Skip to main content
Microscopic photograph of kidney cells.
Biochemistry & Biophysics

Biochemist receives funds to unlock new structural pathway

Biophysicist Afua Nyarko has received $820K over a four-year period to conduct research into biological processes important for the regulation of cell growth, memory and kidney function. She hopes that her research will broaden the scope of scientific knowledge, opening new doors for disease treatment.

Holly Swisher standing in a backyard.
Faculty and Staff

New NSF award to support 'rich and intricate discoveries' in mathematics

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.

Mammoth weevil in yellow amber.
Integrative Biology

Ancient, newly identified 'mammoth weevil' used huge 'trunk' to fight for mates

Oregon State University research has identified a 100-million-year-old weevil unlike any other known fossilized or living weevil.

Ryan Mehl sitting at his desk.
Biochemistry & Biophysics

A vote of confidence: two grants to reimagine how technology can influence scientific discovery

Ryan Mehl, professor of biochemistry and biophysics, has received two new grants that reflect the lab's growing success in genetic code expansion.

Quagga mussels on rock on bank of Colorado River.
Integrative Biology

Low-flow research on Colorado River sheds light on eventual new normal for Grand Canyon

Researchers from Oregon State University say ecological data gathered during a recent low-flow experiment in the Grand Canyon is a key step toward understanding Colorado River ecosystems as the amount of water in the river continues to decline.

Davide Lazzati sitting in office.
Physics

Davide Lazzati to lead Physics Department

Davide Lazzati has been selected as the new Head of the Department of Physics.

Eastern Spadefoot Toad sitting in leaves.
Integrative Biology

Oregon State Ph.D. candidate sheds light on better way to study reputedly secretive toad

Research by an Integrative Biology Ph.D. candidate Anne Devan-Song in Oregon State University’s College of Science has upended the conventional wisdom that for a century has incorrectly guided the study of the eastern spadefoot toad, which is considered endangered in part of its range.

Bernard and Suzanne McGrath sit together in a home wearing Oregon State attire.
Alumni and Friends

Alumni couple prefers tax-advantaged way to support OSU community

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..."

Ph.D. student and researcher Christine Tataru
Graduate students

Martin-O’Neill fellow Christine Tataru uses computers to decode our guts

Christine Tataru receives the 2021-22 Larry W. Martin & Joyce B. O’Neill Endowed Fellowship for her work in computational modeling that seeks to understand how gut microbiomes impact their human hosts’ health. She develops tools and frameworks to advance microbiome research, then uses these tools to explore gut-brain axis phenomenon.

Bryan Lynn sitting outside
Graduate students

Creativity, research and activism intersect for Martin-O’Neill fellow

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.

Mushroom growing out of a carpenter ant.
Integrative Biology

Mushroom growing out of fossilized ant reveals new genus and species of fungal parasite

Oregon State University entomologist George Poinar Jr., has identified the oldest known specimen of a fungus parasitizing an ant, and the fossil also represents a new fungal genus and species.