July 2012

Dan Arp

The dean's views...

I have been in my new role as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences for a few weeks now. I am approaching the halfway mark on my “first hundred days plan” that is designed to have me meet many of the members of the College’s community--on campus and across the state.

I have visited several of our branch experiment stations where I have appreciated meetings with advisory groups, enjoyed attending field days, and learned about the ongoing work at the stations. I have met with faculty and staff of several of our academic departments where I have learned about the exciting work they are doing, their plans for the future, and the challenges they face. I have met with state and federal legislators and been introduced to legislative committees in Salem. I have also had the opportunity to meet individually with a number of our stakeholders and hear their stories. And there have been conversations with several of our industry groups and their representatives. Finally, I have had many opportunities to interact with our students. It has been an exciting and energizing few weeks!  (Read more...)

Recent News

Floating dock from Japan carries potential invasive species

NEWPORT, Ore. – When debris from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan began making its way toward the West Coast of the United States, there were fears of possible radiation and chemical contamination as well as costly cleanup.

But a floating dock that unexpectedly washed ashore in Newport this week and has been traced back to the Japanese disaster has brought with it a completely different threat – invasive species. (Read more...)  Photo credit:  OSU HMSC

Read The Tsunami-Generated Floating Dock blog

Ramaswamy sworn in by USDA Secretary Vilsack

(Nature Newsblog) The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), a key component of the US  Department of Agriculture’s research effort, has a new director.  Sonny Ramaswamy (pictured at right), an entomologist by training and former dean of the school of agricultural science at Oregon State University and director of its Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, was officially sworn in this week the USDA announced on 9 May.

(Read more...)

Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences merger complete

The two departments were officially merged with the Provost’s signature, and the merger is effective  the beginning of the Summer 2012 term (June 25). The new department, named the Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, will encompass all of the personnel and programs of the founding departments. The unit will have a combined undergraduate student population in excess of 500 students this coming fall, a graduate student population of approximately 25, and 50+ faculty and staff.

(Read more in the departmental newsletter...)

OSU Update

Commencement 2012

Michelle Obama addressed the 2012 graduates of Oregon State University during the university's 143rd annual commencement ceremony.

An estimated 4,979 students graduated this June from Oregon State and OSU-Cascades, earning a total of 5,236 degrees. Both totals are records for the university, as is the number of graduates who attended commencement at the main campus on June 17th.  You can watch Mrs. Obama's speech right here.

National Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., features Oregon State programs

(KVAL.com) One of the nation’s most popular summer fairs, the National Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., featured hands-on exhibits created by Oregon State University.

Oregon State is one of 28 land grant universities whose accomplishments were celebrated at the festival from June 27 to July 1 and from July 4 to 8 on the National Mall. More than 1 million people were expected to attend.

On the Smithsonian University Stage, three OSU faculty members (Robin Rosetta, Sam Chan and Jae Park) gave repeated 15-minute presentations during the festival on integrated pest management, aquatic invasive species and seafood.

(Read more...)

Our Best

Maud Powell selected as NACAA/SARE Fellow

Maud Powell was selected by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Sustainable Agriculture Committee as a NACAA/SARE Fellow. She is one of only four selected nationally. 

This honor recognizes Maud’s leadership in extension programming for small farms and sustainable agriculture and reflects positively on the Small Farms Program and Oregon State University.

Cindy Lederer wins 2012 Kroger Partnership Award

Cindy Lederer, Sr. Faculty Research Assistant and Manager–Sensory Science Laboratory, has been selected as a recipient of the 2012 Kroger Partnership Award. Cindy began her career in 1985 in Food Science & Technology with Dr. Mina McDaniel, and has over 25 years’ experience as manager of the sensory lab, presently working with Prof. Juyun Lim.
 
The Kroger Partnership Award recognizes “above and beyond” service for recipients who are selected from among 800 vendors and service suppliers to Kroger. The Kroger Co. is the country’s largest grocery store chain and second-largest retailer by volume with over $82 billion in sales (2010). Kroger is the parent of the Fred Meyer stores.
 
Cindy is one of only eight key suppliers being honored this year, and is the first sensory testing service to receive this prestigious award. She was nominated by Kroger’s Corporate Food Technology Department because of her professionalism and willingness to work with Kroger to meet their timelines for sensory testing.
 
Cindy’s expenses were paid to visit Kroger’s headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 9-10, 2012 to be recognized at the awards dinner.

New Professor of the Year - Dr. Brian Sidlauskas

Dr. Brian Sidlauskas was voted on by students as this years' "new professor of the year" and was recognized at the Celebrating Student Success banquet in May. He is a professor and adviser within the Fisheries and Wildlife Department. In addition to his teaching and research studies, he is a very active adviser to the American Fisheries Society and Wildlife Society Student Chapters, and is in charge of the OSU Fish Collection. Outside of OSU, Dr. Sidlauskas helps the community by leading outreach tours for local grade schools.

Hiram Li named 2012 Emmeline Moore Prize winner

Dr. Hiram Li of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife is the fourth recipient of the distinguished Emmeline Moore Prize. Named after the first female American Fisheries Society president, the prize was established in 2009 to recognize efforts of an individual AFS member in the promotion of diversity within the society.

The official announcement of the award will be made and presented at this year's AFS annual meeting in St. Paul, MN in August.

2012 Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) Professional Award

A leader in Land Grant university communications with “deep roots” to OSU and the College of Agricultural Sciences has won top national recognition from his professional association.

Dave King, associate provost for Outreach and Engagement at Oregon State University, has been awarded the 2012 Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) Professional Award—the highest award conferred by ACE. The award recognizes contributions to the communication and information technology profession over an extended career.

Other communications professionals at Oregon State were recognized along with King at the ACE national meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. (Read more...)

Program Highlight - Agricultural and Resource Economics

Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

The Agriculture and Resource Economics department has a proud history of research and education in agricultural and resource economics and policy. Reviews of research productivity have ranked AREc in the top five agricultural and resource economics departments in the nation and econphd.net ranked Oregon State in the top ten in the world in resource and agricultural economics. The Department is home to six Fellows of the American Agricultural Economics Association: Rich Adams, John Antle, Paul Barkley, Steve Buccola, Emery Castle and Bruce Weber. AREc consists of approximately 25 faculty, 35-40 graduate students and over 175 undergraduate student majors. The department is part of the Applied Economics Graduate Program, which offers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.

Pictured: Susan Capalbo, Department Head.

Emery Castle reception, dinner and book

Friends, family and supporters of Emery Castle gathered for fellowship, fun and food Tuesday, April 24^th to celebrate the successful attainment of the endowment goal for the Emery Castle Endowed Chair in Resource and Rural Economics. This Endowed Chair represents one of the cornerstones of our department and college, and the research it supports is both timely and fundamental to Oregon and the nation. As noted in its inception, the connections between natural resource development and rural welfare are complex and critical to the sustainability of our food systems, our natural capital and our rural communities.

Book: Reflections of a Pragmatic Economist by Emery N. Castle

In this new book, Dr. Castle traces his lifetime trek as the son of a Kansas tenant farmer, his military service, education experiences and academic career. He is a pioneer of rural economics based on the interdependence of rural and urban populations. In the book he reflects back on the history of agricultural, rural and resource economics. His memoir is grounded in the integration of his personal and professional experiences with special attention to contrasting elite and land-grant institutions. (More information...)

AgTools™

AREc 460/560 Capital Investment Analysis using AgTools™ is a new class offered where students can learn how to use the software in real-world situations with growers. Students with exceptional grades, and the desire to assist agricultural producers use AgTools™ in business planning, continue with the Student-Engaged Business Assessment (SEBA) program. Here students work with growers incorporate their production and financial data into the software and run scenarios that help them make better decisions. (Read more...)

Kathy Carpenter retires after 40 years with department

Kathy Carpenter retired (for real this time) on June 30!

Kathy began in the Agricultural and Resource Economics department in 1972 as a receptionist. In 1978, she became the Office Manager, and has been there ever since. Her bright smile and upbeat attitude will be missed by all her colleagues. She looks forward to spending more time with her grandchildren and doing more traveling.

John Antle receives Quality of Research Discovery Award

John Antle has been selected to receive the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s prestigious Quality of Research Discovery Award for “Parsimonious Multi-Dimensional Impact Assessment.” The Association will formally present this award to John at the AAEA Awards & Fellows Recognition Ceremony at the 2012 AAEA Annual Meeting to be held in Seattle from August 12–14, 2012.

Green Evolution

(Terra Magazine) In the Vihiga district of western Kenya, farms average little more than an acre. Corn is the dominant crop and source of sustenance, but most households run short six to 10 months of the year. They supplement with beans, groundnuts, bananas and vegetables and make money by selling milk, if they are lucky enough to own a cow. Throughout the country, corn production is declining, and researchers are urgently searching for drought-tolerant varieties to meet the needs of a growing population. For people already on the edge, adapting to climate change is a life-and-death matter.

John Antle sees a better future for the people of Vihiga. By shifting (Read more...)

Winter Quarter in Chile program:  AREc 454 - Rural development economics and policy studies tsunami impacts

Chillan is located in the central valley region of Chile and is one hour from the ocean and volcanic mountains. Students take four classes taught by OSU professors. This program is chaired by Fisheries and Wildlife Department Head Dan Edge, but it includes faculty from other areas of OSU. One such faculty member is Bruce Weber, Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics and the Director of the Rural Studies Program. Dr. Weber believes this to be a valuable experience to any student here on campus and he would like to encourage more students to apply and get involved. For more information see the Chile Programs page: OSU: Agricultural and Natural Resources in Chile.

Agriculture of the Middle

Although mid-sized family farms continue to produce significant percentages of the US food supply, and act as stewards for many millions of acres, they have struggled to remain competitive in the marketplace. These farms are too large and/or poorly located to succeed in local markets and are too small to compete in global commodity markets. Oregon State University’s Larry Lev, with colleagues across the nation, has been working with agricultural industry groups to develop other strategies for these “agriculture of the middle” producers. Lev has documented that organized groups of producers such as Country Natural Beef, Shepherd’s Grain, and Organic Valley have found suitable supply chain partners to allow them to bring high quality, differentiated food products to consumers while preserving the link back to the farms that produced the raw materials. OSU and other universities are playing key roles in developing educational materials and facilitating online and in-person networks that share resources, information, and insights. The end result has been more and better choices for consumers and improved profitability for many mid-sized farms

Dr. Penny Diebel is students' choice for Professor of the Year

Dr. Penny Diebel was honored as the Professor of the Year by students in the College of Agricultural Sciences at the recent Celebrating Student Excellence banquet in May.  She is a professor in the Agricultural Recourses and Economics Department (AREc), and teaches a variety of classes ranging from introduction to micro economic principles to environmental economics and policy.

In addition to teaching, she is also an internship advisor to students majoring in Environmental Economics and Policy, and is an advisor for the AREc quiz bowl team. Students nominating her noted her friendly open door meeting policy, and that she was generous in helping students whenever they need her.

New OSU public policy center will assess impact of Farm Bill and other policies

The Partnership for Agricultural and Resource Policy Research, established through a  grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a collaboration among economists at OSU and University of California, Davis. It will assess the impacts of the Farm Bill on agricultural economies, rural communities, the environment, and consumer access to healthy, affordable food and nutrition. (Read more...)

Economists say that high gas prices triggered the housing crisis in 2007

Economic bubbles have a long history – from the Dutch tulip mania in the 1600s to this latest housing bubble – and many factors can cause them to inflate, the researchers say.

"The key word is, 'triggered,'" said JunJie Wu, an OSU economist and one of the authors of the paper. "This theory recognizes the role of subprime mortgages and lax lending practices as inflating the housing bubble, but high gasoline prices provided the trigger that burst the bubble."

(Read more...)

Students

April Student of the Month - Rachel Miller

Rachel envisions her dream job as working to improve milk quality.  She has actively sought involvement in the dairy industry through her internship experiences.  She spent one summer at Tillamook Country Creamery Association in the lab learning techniques to identify mastitis pathogens, and another summer working at the Darigold plant in Spokane performing microbiological tests used to assess milk product quality and environmental sampling to assess plant cleanliness.

Rachel is earning an Honors Bachelor of Science in Food Science Technology and Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry, and graduated in June 2012.

May Student of the Month - Katarina-Victoria Perez

Katarina-Victoria will graduate in June 2013 with a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife with a Political Science Minor, a BS in Zoology, and a BA in International Studies. She is looking at a career in international environmental policies.

She spent her study abroad experience inChile to work with an environmental, non-governmental organization on conservation initiatives and environmental education campaigns. She reflected that by immersing into a wonderfully unfamiliar environment, she had to challenge her own paradigm and adapt, and in many cases, integrate into that of others by being open-minded without compromising the integrity of her own core values and beliefs. She learned the value of truly believing and relying on her own moral, emotional, mental and physical strength.

Adam Martin blogging his summer experiences at Smithsonian Institution

Adam Martin, a senior in Fisheries and Wildlife, is participating in both a ten week Natural History Research Experience (NHRE) and an additional month of research at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.  For the NHRE he will be doing genetic work on DNA extracted from representatives of the Pygmy Antwren (bird Species) from across their geographic range (Amazon Basins). He will also be working in the Division of Fishes but has not yet clarified exactly what he will be doing.

He writes:  The Smithsonian is so much more than a research institution; I like to think of it as the epicenter for understanding the evolution of earth, life, and culture. Essentially, if you are interested in anything that has been, is, and potentially can be, than maybe you should consider visiting the Smithsonian at some point during your life. Beyond being the world’s largest natural history collection, a leading research institution in evolutionary biology and conservation, and a facilitator of education, the Smithosnian Institution is genuinely enriched with American culture and architectural appeal.  (Read Adam's blog...)

Haley Ohms awarded a NSF summer graduate fellowship

Haley Ohms, a graduate research assistant in Fisheries and Wildlife has been awarded a summer graduate fellowship through the National Science Foundation to travel to Japan. It is part of their East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program which is funded through the Office of International Science and Engineering.

The program is set up to give US graduate students experience working with foreign researchers with the hopes that they will continue to collaborate in the future.  She will be working with Dr. Itsuro Koizumi at Hokkaido University and will be studying how water temperature influences maturation timing in stream-dwelling dolly varden charr.

More details about the program may be found here.

Two new Charles E and Clara M Eckelman assistantships awarded

Gregory Turbes (Food Science and Technology), and Brianna Isenberg (Animal Sciences) are the final selections to receive Eckelman Graduate Assistantships, awarded on a competitive basis to students with dairy-related industry interests, from the 5 applications reviewed.

A total of 3 Eckelman assistantships will be active during the 2012/2013 academic year: two new, and Michael Wiens, Microbiology, is the continuing recipient.

Fisheries and Wildlife named Club of the Year nationally

The Fisheries and Wildlife Club has grown tremendously over the past year, and strives to help students achieve goals through academics and professionalism.  The club is also actively involved in volunteer projects applying principles students learn in the classroom. Each year the club attends the Annual National Meeting where members develop networking skills with industry professionals. At the meeting they were awarded the Western Division Student Subunit of the Year by their national organization.

OSU team takes 1st Place at IHSA Nationals!

OSU's IHSA team came back from their most recent competition as national champions! You can read more about the competition on the IHSA website.
Carrie Hertel, Danielle Lorenz, Elizabeth Whitman, Cole Newman, Katie Dovenberg, Kathryn Sargent, Coach Dawn Ross, and Founder and President of IHSA Bob Cacchione.

Celebrating Student Excellence event held May 23

The annual Celebrating Student Excellence dinner was held in the Memorial Union Ballroom Wednesday May 23. 350 faculty, students, donors, alumni, parents and friends gathered in celebration of student accomplishments over the past year. The Agricultural Executive Council, Leadership Fellows, and Ambassadors for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources were recognized for their leadership achievements. In addition awards were given for Distinguished Professor of the Year, New Professor of the Year, Club of the Year, and outstanding students. A delicious meal was served along with a slideshow being shown featuring club’s activities and involvement in the College of Agricultural Sciences. It was a great night filled of celebration and accomplishment.

Study abroad in Italy

(Powered by Orange) For Hannah O’Leary, the city of Florence, Italy is depicted by her hundreds of photographs. Capturing steaming cups of freshly brewed coffee from her favorite bakery “Mama’s,” city lights reflecting off the still Arno, a carousel in the Piazza della Repubblica, and her American tradition of apple pie for Thanksgiving, each one of her pictures tells a story and encompasses her experience studying and living in Italy. For her, it was an artistic opportunity of a lifetime. You are invited to read her blog posts from this experience.

(Read more...)

Feeding the Future: Ag Day 2012

The Memorial Union quad was filled with College of Agricultural Sciences students bright and early Tuesday morning preparing to share the importance of agriculture with other students and faculty on campus. This year’s Agricultural Awareness Day was based on the question "how can we feed 9 billion people by the year 2050 with less farmland?" Clubs within the college set up booths with tractors, animals, grass, grains and more, to exemplify the various aspects and commodities of agriculture in relation to the theme. The Young Cattleman’s Association and Dairy Club provided lunch to onlookers, as the Country Western Dance Club demonstrated line dances. This year the Agricultural Executive Council also prepared an OSU themed basket giveaway so that individuals who visited every booth could enter to win.