Undergraduate of the Quarter – Winter 2016 – Marshall Allen

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marshallallen.jpgCongratulations to Marshall Allen on being selected as one of the Winter 2016 Undergraduates of the Quarter.

Marshall grew up in Bend, Oregon.  He graduated from Summit High School, home of the Storm; where he was a member of the swim team.  He remembers taking AP Chemistry his sophomore year from Mr. Mohel and “really, really” enjoying the class.

Marshall reported that he debated between OSU and Cal-Tech.  However when OSU offered him the Presidential Scholarship as well as admittance to the Honors College, he decision became pretty clear.  When Marshall arrived at OSU, he was originally a chemical engineering major.  After speaking with Chief Chemistry Advisor, Dr. Christine Pastorek at a START session, he shifted his focus to a dual degree in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.

Marshall took Organic Chemistry as a freshman which he loved.  He remembers his other classes being mainly filler; leaving a greater amount of time to focus on chemistry. Then, his sophomore year, he took Advanced Organic Chemistry (CH 471) from Dr. Chris Beaudry.  He said this class was great because in it Dr. Beaudry presents more modern reactions and touches on some graduate school topics.  The next year, Marshall also took Spectroscopy (CH 435) from Dr. Sandra Loesgen – a class he says was hands down, his favorite.

When asked about his favorite teacher, Marshall replied that it had to be Dr. Chris Beaudry.  Since attending his class freshman year and well as performing undergraduate research in his lab, Dr. Beaudry has become as much a mentor as a teacher to him.

Marshall is currently completing an internship at Maxim Integrated in Portland.  Maxim Integrated fabricates integrated circuits and Marshall is involved in some process control and cost savings projects for the company.

After his internship and completing his BS degree from OSU in chemistry, but his plan is definitely to continue on to graduate school.  Prior to his internship, his focus was on obtaining a job in academia, but his internship experience has opened him up to new horizons. He plans to speak more with Dr. Beaudry as he plans his next steps.

We’re so proud to have students like Marshall Allen in our department and are looking forward to seeing all he will accomplish.

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Winter 2016 – Blake Erickson

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IMG_0453Blake Erickson has been named one of our Undergraduates of the Quarter for Winter term 2016.  He grew up in Fairview, Oregon where he attended Reynolds High School which has one of the largest student bodies in the state of Oregon.

Blake said he didn’t even consider an out-of-state school because it would have been too costly, but was lucky to have such a great research university here in the state of Oregon.  Upon arriving at OSU, Blake cycled through Biology and then Biochemistry/Biophysics before deciding on Chemistry as his major. Blake commented how much he enjoyed the organic chemistry sequence with Drs. Chris Beaudry, Kevin Gable and Dwight Weller, but it was the experimental labs with Drs. Christine Pastorek and Emile Firpo that really sealed his decision to be a Chem major. Blake has shown tremendous breadth in chemical interest.  His favorite course so far was the second term of Physical Chemistry with Dr. Chong Fang where they studied Quantum Chemistry. He liked it so much he took it twice, once as a student and once as an undergraduate teaching assistant. He is currently doing undergraduate research with Dr. Joe Nibler exploring the vibrational/rotational structure of perdeutero-spiropentane. They have just submitted earlier this year their first paper specifically on the ground vib/rot structure of the molecule and are currently working on analysis of some more of the upper states.

Graduate School is definitely in Blake’s future, as he’s already been accepted to UC Berkeley’s Chemistry graduate program.  He’s leaning toward academia upon getting his PhD because he loves research, but also has enjoyed teaching others about chemistry, so it will be a good balance for him.

In his spare time at OSU, Blake was also a member of the OSU Marching Band where he got to perform at a variety of sports events.

Students like Blake are the reason the Chemistry Department is so successful in educating future scientists.  Congratulations, Blake!

 

RCSA Cottrell Scholar Program

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We wish to alert you of funding opportunities for early career faculty holding appointments in Chemistry, Physics or Astronomy Departments.

Our prestigious Cottrell Scholar Award (CSA) is available to early career faculty who conduct high-quality research and educational activities at both research universities and primarily undergraduate institutions across the country.

Please note that CSA submission starts with a pre-proposal due May 16, 2016. Principal investigators with successful pre-proposals will be invited to submit full-proposals, due August 1, 2016. Outstanding candidates are admitted to the ranks of Cottrell Scholars through a stringent peer-review process based on their innovative research proposals and education programs. For the 2016 proposal cycle, eligibility is limited to faculty members who started their first tenure-track appointment anytime in calendar year 2013. Award size is $100,000 and no institutional match is required.

The CSA is the entry point to this exceptional community of teacher-scholars and the program has much more to offer than the initial award. As Cottrell Scholars, PUI and research university faculty benefit from award opportunities throughout their careers, such as TREE, LEAD, SEED, and the FRED award. For more information on the Cottrell Scholar program, please see the RCSA site at http://rescorp.org/cottrell-scholars.

Please forward this information to eligible early career faculty.  For questions about the Cottrell Scholar Program, contact Silvia Ronco (RCSA Program Director) at sronco@rescorp.org.

OLC/Gates Digital Learning Innovation Award

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Welcome to the OLC Digital Learning Innovation Award (DLI Award) information section. Here you’ll find information about this award competition and how to submit your application. We look forward to reviewing your submissions, celebrating your successes, and identifying top innovators leading the digital learning landscape. #DLIAward

http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/digital-learning-innovation-award/

Undergraduate Radiochemistry Summer School

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Dear Colleagues,

We are looking for outstanding candidates for the Undergraduate Radiochemistry Summer School sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy and hosted this year by the Oregon State University School of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) and the Department of Chemistry in Corvallis, Oregon. Running from June 20 through July 29, 2016, the school is for undergraduate students in chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics and related discipline.

The Undergraduate Radiochemistry Summer School will focus on the fundamentals of radiochemistry with an emphasis on the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Blending classwork and labwork, students will learn physics of nuclear structure, radioactive decay and nuclear reactions, principles of radiodetection, chemistry of actinides and fission products, production and separation of radionuclides, radiolytic effects. The nuclear fuel cycle will be presented from fundamental chemistry to engineering applications. The core faculty of the summer school are A. Paulenova, W.D. Loveland, M. Nyman and A. Farsoni. Students will also benefit from the expertise of 10 guest lecturers from national labs and academic partners who will present throughout the summer school.

Four of the six weeks are devoted to independent laboratory research projects under the guidance of our faculty. Students will present their results at a student conference at the end of the summer school. In addition, students will tour the Oregon State TRIGA Reactor, and NuScale facilities in Corvallis. They will also visit Richland, Washington for tours of the AREVA, Energy Northwest, and Hanford Site facilities.

12 students (must be U.S. citizen) will be selected and will be provided with a $4,000 stipend as well as coverage of housing and travel costs. Students are expected to participate in all coursework, research and tours. Upon satisfactory completion of the summer school, participating students will receive eight transferable radiochemistry credits at the 400 level. Oregon State University is located in Corvallis, Oregon. Students will stay in Oregon State University residence halls and have full access to university recreation facilities, computer facilities, and library. Applications are due April 20, 2016 with acceptance notification by April 29, 2016. Rising seniors are preferred, but all applications will be reviewed and considered.

The online Application Form and more information is available at http://ne.oregonstate.edu/radiochemistryschool

Questions should be directed to:
Alena Paulenova, summer school director, NSE
Janet Knudson, office manager, NSE

Professional Faculty Award

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Nominations are being accepted for the Karel J.H. Murphy Professional Faculty Leadership and Service Award. The award recognizes a professional faculty member who has provided outstanding leadership and service throughout their career both within their Department and in programs and organizations across OSU. The award also honors a legacy of providing ongoing, strategic, and progressive leadership, administrative support and service among Professional Faculty and other OSU employees. The award winner will be presented a plaque and a $1000 check at University day. Nominations due April 7. For more information: Michelle Mahana   mahanam@oregonstate.edu