Who Am I? Wednesday – Vince Remcho

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Name: Vince Remcho

Area of Study / Position Title: Analytical Chemistry / Professor and Patricia Valian Reser Faculty Scholar

Why chemistry? (What about it initially interested you?): For me, it all started with a great summer job in high school: we developed analytical methods to determine the onset of dormancy in loblolly pine tree seedlings by quantifying polysaccharides.  Following that, it was great mentorship from my undergraduate research advisor (Tom Sitz, a nucleic acid biochemist) and a true gentleman-scholar of a doctoral mentor (Harold McNair, a “founding father” of modern chromatography and chemical analysis).

Research focus (in non-science terms) or basic job duties? We design, model and build tools that solve complex biochemical and environmental chemical puzzles. Most of this involves microfluidics, a field that builds the chemical analogues to integrated circuit chips. For example, we have built “lab-on-a-chip” devices to detect antimalarial drug adulteration, measure disease biomarkers in biological fluids, synthesize genes and detect toxins in the environment.

One thing you truly love about your job? There are many things I love about my work! If I had to select only one, it would be the people I am fortunate enough to work with: inspiring and inventive graduate and undergraduate students, capable and accomplished postdocs, and wonderful collaborators whose abilities complement those of the group.

One interesting/strange factoid about yourself. I am an instrument rated commercial pilot; I also enjoy trail running – very long, quiet runs through the forest. (That’s two!)

Open Oregon State

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Open Oregon State: Open Oregon State is a new unit that works with faculty to create online educational resources (OERs) that can be accessed freely by students and teachers in digital media collections worldwide. Attend a luncheon Oct. 27 at 11 a.m. in the CH2M Hill Alumni Center to learn about our goals, projects and partnerships. Register today on the Open Oregon State website.

Make a Difference Day

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Make A Difference Day: Registration for service projects for Make A Difference Day is now open! Students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate this year’s Make a Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 25. On Make A Difference Day millions of volunteers across the nation will unite with a common mission – to improve the lives of others. Learn about OSU’s 2014 projects and register for projects here: http://sli.oregonstate.edu/cce/events/make-difference-day/2014-make-difference-day-projects. Projects will take place at various times and check-in will take place in Snell 149. Sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement.

Who Am I? Wednesday – Paul Cheong

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Name: Paul Ha-Yeon Cheong

Area of study / position title: Computational Chemistry / Vicki and Patrick F. Stone Scholar Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Why chemistry? (What about it initially interested you, etc.): Because our discoveries change lives. Our materials send you to the moon and back, and one day they will send you to the stars. We conquer disease and master biology through chemistry. One day you will return to health again because of what we have labored so long and hard to achieve. From polio to cancer to all the diseases we acquire during our lifetime spent on this planet and this ecosystem, we are the ones who ultimately protect our loved ones. We are humanity’s answer and hope to the energy challenge, global warming, and preserving this green earth for posterity. And also because my mentors and teachers have shown me that we can achieve all that without losing our humanity but by cherishing it, nurturing it. One may very well ask why chemistry, but for me the question has always been why not chemistry?

Research focus (in non-science terms) or basic job duties?: I have two key aspects of my job. I see my primary job function as a friend, mentor and teacher to our research group and those around me. My goal is for their time in our research group and in my company to be transformative and wholesome: discovering who they really are, becoming professionally successful, and coming into one’s own. The second aspect is all my official responsibilities, which happens to magically complement the first aspect: publishing papers, teaching courses, mentoring students, writing grants, etc.

One thing that you truly love about your job?: I love that I get to make a positive impact in this world, one individual at a time. Plus, I get to work with (and occasionally mentor and train) some of the most amazing minds and wonderful individuals on the face of the planet today.

One interesting/strange factoid about yourself: I got my name “Paul” from a middle school foreign language teacher. He was handing back exams and when he got to mine, he couldn’t pronounce “Ha-Yeon”. After a couple of moments of what appeared like a gagging reflex trying to pronounce my name in his native tongue, he proclaimed that I was to be dubbed “Paul” from then on. True story. Love the name.

NNIS 2015-2016 Award Cycle

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Attached you will find a booklet and poster announcing the Nuclear Nonproliferation International Safeguards Graduate Fellowship Program (NNIS) for the 2015-2016 Award cycle.

This program is designed to meet the needs of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for appropriately trained personnel in research and development in areas pertinent to Nuclear Nonproliferation and International Safeguards (NNIS).  Increasing costs for graduate education and a high demand for nuclear-related scientists and engineers with a bachelor’s degree have had a negative impact on the number of well-qualified students seeking advanced degrees in nuclear technologies and sciences.  This problem has been particularly acute in programs in nuclear materials, engineering, nuclear science and engineering, radiochemistry and health physics, which has resulted in the closure of several programs and declining graduate school enrollments over the past two decades. This fellowship seeks to build collaboration between the leading nuclear technology programs and the schools studying the policy aspects of nuclear nonproliferation. The primary emphasis of this fellowship is to produce doctoral graduates who are familiar with both the technical and policy aspects of nonproliferation and international safeguards.

We hope you will print and prominently display the attached poster. Please forward the attached booklet to anyone interested and encourage students to apply for this program.  This program description and all electronic application materials can be found on www.scuref.org.

NNIS Poster 2015

NNIS 2015 Booklet

University Honors College DeLoach Work Scholarship

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The University Honors College is now accepting faculty applications to the DeLoach Work Scholarship program for winter and spring terms, 2015. The DeLoach program enables OSU faculty members to support undergraduates working at tasks that enhance students’ academic training by providing a significant learning experience. Strong preference will be given to pro-posals that involve cooperative student-faculty research and clearly relate to the instructional, outreach, or diversity goals of the university.

  • Previously funded projects have included:
  • Developing a physical replica of a bat sonar system and testing implementation as a distance sensor for robots
  • Design improvements in waste treatment methods
  • Assessing the place of exercise education in medical school curriculums
  • Research in the attachment styles, sociability, and problem-solving behavior of pet dogs
  • Reviewing the historical impact of political context on U.S. Supreme Court decisions
  • The development of new media techniques to assist in recruitment of women and minorities into engineering fields

Tenured/tenure-track and senior instructor rank faculty from all colleges are eligible to apply. Other faculty who would like to apply should contact the UHC. All Honors College students are eligible to participate. Awarded funds will be made available to faculty supervisors as payroll for nominated students at a rate of $10/hour. Maximum awards are $1,000 for one- or two-term projects. Nominated students must be eligible to receive payroll as student employees through the term of the award. Funds will be paid through a new or previously existing position in the faculty supervisor’s home unit. In past cycles, review has been high-ly competitive, with fewer than 50% of applications receiving funding.
To apply, faculty supervisors must submit a proposal including the following to honors.college@oregonstate.edu by Friday, November 7, 2014 at 5:00 pm:

A one-page statement from the faculty supervisor and endorsed by the unit head, describing the proposed project; how it will support both the student’s training and the faculty member’s research; and its relevance to the university’s instruc-tional, outreach, and/or diversity goals

A one-page statement from the student(s) describing the importance of the proposed project in their education and train-ing and any relevant previous experiences or preparation

The proposed budget and duration of the project and a contact to assist in establishment of student positions
Additional details are available at http://honors.oregonstate.edu/deloach-work-scholarship.
Some DeLoach proposals may be supported in whole or in part by the Chambers Environmental Research Fund. Established in 1977 in memory of Richard Chambers, a pioneer in Oregon environmental protection who developed some of the earliest anti-litter legislation, this fund is intended to foster projects or research in applied environmental enhancement and/or conser-vation involving the preservation or betterment of Oregon’s wilderness, natural resources, or quality of life.
The DeLoach Work Scholarship was created through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Barton DeLoach. Dr. DeLoach was an Oregon State faculty member from 1935 to 1949.