The Beginning of Research at the "Ag School" in Corvallis Oregon
From its foundation, Oregon State University, has strived to make itself a center for research. Oregon State University first held classes as Corvallis Academy, in 1856. Two years later, in 1858, the university was incorporated as Corvallis College. The name, Oregon State University, or OSU, was adopted in 1961, and has remained its official title to the present day. In the past, the school was deemed “the Agricultural College of the State of Oregon”, and that classification stuck. The university continues to offer an excellent Agricultural Sciences degree program, including opportunities to pursue degrees in anything from Animal Sciences to Crop and Soil Science to Botany and Plant Pathology. Research programs pertain to “agricultural, biological, social and environmental sciences”, including research opportunities with the USDA.
Studying at Oregon State
Research is a major emphasis at Oregon State University. The school is regarded as one of only two land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant, sun-grant institutions, Cornell University being the other. OSU receives the most research grant funds in the state of Oregon, in recent years receiving $194 million in funded research. The nearly 20,000 students at the school have the opportunity to pursue over 200 degree programs, including studies in Engineering, Oceanography, Pharmacy, Forestry and Environmental Sciences. Students have the ability to access over 1.4 million volumes, 14,000 serials and over 500,000 maps and government documents at the Valley Library. The surrounding communities benefit from the OSU Extension Service, named one of the top five Land-Grant Extension Systems in the nation. This service uses outreach to help educate the community and provide essential services in many different areas, included 4-H youth partnership.
Current Research Centers at OSU
Current research includes studies in tsunami research at the Wave Research Laboratory, made possible by grants from the National Science Foundation, which have helped it become the “largest tsunami research facility in the world”. The center is part of the school’s Coastal and Ocean Engineering Program. Researching tsunamis will help scientists better understand these “killer waves” and help better prepare coastal communities when they hit.
Research in micronutrients is conducted at the Linus Pauling Insititute, named for one of the most notable alumni of Oregon State University, Linus Pauling, who received a degree from the school, in chemical engineering in 1922. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, in 1954. He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962, for his social activism by protesting nuclear weapon testing. The Institute conducts research based on the premise that “an optimum diet is the key to optimum health”
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