Words from the Dean

April 2025

Words from the Dean
April 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

I am excited this month to share two important announcements about upcoming college leadership appointments. 

Lan Xue has admirably led the Department of Statistics for more than a year as Interim Head during a time of major new initiatives. Starting May 1, she will be appointed as the permanent department head. I am thrilled to be continuing to work with Lan in this important leadership role. 

Davide Lazzati will assume the role of Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs for the College of Science on August 15. Davide’s deep experience with faculty issues, P&T, and mentoring will allow him to expand dean’s office support for every faculty group and every phase of the faculty life cycle. Unfortunately, this appointment does mean Davide will step away from his great work as department head of Physics. I will begin an internal search for a Physics department head immediately.

In other news, we are coming up on Dam Proud Day on April 30! Now more than ever, our focus on student success and on science that makes a difference needs to be unwavering. Dam Proud Day is one of the ways we support that mission. Now in its sixth year, this university-wide giving day raises funds that directly support students. Many gifts help unlock challenge funds, amplifying their impact. 

At the College level, our focus for Dam Proud Day is on the “Finish in Four” scholarship, which helps Oregon science students graduate on time and with less debt. Alongside the College effort, many of our departments are also participating this year with dedicated funds, including matching gift opportunities. Organized by faculty and staff, these efforts focus on making a tangible difference for their own students. They support a range of goals — from field and research experiences, to access to professional conferences, to science outreach for high school students across Oregon.

I encourage you to learn more about the efforts in your department. Sharing within your networks can help extend their impact. You’ll find details about this year’s College of Science campaigns below. I also want to highlight three other upcoming events, all related to student success.

The university’s Prosperity Widely Shared summit on student success takes place Tuesday, April 22 — a chance for colleagues across campus to share strategies that help every student thrive and graduate. Workshops explore topics such as inclusive teaching, supporting transfer students, using data to improve retention and the role of experiential learning.

Looking slightly ahead, another opportunity to highlight and support student success comes on May 16, when the College of Science Graduate Research Showcase will spotlight our graduate students’ work through lightning talks, a poster session and a keynote address. This inaugural event is a chance to build connections, share research, and practice communicating with broad audiences. Please encourage your students to apply; applications to present are open now.

And as we continue finding ways to support and celebrate our students, I encourage you to plan now to join in our June graduation activities. It means a tremendous amount to our students and their families to celebrate their accomplishments with us. More information about the department walking ceremonies and receptions will be available soon – stay tuned.

Eleanor Feingold
Dean, College of Science

Research updates

Research Highlights

Led by materials scientist Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz, a team of researchers have developed a method to use light to tune the shape of silver nanoparticles — a breakthrough with major implications for medical imaging and catalysis. This opens the door to custom-designed nanoparticles tailored to specific needs in healthcare, industry and the environment. Discover how this innovation could reshape imaging technology.

Microbiologist Maude David’s research sits at the crossroads of microbiology, neuroscience and artificial intelligence — an intersection that may hold the key to understanding some of the most complex disorders affecting the human brain and unlocking the secrets of deep-sea ecosystems. Explore how she’s using AI to redefine the boundaries of microbial research.

Research Funding

Microbiologist Maude David received $757K from the Department of Defense for a project entitled, “Impact of the Gut Microbiota on Gut Sensory Neurocircuits in Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Biochemist Dan Liefwalker received $3K from the OHSU Foundation for a project entitled, “MYC-dependent epigenetic programs evade apoptosis in lymphoma.” These are remaining funds from a prior project that were transferred to OSU.

Congratulations

Now on YouTube: Beyond the fold

Watch the 2025 Gilfillan Lecture, “Beyond the fold,” presented by Elisar Barbar on YouTube! Elisar Barbar is the Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry head and has spent her career fascinated by intrinsically disordered proteins. Unlike traditional ones, IDPs do not fold into a stable three-dimensional structure. Instead, they remain flexible and dynamic, enabling them to perform unique functions within cells. In her lecture, Barbar reflects on the state of the field when she was establishing her lab, reminisces on the discoveries she has made using interdisciplinary research, and explains how they changed the direction of the field.

Also available on YouTube is the 2025 Inclusive Excellence lecture, a look inside the College of Science campus tour and meet-a-major videos.

Celebrating a legacy

As the world marks a century since the birth of quantum mechanics and celebrated World Quantum Day on April 14, the College of Science honors OSU Physics’ unique legacy in the field. One of the key milestones in this history is the work of Carl Kocher, now professor emeritus of physics, who conducted the world’s first experimental observation of quantum entanglement. Kocher joined Oregon State in 1970, serving for more than 30 years, teaching generations of students and building the university’s strength in quantum and atomic physics. Read more about his groundbreaking discovery and its lasting impact.

Visibility

The groundbreaking research on silver nanoparticles by Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz and her team has captured the attention of media. Read the local KEZI feature highlighting the potential for medical imaging improvements, and explore why Health Imaging sees this discovery as a possible revolution in the field. Visit YouTube to watch the KEZI segment that aired on the 6 p.m. news.

Increase your visibility

Is it time to update your directory profile or photo? If it’s been a while since you’ve updated your directory profile, now is the perfect time to give it a refresh. Your directory profile is often the first place students, collaborators, journalists and even donors turn to for information about your work. Since search engines prioritize Oregon State’s main site over individual lab pages, your directory profile could be your best chance to be easily found online.

How to update your profile:

1. Log in to your department site by scrolling to the bottom of any page and clicking “Log In” in the bottom left corner.
2. Once logged in, visit your directory profile page and click “Edit” in the top left corner. You may have to click edit twice.
3. Make your updates, then click “Save” at the bottom of the page.

For detailed instructions, check out the directory profile guide, or reach out to your department’s website team or Sharon Betterton at sharon.betterton@oregonstate.edu for assistance.

Need a new photo? To schedule a headshot session, contact Erica Martin at erica.martin@oregonstate.edu.

Need help with your profile introduction? If you’d like help crafting a high-level introduction that appeals to multiple audiences, including media, contact Hannah Ashton at hannah.ashton@oregonstate.edu.

College News

Watch this awesome YouTube video with astrophysicist Sanjana Curtis. She uses social media to share astrophysics with a general population. Her research focuses on some of the most extreme phenomena in the universe, such as the explosive death of stars and mergers involving neutron stars and black holes. She was honored with a communication award from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Listen to how she shares her science research with the world by being herself.

Hatfield Marine Science Center hosted a special lecture titled, “Seas the Day: A New Narrative for the Ocean,” featuring Jane Lubchenco, University Distinguished Professor and Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology. She challenges outdated views of the ocean being too vast to be harmed or too damaged to recover. Instead, she advocates for a new, science-based narrative that recognizes the ocean’s central role in addressing global challenges like climate change, food insecurity and environmental justice. Read more about the event and her hope for the future.

For the second time, a unique study abroad opportunity offers students the chance to experience science through a global and cultural lens. Hosted in Nepal and open to all majors, the program explores the connections between biology, ecology and traditional knowledge systems in the Himalayas. Learn how this unique experience blends science and global learning.

Geneticist Alysia Vrailas-Mortimer visited Lewis & Clark College and interacted with the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology majors. The students tested Drosophila behavior in  Norma Velazquez Ulloa’s lab. Vrailas-Mortimer’s research focuses on the mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases, utilizing the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. The College of Science prioritizes outreach by supporting faculty visits where students engage in hands-on learning to explore real-world scientific research.

Dam Proud Day

Dam Proud Day is coming up fast! On Oregon State’s giving day, Beaver Believers from around the world rally to support student success by giving to scholarships, research, travel and experiential learning opportunities and more. Check out these giving pages and consider joining in to support Team Science on April 30!

This year, Team Science is raising support for these funds:

• Statistics Excellence Fund: Contribute to the student travel fund and assist them with attending professional workshops and conferences throughout the year, shaping a smarter, data-driven future.
• Finish in Four: The university aspires to see every student graduate, ideally in four years. This fund will support scholarships and programming designed to equip every student to Finish in Four.
• Biochemistry & Biophysics Excellence Fund: Help provide students with valuable research and outreach experiences that equip them to solve real-world problems.
• Microbiology Strategic Fund: Help inspire future microbiologists by investing in this immersive camp for high school students that OSU graduate and undergraduate students lead.
• Integrative Biology Excellence Fund: Help equip Integrative Biology’s new gear lending library, where students will have access to all the equipment they need to be successful in IB’s immersive learning programs. You can provide boots, headlamps, notebooks, tents and more!
• Chemistry Excellence Fund: Support the department’s engagement efforts with K-12 students, including a high school summer camp and a K-5 program that brings science to rural communities.
• Mathematics Excellence Fund: OSU’s Department of Mathematics is one of nine programs around the nation that simultaneously host the Math For All conference. Be a part of this annual conference, designed to open the world of mathematics to all students.

Events

Upcoming Events