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Campus News
On OPB this week
- Our listeners support OPB and so does Oregon State University, which is helping protect fragile marine areas under a new ocean treaty.
- Our listeners support OPB and so does OSU where researchers are learning more about how Indigenous fire practices could lead to healthier forests.
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Photo of the Day
Just a dusting: Martin Schuster, professor of microbiology, says “Winter impressions during a hike on Whychus Creek trail near Sisters.” We are accepting photo submissions at [email protected]. To view past submissions, visit us on Instagram at @osutoday1.
Take Note
NEW! Student Success Summit: Register now. We look forward to welcoming you to the next Student Success Summit, scheduled for Monday, March 16. The OSU community is deeply committed to the principle that every student we admit should achieve their goal to graduate and every member of this community has a part to play in this effort. Visit the registration portal to view the list of sessions and register for the summit no later than Tuesday, March 10. Questions regarding the summit should be sent to [email protected].
NEW! Special Olympics Winter Regional Games Corvallis Regional Basketball Competition: Join us at Oregon State University for the Special Olympics Oregon Corvallis Regional Basketball Competition, one of three regional basketball competitions around the state. Have fun supporting and celebrating athletes in your community. Volunteer opportunities include scorekeepers and timers, skills competition support, lunch support and awards support. Click this link to sign up for one of the 56 volunteer shifts. March 14, Dixon Recreation Center.
NEW! Monthly Emergency Preparedness Topic: Evacuation. In the event of an emergency, many people may need to immediately evacuate their location. It is important to be prepared and aware of the necessary steps to safely evacuate from an emergency. English and Spanish versions of this bulletin can be found here.
NEW! Register for the Ecampus Faculty Forum: Join OSU faculty, staff and administrators April 29-30 online and at the CH2M HILL Alumni Center for engaging discussions about online teaching excellence, research in online education, and faculty experiences in online course development. Following virtual sessions on April 29, the in-person conference April 30 will feature sessions and hands-on workshops related to AI integration in online courses, helping online students build community, making your content personalized and timely and much more. View the full agenda, a list of presenters and register today.
Timely Teaching Tips: Students pay attention to resources that instructors recommend. You can normalize resource use and encourage students to have positive experiences accessing OSU resources. Consider using Canvas announcements, discussion board posts, or 1:1 conversation to share resources like Academic Coaching or the Writing Center, which can provide timely support now in the final weeks of the term.
Career Champions: The Career Champions program is piloting a 1-day version of their seminar. Oregon State University's Career Champions is a professional development program designed for faculty and instructors to learn tangible ways to add career connection in the classroom and examine the barriers to access for first-generation students, students of color, and low-income students. All who teach at OSU are welcome. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., May 1, on the Corvallis campus. Applications will be accepted until March 13 at 11:59 p.m. For questions (or to request a seminar at another location) reach out to Director of Career Integration Brenna Gomez at [email protected].
FY26 Deadline for Purchase Requisitions and Contracts ≥ $250,000: Purchase requisitions and contracts with a total contract value over $250,000 must be submitted in BennyBuy by March 18 at 5 p.m. This deadline supports the Administrative Modernization Program (AMP) and the transition of requisition and contract processing to Workday in July 2026. Review additional P2P Cutover Deadlines from the Office of Procurement, Payment and Travel to ensure you meet the FY26 processing deadlines.
Register now for Open Education Week: Today marks the start of Open Education Week. OSU is committed to lowering the cost of learning for students, and Open Education Week is a great opportunity to learn how. Through a series of virtual events, you can join this annual celebration that raises awareness of open educational resources (OER) and highlights innovative ways to make higher education more accessible and affordable for all. View the schedule of webinars and register today.
Claim your Affordability Matters badge: If you make learning more affordable by using course materials that cost $40 or fewer, you’ve earned an Affordability Matters badge. Now available as a digital credential through Credly, the badge makes it easy to showcase your impact beyond the classroom — on LinkedIn, in your email signature or on your professional webpage. You can also display the badge in your syllabus, Canvas course site and other course communications to help students quickly identify affordable courses. Learn more and apply for the badge.
Host your next event at OSU’s most flexible venue: The Alumni Center at Oregon State offers stunning indoor and outdoor spaces for 1-1,000+ guests, plus AV tech for hybrid and virtual events. Located steps from Reser Stadium, it’s perfect for meetings, conferences, reunions and celebrations. Enjoy professional support and modern amenities. Book your space today.
“SPRING INTO STEAM” Spring Break Camp: Looking for a fun and educational way for your child (grades 3 to 5) to spend spring break? Join us at Hatfield Marine Science Center as we explore the process of science through estuary investigations, reveal the wonders of watersheds and weather, dive into the deep-sea, celebrate cephalopods and experience marine magic through art. 9-4 daily March 23-27. Cost is $200. Learn more and register your child today.
Marine Prototyping Microcredential Workshop, April 27-May 1: The Innovation Lab at Hatfield Marine Science Center is hosting a week-long workshop that introduces the basics of designing and manufacturing prototypes for marine applications. Participants will acquire skills in computer-aided design, electronics, machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, sealing and waterproofing systems. People who successfully complete the workshop will receive a foundational microcredential in marine prototyping through the Marine Technical Society. Apply to attend by March 15. Scholarships are available. Full details here.
Timely Teaching Tips: Are you interested in engaging students through social learning? Perusall is an OSU-supported platform that can enhance student interaction, collaboration and learning. Register and join us on Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. for an introduction to Perusall to learn about the platform, best practices and strategies to transform your teaching.
Executive Search Services: Oregon State University has launched a new Executive Search Services function designed to strengthen how we identify, recruit and support exceptional senior‑level talent across the university. This service expands OSU’s capacity to conduct high‑quality, inclusive and strategically aligned searches for key administrative roles. The Executive Search Services team will collaborate with colleges, divisions and search committees to provide comprehensive search planning and consultation, candidate sourcing and recruitment support, guidance on equitable and inclusive search practices and more. Contact [email protected] with any questions.
Submit videos to celebrate student employees: In preparation for National Student Employment Week April 13-17, we are collecting videos to celebrate our on-campus student employees. Selected clips will be compiled into a final video celebrating our student employees’ work and contributions to OSU. To participate, please submit a short video clip of students working in their roles. The video can be recorded by the student as a horizontal selfie-style clip or by a supervisor capturing the student in their work environment. See the full submission guidelines here; deadline is Feb. 27.
Mid-Month Emergency Preparedness Topic: Food Options in Emergencies. If disaster strikes, access to food and water may be very limited for days or weeks. Knowing the different food options available during an emergency will highly increase survival during an emergency. English and Spanish versions of this bulletin can be found here.
SAVE THE DATE: Join us Friday, June 5 at the 2026 Engineering Expo, featuring interactive design project displays created and hosted by more than 1,200 senior engineering students. Project topics cover the breadth of engineering challenges, including robotics, clean water, nuclear energy, virtual reality, construction innovation and much more. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., June 5, CH2M Hill Alumni Center. The Expo is free and open to the public. The format of the event allows attendees to visit the projects anytime throughout the day. Register here.
Timely Teaching Tips: Learning during times of stress can be challenging. Share this quick-read about learning and stress and encourage your students to identify the support and resources they can access when stress rises. Planning ahead can make it easier when difficult situations occur and can help clarify where to turn for help.
Input on downtown Corvallis sought: The City of Corvallis is looking for community input on ways to improve downtown Corvallis. The Downtown Vitality Strategy Task Force has launched a survey to gather input regarding a list of potential actions, which they’ve drafted over the course of several months. The survey is available here. Additionally, there is a dedicated public input form to gather feedback about downtown — questions, ideas and things to keep in mind. Community members are also invited to attend an upcoming task force meeting. Times are available on the City website. The task force will use these responses to help inform recommendations to the City Council later this spring.
Hemp Fiber Wearable Art Exhibit Opportunity: The Oregon State University College of Business Apparel Design Program and the Louisiana State University Department of Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising are proud to present the Global Hemp Innovation Center Wearable Art Showcase in the Spring of 2027 — an exploration of the creative potential of hemp fibers and natural textiles to create unique works of sustainable wearable art. The exhibition is generously supported by the Global Hemp Innovation Center at Oregon State University. Submissions for blind-juried review are due Aug. 1. Email Colleen Pokorny for guidelines.
FREE classes and resources at Marigold: Free classes open to all. Recovery Dharma, an empowered approach to recovery based on Buddhist principles, meets Sundays 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Marigold. Free guided meditation held online every Monday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Forest Bathing offered every term. A free guided practice library, Inner Nature podcast, and more on our website. No registration required, donations welcomed. Contact us and stay connected to other free events.
Spring AgTech I-Corps Training at OSU’s Advantage Accelerator: Oregon State University’s Spring OSU Regional NSF I-Corps program is a four-session, experiential training designed for early-stage teams working on AgTech or agricultural innovation. The program teaches teams to systematically test assumptions, conduct customer discovery and develop scalable business models, all within a supportive cohort of peers and mentors. Attendance required at all four sessions plus customer discovery interviews. Tuesdays, April 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2–4 p.m. via Zoom. For more information and to find the application click here.
Applications now open for the 2026 Extension and Engagement Award: The Extension and Engagement Award recognizes a faculty member's significant and meritorious work which enhances reciprocal learning with our students, partners and/or community stakeholders through outreach and engagement activities. The recipient receives a certificate and $2,000 to support ongoing engagement work. Apply for the Extension and Engagement Award. Deadline is May 31.
April is accreditation time at OSU: The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities will be conducting reaccreditation visits in April to learn what makes OSU great. Come share why you chose OSU as your university and community. OSU-Cascades events: April 7 - details TBD. Corvallis events: Academic Faculty Forum, 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, LInC 100; Corvallis Student Forum, 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, LInC 228; Staff and Professional Faculty Forum, 9 a.m. Thursday, April 9, LaSells Construction and Engineering Hall. Get the details.
Calendar
OSU in the News
Why older whale dads are now winning the mating game (Washington Post)
“You are able to assess the age structure of a population by looking at all the individuals, not just the ones you are able to track over time,” said Angela Sremba, a research associate at the marine mammal institute at Oregon State University.
Little snow in California and the West as a warm winter nears end (LA Times)
Temperatures from November through January were the warmest on record. “That’s really the big story about why our snowpack is so meager,” said Larry O’Neill, the Oregon state climatologist and an associate professor at Oregon State University.
A study in scarlet (New Scientist)
Subramanian's own blue is no exception. Sitting in his office today, he wears a shirt close in shade to the pigment he discovered: YInMn blue, a combination of the metals yttrium, indium and manganese. By now, he must have told the story of his discovery 100 times, but he still recounts it with a twinkle in his eye. After 20 years at DuPont, Subramanian moved to Oregon State University in 2006 to focus on his own research. (For a PDF of this article, email [email protected])
Logging sports competition returns to Oregon State University (OPB News)
The event was called “Obstacle Pole,” and it was part of the Spring Thaw, a series of competitive logging sports events hosted by the Oregon State University Department of Forestry Logging Sports team.
The university where billionaire Jen-Hsun Huang graduated is expanding its cooperation with Vietnam (Vietnam.vn)
With a history spanning nearly 160 years, Oregon State University (OSU) in Oregon, USA, is where NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang studied for his undergraduate degree from 1980-1984, earning a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE).
Will your state bird disappear? (Earth Island Journal)
The project got its start as lead author Abby Luna’s undergraduate honors thesis at Oregon State University (OSU). While searching for a topic, she connected with OSU faculty member Tyler McFadden, her mentor and coauthor, who was looking for students interested in bird research. “I was like, OK, birds sound cool,” says Luna.
Death on the slopes: Avalanche danger and ways to predict and prepare (KLCC)
When it comes to avalanches, the old saying about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure is certainly true. David Hill is a professor at Oregon State University, a member of the Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit and an avalanche instructor.
Nearly one-third of freshwater fish face extinction - AI reveals how to save them (Earth)
“Our results suggest conservation works like human health: the signals of ‘well-being’ are often more consistent than the many pathways to illness,” said study co-author J. Andres Olivos, a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University.
Oregon State experts: Online tactics help unlock agritourism success (Capital Press)
A session on unlocking agritourism success at the Oregon State University Extension Service Small Farms Conference Feb. 21 dove deep into online tactics to boost visits and sales.
The changing nature of volunteerism, and how some local organizations are adjusting (KLCC)
Some nonprofits, such as OSU Extension’s statewide Master Gardener program, have been able to flex to fit the changes in the volunteer pool. Its Outreach Coordinator, LeAnn Locher, said the program offers online training, Zoom workshops, and weekend in-person meetings.
Beyond bans: Rebuilding teaching for a world with AI (Faculty Focus)
A piece by Demian Hommel, who teaches human geography courses in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and is a fellow with the institution’s Center for Teaching and Learning.
OSU-Cascades gets $1 million to install rooftop solar panels (Your Oregon News)
Oregon State University-Cascades will receive $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to help install solar panels on campus buildings. Jarrod Penttila, associate director for capital planning and construction, said the university was excited to receive the funds after a long planning process.
We compared prices of 20 items at 8 grocery chains and discovered a staggering $76 different (Oregonian)
Matthew Hall, assistant professor of marketing at Oregon State University, said the reasons a shopper chooses one grocery store over another range the gamut. (for a PDF of this article email [email protected])
Your cat maybe be more attached to you than you realize (AZ Animals)
A 2019 Oregon State University study published in the journal Current Biologyexplored human-cat bonds. In doing so, they found that felines do, in fact, develop attachments to their caregivers.
Parents trust report cards more than test scores — with consequences for kids (Hechinger Report)
In an online experiment, researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Chicago created hypothetical fifth graders, whom they called Stacey and Robert, and asked more than 2,000 parents how they would advise the children’s parents to respond to different scenarios of grades and test scores. Test scores were expressed as percentile ranks on standardized tests, such as the annual state tests that public school children take each spring, so that parents could compare Stacey and Robert with those of other children nationwide.
KLCC's Oregon Ready: Smart steps to stay warm and safe during power outages (KLCC)
Oregon State University Extension’s Food Security and Safety Program Manager Jared Hibbard-Swanson noted that maintaining safe standards for cooking is important “because the last thing you want to do when you're dealing with losing access to power and refrigeration is to get a foodborne illness.”
Seeking land connections at the Oregon Small Farms Conference (Capital Press)
While the Oregon State University Extension Service Small Farms Conference on Feb. 21 had a plethora of educational sessions, several attendees looked to make connections regarding farmland.
OSU research targets skin cancer with nanotechnology and lasers (Jefferson Public Radio)
Researchers at Oregon State University say they have developed a light-activated treatment that eliminated aggressive melanoma tumors in laboratory mice after a single session.
Oregon and Washington join lawsuit against Trump’s clean energy funding cuts (KOIN)
More than $125 million in funding was cut in Oregon specifically, harming three major agreements with Oregon State University, according to a press release from the attorney general.
Feds propose opening millions of acres of western Oregon forests to 1960s logging levels (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Bev Law, a forest scientist and professor emerita at Oregon State University, said they are the most effective carbon-storing forests in the world, as long as they remain intact. She called the plan to return to harvest levels of 1 billion board feet of timber per year “insanity.”
Remembering WWII Japanese incarceration: Benton County honors Japanese Americans (KEZI)
According to Benton County officials, the event highlighted the impact of Executive Order 9066, which led to the forced removal of over 120,000 Japanese Americans. Dr. Janet Seiko Nishihara from Oregon State University read a proclamation marking Feb. 19 as a day to honor those affected. She emphasized the importance of sharing personal and family histories to understand the lasting impacts of incarceration.
Alberta studio to rebuild 20-metre blue whale skeleton in East Coulee (Calgary Herald)
The story of how a rare, 20-metre-plus skeleton made its way from Oregon to Alberta’s Badlands begins with an unrelated Google search and a strange coincidence. The coincidence was that Frank Hadfield, president of Dinosaur Valley Studios in East Coulee, has a last name that is similar to Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
Earth may be approaching irreversible climate tipping points (Earth)
Led by Oregon State University scientist William Ripple, the international research team warns that the planet may be drifting away from the stable climate conditions that allowed modern societies to develop, raising the risk of faster and more abrupt climate shifts.
Semiconductor manufacturers feel the heat (ACM)
For decades, thermal issues were largely an afterthought. Simple heatsinks and airflow systems were adequate. “There was a recognition that we needed better cooling, but these systems were reliable, and they delivered adequate results,” said Joshua Gess, Associate Professor of Thermal Fluid Science at Oregon State University.
Food Drive Events
