An era of walking robots that can help people with physical disabilities, take on dangerous missions or aid in disaster response is about to begin. One of the leaders in this emerging field, Oregon State University engineer Jonathan Hurst, was recognized in October by Popular Mechanics with one of its “Breakthrough Innovator” awards of 2012. [...]
Tag » Business
September 27, 2012
Partners in Science
The Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry has been created through a collaboration of state, federal and private sector partners.
September 10, 2012
Behind the Screens
OSU-UO partnership aims at greening the flat-panel display industry
Some of today’s flat-panel TV and computer screens are nearly as big as a living room wall. They bring us unimaginably sharp detail, from the spots on butterfly wings to the grimace on a linebacker’s face. Whether hooked up to your cable feed, DVD player or wi-fi, this technology is becoming integral to daily life. However, our love of flashy high-res has a dark side.
June 1, 2012
Value-Added Scientist
Mark Whitham’s know-how is a sought-after commodity for small canners hoping to kick-start or upgrade their facilities.
June 1, 2012
“They Never Tasted Fish Like This Before”
A Coos Bay entrepreneur teamed up with an Oregon Sea Grant seafood specialist to create a new business and local jobs.
May 30, 2012
Sowing seeds for business
Startup companies and entrepreneurs work hand-in-hand with researchers
New startup companies are emerging from Oregon State research. Here are three young companies just getting their feet on the ground.
December 21, 2011
New OSU spinoff company ships first product
Biosurfactant aims at pharmaceutical, cosmetic, environmental remediation and other global markets.
AGAE Technologies opened its doors in May 2011 on the basis of research by Xihou Yin, research scientist in the College of Pharmacy.
October 28, 2011
24/7 Checkup
Sensors could transmit vital signs around the clock
A new chapter in high-tech medicine is being written by electrical engineers at Oregon State University. A team led by Patrick Chiang has confirmed that an electronic technology called “ultrawideband” could lead to the development of sophisticated “body-area networks,” systems of wearable sensors and communication devices designed to track an individual’s health. Such networks would [...]
October 27, 2011
Testing Our Metal
Research sharpens manufacturing's competitive edge
Chain saws, baseball bats, truck bodies, jet engine parts and bridges. All from America’s industrial heartland, right? Or made in China? Wrong. Companies that produce these and other metal products — from kitchen knives and laboratory incubators to steel fabrication stock — employ thousands of Oregonians. One of the tools in their toolbox is a [...]
October 26, 2011
The Apparel Industry’s Higher-Ed Partner
OSU is tightly linked with the Portland area’s apparel community. Examples include: The OSU Design Network The network brings together professionals across the industry for informal gatherings and annual events in Portland, like last year’s Recycled Fashion Show — the longest-running fashion show of designs made from recycled materials in the country. OSU’s Apparel Research [...]
October 14, 2011
Willamette Innovators Night Spotlights Creative Economy
WiN is the Willamette Valley's largest gathering of businesses, researchers, inventors and policymakers focused on the creative economy.
“Made in Oregon” means more than lumber, hazelnuts and pears. At the annual Willamette Innovators Night (WiN) on Nov. 10, established manufacturers from Oregon Iron Works to startups such as Trillium FiberFuels and the AirShip Technologies Group will discuss how research and industry partnerships are changing the state’s economic landscape. “WiN provides a seedbed for [...]
June 8, 2011
Biotech Partnership
Focus on flowering genes
Research into tree biotechnology has gotten a boost through a new agreement between Dow AgroSciences LLC and Oregon State University. The wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company will make its EXZACT™ Precision Technology available to Steve Strauss, distinguished professor of forest biotechnology in the College of Forestry. EXZACT™ provides a versatile and comprehensive [...]
May 31, 2011
The Gamma and the Beta
Nuclear detection improves monitoring
Fast, accurate, affordable detection of radiation — whether it’s from Japan’s damaged Fukushima plant, long-buried waste at Hanford’s WWII weapons site, or secret underground testing by rogue nations — is a pressing need internationally. Now, detection technology has taken a notable leap forward. A newly patented invention from Oregon State University uses “phoswich” technology (short [...]
March 22, 2011
Cradle of Innovation
With a $275 million portfolio, OSU researchers work with entrepreneurs to nurture economic development.
November 20, 2010
The Greening of Wood Products
Wood composites offer resilience, efficiency and strength.
November 20, 2010
Spin-Offs Boost Oregon’s Economy
Young companies based on research at OSU are attracting investment capital and creating job.
November 20, 2010
Neil Shay to Lead OSU’s Wine Institute
A molecular biologist who makes wine from his own grapes will lead research to support Oregon’s wine industry.
September 9, 2010
Broken Beams
Engineers like to break things. In my years reporting on university research, I’ve seen them bend reinforced wood beams as wide as my front door until they shatter. They’ll pummel stud walls repeatedly until the nails cry uncle. Bunker-sized concrete bridge beams will crack from one end to the other as they are stressed with [...]
February 22, 2010
Two Business Startups Get Boost from OSU Fund
An innovative tax credit program aimed at fast-tracking commercialization of university research stands as a bright spot in Oregon’s sputtering economy.
February 22, 2010
Trading on Trust
Businesses based on shared values benefit the bottom line
The search for sustainability is creating some strange bedfellows. Take, for instance, Country Natural Beef. In the Oregon-based meat co-op, cattle ranchers — known for their fierce independence — have forged surprisingly strong alliances with other ranchers across the West. Even more improbably, these no-nonsense traditionalists are collaborating with progressive health-food aficionados, animal-rights advocates and environmental [...]
February 22, 2010
Investing in the Best
Drive and dedication open doors for business students
Do you know what this is?” the three students asked as they presented Ilene Kleinsorge with a smooth, black sculpture. She looked at the carved figure, a trio of human forms holding an orb aloft. “Sure, it’s ebony,” replied Kleinsorge, dean of the OSU College of Business. “It’s us!” exclaimed the students, who had brought the gift [...]
February 22, 2010
Product Lines
These 12 biotechnology, energy and computer software companies account for about 300 jobs and $100 million in investment. They have spun off directly from or leveraged relationships with Oregon State University research. (Source: OSU Office of Technology Transfer) Strands Personal recommendation software Corvallis, Oregon Fizzy Fruit Carbonated strawberries and grapes Portland, Oregon Clear Shape Technologies [...]
November 23, 2009
Guarding the Data Bank
Business professor works to protect online privacy
In the age of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, the notion of personal privacy seems as quaint as the typewriter. Millions of us lay out our lives on the Web in neon, sharing details that used to stay in the familiar light of friends and family. Online retailers monitor our shopping preferences down to the size, [...]
November 23, 2009
“The Professor”
Nancy King’s law career has led her from the boardroom to the factory to the classroom. Because she taught seminars on dispute resolution and workplace discrimination, she earned the nickname “The Professor” at the Portland law firm of Bullard Smith Jernstedt and Wilson. “I was always teaching somebody,” she says. She once gave a sexual [...]
June 23, 2009
Summer of Opportunity
Students plug into research
experiences at home and abroad
Ah, summer vacation. Time to kick back, right? Not so much for OSU students who are discovering opportunities to expand their horizons. They’re modeling blood flow, studying wildlife conservation in Africa, surveying Oregon’s old-growth forests and teaching entrepreneurship.
June 23, 2009
Camps Build Confidence and Sharpen Minds
Kids engage their brains in cool ways —
and get empowered at the same time
From Corvallis labs to Newport tidepools to Salem campgrounds, OSU experts are challenging K-12 kids to stretch their thinking and deepen their understanding of the natural and built environments. This summer, hundreds of Oregon children are limbering up their synapses in subjects as diverse as math and fine arts, engineering and journalism. They’re building brain [...]
April 24, 2009
Eat Locally, Market Globally
Dann Cutter has maintained a reactor on a nuclear submarine and, for the past 12 years, kept the computer networks running at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center. He serves on the Waldport, Oregon city council and two state advisory boards (rural health care and transportation). Why, then, would he return to college for [...]
July 19, 2008
No Barriers
Access to mass transit opens the world to people with disabilities At night when she dreams, Marlene Massey hikes the Cascades on sturdy legs. But when she gets up in the morning, a four-inch curb can stop her cold. That’s because the 50-year-old Corvallis woman is in a wheelchair after losing a big chunk of [...]
July 19, 2008
Sustainable Supply Chains
Recycling spurs innovation
Recycling isn’t just for consumers. Manufacturers are finding competitive advantages in what is known as “end-of-life product management,” says OSU business professor Zhaohui Wu. While dealing with old desktop computers and other high-tech cast-offs can be expensive, innovative companies are redesigning their products — and their supply chains — in response to “take-back” laws cropping [...]
July 19, 2008
Wired Fantasies
There’s a cyber-equivalent of souping up your car inside and out: “modding.” It’s part of the DIY (“do it yourself”) computer culture. Instead of gutting and customizing your ride, you’re modifying your PC. Modder Richard Surroz sees himself as a kind of PC Picasso, or perhaps a Rodin. “I can’t paint, I can’t sculpt, but [...]
