Sophia (Jiani) Jiang has been named one of the Spring 2020 Undergraduates of the Quarter.

                  Sophia grew up in Shanghai, China and moved to Beaverton, Oregon with her family in December 2014. She attended Westview High School in Portland. Although chemistry at times can be difficult to learn, she decided to pursue it because it is fundamental to everything in the world.

                  Ultimately, Sophia decided to attend Oregon State because it is a research-based university with an incredible science program. Additionally, she believes Corvallis is one of the best college towns in the US and has many places for her to explore.

                  Sophia is a part of Dr. Vince Remcho’s research group working on a thin-layer chromatography experiment for remote learning. Her work is part of a bigger project called “Making Introductory Courses Real while Online (MICRO)” which is funded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

                  With the help of her advisor, Dr. Neal Sleszynski, Sophia was able to get involved in research. He was able to help Sophia get in contact with several professors from the chemistry and biochemistry department. After reading papers and talking with professors, she decided to join Dr. Remcho’s group because of her interest in microfluidics and its wide range of applications.

                  Aside from school and her work in research, Sophia enjoys hiking and playing fingerstyle guitar. Her favorite book is The Lord of the Rings.  One thing Sophia believes stands out about herself is she is a tough person and her perseverance helps her achieve her goals.