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.

 

OSU looks at vaccines, immunity and Long COVID (KOIN)

Dr. Chunhuei Chi, a professor of global health at Oregon State University, said the vaccine was never supposed to eradicate COVID.  "The origin of developing the vaccine was not aimed at preventing infection and that as a result we have seen the not so effective vaccine at preventing the spread of infection,” Dr. Chi told KOIN 6 News. “But the primary goal of this vaccine is preventing death and serious symptom, and for that I think they’re highly successful.” (see also KDRV)
 

Subtle ecological changes in Oregon tide pools could signal bigger problems, OSU researchers find (Oregonian)

Tide pools are also among the most resilient ecosystems on Earth, able to quickly recover from natural disturbances and bounce back on timescales not seen in many other parts of nature. That’s what led Bruce Menge, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University, to start observing Oregon’s tide pools more than a decade ago, watching to see how some of the state’s most dynamic organisms responded to climate change and warming ocean waters.
 

Reparations task force sheds light on history of slavery in California (KQED)

Guests  include Stacey L. Smith, associate professor of history, Oregon State University; author, "Freedom's Frontier: California and the Struggle over Unfree Labor, Emancipation, and Reconstruction.

 

COVID-19's silver lining: Speeding vaccine tech for other diseases (UPI)

For example, the ability of mRNA vaccines to boost production of a key protein in skin health could make them a valuable tool to help prevent skin cancer, researchers at Oregon State University said Thursday.
 

Covid hospitalizations close in on anticipated record spike in Oregon (Portland Business Journal)

While the highly contagious Omicron variant is becoming more prevalent, Delta has not played itself out. That’s according to an Oregon State University professor who heads up a wastewater surveillance sequencing program. (This article may be behind a paywall.) 
 

Negative self-perceptions on aging affect overall health, says OSU study (Corvallis Advocate)

Aging is a normal part of the human experience. While it is perfectly common to reflect on your own aging process as it approaches, a recent study from Oregon State University revealed that too much negative thinking on the subject can severely affect your health and how your body responds to stress.  (see also Eat This, Not That)
 

Local hemp farm begins creating new product with compounds listed in OSU COVID-19 research (KDRV)

A recent Oregon State University study showing hemp can help protect you from COVID-19 is gaining local and international attention, including the attention of a local hemp farm that has pivoted some production to now include capsules with higher concentration of the compounds listed in the recent OSU research. (see also KMTR)
 

Oldest remains of modern humans are much older than thought, researchers say (USA Today)

Analysis revealed the samples to be related to the eruption of the Shala volcano about 250 miles away, which is now the deepest lake and the largest crater in Ethiopia, according to Oregon State University researchers. The eruption happened 230,000 years ago.
 

How William McKinley revolutionized politics, an interview with Christopher McKnight Nichols (Abridged Presidential Histories podcast)

Join me as I talk with professor Christopher McKnight Nichols, director of the Oregon State University Center for the Humanities; an expert on the Gilded Age, Progressive Era, World War I, and the 1918 flu pandemic; and author of Promise and Peril, America at the Dawn of the global age, to discuss what made McKinley's 1896 campaign such a game changer and how he pulled it off.
 

Ask an expert: Pruning a large-growing hydrangea to fit a small space makes for an unhappy plant (Oregonian)

Gardening season has wrapped up but you may still have questions. For answers, turn to Ask an Expert, an online question-and-answer tool from Oregon State University’s Extension Service. 
 

Today's photos


Snow day: Kim Phipps, fiscal coordinator for the STEM Research Center, says, “First Corvallis snow day – view from my “remote office” deck with snow-covered Go Beavs orange chair!” We're accepting photo submissions at [email protected]

Timely Teaching Tips: Wish to help students plan a strategic approach to learning in your course? Share and discuss the Academic Success Center's Study Cycle with students to increase transparency around what it takes to be successful in your course. Take time in class or use a discussion board to fill it out (page 2 is a fillable PDF).

Today

Oregon Sea Grant Director Candidate Public Presentation/Q&A: Philip Loring will present, “Coastal Leadership and the Climate Crisis,” Jan. 18. Talk: 9-9:50 a.m.; Q&A: 10-10:45 a.m. Zoom link: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/96147436278?pwd=ZktRcmU3TWxwMFFHcTR5VlZXRUZ4Zz09.

CTL Tuesday Teaching + Tech Talks: "Emotionally Intelligent Teaching" with Shauna Tominey. Tominey will discuss strategies for emotionally intelligent teaching that can be applied in many different class contexts toward recognizing the impact of stress on learning and building meaningful connections with students. Jan. 18, 10-11:50 a.m. Zoom link: https://beav.es/UJj. ​For more information: https://ctl.oregonstate.edu/tuesday-teaching-tech-talks.

College of Engineering Virtual Lecture: Margaret Burnette, distinguished professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, will speak on “Doing Inclusive Design: From GenderMag to InclusiveMag,” Jan. 18, noon to 1 p.m. Free and open to the public. For details and registration: https://beav.es/Utq.

NEW! Faculty & Staff Mind-Body Practice Group: Jan. 18, 12:15-12:45 p.m. "Yoga from Your Seat" with Jocelyn Kerr. Join in person at Dixon Lodge or via Zoom. Free. Registration required.

NEW! EMT Seminars: Tamara Tal will speak on “Identification of shared phenotypes and underlying mode of action for alkyl sulfonic acid PFAS,” Jan. 18 at 3:30 p.m. Zoom waiting room opens at 3 p.m. Join Zoom meeting: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/93315797938

OSUsed Store Public Sales: The OSUsed Store carries furniture, computers, household items, office supplies and more, at 644 SW 13th St. Public sales are open to all shoppers this Tuesday, 5:30-7:30 p.m. and Friday, noon to 3 p.m.; details here. Staff may shop for their department Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; details here.

"Climate Change and Native Knowledge" with Margo Robbins: Join Margo Robbins, co-founder and executive director of the Cultural Fire Management Council and co-lead for the Indigenous People's Burn Network, as she discusses the traditional fire practices of Native people and how these land management practices sustain healthy ecosystems. She'll be speaking as part of Spring Creek Project's lecture series Lookout: Envisioning Futures with Wildfire on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. Learn more and register here.

Events

NEW! Board of Trustees: The OSU Board will meet from 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 in the Horizon Room of the Memorial Union. The Board will consider approval of the Presidential Leadership Profile to be used in the recruitment and search process for OSU’s next president, and items recommended for action by its committees. The Board will receive updates on the implementation of SP 4.0, the establishment of an Elliott State Research Forest and the 2022 Oregon legislative session. Committees of the board will meet from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Jan. 27, and from 10-10:30 a.m. on Jan. 28 in the Horizon Room of the Memorial Union. Agendas and meeting materials will be posted as they are available at http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/trustees/meetings. For accommodations: 541-737-3449 or [email protected] at least 48 hours in advance.

American Strings: An Evening with Valerie June. Singer-songwriter Valerie June’s unique sound encompasses folk, blues, gospel, soul, country, Appalachian and bluegrass. The song “Call Me A Fool” from her recent album "The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers" is currently nominated for a Grammy award for Best American Roots Song. An intimate conversation and live performance via Zoom. Jan. 19, 5-6 p.m. Free, registration is required.

Lectures, Workshops, Webinars

NEW! TRIAD: The OSU TRIAD club’s programs are online, free and open to all this term. The next TRIAD program is Jan. 20 at noon: Julie Manning, OSU Board of Trustees and Chair of the OSU Presidential search committee, will present an update on the search and conduct a listening session with attendees as part of the search process. Zoom link here.

NEW! 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.

NEW! Crafternoons: The OSU Valley Library is hosting Crafternoons during Winter Term 2022. Crafts will be available in the second floor foyer. All sessions are free for students to participate in and feature the library's loanable equipment. Sessions are 2-3 p.m. on Jan. 20, Feb. 3, Feb. 17, March 3 and March 17. Follow us on Instagram @valleylibrary to see pictures of crafts and share your crafts with the hashtag #OSUMakes.

NEW! Department of Botany & Plant Pathology Winter Seminar Series: “Grass seed and hemp pathology: A research program to support established and emerging industries at the USDA-ARS FSCRU,” presented by Hannah Rivedal of USDA-ARS, Jan. 20, 4 p.m. via Zoom. For complete schedule visit the BPP Seminar website.

NEW! Faculty Media Center: Discover all the media tools available at the Faculty Media Center and learn from chemistry instructor Jia Zhang about her experience using the Lightboard and Kaltura Analytics. The Faculty Media Center and CTL invite faculty and GTAs to a one-hour Zoom workshop. Register for Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m., or register for Thursday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. Info: Faculty Media Center.

Non-Partisan Campuswide Workshop: How to get involved in Oregon campaigns, hosted by the School of Public Policy. The 2022 election cycle will shape Oregon's future for years to come. Democratic, non-partisan and Republican campaign experts will be on hand to discuss how you can get involved. Jan. 19, 5-6 p.m., in-person in WGND 115 and via Zoom

Panel Talk: Careers in Psychology. Meet OSU Psychology alumni and learn about their career trajectories since graduating. Gain practical insights into a wide variety of career opportunities that many psychology majors pursue. This virtual event will be held via Zoom, with time after for submitting questions to the panelists. Jan. 19, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Register.

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.

Beyond Benefits: "Emotional Eating: The Connection Between Mood and Food." This workshop will address the relationship between emotions and food consumption and how to retrain your body and mind to recognize the cues of hunger and to eat for physiological and not emotional reasons. Jan. 20, 1 p.m. Register here.

Take Note

NEW! Mid-Month Emergency Preparedness Topic: Cold Weather. With low temperatures comes a responsibility to prepare and take precautions against cold weather illness. This month’s poster can be downloaded at: https://emergency.oregonstate.edu/emergency-preparedness/preparedness-topics/cold-weather-illness.

NEW! 25 Year Club inductees: Congratulations to Mary Halbleib, associate professor of practice, for being inducted into the 25 Year club at OSU. You can read more about their time at OSU and others inducted into the club by clicking on their name.

Updated fiscal policy: 03-140-507 Employee Recognition has been revised to eliminate funding source restrictions, allowing use of E&G funds. Please contact the Fiscal Policy Coordinator for your Business Center or the Policy Steward listed on this policy with any questions.

Calling all OSU music makers: The OSU music technology and production program wants your song to be on our upcoming album. All students are eligible to apply and may submit a link to their demo to be considered for inclusion on an upcoming EP produced by students in our program. Deadline: Friday, Feb. 11. Apply here. Questions? Contact Jason Fick.

START leaders wanted: The Office of Student Orientation is recruiting for START Leaders for summer 2022. We are especially interested in recruiting transfer students, international students, first-generation students, students of color, student parents, graduate students and e-campus students. Encourage students to apply. Information here: https://newstudents.oregonstate.edu/start-leader-2022-recruitment. Students can apply directly here: https://jobs.oregonstate.edu/postings/111072 until Jan. 18.

Schoenstein Sustaining Excellence Scholarship: OSU Alumni Association and Community Engagement & Leadership (CEL) are accepting applications from community-engaged OSU undergraduates who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing a more caring, equitable and socially just community. Current OSU undergraduates who have completed at least one year of enrollment at OSU, or another college or university, are eligible. Application deadline: Feb. 15. Award: $2,000 each for five recipients. Apply through OSU Scholar Dollars. More information here, or contact Emily Bowling [email protected].

Food Drive coordinators: Consider being a coordinator for the OSU Food Drive in the month of February. It can be as easy as sending out a few emails, or as creative as coming up with events and fundraising activities. Check out the list of participating units at the bottom of https://communications.oregonstate.edu/events/events-and-projects/osu-food-drive; if you don’t see your group represented, contact [email protected] to sign up. Coordinator orientation is Jan. 19. A recording of the session will also be available.

Save the date: March 7-11 is Open Education Week. Oregon State is on a mission to lower the cost of learning for students. Will you join us? Open Education Week is a virtual celebration that raises awareness of global efforts to make learning more “open” — that is, more affordable and accessible to students everywhere. Learn more today about this week of online events.

Working with Students in Distress: Faculty and staff may be the first to notice a student is struggling and may be in the best position to reach out with care and concern. The Office of the Dean of Students, in collaboration with Counseling and Psychological Services, developed a CARE folder, which is intended to provide you with resources and referral information. Simply click on this link and you will be directed to login to Box to access these resources. 

Mindful @ Oregon State University is an e-newsletter that delivers a weekly care package of mindfulness tips, resources and events to your inbox. Curated by CAPS staff, the newsletter features a weekly guided meditation, learn-more section, mindfulness challenge, OSU mindfulness event calendar and crowd-sourced knowledge and recommendations. Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/mindfulOSU.

Kognito: Recognizing and Supporting Students in Distress Training for Staff, Faculty and Student Assistants. OSU students today face increasing pressures that can lead to emotional distress, depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even thoughts of suicide. Faculty, staff and student assistants may be in the best position to notice when a student needs additional support. Visit beav.es/Zzp to access the faculty/staff online training to recognize and support OSU students in distress. Student assistants should visit: beav.es/ZD3. For questions: [email protected].

Fiscal Policy updates: In accordance with the fiscal policy program, the Fiscal Policy Committee is soliciting your feedback on updates to the fiscal policy Miscellaneous Expenses. For more information and instructions on how to provide your valued feedback, please visit Policy Under Review on the Fiscal Policy Program website.

Breaking Barriers Award Nominations Deadline: The Breaking Barriers award eligibility has expanded to all OSU community members whose work advances women and gender equity in alignment with the award categories. Categories include Education, Research, Athletics, the PCOSW Community Builder and the Harriet Redmond Award. Learn more and submit nominations at beav.es/w4c. Deadline is Feb. 4. Contact [email protected] with questions.

OSU Presidential Search Process: Please share your thoughts by Jan. 20. The Board of Trustees invites members of the university community to provide their thoughts about the qualities and characteristics desired in a new president and key challenges a new president may face. The Board invites the community to provide feedback through a series of listening sessions and an online survey. More information here: https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/presidential-search.

Looking for Unsung Heroes: We are looking for submissions from the Oregon State community to highlight OSU employees and students who are not typically in the spotlight but who are going above and beyond in their work or personal lives. Inspired by our COVID-19 Unsung Hero profiles, we want to celebrate those who serve others, whether it be helping colleagues, volunteering in their community or simply living in ways that inspire us. Send your suggestions to [email protected] and our staff may contact them for interviews we’d feature in OSU Today and elsewhere.

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: Student Experience Center and Cascade Hall 120: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.. (For staff wanting to get a test voluntarily, please make sure to register for a LabDash account prior to arrival: https://labdash.net/.) Bend: Ray Hall 302. Week of Jan. 3: Monday-Wednesday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3-6 p.m.

Traffic and Maintenance

Agricultural & Life Sciences Building air fluctuations: In ALS on Jan. 18, starting at 7 a.m., Facilities Services will be on-site to replace some failed electrical components in one of the air handler units. Building air will function adequately; however, there may be some noticeable air fluctuations. This repair is expected to last throughout the day. For questions or comments on this closure, contact Facilities Services at 541-737-2969.

West Greenhouse: As part of the 20 & 21 West Greenhouse project, a portion of sidewalk will be closed to pedestrian traffic between SW 30th and 35th streets on SW Campus Way for ADA access and sidewalk improvement work. The month-long closure is scheduled to start on Friday, Jan. 7 and continue through Feb. 7. Please view the online map, which provides an overview of this location and appropriate detours to take. Direct access to the 20 & 21 greenhouses can be made at their north side doors.

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! Director of Equity, Access and Inclusion: College of Science invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month director of equity, access and inclusion. Posting #P05091UF. Closes Jan. 30.

Weather

“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it." ~ John Burroughs

Corvallis: Chance of rain today, high of 48, low of 41. Chance of rain tomorrow.

Central Oregon: Mostly sunny today, high of 45, low of 32. Partly sunny tomorrow.

Newport: Rain likely today, high of 48, low of 43. Chance of rain tomorrow. 

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