NEWS
BY KIANNA CABUCO
• The Portland daily newspaper is not known for its affection for the
University of Oregon, but President Michael Schill clearly won over reporter
Andrew Theen for his page one story in the July 1 Oregonian. It’s a good read,
portraying the new pres as a smart, very hardworking, skilled fundraiser who
truly intends to lift the academic side of the university. The closing sentence
quotes a former colleague who says, “I think Oregon got really lucky.”
P HOTO COUR T E SY OF ROO VA NDEGRIF T
LOCAL SCIENTIST
CREATES KICKSTARTER
TO FUND RESEARCH
oo Vandegrift studies fungi. He recently received his Ph.D. from the University
of Oregon and, like hundreds of other scientists, he is in need of money to fund
his research.
Scientists usually apply for federal grants, but in Vandegrift’s case, he cre-
ated a Kickstarter campaign for his research on fungi and climate change in
Central America.
Vandegrift says there has been an increase in the number of researchers and, ac-
cording to the National Science Foundation, federal funding for scientific research has
declined. Researchers have to compete for grants with funds generally going to the “sex-
ier,” more transformative sciences with greater impact, like the medical sciences.
When scientists receive grants, Vandegrift says, the universities usually take a per-
centage of the money to help keep facilities and programs running. By using a crowd-
funding source, Vandegrift says he hopes to demonstrate how important basic sciences
are, such as taxonomy, which involves classifying plants and animals based on their
similarities.
“The alpha taxonomists are nearing retirement, or nearing death,” Vandegrift says,
“and there’s nobody to replace them because there hasn’t been money to train replace-
ments.”
Vandegrift’s goal is to create a book that helps identify various species of Xylaria,
wood decay fungi, commonly known as “Dead Man’s Fingers.” According to his Kick-
starter, “these are some of the most common wood decay fungi in the tropics, which
makes them very important to global carbon cycling, and thus climate change.”
Crowdfunding for scientific research has not been very successful traditionally since
the rewards are more societal and not individual. “Taxonomy might be unique,” Van-
degrift says. “Because of the graphic nature of taxonomy, and because of the tangible
outputs of taxonomic research, I think it has the potential to be the exception to the rule.”
Taxonomic research generally includes multiple graphics and pictures documenting
the various species within a genus. “Graphics projects do really well with crowdfunding
because people like pretty pictures,” Vandegrift notes. Thus, the rewards for pledges to
his Kickstarter include items with varying images of Xylaria.
“We’re not saying donate to help science,” Vandegrift says. “We’re saying buy some-
thing that you might have wanted anyway and help science … We’re using the strength
of the art to support the strength of the science.”
If this crowdfunding project succeeds, Vandegrift says he hopes it will send a mes-
sage to the federal agencies creating scientific grants of the importance of funding basic
sciences.
“If it can work for this project,” Vandegrift says, “it could be a model for other re-
searchers working on other groups of organisms.”
So far, Vandegrift has raised $7,607 of his $67,000 goal, with a deadline of July 23.
Find Vandegrift’s Kickstarter at kickstarter.com/projects/werdnus/xylaria-of-the-cloud-
forests-of-ecuador.
R
• If you watched The West Wing, then you know that Friday is “Take Out the
Trash Day.” Government officials save potentially embarrassing stories for
release on Friday in hopes they won’t get much attention over the weekend.
On July 1, shortly after 4 pm on the Friday before a holiday weekend, the city
of Eugene sent out a press release saying the “general contractor for the
Eugene City Hall project received the construction bids and provided an
overview to city staff. Unfortunately, the bids have come in higher than the
previous estimates.” According to the press release, “it appears likely that the
cost would exceed the estimates provided at a recent work session by
somewhere between $1.5 million and $2.5 million.” The city calls the future
City Hall a “civic legacy project, planned to last 50 years or more,” but we are
still scratching our heads as to why the city tore down the legacy of our last
City Hall with apparently no real plan or budget in place to replace it. Saving
and redesigning our historic City Hall would have been a legacy. This is a
boondoggle.
• July 4 weekend was clash of the events here in the Eug. Was it too
much for our fair city? We have heard rumors that the Oregon Bach Festival
had unsold tickets, that there were seats open at the Olympic Trials track and
field events and that Fourth of July stalwart Art and the Vineyard had lower
attendance. With Oregon County Fair on the horizon, we’re wondering if we
need to do a little better planning when it comes to inundating Lane County
with things to do all in one month? Despite the rumors, every attempt we
made to eat out was met with long lines at local eateries, so we’re hoping the
food scene benefitted!
• We commented in Slant last week on The Register-Guard’s peculiar
focus on a crime that no one is sure happened — alleged tree spiking at a mill
in Noti. No spikes have been found, and local Earth First! group Cascadia
Forest Defenders has told the R-G that “CFD does not encourage, condone or
commit acts of senseless sabotage.” Yet the R-G promptly came out with
another story. What gives?
• People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. EW makes its
share of typos, but the R-G’s July 1 headline, “50 Percent Chance of
Dangerous Air Bag Rapture” had us giggling. Jesus, take the wheel, there’s
been an air bag rapture. Almost as fun as the East Oregonian’s now infamous
“Amphibious Pitcher Makes Debut” (ambidextrous, oops).
.
• Hollis Shostrom and his company
Perpetual Motion Design have a fundraiser
at gofundme.com/pmdeugene. Shostrom
says he is raising money for the design of
innovative new wheelchairs including the
construction of his own chair. Email
pmdeugene@gmail.com for more info.
• Paul Moore of Arriving by Bike tells EW
that according to Bicycle Retailer and
Industry News (BRAIN) “Interbike has
announced the first round of IB Award
nominees for product, retailer and triathlon
categories, including the bicycle retailer
nominees.” Online voting has begun, and IB
Awards will be held during September’s
Interbike expo in Las Vegas. The retailer
nominations were determined by an open
industry online ballot then vetted by the
BRAIN editorial staff. Categories for the
retailer awards include Best Urban/Lifestyle
Shop, Best Mountain Bike Shop, Best
Women’s/Female Friendly Shop and 2016
Retailer of the Year. Arriving by Bike is up for
Best Urban/Lifestyle Shop, which
“recognizes the specialty retailer that
features the best selection, product mix and
knowledgeable staff in the urban and
lifestyle category. This shop appeals to
commuters and recreational riders.” Arriving
by Bike is up against bike shops from across
the country. Voting closes July 29; go to
surveymonkey.com/r/2016IBAwardsBallot
to vote.
• Home Instead’s Let’s Talk about
Driving program is designed to help keep
Eugene seniors safer on the road, the senior
home health care service says. According to
Home Instead, “A recent study found that
when seniors stop driving, they run the risk
of social isolation.” The free program can be
found at LetsTalkAboutDriving.com. Home
Instead says, “The program encourages
adult children to start the conversation
about driving with their aging parents —
and possibly find alternatives to quitting
driving altogether.”
eugeneweekly.com • July 7, 2016
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