IMPACT

National Science Foundation CAREER award recipient Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz will present the inaugural 2022 College of Science Inclusive Excellence Lecture, “Empowering Cultures of Belonging: Thriving, Innovating and Solving Global Challenges.”

Wanting to spend more time with his partner and one-year-old son, Angulo Barba applied for the Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM) Fellowship, a national program that promotes the participation of underrepresented groups in post-graduate science and engineering education and the technical workforce.

Only 1.7% of attorneys in Oregon identified as Hispanic or Latino/a in 2020.

College of Science alumni Román Hernández (‘92) is not only part of that 1.7%, but he has dedicated his time to making sure that number grows.

Physics Ph.D. candidate Nima Laal has a poster on his wall of an alien spaceship. The text on the bottom reads “I want to believe.”

To Laal, the poster isn’t referencing creatures from another planet, but instead the search for elusive gravitational waves.

On a sunny June afternoon, 20 high school students from across Oregon stood in a college chemistry laboratory watching a balloon. Their eyes widened as it began to shrink and turn into a wrinkled but rigid ball of rubber. No magic was involved — just liquid nitrogen.

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.

Alumna and longtime supporter Judy Faucett (Mathematics ’70) has established the first scholarship in the College of Science specifically for LGBTQ+ students experiencing homelessness or other extreme circumstances.

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.

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

Pre-med Honors student Saki Nakai double majored in psychology and mathematics, completing a French minor abroad. Next year, a Fulbright award will support her research in Luxembourg.

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.