For Rachel Legard ('19), a mathematics and business double major, participation and involvement in student and campus organizations has always been a priority.

Megan Tucker will graduate next month with a substantial amount of research experience under her belt: She was awarded the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship, which gave her the opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary team at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Albany, Oregon, during the summer of 2019. The new knowledge gained from her internship helped her land a job as a technical writer with Amazon Web Services — a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms to individuals, companies and governments.

Jennifer Smucker, mathematics senior, heads to Virginia Tech in the fall to pursue a Ph.D. in math. She hopes to be a role model for other women in STEM.

Math alumna Suzanne McGrath will receive the College of Science's 2017 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for her achievements and leadership.

Rebekka Toyoizumi has always admired the big questions that science has to offer. A graduating biochemistry and biophysics major at Oregon State, she spent six months throughout summer and fall 2023 terms at OSU exploring those questions through an experiential internship. She is excited to continue this work for the multinational biotech and biopharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, in Maryland following graduation.

Kyle Ireton (Biochemistry & Biophysics, ‘12) has unconventional advice for students following in his footsteps: Don't follow him.

The remnants of ancient bacteria live inside each of us as mitochondria, structures in cells that are critical for life. Breakthrough work from Simon Johnson, B.S. biochemistry and biophysics ‘09, and his lab has shed new light on how dysfunction of mitochondria causes human disease. For his great strides towards a cure for mitochondrial diseases within a decade since his last degree, Johnson has received the 2023 Young Alumni Award in the College of Science.

Goldwater scholar and graduating senior Alyssa Pratt has always had a love for the sciences. She started with a love for the stars and now spends her day in the cyberspace realm with her double major in computer science; and biochemistry and molecular biology at Oregon State University.

When honors student Sahana Shah ran for the student House of Representatives, she won the election with the most votes of any candidate. One of her main platforms? Helping establish a disability cultural center to better adapt the campus to the needs of neurodiverse students. She is now joining forces with other student groups to bring the idea to life.

Six years ago, Bereket Berhanu arrived in the United States knowing two words in English: ‘No’ and ‘Yes.’ This June, Berhanu will be graduating with a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, along with two minors.

To take science from a nebulous image to an understandable craft, honors biochemistry major AJ Damiana turns to art. Now a Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts fellow, her ambitions have never been closer to reach.

Being a Beaver has stretched Ebunoluwa Morakinyo to develop her passions inside and outside of the lab. A senior honors biochemistry and molecular biology student at Oregon State, her time on campus has included celebrating her culture while looking forward to a career dedicated to helping others.

Graduating senior Rowan Nelson's goal is to use microbiome research to find accessible solutions for people with chronic mental health issues.

Ilana Gottfried-Lee has spent the past two years performing cutting-edge research in the Unnatural Protein Facility - diving headfirst into a project that has never been attempted before.

When homelessness and poverty strike, dental care often becomes a distant priority, leading many to resort to desperate measures like pulling their own teeth. Anika Phuvasate and her fellow Oregon State University Pre-Dental Club members are changing that narrative by organizing free clinics that offer compassionate, judgment-free dental services. These efforts not only restore smiles but also dignity, proving that everyone deserves access to essential care.

Aspiring doctor Kendra Yasui began her medical education during her early years working in her family's orchard near Hood River, Oregon. Now graduated with Honor's degrees in biohealth science and Spanish, she hopes to provide health care for underserved Spanish-speaking communities.

Jessica Lopez, who graduated from Oregon State this spring with a bachelor's degree in biohealth sciences, spent the worst of the pandemic watching hundreds of people die.

Meet Kacey, 2019 BioHealth Sciences grad, now an Epidemiologist and Research Coordinator at Comagine Health

BioHealth Sciences Major Breanna Repp researched the epidemiology of health outcomes for SURE Science and explores women's health for her Honors thesis.

Jacob Maynes, a senior majoring in biohealth sciences, will start medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) in Erie, Pennsylvania, this July after only three years of college.

Many people grow up with a fear of bugs, and above all else, a fear of spiders. Oregon State biology senior Catherine Raffin was just the same. The sight of eight spindly legs and a pair of fangs made her skin crawl, so she did the only logical thing: purchased a pet tarantula. “From a young age I was always morbidly fascinated with the insects everybody fears,” she said. “I thought it was crazy how something so small can be so terrifying.”

Meet Stephanie, 2009 Biology grad and Injury Prevention Manager at the Vermont Department of Health

Meet Sasha, 2008 Biology grad and research director at Insmed Incorporated.

After graduating with a degree in biology and a certificate in medical humanities, Abigail LaVerdure has moved to Henderson, Nevada to begin her doctorate in occupational therapy (OT) at Touro University.

Simone Burton, an Honors biology major with an option in marine biology, has pushed through more obstacles than she could have imagined only four years ago. Now, she is confident that she will find a powerful way to protect marine life through a career in conservation, science communication and outreach.

Oregon State chemistry senior Evan Park has a gold medal.

Heading to college can feel like moving to a whole new world. For chemistry senior Marua Bekbossyn, this rang even more true. Her move from Almaty, Kazakhstan to the U.S. had its challenges, but the resources and genuine connections she discovered at Oregon State made all the difference.

As a senior in Honor's chemistry, Linus Unitan hopes the leadership skills he fostered at Oregon State will make him a strong candidate as he begins applying for medical school this spring.

Carley Beeman’s resume is impressive. Studying Honors chemistry with a focus on advanced biochemistry and a minor in biology, she has been a consistent figure on the Oregon State University Honor Roll. In January, she was announced the chemistry undergraduate of the quarter.

Graduating high school at 16 is no easy feat. For Jessica Etter, it also meant the additional challenge of starting college at 17. Etter started her journey as an Oregon State University chemistry student with the goal of becoming a forensic scientist, however, she has since found a passion for research and will be starting a Ph.D. at Oregon State this fall.

Meghan Holst, a 2014 marine biology graduate and a biologist at the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, co-developed a tool to help aquarists make end-of-life decisions for the giant Pacific octopus, a popular species in aquariums across the U.S.

Oregon State University has been selected to host a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration institute focused on collaborative study of the rapidly changing ocean and expanded demands on its use.

A graduating senior in zoology at Oregon State University, Devonte Casey has been deeply inspired by the synergy between his academic pursuits and his identity as a Native American.

For Lily Miksell, the Alexei Lubchenco Menge Undergraduate Research Fellowship presented an exciting opportunity to pursue her interests in ecology and conservation.

Simone Burton, an Honors biology major with an option in marine biology, has pushed through more obstacles than she could have imagined only four years ago. Now, she is confident that she will find a powerful way to protect marine life through a career in conservation, science communication and outreach.

Mathematics alumna Megan Tucker navigated clouds with a pen. After jumpstarting her technical writing career at Amazon Web Services, she's found her voice answering the unspoken questions.

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away — in Lake Oswego, Oregon — Joey Takach ordered a bunch of soundboards, accelerometers and other metal parts online.

Ryan Holzschuh liked math as a teenager. He was even one of the top mathematics students at Cleveland High School in inner southeast Portland and took a year's worth of college-level math classes during his senior year in 2022. However, it took going to Oregon State University for Holzschuh to truly fall in love with numbers.

In the intricate languages of mathematics and biology, alumna Rachel Sousa, ‘20, is multilingual. Since graduating from Oregon State, she has bridged the disciplines through several prestigious research experiences and credits her success to seizing opportunities no matter the odds.

Even though 1+2 will always be equal to 3, Madison Collins strives to teach math differently so that students can learn better and discover something new along the way.

Catherine Sterrett has always been called to medicine, but when she found herself as a patient, compassion became her greatest motivation. Now a graduating senior, she looks forward to where her career will take her.

College of Science Ph.D. student Kelly Shannon has been selected as Oregon’s young ambassador for the American Society for Microbiology. With only one candidate chosen for each state, he has joined the ranks of distinctly remarkable up-and-coming microbiologists.

Oregon State's College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) made all the difference in engaging microbiology major Bruno Salas Garcia in his college experience. A first-generation student, he is on track to dental school and plans to serve rural communities similar to where he grew up.

Lice: creepy, crawly, but to a young Amelia Noall, fascinating. “There was an outbreak at my school, and of course I got it. But I started looking at the bugs through my microscope and thinking, ‘Wow, these are so interesting!’” she recalled. As she followed her curiosity, picking leaves from the ground and examining their hidden structures through the microscope lens, she unknowingly paved the way toward her time as a microbiology major — and now senior — at Oregon State.

Kendra Krebs's interest in science started when she worked as a hair stylist in a salon. Now, this microbiology senior has her sights set on medical school.

Katherine McLaughlin’s work explores a large number and wide variety of at-risk populations around the globe and involves collaborations with epidemiologists, statisticians, and public health officials.

OSU Statistics' online data analytics programs are training students to be data scientists capable of managing and finding insights in large quantities of data.

Integrative Biology Ph.D. candidate Bryan K. Lynn studies evolutionary game theory, advocates for LGBTQ+ equity, and excels at pastry creation. His work uses mathematical modeling to investigate the evolution of cooperation, using bacteria as his subjects.

Data-driven marketer and entrepreneur Kristin Luck will discuss one of the fastest-growing fields--data analytics--and its evolving role in industry and what it means for the statisticians.

Phyisics student Diego Menendez will begin classes for his final year at Oregon State during Hispanic Heritage Month 2024, right after his last LSAMP bridges experience as a program mentor. When asked what Hispanic Heritage Month means to him, he said, “I feel like during that month and other identity-based celebration months, people are just so proud of where they come from, who they are, and their lineage, their people, their families. I love that. I'm a very proud Cuban all the time.”

When physics senior Phia Morton flew to Italy to do research, she couldn’t have imagined what she’d find hidden in the stars: the first strong candidate of a black hole merger emitting light. This discovery deepens knowledge on the cosmic structures and may even give a new opinion on how quickly the universe is expanding.

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away — in Lake Oswego, Oregon — Joey Takach ordered a bunch of soundboards, accelerometers and other metal parts online.

A College of Science undergraduate student has been selected as a 2024 Goldwater Scholar, the nation's top award for sophomores and juniors studying science, engineering or mathematics.

Rohal Kakepoto valued the expertise of the faculty and the intimate and supportive atmosphere of the physics department. Like many of Oregon State physics graduates, Kakepoto landed a job as an engineer at Hewlett Packard in Corvallis, which he will start right before graduation.

If there is one thing that Mai Sakuragi has learned during her time at Oregon State University, it is that, with passion and hard work, even seemingly impossible goals can be achieved.

Katherine McLaughlin’s work explores a large number and wide variety of at-risk populations around the globe and involves collaborations with epidemiologists, statisticians, and public health officials.

Korvis Professor of Statistics Javier Rojo received the 2020 Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science.

In recognition of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, held on February 11, we acknowledge the women faculty, students and alumnae of the OSU College of Science.

The College of Science is proud to congratulate Charlotte Wickham, an assistant professor in the statistics department, for receiving the 2020 Ecampus Excellence in Online Teaching and Student Engagement Award.

Senior statistics instructor Katie Jager went above and beyond to support her colleagues transition to remote teaching.

Manon Vezinet spent last summer working with the Cornelius Laboratory, led by Integrative Biology Assistant Professor Jamie Cornelius, studying how increased frequency of unfavorable weather events affects nestling growth. Because of the SURE program, Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, Vezinet was able to experience the once-in-a lifetime opportunity to conduct undergraduate field research and get paid to do it.

As children, most of us were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. Quipping dreams of ballerinas, firefighters, doctors or mythical characters — how many of us actually pursued them? Camrie Smith always said she wanted to work with animals. And it stuck.

When it comes to healing cats and dogs in a sunny California beach town, emergency veterinarian Karianna Crowder ‘17 is up to the task.

“I was drawn to the sciences and less so to agriculture my whole life. When it comes to wanting to be a small animal veterinarian, I wanted to focus more on the science behind it,” Crowder said.

Stan Cates worked full-time to earn his degree, becoming the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college. He reflects on OSU's strengths and weaknesses in supporting non-traditional students.

A graduating senior in zoology at Oregon State University, Devonte Casey has been deeply inspired by the synergy between his academic pursuits and his identity as a Native American.

Graduating this year with an online degree in zoology, Zoey Vagner hopes to use her education from Oregon State University to help raise public awareness about science to preserve the world we live in.