Despite their protected status, national parks are not immune from the effects of modern life. Pollution in the form of pesticides, PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons released by forest fires and fossil fuel combustion) show up in parks across the country. In the West, Staci Simonich, professor in the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences, has been tracking sources of such contamination in high-elevation parks such as Sequoia in the Sierras, Washington’s Olympic and Denali in Alaska.

At the April 9 Corvallis Science Pub, Simonich, an environmental chemist, will discuss her research on regional and international sources of pollution in the western United States. Using facilities in Oregon and other western states to track air movement, she and her colleagues have correlated the results of air and soil sampling in parks with events such as forest fires and pesticide use. She will discuss the factors that influence pollutant transport to and distribution in soils, plants and animals.

Simonich received her Ph.D. in 1995 from Indiana University and, as a professor in Environmental and Molecular Toxicology and Department of Chemistry, leads a research team to understand how people in the United States and China are exposed to PAHs through OSU’s NIH funded Superfund Research Center

 

NSF – Scalable Nanomanufacturing (SNM) 2012 program

The Incentive Funds Program in the Research Office is requesting Letters of Intent for the National Science Foundation – Scalable Nanomanufacturing (SNM) program.

Limit Summary: An academic institution may submit no more than one proposal on which it is the lead organization in response to this solicitation.

NSF announces a second year of a program on collaborative research and education in the area of scalable nanomanufacturing, including the long-term societal implications of the large-scale implementation of nanomanufacturing innovations. This program is in response to and is a component of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Signature Initiative: Sustainable Nanomanufacturing – Creating the Industries of the Future. Although many nanofabrication techniques have demonstrated the ability to produce relatively small quantities of nanomaterials and devices, the emphasis of this program is research that supports the identification and demonstration of nanomanufacturing processes with high potential to scale to economically and industrially relevant production levels.

Guidance for letters of intent to the Research Office: http://oregonstate.edu/research/incentive/scalable-nanomanufacturing-snm-2010

Complete NSF – SNM guidelines: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12544/nsf12544.htm

Letter of Intent submission deadline to the Research Office is Monday, April 23, 2012 and should be sent electronically as a PDF document to debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu. For more information contact Debbie Delmore at (541) 737-8390.

 

Good Day:

I’m writing regarding several new initiatives relating to Undergraduate Research at OSU.  They relate to three topics described below.  I hope you can help me by getting word of these initiatives into the hands of faculty and students in your college/department, as appropriate.

1.  Beginning with graduation in spring, 2012, OSU will provide to students the opportunity to get transcript notation documenting significant research/creative efforts at OSU.  The attached documents include information for students (“Transcript Notations Notes for Students”), faculty (“Transcript Notation Information for Faculty”), and an application to be filled out by students to obtain the notation (“Research Arts Fellow Application”).

2.  We seek nominations for an Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year (“Faculty Mentor of the Year Award”) to recognize a faculty member who has, through his/her continued mentorship, led numerous undergraduate students to success in their creative/research efforts.

3.  We are recruiting talented undergraduate students with experience in research/creative enterprises to apply to serve as Ambassadors of Undergraduate Research (“Ambassador Program info and Application”) for the 2012-13 school year.

Please let me know if you have questions regarding any of these materials or topics.  I would be happy to speak to you and/or your colleagues regarding these matters.  Thanks for your help in getting the word out and for supporting undergraduate research in all disciplines at OSU.

Kevin Ahern

Ambassador Program Info and Application

Faculty Mentor of the Year Award

Research Arts Fellow Application

Transcript Notation Notes for Students

Hello, all. I am the dean of Chemeketa’s new Yamhill Valley Campus in McMinnville …

We are a full-service campus, going for accreditation spring term, and in the process of fleshing out our general education and transfer studies program. One of the facilities we’ve added, much to my delight, is a chemistry lab. This next year (AY2012-13) we are planning to offer the Chemistry for Allied Health series (CH104/5/6), the Foundations of General, Organic, and Biochemistry course (CH110), and the General

Science: Chemistry course (GS105). My immediate challenge is to find part-time instructors to teach these courses. If you have instructors, who you would personally recommend, and who are looking for more work – would you please have them contact me? My sincere thanks for any assistance.

John Plett

 

Chemeketa Community College

Yamhill Valley Campus Dean

phone: 503-316-3276

fax: 503-399-5175

 

CAYUSE IS REQUIRED AS OF 07-01-2012

Hello Everyone,

I have scheduled additional training sessions for the following dates; –

• Tuesday, March 27^th from 10:00 – 11:30 AM (still room for a few)
• Tuesday, April 10^th from 1:30 – 3:00 PM
• Wednesday, April 25^th from 10:00 – 11:30 AM

All sessions will be held in RH 203 which is supplied with computers to make it an interactive training session.  Please share the information with your faculty and have them contact me if they are interested (as space is limited).

The research office has also been offering training sessions which have been posted in OSU Today.

 

Thank you,

Liz

 

Liz Etherington

Sponsored Research Program Administration, CAS

Office: 541-737-3429

Cell: 541-740-0002

 

Purpose

• Publicly acknowledge the accomplishments of outstanding College of Agricultural Sciences alumni.

Nature of award

• Nominating unit will serve as host when the recipient visits campus to receive the award. Arrangements for the visit should include interaction with students and faculty, which might include seminars and discussions.
• Awardees will receive a plaque or other award suitable for display.
• Awards are intended for recipients of undergraduate or graduate degrees from current or former programs within the College of Agricultural Sciences or our joint programs.
• Awards will be publicized through press releases and will be posted on the College website.
• At the committee’s recommendation, more than a single award may be made in each category.
• Current faculty or staff is not eligible for nomination.

 

Award categories

1. 1. Legacy

The Legacy Award is a career lifetime achievement award. It is given to an individual who has made a lasting and meritorious contribution to their chosen field, OSU, or society at large throughout their career.

1. 2. Leader

Leader award is given to an individual who has distinguished herself or himself through professional practice and service to OSU, her or his profession, or society at large. Nominees should have at least 20 years of professional experience.

1. 3. Luminary

Luminary award is given to an individual who has made early career and community contributions that clearly identify her or him as a future leader. The nominee should have at least 10 years of professional experience.

Nomination and eligibility

• Nominations are accepted only from College of Agricultural Sciences unit leaders, not from other sources.
• Each unit may submit no more than one nomination in each category per year.
• The nominee’s career and accomplishments should be truly outstanding.

• Nominee must be an alumnus of the College of Agricultural Sciences or its joint programs.
• Anyone currently holding or running for an elected public office is not eligible.
• Nominations not selected for an award will be kept active for three (3) years, but the author of the nomination should assure that the content remains accurate and up-to-date.
• Applications submitted for OSU Alumni Association awards that are not selected for University-wide recognition may be submitted without change for these College-level awards.
• Nominations shall be submitted in electronic form and are due May 15 to Lonnie.morris@oregonstate.edu.

Nomination process

• Nomination letter from unit leader limited to two pages, describing clearly the nominee’s post-OSU accomplishments, measures of success, and examples of his or her impact on the industry or profession.
• A résumé, curriculum vitae or other documentation must be attached.

Award selection committee

I am pleased to announce that we are seeking nominations for the College of Agricultural Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award for which there are three categories: Legacy, Leader and Luminary.  This award is to acknowledge the accomplishments of outstanding alumni of the College of Agricultural Sciences.

 

Detailed information for the nomination process is attached.  Nomination is due by May 15. Selection will be made and the recipients notified shortly thereafter. Please do not tell the nominees of your nomination until the outcome is announced.  Please forward your nomination to Lonnie Morris.

 

Awards will be presented during the 2012 Awards Luncheon scheduled for Friday, October 19 during Oregon State University’s homecoming weekend. If you have nominated an alumnus for an OSU Alumni award of any sort, please forward a copy of that nomination to the Deans’ office for consideration in this competition.

 

2011 recipients – Bill Ahlem, nominated by  Jim Males, , Howard Horton, nominated by Dan Edge, Judy Jernstedt nominated by Lynda Ciuffetti, Daren Coppock, nominated by Susan Capalbo, Elizabeth Howard, nominated by Susan Capalbo, Alexander Barth, nominated by Tom Shellhammer.

 

2010 recipients – Dr. Hiram Larew, nominated by Lynda Ciuffetto, Dr. James McKim, nominated by Craig Marcus, Dr. Scott Campbell, nominated by Jim Males and Jason Tosch, nominated by Anita Azarenko..

 

2009 recipients – Dr. Joe Chapman, nominated by Dan Edge, Dr. Gary Perdew, nominated by Craig Marcus and Bob McGorrin, Ken Bailey, nominated by Peter Shearer and Anita Azarenko and Colby Marshall, nominated by Susan Capalbo.

2008 recipients – Dr. Robert Ziegler, nominated by Russ Karow and Lynda Ciuffetti and Dr. Lawrence O. Copeland, nominated by Russ Karow.

2007 recipients  – Dr. Stephen Ford, nominated by Jim Males and John Savage, nominated by Bruce Weber.

2006 recipient – Dr. Noelle Cockett, nominated by Jim Males.

~~~~~~~~~~

The College of Agricultural Sciences Deans’ Group will name the selection committee. The committee will review nominations and recommend the awardees to the Deans’ Group.

Presentation of awards

Awards are presented at the College of Agricultural Sciences Awards Luncheon Friday of Homecoming weekend.

Calendar

• May 15             Nominations are due in the College of Agricultural Sciences Dean’s office
• June 15             Selection of awardees
• June 22             Awardee and a guest invited to attend the Awards Luncheon

• October 19      Awards presented at the Awards Luncheon

Nominations are due May 15

Please send via e-mail to Lonnie.Morris@oregonstate.edu

 

Researchers at Oregon State University have tapped into the extraordinary power of carbon “nanotubes” to increase the speed of biological sensors, a technology that might one day allow a doctor to routinely perform lab tests in minutes, speeding diagnosis and treatment while reducing costs.

The new findings have almost tripled the speed of prototype nano-biosensors, and should find applications not only in medicine but in toxicology, environmental monitoring, new drug development and other fields.

The research was just reported in Lab on a Chip, a professional journal. More refinements are necessary before the systems are ready for commercial production, scientists say, but they hold great potential.

“With these types of sensors, it should be possible to do many medical lab tests in minutes, allowing the doctor to make a diagnosis during a single office visit,” said Ethan Minot, an OSU assistant professor of physics. “Many existing tests take days, cost quite a bit and require trained laboratory technicians.

“This approach should accomplish the same thing with a hand-held sensor, and might cut the cost of an existing $50 lab test to about $1,” he said.

The key to the new technology, the researchers say, is the unusual capability of carbon nanotubes. An outgrowth of nanotechnology, which deals with extraordinarily small particles near the molecular level, these nanotubes are long, hollow structures that have unique mechanical, optical and electronic properties, and are finding many applications.

In this case, carbon nanotubes can be used to detect a protein on the surface of a sensor. The nanotubes change their electrical resistance when a protein lands on them, and the extent of this change can be measured to determine the presence of a particular protein—such as serum and ductal protein biomarkers that may be indicators of breast cancer.

The newest advance was the creation of a way to keep proteins from sticking to other surfaces, like fluid sticking to the wall of a pipe. By finding a

way to essentially “grease the pipe,” OSU researchers were able to speed the sensing process by 2.5 times.

Further work is needed to improve the selective binding of proteins, the scientists said, before it is ready to develop into commercial biosensors.

“Electronic detection of blood-borne biomarker proteins offers the exciting possibility of point-of-care medical diagnostics,” the researchers wrote in their study. “Ideally such electronic biosensor devices would be low-cost and would quantify multiple biomarkers within a few minutes.”

This work was a collaboration of researchers in the OSU Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. A co-author was Vincent Remcho, professor and interim dean of the OSU College of Science, and a national expert in new biosensing technology.

The research was supported by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory through the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute.

About the OSU College of Science: As one of the largest academic units at OSU, the College of Science has 14 departments and programs, 13 pre-professional programs, and provides the basic science courses essential to the education of every OSU student. Its faculty are international leaders in scientific research.

2012 Linus Pauling Legacy Award

April 19, 2012 – 8:00p.m.

Embassy Suites Hotel – Colonel Lindbergh Room, 319 SW Pine Street, Portland, OR

 

Cornell University professor Dr. Roald Hoffmann, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will speak in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, April 19, 2012. His lecture, titled “Indigo – A Story of Chemistry in Culture,” will be presented at the Embassy Suites Hotel. Hoffmann will be honored as the seventh recipient of the Linus Pauling Legacy Award, granted once every two years for outstanding achievement in an area of study once of interest to Dr. Linus Pauling. The Pauling Legacy Award is sponsored by Oregon State University Libraries.

 

Hello All

This is a call for nominations.

Please see the opportunity for partial travel support for a graduate student to attend a meeting on water sustainability. NABC is primarily a symposium style meeting which brings in very good speakers. It is also a good networking environment. Many of the major land grants participate. Our practice is for the College and unit to split the cost beyond the NABC support.  We only send one student.

Please send me the name, undergraduate institution I(with GPA), and OSU GPA, and topic of graduate research of anyone you wish to nominate.  The AD Group will evaluate nominations and select a participant.

Please ask your faculty to consider this.

Thanks.

Larry

Larry Curtis
Associate Dean
College of Agricultural Sciences
Oregon State University
138 Strand Agriculture Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: 541.737.1764
Fax: 541.737.3178

Please make graduate students at your institution aware of this year’s Student Voice travel stipend to attend NABC 24 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
NABC provides up to $750 to one graduate student from each member institution in addition to free meeting registration.

Details and application form are available at http://nabc.cals.cornell.edu/studentvoice/index.cfm

Please mark your calendars on Thursday, April 5^th from 5pm-7pm to celebrate Sherm Bloomer for his accomplishments as Dean of the College of Science.  We will take this time to thank him for his support and guidance over the past 12 years.

 

Thursday, April 5th, 2012

5pm-7pm

Linus Pauling Science Center

Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served