Terra at the Movies July 24th, 2009
OSU English professor Jon Lewis loves movies and knows the biz. In the fall issue of Terra, he’ll share his observations about the power of Hollywood and the health of film. See a brief Powell’s Books synopsis of Jon’s book, American Film, A History.
Epitaph for a Reef June 24th, 2009
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.
Seize the Summer! June 16th, 2009
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.
Hot spring surprise! June 11th, 2009
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.”
Students on the road June 8th, 2009
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.
Corvallis Science Pub June 8 June 5th, 2009
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.
Power Surge April 21st, 2009
Nuclear power tends to stir strong feelings, both pro and con. New engineering approaches address issues such as waste, operating safety and proliferation and underscore the potential for nuclear to raise living standards while reducing carbon emissions. See the Power Surge story in Terra.
Salmon on the run April 15th, 2009
For a second year in a row, commercial salmon boats in California and Oregon will either retool for another fishery or travel north. The cause: Regulators are protecting the paltry returns to the Sacramento River in order to rebuild those stocks. See Mark Floyd’s story in Terra about what OSU scientists and their partners are doing to sustain salmon in the Northwest.
Nick Houtman
Baby Blue April 1st, 2009
See it for yourself, the first baby blue whale ever caught on film. A clip from National Geographic’s groundbreaking story with OSU researcher Bruce Mate and his colleague, John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research Cooperative, is at http://oregonstate.edu/home/stories/index.php?story=bruce-mate.
If you’re a student of whales or just fascinated by them, see the Terra story about Bruce Mate’s work at oregonstate.edu/terra/2006summer/.
Nick Houtman