We are proud to introduce, one of our Fall 2024 Undergraduates of the Quarter, Mitchell Kenny. Mitchell grew up in Portland, Oregon, where he attended Benson Polytechnic High School. He explored several career options while growing up. He went to an arts middle school, then swapped directions and attended a technical high school. At Benson, he explored and then rejected careers in architecture, computer science, and engineering. Then, in the early stages of the pandemic when he had run out of career ideas, he stumbled upon and promptly tore through what became his favorite sci-fi book series: The Expanse. He applied to college as a chemistry major to pursue the awe-inspiring future he read about, and four years later his goals have not changed. He was accepted at many schools across the country. However, upon receiving the tuition costs, OSU was the involuntary choice, with the added benefits of more easily visiting family and pleasant weather.

Mitchell is currently working with Dr. Kyriakos Stylianou on MOFs. He is involved in several projects, the largest is investigating the structural differences between many new MOFs he has made in the same family. In his quest to explain the vast and inexplicable structural diversity, he continues to encounter new materials and phenomena. He has begun to realize he is suffering from success, wading through the sprawling richness of this MOF family and hoping to understand but a small fraction of its complexity. He started his research with the URSA Engage program, (also with Dr. Stylianou) and became even more involved with a scholarship to travel to Germany and study MOFs all summer. He will be continuing his MOF research with a PhD somewhere after graduation.

When not in school, or the lab, he enjoys lifting heavy objects, playing Doppelkopf, mining Morkite, trance music, and consuming more sci-fi media when he is not doing any of the previously listed things. Picking a single book out of The Expanse saga is difficult—but he will grudgingly settle for the final one as his favorite. His favorite food is the Noodles & Company Wisconsin Mac and Cheese, best served across the street from Powell’s Books. That location has unfortunately been closed. One thing he’d like readers to know is that the show “Dark” on Netflix is perhaps the most beautiful and perplexing piece of science fiction television that exists. Watch with subtitles and without spoilers and be amazed, although it is a slow burn. 

We’re proud to introduce, Trevor Storm, one of the Fall 2024 Undergraduates of the Quarter. Trevor grew up in Enumclaw Washington, a very small town just outside of Mount Rainer in the western side of the state. There, he attended Enumclaw High School. The reason he chose chemistry was because of his enjoyable experiences in Professor May Nyman’s lab which prompted him to add the Major.  

He chose OSU because he knew that it was a great research school, and he would have lots of opportunities to join a lab here. Also, because he loves the Oregon climate and nature. He is currently doing research in May Nyman’s research group working on niobium and tantalum peroxide materials for use as carbon dioxide capture materials. He knew he wanted to get into research from the very beginning, so when the URSA-Engage program gave him the opportunity to apply to work in the Nyman lab, he jumped on it. He’s very thankful that Professor Nyman selected him to work with her and her graduate students.

His post-graduation plans are to continue his education in graduate school although he has not decided exactly where yet. After that, he would like to work in a national laboratory. Outside of school he loves to bike, hike, and be outdoors. He plays piano and juggles to de-stress during finals season and he enjoy fixing things and working on his house. His Favorite book is Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, and his favorite Movies are Pulp Fiction and The Silence of the Lambs. His favorite food is mashed potatoes so he is excited for Thanksgiving. Something else that is interesting about him is that he lives in a tiny house outside of campus.

Phoebe Lee was born in China, but immigrated young and grew up in Portland, OR where she attended Clackamas High School. She applied as a chemistry undergrad because she enjoyed the chemistry courses in high school. As she studied chemistry further in college, she loved chemistry for its versatility and complexity. Oregon State University has a strong research-oriented science program. Knowing she wanted to major in chemistry, accessible research experience in invaluable. Plus, the campus is beautiful, and allows her to stay close to her family and friends. She is currently performing research in OSU’s Mass Spectrometry Center with Dr. Maier’s group under guidance from a graduate mentor. Currently, they are using mass spectrometry and imaging technology to analyze brain tissues of mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). By charactering the lipid profile of mice brains, they hope to identify significant lipid biomarkers for pre-symptomatic AD diagnosis. She got into research through OSU’s STEM Leaders Program her freshman year. It matched me with Dr. Maier’s lab, and she’s been researching since! She wants to continue in higher education. Graduate school is the goal, but ultimately she plans to join industry. Reading is her favorite past time. She also enjoys being outdoors, practicing music, and spending time with her friends and family. Her favorite book is All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. With the weather getting warmer, her favorite food is tending towards cold, fresh fruit. Her favorite fruit during the summer is Hami melon (like a cantaloupe but oblong in shape, sweeter in taste, and crispier in texture).

Mathew grew up right here in Corvallis and chose Oregon State because of its great science program and so that he can stay close to family. Also he received a scholarship to play Violin in the Organ State University Orchestra. Mathew originally started out as a biochemistry and molecular biology major to fulfil the prerequisites for dental school. During his second year he was enjoying organic chemistry, because for the first time it felt like I could explain and reason his way to solutions at a more fundamental level than ever. He ultimately decided to switch my major to chemistry so that he could continue pursuing it if he decided to abandon his dental school plans.

After graduation, Mathew plans to go to dental school. Due to the requirements for dental school, he has taken a wide variety of courses outside of chemistry that he has greatly enjoyed. The more he’s learned in these classes, the more he’s grown to love science (especially chemistry).  More recently, Mathew been seriously considering graduate school instead of dental school to continue satisfying his passion for science.

            If not in school you can find Mathew exercising, playing the violin, and video editing. He really enjoys the sport of MMA and practices Brazilian jiu jitsu several days per week. His favorite book to read is the Bible because it has more significance in his life than any other book. Mathew’s favorite food is the barbeque chicken and macaroni and cheese that his younger brother makes.  

Emily Frechette grew up in Portland Oregon, and after attending Saint Mary’s Academy in downtown Portland, she came to OSU to remain close to family and to stay surrounded by nature. Emily has a great love for running, reading, listening to music and cooking. Since high school her favorite book has been Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Emily’s passion for chemistry stems from the unknown of it all. She feels that it is a subject that will never be fully understood, and appreciates the broad and significant variety in real world applications, that the research can offer.

She got into research early on, and has been working with Zinc-based MOFs since her freshman year.  She got in contact with Dr. Stylianou, who brought her into the lab that she works in today. After graduation she plans on continuing her education and going to medical school.

My name is Evan Park and I use she/her/hers pronouns. I grew up in bend, Oregon. Freshman and sophomore year I attended Bend Senior High School (Bend, OR). Junior and senior year I attended American Overseas School of Rome (Rome, Italy). I chose to pursue chemistry because I am very intrigued by the ability of chemistry to observe and predict reactions at the molecular level, and how widely this skill can be applied. After learning about the scientific explanations behind climate change and environmental disasters, I decided that it was my goal to use chemistry to solve these problems someday. I chose OSU because the environment and community are so welcoming and conducive to growth, and the science programs here are challenging and distinguished. I also chose to come here for the opportunity of trying out for the rowing team with no prior experience, which has proven to be an amazing experience after three years of learning how to row, excelling within my team, and even competing at the international stage in the sport. Post-graduation, I am planning on attending a graduate program to pursue a master’s degree in chemistry. I will use my final year of NCAA athletic eligibility to continue rowing at the collegiate level, and potentially pursue athletics at the national team level after that. Outside of school and rowing, I enjoy playing bass guitar with my friends, being in nature, and playing with my roommate’s cat. My favorite book is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, because it leaves you with so many questions and ideas that you can read it over and over again! My favorite food is authentic Italian cacio e pepe pasta. I am proud to announce that I broke the OSU women’s rowing 2000 meter erg record this February, thanks to the support and encouragement of my coaches and teammates. The Oregon State women’s rowing team has offered me an amazing environment to explore and exceed my own expectations of myself both physically and mentally, and I have learned countless lessons about grit, teamwork, and the rewards of raw, hard work. Last summer, I was accepted into the Under 23 National Team selection camp, where I made the top boat, the women’s open weight 8+, and travelled to Plovdiv, Bulgaria for the Under 23 World Rowing Championships. After winning our first heat in a comeback race, my boat won in the finals by open water, taking home gold medals for the USA. My experience there is reflective of the daily hard work, time management, and effort that I put in at OSU, balancing my chemistry demands, 9 rowing practices per week, and holding an executive role on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as a Student Athlete Leadership Team representative.

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.

Casey Rummelhart grew up in Lake Stevens, Washington. He was drawn to chemistry after taking AP Chemistry at Lake Stevens High School, and initially wanted to become a high school chemistry teacher. Casey chose OSU because he wanted to go out of state but still remain close to home. He has enjoyed working as a general chemistry lab and lecture TA, and helping students in his job at the Mole Hole. Casey will be graduating this spring, after only three years, and has been accepted into the PhD program for chemistry where he will begin in the fall. This summer, he’ll joining the Desnoyer group conducting research in organic chemistry. Outside of school and work, Casey likes partying, playing Pokémon, and enjoying his favorite food, pho.