Although State Rep. Linda Flores attended Portland State University, she recently proved herself to be a Beaver brainiac.

Flores, a Republican from Clackamas, won an Oregon State University trivia contest, beating out other representatives and senators. Flores actually had tied with Rep. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, but took top honors because she submitted her answers first.

On Tuesday, OSU Day at the Capitol, Flores was presented with a Beaver mug for her efforts. She also was escorted to the reception by a very special "Beaver Buddy," OSU President Ed Ray.

Students, alumni, faculty and staff turned out to show their support for higher education in general and OSU in particular.

"It was very well-attended," Flores said. "It's always a bright spot in the Capitol when Benny the Beaver is there."

The Oregon University System is rallying together in support for higher education funding. The State Board of Higher Education requested a $996 million operating budget for Oregon's seven public postsecondary institutions. Gov. Ted Kulongoski pegged $875 million for OUS in his recommended budget.

The co-chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Committee responded with a proposed $840 million for higher education, a figure OSU officials say is inadequate.

Flores said the turnout at the Capitol helped reinforce for the Legislature the importance of Oregon's colleges and universities.

"We all recognize and acknowledge the contributions OSU makes to training and technology. They are leaders in the fields of forestry and engineering," Flores said.

"There is a divergence in the governor's and the co-chairs' budgets. We need to make sure that the funding stream is upward instead of downward," she said.

As part of Oregon State University Day at the Capitol, legislators were invited to test their OSU IQ.

TEST YOUR OSU IQ

Try taking the quiz presented to state representatives and senators and see how you'd fare.

1. Congratulations! You have enrolled in OSU's "Surimi School." In what OSU laboratory will your class be held, and what the heck is surimi?

2. As a result of legislative action taken during the 2001 session, one of OSU's colleges severed its ties to another university. June will mark the first year a class from this college will graduate without having to travel out of state to complete their degrees. What is the college at OSU, and what was the university with which it severed ties?

3. The governor's budget includes authorization for a $60 million construction project proposed on the OSU campus. Half of the money will be raised by donors. What is the most notable thing about the OSU alumnus after whom the building will be named?

4. OSU engineering professor Annette von Jouanne is developing an innovative new source for generating electricity. What is it?

5. There are three "statewide public service programs" at OSU - the Agricultural Experiment Station, Forest Research Laboratory and Extension Service. Which of them is the oldest, and in what year was it established?

6. A recent National Science Foundation survey ranked all U.S. cities on the basis of the number of scientists as a percentage of the local work force. Where did Corvallis fall in the ranking? (Hint: It was in the top 20.)

7. According to a study by OSU Public Health Professor Brian Flay recently published in the American Journal of Public Health, tobacco company-sponsored anti-smoking ads might have what effect on teen smoking?

8. Degree partnership agreements between community colleges and OSU enable students to jointly enroll at both institutions using one application, coordinated financial aid and the flexibility to take courses at the partner institutions at the same time. How many of Oregon's 17 community colleges have signed such agreements with OSU?

9. A team of engineering students from Oregon State University, inspired by a late professor's rudimentary sketches, has designed a working prototype of a hot water heating system powered solely by what?

10. Who/what was the OSU mascot that preceded Benny Beaver? (Hint: It wasn't Jimmy the Coyote.)

11. Extra credit: One of the people for whom the new OHSU Portland Aerial Tram is named is a graduate of OSU. What is her name, and what distinguishes her in the degree she earned?

Answers:

1. OSU Sea Food Laboratory in Astoria, fish

2. OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University

3. Linus Pauling Institute/chemistry building, OSU alumnus Linus Pauling, a famed chemist and the only person ever to win two unshared Nobel Prizes

4. Wave energy

5. Agricultural Experiment Station, 1888

6. Second

7. Increased likelihood

8. 16

9. Wind

10. John Richard Newton Bell, a Corvallis Presbyterian minister and longtime member of the Oregon Agricultural College Board of Regents

11. Jean Richardson, the first female engineering graduate from OSU