Category Archives: Uncategorized

Staff Profile: Terralyn Vandetta

Posted on by | Leave a reply
  • How long have you been at Oregon State?

21 years.

  • How did you end up working with computers and technology?

Well, both my dad and grandfather graduated with forest engineering/civil engineering degrees from Oregon State. My dad is a civil engineer, and I decided in high school that I needed to be an engineer, but I didn’t want to be a civil engineer. I was really excited to learn about computers, so I became a computer science major.

  • How do you make sure you’re keeping up with the changes in your industry?

Google is your friend, and it’s important to be able to fly by the seat of your pants and keep at it.

  • What does your life look like outside of work?

I like knitting and sewing. I also have a beautiful, two-year-old granddaughter that I love to engage with. We live on 10 acres, so I do a lot of outdoor wandering with my two dogs.

  • How did you get into sewing and knitting?

My grandmother taught me to sew when I was a member of 4-H. In my early 20s, I went to a quilt-in-a-day class and got hooked, so most of my sewing now is quilting. I’ve only been knitting for about 10 years. My mom taught me, and it was something fun we could do together. Now, it keeps me from falling asleep on the couch at night.

  • Any other hobbies?

Beaver sports! I’ve maybe missed a handful of home football games since 1984. We go to football, basketball, gymnastics and baseball events on a regular basis, rain or shine, and sometimes we even travel to see the Beavers.

  • If you were an athlete –  in the Olympics – what would be your sport?

Maybe curling? My husband and I play bocce ball on the beach, so maybe it’s kind of similar.

  • What’s your favorite breakfast food?

Waffles with peanut butter and syrup.

Reflections on the renewable materials program

Posted on by | Leave a reply

Cameron Salvitelli discovered wood science during his second year at Oregon State. He’s proud that despite the time it took for him to find his path, he will graduate in four years.

“Renewable materials sounded so different and unique to me but it also sounded very versatile. There are four unique, customizable options, and I like to have options,” Salvitelli says. “It was easy for me to connect with the teachers and the people around me because we all had a passion for the outdoors and then it stemmed a little more specifically into wood specifically.”

Salvitelli’s favorite part of the program is the hands-on learning.

“You learn a lot of different options, and then you learn about the whole industry and finally you get down to the mechanics of wood and the science behind it and how it works,” he says.

Salvitelli says his senior year is challenging.

“We think about how we feed the industry and how we manufacture, and these are the opportunities on the business side of things. I feel confident in my options for the future,” he says. “Anybody can make money their own way in business but for me it was about finding a passion that I could pursue which matched those business interests.”