For OSU coral reef scientist Mark Hixon, climate change is personal. He studied a tropical reef for a decade, and the results of his work stunned and inspired him. In a new book, Thoreau’s Legacy, published by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Penguin Books, Hixon describes the calamity that struck in 1998. His is one of 67 personal stories and reflections on global warming. A story about Hixon’s research appeared in the spring 2008 issue of Terra magazine.
Check out the hiking trails, unusual gardens, archaeological digs and public exhibits through the interactive Google map on Terra. 
Learn how OSU is helping Oregonians grow healthy food, understand our past and manage natural resources. Browsing content on the map is best done in Firefox or Safari. Internet Explorer may not show the content.
Ever stood by hot springs at Yellowstone and wonder about all that heat bubbling up from below? Surprise! They can explode. On May 17, OSU geologist Bob Lillie caught the act on film. Check out his photos at www.earthscope.org. Click on “Hydrothermal Explosion.”
Finals this week! And after that, where else to go but Kenya? That’s where Shalynn Pack, a junior in zoology from Marcola, will work this summer in pursuit of her interest in tropical forest conservation and ecotourism. Some students prefer staying close to home. Ishan Patel, a bioengineering student from Redmond, will work in a cardiovascular lab at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. Andrew Merschel and Claire Rogan would rather get out in the woods. These two forestry undergrads will analyze old-growth in the Deschutes National Forest. Then there’s plenty to do in Corvallis. Alexa Carey, a sophomore in business from Gold Beach, will offer workshops in Project Earth, an entrepreneurship education program that she and three friends created. Alexa will also teach the roughly 75 high school participants in OSU’s annual Young Business Entrepreneurs Week in July. More about them coming up in Terra after June 15.
The Corvallis Science Pub is going to the dogs on Monday night (June 8). Erica McKenzie’s huskies in this case. I hear they’re a little frisky. She’ll explain how she studies dogs at the Iditerod while her pooches are hanging out with us in the Old World Deli. Should be fun. Starts at 6 p.m.
