Carley Beeman grew up in Golden, Colorado and attended Golden High School. She enjoyed high school chemistry classes, loved the puzzle and challenge behind the science, and thought she wanted to pursue a career in pharmacy or medical research.

Carley chose OSU for the strong academics and athletics present- coming to Oregon State allowed her to pursue Division 1 gymnastics while simultaneously getting an undergraduate degree in chemistry. She notes that the people here at OSU are also genuine and caring, and it felt like home. Carley joined Dr. Kolluri’s lab this term, researching pathways regulating cell cycle, cell death, and differentiation in relation to cancer cells. She was drawn to this research after taking part in the ASPET research fellowship at the University of Michigan last summer, where she studied the respiratory depression pathway of opioids in mice brains. After graduation, Carley hopes to pursue her PhD in a biomedical science field.

            Outside of school, she loves spending time in nature with friends, camping and hiking. Her favorite book is the Giver, and favorite food is tacos al pastor. She has two brothers, making her the only girl in the family, and loves springtime in Corvallis when everything is in bloom.

Helen White grew up on Vashon Island, Washington where she attended Vashon Island High School. She chose to study chemistry because of her interest in radiochemistry, and because it paired well with her Radiation Health Physics degree.

Helen decided to go to OSU because of the campus and proximity to everyone she cares about. Compared to other schools, Oregon State had more to offer–academic and otherwise–so there wasn’t a doubt in her mind when it came to choosing a university.

Currently, Helen is performing research in the radiation center on campus with Dr. Chemey’s group. In the winter she will transfer projects from analyzing crystalline structures they were creating in the lab to working on a radiochemical separations project. Previously, she worked on a computational project using a DFT program in order to simulate metal hexaboride structures and explore their capabilities in holding radioactive waste materials. To get into research, Helen emailed and asked around professors she was interested in working with. Since then, she notes it has been an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience. Helen plans on attending graduate school immediately after graduation, hoping to pursue a PhD in radiochemistry and focus on working in nuclear waste management.

Outside of school and work, she loves to be outside and enjoys going for walks, bouldering, running, and frolicking, all the things she says help keep her sane. Beyond that, she loves to read, which can be a much-needed break from chemistry. Right now, Helen’s favorite book is The Wall by Marlen Haushofer. It is a short, devastating, dystopian fiction that was written in 1963 which talks about a woman’s experience a person in a way that is not normally explored.

Helen’s favorite food is saltine crackers. She is the first in her family to go to college, which she adds is “an immeasurable privilege, especially in the state of the world now where a bachelor’s degree may afford a person a well-paying job.” She says that her biggest hope is to move into a financial place in her life where she can support those who have supported her in the past.

Nicholas Pogue grew up in Beaverton, OR, and attended Sunset High School. He has always liked science and knew he wanted to go into the field. Of all the different sciences, chemistry was Nicholas’ favorite, and the most interesting to him because of all the real-world applications. Everything in life can be traced back to chemistry!

After living in Oregon his whole life and knowing family members who attended, Nicholas knew he wanted to go to OSU. He says that it’s a great college, with amazing faculty, fantastic science programs, and a beautiful campus. After graduation, Nicholas plans to get his Master’s in Education and jump right into student teaching to begin his career as a high school teacher.

Outside of school, Nicholas enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing video games, reading, tennis, and watching movies. Some of his favorite movies include the Cars trilogy, Star Wars, Comic book movies, and the Fast and Furious Franchise. Nicholas’ favorite book is Triple Zero by Karen Traviss (part of the Star Wars Republic Commando series), and his favorite food is cereal- namely Wheaties and Reese’s Puffs. He is very grateful to have been nominated and selected for UGQ.