Dear colleagues,

Welcome – WELCOME – to the 2021-22 academic year! More than any year that I can remember, I am so pleased to see students back on campus. In the hall during the first week of classes, I spoke with a smiling student on their way to MTH 251, and they said that they had never appreciated school until it “was taken away” (their words). They were positively giddy to be headed to their calculus class.

Among the work we will do this year, one of the projects I am most looking forward to is beginning to implement our Diversity Action Plan, “Embedding Equity, Access and Inclusion.” I hope you will take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with its five major goals. These are:

1. Embed, integrate and advance inclusive excellence within all aspects of the College.
2. Establish holistic, inclusive, and equitable hiring, recruitment, and retention processes.
3. Create a welcoming college climate to support a sense of belonging, and equitable learning and training experiences.
4. Provide innovative, inclusive, accessible, and equitable access to learning and research experiences that incorporate global experiences.
5. Communicate accomplishments reflecting our commitments to inclusion and mutual respect of all members while enhancing visibility of minoritized communities.

Based on evidence in peer-reviewed literature, we anticipate that the College taking the actions outlined in the Diversity Action Plan will improve outcomes for underrepresented students, faculty and staff. The plan includes actions we will take to reduce attrition, address inequities, increase a sense of belonging, and other outcomes. To coordinate and help lead our work, we will hire a Director for Equity, Access and Inclusion (EAI), and I hope to announce an interim Director very soon. An EAI Leadership Council will assist in leading the work, a subcommittee on Gender Equity will help ensure that people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities, and another subcommittee on Equity Data will keep track of where we are and the progress we make in the future. Advancing EAI will allow more of our community and broader society to enjoy the benefits that come from science, careers in science, and a better understanding of science.

Speaking of being more inclusive, I spent some time making my calculus class accessible to students who may have to quarantine. I am now recording my lectures in the LINC, including the doc-cam view of my notes, and posting them to Canvas so that students are able to see them if they are unable to make it to class. I require attendance in class, but in the event of illness, quarantine, or simply the need to review, the lectures will all be available. Using the same Zoom-based technology, I will be able to Zoom in to my lecture room in the event that I need to quarantine. With a bit of assistance from campus IT to refresh the software, it was not that difficult to set up.

I hope you can attend the Diversity Action Plan rollout event on Oct. 7 and our inaugural Graduate Student Appreciation Night on Oct. 14 (details below).

Thanks for your work this term. I look forward to seeing you at these events, your department seminar, or at another one of our events this fall.

Roy Haggerty
Dean, College of Science

Research Highlights

Chemist May Nyman has been selected as one of the leaders of a $24M federal effort to develop technologies for combating climate change by extracting carbon from the air. The funding is spread among nine research projects, with Nyman receiving $1.6M over three years to lead a collaboration that includes scientists from the Argonne National Laboratory as well as Oregon State.

New research from biochemist Adrian Gombart found that the health-enhancing performance of a compound found in hops is dependent upon its interactions with intestinal microorganisms.

Rather than ocean oxygen levels improving as they usually do this time of year, hypoxia off the Pacific Northwest coast is as problematic as it’s been at any point in 2021, according to collaborative research by Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and Oregon’s crabbing industry. “Back in April, we predicted it would be a bad hypoxia year because of the weather, and it’s turned out to be a really bad year,” said marine ecologist Francis Chan.

Research Funding

Microbiologist Julie Alexander received $96K from the USDI Fish and Wildlife Service for a project entitled “Assessing changes in the distribution of Manayunkia occidentalis related to discharge in the Klamath River and how M. occidentalis infection prevalence might predict Ceratonova shasta disease risk for migrating salmonids.”

Astrophysicist Davide Lazzati received $50K from NASA for a project entitled “Dust from supernovae: formation, resilience to sputtering and explosion, and diffusion in the interstellar medium.”

Physicist Heidi Schellman was awarded $3M over three years from the Department of Energy for her project “Essential Computing and Software Development for the DUNE experiment.” The award will be shared with collaborators among four Universities (Oregon State, Colorado State, Minnesota and Wichita State) and three national laboratories (Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory).

Ecophysiologist Jamie Cornelius received $124K from the Nature Conservancy for her project entitled “Impacts of drought on shorebird physiology in the Central Valley of California”

Three groups of scientists received SciRIS Stage 1 awards at $10K each, and one group received the Innovation Award at $10K.

• Microbiologist Rebecca Vega Thurber and her colleagues will use their award to develop a model tropical reef facility within Oregon State’s world-renowned John Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Lab.
• Chemist Wei Kong and Statistician Lan Xue will use their grant to develop more effective mass spectrometry through inclusion of electron diffraction.
• Biochemist Elisar Barbar and collaborators will use their award to integrate structural biology with cell and organismal biology with the aim of establishing new technologies to investigate cancer related complexes and host-parasite interactions.
• Associate Professor of Physics Matt Graham and colleagues received the new College of Science Innovation Award support their work converting waste heat to electricity, contributing to a more sustainable world through the recovery of energy losses and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

To learn more about SciRIS awards given in September, visit IMPACT.

Research Proposal Support

You can find funding opportunities on ECOS. To access a suite of tools and resources available to faculty, visit the College of Science Proposal Support webpage.

University Honors

Congrats to College of Science University Day award winners!

• Professor of Physics Davide Lazzati won the OSU Impact Award for Outstanding Scholarship for accurately predicting the connection between binary neutron star mergers and short gamma-ray bursts.
• Sierra Hansen, storekeeper of OSU ChemStore, received the OSU Exemplary Employee Award for her exceptional professionalism and job performance during the pandemic.

Congratulations to Isabel Rodriguez (M.S. Physics ’21) for being the 2021 recipient of the Harriet “Hattie” Redmond Award. This award celebrates a member of the Oregon State community who works as an agent of change in service of racial justice and gender equity.

Every bit of avoided warming matters.” In the September Science Magazine editorial, Jane Lubchenco, deputy director for climate and the environment, and John Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate, assert the time for bold, worldwide climate action is now.

Chemist May Nyman’s work on developing new carbon capture methods with the help of a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy was featured on the Oregon Public Broadcasting news. Read article, “Oregon scientist is working to get more planet-warming carbon out of the atmosphere.”

Two College of Science alumni and advisory board members were included in the fall issue of Oregon Stater magazine! The cover story featured Michael Waterman (Mathematics ’64, ’66), and Ron Schoenheidt (Mathematics ’65) was profiled for the “Corner Office” section (page 34).

Chemist Mas Subramanian was featured in ArtNews in an article discussing how artists turn to scientific inquiry to spark new art.

Biochemistry faculty Kari van Zee, Ryan Mehl, Rick Cooley and graduate student Phil Zhu were highlighted in a story from the Vernier Caliper on how they adapted their classes to continue teaching during the pandemic – both in person and remotely.

Inpria Corporation, whose revolutionary material used in microchips has attracted investors such as Intel and Samsung, agreed to be acquired by Japanese firm JSR for $514 million. The company got its start at Oregon State University in 2007 to advance work that began in University Distinguished Professor Doug Keszler’s lab.

Read about new Assistant Professor of Biology Mark Phillips on the College of Science news site. Phillips was previously a postdoctoral scientist at Oregon State. His research focuses on experimental evolution and the genetics of adaptation and complex traits.

Alumna Audrey Dickinson shares her experience as a student in the Graduate Program in Data Analytics. She earned her master’s degree while working full time at HP. She is now working as a Driver Analyst at HP, looking at key data points driving business metrics in HP’s Washington, D.C. office.

From Ethnic Minorities United in STEM (EMUS) to Physicists for Inclusion (PhIS) and Out in STEM, student clubs are making it possible to widen access and success in STEM fields. “The best science comes from strong communities with happy scientists,” says EMUS officer Shumpei Maruyama. Read more about some of the clubs geared towards supporting historically underrepresented groups in STEM.

Marine scientists at Oregon State University have produced a guide to help nations better plan and monitor marine protected areas to safeguard ecosystems and the ocean. “The MPA Guide: A Framework to Achieve Global Goals for the Ocean” was published in Science.

Happy Hispanic and LatinX Heritage Month! The College of Science celebrates the accomplishments, cultures, histories and voices of students, faculty and staff who identify as Hispanic or Latinx. A shout out to the OSU chapter of SACNAS Advancing Hispanics/Chicanos & Native Americans in Science, which has won many national awards for outstanding performance in increasing STEM diversity at OSU.

Four OSU researchers, including Professor of Chemistry Rich Carter, were part of a group of 14 U.S. institutions who wrote an article in Science magazine that examined university promotion and tenure criteria and processes. The group argue that these processes should be made more inclusive to value innovation, entrepreneurship and other forms of scholarly impact.

Resources and tools

Please help spread the word about the College’s feedback form. This tool provides a means for faculty, staff and students to offer feedback related to their experiences, including instances of bias and discrimination in the classroom, in advising, with other students or elsewhere. This tool also provides a place to share positive experiences, recognize contributions and propose solutions.

Need to update your College of Science directory profile with your latest publications and awards? Simply scroll to the bottom of your profile page and click the “Log In” button. From there, you will see an “edit” button at the top of the page, and can make changes from there. You may also send your requested changes to Cari Longman in the College marketing office.

Upcoming events

Strategic Diversity Action Plan Launch Faculty and Staff Session
Thursday, October 7, Noon to 1 p.m., MU Ballroom
Join us on Thursday, October 7, for the in-person launch of the College of Science Diversity Action Plan, an inclusive effort to increase equitable hiring, create a more inclusive climate and provide greater access to learning and research experiences. Read more about the plan, which reflects priorities shared by our community, gathered over the last academic year.  

The faculty and staff session will be from noon to 1 p.m., and RSVPs are required. A boxed meal will be provided. Take part in the conversation and register today.

Graduate Student Appreciation Night
Thursday, October 14, 5 – 7 p.m., MU Ballroom
This inaugural event will be a time to recognize and show appreciation for our graduate students. We hope you will join us for a short presentation followed by a mixer with beverages and food to show them how much we value their contributions! Register by October 11.

College of Science Distinguished Lecture
Wednesday, November 10
Save the date for the return of the College of Science Distinguished Lecture! This year, we’re excited to host Michael Waterman, the founder of the field of computational biology. His work has contributed to some of the most widely used tools in the field and laid the groundwork for the Human Genome Project. This event will take place both in-person and via Zoom. Look out for more details soon!

Recent Events

College of Science Fall Social, Tuesday, September 21
Hundreds of students came out to the Kidder/Valley Library Quad to learn about science and mathematics clubs, pick up their free academic planner and meet some of our faculty and staff before the start of the term. It was great to see so many excited faces (eyes) and happy students!

University Day, Tuesday, September 14
Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the Science family of journals, was the keynote speaker at this year’s University Day. He discussed the intersection of science, higher education and politics and policy. Watch the recording if you missed it!