Tech Expo highlights art, science and extracurricular programs

LA GRANDE — The fourth annual Technology Expo at Eastern Oregon University brings high school students from multiple districts together for a day of hands-on experience with technology.

EOU and Greater Oregon ScienceTechnology Engineering and Math partner to host this event Thursday, April 2. Students dig into hardware and software in different academic departments across the campus, gaining skills they might not have access to within their school districts.

“This event encourages students to grow their interests and help them develop their talents as they move past graduation,” said Jeff Carman, the director of internet technology at EOU and event coordinator.

University students and faculty collaborate on full technology immersion experiences, showing attendees the importance of technology and how it relates to a variety of career fields. Providing this resource to high school students is another way Eastern expands student access, opportunity and completion.

“We care about education,” Carman said. “So we feel technology is the future and we want to

include any opportunity to help spark these young minds.”

The Technology Expo also exposes students to one of Eastern’s newest offerings: eSports. This extracurricular club and newly established competitive team showcase the cutting-edge world of competitive video gaming at a collegiate level.

Students also learn how complex instruments contribute to conducting experiments, how to research and track human performance with digital tools and about digital photography and fabrication technologies that transform images.

This event coincides with a technology career fair hosted by Eastern’s Career Center. Additionally, admissions office staff will offer campus tours during one of the sessions for visiting prospective students.

Students can choose from 10 sessions. To sign up visit, eou.edu/tech-expo. For more information contact Jeff Carman or jcarman@eou.edu.

DEQ issues emergency order counties recover from flooding

PENDLETON — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an emergency order last week to help farmers, ranchers, residents and businesses recover after recent floods caused significant damage to approximately 300 structures in Umatilla, Union and Wallowa counties.

The environmental protection department’s order comes alongside Gov. Kate Brown’s state of emergency declaration for the same three counties, which cited ongoing public health and safety risks from buildings that sustained damage in the floods.

The order temporarily suspends several environmental rules and fees to expedite the cleanup of flood debris and ensure ongoing protection of people and the environment, the DEQ’s news release stated. Specifically, the order:

•Suspends state fees and rules related to residential asbestos project notifications and accumulation of asbestos waste. The order does not suspend rules related to safe disposal of asbestos waste. Find information about asbestos disposal requirements on DEQ’s Asbestos Information webpage.

•Suspends DEQ fees for repairing septic (onsite) systems and suspends fees for establishing temporary solid waste disposal sites. Contact your waste hauler to learn about temporary disposal options in your area.

Find more information about safely repairing homes, buildings and septic systems after floods here: http://bit.ly/floods-DEQinfo

The Department of Environmental Quality also reported the temporary order expires June 1 for the asbestos program, and Sept. 1 for solid waste and septic systems.

Noxious weed contractor training in March

LA GRANDE — Tri-County Cooperative Weed Management Area’s annual noxious weed contractor meeting and training will be Tuesday, March 3, in La Grande. Licensed herbicide applicators interested in working with government and nonprofit agencies in 2020 may contact Tri-County CWMA at 541-624-5353 or mail@tricountycwma.org.