Words from the Dean

January 2025

Words from the Dean
January 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

Welcome back to winter term. I hope everyone had a chance to actually take a break over the holidays. 

There is a lot on all of our plates as we enter the new year – grants to write, research infrastructure to build, courses to teach, students to support, new core and new advising system to finish implementing, continued development of the online data science bachelor’s degree program and other new programs, and a search for a new head of Integrative Biology. And plenty more that is not even on my radar. The minutiae of these activities sometimes overwhelm us, but all of these are tremendous opportunities to solidify and grow our impact on OSU, the state and the world. 

The commitment of our community to that ever-increasing impact is evident across the board. I continue to be blown away by the fact that every person here is constantly improving whatever they are working on – doing creative new and better things almost every single term. A year plus into my time at OSU feels like the right time to remind everyone that the No. 1 job of the dean is to create an environment and infrastructure that supports all of those activities – to make it as easy as possible for everyone else to do their jobs. I am interested in hearing from you at any time about how I can do that best.

In this same spirit, I want to plug two important upcoming events that feature and celebrate some of the best work being done in the college.

The Inclusive Excellence Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 6, will feature stories and strategies from Inclusive Excellence @ OSU program members, showcasing their work to foster equity in STEM. The event includes a lecture, Q&A session, and a poster session highlighting innovative approaches, followed by networking. RSVP for the lecture here.

The Faculty and Staff Awards on Wednesday, Feb. 26, will honor exceptional achievements in research, teaching, advising, and inclusive excellence, celebrating the individuals whose dedication drives the success and impact of our College. RSVP for the Awards here.

Here’s to a successful term ahead – thank you for your dedication and your creativity.

Eleanor Feingold
Dean, College of Science

Research updates

Optically bistable nanocrystals can store information that is written and read entirely through light, making them useful for building small and scalable optical memory units.

Research Highlights

Chemist Artiom Skripka discovered luminescent nanocrystals capable of rapid switching between light and dark states, a breakthrough that could significantly enhance optical computing and memory technologies. These nanocrystals exhibit intrinsic optical bistability, allowing them to be toggled on and off with minimal energy input, potentially leading to faster and more efficient data processing. Learn more about the exciting potential applications.

Research Funding

Oksana Ostroverkhova received $60K from the Simons Foundation for her mentorship on a project entitled, “Non-commutative Fourier transformation for quantum materials, simulations and experiments.”

Axel Sanez Rodriguez received a $185K fellowship, also from the Simons Foundation, for his project entitled, “Non-commutative Fourier transformation for quantum materials, simulations and experiments.”

Tim Zuehlsdorff received an $450K NSF CAREER Award for his project entitled, “Modeling Nonadiabatic Effects in Light-driven Processes of Systems in Complex Environments.”

Katie McLaughlin received $209K from the USDI Bureau of Reclamation for her project entitled, “Yakima Basin Fish Benefits Survey.”

Congratulations

University Honors

Graduate students in our College have garnered significant recognition during the 2023-24 academic year, receiving prestigious awards that underscore their academic excellence and contributions to research. Nearly 60 students received awards, including the Provost’s Distinguished Graduate Fellowship and Scholarship, the Thurgood Marshall Graduate Fellowship and the Jesse A Hanson General Science Scholarship.

For a full complete list of recipients, please visit IMPACT.

Statistics Instructor Erin Howard earned multiple awards for her exceptional teaching and innovative approaches to learning. She received the Whiteley Faculty Scholar Award for her efforts to improve student retention and completion, as well as the Center for Teaching and Learning Professional Development Award. Additionally, Howard won the Best Speed Session Award at the American Statistical Society Joint Statistics Meeting in 2024. Read the full department news release here.

International Honors

Materials scientist Mas Subramanian was invited to deliver the Sheikh Saqr Materials Award Lecture at the 2024 International Winter School on “Frontiers in Materials Science,” organized and supported by the International Center for Materials Science, which is part of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru, India. The title of his lecture was, “Reimagining Inorganic Color Pigments via Trigonal Bipyramidal Coordination: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Visibility

Scanning electron microscope images of tetraperoxotitanate salt before exposure to air, which releases oxygen gas upon capture of carbon dioxide.

News outlets were eager to share materials scientist Kyriakos Stylianou’s development of a new photocatalyst material that efficiently converts sunlight and water into clean hydrogen energy. This innovation utilizes metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to create a catalyst that significantly enhances hydrogen production rates. The news was shared by Carbon Herald, Egypt Oil and Gas and AZO Materials.

Earth.com shared chemist May Nyman’s creation of new molecules able to quickly capture significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the air, an important tactic in climate change mitigation. The study, focused on titanium peroxides, is part of a large-scale federal effort to innovate new methods and materials for direct air capture of CO₂.

College News

The College of Science engaged in diverse outreach initiatives during the 2023-24 academic year, focusing on science literacy and community connection. Activities include school events, summer camps, public lectures and STEM workshops, all aimed at making science more accessible. Read an overview of outreach across the departments.

Micah Rogers (’07, Marine biology) has dedicated her career to preventing shellfish poisoning. After gaining experience in various biology roles, she joined the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2017, focusing on phytoplankton and shellfish monitoring. She then moved to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife where she conducts phytoplankton cell counts and seawater toxin tests to safeguard Pacific Northwest residents. Discover more about her impactful work and how our College prepared her.

Eleanor Ford (’62, Microbiology) stood under 5 feet, but her presence and passion for lab safety and public health could fill any room. A first-generation college student from rural Oregon, she became a leader in California’s state labs, a Peace Corps volunteer who advanced tuberculosis research in Malaysia and an advocate for microbiology education. Today, her legacy thrives through the Eleanor G. Ford Memorial Scholarship, helping Oregon State students pursue their dreams in microbiology and public health. Read how Eleanor’s remarkable life continues to shape the future.

Events

Upcoming Events