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.
 

The AIs are here: Robodogs, Amazon's Astro and more. Attachment issues! (Seattle Times)

Mapping the inside of a house, “It’d take 20 minutes max at a home,” said Bill Smart, who brought in the Astro. He splits his time between being a robotics professor at Oregon State University and as an Amazon Scholar studying robots and people.
 

Oregon State and partners will receive $50 million grant to develop climate-smart potatoes (ScienMag)

Oregon State University has been awarded a $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to work with farmers and Native American Tribes on cropping practices that can enhance soil health and reduce the carbon footprint of the Pacific Northwest potato industry. (see also KEZIPortland Business Journal)
 

How the Queen's favourite tree is at risk from climate change (Daily Mail)

However, researchers at Oregon State University have found that the leaves actually struggle to regulate their temperature when it gets too hot. They predict that global warming could impair the leaves' ability to stay cool and thereby carry out photosynthesis, particularly in warm climates.

Today's photos



Presidential reception: After a busy first week in office, President Jayathi Murthy started Monday off with a reception in the Student Experience Center Plaza. Above left, Rakesh Bobba, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, chats with Dr. Murthy (photos by Theresa Hogue). We are accepting photo submissions at [email protected].

Timely Teaching Tips: Want to know what’s new in Canvas? See the Fall ‘22 Updates from Learn@OregonState to find out about updates related to Kaltura, Gradescope, Teams, Top Hat, assignment grading, accessibility checks, icons, Qualtrics and Valley Library permalinks.

Today

UPDATED DATE! TIAA: TIAA is one of the 403b retirement plan sponsors for OSU employees. TIAA offers monthly workshops on financial topics. On Sept. 20 they are hosting a retirement savings event from noon to 4 p.m. in MU 109. A presentation called “Putting your money to work: How to optimize your Oregon plans to create a healthy retirement” takes place at 2 p.m. in person or via Zoom. To register, click on this link. There will be time to drop in to talk to a retirement counselor starting at noon, the panel discussion at 2 p.m., and more time to ask any lingering questions until 4 p.m. If you have questions about this event, please contact [email protected].

Dissertation Defense: Muhammad Aatir Khan is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Public Policy and will present his Ph.D. dissertation titled "An Evaluation of Legislative and Policy Reforms in Public Education in the Province of Sindh, Pakistan" on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 414, Bexell Hall (also available on Zoom at this link).  

Employee Parent Connection: Employee Parent Connections will take place Sept. 20 from 1-2 p.m. Drop in and meet with other OSU employee parents who share their stories, challenges and strategies navigating parenthood, COVID, summer fun, child care, home life, work and everything in between. Weekly meetings resume Sept. 6. Zoom link for each meeting: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/99339240989?pwd=aGNBYUZZbGk3blU2bk9YUDdyWTZiQT09. For more information, contact Robynn Pease at [email protected].

McDonald and Dunn Research Forests Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting: The Stakeholder Advisory Committee will meet to discuss the development of the new forest management plan for the MacDonald and Dunn Research Forests. The meeting will be facilitated by Oregon Consensus. Members of the public are invited to listen via Zoom. Sept. 20, 1-4 p.m. There will be no comment period during this meeting. To join and listen, please register in advance. Following the event, a written summary and recording of the meeting will be posted to the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest Planning Process website.

2022 New Student Convocation ceremony: Convocation will be held Sept. 20, 3:30 p.m., in Gill Coliseum. Convocation serves as the official induction of all new students into the OSU academic and social community and is designed to mirror many aspects of Commencement. You can volunteer to help us direct students to their seats inside Gill before and after Convocation by emailing [email protected]. Volunteer shifts start at 3 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Additionally, if you just have a bit of time, we invite you to line up by Legacy Park or along 26th Street to cheer for the incoming class as they process to Gill. All students will enter the North doors of G.

Events

NEW! Booster clinic: OSU will be providing additional COVID-19 booster clinics on the OSU Corvallis campus, Wednesday, Sept. 21; Thursday, Sept. 22 and Friday, Sept. 23, from noon to 4 p.m. in rm 62 of the Memorial Union. These will be booster-only clinics for individuals 12 and older. The updated bivalent boosters will be provided on a walk-up basis and are free of charge. Please bring your vaccination card. Click here for more information. 

NEW! Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease: The Healthy Aging Club is sponsoring the Beavers United Against Alzheimer’s team for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease this Saturday, Sept. 24 at Bruce Starker Arts Park, 4485 SW Country Club Dr. Registration begins at 9; walk at 10:30 a.m. (< 1 mile). For more information, please contact team captain Maria Kurth, [email protected]. To register for the walk or to donate to support those walking, please go to https://act.alz.org/site/TR?team_id=772267&pg=team&fr_id=15822

NEW! Free bike registration: OSU’s Department of Public Safety and Transportation Services is hosting a bike registration event on Sept. 26 from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the McNary Dining Quad. The event is free. Registering your bike with 529 Garage is a tool used by law enforcement to reduce bike theft and obtain information such as serial numbers and photos in the event your bike is stolen. You can also register for ZAP Oregon State, a free bike commute rewards program for Oregon State University students and employees.

New Media Communications Open House: On Sept. 21, the NMC program is hosting an open house from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at Snell Hall, rooms 100A/B. Come learn about the digital communication arts degrees, NMC minor, NMC careers, and view the VR, game and sound lab. Open to all students/staff/academic advisors. There will be light refreshments (pizza/soda). For questions, contact Daniel (Danny) Gruss at [email protected].

Celebrando Nuestras Racies — Celebrating Our Roots: Honor National Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month with an evening of joyful connection among OSU alumni in Portland. Join the fun from 5:30-7 p.m. on Sept. 22, hosted by Vamos OSU, Oregon State University Trustee Román Hernández, ’92, and Troutman Pepper. Space is limited: Register today at bit.ly/Roots22

Beaver Bash: Join us for OSU Program Council's unforgettable End of Summer Beaver Bash Afterglow event on Sept. 23, featuring Bachelor Nation contestant Blake Hortsmann as our DJ. Afterglow is a foam and glow dance party for OSU students taking place in the SEC Plaza from 9-11 p.m. Free snacks are provided.

NWREC Harvest Dinner: North Willamette Research and Extension Center is hosting the 11th annual Harvest Dinner on Sept. 23 to celebrate the success of various research and Extension programs at NWREC. Participants and attendees include faculty, staff, OSU leaders, elected officials and our varied and important stakeholders. Enjoy the bounty of Oregon agriculture and celebrate the diversity of our agricultural community and its impact with leaders across the region. https://tinyurl.com/NWRECHD2022 for the registration details.

Alumni Center pregame tailgate — OSU vs. USC: Before the Beavers take on USC, fire up your Oregon State spirit with swag giveaways, photo booths and indoor lawn games in the CH2M HILL Alumni Center’s comfortable climate-controlled ballroom. Join the OSU Alumni Association Tailgate Town, presented by OCCU, three hours before kickoff on Sept. 24.

Lectures, Workshops, Webinars

NEW! Public Health Insider – Modifying Metabolism: Small Choices, Big Results. Learn how to take control of your metabolic health during the next Public Health Insider series webcast on Oct. 25 at 5:30 p.m. Faculty from the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences will explore metabolic health, share actionable tips that drive positive outcomes and highlight the latest research from OSU’s Translational Metabolism Research Laboratory. Register here ForOregonState.org/PHI.

Graduate Health Information Session: Graduate assistants, graduate fellows, clinical fellows and postdoctoral scholars: Join your HR Benefits Specialists to prepare for your open enrollment, get assistance with enrollment forms and waiver applications, learn about your plan coverage and enjoy some light refreshments. Sept. 21, 9 a.m. to noon, MU 13.

Stress: A Way of Life or a Fact of Life. All aspects of work and life require stress — everyone experiences it. Experiencing stress is not all bad, but how we perceive stress is what’s important. Stress is our body’s normal response to any extra physical, mental or emotional demand we place on it. This workshop will help you to understand more about stress, identify your stressors and learn ways to cope with and manage high stress levels. Sept. 22, noon. Register here.

Interpreting History: The Supreme Court’s Decisions on Guns and Abortion, a Constitution Day event. To encourage all Americans to learn more about the Constitution, Congress in 1956 established Constitution Week, to begin each year on Sept. 17, the date in 1787 when delegates to the Convention signed the Constitution. Panelists: Marisa Chappel, associate professor, School of History, Philosophy and Religion; Steven Shay, senior instructor, School of History, Philosophy and Religion; Jim Oleske, professor of law, Lewis & Clark Law School. Facilitated by Rorie Solberg, associate professor, School of Public Policy. Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. via Zoom. Free, open to all. Register

Fifth annual Ag Innovations Conference: OSU’s North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) is organizing and hosting the 2022 AIC, which provides a platform for stakeholders across various research institutions and agricultural industries to share the latest technological advances and developments while exploring the many varied complex agronomic and crop protection issues facing agricultural production. Sept. 22-23. Visit https://tinyurl.com/NWRECAIC2022 for the registration details.

Hiring Q&A Webinar: This session is designed for supervisors and department HR liaisons. Feel free to drop in and ask your questions about the hiring process. We will have a panel of experts from different HR teams that work directly with hiring to assist with your questions. The panel will include representatives from the following teams: Classification and Compensation, HR Strategic Partners, Recruitment, Onboarding and HR Support Services. Sept. 26, 10 a.m. Register here.
ate companies and governmental organizations from many countries attend the congress. Registration and event page.

History Pub: Sam Stern, OSU professor and dean emeritus of education, will present “Bernard Daly’s Promise: The Legacy of a Place-Based Scholarship,” on Sept. 27, 7 p.m. at Worthy Brewing in Bend as part of the Worthy History History Pub from the Deschutes Historical Museum. Registration is free: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/worthy-history-with-the-deschutes-historical-museum-tickets-409025334787.

Loan forgiveness: Oregon State University is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. PSLF is designed to provide student debt forgiveness to public service employees in certain situations. On Sept. 28 at noon, OSU will be hosting a webinar regarding Public Service Loan Forgiveness and the temporary waiver to this program that is active through Oct. 31. Register here: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nTpv-Ij5THeTKfdmwK2iwg. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the University Human Resources website. For more information about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program visit the University Human Resources website here. For employment verification on PSLF forms please reach out to [email protected].  

Take Note

NEW! Call for vendors: Bobbin' through the Woods: CoF Holiday Craft & Art Fair College of Forestry will host its inaugural craft & art fair Dec. 2-3 at the Peavy Forest Science Center and Richardson Hall. We are searching for vendors interested in showcasing and selling their items at our event. All booth fees and commissions will be paid directly to the OSU Foundation account supporting Rootstock, the College of Forestry's food pantry, and are considered a tax write off. For more information please visit https://www.forestry.oregonstate.edu/bobbin%E2%80%99-through-woods.

Santa Fe Arts residency: OSU graduate students Val Chang (Ph.D. Geography) & Jay Baker (MA Environmental Arts & Humanities) have been awarded Santa Fe Arts Institute’s 2023 Changing Climate Arts Residency. While in residence in Santa Fe, NM during February and March, they will work to further their unique interdisciplinary, art-sci collaborations and work toward the program’s goals of fostering “artistic exploration, creative activism, and community art actions related to global warming that inspire individual transformation and inform collective action” (sfai.org). Learn more about their work at luxren.weebly.com and follow their Instagram @luxren_creative.

Call For Art: The Valley Library Reading Room is hosting a Call for Art about perseverance alongside the Perseverance Book Collection. Books in this collection highlight journeys that have embodied how despite great challenges, it is possible to overcome. Open to everyone. Registration page. Once registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email to drop off your art Oct. 7, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., or Oct. 8, 4-7 p.m., in the Valley Library interior front lobby.

Study participants needed: “Effects of Multi-axial Whole Body Vibrations on Postural Stability.” Public health researchers at Oregon State University are planning a study to measure how different seat suspensions attenuate exposure to whole body vibration and affect biomechanical exposures and postural stability. We hope the results of this study will help us evaluate current seat designs and potentially lead to additional design modifications to further promote occupational health of drivers. Click here for more information.

Boosters for Beavs: Free COVID-19 vaccination clinics are open to the public on our Corvallis, Bend and Newport campuses. Updated booster doses (bivalent) are available in limited supply. No ID, no insurance required. Bring your COVID-19 CDC Card if possible. Mask required inside these spaces. Subject to changes. Visit beav.es/blitz for updates. Newport: Sept. 30, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Hatfield Marine Science Center, Guin Library Seminar Room (has flu shots too). Corvallis: Oct. 10-14, 12-4 p.m., Memorial Union 62. Bend: Oct. 14, 1-5 p.m., Ray Hall, Atrium 011 and 013. Corvallis: Nov. 14-18, 12-4 p.m., Memorial Union 62.

Mid-Month Emergency Preparedness Topic: Suspicious Object. Bomb threats, suspicious objects and bombs are meant to disrupt normal activities and cause fear in populations. With pre-planning, you can remain calm and be knowledgeable of what to do in order to part of an effective response. Download a copy of the Bomb Threat Checklist and keep it by your phone. This month’s poster can be downloaded at: https://emergency.oregonstate.edu/emergency-preparedness/preparedness-topics/suspicious-objects-and-bomb-threats.

Apply now for the Ecampus Research Fellows Program: If you’re interested in conducting research about online teaching and learning, the Ecampus Research Unit will help you plan your proposal for the Ecampus Research Fellows Program. The Research Unit annually funds up to five faculty and/or department projects — $25,000 each — to support research on distance and online education. Info sessions will be held Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. and Sept. 30 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Applications are due Nov. 1. To register or ask questions, contact Naomi Aguiar, assistant director of research.

Media training: OSU’s Office of News and Research Communications is restarting in-person media training sessions this fall. The half-day sessions are designed to build participants’ understanding of the media, develop interviewing skills through mock interview sessions and increase confidence in working with journalists. The sessions are open to anyone at the university who has, or likely will, interact with journalists. If you are interested, please reach out to Sean Nealon, OSU’s news editor, at [email protected]. Space is limited.

Announcing a New OSU Podcast: One Oregon—Many Stories, One State. In this new podcast, created and hosted by Extension and Engagement’s Open Campus and Juntos Program, we share stories from around the state to broaden and deepen our understanding of what it means to be an Oregonian. From discussing rural renewable energy to sharing the history of Black pioneers to learning more about Extension and Engagement, this podcast features community leaders, activists, storytellers, and “ordinary people” accomplishing extraordinary things: oneoregonpodcast.com.

Fall 2022 FYI Fridays are now available for registration: The FYI Friday program features a variety of weekly remote learning sessions, available to all faculty and staff, and free of charge. This fall, our lineup includes all sorts of exciting topics, including PEBB health benefits, cybersecurity, FERPA, CourseLeaf CLSS, CIM and learning and development opportunities for faculty and staff. Register for an FYI Friday session, and learn something new. For questions regarding this program, or to suggest a topic you’d like to see in the future, please reach out to [email protected].

Crossroads Conversation School for Women invites international women to join us this fall for English conversation classes. In volunteer-taught classes, students will explore other cultures, practice English and develop friendships. This term we are offering both in-person classes (for students of all levels) and an online class (for intermediate and advanced English learners). Our priority registration deadline is Sept. 20 and classes begin the week of Sept. 25. For more details and registration information go to https://www.facebook.com/CrossroadsConversationSchool or contact Kara Hanson at [email protected].

Call for Blended Learning Fellowship Nominations: The Center for Teaching and Learning is accepting nominations and self-nominations for a 2022-23 Blended Learning Faculty Fellow. The Fellow will support CTL’s mission of enhancing teaching excellence. The Fellow will be involved in coordination, design and facilitation of faculty development around blended learning. See call for nominations and apply by Sept. 23.

Free COVID tests: Free iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Tests are available on the Corvallis, Bend and Newport campuses. Each box contains two tests. While supplies last, OSU community members can pick up these self-test kits without restrictions. Please note the FDA has extended the expiration date six months. For questions or accommodations related to disabilities, contact [email protected].

Traffic and Maintenance

Full road closure for section of U.S. 20: ODOT is working on a construction project to build a retaining wall, realigning and reconstructing a portion of the road and repairing damage caused by landslides on Hwy 20. Work includes fixing the road surface from milepost 55.4 to milepost 55.6 and milepost 56 to milepost 56.2 to create a smoother ride and prevent water from pooling. If you use this route for work at OSU-Cascades, research, field work or other travel, note that a two-week full road closure is scheduled Sept. 9-22. Detour information is available online. Expect daytime single lane closures Monday through Friday from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. through October 2022.

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 Office of Faculty Affairs is searching for a Faculty Affairs Associate. This professional faculty position is full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month. Posting #P06061UF. Closes Oct. 10.

Weather

"The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions." ~ James Baldwin

Corvallis: Slight chance of showers today, high of 78,  low of 55. Slight chance of showers tomorrow.

Central Oregon: Chance of showers today, high of 65, low of 46. Showers likely tomorrow.

Newport: Partly sunny today, high of 65, low of 55. Slight chance of showers Wednesday.

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