OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY Graduate...

OPEN MINDS: The Newsletter for Students, Faculty, Friends and Alumni Volume 1 • Number 1 Fall 2003

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

But beyond good management, theGrad School plays a pivotal role indefining the graduate experience atOSU through statewide and nationalleadership. As dean, I represent OSUnationally at meetings of Council ofGraduate Schools (CGS); this year, Iwas elected to the Executive Committeeof the Western Association of GraduateSchools. We benefit and grow from thecontinuous flow of information, newideas, and experience channeled backfrom association with leaders in gradu-ate education around the country.

Positioned at the hub of all OSU grad-uate programs, the Graduate School isresponsible for considering exceptionsto Graduate Council policies and rules,and sometimes we see patterns in theissues students and faculty bring up forappeal. For example, until two yearsago, all the members of a student’scommittee were required to be physi-cally present at all required meetingsand examinations. This often createdneedless problems given today’s tech-nology. After considering practice atour peer institutions, we took the leadin asking the Graduate Council tochange the policy by allowing onecommittee member to participate froma remote location.

DEAN’S NOTE

Graduate education is thriving atOSU! Welcome to the first issue of the OSU Graduate School newsletter,in which we showcase the people andprograms making news. This newsletteraims wide, to give you a sense of what’shappening in graduate education campus-wide, to inspire the exchangeof ideas among programs, and to iden-tify exceptional graduate students.

In this first issue, I introduce theGraduate School and the services weprovide. Students probably know usbest as the people who mind the detailsof their graduate experience. Thesisformatted properly? Coursework ontrack? Credits adequate and up-to-date? Did approved graduate facultymembers teach your courses? We makesure every advanced degree we awardmeasures up to the highest qualitystandards of any graduate institution in the country.

Also known as the people who helpmake graduate school affordable, wemanage tuition remissions, scholar-ships, sports lottery funds, and otherfellowships and awards for graduatestudents throughout the university.

Graduate Orientation Irma Delson’s Legacy Award Recipients New Programs and Degrees

As a central resource for all OSU graduate programs, we’re working tocreate an environment where graduateeducation thrives: where departmentscan develop innovative and relevantprograms, and world-class faculty canmentor their students toward becomingthe next generation of leaders. Withthis newsletter, we’ll show you some of the many exciting manifestations ofthat vision. Please let us know whatyou think, and what you’d like to see in future issues. You can write to us at:[email protected]

Thank you for your support and yourinterest in graduate education at OSU.

Sally Francis, PhDDean, OSU Graduate School

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Graduate School

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OSU graduate programs arewelcoming close to 800 newstudents this year. For many,Graduate School Orientation isa first step in getting to knowthe campus and the community.About 300 students participatedin this year’s Orientation,September 15, in and aroundMilam Hall. The half-day program offered a view intosome of the resources that existto make an OSU grad student’sexperience satisfying and trouble-free.

The afternoon started withwarm greetings from keyadministrators and the leadersof graduate student organiza-tions. New president EdwardRay conveyed the university’scommitment to graduate education, and in particular toits rising stature as a researchinstitution. Mrs. Ray extendedan enthusiastic welcome andoffered to be available for assis-tance to students. Provost TimWhite told the new students“you will debate issues that arenot yet resolved.” Chairs of theGraduate Student Affairs TaskForce and the GraduateStudent Senate, and the vicepresident of the Coalition ofGraduate Employees explainedtheir individual roles.

The OSU Graduate SchoolOPEN MINDS: Fall 2003

Graduate DegreesAwarded in 2003

Last year, 862 graduates finished OSU advanced degreeprograms to move on towardtheir professions or further education. For the most part,they left their programs withvery positive reviews. The 2003Graduate Degree RecipientsExit Survey found that theoverwhelming majority of graduates would repeat theirdecisions about coming to OSUfor graduate study and felt pre-pared for their next step whentheir degrees were completed.Of master’s graduates whoplanned to continue their edu-cation, 83% of those who hadnot originally planned to pursuea PhD or EdD degree werenow inspired to do so. Here’show the degrees were distributed:

Total of 862 advanced degrees

170 doctorates162 Doctors of Philosophy

7 Doctors of Education1 Honorary Doctorate of

Engineering

692 master’s degrees413 Masters of Science82 Masters of Arts in Teaching58 Masters of Business

Administration56 Masters of Education25 Masters of Public Health23 Masters of Arts in

Interdisciplinary Studies19 Masters of Arts7 Masters of Fine Arts5 Masters of Agriculture4 Masters of Forestry

After some unstructured timefor networking, students movedinto special topic sessions tolearn about university resources,policies, and financing opportu-nities. A tour of research facili-ties and the new facilities in theValley Library were additionaloptions.

The day ended with a newaddition to the orientation line-up: recreational affinity groups.Five experienced grad studentsfacilitated workshops on whatCorvallis has to offer for thoseall-too-rare leisure times. Theytalked about gardening condi-tions, where to find the bestplaces and equipment for rockclimbing, mountain biking,running and hiking, where togo for dinner and a movie, andwhat’s available for families withyoung children. The groupsworked not only for sharinginformation, but for connectinglike-minded students acrossdepartment lines.

OSU strives to attract thebrightest, most promising graduate students anywhere.Graduate School Orientationgets newcomers off on the righttrack, knowing what the univer-sity and the community have tooffer, and where to find thepeople who make the experi-ence the best it can be.

Graduate School Orientation

“What OSU is 20 to 30 years from now will notdepend on the President; it will not depend on theDeans. But it will depend on you, the student.”

PRESIDENT ED RAY

Visit the Graduate School on the web:

Irma Delson is one OSU staffmember whose service will con-tinue long after her retirement.Irma left OSU last spring after acareer that spanned 23 years. Tohonor her exceptional commit-ment to the university and thestudents she served, friends andcolleagues have established theIrma Delson Bridge to the FutureFund for graduate students.

During her OSU tenure, Irmahad a key role in programs in avariety of areas, including theGraduate School, InternationalEducation, and the College ofOceanic and AtmosphericSciences. As Director ofEuropean Exchange Programsand as an International StudentAdvisor, she worked passionatelyon behalf of students from allover the world. In 1994, shereceived the Beaver ChampionAward for assisting in the rescueof an OSU student and his five-year-old son from the violence ofthe Rwandan civil war.

The Bridge to the Future Fundwill help students in the finalphase of their graduate education.In Irma’s work with students

throughout the years, shenoticed that all too often, theirfinancial backing did not coverthe crucial last months of thesisor dissertation writing. If theycould receive even a smallamount of support during thefinal phase of their degree pro-grams to help with research,book-buying, publication costs,graduation fees, or other inci-dentals, many students couldavoid a derailment of theirstudies.

“The fund is an idea that grewout of conversations with otherpeople at OSU who had thesame kind of experience,” Irmaexplains. “We’d find ourselvesbringing in food, hiring studentsto do little jobs around ourhouses, patching together anyfunds we could to help themthrough those last months.”

With more people coming tograduate school later in theirlives, bringing families andother responsibilities, financialchallenges can be even moreurgent. “There’s so much pressure toward the end of astudent’s program,” says Irma.

The OSU Graduate School OPEN MINDS: Fall 2003

New Fund Honors Irma Delson

Vision

MissionGraduate education at OSUwill be recognized for excel-lence in producing the highestqualified graduates who areprepared to make positivesocial impacts as the nextgeneration of leaders.

The Graduate School at Oregon State University will contribute to the creation and discovery of knowledge and other forms of scholarship by facilitating graduate student scholarly activity, providing leadership in defining excellence in the graduateexperience, promoting an environment that nurtures exploring and learning, and advocating the benefits of the graduate enterprise on local and global levels.

To accomplish its mission, the Graduate School will ensure excellence, consistency, and continuity in graduate programs, establish and monitor institutional standards, and stimulate improvement and change in the curricular and creative settings. The GraduateSchool will work with all relevant parties toward maintaining the centrality of graduateeducation to the mission of Oregon State University and to invigorating the graduateenvironment.

“This fund may not be as flashyas the wonderful kinds of supportavailable to students earlier intheir programs, but it should helprespond to a great unmet need.”

Contributions to the Bridge to theFuture Fund can be made throughthe OSU Foundation website athttps://www.cesystems.com/orst/giving/giving.htm.

Flexible funds like this one, aswell as more targeted grantsand fellowships, are critical toattracting and keeping the kindof graduate students who willbecome tomorrow’s leaders inevery field. For information onestablishing a fund or endow-ment, or to contribute to anexisting fund, please contact ourdevelopment department at(541) 737-3972.

oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/

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helping other graduate studentsto accomplish the work theywere doing.”

From that Statistics 314 class,Megan went on to coordinate,teach, and tutor a half-dozenother courses and labs, receivingrave reviews in every one.Statistics Department chair Dr. Robert Smythe said he hadto “referee” requests from severalinstructors, all of whom wantedMegan as a GTA in their courses.She used her science back-ground to create examples thatmade the material real for grad-uate students in a wide range offields.

Megan finished her MS lastspring and will begin a statisticsdoctoral program at theUniversity of Colorado. Sheplans to make a career of teach-ing statistics. “My advice toother TAs is to try to be sympa-thetic to your students,” shesays. “Think about where they’recoming from and what you cando to build a bridge from whatthey already know to what you’retrying to teach them.”

MEGAN DAILEY

Have you ever heard a wholeclass cheer when the professorannounced the graduate teach-ing assistant for the term? Ithappened in Dr. Fred Ramsey’sspring Statistics 513 class, andhe wasn’t the least bit surprised.Megan Dailey is the most highly rated TA the StatisticsDepartment has ever known.

The Herbert F. Frolander Awardfor the Outstanding GraduateTeaching Assistant recognizes aTA who has demonstrated out-standing teaching skills com-bined with excellent profession-al relations with faculty and stu-dents. The award is offered inhonor of Dr. Herbert F.Frolander, retired professor ofthe former College ofOceanography. As the winner,Megan received an engravedplaque and a check for $1,000.

Megan discovered her love forteaching statistics as an indirectresult of her graduate work inother sciences. She began hermaster’s degree in biomechanicsat the University of Nevada andfinished at the University ofOregon. But throughout, shefelt her weak understanding ofstatistics was holding her back.

The reputation of OSU’s appliedstatistics program brought herhere to work on a second master’sdegree. Her first teaching assign-ment, Introduction to Statisticsfor Engineers, roused her to the challenge of making statisticsaccessible to a variety of students.“Teaching was particularlyrewarding when it focused on

Our students make us so proud!

They devise cutting-edgeresearch, get published in themost prestigious journals of theirfields, teach their sections withamazing insight, win academicaccolades, then go out into theworld and do excellent work.For the most part, their rewardsare strictly intrinsic. But occa-sionally, we’re able to celebratetheir success with an exclusivefellowship or award.

The 10 students described belowwere selected for special honorsfrom among many exceptionalapplicants. We congratulate themand wish them all the best fortheir work at OSU and beyond.


2003 Award Recipients

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CHARLES CRISCIONE

Charles Criscione looks at conservation issues from amicroscopic level. He studiesparasites and the ecological andevolutionary effects they haveon their hosts and ecosystems.This work has implications fora wide range of ecological,medical and veterinary research,and has earned him many honors, including a 2003-04Yerex Graduate Fellowship.

Charles received his master’sdegree from SoutheasternLouisiana University, where hedeveloped interests in ecologyand parasitology. He came toOSU to study populationgenetics with Dr. MichaelBlouin in the molecular andcellular biology program. HisPhD research centers on para-sites of native salmon species,testing the hypothesis that hostmovement is a key determinantof gene flow in parasites thatcycle through salmon and vari-ous intermediate hosts. His datashow how parasite life cyclescan be used to make predictionsin epidemiological studies and

course. As a classroom teacherand mentor for students in thelab setting, she thrives on sharing her excitement for thediscovery of knowledge.

Emma is studying the role ofcannabinoid receptors in modu-lating stress-related events—how the everyday stresses of lifeare perceived by an animal, thentransduced in the brain intoappropriate actions that allowthe animal to pass through thestressful event. These findingsprovide new insights into howhormones control context-dependent behavioral responses.Emma’s research has broadimplications for human behaviorsince the molecules and hor-monal pathways she studies playvery similar roles in humans.

Emma speaks generously aboutthe people in her departmentwho have helped shape herwork and personal ethics—notonly her professors and advisors,but also the graduate studentsshe works with and the under-graduates she mentors. “I’velearned so much here abouthow you approach a problem,how you conduct yourself in thesphere of science education . . .and how to be happy doing it.”

Dr. Robert Mason, writes aboutEmma’s resilience and creativityin confronting the inevitablechallenges of ground-breakingresearch. “I believe that Emmahas chosen a research topic thatis absolutely unique and willprovide paradigms for the entirefield of vertebrate endocrinology.”

EMMA CODDINGTON

When Emma Coddingtonlooks ahead, she sees a careerwhere she’ll be able to indulge afull scope of academic passions:guiding and educating in bothformal and informal settings,competing successfully for grantfunding, planning and manag-ing laboratory experimentalprocedures, critically assessingscholarly literature. It’s thisenthusiasm and professionalpromise that helped her winthis year’s Bayley GraduateFellowship.

A PhD student in zoology,Emma stands out as an excep-tionally versatile scholar, teacher,and researcher. She has alreadypublished six papers fromresearch conducted in a varietyof organisms over a range ofbiological systems and methods.Several prestigious travel awardshave allowed her to present herstudies at national conferencesand participate in an interna-tionally renowned Woods HoleMarine Biology Laboratory


2003 Award Recipients (continued)

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tree. His research could lead tobreeding and silviculture tech-niques that produce wood withhigh natural decay resistance,needing fewer preservatives.

Last summer, Adam spent twomonths working at KyotoUniversity in Japan, studyingthe effects of various extractiveson termite behavior. This expe-rience was funded through acompetitive National ScienceFoundation grant. He alsoenjoys teaching, and last yearhad the chance to prove himselfin that arena when he was askedto take over, on short notice, a70-member class, to excellentreviews by students and faculty.

Adam was attracted to OSU bythe caliber of the Departmentof Wood Science. “OSU is oneof the best places in the worldfor wood science,” he says. “Thepeople are great and the facili-ties are so impressive. You seethe value of the work that’sbeing done here reflected in aplace like Richardson Hall, sogenerously funded by alumni inthe field. That really matterswhen you’re looking for a placeto work for a few years.”

ADAM TAYLOR

Adam Taylor has a practical bentto his love of trees. Starting outin forestry “for the pleasure ofworking in the woods,” he nowspends most of his days in the labor the library —and thoroughlyenjoys it. With a strong academicrecord, publications in the mostimportant journals of his field,and a knack for teaching, Adamwas a clear choice for this year’sYerex Graduate Fellowship.

Adam is a PhD candidate inwood science. His research centers on the connectionbetween heartwood formationand the natural durability ofwood. Heartwood is moredecay-resistant than sapwoodbecause of the extractives thatare deposited there. Adam seeksto understand what controls thelevel of extractives in the living

to understand the evolution ofdrug resistance—an importantconcern in the conservation ofeconomically important andthreatened species.

Parasite population genetics is arelatively new field, and it can behard to explain the long-rangeimplications of his research tothe field biologists who providehis samples. “People are generallyinterested, but a lot of themthink I’m crazy. I’m looking atparasites that don’t necessarilyharm the fish—organisms youcan’t even see without a micro-scope—and it’s a big leap toimagine they could help usunlock a lot of key questions.”

Charles is highly regarded in hisdepartment for his persistencefrom research to publication.During his first year here,Charles finished and publishedthree manuscripts from his mas-ter’s work, and one manuscriptbased on work he completedduring one of his MCB lab rota-tions. He will graduate with hisname on at least four more co-authored publications. “He ishighly motivated, focused, andvery productive for a scientist atthis stage of his career,” writesDr. Blouin. “His project shouldbe a landmark study in the fieldof parasite population genetics,and I am delighted that it wasdone in my lab.”



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RAM PRASANAK

A Fulbright scholar fromThailand, Ram Prasanak isstudying the history of powerrelations between Eastern andWestern nations in his master’swork in OSU’s EnglishDepartment. He is a recipientof the 2003-04 InternationalTrade and DevelopmentGraduate Fellowship, selectedfor his potential as a leader incross-cultural relations.

This fellowship rewards graduatestudents who have high potentialfor future leadership in interna-tional affairs. It is fundedthrough a one million dollarendowment awarded in 1991 tothe Oregon University Systemby the Nippon Foundation ofTokyo. Proceeds from theinvestment of this endowmentsupport several fellowships ofup to $12,000 each for full-timegraduate work.

Ram chose literature because itoffers an interdisciplinary vehiclefor studying relationships amongnations. His course of studyblends such fields as history,psychology, and sociology,creating a variety of lenses

to working with people in thefield, through either the agricul-tural industry or Extension.

Annette is known for her passionate interest in learning.She has built expertise in onlineeducation, creating a website onanimal ethics and welfare anddeveloping the first animal sciences class to be offeredthrough Extended Campus.

Annette appreciates the facultysupport she has enjoyedthroughout her OSU experience.“One of the things I really valueabout the Department ofAnimal Sciences is the facultyand staff ’s high regard for eachstudent. That helps not only inretaining students but inencouraging them to get on atrack to the jobs they enjoy.”

The University Club FoundationFellowship Award recognizesscholarship, leadership, andpotential societal contributionsamong students pursuing grad-uate education in Oregon. Inaddition to the $5,000 fellow-ship, award winners receive athree-year complimentarymembership in the UniversityClub and admission to fourClub events each year to helpthem build their professionalnetworks.

ANNETTE BUYSERIE

Sometimes, not getting a grad-uate assistantship can actuallybe an advantage. AnnetteBuyserie, winner of this year’sUniversity Club FoundationGraduate Fellowship, pulledtogether funding from manydifferent sources—scholarships,part-time employment, andresearch grants—to support hermaster’s studies. In the process,she has found exciting learningopportunities she may not haveencountered in her own field ofdairy science. Her determinationand exceptional scholarshiphave earned respect well beyondher own department.

Annette is studying dairy science, focusing on nutritionand management. Her thesisproject is aimed at improvingthe utilization efficiency ofcool-season grass forages toincrease milk yield in dairy cattle.Coming from a family that’sbeen farming in Oregon for fivegenerations, she is committed



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a project officer for a large STDand HIV/AIDS preventionproject in Mali, she came tounderstand how those diseasesare affecting the stability,economic prospects, and socialfabric of many developingcountries.

The combination of these experiences grounded Ellen in her belief that internationalpublic health policy must bebased on research into the cul-tural and behavioral norms of acommunity. “Traveling for theCDC, I got some perspectiveon how much can be done at thelevel of a nationwide program.But I could still draw on myPeace Corps experience tounderstand the reality of howthese programs might beviewed by people at the villagelevel.”

Ellen’s dissertation will bridgethe gap between clinicalresearch and a social scienceperspective. “It seems obviousthat people have differentsocial/cultural norms, and weshould understand the societybefore we go ahead with ourclinical biomedical research, butit doesn’t always happen thatway,” she explains. She plans toconduct her dissertationresearch in one or more of theAfrican countries currentlyoffering HIV treatment, andreturn to Africa as an HIV-related research or programmanager after her doctorate iscompleted.

ELLEN MACLACHLAN

In addressing the devastation ofHIV/AIDS in developingcountries, much of the researchemphasis has been on clinicaland laboratory issues. EllenMacLachlan believes that forprevention and interventionprograms to succeed, it is equal-ly important to understand theattitudes and behaviors of thelocal community. Her visionand experience qualified her forone of this year’s InternationalTrade and DevelopmentGraduate Fellowship.

Ellen came to her doctorateprogram in Public Health witha broad span of internationalexperience. She began withthree years as a Peace Corpsvolunteer in Mali, where shehelped small communitiesdevelop soil and water conser-vation projects and build aprimary school. She the earneda Master’s of Public Healthfrom Emory University, andsoon began working for theCenters for Disease Control incoordinating and developingpolicy for international healthprograms. During her work as

through which to view globalcontroversies. The culturalimplications of a literary workcan be exposed through analysison many levels—gender, race,class, religious, political—andfor Ram, this is the broadestroute to socially conscious critical thinking.

When he returns to Thailand,Ram will continue a teachingcareer at Ubon RatchathaniUniversity, where he plans toapply this interdisciplinaryapproach to engage his studentsin a more complete understand-ing of literature and global rela-tions. Ram hopes to use thisplatform to become an advocatefor local writers, bringing themtogether to explore postcolonialliterature and assert their ownvoices.

Ram has already publishedtranslations of two Americanshort stories. His leadershippotential is also clear in hisenthusiasm and effectiveness inhelping other students probecomplex concepts of postcolo-nial struggle. Professor LauraRice, who will direct his thesison nationalism in Africa,reflects, “His projects for thefuture combine a dedication toteaching and a vision of how tofoster mutual understandingamong peoples from differentcultures.”



KRIS HARPER

The first big breakthrough inmodern weather predictioncame at the end of World WarII, with the development ofphysics-based, numerical mod-els. Dr. Kristine Harper’s disser-tation tells the story of howthese models emerged—theinternational alliances, thehigh-stakes political in-fight-ing, and the personal rivalriesthat formed the backdrop of thescientific pursuit. For this schol-arly yet accessible history of therise of modern meteorologicalscience, she is OSU’s secondnominee for the Council ofGraduate Schools/ UniversityMicrofilms InternationalDistinguished DissertationAward.

Kris’s dissertation is ground-breaking in that it brings tolight the contribution ofEuropean meteorologists,updating previous historieswhich attributed early modelingsuccesses solely to work at theInstitute for Advanced Study atPrinceton. It also uncovers therole of the U.S. Navy and AirForce in shaping scientific

urchin population. She devel-oped a novel computer-intensiveapproach to analyze dynamicchanges in population densitiesin large complex communities,using her field data to create andevaluate millions of simulatedinteractions within the kelp-forest community.

“Dr. Montaño-Moctezuma hasmolded somewhat esoteric theory into understandable,useful tools that can be appliedto a wide range of systems,”says professor Selina Heppel.Dr. Heppel is using the com-puter algorithm in her ownwork on exotic species interac-tions in wetlands, and knows of four other major researchprojects around the countryalready using Gabriela’s model.

Gabriela, now on the faculty ofthe Instituto de InvestigacionesOceanológicas, UniversidadAutónoma de Baja California inEnsenada, continues to work onmanaging and protecting severalmarine resources that are fishedalong the Baja Península. Thelongstanding practice of givingfishing permits as political favorsto off-site corporate interests isvery gradually being influencedby a movement toward localfishermen’s cooperatives.Gabriela is involved in buildinga body of research to push thecountry toward creating marinereserves and managing fisheriesfor longterm local prosperity.

GABRIELA MONTAÑO-MOCTEZUMA

Gabriela Montaño-Moctezumacame to OSU to develop toolsshe could take back to Mexicoto solve the problems of hercountry’s red sea urchin fishery.But the Oregon coast proved tobe a formidable setting for fieldresearch. After eight years, fourof them dedicated to deep-seadiving in rough, unpredictableconditions, she is back to the gentler waters of BajaCalifornia, with a doctorate infisheries science and a nomina-tion for the Council of GraduateSchools/University MicrofilmsInternational DistinguishedDissertation Award.

Two awards—one in humanities/fine arts and one in biological/life sciences—will be presentedat the national CGS annualmeeting in December.

Gabriela’s dissertation projectfocused on whether marinerefuges would make a differencein sustaining a sea urchin fisheryand protecting the red sea


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research bridges biology andsocial science. She is interview-ing 40 local farmers and assess-ing their properties to begin theprocess of classifying traditionalagroforestry systems. As shegathers information on whatthey grow and how they grow it,she interweaves the historicaland cultural background of theproperty and the people whowork it. Whether the land iscommunally or privately owned,how long the farmer has beenworking it, issues of contentionthat may be associated with theland—these factors can stronglyinfluence planting practices.

Jeannette struggles againststrong cultural biases as shedocuments the agriculturalpractices of the traditional com-munity. But she is driven by hercommitment to bring sustain-ability into priority focus in hercountry, and to help otheryoung people see the value ofeducation in natural resources.

“When you’re on a small island,it’s much easier to feel impor-tant,” she explains. “You feellike you can actually make a difference.”

JEANNETTE TUITELE-LEWIS

For Jeannette Tuitele-Lewis,earning a master’s degree in for-est science is part of her tautua.A Samoan concept, tautuatranslates as the continual serviceone must pay to his or her com-munity. Jeannette believes thatshe has a responsibility to returnto her country, share what shehas learned, and mentor otheryoung people.

Jeannette is the 2003-04 recipient of OSU’s ThurgoodMarshall Fellowship, honoringthe first black American toserve as an Associate Justice ofthe Supreme Court. This awardrecognizes students who havedemonstrated exceptional community service in diversecommunities as well as highacademic achievement. It favorsstudents like Jeannette, who arethe first in their families toattend a university.

Jeannette’s research is based inAmerican Samoa, her family’sancestral home. This once self-sufficient country has becomelargely dependent on U.S. aid.Development is moving up theislands’ steep slopes, exacerbatingsoil erosion problems. Traditionalculture and the natural resourcesthat support it are being trampledin the pursuit of an Americanstandard of living.

Jeannette’s goal is to identifyagroforestry techniques thatwould contribute not only to thenatural resource sustainabilityof American Samoa, but to its cultural and socio-economicsustainability as well. Her

practices and determining whatquestions were worth pursuing.Her story is built from a widerange of sources that had notpreviously been studied, includ-ing letters, unpublished diaries,declassified documents, and oralinterviews. Dr. Mary Jo Nyedescribes it as “a strongly originalpiece of scholarship that willbecome a mainstay for the his-tory of meteorology and, morebroadly, the history of Americanscience and technology.”

Kris spent 21 years as a meteor-ologist and oceanographer inthe Navy. She retired in 1994and moved to Oregon to get acredential for teaching second-ary school math and science.In her first year at WesternOregon University, she wasasked to teach meteorology andearth science to her fellow students. She found that a historical approach was the bestway to overcome her students’science phobia, but was unsatis-fied with the meteorologicalhistory available. This led her to OSU, where she began thePhD work that would evolveinto her exceptional research.

Currently, Kris is making revi-sions to a book based on herdissertation. She has a secondbook in the works, focusing onthe American government’s little known but liberally fundedefforts to move from weatherprediction to weather control.She plans to find a teaching/research position. “I get a realbuzz from teaching, but researchis central to what I want to do,”she explains. “There are so manygreat stories to tell.”



Visit the Graduate School on the web:

OSU is one of about 30 universities across thecountry that received Sloan funding to develop theProfessional Master’s of Science. As the programsare launched this year, the benefits to area employersare still conceptual, but the potential is enormous.The promise of scientific experts well versed inleadership skills provides a strong new bondbetween the university and business communities.

For more information:http://professionalmasters.science.orst.edu

MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY

Public administrators and policy specialists areconstantly under pressure to do more with less, toallocate diminishing resources to meet the needsof citizens and elected officials, and to work in anenvironment of intense public scrutiny and skepti-cism. At the same time, increasing globalization ofthe economy requires that public managers under-stand the international arena which increasinglybears on regional economic, political, social andenvironmental issues.

This environment demands professionals capableof creative analysis, communication, and action.To meet this demand, OSU has introduced a newMaster of Public Policy, bringing together theresources of the economics, political science, soci-ology, and agricultural and resource economicsdepartments. Coursework is designed around con-cepts and skills essential to public affairs, publicpolicy analysis, and other functions associatedwith public and non-profit organizations, bothdomestically and internationally. Students chooseamong three areas of concentration: AppliedPublic Policy, Environmental Policy, andInternational Policy.

The program aims to attract both inexperiencedstudents and public sector practitioners currentlyworking in the community. Students who have notworked in public/non-profit organizations will beplaced in internships; those in the internationalpolicy track will be encouraged to enroll in a student exchange program through the Office of International Education.

OSU graduate programs are constantly evolvingto respond to the job market our students willenter. Courses are added and curricula arechanged to keep them relevant. Much less often,prevailing needs and resources come togetherfor a whole new program or certification to bedeveloped. Since 1990, 12 new degree majorshave passed through a rigorous evaluationprocess to be added to OSU’s offerings. In thisissue, we’re pleased to introduce four new andvery exciting degree opportunities.

PROFESSIONAL MASTER’S OF SCIENCE

In the constantly changing technical landscape oftoday’s business and industry, there is a tremen-dous need for leaders who have scientific training.Though universities are turning out record num-bers of scholars and researchers, there is often avast gap between their very focused knowledgeand the skills they need in a business setting. Tobridge this gap, OSU and the Alfred P. SloanFoundation have collaborated to develop a newdegree program, giving students the practical skillsthey need to apply their specialized scientificknowledge in a diverse business environment.

Professional master’s of science degrees will beoffered for the first time this year in three areas:applied biotechnology, applied physics, and envi-ronmental science. A fourth program in appliedsystematics (botany) is under development. Ineach of these areas, students will spend one to twoyears combining coursework with communication,management, and ethics training. The program isexpected to attract career professionals as well ascontinuing students.

Instead of a research project, students will participatein a three- to six-month internship or cooperativeeducational experience with a business, industry,government agency, or research institute. Thisinternship will provide experience in real-worldwork situations, where technical problem-solving,teamwork, communication, and decision-making allcome together. Dr. Ursula Bechert, one of the pro-gram coordinators, has been talking with industryleaders about internship possibilities, and is delightedwith their enthusiasm for the new degree.

New Graduate Programs


oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/

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MASTER OF ARTS IN APPLIED ETHICS

From gene-slicing to dam-building, health insur-ance to human relations, there’s hardly a profes-sion today that isn’t beset by ethical dilemmas.Rapid change in what is technically possible hascreated an environment where important societalvalues are constantly tested and re-evaluated. OSU’snew Master of Arts in Applied Ethics is aimed atdeveloping leaders who understand ethical theory,and have the skills to apply this philosophical back-ground in their professional and civic lives.

The Department of Philosophy’s new master’sprogram offers students the opportunity to studythe ethical issues underlying a wide range of socialand environmental situations. Along with corecourses in ethical theory and applied ethics, eachstudent will complete an integrated minor in anarea of special interest.

The program also requires a practicum with apublic agency, non-profit organization, or privatebusiness working in the student’s area of interest.This is intended to help students understand thereal-life constraints and pressures that shape policydecisions. Leaders in a variety of Northwest busi-nesses have written letters in support of the newmaster’s degree program, recognizing the impor-tance of preparing tomorrow’s leaders for complexdecision-making. Ethics training is becoming ahighly valued job skill.

OSU’s Department of Philosophy is already thehome of a nationally recognized program in ethicseducation. The Program for Ethics, Science andthe Environment, selected by the TempletonFoundation as a model for ethics education, willbe a strong resource for the MA in AppliedEthics. The Department also offers an undergrad-uate Applied Ethics Certificate.

The program has begun receiving inquiries fromacross the United States. The first two studentstransferred into the new program from other exist-ing OSU graduate programs this year, so it is upand running.

For more information:http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/philosophy/graduate/ma_a_ethics.html

Local public policymakers will be involved notonly as mentors but as advisors to the MPP.Director Dr. Brent Steel and other program facultyare building ties among this community of supportto assure that the program remains practical andrelevant.

For more information:http://oregonstate.edu/dept/pol_sci/MPP/mpp.htm

MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVEWRITING

For creative writing students, the MFA is consid-ered a terminal degree—one that provides accessto distinguished teaching positions and publishers.OSU’s English Department has been building astrong graduate fiction writing faculty over the last12 years, and has been offering a fiction writingspecialization under the department’s MA pro-gram. Now, students can earn the MFA degree,helping them define and advance their ambitionsas artists and teachers.

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writingimmerses students in contemporary literary fic-tion, poetry, and non-fiction. It develops not onlyreading and writing experience, but also the mar-keting know-how needed for success in the pub-lishing world. To complement a faculty of publishedauthors, the program hosts an impressive slate ofvisiting writers, who lead graduate writing work-shops and work with individual students. MFAcandidates complete their programs by producingthesis-length pieces of imaginative writing.

For the time being, the program is very restricted:just six new students were admitted from a pool ofover 100 applicants this year. Director Dr. TracyDaugherty says that allows every student the kindof individual attention that’s required for a degreeof this caliber.

For more information:http://oregonstate.edu/dept/english/crw/


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