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Research

Immune systems for cities: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Cities are like organisms — they need immune systems. Viruses can reproduce rapidly, taking over cells and turning them into viral factories within hours. Individuals' immune systems need to rise to the challenge, but what happens when they can't, and a whole population gets sick?

Dark, rocky shores stretch to the ocean against a hazy sunrise, waves lapping against the rocks.
Integrative Biology

COS researchers suggest low climate change resilience in rocky Pacific Northwest shores

A study by College of Science researchers says the ecosystems at our shores may face greater danger in a changing climate.

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Faculty and Staff

Science faculty awarded L.L. Stewart Faculty Fellowships to bridge science and art

Two College of Science professors have been awarded the 2024 L.L. Stewart Faculty Fellowship.

Gokova Bay, Turkey, marine protected area. Photo by Safer Kizilkaya.
Marine Science

More progress needed on ocean protection, College of Science researchers tell global conference

Kirsten Grorud-Colvert and Jenna Sulivan-Stack, marine ecologists in the College of Science, told global leaders that more progress is needed when it comes to marine protected areas. The pair attended the ninth annual Our Ocean Conference in Athens, Greece.

Three individuals walking through sand dunes, leaving footprints in their wake.
Research

From 'Dune' to coastal conservation, researchers lead the way in shifting sands

Three years after the release of “Dune,” a film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 sci-fi novel, “Dune: Part Two” is reigniting the public’s fascination with sandy environs and humanity’s efforts to reshape them.

Sally Hacker, a professor of integrative biology in the College of Science, is working with the Oregon departments of Parks and Recreation and Land Conservation and Development to create guidebooks for coastal dune management based on the best available science.

A medium shot of a pacific sideband snail.
Research

Researchers discover product that kills agricultural pests is also deadly to native Pacific Northwest snail

A product used to control pest slugs on farms in multiple countries is deadly to least one type of native woodland snail endemic to the Pacific Northwest.

Professor and Department Head Dee Denver led a 10-week laboratory project that showed the effect of a biotool marketed as Nemaslug on the Pacific sideband snail. The study was published today in PLOS One.

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Events

Celebrating excellence in research: 2024 College of Science Awards

The College of Science gathered on Feb. 29 to recognize and celebrate our high achieving faculty and staff at the 2024 Combined Awards Ceremony.

The following faculty and staff received awards in the category of research.

Congratulations to all the awardees!

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Events

Celebrating excellence in teaching and advising: 2024 College of Science Awards

The College of Science gathered on Feb. 29 to recognize and celebrate our high achieving faculty and staff at the 2024 Combined Awards Ceremony.

The following faculty and staff received awards in the categories of teaching and advising.

Congratulations to all the awardees!

Picture with sand dune and dune grasses in the foreground, evergreens and sky in the background, taken from a high point above the Oregon Dunes
News

Dune: The 'terraformed' Oregon dunes that inspired Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic

Today, a string of small to medium-size towns dot the Oregon coast, filled with beach cottages, artisanal bakeries, and art galleries, and it is a popular vacation spot for families and retirees. It was all made possible by the earnest terraforming schemes imported by European settlers more than a century ago, says Sally Hacker, a coastal ecologist at Oregon State University who studies the Oregon dunes.

Kirsten Grorud-Colvert stands in a blue shirt with her hair in a bun in front of green trees.
Integrative Biology

Inclusive Excellence Lecture: ‘Gathering community for dialogue and action’

Achieving equity in science requires openness to challenging conversations and acknowledging that all disciplines have a history of exclusionary behavior. How do you change decades of behavior in science? Kirsten Grorud-Colvert will address this question at the 2023 College of Science Inclusive Excellence Lecture, “Inclusive Science: Gathering community for dialogue and action.”

Two rhinoceroses striding out of a river.
Integrative Biology

New Nepal Study Abroad: Explore the interweaving of culture and biology

A brand-new, three-week study abroad opportunity in Nepal is being launched 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.

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College of Science

College of Science faculty break down barriers in STEM education through Inclusive Excellence grant

Teaching faculty in the College of Science working to increase access, equity and inclusion in STEM education can create change by collaborating with a supportive community. The the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Inclusive Excellence grant creates a resource for enhancing STEM pedagogy.