One project keeps chemist Wei Kong awake at night, and it started as an idea nearly two decades ago. Now, after being awarded nearly $2 million for four years by the National Institutes of Health, the goal is to create a groundbreaking new tool with the potential to revolutionize drug development and enhance our understanding of disease mechanisms.
The College of Science community recently gathered to celebrate this year’s Alumni Award recipients. These alumni distinguished themselves through their groundbreaking research, strong leadership and efforts to enhance equity, access and inclusion.
Rather than being swayed by conventional markers of success such as titles and salaries, Parisa Khosropour (B.S., ‘89) advocates for the relentless pursuit of personal excellence. Khosropour is the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for her professional accomplishments and mentorship that has brought honor, distinction and visibility to the College of Science.
Congratulations to three Department of Chemistry faculty members awarded endowed positions, recognizing their exceptional contributions to solving major challenges in material science currently facing humankind. May Nyman is the Terrence Bradshaw Chemistry Professor; David Ji is the Bert and Emelyn Christensen Professor; and Chong Fang is the Patricia Valian Reser Endowed Faculty Scholar.
College of Science faculty, staff, and graduate students have earned a record-breaking number of honors at University Day, a celebratory launch to the academic year featuring an annual awards ceremony. Science winners amassed an impressive 12 awards, beating the previous record of seven and garnering the most of any college across Oregon State.
The College of Science is committed to community service and fostering science literacy. Our recently launched Strategic Plan prioritizes impactful contributions at local, national and global levels. Across our seven departments, we are actively implementing outreach initiatives that align with our mission of engagement and societal impact. Last year, the College actively supported community-focused events, such as Discovery Days, Juntos Family Day and many others.
Shaping challenges into opportunities is what chemistry Ph.D. student Abdikani Omar Farah has done nearly all of his life. After growing up in East Africa and experiencing firsthand what it meant to lack access to medicine, Farah now wants to use his career to fill this drug scarcity and give back to his communities.
Eleanor Feingold, a statistical geneticist and associate dean with nearly 20 years of leadership experience at the University of Pittsburgh, has been named dean of Oregon State University’s College of Science. She will start Oct. 31.
Researchers in the College of Science have demonstrated the potential of an inexpensive nanomaterial to scrub carbon dioxide from industrial emissions. The findings, published in Cell Reports Physical Science, are important because improved carbon capture methods are key to addressing climate change, said Oregon State's Kyriakos Stylianou, who led the study.
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.
Oregon State University Professor May Nyman received the prestigious F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry from the American Chemical Society.
Actinide chemistry is defined by its cutting-edge research, which graduate student Jenna Bustos has a passion for pursuing. From becoming a member of the Nyman Research Group at Oregon State to interning at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Bustos is well-versed in the field and eager to see what it brings next for her.
