OSU researchers are looking in sewer systems for genetic evidence of the virus that causes COVID-19, in an effort to help determine the virus’ prevalence in an area.
Starting in Bend, researchers analyzed samples from multiple sewer line locations, looking for genetic material from the novel coronavirus that traveled from infected people into the city’s wastewater system. Researchers will also look at water samples from the city’s treatment plant.
For Kyle McGann, figuring out the details of a project is fun. During one of his deployments to Afghanistan, he built a climbing wall in his room.
“I found the two best pieces of plywood then scrounged some two by fours,” McGann said. “My brackets were other pieces of plywood that I just cut out to put everything together.”
In the days following March 18, the date Oregon State University announced that all courses would be conducted remotely during the spring term in response to the COVID-19 health emergency, students flooded Cassie Pitkin with emails:
Should I stay in Corvallis? Will residence halls stay open? Will international students be able to go home? Will labs be done on Zoom? Can I get financial aid if I lose my job? Will my internship be canceled?
College of Engineering students at Oregon State University who are beset by financial woes caused by the COVID-19 health emergency are getting fast and crucial relief from the college’s Student Emergency Fund.
The fund is part of the Beavers Care Initiative, which was created in partnership by the OSU Foundation and the university to raise money to help students meet their basic needs and stay on track to graduate.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic hit Oregon State University in mid-March, near the end of the winter term. Faculty members scrambled to deliver final exams remotely as social distancing protocols were implemented.
Then the university announced that remote instruction would be required for all courses throughout the spring term, possibly longer. With classes adjourned for “spring break” — the mother of all misnomers for anyone teaching this term — instructional faculty and staff had just over a week to move their entire classroom-based curriculum into the virtual sphere.
Since it was launched in 1998, the Peter and Rosalie Johnson Internship Program has provided paid research opportunities for hundreds of students in the School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering.
Created at the initiative of Peter Johnson (’55 B.S., Chemical Engineering) and his wife, Rosalie, the program was endowed with a $2.4 million gift in 2008. Each spring, about 25 qualified first-year students are matched with research labs on campus, or with one of Oregon State’s academic partners.
The national shortage of N95 masks and loose-fitting surgical masks has sparked an impressive response among sewing enthusiasts, who are cutting and stitching in droves to fill the gap with homemade masks. Jennifer McKee, a self-described sewing fanatic, is doing her part.
As Oregon State University scrambled to prepare for home-based remote teaching in the spring term, the faculty turned for help, in great numbers, to the information technology staff. They needed advice about setting up remote desktops, troubleshooting virtual networks, Wi-Fi connectivity, and guidance for conducting classes through Zoom, the remote conferencing system that has quickly become a household word.
CAREER SUCCESS IN ROBOTICS
Where can you go with a degree in robotics from Oregon State University?
This past fall, two recent graduates who launched successful careers at Amazon Robotics returned to Corvallis to inspire current students with stories about life after grad school and to encourage them to maximize their experiences at Oregon State to achieve success in industry.
A CONSERVATION DRIVEN CAREER
A lover of outdoor activities from the time she was a child, Mary Beth Berkes (’10 M.S., Coastal and Ocean Engineering) was drawn to an environmental and conservation-focused career. More than nine years into her role as an assistant civil technical leader specializing in stream restoration at GAI Consultants, Berkes finds her job continuously rewarding and challenging.
