IMPACT

Meet the six 2025 Alumni Award recipients who made important discoveries, dedicated their time to others and improved the world through science.

From being at the forefront of innovation in spectroscopy to inspiring the researchers of tomorrow, Nibler has made a lasting impact in science.

After decades of researching membrane protein folding as a physician scientist, Dr. William (Bill) Skach joined an industry-leading foundation to help hundreds of labs and companies worldwide develop treatments for rare mutations of cystic fibrosis.

Science communication is a raging passion for Heather Kitada Smalley. From interactive statistics and data science workshops to impressive research related to archeology, she demonstrates the impact of data in the real world and inspires students of all ages.

With years of philanthropy under their belt, Eileen and Norbert Hartmann are committed to a life of giving back.

From frogs to global health, Barbara Han’s journey reveals how curiosity can lead to groundbreaking science. Her innovative research uses AI and machine learning to predict and prevent future epidemics around the world.

Scott Clark (08) wants artificial intelligence to be powerful — and trustworthy.

For statistics students at Oregon State University, it's not unheard of to land a job after attending a conference. That’s how Oregon State alumna Chenyang Duan (Ph.D. Statistics, ‘23) landed a full-time position as senior statistician at AbbVie, one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world.

In a career spanning forensics and pathology, alumna Lia Murty now facilitates innovation as a senior regulatory consultant.

Eleanor Ford (’62, Microbiology) was six feet tall. Not literally, but when she shared her passion for laboratory safety, her personality could fill a room. Despite being only four feet, eleven inches, and a woman in a male-dominated field in the 1960s, when she talked, people listened.

Jon Francis (statistics, ‘96) has built a career working for some of the biggest names in business, including Amazon, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Nike, T-Mobile, Starbucks, PayPal and currently General Motors. What education has allowed him to shift seamlessly from coffee to cars? A master’s degree in statistics from Oregon State University.