IMPACT

Some coral species can be resilient to marine heat waves by “remembering” how they lived through previous ones, research by Oregon State University scientists suggests.

Earlier this fall, more than 6,000 people gathered for the nation’s largest STEM diversity event of the year, the 2023 National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) conference, hosted in Portland, Oregon.

The Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics will present “Women Leaders in STEM: Challenges and Rewards” on Wednesday, Dec. 13. The event is partially funded by the College of Science’s Gender Equity Leadership Fund, awarded to Biochemistry and Biophysics Head Elisar Barbar in 2023 to implement projects for the advancement of women faculty and those assigned female at birth in the College.

The College of Science community recently gathered to celebrate this year’s Alumni Award recipients. These alumni distinguished themselves through their groundbreaking research, strong leadership and efforts to enhance equity, access and inclusion.

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.

Researchers at Oregon State University have received a $4.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study European foulbrood disease, which is killing honey bees and affecting pollination of specialty crops.

The discovery related to gravitational waves which made international headlines earlier this year and was predicted by Albert Einstein more than a century ago will be the topic of Oregon State University’s Science Pub on Dec. 6. Jeff Hazboun, an astrophysicist in the College of Science and one of the researchers who led the project that resulted in the gravitational wave astronomy breakthrough, will talk about the discovery and future directions for the research at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Old World Deli in Corvallis.

More than 150 years ago, Joseph Bertrand stated a mathematical theorem. Proving why this theorem is true hasn’t been a simple endeavor. Two College of Science alumni, along with professor Patrick De Leenheer, recently published a paper in the SIAM Review pulling back the curtain on Bertrand’s Theorem. Together, they wrote a proof that is accessible to undergraduate mathematics or physics students.

Oregon State University researchers have been awarded $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop improved ways of preventing stored potatoes from sprouting, particularly in the organic sector.

Microbiologist Jo-Ann Leong never imagined that her quest for a new vaccine would ultimately change the world we live in today.

Rather than being swayed by conventional markers of success such as titles and salaries, Parisa Khosropour (B.S., ‘89) advocates for the relentless pursuit of personal excellence. Khosropour is the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for her professional accomplishments and mentorship that has brought honor, distinction and visibility to the College of Science.

The remnants of ancient bacteria live inside each of us as mitochondria, structures in cells that are critical for life. Breakthrough work from Simon Johnson, B.S. biochemistry and biophysics ‘09, and his lab has shed new light on how dysfunction of mitochondria causes human disease. For his great strides towards a cure for mitochondrial diseases within a decade since his last degree, Johnson has received the 2023 Young Alumni Award in the College of Science.