Staci’s group was working in environmental chemistry and toxicology, topics which Jackson was very interested in. After contacting Staci, they exchanged a few more emails and he was welcomed into the research group.

After graduation, Jackson knew he wanted to get into grad school. While he finalizes his plans, he is currently looking into a handful of schools to pursue Astrochemistry. This field is the crossroads of Astronomy and Chemistry, studying the effects of chemicals and materials in extraterrestrial environments. As the field often deals with poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the very chemicals he’s currently studying in his research group, it seemed like an excellent fit. We hope it continues to fuel his passion in chemistry!

When not at school, he follows his native Oregonian roots and enjoys exploring and hiking through nature. He’s also found of video games, fitting in some time between study sessions and school work. His favorite book is 2001: A Space Odyssey, and his favorite food is sushi. Yum!

We wish all the best to Jackson from OSU to beyond!

Linus explained he loves chemistry because to him, chemistry felt like the “Goldilocks of the sciences.” He described how chemistry had the best of both worlds, with the rich physical application of biology and logical mathematical structure of physics.

In addition to classes and his work in research, Linus worked as a peer advisor for the College of Science over the summer and is a member of the unicycle club. He also was a member of his high school marching band but after graduation, was not certain continuing would be an option in college. While touring Oregon State and first seeing Reser Stadium, he could not resist joining the band. For Linus, marching band became a major factor in his decision to attend Oregon State. Since then, he has earned a role as the drum major.

We are delighted to name Linus an Undergraduate of the Quarter for Spring 2019. After graduation, Linus hopes to attend medical school and work as a physician in Oregon. We wish him the best in his future endeavors and are excited to see what he accomplishes.

Currently, Tanner is working in Dr. Burrow’s lab. He got started in this lab by asking professors if they had any openings in their lab, because he wanted to see if research was something he would be interested in. Now, Tanner is working with nanoparticles, specifically nanostars. He aids a graduate student, Lixia, by making nanostars from nanoseeds. He also performs data collection and analysis for this project.

Outside of school, Tanner likes to hang out with friends, and get to know new people, especially if they are also chemistry students. He finds collaboration on school work to help transition into friendships. He is also a part of the professional chemistry fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma. The fraternity is fairly small right now, but Tanner hopes to see it grow by the end of his time at Oregon State.

Yitong Qi has been named undergraduate of the quarter for fall term 2018, and we are so pleased.

Yitong grew up in Xi’an, the capital city of the Saanxi Province in China. He then moved to Salem where he attended Sprague High School.

An initial interest in sustainable energy and materials drove Yitong to pursue Chemical Engineering in his undergraduate work. He discovered that engineering was less about the materials than the process, and decided to switch to Chemistry to work first hand with the chemicals. He found research interest after joining Dr. Ji’s lab, where he works with graduate students and post docs on projects related to battery materials. Projects in the lab involve making and applying carbon materials to battery use and the chemistry behind them.

In his spare time, Yitong enjoys watching movies, hearing stories, and eating guacamole.

After graduating from Oregon State University, Yitong plans to attend graduate school.

Students like Yitong are just some of the reasons were so proud of our Undergraduate Majors.  We wish him great success in his future endeavors.