
Science receives record-breaking 11 awards at University Day
College of Science faculty, staff, and graduate students have earned a record-breaking number of honors at University Day, a celebratory launch to the academic year featuring an annual awards ceremony. Science winners amassed an impressive 11 awards, beating the previous record of seven and garnering the most of any college across Oregon State.

Expanding undergraduate research: Fruit fly experience has students “buzzing”
Every student deserves hands-on research opportunities. But how can that be a reality with limitations on time and available faculty?
Alysia Vrailas-Mortimer, College of Science associate professor and principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute, and her colleagues in the Fly-CURE consortium stumbled upon a solution they hope to expand across the U.S.

College of Science researcher identifies new species of ancient beetle
One hundred million years ago, as iguanodons and triceratops fled from hungry tyrannosaurs, another biological drama played out on the ground where the giant reptiles trod: Male beetles using their supersized antennae in combat for mates.

Oregon State names new College of Science dean
Eleanor Feingold, a statistical geneticist and associate dean with nearly 20 years of leadership experience at the University of Pittsburgh, has been named dean of Oregon State University’s College of Science. She will start Oct. 31.

Science graduate students receive prestigious National Science Foundation fellowship
Four College of Science graduate students were selected for the prestigious NSF Graduate Student Research Fellowship Program in the 2022-23 school year. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in STEM who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in the U.S.
The field where ‘everything matters’: Biology senior chases an insect dream
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.”

College of Science postdoctoral scholar helps find hidden viral threats to coral reefs
Microscopic algae that corals need for survival harbor a common and possibly disease-causing virus in their genetic material, an international collaboration spearheaded by an Oregon State University researcher has found.

NSF Career Grant fuels Jamie Cornelius' deep dive into the hidden world of songbirds
Assistant Professor Jamie Cornelius received a coveted National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to measure the energy and fitness costs of metabolic and behavioral strategies used by songbirds during inclement weather.

Faculty excellence: Promotions and tenure 2023
The College of Science congratulates 17 faculty on receiving promotions and/or tenure this year.

From research to winemaking, Rachel Palmer has finally found the career that feels 'just right'
Rachel Palmer, the new assistant director of career development in the College of Science has always "hit the ground running" and has no intention of slowing down. In this new position, Palmer aims to educate students on the importance of career development.

Juvenile black rockfish affected by marine heat wave but not always for the worse, College of Science research shows
Larvae produced by black rockfish, a linchpin of the West Coast commercial fishing industry for the past eight decades, fared better during two recent years of unusually high ocean temperatures than had been feared, new research by Oregon State College of Science shows.