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
 

No, artificial vanilla flavoring doesn't come from beaver butts (Insider)

Luckily, Robert J. McGorrin, Ph.D., a professor of flavor chemistry at Oregon State University and fellow at the American Chemical Society, was willing to speak with us. He said many food companies use artificial flavors because extracting natural flavors from fruits and other plants is labor-intensive and expensive. And vanilla is no exception.
 

Low-intensity wildfires can help forest recovery, OSU study says (KEZI)

According to OSU researchers, a fire that is neither too not nor too cold can help forest landscapes return to more fire-tolerant conditions.
 

Today's photo


May Day Pageant, 1925: Photo courtesy OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center. We are accepting photo submissions at [email protected].

NEW! Timely Teaching Tips: Wondering how to strengthen the resilience of your teaching practice? Want to learn ways that course design and pedagogy can support instructor and student well-being? You’re invited to attend the Resilient Teaching Faculty Learning Community Showcase at 12:30 p.m. Zoom March 16 via Zoom. Eight OSU teaching faculty will share their approaches to resilient teaching.

Today

University Budget Committee: The committee will meet 2-3:30 p.m. March 10 via Zoom and in Kearney 111C. The UBC is OSU’s advisory body to the provost for recommendations on tuition rates, budget priorities and budget policies. For materials associated with this week’s topics, visit the UBC web page. Join the webinar via Zoom. For questions, email [email protected].  

College of Public Health & Human Sciences research seminar: Kathleen A. Grant, chief and professor, Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, professor, behavioral neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University. A comprehensive animal model of the biomedical basis of alcohol use disorders. Grant's online presentation is 1-2 p.m. March 10, https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/99608271232.

Daram Choi, M.S. defense: Choi will present her thesis, “Genetic Characterization and Bioclimatic Modeling of the Three Varieties of Leptographium wageneri (Cause of Black Stain Root Disease) in the Western USA,” at 8 a.m. March 10 in 302 PFSC. Choi is earning her M.S. in sustainable forest management with Dave Shaw in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management. Contact the FERM Department at [email protected] for the Zoom link or for accommodations for disabilities.
 
Anthropology Lecture Series: Bastian Thomsen of the University of Oxford and Colorado State University will present “The Role of Veterinarian Medicine and Multispecies Livelihoods in Ecological Rehabilitation: Pathways toward human-animal coexistence in the Anthropocene.” He will speak from noon to 12:30 p.m. March 10 in Strand Ag 160. The free lecture is open to OSU faculty and students. All lectures in the series are accessible via Zoom in real time: beav.es/it2

OSUsed Store Public Sales: The OSUsed Store carries furniture, computers, household items, office supplies and more at 644 SW 13th St. Public sales are 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and noon to 3 p.m. Fridays. Staff may shop for their department 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

HR Service Delivery: The new HR and Payroll experience: OSU employees have access to a dedicated Employee Service Portal to directly engage with HR and Payroll. The resources available on the Employee Service Portal include a menu of services, a centralized knowledge base and Benny the virtual agent. This training, 10-10:45 a.m. March 10 via Zoom, will provide the background of HRSD, the benefits employees should expect to receive, and a demo of the Employee Service Portal. Registration required.

Events

Corvallis Public Seed Library Pop-Up Vegetable Garden Plant Clinic: Benton County Master Gardeners will hold a pop-up plant clinic event at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library's Public Seed Library from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. March 11. Master Gardeners will help you plan your garden, select seeds right for you, and answer your vegetable garden growing questions. 

RSVP for the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Celebration of Quality Teaching: Hors d’oeuvres and non-alcoholic beverages will be served after a short program recognizing teaching awardees, and a presentation by Dwaine Plaza, recipient of the 2022 Richard M. Bressler Senior Faculty Teaching Award. 4:30 p.m.,May 4, MU Horizon Room 49. RSVP at https://beav.es/SiC

Orange & Black Vocal Scholarship Concert: A night of choral music celebrating the arts at OSU, featuring OSU’s top choral ensembles, directed by Steven Zielke and Sandra Babb. 7:30 p.m. March 17 at the First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe Ave., Corvallis. Livestream also available. Tickets $10 at the door (cash/check only). OSU students free with OSU ID. Online ticket sales expected to resume at 9 a.m. March 15 following resolution of a technical issue

Diffusions: A music technology concert: Join the OSU Music Technology and Production program for Diffusions, a live performance featuring EDM, pop and electroacoustic music composed and performed by students and faculty from the program. Directed by Jason Fick. 7:30 p.m. March 14 in Milam Auditorium. Free and open to all.

Empty Bowls 17th annual benefit event: Event attendees will receive a ceramic bowl as a reminder of the ongoing problem of food insecurity, while supplies last. The event includes a meal of soup, bread and dessert, along with a silent auction, music and activities for kids. Tickets are purchased at the door on a sliding scale from $5 to $20. The event will benefit our very own Basic Needs Center as well as local nonprofit Fresh & Local, First!. Takes place 5-7 p.m. March 11 in McNary Dining Hall.

Fidelity on-campus consultations: Employees can meet with Justin Blatny, financial consultant from Fidelity 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 March 15-16. Schedule online atwww.fidelity.com/schedule, or by phone at (800) 343-0860.

Out of the Darkness: Register now for the annual Out of the Darkness campus walk. This year’s walk and activities take place 10 a.m.-1 p.m. April 15 in the SEC Plaza. Register at https://supporting.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=8923. Visit the event Padlet at https://beav.es/SqY where you can read and/or submit messages of hope or in honor of lost loved ones. Half of the funds raised go directly to OSU for suicide prevention efforts, while the other half goes to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Questions? Email [email protected].

Volunteer opportunities: Join us once or weekly for a volunteer service project at Heartland Humane Shelter & Care, Room at the Inn, Parks & Recreation, Starker Arts Garden for Education(SAGE) and Habitat for Humanity. Volunteers will be maintaining space for animals and a chance to play with them, providing emergency meals and housing, enhancing parks and trails and helping grow food for low income families. The OSU Community are the intended audience for this event. Register at beav.es/cel.

Lectures, Workshops, Webinars

Micah Schmidt, M.F. defense: Schmidt will present his project, “A case study on the utility of multiple, light to moderate intensity silvicultural treatments to accomplish forest management objectives in southwest Oregon, USA,” at 2 p.m. March 16 in 316 PFSC (seating is limited). Schmidt is earning his M.F. in sustainable forest management with Klaus Puettmann in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management. Contact the FERM Department at [email protected] for the Zoom link or for accommodations for disabilities.

College of Engineering Faculty Lecture: Dorthe Wildenschild. “Engineered Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) – the Why? How? and When?" The virtual lecture, free and open to the public, is from noon to 1 p.m. March 14. Details and registration: beav.es/5Dz.

Care Talks, Raising Children with Disabilities: Caring for Your Older Child with a Disability, 10 a.m. March 14. We will focus on caring for an older child or adult with disabilities, rights concerning education and employment, protecting and providing for your special needs child, legal and financial issues and effective family management. Register Today.

March research integrity forum: What are export controls? How can my export compliance officer help me? Do you work on federal awards or grants, collaborate with foreign nations or institutes, use advanced technology/materials in your research or travel abroad on behalf of the university? Join Mallory Day, OSU’s export compliance officer, from 1-2 p.m. March 15 for a discussion around export controls and what to do when they affect you. Register for this Zoom session here. For more information contact [email protected]

Course Design Bootcamp: Have you heard of the Course Design Institute? How about the Course Design Bootcamp? Join the Center for Teaching and Learning in a streamlined sequence of workshops and activities to learn backwards course design approaches to (re)develop your course. Two consecutive Friday afternoons, 2-5 p.m. March 17 and March 24, LINC 307. Space is limited. Register here.

Provost’s Lecture featuring Laurie Santos: Join us for the second Provost’s Lecture of 2022-23, featuring Laurie Santos, psychologist, host of the podcast The Happiness Lab, and professor of psychology at Yale University. The virtual lecture will be held at 6 p.m. April 4 via Zoom. The Provost’s Lecture Series is a partnership of the Office of the Provost and the OSU Foundation which brings renowned thinkers, writers, scientists, artists and leaders to OSU to engage, challenge and inspire. Register here for the free virtual event.

OSU Retirement Expo: The first annual Retirement Expo will be help 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 4 in the Memorial Union. It will include vendors in the Horizon Room and education sessions throughout the building. The presentation schedule is here. Registration is required for Zoom sessions only. For accommodations:  [email protected]. For questions: [email protected].

Take Note

Polar STEAM applications open for educators: Do you know an educator who is interested in a virtual collaboration with a polar research team? Do you want to expand the scope of STEAM education you can bring to your learners? Educator applications for 2023 virtual collaboration are open. Click here for more information and to apply.

NEW: OSU releases annual research report: The 2022 Annual Research Report has been released and can be found by clicking here. The report details numerous ways in which Oregon State research continues to transform Oregon, the nation and the world, impacting communities throughout the state and beyond.

Beyond Benefits: Have you used the Beyond Benefits EAP service? If so we are seeking your feedback in this one-minute survey. If you have specific questions or concerns regarding the Beyond Benefits EAP program you would like addressed, contact [email protected] or [email protected]. To take the survey click here.

Free spring term textbook loans: The Basic Needs Center is expanding its free textbook lending library and invites students experiencing financial barriers to request up to three books for them to purchase. Requests will be put on temporary hold for those who request. Submit by March 22 to receive them by week one or by April 5 to receive by end of week two. Details are on the form and also at 1030 SW Madison Ave., via phone at 541-737-3747, or by email at [email protected]

NEW! 35 years of service: Congratulations to Tammy Hennings, Human Resources Partner, for being honored for 35 years of service at OSU. You can read more about honorees' time at OSU by clicking on Tammy's name.

Call for Applications: Career Champions Program, Spring 2023: Applications for the spring 2023 Career Champions program for teaching faculty and instructors are now being accepted. The Career Champions program provides faculty and instructors with tangible ways to incorporate career connection into the classroom while advancing diversity, equity and inclusion and examining the barriers to access for first-generation students, high financial need students, and/or students of color. More information here: https://ctl.oregonstate.edu/career-champions-program. For questions contact Brenna Gomez. Complete the application form by March 17. For more information: [email protected]

Job Shadow applications open: Students who want to get a real-life look at a potential career path can apply now for a summer job shadow position. Job shadows are a free but unpaid experience for students to explore an industry, organization or specific position during summer 2023. These experiences can be a full day or half day, held in person or virtually, and are intended primarily for undergraduate students still in the process of determining their future career goals. Visit the Career Development Center website to learn more about the Job Shadow program and see the more than 100 job shadow placements available. Apply by May 7.

Public Seed Library: The volunteer-run Corvallis Public Seed Library is a collaborative project of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, with educational support from the OSU Extension Service. Located at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, the Public Seed Library is stocked exclusively with donated vegetable, herb and flower seed commercial packets. It offers free seeds, educational resources and events, including lectures by local area experts and pop-up plant clinic tables staffed by Benton County Master Gardeners to help answer vegetable gardening questions. 

Work Life newsletter: To view the March Work Life Newsletter with a calendar of events, click here.

Mid-Month Emergency Preparedness Topic: Medications: Disaster can strike at any time and without warning. By preparing in advance, you can make sure you will have the medications you need and one less thing to worry about in an emergency. More information can be found here: https://emergency.oregonstate.edu/emergency-preparedness/preparedness-topics/medication

Fiscal Policy Update: 03-150-415 Vehicles and Vessels has been revised to provide updated information about title and registration requirements for vehicles and vessels. Titles for vehicles and trailers are now managed by the Motor Pool, and PCMM manages titles for vessels. Contact the policy steward listed on the policy with any questions.

Campus construction: As part of the Rogers Hall fume hood replacement project, a crane will be placed in the Graf Hall parking lot. Limited parking will be available between 6:30 and 9 a.m. For questions or comments on this closure, contact project manager Dave Amundson at 541-737-2760.

Weather

“When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it? ~ Eleanor Roosevelt.

Corvallis: Mainly rainy through the weekend, with some sunshine likely Saturday. Highs around 50, lows in the mid-30s.

Central Oregon: Chance of snow today and rain Sunday, sandwiched around a sunny Saturday. Highs in the mid-30s and mid-40s, lows in the low- to mid-20s.

Newport: Mainly rainy through the weekend, with sunshine in store for Saturday. Highs around 50, lows in the upper 30s.

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