Words from the Dean
December 2024

Dear Colleagues, 

This has been quite a semester. We have had the usual fall joys, with new students and new colleagues joining our community, new courses, research initiatives, awards and grants. We have also faced significant challenges, including the presidential election and the graduate worker strike, with both workload and community fracture implications. 

As we strengthen and bring our community back together, I would like to encourage everyone to care for yourselves as well. I hope that all of you, especially those who have worked above and beyond over the past few weeks, will prioritize time for yourselves and your families in the coming days. I would like to encourage everyone in the college to as much as possible take the entire period from December 23 through January 1 as an extended “quiet week” and focus on both professional and personal things that help you recharge.

I have just one minor business item this month – a reminder to nominate colleagues for College awards, whether it’s for outstanding teaching, research, inclusive excellence or service. Our extended deadline is January 7 — don’t miss the chance to honor someone who inspires you!

Congratulations again on all you have achieved this term. I hope you will take a few minutes to browse the rest of this newsletter for upcoming events and highlights of what we have collectively accomplished.

Eleanor Feingold
Dean, College of Science

Research Highlights

A team led by materials scientist Kyriakos Stylianou discovered a way to more than double the uptake of a chemical structure that can be used to scrub carbon dioxide from factory fumes. This breakthrough involves exposing a copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF) to ammonia gas, significantly enhancing its effectiveness at absorbing carbon dioxide from industrial emissions. “The capture of CO2 is critical for meeting net-zero emission targets,” said Stylianou, associate professor of chemistry. Explore the endless possibilities of MOFs.

Research Funding

Microbiologist Tom Sharpton, along with colleagues at Oregon Health and Science University, received $123K from the Department of Defense for a project titled, “Does the gut microbiome coordinate with the gut-brain axis to contribute to behavioral alterations and cognitive injuries following TBI and are these effects more profound in APOE e4 carriers?”

Statistician Rob Trangucci, along with colleagues at the University of Michigan, received $124K from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for a project titled, “Data driven transmission models to optimize influenza vaccination and pandemic mitigation strategies.”

National Honors

Mathematician Axel Saenz Rodriguez received a 2024 Simons Pivot Fellowship! This prestigious fellowship supports researchers who have a strong track record of success in their current field and a deep interest in contributing to a new discipline. Physicist Oksana Ostroverkhova will mentor Rodriguez, and together they will combine their expertise to “develop state-of-the-art, large-scale simulations of layered two-dimensional quantum spin chains to understand, predict and control properties for quantum materials.” Meet the other 2024 fellows.

Physicists Xavier Siemens and Jeff Hazboun contributed to a highly cited study in astronomy. Their work was recognized by IOP Publishing as one of 2024’s most-cited articles in astronomy across the company’s more than 100 journals. The study, conducted by NANOGrav (North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves), provided compelling evidence for a “chorus” of low-frequency gravitational waves reverberating across the universe. Visit IMPACT to learn more about their research and its impact.

University Honors

In November, the College of Science gathered to celebrate the 2024 Alumni Award recipients. These awards publicly recognize our alumni, friends and colleagues for their distinguished personal and career achievements, service and contributions to society, which advance the mission of the College of Science and Oregon State University. Learn more about each recipient:

Janet Tate received the Lifetime Achievement in Science award. A University Distinguished Professor emerita in physics, Tate spent more than 35 years at Oregon State successfully developing energy-related materials, including superconductors and thin-field semiconductors. She is known for blending scientific innovation with a passion for education, leaving a lasting impact on Oregon State University and materials physics. Learn how she influenced a key component in Apple products. 

Prabu Nambiar (Ph.D. ’88) received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement award. He embodies the transformative power of education and perseverance. Nambiar grew up in southern India and moved to the U.S. in 1983 to pursue his Ph.D. at OSU in organic chemistry. Today, he runs his own successful consulting firm Syner-G BioPharma Group. Read about his company and passion for giving back to Oregon State.

Jonathan Gallion (B.S. ’12) received the Young Alumni Achievement award. Gallion serves as the president of artificial intelligence and machine learning at OmniScience. His innovative work addresses the complex challenges of processing vast amounts of healthcare data and using large language models to improve clinical trial outcomes. See how Gallion and his team are transforming the biopharma industry.

Cows eating seaweed? KTVZ and The Nugget Newspaper shared how algal physiologist James Fox is part of an interdisciplinary group studying how adding seaweed to the diet of beef cattle could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The five-year project is funded for $1M from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Read both stories featured in KTVZ and The Nugget Newspaper.

When Victory Chiamaka Obieke misses home, she paints it. The Corvallis Gazette Times reported how the third-year mathematics Ph.D. student deals with being 7,000 miles away from her home country, Nigeria. You can check out her paintings at the Little Gallery in Kidder Hall until December 13. Learn more about her exhibit, “Whispers of Home” or check it out in person while it’s still available.

Where in the world is Dee Denver? Nepal! OSU Today reported on his summer adventure in a Q & A with Denver, IB department head, to chat about the study abroad program he led in September. In addition to the program, “Intersections of Biodiversity and Buddhist Cultures in Nepal,” Denver also conducted research on snow leopard DNA sequencing. Learn what piece of advice he would give to others traveling to Nepal.

Have you visited the new and improved Cordley Hall? Built in the 1950s, Cordley Hall recently transformed into a state-of-the-art facility, blending cutting-edge research facilities with sustainable design and collaborative spaces. Explore the story behind this remarkable transformation!

Check out OSU’s 2024 Research and Innovation Annual Report. This report highlights significant achievements in scholarship, research and innovation, emphasizing collaborative efforts across various disciplines to create equitable and sustainable prosperity. Key accomplishments include leading two Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs, launching the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations, and achieving major milestones in large research facility projects. The College of Science was mentioned numerous times as examples of research excellence, including Kyriakos Stylianou’s work to uncover a better way to produce green hydrogen and Xiulei “David” Ji’s discovery that iron could be the key to cheaper, greener lithium-ion batteries.

Statistics alumnu Steve Stehman (’82) came to Oregon State to learn how to bridge statistics and the environment. Thanks to mentorship from faculty member W. Scott Overton and a supportive Science community, Stehman achieved notable academic and professional success. Now a Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Stehman honors his roots by giving back to Oregon State. Visit IMPACT to learn more about his research and background.

Physics senior Madalyn Gragg was named a 2024 Goldwater Scholar, the nation’s top STEM award for undergraduates. Growing up in a small, rural community with limited educational resources, Gragg faced numerous challenges on her path to higher education. Despite this, her relentless passion for science led her to excel in research at Oregon State. Gragg’s hard work studying nanoscience and photovoltaic materials earned her this prestigious recognition and place as the College of Science’s 28th Goldwater Scholar, the most to date of any OSU college. Read more about the impact she hopes to achieve and the challenges she has overcome. 

Statistics alumnus Jon Francis (’96) has built a career working for some of the biggest names in business, including Amazon, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Nike, T-Mobile, Starbucks, PayPal and currently General Motors. He believes his statistics degree has allowed him to seamlessly transition between industries and successfully manage mountains of data. Learn more about his current role as the chief data and analytics officer for the largest automaker in the United States.

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