Today in the News Media

Today in the News Media is a synopsis of some of the most prominent coverage of OSU people and programs. Inclusion of any item constitutes neither an endorsement nor a critique, but rather is intended only to make the OSU community aware of significant items in the media. For more about this section, see: https://today.oregonstate.edu/email/submission-guidelines.

 

New variant not detected in Central Oregon wastewater samples (Bend Bulletin)

Still, the CDC says delta is the main variant circulating in the community. According to the Oregon Health Authority, which is partnering with Oregon State University in the wastewater sampling, the communities tested represent more than 60% of the population. The samples show no omicron variant through Nov. 16, the most current time period.
 

Oregon State University Board selects search firm for next president (OPB News)

Oregon’s largest university has taken its latest step toward finding a permanent leader to replace the president who left amid controversy earlier this year. A committee of Oregon State University’s Board of Trustees has selected the firm Isaacson, Miller to lead the search for the university’s next president. (see also KEZIKTVZ)
 

Green hydrogen production could benefit from Oregon State research (OPB News)

Researchers at Oregon State University say they have developed a breakthrough that could make hydrogen energy more affordable. (see also Chemical Online)
 

Oregon's public universities reach tentative agreement with classified employees (OPB News)

“We are deeply appreciative of the contributions that these employees provide each day in supporting the education and lives of students, as well as their work in helping to advance the research and community service programs that Oregon universities provide throughout the state,” said a statement released by the seven university presidents (or interim president, in the case of Oregon State University).
 

Here's how Southern Baptist women found ways to lead outside the denomination (The Conversation)

A piece by OSU's Susan Shaw, professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
 

A bold new pigment from out of the blue (Scienceline)

Named for three of its constituent elements — yttrium, indium and manganese — YInMn (pronounced yin-min) Blue was created accidentally in an Oregon State University lab, where chemists led by Mas Subramanian were testing electronics applications. Graduate student Andrew Smith heated manganese oxide to 1,200 degrees Celsius trying to produce a high-efficiency electronic material. In the process, however, Smith cooked up a whole new color. And Subramanian, thanks to his expertise in industry research that includes paint development, knew this was no ordinary pigment.
 

Why your holiday booze costs more this year (Los Angeles Times)

Glass and metal are two components hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Paul Hughes, a chemist and assistant professor of distilled spirits at Oregon State University.
 

Black Voters Matter co-founder to be keynote speaker at OSU's MLK Jr. event (Corvallis Advocate)

LaTosha Brown, a leader in national efforts to build Black political engagement and expand voter access, will be the keynote speaker at Oregon State University’s 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Jan. 17, 2022.  
 

Ask an expert: Ivy removal is a long-term process likely requiring years of dedication (Oregonian)

Expertise from OSU Extension.
 

Today's photo


Sunlight path: Signe Danler, instructor, Master Gardener Online Program, submitted this photo. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/osutoday1/

NEW! Timely Teaching Tips: Want to provide feedback to enhance support for teaching? Please take this 3-minute survey from the Center for Teaching and Learning to contribute your perspectives on teaching-related professional development resources and needs. CTL deeply appreciates all the work you’ve done for OSU students throughout a challenging Fall 2021. Have a restful break! 

The Oregon Employees’ Charitable Fund Drive runs now through Dec. 31. It’s possible you already give to some of the over 650 charities listed; however, by giving as part of the CFD, you help show our neighbors-in-need that we state employees care about them. Please make your tax-deductible donation now: https://www.ipledgeonline.org/_cfduniversities/. The site has been populated with your name and OSU ID so login is easy. You can even replicate last year’s donation.

Monday

Portland Regional Connections Dec. 13: The pandemic has changed life as we know it. Find help adjusting to the new normal from the OSU Alumni Association at the next free virtual Regional Connections event, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. Alumni, students and friends in Portland are invited to share their experiences, network and connect. ForOregonState.org/Regional-Networks.

Tuesday

NEW! OSU Cheese at the OSUsed Store: The OSUsed Store will host OSU-made cheese, jerky, ice cream and honey at public sales this Tuesday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Friday, noon to 3 p.m., 644 SW 13th Street. Standard merchandise: furniture, computers, household items, office supplies and more. Staff may shop Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Central Oregon Regional Connections Dec. 14: To survive and thrive in the new normal, you need to be agile and adapt. Join the OSU Alumni Association for the next free virtual Regional Connections event, Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m. Alumni, students and friends in Central Oregon are invited to share their experiences, network and connect. ForOregonState.org/Regional-Network.

Wednesday

Booster clinic at OSU Alumni Center Dec. 15-16: Benton County is partnering with Samaritan Health Services and Oregon State University to host two free COVID-19 booster mass vaccination clinics on Dec. 15-16, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The clinics will take place at the OSU Alumni Center. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available as supplies last, and no appointment is needed. Those attending are encouraged to complete the necessary paperwork prior to arriving and bring a printed copy. Forms will also be available at the event. Bring your vaccination card or other record of COVID-19 vaccination to the clinic

NEW! Monthly Preparedness Forum: Join OSU’s Emergency Planner Brandon Christensen for a question and answer session on this month’s preparedness topics: flooding and preparedness planning. A brief presentation will be followed by a group discussion. Dec. 15, 4 p.m.,  Cascade Hall Room 136. [email protected]

NEW! Beyond Benefits: Learning to Relax: Stress is experienced in the body as tension. The course will explore a variety of relaxation techniques to calm the body and mind. The class will allow participants to learn and experience several simple relaxation tools such as progressive muscle relaxation, abdominal relaxation breathing and visualization. Dec. 15, 4 p.m., Register Here.

HMSC Science on Tap: Selina Heppell, professor and department head with Oregon State University’s Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at the Hatfield Marine Science Center will present a public virtual talk titled “Marine Reserves-essential for conservation or a threat to fisheries?” Dec. 15, 6 p.m. Webinar link or call: +1-971-247-1195. Webinar ID: 936 4253 0812. Click here for more information.

Thursday

OSU Advantage Virtual Speaker Series: "Intellectual Property Essentials for Startups," featuring Michel Marie Rose, IP and trademark lawyer. Dec. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. Avoid common IP pitfalls by reviewing different types of intellectual property assets and how they can be protected, as well as identifying ways you may be unknowingly infringing upon others’ property rights. Register here.

NEW! Honors College Head Advisor Job Talks: The Honors College is conducting an internal search for a Head Advisor to lead the team of HC academic advisors. The OSU community is invited to attend job talks by the two candidates on Dec. 16. Kassena Hillman will present at 9 a.m., and Leanna Dillon will present at 1 p.m. Both presentations will take place via Zoom. To get the link, register here:  https://beav.es/UKT. For more information, please contact Associate Dean Susan Rodgers at [email protected].

PFLA Zoom event: PFLA Open Forum – Professional Development. Learn how you can be more involved in PFLA activities, have a say in what types of professional development events are offered through PFLA and share your ideas. Join us via Zoom Dec. 16, 3-4 p.m. No need to register.

NEW! HMSC Research Seminar: On Dec. 16 at 3:30 p.m., Andi Stephens with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center located at the Hatfield Marine Science Center will be giving a seminar entitled “A Study of Radioactive Fish Ears or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”.  Zoom Link or call +1-971-247-1195 Meeting ID: 945 5573 115. Click here for more information.

Navigating Workplace Conflict Workshop in Corvallis: Developed by University Ombudsperson and conflict management expert Sue Theiss, this workshop focuses on essential elements of managing interpersonal, small group and organizational conflict. Participants will have a good understanding of how to navigate conflict and the tools to help you create real change through inclusive processes. Dec. 16. Register at https://workspace.oregonstate.edu/certificate/navigating-conflict

Friday

Meat lab: The Clark Meat Lab retail store is open Fridays from noon to 5:30 p.m. Product offerings include beef, pork and lamb retail cuts, fresh and cooked sausages, bacon, snack sticks, jerky, Beaver Classic cheese and honey and even dog treats. The store is located at 3260 SW Campus Way, behind the Motor Pool. For more information contact [email protected] or call 541-737-1927.

EMT Research Day Symposium: “Celebrating Environmental & Molecular Toxicology Current Research & Outstanding EMT Alumni", Jan. 25, including poster session and reception 4:30-6:30 p.m., MU Ballroom. Join us for a full day of speakers. Lunch will be provided. Registration deadline Dec. 17.

Saturday

Alumni and Friends Tailgater at Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Dec. 18: Be a part of the excitement at the official Oregon State tailgater at the SoFi Stadium. Food, drinks, live DJ, photo ops, Beaver greats as special guests, OSU Marching Band and Cheer and more. Purchase tickets through the Beaver Athletics Ticket Office, then register for the tailgater at ForOregonState.org/Bowl

Events

NEW! Anita Azarenko retirement: After 35 years of service to OSU—as a horticulture faculty member and in various senior leadership roles—Anita Azarenko is retiring. Most recently she served as interim Vice Provost for Extension and Engagement/Director of OSU Extension. You are invited to attend a reception Tuesday, Dec. 21, noon-1 p.m., MU Lounge, and sign a digital card.

Lectures, Workshops, Webinars

NEW! Teaching with Media: Discover ways to create and use media in your teaching as you blend synchronous and asynchronous learning in Corvallis and Cascades campus courses. The Faculty Media Center and CTL invite faculty and GTAs to a one-hour Zoom workshop. Register for Wed., Jan. 26 at 2 p.m., or register for Thurs., Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. Info: Faculty Media Center

Lookout: Envisioning Futures with Wildfire. Spring Creek Project is hosting an 11-week lecture series exploring this era of megafires. Featuring speakers including historian Steve Pyne, author Jewell Parker Rhodes, Executive Director of the Cultural Fire Management Council Margo Robbins, journalist Jaime Lowe, wildlife biologist Maya Khosla, photographer Stuart Palley and more. Tuesdays at 6 p.m. starting Jan. 4. Learn more and register for talks.

Your Social Impact: How to be a Change Agent Within Your Networks. Get expert advice from people who’ve been on the same journey as you and are making a difference in this free virtual "Winning in Life" event, Jan. 20 at noon. The series is designed to help students and alumni build personal and professional skills for success in life, career and beyond. Register for free at ForOregonState.org/Winning.

Inside the Mind of High Performing Leaders: You can learn how to lead with confidence and design your own success. Get expert advice from personal leadership professional and TEDx speaker Jeff Otis, ’90, at the next free virtual "Winning in Life" event, Jan. 27 at noon. Register for free at ForOregonState.org/Winning.

Crucial Conversations: This is a 10-hour course that fosters dialogue around high-stakes, emotional or risky topics at all levels of your organization. Learn how to speak and be heard, surface the best ideas and make and execute the highest-quality decisions. Online sessions on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m., Jan. 20 through Feb. 17. There is a $100 fee to attend. Learn more and register here.

Take Note

SEIU: Classified staff. Have you been moved from salary to hourly in the last year (or since the pandemic started) for any reason? This includes people who were on reduced hours and long-time employees who made lateral transfers into positions and then had their pay schedule changed. We are continuing to track and grieve this important issue for you and need to get your name and story. Please email organizer Siobhan Burke at [email protected] or call/text 630-699-0281. Please get back to us by Friday, Dec. 17. 

SJEI workshops are open for winter and spring term registration – secure your spot now: The Social Justice Education Initiative is open to all faculty, staff and graduate students. SJEI workshops are infused with empathy, humor and expertise while embracing a guiding principle of “more curiosity, less judgement” to achieve robust learning objectives. Learn more, see the workshop schedule and register on the SJEI website registration page or contact SJEI director Jane Waite: [email protected].

Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics Scholarships: These scholarships offer up to three years of funding to Ph.D. students whose research focuses on population and ecosystem dynamics or marine resource economics. Application packages must be submitted to the Sea Grant office in the state where you are enrolled by Jan. 27, 2022. In Oregon, please contact Stephanie Ichien or Sarah Kolesar at Oregon Sea Grant.

NOAA’s Coastal Management and Digital Coasts Fellowships: This fellowship offers postgraduate students on-the-job education and training in coastal resource management and policy. There will be 12 fellowship positions that start in August 2022. For eligibility, project descriptions and application information, go to coast.noaa.gov/fellowship and the Oregon Sea Grant’s Coastal Management & Digital Coast Fellowship page. Application packages must be submitted to the Sea Grant office in the state where you receive your degree by Jan. 21, 2022.

2023-24 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship: This is a one-year paid experience for highly qualified early career professionals to work on coastal, marine and Great Lakes science and policy issues in offices within the executive or legislative branch of government in Washington, D.C. Details are on the Knauss Fellowship page. Application packages must be submitted to the Sea Grant office in the state where you received your degree by Feb. 18, 2022. 

AWSEM Club: Registration for STEM Academy's virtual AWSEM (Advocates for Women in Science, Engineering, and Math) Club for 8th-10th graders is open. Club meets on Wednesdays 5-6 p.m. Jan. 26-March 2. Cost is $75. Needs-based scholarships available. For more information: https://stemacademy.oregonstate.edu/awsem-club, 541-737-8139 or email [email protected].

OSU Today for Winter Break: OSU Today will publish on Monday, Dec. 13 and Monday, Dec. 20. There will not be an edition the week of Dec. 27. Daily publication will resume Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.

The 34th Annual Provost’s Literary Prize for undergraduate students at OSU is open for submissions. Keith Scribner in the School of Writing, Literature and Film and the screening committee are seeking help from faculty to identify candidates for the prize. The literary work can be fiction, poetry, drama or creative nonfiction written for a general audience. The winner will be awarded $500 and on-campus publication. Submission details here. Deadline: Feb. 15. The Provost will announce the winner in May 2022.

Girls Expeditions: Inspiring Girls Expeditions is seeking field scientists, artists or wilderness guides to plan and instruct our three OSU-based 2022 expeditions: Expeditions@HomeGirls on Ice Cascades, and Girls in Icy Fjords. Our expeditions are unique, tuition-free, 10 to 12-day programs for 16 to 18-year-old girls and gender expansive youth that emphasize curiosity, creativity, and exploration in remote environments. Links to position descriptions and application instructions can be found on our website. Contact Program Coordinator Ryan Brown with questions.

Honors College Colloquium Proposals: OSU tenured/tenure-track, senior instructor, and emeritus faculty are invited to submit honors colloquium proposals for 2022-2023 at honors.oregonstate.edu/course-proposals. Any General Catalog course can also be offered as a small, highly-engaged honors course; interested faculty should contact [email protected] for details. Faculty may apply for Meehan course development grants of up to $3,000 to develop experiential learning opportunities for honors courses and colloquia. More information: [email protected] or 541-737-6412. Deadline: Jan. 15.

Submit your events for the 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration week: Departments, units, offices, organizations and individuals are invited to submit events for the 40th annual Celebration. These events are intended to collaboratively learn about, reflect on and carry on the legacy of Dr. King, and are an important part of the annual celebration. Learn more on the events website. Events can be submitted by Friday, Jan. 7. For questions, contact [email protected] or 541-737-1063. 

Apply for FY22 PCOSW scholarship and project funding: The President’s Commission on the Status of Women invites applications for funding to faculty, students and staff who are pursuing professional development, research or other opportunities that support PCOSW’s mission. Apply by Friday, Feb. 4. Visit https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/pcosw/funding-opportunities for detailed guidelines, qualification requirements and application link. Questions? Contact [email protected].

COVID-19 testing: Oregon State University, in collaboration with Willamette Valley Toxicology (WVT), is providing on-site COVID-19 testing. OSU employees and students, regardless of vaccination status, are welcome to test at one of these locations: Corvallis: During Winter Break, only the SEC location will be open, and its hours will be limited to Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. WVT will provide testing over the break for travel purposes. Student Health Services will not be providing testing for travel purposes. (For staff wanting to get a test voluntarily, please make sure to register for a lab dash account prior to arrival: https://labdash.net/.) Bend: Ray Hall 302, Weeks of Nov. 29-Dec. 20: Monday-Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3  to 6 p.m.; Week of Dec. 27: No testing; Week of Jan. 3: Monday-Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.

Traffic and Maintenance

NEW! Community Hall: For work related to the Community Hall Slope Project, a series of planned power outages are scheduled. The planned power outages will impact multiple buildings located along or near SW Jefferson Way in the Community Hall Slope Project work area. Planned outages are scheduled from Dec. 27-29. For questions or comments on this work, contact Construction Manager Ryan Wilson at 503-779-3488.

Planned water shutdown for the Valley Library: For work related to the Community Hall Slope Project, a planned water shutdown at the Valley Library is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 15, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Existing erosion control is in place around the work area (view map). For questions or comments about the planned water shutdown, contact Construction Manager Ryan Wilson at 503-779-3488.

Fairbanks: As part of the Fairbanks Hall Renovation Project, utility work will be happening. The sidewalk between the Women’s Building and Fairbanks Hall is scheduled to be closed from Nov. 29 through Dec. 27 (view map). An area of the sidewalk/fire lane between Austin Hall and the Asian & Pacific Cultural Center will also be closed.

Reser Stadium lot: For work related to the Completing Reser Stadium project, the west area of the Reser Stadium lot (lot #3281) will be closed from Nov. 22 through Dec. 10. Exterior saw-cutting work is scheduled for an electrical reroute. An extended closure for the west area of the Reser Stadium lot is also scheduled starting Nov. 22 through June 15, 2023. The area will be used for a contractor job site and temporary storage space (view map).

Jobs

This email only lists new or recently updated job postings. For a full list of current job postings for OSU Today, go to: http://today.oregonstate.edu/email/jobs To apply for the below positions, visit jobs.oregonstate.edu unless otherwise specified.

NEW! The College of Engineering invites applicants for the position of Executive Director of External Relations. This is a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month position. Salary is commensurate with training, education and experience.  Posting # P05066UF. Feb. 18.

Weather

“December’s wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer’s memory.”  ~ John Geddes

Corvallis: Showers and rain all week, with a chance of snow showers Tuesday morning, highs in the 40s, lows in the 30s.

Central Oregon: Snow showers likely, highs in the 30s, lows in the 20s.

Newport: Showers and rain all week, highs in the 40s, lows in the 30s.

Statewide: For OSU employees around the state, find your local forecast here: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/