Words from the Dean
March 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

I would like to start this month’s newsletter with the good news that Vrushali Bokil has officially been appointed to the role she has been playing since the beginning of this academic year – Executive Associate Dean. Vrushali will retain her responsibility for research and for graduate studies, but will also collaborate with me on broader aspects of college leadership. Thank you and congratulations Vrushali!

Other good things are in progress, including:

• Jessica Siegel, associate dean for academic and student affairs, has put together an outstanding team to teach the new core education Transitions course in the fall. The course is designed to give students a stronger start – helping them get oriented, set goals and build meaningful connections that support long-term success. Devon Quick, learning assistant program director, will be leading a learning community starting this spring to build team connections, examine the curriculum and develop/understand course mechanics. I’m incredibly excited that I’ll get to be a part of the team in my first teaching gig at OSU. I’m very much looking forward to this opportunity to interact with first-year students and more directly shape their experience at OSU.
• Progress on creative new educational offerings continues, with the data science B.S. submitted to Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM), and programs in biology and neuroscience under development in Integrative Biology (IB) and Biochemistry and Biophysics (BB) respectively.
• This year’s crop of tenure-track hiring is going really well, with outstanding candidates accepting our offers in Chemistry, Statistics and more to come. The search for a new head of IB is also well underway, with applications closing at the end of April.
• The budget situation in the College of Science is looking reasonable at this point, even with the budget realignment exercises that many of you have heard about. Our relatively strong position is due to the new University budget model, which is very much driven by student credit hours, and to our continuing strong enrollments. If nothing major changes (but see below), we can expect relative stability. What does “stability” mean? It means continuing to look for efficiencies where we can find them, but no drastic cuts. Nor do we expect dramatic growth, though – growth will be primarily driven by enrollment and student success imperatives.

All of this local good news comes, of course, in the context of some very concerning events for higher education nationally. There are reasons to be worried about research funding, about challenges to our mission, and about the broader world context in which we operate. I am proud of Oregon State University – proud of our commitment to our access and inclusion mission and proud of our continued progress on meaningful research even as the funding climate becomes worrisome. We are better insulated here than many of our peers at other institutions, but that should not lead to complacency. As we do our own work, I hope that we are also engaging locally and nationally in the ways that we each think are best.

I am available to talk about these topics and others – please reach out anytime.

Eleanor Feingold
Dean, College of Science

Research Highlights

Light is more than just illumination — it’s a force that shapes the world around us. Physical chemist Tim Zuehlsdorff uses cutting-edge computational models to explore how molecules interact with light in complex environments. Supported by a prestigious NSF CAREER award, his research could unlock advances in solar energy and biomedical imaging. Learn how Oregon State’s supercomputer will help him push the boundaries of quantum chemistry.

SciRIS Awards

The College of Science Research and Innovation Seed (SciRIS) Program continues to drive groundbreaking research by fostering collaboration and innovation. The 2025 Stage 2 awardees are working on projects that revolutionize our understanding of river health, ecological communities, sustainable seaweed cultivation and insecticide resistance. Discover more about these College of Science seed-funded research projects and their impact!

Research Funding

David (Xiulei) Ji and Chong Fang received $476K from the National Science foundation for their project titled, “Collaborative Research: Understanding the Correlation between Water Electrolysis and Chemical Environment in Aqueous Electrolytes.”

Jenna Sullivan-Stack received $29K from the Pew Charitable Trust for her project titled, “Tracking Commitments to Our Ocean: Achieving Effective Ocean Protection through Accountability.”

Małgorzata Peszyńska received $9K from the National Science Foundation to attend the Regional Applied Interdisciplinary Numerical (Cascade RAIN) conference in the Cascade Mountains area.

In Celebration

The College of Science gathered on Feb. 26 to recognize and celebrate our high-achieving faculty and staff at the 2025 College of Science Awards Ceremony. This special evening celebrated the very best in our College — from teaching, advising and research to inclusive excellence, administration and service.

Want to know which Team Science members received these heartfelt nominations? Read their inspiring stories and check out the photos:

Celebrating excellence in teaching and advising: “He encourages students to reach out for issues and I’ve never felt so safe in a classroom before. He connects with us and treats the classroom like home.”

Celebrating inclusive excellence, administration, service and performance: “Her ability to provide a wealth of information on a variety of administrative issues is unparalleled, and she approaches each interaction with a warm smile and an eagerness to assist.”

Celebrating excellence in research: “His work not only advances fundamental science but also addresses critical societal needs, inspiring the next generation of scientists and leaders. I am honored to support his nomination wholeheartedly.” Discover the full stories behind these honors and the impact of our awardees.

As the artist behind Oregon’s new shark license plate, Honors biology student Natalie Donato loves educating others about shark research. Plate vouchers can now be purchased for $40, with $35 from each sale supporting shark research, training, outreach and education for the Big Fish Lab at Oregon State. But Donato isn’t just an artist, she’s a scientist too. She also helps design 3D models of shark heads that help scientists learn more about patterns of electroreceptor pores — no dissection required. Read what she shares about the power of undergraduate research.

Biochemistry and molecular biology major Estifanos Berhe is deeply committed to advancing biomedical research. After immigrating from Ethiopia at age 12, Berhe faced cultural challenges but found support in his family and community. Now, he balances his rigorous studies with roles at the Ettihad Cultural Center and as a diversity learning assistant. In the lab, Berhe investigates autoimmune diseases using fruit flies as a model organism. Find out what fuels him.

OSU Today did a Q&A with microbiology Ph.D. candidate Vaishnavi Padaki. As part of her thesis, Padaki created mixed-media artwork that will be on display from March 31 to April 16 in Strand Agricultural Hall. She chose Oregon State because of Kimberly Halsey’s lab and her research in algal-bacterial interactions and microbial ecology. Read more about her exhibit and how it ties into her research.

Team Science in the saddle! Sophie Krueger plays on the newly revived women’s polo team when she’s not studying biohealth sciences. She encourages all undergraduates to find an extracurricular activity to explore during their time at Oregon State. Students don’t need a horse or any prior knowledge to join the team and all of the gear is provided! Learn more about why Krueger think’s it’s the “coolest sport ever.”

The Linus Pauling Institute celebrated Linus Pauling Day on Feb. 28, the birthday of the famous chemist. Along with being an Oregon State alumnus, Pauling is the only person ever to receive two unshared Nobel Prizes — for Chemistry (1954) and Peace (1962). Read his biography to learn more about one of the greatest scientists and humanitarians the world has ever seen.

Upcoming Events