Richard Spinrad, Vice President for Research

A woman hesitates to leave her home for fear of falling and breaking her hip. A child, enjoying fries and a soft drink in the backseat of the car, learns habits that may endanger his long-term health. A man with kidney problems faces a future hooked up to a dialysis machine in a clinic for hours each week.

What can make a difference to the well-being of these people? So much of the research that we conduct at Oregon State University applies to our health. Surveys, measurements, observations in lab and field and the associated analyses have broad relevance for communities. It is clear this land grant institution indeed reaches out to our neighbors.

One example is a project, Generating Rural Options for Weight-Healthy Kids and Communities (GROW). OSU researchers Kathy Gunter and Deborah John of the School of Biological and Population Health Sciences lead efforts to engage residents in rural areas in mapping community features with Global Positioning System technology. Researchers are identifying attributes that promote or inhibit people’s ability to eat healthy foods and participate in physical activity. Because those behaviors strongly relate to risk for obesity and other chronic conditions, Gunter, John and their colleagues are using the information to develop a model of environmental factors that promote weight gain. They will then work with residents to develop improvement strategies through public policies, programs and education.

In a related study, a student in OSU’s School of Public Policy and the Rural Studies Program used Geographic Information System technology to identify and analyze “food deserts” on the southern Oregon coast. Pamela Opfer analyzed food access patterns, comparing supermarket locations in higher and lower-income areas. The work explored the technology as well as the ability for community-based organizations to analyze data.

Put Knowledge to Use

These innovations in technology raise our understanding of the myriad lifestyle factors that affect our health — the built environment, education, social interactions. And as scientific data are acquired and analyzed, questions arise. How can we communicate new knowledge to the public? How can decision-makers use it to create effective health-care policies?

The woman I mentioned in the beginning of this column may improve her balance and bone density, and with those her confidence, through Better Bones and Balance, an exercise program developed through OSU research and conducted by the Extension Service and partner organizations. The man facing kidney failure may be able to get treatment in the comfort of his own home, thanks to a startup company, HomeDialysis+, which applies innovative OSU technology, was funded by the OSU Venture Development Fund and has been nurtured by our Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development.

I look forward to more of these stories. We have begun the process for national accreditation of our College of Public Health and Human Sciences. Its thrust will be to build partnerships, prevent disease and promote healthy lifestyles.

And that child in the backseat? He may just start walking to the corner supermarket with his parents and choosing among locally grown nuts, vegetables and fruits (many of which have been improved through OSU research).

Here’s a toast (with a Powered-by-Orange wine) to our health!

As an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University in the 1970s, I immersed myself in learning about my field of choice, oceanography. I spent plenty of time in class studying the leading texts of the day. But my real education came from first-hand research experiences. In fact, on my first scientific cruise, I probably learned more about the ocean by collecting real data than I had in my first year of study. Some of my most powerful lessons came from the unexpected, the data that didn’t correspond to my expectations, the surprises that inevitably happen in science.

Picture from the past: As a graduate student, Rick Spinrad, right, conducted research on OSU's research vessel Wecoma off the coast of Peru. (Photo courtesy of Rick Spinrad)

Today, I support increasing opportunities for undergraduates to conduct hands-on, extra-curricular research. There has been much talk in academia about helping students prepare for their future roles as society’s leaders and contributors. First they need to become intimate with the science. We don’t need merely good test-takers. At OSU, we strive to nurture people who question what we think we know, as Bronowski says, and people who can solve the world’s real problems.

We also need scientists to be communicators. My parents wrote the Speaker’s Lifetime Library, a resource for presenters, so communicating was always important to me. In my own career, I find myself having to make scientific information comprehensible to a diverse audience. I need to not only share information but also to plead the case, justify the activities, inspire the funding — before the public, policymakers, legislators, potential sponsors and partners.

I am impressed that many OSU researchers use their passion and intellect to translate complex issues into meaningful, personal, memorable insights. I have heard Kathleen Dean Moore (Distinguished Professor of Philosophy) weave ethics into our understanding of the environment. On a research trip this winter, I listened to Bruce Mate (Director, OSU Marine Mammal Institute) talk passionately about the unknowns of whale migration.

Our students learn from scholars and researchers in studios and laboratories, on ships, in forests and on farms. And as undergraduates make discoveries that excite their curiosity, they also gain skills for life. They learn to think critically, to respond to assertions by their peers and others not with a nod and a smile but with a question: How do you know that?

New OSU research leader comes to Corvallis from NOAA.

Richard “Rick” Spinrad, who has overseen national research initiatives from leadership positions in the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Navy, will join OSU in July as vice president for research.

Spinrad earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. at OSU in the 1970s and 1980s. He returns to Oregon with a wealth of experience tightly aligned with the university’s research priorities in climate change and sustainability.

As NOAA’s assistant administrator for research, he directed programs in oceanography, atmospheric sciences and climate, including the National Sea Grant College Program and Climate Program Office. In his previous NOAA post, he directed navigation services, including the National Geodetic Survey, the National Marine Sanctuaries Program and the Office of Coastal Resource Management. He also represented U.S. interests in the establishment of a global tsunami warning system.

Spinrad succeeds John Cassady, who retired in January.