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Microbiology

Riley Whisler, Class of '26: Future doctor explores sports medicine, hospice care and building community

One might think Oregon State senior Riley Whisler has more than 24 hours in a day. Her schedule reads like someone determined to use every precious second.

A group of students in lab coats stand around a professor in a laboratory.
Chemistry

Honors general chemistry series brings students into a community of innovation

The honors general chemistry sequence is one of the longest-running honors offerings at OSU, and the three-term series gives participating students access to advanced laboratory experiences, faculty mentorship and a learning community that often shapes their academic paths in their very first year.

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Integrative Biology

Fieldwork, internships and study abroad: Oregon State biology student expands career path

From coastal field stations to a pharmaceutical oncology lab, Isabel Planken followed their curiosity across disciplines and continents. Each experience expanded their confidence and sense of possibility.

Students wander around looking at thesis posters.
Students

OSU Honors College degree for science students, built around undergraduate research

See how OSU's Honors College gives science majors added access to research, mentorship and a tight-knit academic community.

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Biochemistry & Biophysics

2025 Honors graduate Kaitlyn Kim champions mentorship and human-centered science

From lab bench to student outreach, Kaitlyn Kim built bridges — fusing curiosity with care to uplift others in every space she touched.

Oksana Ostroverkhova smiling on campus in spring
Teaching Innovation

Oksana Ostroverkhova and Courtney S. Campbell named 2025 Margaret and Thomas Meehan Honors College Eminent Faculty

Professor of Physics Oksana Ostroverkhova is celebrated for her dedication to mentoring students and advancing interdisciplinary research in physics at Oregon State.

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Mathematics

Roan Luikart, Class of ’25: Mathematics major finds the equation for success

At Oregon State, Roan Luikart was able to bring his passion for math to life. He studied abroad in England, conducted two undergraduate research projects, served as a resident assistant and helped grow the Math Club.

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Biochemistry & Biophysics

Auria Lee, Class of ’25: Adventure, research and leadership shape future doctor

Auria Lee plans to go to medical school, but her training as a physician truly began as an undergraduate Honors biochemistry major at Oregon State.

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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.

A man in a white button-up gestures to molecular art on a table, explaining it to onlooking students.
Teaching Innovation

Students bake, sculpt and stitch molecular structures to life in Protein Portraits colloquium

Taught by biochemistry and biophysics professor Phil McFadden, the Honors colloquium course Protein Portraits offers a uniquely artistic perspective on biomolecules.

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Students

Perseverance and photovoltaics: Goldwater Scholar paves future in nanoscience

Physics senior Madalyn Gragg was named a 2024 Goldwater Scholar, the nation's top STEM award for undergraduates. Being recognized from more than 5,000 applicants, she hopes her success inspires others to break down their own barriers into science.

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.