Words from the Dean
December 2023

Dear colleagues,

As we enter the winter break season and the second month of my deanship, I want to express my gratitude for the warm welcome and the invigorating conversations I have had with many of you.

I hope that all of you take the opportunity for downtime and relaxation with friends and family over the next few weeks.

I will be doing the same, and will also be taking time to reflect on everything I have learned about the College of Science in the past month. I have had a wonderful time meeting many of you and learning about your work, while simultaneously diving into a whirlwind of new initiatives–from planning new research facilities to hiring new faculty, to strategizing around the College of Science’s participation in the new core curriculum, to working with you to develop a vision for how the College will participate in the new university strategic plan.

I invite everyone to be a part of this planning process by joining us at a town hall, “Moving Science Forward,” on January 29. This event will offer updates on progress made on the College’s Strategic Plan, “Extending the reach and impact of science,” including implementation steps taken since the plan launched in October 2022. It will also feature an interactive brainstorming session to discuss future priorities.

Lastly, we will explore the intersections between our strategic plan and the overarching vision of the university’s new strategic plan, “Prosperity Widely Shared.” This exploration aims to clarify how our plans fit together within the larger university strategy. I hope you’ll join us. (Please find RSVP and details below.)

Wishing you a restful and enjoyable break.

Eleanor Feingold
Dean, College of Science

Research Highlights

More than 150 years ago, Joseph Bertrand stated a mathematical theorem. Proving why this theorem is true hasn’t been a simple endeavor. Two College of Science alumni, John Musgrove (‘20) and Tyler Schimleck (‘21) along with professor Patrick De Leenheer, recently published a paper in the SIAM Review pulling back the curtain on Bertrand’s Theorem. Together, they wrote a proof that is accessible to undergraduate mathematics or physics students. Read more about their five-year project.

A collaborative team of researchers recently received $2M from the USDA to tackle organic potato sprouting. Kyriakos Stylianou, assistant professor of chemistry, is part of the collaborative group that includes faculty from OSU College of Agricultural Sciences, OSU College of Pharmacy, and the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 

Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley & Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle announced a $500K grant for OSU to study backshore dune impact by sea level rise. Professor Sally Hacker (COS) said this project is the first of its kind to study the economic and environmental value of dunes! “By explicitly measuring the values of these important shoreline structures, we can improve decision-making and help coastal communities optimize coastal protection and other services such as recreation, conservation, and aesthetics,” she said.

Research Awards

Chemist Wei Kong was awarded $110K from the American Chemical Society for her project entitled, “Superfluid helium droplets as microreactors for studies of photochemistry of fossil fuel hydrocarbons: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the corresponding endoperoxides”

Marine ecologist Jenna Sullivan-Stack was awarded $50K from Pew Charitable Trusts for her project, “Indigenous leadership in developing, testing and sharing a proposed ‘OECM Guide.’”

Marine ecologist Bruce Menge was awarded $200K from the National Science Foundation for his project entitled, “RAPID: A subtle epidemic: unique mortality of Mytilus californianus on the Oregon coast.”

Nominations wanted!

Every year the College of Science celebrates the outstanding work of our instructional and research faculty and administrative staff at its winter awards celebration in February. We invite you to submit nominations for eight different awards by midnight on January 15, 2024.

National Honors

From left: David Ji, Marilyn Mackiewicz and Heidi Schellman

Chemist David Ji was named a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Web of Science for the 5th year in a row. Congratulations, David! This list includes researchers who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in the field(s) of research. 

Chemist Marilyn Mackiewicz was chosen as a Scialog fellow by the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement. She will work with a group of 50 fellows who are committed to accelerating progress in the chemical sciences and laboratory automation. Together, they will collaborate on projects integrating advances in automation and AI to answer crucial questions in fundamental research. Awesome job, Marilyn! 

Physicist Heidi Schellman is one of two OSU researchers who have been named to the 2023 research.com list of the world’s best female scientists. This is the second-year in a row that Schellman has been nominated! Congratulations, Heidi!

College Honors

From left: Jo-Ann Leong, Parisa Khosropour and Simon Johnson

Jo-Ann Leong, former department chair and distinguished professor of microbiology, received the Lifetime Achievement in Science Award at this year’s Alumni Awards. Leong is an outstanding microbiologist with a long history of aquaculture discoveries at Oregon State University and around the world. In the 1980s, Leong helped discover a new vaccine for salmon that died from IHNV, a disease that killed millions of fish and affected their migrations across the Columbia River. Read more about her transformative work work that advanced aquaculture globally.

Parisa Khosropour (Chemistry,‘89) received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Khosropour, a former president of the transplant diagnostics division at Thermo Fisher Scientific, now channels her expertise into angel investing, supporting healthcare startups with transformative potential. Read more about her career advice and dedication to healthcare innovation.

Simon Johnson (Biochemistry and Biophysics,‘09) received the Young Alumni Award. Johnson spearheaded a novel approach to researching mitochondrial diseases that has reshaped his field’s work. His laboratory instead examined the structure’s origins as a remnant of ancient bacteria within our cells. Certain bacterial components remain intact as parts of the mitochondria and, as Johnson’s lab discovered, could trigger innate immune responses if they were to leak out of the cell. He currently runs his laboratory in the U.K. at Northumbria University and is eager to continue exploring this mystery.

Physicist Jeffrey Hazboun visited with WIRED to answer the internet’s swirling questions about physics. How does one split an atom? Is light a wave or a particle…or both? How soon will the universe end? Is time travel possible given physicists’ current understanding? Watch the awesome video here.

Faculty in the Department of Integrative Biology are making news for their teaching excellence. Lori Kayes and Devon Quick spoke with The Chronicle of Higher Education about why they promote active learning and social connection in their classes. Collaborative work leads to better learning, said Quick. “I know it’s worth the work because the types of things that they are able to synthesize together are amazing.” Read more about why connections are key to student’s academic success.

The American Physical Society shared physicist David Craig‘s efforts to increase undergraduate physics enrollment nationwide. Craig and Joel Corbo of the University of Colorado Boulder created the Departmental Action Leadership Institute. DALI is a one-year, cohort-based bootcamp that trains departments using the Effective Practices for Physics Programs guide.

Microbiologist Maude David’s collaborative bee project was shared on Oregon Public Broadcasting. David is part of a team of OSU researchers who are teaming up with three other universities, with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The group is investigating a European foulbrood disease, a bacterial disease that can turn honeybee larvae to mush. It has become a much more serious problem for beekeepers and farmers over the past seven years.

Microbiologist Sascha Hallett, a fish parasitologist, and Julie Alexander, a fish ecologist, talked with Jefferson Public Radio about the demolition of the three dams on the Klamath River and the potential impact on salmon. Give it a listen!

Beaver’s Digest recently interviewed Chemistry Professor Mas Subramanian and graduate student Anjali Verma about the continuing research behind YInMn Blue and the search for a true red.

For two days, Oregon State welcomed over 1,000 elementary students to experience the thrills of science outside the classroom. Discovery Days, a biannual outreach event sponsored by the College of Science, brimmed with activities for kids to enjoy while they met graduate and undergraduate students eager to share their enthusiasm for the inspiring field. Whether setting up their own hydraulics model or discovering which mammal has the thickest fur, students were delighted by what Discovery Days and science had to show them.

The Oregon State University top 10 stories of 2023 included two science stories! Xiulei “David” Ji’s development of a new electrolyte that enables high efficiency of a safe, sustainable zinc battery was number 9! Xavier Siemen and Jeff Hazboun took the number 2 spot with the news of their gravitational wave discovery!

Upcoming Events

Biochemistry and Biophysics — PDX Alumni Mixer
Friday, December 15, 2023, 7 p.m.
Growler Guys in Portland

The Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics invites alumni and friends to an informal gathering and receptions. Snacks provided; no-host bar. Please RSVP here.

Science Pro
Tuesday, January 24, 2024

Science Pro is an annual career program to encourage students to explore career options, hone their professional skills and build their professional networks by connecting with alumni, employers and industry.

Moving Science Forward
January 29, 2024, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Memorial Union, Horizon Room

Hear updates on our Strategic Plan, ‘Extending the reach and impact of science,’ highlighting progress since its October 2022 launch. Engage in an interactive brainstorming session on future priorities. Additionally, we’ll explore how our plan aligns with the university’s vision in the new strategic plan, ‘Prosperity Widely Shared,’ ensuring a cohesive strategy. RSVP now.

Inclusive Excellence Lecture
Thursday, February 15, 2024, 5:30-7 p.m.,
The LaSells Stewart Center, Construction & Engineering Hall

Kristen Grorud-Colvert will present the College’s annual Inclusive Excellence Lecture. In her nine years at Oregon State, she has demonstrated valuable leadership in fostering a culture of inclusion in the College of Science. In 2020-21 Grorud-Colvert led a department-wide effort to develop an Equity, Justice and Inclusion Community Values statement to guide the department’s future goals and actions. In the summer of 2022, Grorud-Colvert co-organized a Decolonizing Biology workshop.

COS Combined Awards Ceremony
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Memorial Union, Horizon Room

The College will gather for the annual awards ceremony celebrating instructional and research faculty and administrative staff.

Recent Events

Science Pub
December 6

The discovery related to gravitational waves which made international headlines earlier this year and was predicted by Albert Einstein more than a century ago was the topic of Oregon State University’s Science Pub on Dec. 6. Jeff Hazboun, an astrophysicist in the College of Science and one of the researchers who led the project that resulted in the

Women Leaders in STEM: Challenges and Rewards
December 13

The Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics held the first “Women Leaders in STEM” panel. The event is partially funded by the College of Science’s Gender Equity Leadership Fund, awarded to Biochemistry and Biophysics Head Elisar Barbar in 2023 to implement projects for the advancement of women faculty and those assigned female at birth in the College.