Social Sciences + Humanities

Oregonians perceive greater risk than benefit from natural gas export in state, OSU study finds

CORVALLIS, Ore. — When presented with proposed natural gas export operations in the state, Oregonians are more likely to perceive the environmental and public health risks than the potential financial gains, a recent study from Oregon State University found.

To date, six natural gas export projects have been proposed along the Oregon coast but none have been built, most recently the Jordan Cove LNG project slated for Coos Bay, which was first proposed in 2004 and ultimately defeated last year.

Public invited to Oregon State panel discussion on Russian invasion of Ukraine

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Russian military action in Ukraine will be the topic of a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Oregon State University College of Liberal Arts at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 9.

The event’s title is “War in Europe: Context and Implications of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.” The event, which is open to the public, will be held via Zoom and can be joined by clicking here.

Oregon State study finds lower math scores in high schools that switched to 4-day school week

CORVALLIS, Ore. — A recent Oregon State University study analyzing the impact of a shorter school week for high schools found that 11th-grade students participating in a four-day week performed worse on standardized math tests than students who remained on five-day schedules.

The effect was amplified among students in non-rural schools and was limited to math; no significant gap appeared in reading achievement across different school-week schedules.

Study from OSU researcher shows how alcohol dampens response to uncertain stressors

CORVALLIS, Ore. — When drinking for stress relief, people may make risky decisions because the alcohol affects how much they worry about unknown or unpredictable stressors, new research from Oregon State University shows.

For example, if someone is driving intoxicated but knows their entire route home by heart, they can respond to known stressors like a stop sign; but if another driver or pedestrian does something unexpected, the person’s intoxication makes them less responsive to that new, unknown stressor.

OSU study reveals how COVID shutdowns, restrictions affected countries’ electricity use

CORVALLIS, Ore. — A recent study from Oregon State University found that countries with stricter COVID-19 lockdowns and larger decreases in local travel early in the pandemic experienced steeper declines in electricity use than countries with more lax restrictions.

Researchers hope the information will help utility companies to better predict and plan for future emergency situations and extreme events so that energy supply and demand are matched.