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.
On OPB this week
- OSU, where faculty are making 3D scans of historic buildings at Silver Falls to preserve their legacy.
- OSU, where a custom-built AI chat tool helps students prep to secure internships and jobs.
Photo of the Day
Double rainbow: This photo of the crabbing dock in Newport was taken by Julie Zwart, senior instructor I, INTO OSU. We are accepting photo submissions at [email protected]. To view past submissions, visit us on Instagram at @osutoday1.
Take Note
NEW! Mid-Month Emergency Preparedness Topic: Pets in Disasters: It is important to prepare and care for your pets just as much as you would for yourself. Know how to plan and build a kit for your pet in case of an emergency. English and Spanish versions of this bulletin can be found here.
NEW! Upcoming Basic Needs Center Closure: The BNC, including the OSU Food Pantry, will be closed the week of June 30 through July 4 to observe university quiet week. They invite students to come in prior to these dates for support in making a plan for food, housing, and living on a budget. BNC summer hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 10 am – 3 pm and Wednesdays 8 am – 3 pm. Questions? Connect with the BNC.
Timely Teaching Tips: Developing or updating a Summer ’25 course syllabus? Check the OSU syllabus requirements and templates for various types of courses. The Center for Teaching and Learning encourages you to develop and share a course-level AI policy statement in your syllabus. Ecampus also provides sample syllabus statements about AI tool use.
Book an Outdoor Trip or Challenge Course Program for your OSU Group: The Adventure Leadership Institute offers team building programs through our Challenge Course and our outdoor trips program. Looking for an opportunity for your group to try something new, work on team building goals, and have fun? Check out our offerings and fill out a request form. Challenge Course programs range in length from 2-4 hours, and our outdoor trips range from hiking to floating to whitewater rafting. Questions? Reach out to Emily Abrams at [email protected].
Spooky campus tales wanted: Do you know a good ghost story or spooky lore that involves the Oregon State University campus? The Special Collections & Archives Research Center (SCARC) would love to hear it! Email [email protected] to help us update our campus ghost tour.
Timely Teaching Tips: Congratulations to the Oregon State University Class of 2025! The Center for Teaching and Learning and UIT-Academic Technologies offer heartfelt thanks to faculty, GTAs, learning assistants, advisors and all student support services for your deep dedication and tireless work to skillfully teach, nurture, guide and mentor OSU students throughout their academic journeys. Well done!
Search Advocate training: Looking for a meaningful way to advance equity and inclusion at OSU? Become a Search Advocate—a trained, content-neutral process advisor who helps search committees enhance equity, validity, and inclusive excellence throughout the hiring process. The nationally recognized Search Advocate Foundations workshop is your first step. We’ve just added six new series between July 7 and Oct. 9 with a variety of scheduling options to fit your needs. Check the workshop schedule or go directly to registration. Questions? Contact Anne Gillies at [email protected]
Volunteer pilots wanted: OSU Robotics' group HMT Lab is looking for pilots to participate in a 2-hour evaluation on-campus at Oregon State which looks at uncrewed aerial systems supervision performance. Participants will receive a $75 Amazon gift card as a thank-you for your time. Sign-up at this link.
Calendar
Around Campus
OSU in the News
Oregon cities clash with travel industry over whether tourism taxes should pay for wear and tear on your favorite destinations (Oregon Journalism Project)
So far this year, 33 state legislatures have introduced more than 500 bills that would reallocate tax revenues or constrain the industry, according to Todd Montgomery, an Oregon State University-Cascades professor who directs its Sustainable Tourism Lab in Bend.
Scholarship to diversify Oregon’s teacher ranks drops racial preferences amid legal threats (Oregonian)
Jennifer Rincon Gonzalez, who grew up speaking Spanish, is a senior at Oregon State University and another grant recipient. She plans to become a social studies teacher, with certification to teach in both English and Spanish. The grant not only made her teaching degree financially accessible but helped her feel supported.
Almonds can help gut health and more, OSU researcher says (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
A new study from Oregon State University shows Almonds may be an even bigger superfood than previously thought. According to the study, just two-ounces of almonds a day - that’s about 45 nuts - improved cardiometabolic and gut health.
New strawberry, lost in paperwork shuffle for years, continues late plant breeder’s legacy (Capital Press)
Finn, who worked and collaborated at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., developed new strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries for 26 years.
The critical research that unlocks our climate’s past and future may be on thin ice (Mother Jones)
In another study, published by the journal Nature in January, Riddell-Young and his former adviser, Ed Brook, a professor of earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences at Oregon State University, linked increased wildfire activity during the last ice age to abrupt shifts in the prevalence of greenhouse gases.
Bridging academia and industry: The semiconductor revolution at OSU (Techlandia)
In this episode of Techlandia, Skip Newberry hosts Tom Weller to discuss groundbreaking developments in the semiconductor industry spearheaded by Oregon State University. OSU's key projects, such as the Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub and the FAST engine, stand out as innovative solutions that combine research and industry needs.
2 Oregon universities back up Harvard in lawsuit against the Trump administration (Oregonian)
Oregon State University and the University of Oregon this week joined 22 higher education institutions seeking to support Harvard University in its lawsuit against the Trump administration over funding cuts and freezes. (see also KOIN)
Hiring leaders equitably and effectively (Inside Higher Ed)
At least one person—the search chair, hiring official or search firm representative—should take responsibility for equitable search design. (At Oregon State University, we use a trained search advocate to support this goal.)
‘Ticking timebomb’: sea acidity has reached critical levels, threatening entire ecosystems (The Guardian)
However, a new study by the UK’s Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), the Washington-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University’s Co-operative Institute for Marine Resources Studies found that ocean acidification’s “boundary” was also reached about five years ago.
What is loud budgeting? (WalletHub)
Kayleen Salchenberg, accredited financial counselor, program manager and instructor with the Center for Advancing Financial Education at Oregon State University, is interviewed in this piece.
Needs of dryland growers addressed at OSU/ARS field day (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
Francisco Calderon, Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center Director, noted a majority of the questions they address during this annual field day come from stakeholders
50th anniversary of ‘Jaws’: How the film impacted the public perception of sharks (Good Morning America)
"It villainized sharks and people became absolutely terrified of any species that was in the ocean," James Sulikowski, director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State University, told ABC News. (see also ABC)
How a super tiny crustacean makes life work in the southern ocean (National Geographic)
National Geographic Explorer Kim Bernard (OSU) was stirring her Earl Grey tea in the galley of a research ship off the coast of Antarctica, preparing for a long night of observing a remotely operated vehicle as it surveyed the seafloor. When the marine ecologist looked up to a monitor showing a live video feed sent by the ROV from a depth of more than 3,000 feet in the Southern Ocean’s murky waters, something caught her attention. (for a PDF of this article email [email protected])
New technologies help wood-burning stoves burn more efficiently, produce less smoke (TechXplore)
Oregon State University researchers are gaining a more detailed understanding of emissions from wood-burning stoves and developing technologies that allow stoves to operate much more cleanly and safely, potentially limiting particulate matter pollution by 95%.
Oregon State University builds new computer chip to cut AI energy costs in half (KGW)
But researchers at Oregon State University may have a promising solution. Engineers at OSU’s College of Engineering have developed a new computer chip that cuts one major aspect of AI’s energy use in half — potentially marking a big step toward more sustainable AI systems.
Who gives a s#!t about cursing robots? We studied robots with dirty mouths, and what we discovered surprised us (IEEE Spectrum)
A piece by Naomi Fitter, associate professor in the Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute at Oregon State University.
Traffic and Maintenance
Dixon: Due to construction and roofing work happening at Dixon Recreation Center, the ADA accessible path that runs along the north and east sides of Dixon will be closed starting on Monday, March 24. This will be a long-term closure which is scheduled to end on Friday, Oct. 10. Bike parking on the east side of Dixon will be closed for the duration of this project. All bikes must be removed from the bike racks before Monday, March 24. Any remaining bikes will be removed by the OSU Department of Public Safety. The east entrance to Dixon Rec Center will be closed.
Use extra caution & avoid construction zones on Washington Way: Infrastructure along SW Washington Way is currently undergoing improvements and the area around SW Washington Way and SW 17th St. is an active construction site. For your safety, please detour around work zones (marked with barriers). We recommend allowing more time to travel around campus as this project continues. For more information about construction work on SW Washington Way and the current closure schedule, click here. If you require accommodations or assistance crossing the SW Washington Way construction zone, please contact [email protected].