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.
After being mentored by an orthopedic surgeon and witnessing her first joint reconstruction in the operating room, Kennedy Duff's preceptorship at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center left a life-changing impression.
Students traded textbooks for tangible skills in a rural Mexican field clinic, dressing wounds, working alongside veterinarians and seeing up close what care animals truly need.
Jacob Van of Beaverton International School is one of Oregon's 2025 National Merit Scholars. He plans to stay in the Pacific Northwest to attend Oregon State University’s Honors College and study biology on the pre-medicine track. The winners of the highly competitive $2,500 scholarship are judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success of all National Merit Scholars, according to the scholarship organization.
For the second time, a three-week study abroad opportunity in Nepal is available for students to experience. Led by Dee Denver, head of the Department of Integrative Biology, the Intersections of Biodiversity and Buddhist Cultures in Nepal course promises a trek through the Himalayas, excursions in lowland jungles, and time spent in centuries-old monasteries.
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.
Biology student Micah Rogers (biology, '07) crouched by the edge of a vibrant tide pool, captivated by the swirl of colorful slimy critters swimming in slippery grasses against wind-carved rocks. It was along the Oregon coast, in 2007, that she realized her passion for marine biology fieldwork was just beginning.
As an undergraduate in the College of Science at Oregon State, Bauer was surrounded by opportunities to do science. Now he is pursuing his Ph.D. in integrative biology here as well.
Many people grow up with a fear of bugs, and above all else, a fear of spiders. Oregon State biology senior Catherine Raffin was just the same. The sight of eight spindly legs and a pair of fangs made her skin crawl, so she did the only logical thing: purchased a pet tarantula. “From a young age I was always morbidly fascinated with the insects everybody fears,” she said. “I thought it was crazy how something so small can be so terrifying.”
