Elias “Eli” Henderson has been named one of the Fall 2021 Undergraduates of the Quarter and we couldn’t be prouder.         

Eli was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, and graduated from South Eugene High School, home of the Axe.  He stated that he likes all science, but chemistry is, “so cool with so many different applications that it seems like a good place to begin.”  When asked why he chose OSU, Eli said it was mostly a financial decision.  “I didn’t want to pay out of state tuition and OSU has a good science program so I knew it would be a good fit.”

Eli said he wanted to get into doing science that wasn’t in the form of the normal courses. He wanted to be able to have a goal for some project that he could study on his own time.  To that end, Eli is currently researching with Marilyn Mackiewicz in the Mack Lab. The Mack Lab focuses on making metallic based nanoparticles for biomedical applications.  Eli works specifically with Nickel. “I have been working on making Nickel nanoparticles that are suspended in water.

While he’s not 100% sure what his plans are post-graduation, he is currently working towards a focus in education, and contemplating getting a masters on his way to a teaching license to teach high school.

Outside school, Eli likes to rock climb and explore Corvallis. When he’s exploring, he likes to find the small stores around town and see what is going on.

His favorite book is The End of Boys by Peter Hofmeister, a book he says he’s just finished re-reading. The author was his English teach in high school, and is about the author’s life growing up in Eugene. “It feels very familiar to me,” Eli says.  His favorite food is the curry at Thai Chili. He likes to go in on Fridays, saying it’s a good way to wrap up the week.

Eli says he’s really appreciative of this opportunity, and we’re so happy to be able to provide it for him.