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A paper sculpture of a fish parasite hangs from a ceiling.
Microbiology

Blending art and science: Microbiologist illuminates the hidden world of fish parasites

A graduate student in Oregon State University’s Department of Microbiology, Nilanjana Das is using art to give the invisible world of fish parasites new visibility — and new meaning. Through large, glowing sculptures made of tracing paper and reed, she brings public attention to the microscopic organisms threatening aquatic ecosystems.

A woman holds a shark and shines a flashlight into it in a laboratory.
Students

Goldwater scholar modernizes shark research with digital art

Natalie Donato, a third-year honors biology student, is submerged in the thrilling world of sharks. On a typical day at Oregon State University, this nationally recognized Goldwater scholar can be found creating 3D models of shark heads in a research lab and recently designed Oregon’s new shark license plate.

Microscopic view of glowing bacteria
Microbiology

‘Lessons from the squid-vibrio symbiosis’: Berg Lecture 2025

Join us March 4, 2025 at the LaSells Stewart Center for the 2025 Berg Lecture, given by Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai of Carnegie Science and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

AJ Damiana and Alysia Vrailas-Mortimer pose next to Damiana's yellow, green, red, and blue painting, split between two frames.
Students

How painting cellular aging made this biochemistry student a better scientist

Honors biochemistry and molecular biology student AJ Damiana recently finished a year-long fellowship through the new PRAx Center. Her experience culminated in a piece of art depicting the hallmarks of cellular aging. She was also honored to accept the assistant editorship at Beaver’s Digest at the same time.

Students and staff clad in lab coats and glasses surround a lab table conducting experiments with pipettes, test tubes, beakers and other chemistry instruments in a lab at Oregon State University.
Diversity in Science

Ignite inSTEM summer camp mentors underrepresented students in chemistry

For five days, the students participated in the Ignite inSTEM summer camp, a groundbreaking initiative to diversify the biomedical workforce by engaging underrepresented youth in hands-on science for the first time and improving their retention in STEM.

A photo of a building.
Faculty and Staff

Science faculty awarded L.L. Stewart Faculty Fellowships to bridge science and art

Two College of Science professors have been awarded the 2024 L.L. Stewart Faculty Fellowship.

A student shows a group of people a research poster hanging on a wall.
Chemistry

Innovative chemistry lab sparks student engagement

One course stands out for its creative new approach to the age-old question, “Why does this matter?”— a three-week general chemistry laboratory on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) pioneered at Oregon State. Two members of the Department of Chemistry, Assistant Professor Kyriakos Stylianou and graduate student Karlie Bach, were interested in invigorating chemistry education and fostering student enthusiasm for research through hands-on laboratory experiences.

A woman with shoulder-length hair wears an earset microphone and presents to an unseen audience. Light focuses on her as stands in front of a soft orange-pink gradient.
Teaching Innovation

Black holes devour light — except when they create it, finds physics undergrad

When physics senior Phia Morton flew to Italy to do research, she couldn’t have imagined what she’d find hidden in the stars: the first strong candidate of a black hole merger emitting light. This discovery deepens knowledge on the cosmic structures and may even give a new opinion on how quickly the universe is expanding.

Jeff Gore, professor of physics at MIT, seated in front of a chalkboard wearing a collared shirt and suit jacket.
Microbiology

'Simple Predictive rules in microbial community assembly': Berg Lecture 2024

Award-winning physicist Jeff Gore will present the second annual Berg Lecture on Tuesday, May 28. He will describe how his team's experiments with microbial communities provide predictive insight into natural ecosystems.

Gokova Bay, Turkey, marine protected area. Photo by Safer Kizilkaya.
Marine Science

More progress needed on ocean protection, College of Science researchers tell global conference

Kirsten Grorud-Colvert and Jenna Sulivan-Stack, marine ecologists in the College of Science, told global leaders that more progress is needed when it comes to marine protected areas. The pair attended the ninth annual Our Ocean Conference in Athens, Greece.

AJ Damiana wears a striped button-up with a smile, her dark, curly hair falling to her shoulders.
Students

Biochemistry PRAx fellow conveys science through art

To take science from a nebulous image to an understandable craft, honors biochemistry major AJ Damiana turns to art. Now a Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts fellow, her ambitions have never been closer to reach.

Students in lab coats pose for a group photo.
Diversity in Science

Leidholdt Microbiology Summer Camp seeks support to sustain STEM opportunities

When an autistic high-school student meets an autistic science mentor, a whole new world of possibilities opens. When a shy high-school student is encouraged to embrace curiosity and ask questions, their path to college gets easier to navigate. And when an underrepresented high-school student is given a scholarship to attend a microbiology STEM camp, it can change their world.