Ben Davis « Academic Report of College of Agricultural Sciences

Provost Hiring Initiative funding provided the College with 5 new faculty positions in addition to 7 new positions funded by AgSci to strengthen programs across the state. Among the new hires are:
Leigh Torres, studying geospatial ecology of marine megafauna, directed toward improving conservation management of protected species.
Sergio Arispe, studying rangeland plant communities, directed toward how grazing affects revegetation following wildfire.
Valtcho Jeliazkov, the new Director of the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center, focusing on improving the sustainability of winter wheat production in the region.
AgSci faculty secures $49.4 million in sponsored research grants and contracts in FY2015. A few examples:
John Selker will use NSF funding to collect thermal data using drones in atmospheric zones that have been hard to study until now.
Michael Behrenfeld will lead a NASA-funded research project investigating phytoplankton blooms—the foundation of the marine food web. He will test the idea that warming oceans will have previously-unforeseen impacts on marine ecosystems.
Bruce Mate is leadinga new U.S. Navy-funded research project investigating the movements of whales and how marine life will be affected by current El Nino conditions.
Robert Tanguay received an EPA grant to conduct the first-ever comprehensive in vivo toxicity studies of flame retardants.
Hong Liu collaborated with Widmer Brewing to use fuel cells to clean wastewater and produce electricity. Her research, which began as a BEST award, is being extended with an NSF grant.
Pankaj Jaiswal, with NSF funding and international co-investigators, is developing a common semantic framework for the ever-expanding array of sequenced plant genomes and phenotype data, called the Planteome Project.
Jeff Chang and colleagues received funding from USDA-NIFA-SCRI to work on gall-forming bacterial diseases that cause nurseries up to $1 million in lost revenue annually.
AgSci offers in-depth faculty orientations and trainings to increase faculty success The College sponsors ongoing research discussion groups and professional development workshops for new and mid-career faculty. Recent topics: grant-writing workshops and specific grant intensives; Paul Axtell trainings for new faculty and administrators; mentoring workshops; networking events to build collaborative research, including one integrating research on the topic of water.

ER Jackman Program supports OSU student research The ER Jackman Foundation provides $99,000 each year for student clubs, research, and internships. For example, Khiem Lam, a Vietnamese-American BRR student, received funding to study the relationship between the human microbiome and cervical cancer. Juliana Masseloux, (Fisheries and Wildlife) received funding to research the conflict of wildlife and urban development in East Africa.

HAREC collaborates with Blue Mountain Community College Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center is the site of a new, bond-funded research and teaching facility, being built in collaboration with Blue Mountain Community College.

International internships supports student learning The Global Experiences Fund has provided $12,883 of support to 13 students participating in international internships over the past two years.

Exploring World Agriculture Program offers international experience Each year, the EWA program focuses on food systems and natural resources in different parts of the world. In 2014, 10 students immersed themselves in the agricultural industry and economy of Italy.

AgSci sponsors the new International Agriculture Club The club, which is open to all OSU students interested in international agriculture and food production, hosted the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences, USA National Summit Meeting.

OSU helps install 20,000 weather stations across Africa John Selker is working with Dutch partners to install hydro-meteorological sensing stations across Africa to provide critical data for farmers accessible by cell phone.

OSU study finds widespread pesticide risks in Africa In a recent study led by Paul Jepson, director of OSU’s Integrated Plant Protection Center, researchers surveyed crop production in five African countries, and found a number of health and environmental concerns due to inefficient pesticide usage. The researchers are sharing their findings in an effort to educate the farmers on safe and sustainable application practices.

Ecological Engineering students take their design to Ghana BEE seniors spent a year designing a system for small-scale aquaculture in developing countries. Ganti Murthy will help two students implement successful designs in Africa, with support OSU’s AquaFish Innovation Lab.

OSU’s Plant Breeding Programs provide much of the research and development for the state’s signature crops. In 2014, improved varieties of wheat, barley, hazelnuts, tomatoes, and ornamental shrubs were among the new releases from the college’s plant breeding programs.
OSU seaweed makes international headlines: AgSci researchers have developed a commercially viable strain of dulse, a fast-growing, highly nutritious seaweed, that incidentally, can be sautéed to taste like bacon. The story was picked up by more than 1,000 news outlets globally, building momentum for culinary seaweed as a new industry for coastal Oregon. In January, dulse was recognized as a “specialty crop” by USDA, which has led to new grants to fund further research.
Oyster farming improved through genetics: Chris Langdon (Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station) continues his research to help protect Oregon’s $70 million oyster industry by breeding oysters that are more resistant to increasingly acidic oceans.
Hazelnut industry thrives, thanks to OSU research OSU researcher Shawn Mehlenbacher continues to breed new varieties of hazelnuts that are resistant to disease. Oregon grows 99% of the nation’s hazelnut output—a $129 million industry. New plantings are increasing at a rate of 10%, or 300 new acres a year of OSU-bred varieties. OSU plans to license Wepster, the newest hazelnut variety, for a royalty of 50 cents per tree.

Pendleton scouts barley growth: AgSci plant geneticist Pat Hayes is testing 44 different lines of fall-planted barley to offer wheat growers an option for crop rotation.
AgSci research continues to partner with Oregon wine industry, providing much of the R&D that has helped grow the industry from a handful of iconoclastic entrepreneurs to more than 400 wineries and an annual economic impact approaching $3 billion.
Research at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center and experimental plots near campus continue to provide important R&D for the rapidly growing organic blueberry industry, which increased from 2 percent of Oregon’s blueberry market to 20 percent in the past 8 years.
Extension teaches Oregonians to raise honey bees: AgSci faculty have developed curricula for Extension’s new Oregon Master Beekeeper Program. Nearly 500 people have enrolled since 2012, learning to harvest honey, treat for diseases, and help colonies survive the winter. The total value of colonies maintained by participants is estimated to reach $7 million in the next 5 years.
OSU helps Oregon’s artisan cheese industry grow: Lisbeth Goddik (Food Science and Technology) provides training for Oregon’s artisan cheese industry, which grew from just two operations in 1999 to twenty in 2013.
OSU studies Camelina as a drought crop: Researchers at Malheur Experiment Station are studying Camelina as a source of income for farmers during drought years. Camelina, a source of omega-3 fatty acids and an alternative jet fuel, requires little nitrogen or irrigation.

OSU center assesses impact of national policies: The new Center for Agricultural and Environmental Policy helps decision makers make sense of complex policies such as the Farm Bill, and assess the impacts such policies have on agricultural economies, rural economies, and the environment. JunJie Wu is thedirector of the center and editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.
New center establishes endowment in first year: In its first full year, the Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems established an endowment and raised $230,000 for specific projects through grants, gifts, foundations, and private donations.
OSU supports fast-growing local meat industry: Lauren Gwin, a food systems specialist,helps ranchers assess economic viability and navigate regulations for small-scale meat production. Gwin co-founded the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network, which now has over 1,000 members.

Branch Experiment Stations (BES) open doors to their communities: AgSci’s 11 branch experiment stations hosted more than 50 Field Days, open houses, and community events in 2014, engaging communities across Oregon with issues of environmental quality, life sciences, and rural economics.
BES Experiential Learning Initiative offers hands-on education: Nine branch stations now offer learning experiences to students working with faculty mentors in fields ranging from entomology in agroecosystems to product development at the Food Innovation Center. In addition, internship programs at North Willamette and several other stations offer research experience to high school students.

Five AgSci faculty members and top administrators participated in the NSF ADVANCE workshop in 2015, building on the College’s commitment to transform the University’s climate and to enhance faculty success and job satisfaction in STEM disciplines. Special focus is on women, people of color, LGBT faculty, faculty with disabilities, and faculty from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dean Dan Arp co-chaired Governor’s Taskforce on Genetically Modified Organisms, to identify the main challenges between growers of GE crops and other agricultural producers in Oregon, especially related to information for consumers
Ramesh Sagili heads Taskforce on pollinator health that delivered a series of recommendations to the Oregon legislature on how to help the state’s honey bees, native bees and other pollinators.
Dean of AgSci commissions GMO white papers Dan Arp, Dean of the College, commissioned a series of white papers to explore issues surrounding genetically engineered (GE) organisms. The papers, drafted by AgSci faculty, provided valuable information to Oregon voters who faced ballot measures in 2014 and 2015.

Seafood Laboratory mediates safety regulations Christina DeWitt, director of the OSU Seafood Lab, mediated a dispute between federal regulators and fishermen over handling procedures of freshly caught tuna. DeWitt traveled to Washington, D.C. and met with the FDA’s Office of Seafood Safety, ultimately drafting a set of handling guidelines that satisfied safety concerns, without being economically burdensome on fishermen.

Bridges to Prosperity webpage was expanded to include more that 80 success stories geared for use with legislators and decision-makers from around the state.

AgSci invested $60K into the technology infrastructure in the Ag and Life Sciences (ALS), in conjunction with the College of Science and the CGRB. This upgrade will enable the expansion of high speed networking to support numerous research labs within the building.
AgSci invested $70K on a full video conferencing classroom on the EOU campus to facilitate course delivery to that population.
AgSci provided $100K match to help facilitate water heating capability at the Fryer Salmon Disease Lab, which will enable scientists to study climate change impacts on diseases of aquatic species.
AgSci’s flagship research publication, Oregon’s Agricultural Progress, launched two new versions in 2014—an app for tablets and a fully responsive mobile website—to reach an ever-expanding mobile audience with news and features about agricultural sciences.
Ganti Murthy (BEE) created an e-book for the National Strawberry Sustainability Initiative with 60 digital pages and links to more than 70 videos, tools, and publications to improve the sustainability of U.S. strawberry production.

AgSci invested in creating a college-wide web team to develop new, consistent designs, navigation, and content management system that are fully integrated, mobile, and aligned with OSU’s branding.

Academic Report of College of Agricultural Sciences

2015-2016

Author Archives: Ben Davis

Attracting and retaining high-quality faculty:

Engage alumni and other external partners to advance our goals:

Increase study abroad and strategic international research partnerships:

Drive economic development

Grow rural and urban regional centers to advance social progress

Promote high-impact learning and effectively utilize university research

Increasing diversity of faculty, staff, and students

Sharing relevant information to make effective decisions

Investing in information technology to enable educational innovation

Enhancing the quality of service in administrative processes

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