive isotope most commonly used.
“The U.S. already uses about half of the world’s supply of cobalt 60 for various types of irradiation, and the process can be expensive,” Goff said. “The new system we’ve created should be significantly less expensive, and as such could open the technology to more routine uses. We could double the world supply of gamma rays with this new technology and still won’t come close to meeting the market demand for this valuable resource.”
Sterile medical supplies are a huge market for gamma irradiation, Goff said, and increased used of irradiation could reduce the need for sterilization with ethylene oxide gas, which is a highly toxic and flammable gas.
The system Goff has invented adds another level of protection to prevent unwanted fission products from escaping the spent nuclear fuel and entering the environment, but allows gamma radiation to be released in a controlled manner for irradiation purposes. Because recently spent nuclear fuel – less than 12 years old - still has fairly intense levels of radiation, it provides an economical way to irradiate products.
The nuclear waste handling systems needed to use the new technology are similar to those already being used at nuclear power plants, he said, and the process of sterilizing the products is almost identical to processes used in the cobalt 60 irradiation industry today.
Aside from providing a commercial use for spent nuclear fuel, the approach would also reduce the significant expense of otherwise storing it, Goff noted. This system might also have special appeal in developing countries, where refrigeration and other approaches to preserving food, as well as access to sterile medical supplies, are not always readily available.
College of Engineering Media Contact: David Stauth Source:Russell Goff
515-231-0736
YouTube video: http://bit.ly/XT0fxO
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageInvention could make spent nuclear fuel useful for irradiation purposes
An OSU engineering student has invented a way to use spent nuclear fuel for a useful purpose: the irradiation of medical supplies, food or other products.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A researcher at Oregon State University has invented a way to use spent nuclear fuel to produce the gamma rays needed to irradiate medical supplies, food and other products – an advance that could change what is now a costly waste disposal concern into a valued commodity.
The technology, if widely implemented, might allow each of the 104 nuclear reactors in the United States to create a revenue stream of $10 million a year while providing thousands of new jobs. And by lowering the cost of irradiation, it could become commercially feasible for a wider range of uses.
A provisional patent has been issued on the technology, and commercialization efforts are under way through a private company, G-Demption LLC, created for that purpose.
“This is essentially a way to re-use spent nuclear fuel for a valuable purpose,” said Russell Goff, a masters student in the OSU Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics. “Until now no one really thought to do this. But this approach is safe, practical and economical. Instead of treating all nuclear waste as a disposal problem, we could be putting much of it to good use.”
Irradiation is a growing industry, and is commonly used in the sterilization of medical supplies such as bandages or syringes. It’s also widely approved for helping to preserve foods – many spices, and some fruits and meat products are irradiated. The use of gamma radiation for these purposes does not make the underlying product radioactive, and generally has no effects on it that are any more pronounced than other sterilization or preservation technologies.
However, the gamma ray sterilization industry is constrained by the need for cobalt 60, the radioactive isotope most commonly used.
“The U.S. already uses about half of the world’s supply of cobalt 60 for various types of irradiation, and the process can be expensive,” Goff said. “The new system we’ve created should be significantly less expensive, and as such could open the technology to more routine uses. We could double the world supply of gamma rays with this new technology and still won’t come close to meeting the market demand for this valuable resource.”
Sterile medical supplies are a huge market for gamma irradiation, Goff said, and increased used of irradiation could reduce the need for sterilization with ethylene oxide gas, which is a highly toxic and flammable gas.
The system Goff has invented adds another level of protection to prevent unwanted fission products from escaping the spent nuclear fuel and entering the environment, but allows gamma radiation to be released in a controlled manner for irradiation purposes. Because recently spent nuclear fuel – less than 12 years old - still has fairly intense levels of radiation, it provides an economical way to irradiate products.
The nuclear waste handling systems needed to use the new technology are similar to those already being used at nuclear power plants, he said, and the process of sterilizing the products is almost identical to processes used in the cobalt 60 irradiation industry today.
Aside from providing a commercial use for spent nuclear fuel, the approach would also reduce the significant expense of otherwise storing it, Goff noted. This system might also have special appeal in developing countries, where refrigeration and other approaches to preserving food, as well as access to sterile medical supplies, are not always readily available.
College of Engineering Media Contact: David Stauth Source:Russell Goff
515-231-0736
YouTube video: http://bit.ly/XT0fxO
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageOSU’s College of Business celebrates outstanding alumni and businesses on May 7 in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. – Six alumni of Oregon State University and one business partner will be honored for their achievements at the OSU College of Business’ Celebration of Excellence on Tuesday, May 7, at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront.
The 12th annual Alumni and Business Partner Awards will recognize outstanding professional achievements and services to the college by alumni and business partners. This year individuals from four different states and an alumnus working in the United Arab of Emirates will be honored.
The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and the awards presentation at 6:30 p.m. For more information or to register, go to http://business.oregonstate.edu/awards or contact Rachelle Nickerson at rachelle.nickerson@oregonstate.edu.
The 2013 award winners representing alumni from around the globe include:
Hall of Fame: Robert G. Zahary ’65, higher education consultant (United Arab Emirates);
Distinguished Service Award: Frank Morse ’70, Oregon State senator and businessman (Albany, Ore.);
Distinguished Business Professional: Gordon Clemons ’65, chairman and CEO, CorVel Corporation (North Carolina); and Don Atkinson, senior executive in sales management, marketing and business development (Federal Way, Wash.);
Distinguished Early Career Business Professional: Meadow Clendenin Stahlnecker ‘99, attorney, Patton Boggs LLP (Dallas, Texas);
Distinguished Young Business Professional: Alicia Miller ‘05, senior financial analyst, Nike, Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.)
Distinguished Business Partner: Oregon Department of Transportation
College of Business Media Contact: Angela Yeager Source:Jenn Casey, 541-737-0695
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pageOSU’s College of Business celebrates outstanding alumni and businesses on May 7 in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. – Six alumni of Oregon State University and one business partner will be honored for their achievements at the OSU College of Business’ Celebration of Excellence on Tuesday, May 7, at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront.
The 12th annual Alumni and Business Partner Awards will recognize outstanding professional achievements and services to the college by alumni and business partners. This year individuals from four different states and an alumnus working in the United Arab of Emirates will be honored.
The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and the awards presentation at 6:30 p.m. For more information or to register, go to http://business.oregonstate.edu/awards or contact Rachelle Nickerson at rachelle.nickerson@oregonstate.edu.
The 2013 award winners representing alumni from around the globe include:
Hall of Fame: Robert G. Zahary ’65, higher education consultant (United Arab Emirates);
Distinguished Service Award: Frank Morse ’70, Oregon State senator and businessman (Albany, Ore.);
Distinguished Business Professional: Gordon Clemons ’65, chairman and CEO, CorVel Corporation (North Carolina); and Don Atkinson, senior executive in sales management, marketing and business development (Federal Way, Wash.);
Distinguished Early Career Business Professional: Meadow Clendenin Stahlnecker ‘99, attorney, Patton Boggs LLP (Dallas, Texas);
Distinguished Young Business Professional: Alicia Miller ‘05, senior financial analyst, Nike, Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.)
Distinguished Business Partner: Oregon Department of Transportation
College of Business Media Contact: Angela Yeager Source:Jenn Casey, 541-737-0695
Promote to OSU home page: Not Promote to the OSU home pagePedestrians at serious risk when drivers are “permitted” to turn left
A "permitted" left turn in heavy traffic poses a serious risk to pedestrian safety, a new study shows, because drivers may not look to see if pedestrians are present.
The report this story is based on is available online: http://bit.ly/kZJkWs
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A study to examine driver behavior in permitted left turns has identified what researchers call an “alarming” level of risk to pedestrians crossing the street – about 4-9 percent of the time, drivers don’t even bother to look and see if there are pedestrians in their way.
As opposed to a “protected” left turn, in which a solid green arrow gives a driver the complete right of way in a left-turn lane, a “permitted” left turn is often allowed by a confusing hodgepodge of signals, and drivers may have to pick their way through narrow windows of oncoming traffic.
This difficult driving maneuver, which is played out millions of times a day around the world, is fraught with risk for unwary pedestrians, who too often appear to be an afterthought.
The danger is much higher than had been realized, experts say.
“There are far more pedestrian crashes in marked crosswalks than anywhere else on roads, and pedestrians already have a false sense of security,” said David Hurwitz, an assistant professor of transportation engineering at Oregon State University. “This study found that one key concern is permitted left turns.”
As they wait to turn left, sometimes taking a narrow opportunity to lunge into a stream of oncoming traffic, drivers focus most of their attention on the vehicular traffic and the traffic signal, rather than any pedestrians crossing the street, the research showed. The heavier the traffic, the less attention paid to pedestrians.
In a controlled analysis in a full-scale driving simulator that monitored specific eye movements, the engineers found that about one time in 10 or 20, the driver didn’t even look to see if a pedestrian was there before moving into the intersection. This suggests a major level of risk to pedestrians, researchers said, if they assume that drivers not only will look for them, but will allow them to cross the street.
The problem is aggravated by “permitted” left turn signals that vary widely, from state to state and sometimes even from one city to the next. Such turns might be allowed by a circular green light, a flashing circular yellow light, a flashing circular red light, or even a flashing yellow arrow. More consistent national standards regarding the flashing yellow arrow were recommended as recently as 2009, but the process of upgrading signals across the nation takes time.
The danger is sufficiently high, the researchers concluded, that more states and cities should consider prohibiting permitted left turns while pedestrians are allowed to be in the crosswalk. In Washington County, Ore., traffic managers recently did just that, after receiving a high number of complaints about pedestrian-vehicle conflicts.
“In traffic management you always have multiple goals, which sometimes conflict,” Hurwitz said. “You want to move traffic as efficiently as possible, because there’s a cost to making vehicles wait. You use more fuel, increase emissions and waste people’s time. The permitted left turn can help with efficiency.
“But the safety of the traveling public is also critical,” he said. “Sometimes the goal of safety has to override the goal of efficiency, and we think this is one of those times.”
Also of some interest, the study found preliminary evidence to suggest that the currently-mandated type of signal, which uses four heads instead of three, offers no change in driver behavior. However, the cost to implement a four-head signal is about $800 more than retrofitting the three-head version, which is widely used around the nation. Many millions of dollars might be saved nationally by using the simpler signal.
The findings of these studies have been compiled in a report by OSU and Portland State University researchers to the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, which funded the research. They will also be presented this year at the Driving Assessment Conference in New York and the Western District ITE meeting in Arizona.
OSU has a sophisticated driving simulator research facility, which allows test subjects to see, experience and react to realistic driving experiences while scientists study their reactions and behavior. This study was done with 27 subjects experiencing 620 permitted left turn maneuvers.
College of Engineering Media Contact: David Stauth Source:David Hurwitz, 541-737-9242
Multimedia: Promote to OSU home page: Promote to the OSU home pagePedestrians at serious risk when drivers are “permitted” to turn left
A "permitted" left turn in heavy traffic poses a serious risk to pedestrian safety, a new study shows, because drivers may not look to see if pedestrians are present.
The report this story is based on is available online: http://bit.ly/kZJkWs
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A study to examine driver behavior in permitted left turns has identified what researchers call an “alarming” level of risk to pedestrians crossing the street – about 4-9 percent of the time, drivers don’t even bother to look and see if there are pedestrians in their way.
As opposed to a “protected” left turn, in which a solid green arrow gives a driver the complete right of way in a left-turn lane, a “permitted” left turn is often allowed by a confusing hodgepodge of signals, and drivers may have to pick their way through narrow windows of oncoming traffic.
This difficult driving maneuver, which is played out millions of times a day around the world, is fraught with risk for unwary pedestrians, who too often appear to be an afterthought.
The danger is much higher than had been realized, experts say.
“There are far more pedestrian crashes in marked crosswalks than anywhere else on roads, and pedestrians already have a false sense of security,” said David Hurwitz, an assistant professor of transportation engineering at Oregon State University. “This study found that one key concern is permitted left turns.”
As they wait to turn left, sometimes taking a narrow opportunity to lunge into a stream of oncoming traffic, drivers focus most of their attention on the vehicular traffic and the traffic signal, rather than any pedestrians crossing the street, the research showed. The heavier the traffic, the less attention paid to pedestrians.
In a controlled analysis in a full-scale driving simulator that monitored specific eye movements, the engineers found that about one time in 10 or 20, the driver didn’t even look to see if a pedestrian was there before moving into the intersection. This suggests a major level of risk to pedestrians, researchers said, if they assume that drivers not only will look for them, but will allow them to cross the street.
The problem is aggravated by “permitted” left turn signals that vary widely, from state to state and sometimes even from one city to the next. Such turns might be allowed by a circular green light, a flashing circular yellow light, a flashing circular red light, or even a flashing yellow arrow. More consistent national standards regarding the flashing yellow arrow were recommended as recently as 2009, but the process of upgrading signals across the nation takes time.
The danger is sufficiently high, the researchers concluded, that more states and cities should consider prohibiting permitted left turns while pedestrians are allowed to be in the crosswalk. In Washington County, Ore., traffic managers recently did just that, after receiving a high number of complaints about pedestrian-vehicle conflicts.
“In traffic management you always have multiple goals, which sometimes conflict,” Hurwitz said. “You want to move traffic as efficiently as possible, because there’s a cost to making vehicles wait. You use more fuel, increase emissions and waste people’s time. The permitted left turn can help with efficiency.
“But the safety of the traveling public is also critical,” he said. “Sometimes the goal of safety has to override the goal of efficiency, and we think this is one of those times.”
Also of some interest, the study found preliminary evidence to suggest that the currently-mandated type of signal, which uses four heads instead of three, offers no change in driver behavior. However, the cost to implement a four-head signal is about $800 more than retrofitting the three-head version, which is widely used around the nation. Many millions of dollars might be saved nationally by using the simpler signal.
The findings of these studies have been compiled in a report by OSU and Portland State University researchers to the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, which funded the research. They will also be presented this year at the Driving Assessment Conference in New York and the Western District ITE meeting in Arizona.
OSU has a sophisticated driving simulator research facility, which allows test subjects to see, experience and react to realistic driving experiences while scientists study their reactions and behavior. This study was done with 27 subjects experiencing 620 permitted left turn maneuvers.
College of Engineering Media Contact: David Stauth Source:David Hurwitz, 541-737-9242
Multimedia: Promote to OSU home page: Promote to the OSU home page
