The Community

Oregon State University is located in Corvallis, a community of about 50,000 situated in the Willamette Valley between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Coast Range. It offers an attractive setting and a variety of cultural activities associated with the University and community. Corvallis is 80 miles (100 km) south of Portland, Oregon's largest city.

The climate is Mediterranean, generally mild with seasonal average temperature ranging from 66F (19C) in summer to 39F (4C) in winter. Summers are warm and sunny. The annual precipitation of approximately 38 inches (95 cm) falls mostly from November through April. Many outdoor activities are within easy driving distance of Corvallis. The Pacific Ocean is 50 miles (30 km) from Corvallis and provides sightseeing, fishing, crabbing and surfing. Other activities near Corvallis include water fowl and big game hunting, wilderness camping, mountain climbing, sail-boarding on the Columbia River, cross country skiing, and downhill skiing in the Cascade Mountains.

Oregon and Its Natural Resources

Oregon has a population of fewer than 4 million people and a land area of 97,000 square miles (251,418 km²). More than half of the land in the state is owned and managed as national forests and grazing lands. Much of Oregon's economy is based on agriculture, forestry, fishing, and tourism, as well as technology and manu-facturing industries.

The state has a great diversity in soils, climate and topography. Rainfall ranges from over 100 inches (250 cm) at some coastal locations to less than 8 inches (20 cm) per year in the eastern Oregon desert.

Because of the large range in temperature and rainfall, numerous crops are grown in the state. Included are nursery stock, hay, wheat and other cereals, alfalfa, seed crops, potatoes, onions, tree fruits, peppermint, sugar beets, vegetables sold fresh or processed, berries, hops, wine grapes, flower bulbs, and nutcrops.

With 10 of the world's 12 soil orders and diverse climate and topography, Oregon is an exceptional location for pursuing an advanced degree in Soil Science.

Soil science research at Oregon State University cuts across agricultural, forested, and natural ecosystems. Environmental research is a major component of programs on nutrient cycling, groundwater contamination, and recycling waste products in soils. Other research includes fundamentals of chemical/biochemical reactions in wetland soils, biologically mediated processes in soils, soil community structure, and landscape analysis. The current faculty members represent the subdisciplines of soil physics, soil chemistry, soil biology, soil fertility, and soil landscape analysis.

The University

In 11 schools and colleges, Oregon State University enrolls nearly 20,000 students, of which 3,500 are at the graduate level. Most of these students come from Oregon, but the other 49 states and numerous foreign countries are well represented. Foreign students from more than 90 countries have chosen to study on this campus. Courses are offered at B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. level in many different programs of study. Oregon State University is a state assisted institution and is part of an eight-member Oregon State System of Higher Education. The faculty of more than 2,000 comes from across the United States and around the world.

The Agricultural Experiment Station maintains a network of 15 branch stations. Field plot space, equipment and labor are available for AES cooperative research through branch stations. In addi­tion, some departments in the College manage their own research farms. The Hyslop Crop Science Field Lab, covering almost 400 acres (160 hectares) located 5 miles (8 km) north of Corvallis, is managed by the Department of Crop and Soil Science, and provides field plots, equipment and labor at cost for research projects. The College of Forestry manages approximately 14,500 acres (5,800 hectares) of forested land, most of which is located just a 15 minute drive from campus, in McDonald and Dunn Forests. These excellent facilities pro­vide unique soil research and teaching opportunities.