The Office for Research Development is requesting letters of intent for the NSF S-STEM program. This program makes grants to institutions of higher education to support scholarships for academically talented students demonstrating financial need, enabling them to enter the STEM workforce or STEM graduate school following completion of a degree in STEM disciplines. Guidelines: http://oregonstate.edu/research/incentive/nsf-sstem. Information: Mary Phillips, mary.phillips@oregonstate.edu Deadline: June 23, 2014

by Monica Fong – used with permission

Originally posted in OSU PRiSM

You are the center of my world
like a carbon is the center
of a tetrahedral compound.
Its hybridization is sp3
which means noting to you
but everything to me.

Our relationship just happened
just like an alkyl halide breaking
and forming new bonds with a
nucleophile at the transition state
of an Sn2 reaction.
But that’s just the slow step,
the rate-determining step.
Increasing the concentrations
will, indeed,
increase the speed.

But this can only happen
if four different groups are
attached to a carbon center,
only then is it chiral…

Chiral, chirality, nonsuperimposable mirror images
just like two hands, our two hands,
one on top of the other,
it doesn’t fit, oh, but it does fit – perfectly.

OSU Libraries and Press invite OSU faculty members to learn how open textbooks can benefit their students in the classroom and in the pocketbook. This two-hour workshop on May 21 from 2 to 4 p.m., will introduce the concept of open textbooks and how to find and incorporate them into courses. Participants will write a brief review of one open textbook after the workshop for a $200 stipend. For more details and registration information, see: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/open-textbook-workshop

Photo by Mike Francis / Oregonian
Photo by Mike Francis / Oregonian

CORVALLIS – Lots of startup companies have big ambitions, but Amorphyx’s are bigger than most.

The four-employee company wants to change the economics of manufacturing liquid-crystal displays. Amorphyx team members hope the process they are developing in an Oregon State University lab will be adopted by the world’s largest display manufacturers, who are eager to cut production costs for the screens used in televisions, signage and mobile devices.

But it’s a big job for a young entrant in a market full of Goliaths.  Read more…

Article used with permission of author, Mike Francis, c/o The Oregonian

The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation announces the June 5th deadline for initial inquiries to the following program:

Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences – The Foundation encourages proposals that are judged likely to significantly advance the chemical sciences.  Examples of areas of interest include (but are not limited to): the increase in public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the chemical sciences; innovative approaches to chemistry education at all levels (K-12, undergraduate and graduate); and efforts to make chemistry careers more attractive.  Aspects of proposals that are important are: broad applicability beyond the submitting institutions, specific and detailed descriptions of the chemistry associated with the proposal, and the uniqueness of the project.

Additional details are given at the Foundation Web site: www.dreyfus.org

To better integrate OSU’s renowned research into daily operations, SSI will fund applied research designed to advance the sustainability of the Corvallis campus’ built environment, operations, policy, academics, or student engagement. Preference will be given to proposals that clearly impact environmental, social, and economic sustainability. To apply, student-faculty teams should submit an application form and required attachments by Friday, May 23, 2014. Visit SSI’s website for an application packet: http://oregonstate.edu/ssi/funding/research.

The Research Office is accepting applications for the Undergraduate Research, Innovation, Scholarship and Creativity (URISC) program for Fall, Winter and/or Spring term(s) 2014-15. This program supports undergraduate research activities from all academic disciplines within the university. Program description and application: http://oregonstate.edu/research/incentive/urisc. Information: Debbie Delmore at debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu. Deadline: May 5.