OSU's programs in genetic and biomedical research should be significantly enhanced by the addition of two new, nationally recognized scientists who have agreed to join the faculty.

James C. Carrington, a professor of biological chemistry at Washington State University, will become the new director of the OSU Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology, which coordinates the efforts of dozens of OSU research faculty in genetics and the biosciences.

Joseph Beckman, a professor of anesthesiology, biochemistry, molecular genetics and neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has accepted the Ava Helen Pauling Chair as the newest member of OSU's expanding Linus Pauling Institute.

"These scientists are of outstanding reputation in their respective fields," said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute. "Dr. Beckman is one of the world's leading authorities on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, and he will build a strong research program focused on the role of oxidative stress, antioxidants and dietary factors in neurodegenerative diseases."

Carrington is not only a distinguished researcher, according to OSU President Paul Risser, but also should provide dynamic leadership for OSU's growing programs in gene research and biotechnology.

Among the more significant changes that have occurred during his tenure as dean, Dalrymple cites improved academic programs, better research and teaching facilities, more faculty and funding, and continuing efforts in outreach services and research.

"Grants and contracts have grown from $18 million in the 1994-95 fiscal year to $22.5 million in 1999-2000," he said. "During the last fiscal year, the college was awarded $23.4 million in new grants, which was more than any other academic unit at OSU."

Timothy J. Cowles, an OSU educator since 1984, has been appointed interim dean of the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. Cowles has been associate dean of the college since 1998.

OSU is planning to launch a new media communication program and is in the process of selecting a program director.

The new program will focus on new media technology and integrate communications programs using the Web, video and print communications.

OSU's journalism program was eliminated after the 1991-92 school year because of budget cutting necessitated by the passage of Measure 5.

The National Science Foundation has announced that OSU will receive a $4.8 million, four-year grant to create the world's most sophisticated tsunami wave basin research facility, allowing scientists to better understand these natural disasters, improve warnings and ultimately save lives.

Construction of the new research facility, which will be a significant expansion of the Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory on the OSU campus, will begin this summer and be complete by late 2002. The award is part of the NSF's $82 million Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation, or NEES program, which will also support research at the OSU laboratory through at least 2014.

"This new facility will be an enormous step forward for tsunami research, and the knowledge our engineers gain with it should eventually help predict tsunami behavior and save lives all over the world," said Ron Adams, dean of the OSU College of Engineering. "It should also be of special value to citizens of the Pacific Northwest with the clear dangers we face from the Cascadia subduction zone."

Beyond that, Adams said, the facility will connect OSU researchers with ocean, structural, and earthquake engineers throughout the world, enhance education for undergraduate and graduate students, and represent another major step toward OSU's goal of operating a "top 25" engineering program.

Donors have established a $2 million endowment with the Oregon Community Foundation to benefit libraries at Oregon State University.

Support generated from the "Gray Family Chair for Innovative Library Services at Oregon State University Fund" will allow OSU to create an endowed chair for its libraries that focuses on public access to research data and other 21st century information needs.

Funds generated by the endowment will be used to bring to campus a series of loaned executives from industry to provide expertise in managing massive data collections and similar information technology projects. Called the Gray Family Chair for Innovative Library Services, the endowment also will fund a number of efforts to improve access and delivery of digital information - with a likely focus on natural resources.

It's amazing what you can learn when looking for something else.

The Webworm was crawling around the Web page for OSU's Central Oregon presence, when she noticed that the OSU home button points to a new address: oregonstate.edu.

This address has the same content as osu.orst.edu. David Stauth of OSU News and Communications reports his office has began using oregonstate.edu because it is said to work best with browsers of all eras. The Webworm sees other advantages: for a gain of only three characters, it doesn't assume you know what "orst" stands for. And it can't possibly be confused with those places in Oklahoma or Ohio.

Fans of the Webworm (both of you!) will recall that OSU's first address, www.orst.edu, was retired in 1997 because the word "worst" would be read by those too nearsighted to notice the dot. So we became osu.orst.edu, handing the Webworm a teachable moment: Web addresses don't have to start with www. And as she predicted, it's dying away like some prehistoric appendage.

Speaking of names, the Webworm suggests that for now you access the Central Oregon page by clicking the black bar on the left of the OSU home page. The name of the Central Oregon presence is not yet settled, so there is no point in getting overly attached to a Web address. Okay, if you must know, it's cosu.orst.edu. For now.

Which (finally) brings us back to Central Oregon. Press coverage was hot and heavy when there was a horse race to follow, but now this is the only sure bet to find out what's around the Bend for your alma mater and its partners.

For the basics, try Top Stories, a changing set of press releases just to the left of the artwork. As we ready this issue, the top Top Story is a new board of advisers for the branch campus.

If you want the absolute works, click on OSU-CO Proposal. Most of this is in Adobe .pdf format, which requires the Acrobat Reader. The executive summary is an ordinary Web link.

For most readers, the "just right according to Goldilocks" solution would be found in the Frequently Asked Questions. There's enough here to help prospective students get started. (See also Proposed Academic Programs.) And not too much for readers like the Webworm who are merely curious about how things are expected to progress.

Once again the Webworm's existence was blighted by the warring factions in her computer system. When she printed the main page and the FAQ, critical elements dropped out. What good is a FAQ without the questions? The Webworm must content herself with reading onscreen or playing a very specialized game of "Jeopardy!"