IMPACT

Math alumnus James Hansen jumpstarted his career as an actuary, completing half his degree while still in high school.

The College of Science community gathered on Friday, November 12, 2021, for the 2021 Alumni Awards, recognizing alumni who stand out in their accomplishments across industry, philanthropy and research.

Oregon State funds more high-impact undergraduate research experiences than any other university in the state.

Ron Schoenheit (B.S. Mathematics ’65) is the recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for his accomplishments that have brought honor, distinction and visibility to the College of Science.

Judy Faucett, recipient of the College of Science 2021 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, founded the Rise Scholarship – the first scholarship at Oregon State exclusively serving students with disabilities.

Five incoming graduate students were awarded 2021-2022 ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter scholarships. This year, ARCS Oregon is supporting a record number of 79 scholars: 25 at OHSU, 44 at OSU and 10 at UO.

The College of Science welcomes Swati Patel and Axel Saenz Rodriguez who joined the Department of Mathematics as tenure-track assistant professors in September.

Genomics pioneer Michael Waterman (Mathematics ’64, ’66) receives the 2021 Lifetime Achievement in Science Award for his remarkable accomplishments that have brought honor, distinction and visibility to Oregon State University.

Peter Banwarth (M.S. ’12) is an epidemiologist and public health data scientist with the Benton County Health Department in Oregon. He has developed models to guide county health policies on testing, safety and health measures for employees and the public to minimize infections and deaths in Corvallis and nearby areas.

Professor of mathematics Holly Swisher was awarded a NSF grant to investigate a number of problems that relate to modular and automorphic forms, which have played a central role in many major problems in number theory over the last century.

The McGraths put their knowledge of numbers to use and leveraged a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to make a major gift to their alma mater while realizing a significant tax benefit.

“The QCD is the Holy Grail of donating,” Sue said. “Many of our friends didn’t know about it until we described it to them..."

The College of Science will graduate 670 undergraduate students with baccalaureate degrees in 2020-21, including 68 Honors graduates.