For two days, Oregon State welcomed over 1,000 elementary students to experience the thrills of science outside the classroom. Discovery Days, a biannual outreach event sponsored by the College of Science, brimmed with activities for kids to enjoy while they met graduate and undergraduate students eager to share their enthusiasm for the inspiring field.
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.
This past summer, Ph.D. student Savanah Leidholt set out to create a summer “bootcamp” for area high school students to draw more students from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, low-income and other diverse backgrounds to the study of microbiology.
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.
Third-year Honors biochemistry and biophysics student Grace Petrina is committed to volunteering her time and talent, involved in a host of local community outreach efforts.
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.
Inpria Corporation, which got its start at Oregon State and which has attracted investors such as Intel and Samsung with its revolutionary material used in microchips, has agreed to be acquired by Japanese firm JSR for $514 million.
On April 28, 2021, Oregon State will hold its second day of giving, called Dam Proud Day. This year, funds raised for the College of Science will support science students experiencing financial difficulties that may inhibit their ability to continue classes.
Team-based Rapid Assessment of Community-Level Coronavirus Epidemics, or TRACE-COVID-19, was launched by OSU in April 2020 with door-to-door sampling in Corvallis and expanded to other cities around the state while also adding a wastewater testing component. In December, OSU received a $2 million grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to create a national TRACE Center that will expand the OSU’s COVID-19 public health project to other states.
Dozens of community members from the Willamette Valley are stepping up to address COVID-19 as part of 30 teams went door-to-door in Eugene offering free COVID-19 tests to up to 600 residents as part of Oregon State University’s TRACE Community testing project.