Salem-News.com Science articles Page 40

Bridge Research at Oregon State Allows State to Stretch Funds

The bridges of concern, officials say, are found all over the state but are more concentrated in the heavier populated areas of the Willamette Valley and western Oregon. They range from interstate highway to county road bridges.

(CORVALLIS) - An innovative research program in the College of Engineering at Oregon State University has allowed Oregon to stretch its bridge funding dollars by helping the state more accurately evaluate which aging bridges need replacement or repair.

University of Oregon Researcher Seeking Arm, Hand Amputees

The research will be used to probe how the brain reorganizes in absence of limbs.

(EUGENE) - A University of Oregon researcher is seeking people, ages 8-65, who have lost an arm or hand for a study designed to probe the effects of limb loss on brain activity.

Participants will need to commit to one three-hour appointment during which they will undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while they plan movements and undergo sensory and motor testing.

Subjects will be reimbursed for their time ($20 per hour), travel expenses, meals and overnight stays, if required.

Seismic Survey Looks at Earthquake and Volcano Activity

Oregon is one of several states participating in the project that they hope will lead to increased safety in natural disasters.

(SALEM) - Oregon's Civil Air Patrol is working with the United States Geological Survey in a 6 state seismic survey event this coming weekend, August 25th-27th.

They are operating out of Willamette Aviation at the Aurora State Airport with 5 aircraft and up towards 50 people. They're also working with Civil Air Patrol wings out of California, Alaska, Hawaii, and Nevada.

Part of the work they will conduct includes photo and reconnaissance flights in both Washington and Oregon.

Oregon Civil Air Patrol Expands Seismic Survey Mission

The exercise will be used not only to gather information for the USGS, but will also serve to train new and existing air crews and ground personnel in disaster response and to effectively utilize new technology in disaster triage, rescue and recovery operations" said Traver.

(SALEM) - The Oregon Wing of the Civil Air Patrol and the United States Geological Survey, will participate in a 6 state seismic survey event the weekend of August 25th-27th.

Oregon's CAP will operate out of Willamette Aviation at the Aurora State Airport with 5 aircraft and up towards 50 personnel.

Scientists: Oregon’s Ocean Upwelling Fueled by Jet Stream, Sub-Arctic and River Flow

The Coastal Ocean Advances in Shelf Transport program, or COAST, was led by researchers at Oregon State University.

(CORVALLIS) - A team of nearly 60 scientists, have wrapped up a five-year study of the ocean circulation, biology and chemistry off the Oregon coast, has discovered a new cycle of activity in the Jet Stream that has a major influence on upwelling and ocean productivity.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the study also found that Oregon has a unique upwelling system with...

Oregon Coastal Waters Turning Into a Wave of Death For Marine Life

Scientists, who this week had been looking for signs of the end of this “dead zone,” have instead found even more extreme drops in oxygen along the seafloor.

(CORVALLIS) - The most severe low-oxygen ocean conditions ever observed on the West Coast of the United States have turned parts of the seafloor off Oregon into a carpet of dead Dungeness crabs and rotting sea worms, a new survey shows. Virtually all of the fish appear to have fled the area.

This is by far the worst such event since the phenomenon was first identified in 2002...

Oregon One Step Closer to Offshore Ocean Observing System

OSU will operate the project, known as the Oregon Coastal Ocean Observing System, or OrCOOS, which would provide some of the first coordinated “real time” oceanographic data from Oregon’s coastal waters.

(CORVALLIS) - Oregon’s long-awaited offshore ocean observing system has moved one step closer to reality after the U.S. Senate Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Subcommittee, which approved its 2007 spending bill, proposed $2 million for the project.

The bill still needs to pass through the senate floor, and then go to conference with the U.S. House of Representatives – likely in December.

$1.5 Million Grant to Strengthen Science Education in Oregon

(CORVALLIS) - Oregon State University has received a grant of $1.5 million from the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in Chevy Chase, Md., to bolster science education at all grade levels throughout the state.

This four-year award will support initiatives for undergraduate students at OSU, including summer research experiences and enhancements to the life sciences curriculum, as well as OSU’s outreach and educational programs for elementary and high school students.

Edward J. Ray, president of Oregon State University, says investing in science education at all grade levels is essential. “For the United States to maintain its position as the world leader in science and technology, we must cultivate a passion for the study of science from elementary school through college,” Ray said.

OSU Survey Finds Oregon Coastal Airports Vulnerable After Major Earthquake, Tsunami

On the positive side, the airport in Newport stands out as one that may experience some earthquake damage, but its combination of a long runway, elevation of 130 feet and good instrumentation could keep it from shutting down completely.

(CORVALLIS) - Planners counting on the availability of Oregon's coastal airports to stage rescues and bring supplies following a major earthquake and tsunami nearby in the Pacific Ocean may want to think twice about such plans.

Many of Oregon's coastal airports would be out of commission because of earthquake damage, tsunami inundation and debris, or lack of instrumentation for approaches, according to a survey done by Oregon State University earthquake researcher Chris Goldfinger.

OSU Study: Global Warming Poses Risks to Pacific Northwest Snowpack, Ski Resorts

(CORVALLIS) - Global warming in coming decades may cause the disappearance of large areas of the low-elevation snowpack in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, a new study concludes, with significant impacts on area ski resorts that will face warm winters far more often than they do now.