Ursula Bechert, director of off-campus programs for the College of Science, describes the national trend in professional science master's degree programs and the OSU initiatives supporting this educational concept. OSU's rigorous professional science master's program has attracted students from around the world, including Lalithambigai Ananthan, a graduate of Anna University in India, who came to OSU to study applied biotechnology.

The OSU Research Office is seeking Letters of Intent from interested faculty for the Higher Education for Development (HED) - U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative Planning Grants. This is a limited submission program. The Letter of Intent submission deadline is December 22, 2008. Visit the Research Office Incentive Programs Web site for details on this HED-USAID program and guidance on preparing Letters of Intent.

The OSU Research Office is accepting Letters of Intent for the National Science Foundation - Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) 2009 program. This is a limited submission program. The Letter of Intent submission deadline is December 22, 2008 has been extended to January 9, 2009. Visit the Research Office Incentive Programs Web site for details on the NSF-PIRE program and guidance on preparing Letters of Intent.

Oregon State University’s commitment to promote diversity on campus has received a national "best practices" award for college programs. Terryl Ross, director of OSU’s Office of Community and Diversity, accepted the "Committed to Diversity" Award recently from Minority Access Inc., a Washington, D.C.-area non-profit working to expand minority involvement in education, employment and research. Multiple OSU initiatives provided that organization with many examples of best practices, including "a vibrant international students program and expanded undergraduate study abroad program."

The Research Office is now accepting Letters of Intent for the 2009 USDA-CSREES International Science and Education (ISE) Competitive Grants Program to support research, extension and teaching activities that will enhance the capabilities of U.S. colleges and universities to conduct international collaborative research, extension and teaching. This is a limited submission program. The Letter of Intent submission deadline is December 9, 2008. Visit the Research Office Incentive Programs Web site for details on the USDA-CSREES-ISE program and guidance on preparing Letters of Intent.

Marco Clark's cross-disciplinary research examines the social, economic and ecological effects of dams on the Nu and Upper Mekong Rivers in China. Currently, China is the international leader in dam construction, and the project is being developed with the intent of assisting China in their quest for renewable energy. Clark’s interviews with villagers and political leaders will provide a better understanding of the effects of dam construction on people and the environment.

Clark studied in Beijing during 2002-03 through the Oregon Abroad exchange program in China and graduated from the OSU International Degree program in 2007. Currently in his second year of graduate study in anthropology, he was able to conduct more fieldwork in China with a grant from the Institute for Water and Watersheds.

A culinary exploration of Southeast Asia and a screening of the award-winning documentary "War/Dance" are among the events set for Oregon State University’s observance of International Education Week, November 17-21. Read more about International Education Week highlights in the press release, and check out the complete schedule of events.

An agricultural economist and two biochemists from Africa are wrapping up seven weeks of training and research at Oregon State University that aims to improve the diets, health and financial conditions of people in their countries.

The three came to Corvallis through the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellows Program. The program temporarily places agricultural researchers and policymakers from developing countries at universities and other institutions in the United States. The visiting fellows then receive scientific training and engage in collaborative research that seeks to promote food security and economic growth in their countries.

"This has been a valuable opportunity to build relationships and assist in the development of agricultural self-sufficiency in Africa," said Stella Coakley, an associate dean at OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Read more about the work of Phyllis Mends, a principal agricultural economist at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana; Haoua Sabo, a biochemist at Abdou Moumouni University in Niger; and Olufunke Ola-Davies, a veterinary biochemist at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

Joe Hendricks, the founding dean of OSU’s Honors College and a nationally-known social gerontologist, has won the most prestigious, international-in-scope award of the Gerontological Society of America.

Hendricks, who now serves as interim associate provost for International Programs, will receive the 2008 Kleemeier Award Nov. 23 for the impact of his research in the field of aging.

Pharmacy student Vivian Nguyen speaks of her work at a remote hospital in Niger as part of a college outreach program. The experience was part of what OSU and increasing numbers of pharmacy programs all over the country are trying to help more students understand – the immediate and sometimes desperate needs of underserved populations, and the role that pharmacists on the front lines can play to help address that.