General Catalog & Schedule of Classes

 Additional Research Units and Consortia at OSU

These additional research units are organized under OSU's colleges.

Agricultural Experiment Station

Daniel J. Arp, Director

William G. Boggess, Executive Associate Director

Stella M. Coakley, Associate Director

Larry R. Curtis, Associate Director

Jan Auyong, Assistant Director

Jack Breen, Agricultural Sciences and Marine Sciences Business Center Manager

Email: AESsupport@oregonstate.edu
Website: http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/research/

The Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station is a statewide research network of Oregon State University scientists working on the Corvallis campus and at 11 branch stations in the major crop, climate, and marketing areas of Oregon. These diverse locations ensure that the station’s research program is close to the people and the needs of Oregon’s agricultural and natural resources. Founded July 1, 1888, in accordance with the federal Hatch Act of 1887, the mission of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station is to conduct research and demonstrations in the agricultural, biological, social, and environmental sciences that contribute to the economic, environmental, and social welfare of Oregon. We are committed to:

• Helping build a sustainable economy by fostering economic growth and sustainability;
• Addressing ecological concerns by generating knowledge and information to improve and protect Oregon’s natural resources; and
• Expanding fundamental knowledge by advancing fundamental science relating to the environment, agriculture, and natural resources;
• Partnering with and enabling people and their communities to address a variety of issues including urban-rural economic dependencies, community food systems, land use, food security, poverty, and others

Current research emphases in the station are in five signature program areas that sustain and build on the College of Agricultural Sciences’ traditional strengths and link to stakeholder needs, but also look to key future opportunities. These signature areas also address contemporary and emerging forces or drivers facing Oregon’s people and landscape. Overarching contemporary drivers comprise water, energy, climate change, health, and demographics. The signature program areas are:

• Sustainable food and agricultural systems;
• Environmental and human well-being;
• Plant sciences and systems biology;
• Natural resources stewardship;
• Bioproducts, biomaterials, and bioenergy for a sustainable Bioeconomy.

The station conducts research in 12 academic departments (Agricultural and Resource Economics, Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Biological and Ecological Engineering, Botany and Plant Pathology, Chemistry, Crop and Soil Science, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Fisheries and Wildlife, Food Science and Technology, Horticulture, Microbiology, and Statistics), and colleges of Forestry, Public Health and Human Sciences, Science, and Veterinary Medicine. Research is supported in other units such as the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, Linus Pauling Institute, and the Environmental Health Sciences Center.

Branch stations provide opportunities for basic and applied field research programs at the following locations:

• Central Oregon Agricultural Research Center (Madras and Powell Butte)
• Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center (Pendleton and Moro)
• Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (Burns and Union)
• Food Innovation Center Experiment Station (Portland)
• Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Hermiston)
• Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center (Klamath Falls)
• Malheur Experiment Station (Ontario)
• Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Hood River)
• North Willamette Research and Extension Center (Aurora)
• Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (Medford)
• Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (Newport and the Seafood Laboratory at Astoria)

The station collaborates with the OSU Extension Service, instructional programs within Oregon State University, Oregon state agencies, federal departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Interior, and Transportation, and other federal and state agencies on research programs of interest to the state, the Pacific Northwest, the nation, and other countries.

Engineering Experiment Station

James R. Lundy, Director
Websites: http://engineering.oregonstate.edu/research-centers-and-institutes

By act of the Board of Regents of Oregon State College on May 4, 1927, the Engineering Experiment Station was established at Corvallis to serve the state in a manner broadly outlined by the following policy:

1. To serve the industries, utilities, professional engineers, public departments, and engineering teachers by making investigations of significance and interest to them.
2. To stimulate and elevate engineering education by developing the research spirit in faculty and students.
3. To publish and distribute through bulletins, circulars, and technical articles in periodicals the results of such studies, surveys, tests, investigations, and research as will be of greatest benefit to the people of Oregon, and particularly to the state’s industries, utilities, and professional engineers.

The Engineering Experiment Station (also referred to as the Engineering Research Office) coordinates research in the College of Engineering. The associate dean of engineering is the director of the Engineering Experiment Station.

Research is conducted by faculty and students from the following schools:

• School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering
• School of Civil and Construction Engineering
• School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

And the following departments:

• Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering
• Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics

Collaborative research is conducted in six research clusters:

Large Scale Energy Systems

Creating safer, super-efficient ways of generating energy to meet the world’s growing demand—from harnessing the power of wind and waves to innovating new nuclear reactor designs.

Oregon Nanosciences and Microtechnology Institute at OSU

Putting nanotechnology to work in micro systems for homeland security, clean and efficient energy systems, new medical devices, and the next generation of integrated circuits.

Biological and Environmental Systems

Employing Earth’s smallest microorganisms in toxic waste cleanup and the development of more efficient manufacturing processes.

The Kiewit Center for Infrastructure and Transportation

Making the world’s infrastructure safe, reliable, and efficient—from better tsunami warning systems to smarter transportation systems.

Information Systems

Making the world’s vast amounts of information both easily accessible and highly useful—from more powerful Internet searches to more efficient databank management.

Mixed Signal Integration

Converting real-world signals like sound, light, and motion into digital data that computers can quickly process, resulting in technology breakthroughs that improve everything from communications to medicine.

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Aquaculture & Fisheries (AquaFish Innovation Lab)

Hillary S. Egna, Director
Website: http://aquafishcrsp.oregonstate.edu/

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Aquaculture & Fisheries (AquaFish Innovation Lab) is one of 11 collaborative research innovation labs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and participating U.S. and host country institutions. The mission of the AquaFish Innovation Lab is to enrich livelihoods and promote health by cultivating international multidisciplinary partnerships that advance science, research, education, and outreach in aquaculture and fisheries. Oregon State University leads this innovative program designed to reduce poverty in developing countries by improving access by the poor to fish and water resources. AquaFish research and outreach work centers on developing comprehensive, sustainable, and economically viable aquaculture and fisheries management systems in developing countries that contribute to food safety and food security. Challenges poorer countries face include pressures from global trade, environmental degradation, climate change, water use conflicts, and the distribution of benefits. The AquaFish Innovation Lab focuses its efforts on reducing the number of constraints its host countries face in order to promote local economies. OSU has partnered with U.S. and host country universities, government, private companies, and non-governmental organizations to support research, development, and outreach activities in 20 countries. AquaFish participating countries have included Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nepal, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, and the U.S. OSU, through the former AquaFish CRSP (Collaborative Research Support Program), was awarded a grant to enhance the profitability of small aquaculture operations in Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania, as part of the U.S. Government’s new Feed the Future initiative.

Forest Research Laboratory

Thomas Maness, Director
Steve D. Tesch, Associate Director
Roger D. Admiral, Associate Director
Website: http://www.cof.orst.edu/frl/

The Forest Research Laboratory (FRL) is Oregon’s research agency that helps solve problems, create opportunities, and develop new understanding and innovation about forest ecosystems, forest management and forest-derived renewable materials; its director is the dean of Oregon State University’s College of Forestry. Established by the Oregon Legislature in 1941, the program is supported by state and federal appropriations and by research grants from public and private sources. In addition to research in campus laboratories and university forests, studies are conducted cooperatively in public and private forests and in laboratories and manufacturing facilities throughout Oregon and the world.

Faculty, staff, and students from the College of Forestry’s departments of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management; Forest Ecosystems and Society; and Wood Science and Engineering contribute to a diverse portfolio of fundamental and applied research and outreach activities. Activities benefit from collaboration with many other departments and colleges at Oregon State and elsewhere. Communication of results to science peers, land managers, policy makers, and the public is a high priority.

Faculty are providing leadership in addressing many of society’s challenges at scales ranging from molecules to the globe, including topics such as:

• Supporting the economic and social viability of rural communities
• Determining the impacts of climate change on forests and how forests can lessen the severity of change
• Protecting the sustainability of forests and the ecosystem services they provide, including water, wildlife habitat, recreation, and wood
• Facilitating development and use of renewable "green" materials and energy
• Fostering operations and manufacturing processes that are environmentally and socially acceptable, and economically feasible
• Expanding the understanding and value of forests to society, especially in urban environments

The laboratory’s programs are designed to provide information that supports scientifically informed decisions about the management, conservation and use of Oregon’s public and private forest resources, and to enhance the competitiveness of Oregon’s forest-resource-based industries and businesses. Through its research and outreach education efforts, Oregon’s forests produce more wood products, water, forage, fish, wildlife, and recreation; green materials such as wood are harvested and used more efficiently and innovatively; some forests are used more intensively while others are conserved more effectively; employment, production, and profitability in forest-resource-related businesses are strengthened; and assistance is provided in maintaining a quality environment for Oregonians.

The FRL, the Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory of the U.S. Forest Service, the Corvallis-based Forest and Rangelands Ecosystem Science Center of the U.S. Geological Service, and related research conducted elsewhere on campus combine to form the largest concentration of forest sciences research in North America.

Integrated Plant Protection Center

Paul Jepson, Director
Website: http://www.ipmnet.org/

The Integrated Plant Protection Center (IPPC) was established in 1991, to expand upon the range of activities of the International Plant Protection Center, that was chartered by Oregon State University in 1969 (see http://www.ipmnet.org/). The IPPC is partially supported by the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Cooperative Extension Service. The IPPC focuses upon research, education and outreach activities associated with the adoption of sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) practices in agriculture. It is the home for a number United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded programs associated with pest control and pesticide management, including the state IPM program, the Regional Pest Management Center program, the Pesticide and Environmental Stewardship program, and the Farm Safety program.

The IPPC provides leadership, coordination and support for scientists at OSU, in the Pacific Northwest region, and internationally, in the field of IPM. Its activities encompass pest, disease and weed management, and the rational management and use of pesticides. It also provides news and facilitates communications between university, state, and federal agencies through a number of media, including an electronic news alert system, and a newsletter (see http://oregonipm.ippc.orst.edu/).

IPPC activities include the provision of electronic tools that assist growers and their advisors in making pest management decisions within their crops. This includes online weather data and degree-day models, which forecast the developmental stages and epidemiology of a number of important crops pests and diseases (see http://pnwpest.org/wea/). In addition, the IPPC works collaboratively with scientists throughout the state, to manage online pest alerts to growers. These can be accessed via the IPPC home page (see http://www.ipmnet.org/).

The IPPC maintains a large and important collection of documents, monographs and books on IPM, much of which is searchable via the OSU Valley library online database. It also supports a unique service in international outreach, IPMnet, which includes, among a number of other resources, IPMnet NEWS, a monthly electronic newsletter that is distributed to scientists in 127 countries (see http://www.ipmnet.org/). IPMnet NEWS is supported by the Consortium for International Crop Protection (CICP) and a grant from the USDA.

The IPPC is expanding its activities in four areas at present, (1) biological control/biologically-based pest management, (2) enhanced diagnostic and forecasting tools, (3) pesticide management, rational use, risk mitigation and (4) information delivery, decision support and outreach. For further details please contact the director.

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)

Valery King, Official Representative (OSU Libraries)
Website: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/

Through funding provided by OSU Libraries, Oregon State University is a member of ICPSR, the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. A unit within the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, ICPSR was established in 1962 and maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction. OSU students, faculty and staff may access these data at no charge and may also deposit their own data into the collection.

ICPSR offers members reduced fees to attend the Summer Training Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research, a comprehensive curriculum of intensive courses in research design, statistics, data analysis, and social methodology. Additionally ICPSR leads several initiatives that encourage use of data in teaching, particularly for undergraduate instruction, and offers user support to assist researchers in identifying relevant data for analysis and in conducting their research projects.

Kiewit Center for Infrastructure and Transportation

Scott Ashford, Director
Email: kiewit.center@oregonstate.edu
Website: http://kiewit.oregonstate.edu/

Background

The Kiewit Center for Infrastructure and Transportation was initially established in 1962 as the Transportation Research Institute. The Kiewit Center serves as the umbrella organization all research within the School of Civil and Construction Engineering. The center is a key component in the College of Engineering's drive to become a top 25 engineering program, coordinating multi- and interdisciplinary research projects.

For the last 150 years, civil engineers have built the infrastructure upon which American prosperity rests. Roads, bridges, aviation, dams, schools, and safe drinking water form the foundation for our quality of life. Today that foundation is crumbling. Americans experience this deterioration every day. A recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers confirms what most Americans already know—the ASCE report gave the U.S. infrastructure an overall grade of D+.

The center is an interdisciplinary unit that provides research, education and public service related to the built environment and the systems that operate in that environment.

Facilities

• Geotechnical Testing Laboratory
  • Testing in support of both practice-oriented investigations and state-of-the-art research
  • Advanced geo-mechanical modeling of soil-structure interaction
  • Full scale, well-instrumented testing of field geo-systems
     
• Highway Materials Laboratory
  • Investigation of innovative highway construction materials
  • Evaluation of recycled materials for use in construction
     
• O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory
  • Impact of tsunamis and storm waves on coastal infrastructure
  • Nearshore processes related to coastal erosion
  • Tsunami and coastal hazard mitigation
     
• Large Scale Structural Strong-Floor Facility
  • Structural evaluation of full size beams and columns
  • Development of earthquake resistant structural systems
     
• National Center for Accessible Transportation
  • Investigation of advanced technologies for accessible transportation systems

Microproducts Breakthrough Institute

Goran Jovanovic, OSU Co-Director
541-713-1348 (office-MBI)
Email: goran.jovanovic@oregonstate.edu
Website: http://mbi-online.org/　

The MBI is a 45,000 square foot facility located on the Hewlett-Packard Corvallis campus containing offices, laboratories, fabrication facilities and laydown space for the research, development and commercialization of arrayed microfluidic systems and related nanomanufacturing technology. This facility is focused on accelerating the discovery, development and commercial deployment of new nano- and micro-scale phenomena and their technology embodiments.

The MBI is collaboration between the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Oregon State University (OSU). The MBI is one of three shared-user facilities within the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI, http://www.onami.us/).

PNNL and OSU are leaders in the science, engineering, and technology development of nano- and micro-scale processes and systems. Collaboratively they conduct research and development projects ranging from fundamental science and technology investigations to assistance with commercial development and production. Areas of current research and development include photovoltaic manufacturing, hydrogen storage, nanomaterials synthesis, biofuel processing, miniature heat pumps and artificial kidneys among others.

Both PNNL and OSU are well established in arrayed microfluidic systems development. PNNL’s thrust is Micro Chemical and Thermal Systems (MICROCATS) while OSU concentrates on Micro Energy and Chemical Systems (MECS). Together, OSU and PNNL seek to model, through the MBI, the way in which technology can be developed and commercialized through the collaboration of federal laboratories and universities.

The MBI is performing research and development in arrayed microfluidics and nanomanufacturing for:

• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• National Institute of Health (NIH)
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
• U.S. Army
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Private companies and corporations

O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory

William McDougal, Director
541-737-2875
Email: william.mcdougal@oregonstate.edu
Website: http://wave.oregonstate.edu/

The O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, together with the Coastal and Ocean Engineering Program within the School of Civil and Construction Engineering, is a leading center for research and education in coastal engineering and nearshore science. Its strengths include:

• An active faculty specializing in physical, numerical, and theoretical modeling of coastal processes
• An interdisciplinary graduate program offering MS, ME and PhD degrees
• One of the largest and technically most advanced laboratories for coastal research
• Expertise in tsunami and coastal hazard mitigation

The O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory is the largest experimental facility for coastal research at an academic institution in the U.S. The two-acre building is situated on the main campus and houses the Large Wave Flume (LWF), Tsunami Wave Basin (TWB), and 2,000 sq. ft. of office space for staff, graduate students, visiting researchers, and clients. The HWRL is partially supported by the George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) consortium of the National Science Foundation. The laboratory conducts research on coastal and nearshore processes involving:

• Wave-structure interaction
• Nearshore hydrodynamics and sediment transport
• Wave energy
• Tsunami and coastal hazards
• Fixed and floating structures

The O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory and the Coastal and Ocean Engineering Program are committed to providing outstanding education and research opportunities to reduce risks associated with coastal hazards and tsunamis, to improve the sustainability of coastal areas, and to develop innovative solutions to the design of coastal infrastructure.

Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI)

Philip W. Mote, Director
Kathie Dello, Associate Director, OCCRI
Gustavo Bisbal, Director, DOI PNW Climate Science Center

Websites: http://occri.net/ and  http://pnwclimate.org

The Oregon State Legislature established the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI) within the Department of Higher Education in 2007. OCCRI is a network of over 150 researchers at Oregon State University (OSU), the University of Oregon, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, and affiliated federal and state labs.

OCCRI is administered by OSU and its institutional partners within the Oregon University System (OUS).

OCCRI is tasked with:

• facilitating research by OUS faculty on climate change and its effects on natural and human systems in Oregon
• serving as a clearinghouse for climate change information
• providing climate change information to the public in integrated and accessible formats
• supporting the Oregon Global Warming Commission in developing strategies to prepare for and to mitigate the effects of climate change on natural and human systems, and
• providing technical assistance to local governments to assist them in developing climate change policies, practices, and programs.

At least every two years, the institute will also develop an assessment of climate change science as it relates to Oregon and the likely effects of climate change on the state. OCCRI helps Oregonians, government agencies, and the private sector understand the potential impacts of climate variability and change on the state. The institute also helps individuals, agencies, and companies develop new strategies to prepare for climate change.

In September of 2010, OCCRI was named as the anchor institution for two federally funded regional climate science centers. The Department of the Interior's (DOI) Pacific Northwest Climate Science Center (CSC) is one of eight planned CSC's. The CSC will serve as a resource for DOI agencies in providing necessary science in advising policy decisions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research Consortium (CIRC) is one of 11 Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) projects. The CIRC is engaging a broad number of stakeholders, including municipalities, utilities, emergency management organizations, irrigators, agricultural and Sea Grant extension, and state and federal agencies. In support of these stakeholders, CIRC is working on developing regional downscaled climate scenarios using integrated climate, hydrological, and vegetation models; PNW region and basin scale climate impacts assessments; social science and network analysis; coastal climate hazard, risk and vulnerability assessments; decision scenario visualization and planning tools; climate extension; public health risk management guidance; and community level adaptation approaches (see http://pnwclimate.org).

Oregon Wood Innovation Center

Scott Leavengood, Director
541-737-4212

Chris Knowles, Assistant Director
541-737-1438

Kent Davis, Undergraduate Student Research Project Coordinator
541-737-4252

119 Richardson Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331-5751
Email: owic@oregonstate.edu
Website: http://owic.oregonstate.edu/

The Oregon Wood Innovation Center (OWIC) is a joint initiative of Oregon State University’s College of Forestry and Extension Service. OWIC’s mission is to improve the competitiveness of Oregon’s wood products industry by fostering innovation in products, processes, and business systems. A key function of the center is to serve as the primary link between university research and needs and opportunities in the forest industry.

Why an Innovation Center?

The forest products industry has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. The industry responded to reductions in raw material supply and the forces of globalization by consolidating, retooling production systems, and by focusing on improving efficiencies in manufacturing processes. However, it is clear that focusing solely on process innovation will be insufficient to maintain future competitive advantage. Firms must also focus on product and business systems innovation. OWIC helps foster such innovation by serving as a ‘clearinghouse’ to connect manufacturers to the research community, to other organizations that provide assistance to businesses, and to facilitate networking within the industry.

Facilities and Services

OWIC is housed within OSU’s Department of Wood Science and Engineering, a department with established capabilities in research, outreach, and technology transfer in a broad array of disciplines. Disciplines and accompanying laboratories and services include:

• Anatomy and Quality of Renewable Materials—laboratories for wood fiber characterization and wood identification; equipment including microscopes and an X-ray densitometer.
• Biodeterioration, Protection and Durability of Renewable Materials—pressure cylinder for impregnating materials with preservatives; equipment for assessing insect and decay resistance.
• Biomass and Biofuels—equipment for analyzing the physical characteristics and energy value (e.g., particle size distribution, ash content and composition, and calorimetric heating values) of biomass feed stocks; a ½-meter diameter dryer for biomass.
• Chemistry—adhesives development, testing, and troubleshooting; research and testing of plant materials for value-added chemical products.
• Nanotechnology—research in nanocomposites for advanced textiles, barrier films, membranes, coatings and sensors
• Composite Materials—development and testing of wood and wood/non-wood composites; equipment including presses (hot and cold), glue spreader, refiner, digester, blender, former, and wood-plastic extruder.
• Wood Drying—a 100 BF kiln for measuring volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and 2,000 BF dry kiln for research in lumber drying.
• Timber Engineering and Structural Design—equipment for assessing strength properties of wood-based materials; scale varies from small specimens up to large members such as beams and full-scale wall systems.
• Green Building Materials Laboratory—a 5,000 sq. ft. shared resource laboratory of Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST). Equipment for characterizing, developing and testing high performance sustainable materials for a wide variety of applications including buildings and transportation infrastructure.
• Forest Products Business and Marketing—research and outreach on innovation in the forest industry and assessment of market potential for new products.
• Environmental Impacts of Renewable Materials—research on the environmental impacts of renewable materials from ‘cradle to grave’ (life cycle inventory and analysis).
• Other facilities include environmental conditioning chambers (hot-dry, hot-wet, cold room, standards room) and state-of-the-art classrooms for onsite or distance education programs.

Sun Grant Western Regional Center

John R. Talbott, Director
541-737-2194
Email: john.talbott@oregonstate.edu

Jan Auyong, Executive Associate Director

Email: sungrant@oregonstate.edu
Website: http://sungrant.oregonstate.edu/

The mission of the Sun Grant Initiative is to:

1. Enhance national energy security through development, distribution and implementation of biobased energy technologies;
2. Promote diversification in and the environmental sustainability of, agricultural production in the United States through biobased energy and products technologies;
3. Promote economic diversification in rural areas of the United States through biobased energy and product technologies; and
4. Enhance the efficiency of bioenergy and biomass research and development programs through improved coordination and collaboration among the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, and the land grant colleges and universities.

A network of five land grant universities serve as regional Sun Grant Centers. These universities include Oregon State University (Western Region), South Dakota State University (North-Central), Oklahoma State University (South-Central), the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Southeastern), and Cornell University (Northeastern). The centers facilitate federally funded research, extension, and education programs in their respective regions.

The Sun Grant Western Regional Center, located at Oregon State University in Corvallis, is the administrative unit for the region composed of the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, and the Pacific Territories and associated Pacific island nations, including American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The current program area priorities for the Western region include biomass production, conversion and processing technologies, the development and enhancement of bio-based products, and evaluation of the bioproduct supply chain and life cycle analyses.

Important aims for the center include distributed energy production, diversity of feedstocks and processing approaches, crop suitability assessment, co-product and local human capital development, and system approaches.

Survey Research Center

Virginia Lesser, Director
Website: http://www.stat.oregonstate.edu/src

The Survey Research Center, established in 1973, operates as a center for research in survey methodology, and to provide research support with regard to survey design, sample selection, questionnaire construction, data collection and reduction, statistical analysis, and the reporting of results.

The center is available to departments of the Oregon State System of Higher Education and to other organizations serving the public interest. Charges are made for all work in the center except preliminary consulting. Estimates for project proposals can be obtained upon request. For proposals to be submitted to funding agencies, the center can either submit a joint proposal or act as a subcontractor.

The center's interests include surveys of human populations, and other populations such as plants, animals, land areas, and other populations for which surveys can provide useful information.

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)

Jeffrey R. Barnes, OSU Member Representatives
Website: https://www2.ucar.edu/

Through its membership in this national research consortium, Oregon State University has access to extensive facilities and services in support of its research in atmospheric, oceanic, and related sciences. Chief among these is the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. Under the support of the National Science Foundation, this national laboratory conducts significant programs of atmospheric, oceanographic, and solar research in cooperation with member universities, and operates a state-of-the-art super computer facility, which is accessible to member institutions. UCAR also operates facilities for scientific ballooning, and through NCAR, maintains instrumented research aircraft and an extensive research and data library.

In addition to using these facilities, OSU faculty and graduate students participate in numerous seminars, workshops, and scientific meetings and conferences that are held at NCAR throughout the year. Through the corporation, Oregon State also cooperates in various national and international initiatives for research, service, and training in the atmospheric and related sciences.