Military news

Army Pvt. Cody A. Robinson has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is the son of Karen Robinson of Corvallis and a 2006 graduate of Crescent Valley High School.

Army National Guard Pfc. Janna K. Sweet has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is the daughter of Kay Sweet of Philomath and Steven Sweet of Springfield. Sweet is a 2007 graduate of Thurston High School in Springfield.

College graduates

Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind. — Brekke Berg of Corvallis graduated from Valparaiso University in December 2007. Berg received his Bachelor of Science in business administration with a major in international business. He graduated cum laude (grade point average of 3.40 or higher). He is a graduate of Crescent Valley High school and is the son of Clifford and Barbara Berg.

College honor roll

Corban College, Salem — Brian Eberhardt of Corvallis has been named to the fall semester dean’s list.

Denison University, Granville, Ohio — Caitlin Schroering, daughter of Mark and Bobbie Schroering of Corvallis, was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester. Caitlin was home schooled and is a junior environmental studies major at Denison.

George Fox University, Newberg — The following local students have been named to the dean’s list for the 2007 fall semester. Corvallis: Allison Christine Ogle, sophomore, sociology; Brendon Matthew Hart, sophomore, biology; Jonathan D. Reeves, senior, psychology; Luke Benjamin Fletcher, junior, biology; Mikaela Alexis Puana Ameele, senior, psychology; and Spencer Morgan Alexander, freshman, cinema and media communication. Philomath: John Aaron Dort, junior, cinema and media communication.

Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash. — The following Corvallis students have been named to the president’s list for fall semester: Shea Steven Anderson, junior; Sandra Robin Dooley, senior; Christopher Tucker Provencher, junior; and Christopher Hans Wendel, sophomore.

Goshen College, Goshen, Ind. — Kristina R. Mast, daughter of Frederick and Linda Mast of Corvallis, has been named to the fall semester dean’s list. Kristina is a freshman at Goshen and a 2007 graduate of Crescent Valley High School.

Local artist exhibits at Northwestern

Local artist, Richard Helmick has been invited to exhibit work at the Block Museum of Art on the campus of Northwestern University in the Chicago area. The museum states that this groundbreaking new exhibition, “Imaging by Numbers,” examines the intersection of digital technology and the graphic arts. It surveys the use of computers in printmaking and drawing through approximately 60 works created by nearly 40 North American and European artists from the 1950s to the present. The exhibition presents artists who wrote their own computer code or collaborated with computer engineers. Helmick’s serigraph, “American Sunset,” has been added to the permanent collection of the museum.

OSU soil scientists gain research honors

Two soil scientists at Oregon State University received the Soil Science Society of America Research Award at its annual meetings.

Researchers David Myrold and Peter Bottomley focus their work on small organisms that can play a large role in how the earth system functions. They are collaborating on a project funded by the National Science Foundation to study the roles of soil bacteria and fungi in the nutrient uptake of tree roots in old growth coniferous forests.

They also are working on a United States Department of Agriculture project to examine how different vegetation types and management systems affect nitrogen cycling in Oregon soils.

Bottomley is a professor in the departments of Crop and Soil Science and Microbiology, whose research is directed at environmental soil microbiology. He has published more than 100 journal articles and is a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America. Bottomley also has authored or co-authored chapters in popular textbooks and served as chair of the Division of Soil Biology & Biochemistry of SSSA.

Myrold is a professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Science and director of a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program on the subsurface biosphere. With a focus on soil microbial ecology, he has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters. He is a fellow of the SSSA and also was chair of the Division of Soil Biology & Biochemistry.

The SSSA is an educational organization that helps its more than 6,000 members advance the disciplines and practices of agronomy and crop and soil sciences.

Benton 4-H team takes honors

After months of practicing and fundraising, the Benton County 4-H Horse Bowl team and its coach Tracy Gray traveled to Denver, Colo., for the Western National Contest in early January. Team members Nicole Schrock, Pam Lundeberg, Sara Gray and Melissa Queen won the state contest in April and earned the right to represent Oregon at the nationals. This contest is a question and answer event, similar to Jeopardy. Teams of four players answer questions via a buzzer system on horse health, vet care, safety, diseases and more in both one-on-one and open formats. The Benton County team took reserve champion honors, only losing to the championship team from South Dakota. The team defeated Texas and perennial favorite Colorado en route to their strong finish. In individual standings, Melissa Queen placed third, Sara Gray fourth and Nicole Schrock sixth. Team captain Pam Lundeberg was in the No. 1 slot, facing the top player on all the opposing teams and holding her own.

Oregon 4-H also sent teams and individuals for horse judging, hippology, presentations and public speaking contests. Overall Oregon placed fourth out of the 30 states that sent teams to the event.

Doellinger given MacGyver award

Martin Doellinger, merchandising assistant for First Alternative Co-op, received the MacGyver Award for his creative efforts to reduce waste. Doellinger collected tin soup cans, cleaned them and covered them with shopping tips printed on recycled paper to use as pen and twist tie holders for the bulk and produce departments at both stores. This saved a lot of money and also conserved energy, because he “up-cycled” materials that would have otherwise been sent to a processor for recycling. The MacGyver award is given quarterly to Co-op Employees whose inventive and ingenious activities merit recognition.