Oregon State Science Pub

Marli Miller, author of the book Roadside Geology of Oregon and professor at the University of Oregon walks us through the layers of geological history you'll find driving across the Pacific Northwest.

OSU Professor Monique Udell talks about her research into dog behavior with insights into their connections to humans and their links to and differences from their wild cousins.

This August we will experience the first solar eclipse entirely within the boundaries of the continental U.S. since 1776. Join Randall Milstein from the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences to learn about eclipses past and future.

Cakes, breads, biscuits and other baked goods rise to the occasion as they heat up in the oven, and the agents responsible for this feat have a surprising story.

At the April 10, 2017 Corvallis Science Pub Sue Queisser discussed the history of leavening agents and offered troubleshooting tips that help bakers achieve better results.

Did the first people come to North America by land or by sea? Did they travel inland or along the coast? How does the human story begin here?

At the February 13 Corvallis Science Pub, Loren Davis, anthropologist at Oregon State University, shared the latest evidence for early human occupation along the Pacific slope of the New World and archaeological links between early sites situated around the Pacific Rim.

In the movies the typical robot is as soft as a tin can. But inspired by animals that slither swim and crawl engineers are designing new robotic systems as soft as skin and muscle.

From rhetoric about putting "America First" to arguments about the founding of NATO, global concerns are playing a prominent role in this year's presidential elections. Polls show that Americans rank foreign relations just behind the economy and terrorism as an important factor in their voting preferences. While public opinion shifts from year to year, the U.S. position in the world has provided fodder for debates since the beginning of the republic. To historians, the concept of a grand strategy — an ambitious organizing principle for the exercise of global power — provides one way to understand how such issues affect our political discourse. A grand strategy is about big ideas, says Christopher McKnight Nichols, OSU historian and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. It's about connecting means and ends. "A grand strategy," he explains, "is long-term intellectual framework that structures a big, capacious foreign policy world view."

Originally recorded on 10-10-16

From coastal rainforests to the high desert, Oregon's diverse landscape produces a stunning variety of plant life. This richness impacts all Oregonians — ranchers, wildflower enthusiasts, gardeners or connoisseurs of local brews. The Oregon Flora Project provides information about the plants of the state in ways that are relevant to all citizens. The project coordinates hundreds of volunteers and scientists who are carefully recording details of the state's botanical resources. At the Corvallis Science Pub on September 12, Linda Hardison, director of the Oregon Flora Project, showed what they have discovered and how citizens can use the results to launch their own investigations into biodiversity, gardening with natives, weeds, rare plants and more. "Having accurate knowledge about the plants that surround us can help us make good decisions at many levels, from the plants we select for our gardens to the land use policies implemented by our government," adds Hardison. "A new Flora, coupled with a website that reflects the most current information, is a valuable tool to inform such decisions."

Originally recorded on 9-12-16

Marijuana dispensaries have enabled people to use the federally controlled substance to treat pain, nausea and other illness symptoms. But what do scientists actually know about how marijuana behaves in the body? How is it metabolized? How does it interact with cellular pathways involved in pain perception, appetite and the immune system? Is it biochemically related to other compounds produced in the body?

Jane Ishmael is an associate professor in the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy and a member of a task force authorized in 2015 by the State Legislature to study the medical and public health properties of cannabis. At the June 6 Corvallis Science Pub, she will discuss what scientists know about the effects of marijuana on the body and how it interacts with cells and systems.