The Barometer Online

Competing for the first time at the 2008 University Rover Challenge, the Oregon State University Robotics Club surpassed expectations and was crowned champion in the event held June 5-7 at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. The annual rover challenge, hosted by the Mars Society, involves students designing their own Mars Rover to complete geology, soil characterization, emergency navigation, and construction tasks.

Max A. Galeai, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines and a 1988 Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps graduate of OSU, was killed June 26 in Iraq. Galeai joined the Marines after graduating from OSU as the Student Battalion Commander of the NROTC. He was the commanding officer of about 1,000 Kaneohe, Hawaii Marines deployed to the Al-Anbar region of Iraq in February, where he was killed when a suicide bomber attacked a meeting between local leaders and U.

On June 27, the Joint Legislative Emergency Board approved a $215,000 emergency package to fund three honeybee research positions at OSU. The funding will lead to the researchers acquiring more information to help identify the underlying cause of why the number of beehives in Oregon and most of the United States has depleted in recent years.

A new research trend focusing on the benefits of vitamin D suggests that getting a little sun this summer may do more for a person's health than previously expected. Many Americans are aware of the risks associated with exposure to the sun's harsh ultraviolet rays.