Welcome to OSU Today
Your daily news source about all things Oregon State.
OSU Today is published by University Relations and Marketing and is the university’s primary internal communications publication. Submit events, lectures and other activities via the OSU Main Calendar. To submit story ideas and general announcements, email us at [email protected]. Fill out the form here to subscribe to the twice-weekly digest.
Campus News
News from the Colleges
News Releases
Photo of the Day
Slow ride: Kameron Kadooka, director of Equity, Access and Inclusion with the College of Science, asks, “Does it feel like things move slower when the students are gone?” We are accepting photo submissions at [email protected]. To view past submissions, visit us on Instagram at @osutoday1.
Take Note
NEW! Timely Teaching Tips: Looking for ways to improve student engagement? Poll Everywhere will be OSU’s centrally supported Student Response System starting in Summer 2025, at no cost to faculty and students. Register for the Introduction to Poll Everywhere webinar, Jan. 16 at 3 p.m., to learn about the basics, and explore strategies to leverage this tool in teaching.
NEW! Oregon Savings Growth Plan: Employees can meet with David Rayburn, financial consultant from OSGP, to discuss your financial goals and savings plans for retirement. There is no cost for these consultations and they are available to all employees no matter what stage you are at in your career. Appointments are available on OSU Corvallis Campus Tuesday, Jan. 21. Schedule online at https://osu-osgp1-1s.timetap.com/
NEW! Submit Diversity Research Publications and RSVP for the OSU Diversity Research Reception: Noon to 1 p.m., Feb. 27, MU, Horizon Room, and Cascades (streaming) Obsidian Hall, 207. Submit publication and RSVP here. The reception will highlight and celebrate OSU faculty who are advancing broader access, success and belonging through their research, scholarship and community engagement. The reception also provides a forum for sharing ideas and making connections among OSU colleagues. Food and refreshments will be served at Corvallis and Cascades campus.
NEW! New winter drop-in schedule at Marigold: Explore a variety of contemplative practices and instructors with a new weekly schedule. Classes include gentle and flow yoga, $5 student-led strong yoga flow, guided and quiet meditation, dance, and free offerings. Instructors weave contemplative philosophy and movement in welcoming classes that strengthen the body, soothe the mind, enliven and educate the spirit of practice. Find a community for your practice in our beautiful, biophilic space. Contact us.
NEW! Making classrooms and labs more accessible: The Creatively Learning Accessible Science Symposium will feature experts in d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing scientists, blind scientists, neurodiversity, and on mobility disorders and service dog accommodations in the lab; they will give tips and tricks to make your classroom/lab more accessible. We will form a community for attendees to work collaboratively in groups toward solving real access issues in your courses. This will be a hybrid event with the option to attend in person or online and will take place from 4-7 p.m. Jan. 21 in the Willamette Room of the CH2M HILL Alumni Center or via Zoom. Dinner will be included for those attending in person. Registration is $30 for in-person attendance and $15 for online attendance.
NEW! SLSA 2025 Conference: The Society for Literature, Science and the Arts 38th Annual Conference takes place Aug. 21-24 on the Corvallis campus. Colleagues in the sciences, engineering, technology, computer science, medicine, the social sciences, the humanities and the arts, and independent scholars and artists, are welcome: https://slsa2025.org/ The deadline for paper and panel submissions is Feb 17.
Monthly Emergency Preparedness Topic: Cold Weather Illness. It is important to understand the risks associated with cold weather exposure and being prepared for both indoor and outdoor conditions. English and Spanish versions of this bulletin can be found here.
TIAA on-campus consultations: Employees can meet with Andrew “AJ” Martinez, financial consultant from TIAA to discuss your financial goals and savings plans for retirement. There is no cost for these consultations and they are available to all employees no matter what stage you are at in your career. Appointments are available on OSU Corvallis Campus Wednesday and Thursday Jan. 15-16. Schedule online or by phone at (503) 265-3905.
Apply for your grant before Jan. 14: The OSU Women's Giving Circle is excited to announce the opening of grant applications for OSU programs and student groups to fund innovative projects with funding needs up to $10,000. It is easy to apply! Learn more about the grant application process and eligibility criteria on our website or contact Celina Anderson at the OSU Foundation for details. Apply for a WGC grant by Jan. 14.
Essential Interpersonal training now available: The Laboratory for the American Conversion has created a new on-demand course that’s designed to help teams communicate effectively and deescalate potential contentious conversations. You can register for The Science of Public Discourse here.
Indigenous undergrad summer internship supplemental funding application is open: The New Beginnings for Tribal Students (NBTS) program offers OSU undergrads self-identifying as Native American, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian, supplemental funding of $2000 for summer internships in natural sciences. Internships must be at least 8 weeks long and interns will meet with NBTS mentors over the summer. Students may also apply for support for science conferences. More info and applications here.
FourSight Mindset Reveal Workshop: How do you approach a challenge? FourSight Mindset Reveal is a new workshop presented by the Office of University Human Resources that dives deep into the way that we solve problems together. This engaging workshop helps people learn more about their own mindset, learn appreciation for how colleagues work, and together be able create a stronger team environment and reach more creative solutions. View upcoming workshops and enroll. Hurry – seats are limited.
Supervisor Series: The New OSU Supervisor Series is an orientation program for employees starting in new manager, supervisor, or lead worker roles. Designed to be completed within the first month of their new role, this orientation series equips participants with foundational knowledge about supervisory responsibilities at OSU. Learn more and register.
Call for photo submissions: We’re looking for more photo submissions for our Photo of the Day section on the OSU Today website. Please submit your photos with caption information to [email protected].
Calendar
Around Campus
OSU in the News
Los Angeles County is burning. Are U.S. wildfires increasing? (U.S. News & World Report)
“There hasn't been any appreciable precipitation in Southern California since last spring, so you have vegetation that's extremely dry,” says Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University. “You also had conditions that weren't particularly warm, but extremely high winds and very low humidity.”
Oregon climate assessment highlights need for wildfire preparedness (KPTV)
The assessment, released by the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University, could serve as a major blueprint for preventing or mitigating wildfire damage in the Pacific Northwest, like those currently burning in Los Angeles.
K-12 cloud innovators look back while moving forward (EdTech)
At this point, the cloud is so ubiquitous that nearly all districts have found themselves adopting a multicloud approach that relies on resources from more than one public cloud vendor, says Amy McLaughlin, project director for CoSN’s Cybersecurity and Network and Systems Design initiatives. McLaughlin is also the executive director of technical and solutions architecture at Oregon State University. “It’s not even a question of whether you should consider cloud or not,” she says. “Really, the question is, what is your strategy?”
Engineering students build bridge, unite communities in Eswatini (Western Gazette)
During the school year, students worked with peers from University College London in England and Oregon State University in the United States and professional engineers to design a practical, cost-effective bridge. They created design plans, ordered materials and contributed to construction plans.
Traffic and Maintenance
NEW! Richardson crane: As part of the Richardson Hall Solar Project, a crane will be working on the east side of Richardson Hall on Friday, Jan. 10 and Tuesday, Jan. 14 from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on both days. This activity will close the drive lane, loading dock and parking area on the east side of Richardson Hall. No pedestrian access to this area or the Richardson Hall east entrance will be allowed.
NEW! Dixon: As part of the Washington Way Improvement project, the walkway around the sand volleyball courts at Dixon Recreation Center will be closed starting Monday, Jan. 13 through Wednesday, Jan. 15. The west sidewalk on SW 26th St. and the north sidewalk on SW Washington Way will remain open.
NEW! Washington Way Project Updates & Closures: This is an update on the Washington Way Improvement project. Multiple changes are expected to begin on Monday, Jan. 13 and continue for the next several months. Washington Way between 30th – 35th St. will be reopening to all traffic starting Jan. 13. From Jan. 13-Feb. 28, Washington Way will be closed between 17th and 26th Streets.
SW Memorial Place Closure Near Kelley Engineering Center: As part of the Kelley District Utility Plant project, SW Memorial Place between SW Campus Way and NW Monroe Ave. will be closed through March 1, 2025. A section of the west sidewalk on Memorial Place will be closed. The east sidewalk will remain open. The east entrances to Kelley Engineering Center will remain open. A pedestrian pathway through the fenced construction area will be provided. The bike lane on the east side of Memorial Place will remain open.
Sidewalk Closed West of Goss Stadium: As part of the Washington Way Improvement project, a section of the sidewalk west of Goss Stadium and bordering Washington Way will be closed periodically through Feb. 28. Other possible impacts include noise, dust and mud near the work area.
Bloss Hall: As part of the Bloss Hall Renovation project, a fenced work zone will close SW Stadium Ave just west of Bloss Hall and close a section of parking spaces between Bloss Hall and CH2M HILL Alumni Center (Bloss Hall West Lot). The closure will be in effect Dec. 16-Jan. 20. Vehicles may detour through the Bloss Hall West parking lot or access SW Stadium Ave. from SW 26th St.
Features
