Awards & Recognition

On February 22, the College of Science gathered to recognize academic, administrative and teaching excellence at the 2021-22 Combined Awards Ceremony. The first portion of the ceremony celebrated research and administrative achievements, while the second highlighted outstanding teaching, advising and mentoring.

The College celebrates the Teaching and Advising Awards winners below for their deep commitment to engaging with the student experience and application of mentoring and advising expertise to ensure student learning and success within and beyond the classroom. Effective teaching, advising and mentorship are the very heart of the College of Science’s identity as a robust and thriving community of students and scholars. Driven almost exclusively by students’ nominations, these awards are an opportunity for our community to express gratitude and appreciation for each other.

2022 Teaching, Advising and Mentoring Award Winners

Olaf Boedtker Award for Excellence in Academic Advising

Rachel Palmer, a woman with long hair, smiling.

Integrative Biology Advisor Rachel Palmer

Rachel Palmer, integrative biology advisor, won the Olaf Boedtker Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising for her tireless support, efforts and advocacy on behalf of undergraduate students. This award was established in 1988 in honor of Olaf Boedtker, a professor in the Department of Physics who served as Head Advisor in the College from 1973 to 1987. While at Oregon State, he provided exceptional service to students and to the College.

Several students nominated Palmer for this award, praising her dedication and ability to connect and encourage students to achieve their goals.

One student nominator wrote of Palmer: “Right off the bat, Rachel came across as a very happy-go lucky person. She has always been extremely kind and caring at every meeting, treating me as an equal adult and even cracking some jokes that set me at ease. She has always been able to answer every question I had, no matter how specific or vague. I can absolutely tell she wants to help me and set me on the best path possible. Rachel pays mind to each and every student as an individual. She is passionate, inspirational, dedicated and she really knows her stuff!”

Another student had similar feedback for Palmer: “Rachel has made the beginning of my journey towards my Bachelors of Science in Zoology a wonderful experience even through uncertainty. She really goes above and beyond the call of duty, you would not think an advisor could be such a hero.”

“I admire how easily Rachel has helped me find a class schedule that works so well," wrote another student nominator. "She asks important questions, listens to your expectations and executes. One thing she does well is helps me find classes that work well together as far as content.”

Additional nominees for the Olaf Boedtker Award included:

Cody Duncan, advisor for integrative biology
Allison Evans, instructor of microbiology
Jen Olarra, advisor for biology
Kari Van Zee, senior instructor of biochemistry and biophysics

Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching (Undergraduate)

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Kyriakos Stylianou

This year’s Loyd Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Undergraduate Teaching in Science goes to Kyriakos Stylianou, assistant professor of chemistry.

Every year since 1946, the Loyd F. Carter Award has been presented to two outstanding College of Science faculty members: one for undergraduate teaching and one for graduate teaching. The purpose of the award is to encourage and recognize effective and inspirational teaching. The final selection is based solely on student nominations and voting.

Stylianou’s students describe him as passionate, inspirational and dedicated. “This man is so incredibly intelligent but also one of the humblest people you will ever meet,” one student said.

“He has to be one of the best professors I have had here at OSU,” said another student nominator. “Walking into CH 233, I was super nervous. I heard it was the hardest of the chemistry series. With everyone feeling the burnout of virtual learning, he made sure to make his class engaging and put everything he had into every class.”

Many students praised the learning atmosphere Stylianou creates in his classes and his attentiveness to student needs. “He cares very much about his students and wants to see them succeed. He devotes a significant amount of time inside and outside of class to give them the opportunities and resources they need to be successful in his class, and beyond. He never tries to beat around the bush, always gives you an honest answer, and just wants to see the best in people. The jokes and wise-cracks in class always help to lighten the mood as well.”

Additional nominees for the Loyd F. Carter undergraduate award included:

Daniel Myles, senior instructor of chemistry
Devon Quick, senior instructor of integrative biology
Marita Barth, instructor of chemistry
Malcolm Lowry, assistant professor of microbiology
Nathan L. Kirk, senior instructor of integrative biology
Paul Cheong, associate professor of chemistry
Phil McFadden, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics
Scott Geddes, instructor of chemistry
Stacey Vaughn, instructor of mathematics

Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching (Graduate)

Assistant Professor of Statistics James Molyneux

This year’s Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Graduate Teaching in Science goes to James Molyneux, assistant professor of statistics.

Students nominating Molyneux described him as caring, uplifting and welcoming, and praised his ability to adapt during the pandemic. "He consistently encouraged me and my cohort during the transition from COVID to campus, to keep up our spirits in one of the most difficult academic years of our lives," said one student. "Without him, I would not have gathered the courage to continue moving forward. He is brilliant in the classroom as a professor and a loyal mentor and advocate for our success."

Another student said the following of Molyneux: "He excels at making statistics, a subject which is generally taught dryly and without much passion, relevant to grad students' research and our daily life. He uses timely examples and highlights the nuance of stats, in a way that makes it fascinating instead of frustrating. He was always available for extra help or assistance outside of class, and always seemed willing to discuss other topics than just the class material! He is supportive and compassionate with graduate students, and was the best stats teacher I've had so far at OSU! He also made sure the class content was accessible to students in multiple ways by recording both Zoom and in-person classes, and making the lecture notes easily available. His high-energy and engaging teaching style was apparent in both the in-person and online class I took with him, which I have found to be a rare occurrence in a remote setting!"

Thomas Sharpton, associate professor of microbiology, was also nominated for the Loyd F. Carter graduate award.

Frederick H. Horne Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching Science

Associate Professor of Physics Elizabeth Gire.

This year’s Frederick H. Horne Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching Science goes to Liz Gire, associate professor of physics.

This award honors Fred Horne, who served as Dean of Science at Oregon State from from 1986 to 1999. Fred passed away in 2021, a renowned researcher, scholar, teacher and leader.

Fred exemplified the values of our college, embracing a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in science. He was instrumental in establishing two programs that encourage students of color to pursue and continue their education in science, math and engineering: Science and Math Investigative Learning Experience (SMILE) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES).

The purpose of this award is to recognize sustained excellence in teaching science by honoring a faculty member in the College of Science who has repeatedly demonstrated exceptional instructional qualities and has had a significant impact on students over a period of not less than five years.

Liz Gire has earned this award through her tireless dedication to support the holistic student experience. A plethora of students and colleagues wrote at length in support of Gire's nomination. One student nominator said, "Her level of dedication to the genuine support and inclusion of the students in her courses is something I’ve never seen in an educator before. She backs that up with her skill and experience in education and communication that makes difficult content still accessible and enjoyable to learn. She takes every opportunity to build others up, whether that be her students, her teaching team, her research partners or the many people in our department who aren’t any of those things, but still know they can come to her because she is the type of person who will help however and whenever she can."

Another student nominator said, "Liz is a wonderful professor because she is a master at reading the atmosphere of a classroom. Sure, part of this is an intuition that comes from experience, but more importantly, she takes time to ask questions. Each student is expected to grab a small white board and marker at the beginning class. Later when Liz looks out and says, 'write down something that you know about angular momentum' she can measure students’ level of confusion and use student responses to guide the classroom discussion. This makes everyone much more willing to participate in class because they know that she honestly cares for their well-being and success."

Congratulations to all the winners and all the nominees!

The inner workings of a cell, more powerful mass spectrometry and building a tropical reef at Oregon State: The 2021 College of Science Research and Innovation Seed (SciRIS) awards are empowering initiatives that will open fresh pathways in science.

The SciRIS program funds projects based on collaborative research within the College of Science community and beyond. There are two tracks through the program: SciRIS (Stages 1-3) and the SciRIS individual investigator award (SciRIS-ii). SciRIS Stages 1-3 funds teams in three stages to support training, research and capacity-building, accelerating work toward external funding opportunities. SciRIS-ii funds individual faculty to establish research relationships with external partners, enabling them to demonstrate the feasibility of their ideas and quickening the pace of scientific discovery.

The newly-established College of Science Innovation Award provides critical resources for projects that take a new direction, utilize a new technology or are in the “proof-of-concept” phase.

Three groups of scientists received SciRIS Stage 1 awards, two at $10K each and one at $20K. One group received the Innovation Award at $10K.

Professor of Microbiology Rebecca Vega Thurber and her colleagues will use their award to develop a model tropical reef facility within Oregon State’s world-renowned John Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Lab.

The model will allow College of Science researchers across biology, chemistry and ecology to perform highly controlled, repeatable experiments on reef ecosystems, which are under increasing threats from climate change, pollution, habitat destruction and disease. By bringing the reef to researchers, carbon emissions associated with travel are also reduced.

The facility will also serve as an outreach platform, bringing awareness of far-off ecosystems to the local community. By interacting with the lab, citizens will learn about how humans affect these fragile habitats and how they personally can potentially mitigate and reverse reef decline.

Chemistry Professor Wei Kong and Statistics Professor Lan Xue will use their SciRIS grant to develop more effective mass spectrometry through inclusion of electron diffraction. With this addition, future mass spectrometers will be able to reveal not only the mass composition of an unknown species, but also the three-dimensional arrangement of the constituent atoms. This capability can change the paradigm of nanomaterial synthesis, allowing intelligent design and quality control of custom-made materials applicable in medical diagnostics and therapeutics, in energy harvesting and storage, and in catalysis.

Biochemistry and Biophysics Professor Elisar Barbar and collaborators received a SciRIS award to integrate structural biology with cell and organismal biology. Capitalizing on Oregon State’s high concentration of expertise and resources for studying dynamic protein complexes across scales, the team aims to establish new technologies to investigate cancer related complexes and host-parasite interactions. Their eventual goal is to submit a proposal to the NSF Biology Integration Institute, which supports interdisciplinary projects that translate discoveries from the molecular scale to the cellular level of organisms and vice versa.

Associate Professor of Physics Matt Graham and colleagues received the College of Science Innovation Award support their work converting waste heat to electricity, contributing to a more sustainable world through the recovery of energy losses and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The team will develop a prototype of an ultralow bandgap semiconductor device that converts residual waste heat to electricity. The award will support their work optimizing the efficiency of the device’s waste heat to energy conversion and validating the current extraction model related to the device prototype.

On April 22, the College of Science gathered virtually to recognize academic, administrative and teaching excellence at the 2020-21 Combined Awards Ceremony – a merge of our annual Faculty and Staff Awards and Teaching and Advising Awards events.

The first half of the ceremony celebrated excellence in research and administration, and the second half the ceremony focused on outstanding teaching, advising and mentoring,

The College congratulates the Teaching and Advising Awards winners below who exemplify deep commitment, skill and effectiveness in mentoring and advising to ensure student learning and success within and beyond the classroom. Effective teaching, advising and mentorship are the very heart of the College of Science’s identity as a robust and thriving community of students and scholars.

Congratulations to all the nominees and especially to the award winners.

2021 Teaching, Advising and Mentoring Award Winners

Olaf Boedtker Award for Excellence in Academic Advising

BioHealth Sciences Advisor Tiffany Bolman

Tiffany Bolman, biohealth sciences advisor, won the Olaf Boedtker Award for her tireless support, efforts and advocacy on behalf of undergraduate students. Olaf Boedtker was a former professor in the Department of Physics for 23 years and served as head advisor in the College for 14 years from 1973 to 1987. This award recognizes exceptional and inspirational undergraduate advising.

More than ten students nominated Bolman for this award, praising her dedication and ability to connect and encourage students to achieve their goals.

One student nominator wrote of Bolman: “During one of the hardest years of my life, I met my new advisor, Tiffany. Changing your advisor in the middle of your junior year can be stressful. The first time I met her, my meeting lasted almost two hours because we spent time getting to know each other and talking about life. The way that Tiffany has been here to support me is incredible – as an advisor, a mentor, a friend and a support system. She's helped me in countless ways this past year, not just for school and for my future, but personally. I know I would not be where I am right now without her.”

“Tiffany has guided me in my fast-paced college experience and is always courteous when I talk to her,” wrote another biohealth science student nominator. “She has provided ample opportunities for me to get involved in health care and shadowing, even during Covid-19, in order for me to be a competitive applicant for medical school. I feel as though Tiffany wants the best for all of her students, including myself, and her heartwarming encouragement never lets me down.”

Another student had similar praises for Bolman. “I transferred to Oregon State and [Tiffany Bolman] was the first faculty member I had any interactions with. She seems to truly care about the future of the students she is advising and is overall an amazing person to talk to.”

Additional nominees for the Olaf Boedtker Award included

Allison Evans, instructor of microbiology
Kari Van Zee, senior instructor for biochemistry and biophysics
Maureen Leong-Kee, advisor for integrative biology
Vince Remcho, professor of chemistry

Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching (Undergraduate)

Professor of physics Corinne Manogue

Professor of physics Corinne Manogue won this year’s Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching in Science. Manogue teaches the nationally-recognized Paradigm in Physics courses, which are a restructuring of the traditional upper-division curriculum for physics students to a more modern, flexible and inclusive model for learning physics.

Student nominees cited Manogue’s extra efforts to ensure her students understand content, her ability to teach complex topics, and her compassion with her students in an especially tiring year.

“She is an outstanding teacher who really works to understand how her students are approaching the material and provides numerous ways for the students to actively engage with the content,” wrote one student nominator. “She is very aware that each student has a different learning style and that content needs to be restated multiple ways and in multiple forms and that each version will resonate differently with each student.”

Other student nominators had similar praises for Manogue. "She is truly fantastic at explaining complex topics in ways that relate them to us students, and it was often that many would exclaim how well they understood ideas and techniques significantly better after having an explanation from her in class," said one nominator, and another added: "Corinne convinced me that there weren't such things as 'STEM people' and that success in STEM was available to me and other students who like me had been dissuaded by a perception of being inherently 'not smart enough' to become physicists."

Manogue has received recognition at multiple levels – Oregon State University, the state of Oregon and nationally – for her teaching excellence and has previously won a number of awards recognizing her teaching excellence, including the College of Science Frederick H. Horne Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching in 2000, an American Association of Physics Teachers Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching in 2008, and the 2016 Oregon Academy of Science Outstanding Educator in Science and Mathematics award.

Additional nominees for the Loyd F. Carter undergraduate award included

Daniel Myles, senior instructor of chemistry
Daniel Rockwell, senior instructor of mathematics
Devon Quick, senior instructor of integrative biology
Kimberly Halsey, associate professor of microbiology
Linsday Biga, senior instructor of integrative biology
KC Walsh, senior instructor of physics

Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching (Graduate)

Charlotte Wickham with a black background

Senior Instructor of statistics Charlotte Wickham

Senior Instructor of statistics Charlotte Whickam received the Loyd Carter award for her inspirational and superb mentorship and teaching of graduate students.

“Charlotte is an extremely talented statistician and teacher. You can tell she is extremely passionate about the things she teaches and is invested in her students learning. She is also very approachable, despite teaching an online course,” wrote one graduate student nominator. “The material I have learned in her class has been useful and applicable to all of my work as a statistician,” they added.

“Dr. Wickham really took the time and got involved with my term project topic. She understood my skill level and was really great on providing feedback,” wrote another nominator.

A specialist in R training, Wickham teaches courses in data visualization and the foundations of data analytics. In 2020 Wickham received the Oregon State Ecampus Excellence in Online Teaching and Student Engagement Award. Wickham has developed multiple Ecampus courses built around students and their learning, leveraging open source materials and engaging texts from the Valley Library at Oregon State University.

Frederick H. Horne Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching Science

Senior Instructor for biochemistry and biophysics Kari Van Zee

Senior Instructor for biochemistry and biophysics Kari Van Zee won the Frederick H. Horne Award for her exceptional qualities as a teacher and mentor. This award is named after Fred Horne, OSU Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and the former College of Science Dean for 13 years, from 1986 to 1999.

Kendra Jackson (’20, biochemistry and biophysics), praised Van Zee in her nomination letter, writing, “Kari made a great impact on my education at OSU and has empowered me to be an independent learner.”

Jackson interacted with Van Zee as a student, mentee, teaching assistant and advisee. She added in her letter that “Kari is compassionate and deeply cares about the well-being of her students.” This quality was especially apparent during the 2020-2021 school year with remote learning. “Kari constantly checked up on struggling students in each section, offered solutions for students who could not access technology or adequate study spaces, and adapted the class based on student feedback.”

Tanushri Kumar, a 2020 biochemistry graduate and Ph.D. student at the University of Washington, also wrote a nomination letter. She praised Van Zee’s personal connection with her students: “Kari is a fantastic teacher, a scholar, and a devoted mentor to all her students. It is truly rare to find a teacher as talented and as compassionate as she is. Without her guidance, I would have never discovered my own passion for research, and without her support I would not have had the courage to apply for graduate school. The impact she has had on my life has been huge, and I am incredibly grateful for having her as a mentor and instructor.”

College of Science Whiteley Faculty Scholar for Teaching Excellence Award

Senior Instructor of integrative biology Devon Quick

Senior Instructor Devon Quick in the Department of Integrative Biology received this award which recognizes excellent teaching and learning innovation. This award will provide Quick with an annual stipend of $12,500 for three years.

Widely commended for her teaching of biology, human anatomy and physiology courses, Quick has received awards for her exceptional teaching in the past. In 2020, she received the Loyd F. Carter Award, and in 2016 she received university-wide recognition by receiving the OSU Faculty Teaching Excellence Award.

Quick is a co-founder of the Learning Assistants Program, which puts high-achieving undergraduate assistants in large enrollment, often first-and second-year STEM classrooms to facilitate and strengthen undergraduate learning. She also collaborated with fellow biology instructor Lindsay Biga to adapt an open source biology textbook that is freely accessible to OSU students and learners worldwide.

OSU Faculty Scholars for Teaching Excellence Award

Physics instructor KC Walsh

Physics instructor KC Walsh won the Faculty Scholars for Teaching Excellence Award. This award for a three-year faculty scholar position supports excellence and innovation in teaching and carries an annual stipend of $12,500.

Walsh helped to transform OSU’s introductory physics classes by reversing the traditional learning environment. In flipped classrooms, students receive course content online outside of the classroom, freeing up classroom time for active learning. He then pioneered the flipped classroom in the online environment long before the pandemic forced all instructors and faculty to adjust to all-online teaching. The results of the flipped classroom model have been dramatic: the withdraw rate from introductory physics class dropped from 36 percent to only 12 percent with a marked increase in course satisfaction.

Walsh previously received the OSU Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for his significant and meritorious achievement in teaching and scholarship that enhances effective instruction. And in 2018, the Department of Physics received the American Physics Society (APS) Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education, due in part to Walsh’s pioneering flipped classrooms and his early use of online resources to increase student success.

The OSU and Whiteley Faculty Scholars for Teaching Excellence awards are made possible thanks to the generous philanthropic support of our alumni and friends and matching funds invested by the Provost’s Office.

Read more about the winners of the 2020-21 graduate and undergraduate research and administration awards.

The College of Science is proud to congratulate Charlotte Wickham, an assistant professor in the statistics department, for receiving the 2020 Ecampus Excellence in Online Teaching and Student Engagement Award. In a non-remote world, Charlotte would have received the award in a ceremony in the Alumni Center. In lieu an awards ceremony, please join us in congratulating her for making a difference for students and their education.

The fourth annual Oregon State University Ecampus Awards recognize outstanding faculty partners who go the extra mile to develop meaningful and innovative online learning environments for OSU’s distance students. Each winner is an exceptional partner of OSU’s Ecampus, a change-maker in the lives of distance students and a leader in the field of online education.

Charlotte Wickham, an assistant professor in the in the Department of Statistics in the College of Science, is one of three OSU faculty who have received this award. Wickham has developed multiple Ecampus courses built around students and their learning, leveraging open source materials and engaging texts from the OSU Library. Student nominations focused on several key areas, including Charlotte’s engagement in student discussions and her encouragement of experimentation, even if that approach requires more individualized time and feedback in facilitation.

One student noted “I never felt like I needed to rein in an assignment and only do just what was required when I really wanted to run with an idea. … That’s great teaching.”

Another student pointed out her thorough organization and the passion that goes into the development of each of her Ecampus course. Charlotte approaches her students with enthusiasm, and students leave her classes excited about statistics and prepared to take on today’s data-driven environment.

The 2020 Ecampus Excellence in Online Teaching and Student Engagement Award recognizes three faculty members who exemplify excellence in online teaching and student engagement. Ecampus faculty and instructors are nominated for this award by current online students. This year, 284 students nominated more than 140 faculty and instructors for this award.

February 27, 2020

New grants to advance science that benefits humankind

By Cari Longman

Photo by Hannah O'Leary

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Microbiologist Kim Halsey (left) and postdoc Cleo Davie-Martin collect samples from a river. Halsey is one of four faculty members who received College of Science Research and Innovation Seed (SciRIS-ii) awards. She will study the potential to detect toxic algae blooms in freshwater and marine ecosystems.

How can we better understand how devastating plant diseases are spread? Is there a better statistical model to predict HIV prevalence in a city? Is there a way we can detect toxic algae blooms in freshwater and marine ecosystems before they occur? And of the hundreds of thousands of different metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in the world, how can we can better find the ones that are most useful for storing and separating gases, like CO2 from industrial plants?

Curiosity is critical for discovery. Asking the questions above led five faculty members to receive College of Science Research and Innovation Seed (SciRIS-ii) and Betty Wang Discovery Fund awards this February to pursue answers over the course of the next year. Their proposals all showed transformative potential and progress toward new frontiers of science and aimed to strengthen collaboration with external research partners. Below is more detail about each of their proposals.

Mathematics Professor Vrushali Bokil was awarded $8,000 to use modeling techniques to understand the spread and control of plant diseases caused by coinfecting viruses. She will focus on Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN), an emerging disease in Kenya and other parts of Africa that is caused by coinfecting viruses and spread by insects called Thrips, as a test case. Her team’s goals are to use stochastic models and optimal control theory to understand the mechanisms that drive patterns of coinfection in plant populations and effective techniques for controlling the spread of disease in crops and natural grasslands.

In collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Statistics Assistant Professor Katherine McLaughlin received $10,000 to explore the use of new statistical methodologies to estimate the number of people who inject drugs in metropolitan areas. The research project, supported by the privately-funded Disease Mechanism & Prevention Fund at the OSU Foundation, has a goal of refining current methods to produce improved population-level demographic, behavioral, disease prevalence and population size estimations. This will aid the CDC in their efforts to contain or slow the rate of HIV in metropolitan areas across the U.S.

Microbiologist Kimberly Halsey was awarded $10,000 to examine the potential for real-time, automated volatile organic compound (VOC) detection as early-warning signals of toxic harmful algal blooms (HABs) in freshwater and marine ecosystems. HABs are increasing in intensity and severity due to climate change and nutrient loading from agriculture and other human-related activities. Some HABs can become toxic to humans and animals. Halsey will use data integration to merge aquatic microbiome data with environmental properties and VOC signatures to identify determinants and trajectory of the annual toxic HAB at Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon.

Physicist David Roundy was also awarded $10,000 to develop new flat histogram Monte Carlo molecular simulation methods to accelerate the discovery of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for applications in storing and separating gases. MOFs are crystalline materials that harbor nano-sized pores that have the potential to be used in a variety of clean energy applications, from hydrogen and natural gas storage to capturing carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plant flues. His study aims to enable scientists to accurately predict the absorption properties of hundreds of thousands of MOFs and accelerate the rate of MOF discovery for clean energy applications.

In addition, chemistry professors Kyriakos Stylianou and May Nyman, along with Todd Miller from the Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Institute (ATAMI), received $30,000 from the Betty Wang Discovery Fund to purchase a microwave reactor to integrate on the continuous flow reactor to accelerate the discovery and production of inorganic materials like MOFs. The Betty Wang Discovery Fund supports equipment acquisitions and laboratory infrastructure improvements to advance fundamental discoveries in science. Microwave heating has recently emerged as a powerful method for the preparation of inorganic materials at the laboratory scale, reducing synthesis time down to a few minutes without affecting the product quality or reaction yield. The new machinery will allow the team to investigate the potential of new MOFs to capture carbon in laboratory and industrial applications.

The projects will run for one year, ending next February 2021.The SciRIS program provides funding in three stages for high impact collaborative proposals that build teams, pursue fundamental discoveries and create societal impact. The awards range from $10,000 to $125,000 for various stages of the program and are supported in part by generous alumni and friends, and grants from the U.S. Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health.

The College of Science celebrated its 2020 Winter Teaching and Advising Awards with faculty, advisors and students on February 13 to recognize exceptional teaching and advising, both areas of distinction in the College. Committed and effective teaching, advising and mentorship are at the very heart of the College of Science’s identity as a robust and thriving community of students and scholars.

The awards ceremony included an engaging presentation by the Learning Assistants program, which puts high-achieving undergraduate assistants in large enrollment, often first-and second-year STEM classrooms to facilitate and strengthen undergraduate learning. Over the past five years, the LA program in the College of Science has reduced the drop-fail-withdrawal (DFW) rate in several key courses by half, and has now become a model for other colleges in the university.

“Our faculty are not only leaders here at OSU, but also across the nation and around the world. We celebrate our award recipients today for the incredible difference they have made in students’ lives,” said Dean Roy Haggerty, emcee for the ceremony, in his opening remarks.

Dean Haggerty recognized two faculty members at the beginning of the ceremony. Virginia Weis, Head of the Department of Integrative Biology and OSU Distinguished Professor, was named the new Dr. Russ and Dolores Gorman Faculty Scholar. The three-year rotating award recognizes faculty who bring distinction to the College of Science, connect with industry, and have a strong record of innovative research with practical impact. He also announced Elisar Barbar as the new head of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and thanked Andy Karplus for his service as department head from 2007 to 2011, and then again from 2015 to January 2020.

Congratulations to all the nominees and especially to the award winners. The award recipients exemplify deep commitment, skill and effectiveness in mentoring and advising to ensure student learning and success within and beyond the classroom.

Virginia Wes receiving an award from Dean Haggerty

Dean Haggerty (left) with Distinguished Professor of Biology Virginia Weis (right), who received the Dr. Russ and Dolores Gorman Faculty Scholar award

2020 Award Winners

Olaf Boedtker Award for Excellence in Academic Advising

Alex Beck, BioHealth Sciences advisor won the Olaf Boedtker Award for her tireless support, efforts and advocacy on behalf of undergraduate students. The award, which encourages and recognizes exceptional and inspirational advising of undergraduates, was presented by Jayden Rummell, a biohealth sciences student.

“Alex is a phenomenal advisor, confidant and friend. She has helped me in a way that no other advisor has,” said Rummell. “She always makes time to meet with me, even when I don’t have an appointment and I just drop by for a quick chat. She is by far the most motivating person I have in my life,” she added.

Another student nominator had similar praises for Beck: “Whenever I have doubts about my classes, degree or career path, she is there to reassure me that I am on the right track and that I am capable. Never have I met someone so patient and kind, but also so genuine. After getting to know her as not only an advisor, but as a person, I wholeheartedly believe that Alex is the most deserving of this award.”

Other nominees for the Olaf Boedtker award included: Adel Faridani, mathematics; Allison Evans, microbiology; Bo Sun, physics; Christine Pastorek, chemistry; Corinne Manogue, physics; David Lazzati, physics; Shawn Massoni, biohealth sciences; Enrique Thomann, mathematics; Janet Tate, physics; Jen Olarra, biology; Kari van Zee, biochemistry & biophysics; Linda Bruslind, microbiology; Margie Haak, chemistry; Mas Subramanian, chemistry ;Neal Sleszynski, chemistry; David McIntyre, physics; and Paul Blakemore, chemistry.

Biohealth sciences advisor Alex Beck posing with award with biohealth sciences student Jayden Rummell (left) and Dean Haggerty (right)

Biohealth sciences advisor Alex Beck (center) with biohealth sciences student Jayden Rummell (left) and Dean Haggerty (right)

Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching (Undergraduate)

Senior Instructor Devon Quick in the Department of Integrative Biology and Learning Assistants Program co-founder won this year’s Loyd F. Carter Award for her excellent teaching of biology, human anatomy and physiology courses.

Arisa Larmay, a microbiology undergraduate, presented Quick with her award. “She incorporates many learning styles and makes the course and content engaging and interesting,” Larmay said, adding, “She makes her students feel welcome and is always enthusiastic about the course.”

Other student nominators had similar praises for Quick:

“She has an excellent ability to get students thinking deeper about a subject and helps students formulate knowledge in a logical manner.”
“Devon goes above and beyond to ensure that students have an appropriate understanding and appreciation for class concepts. She really puts her heart and soul into class and it shows.”
“She wants each and every one of her students to succeed and actually cares that we’re learning the material.”
“She always helps us connect intersections between the hard science we are learning with its social and public health applications, without fail. She is incredibly thorough and plants seeds in our minds of how to be not just knowledgeable, but culturally and emotionally sensitive health care professionals.”

Congratulations, Devon! Thank you for your dedication and hard work to prepare our future science leaders and health care professionals.

38 faculty members were nominated for this award. Other nominees with multiple nominations include Adel Faridani, mathematics; Kevin Gable, chemistry; Nathan Kirk, biology; Malcolm Lowry, microbiology; Ethan Minot, physics; Daniel Myles, chemistry; Richard Nafshun, chemistry; Vincent Remcho, chemistry; Daniel Rockwell, mathematics; Holly Swisher, mathematics; Rebecca Terry, biology; and KC Walsh, physics.

Devon Quick poses with award with microbiology student Arisa Larmay (left) and Dean Haggerty (right)

Biology instructor Devon Quick (center) with microbiology student Arisa Larmay (left) and Dean Haggerty (right)

Loyd F. Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Teaching (Graduate)

Assistant Professor of statistics Katherine McLaughlin received the Loyd Carter award for her inspirational and superb mentorship and teaching of graduate students. Statistics Department Head Lisa Ganio presented the award.

“Dr. McLaughlin is dedicated to teaching. She works hard to help her students understand course material and challenges them to think more deeply about problems. Her classroom is a welcoming environment to all,” wrote one student nominator.

“Her enthusiasm for the material is contagious and the thought and care that she puts into structuring her student's learning has far surpassed any other course I've taken,” wrote another nominator.

David Ji and Claudia Maier, both from the Department of Chemistry, also received multiple nominations for this award.

Katherine McLaughlin poses with award with Lisa Ganio and Dean Haggerty

Statistics Assistant Professor Katherine McLaughlin (center) with Statistics Department Head Lisa Ganio (left) and Dean Haggerty (right)

Frederick H. Horne Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching Science

Lesley Blair won the Frederick H. Horne Award for her exceptional qualities as a teacher and mentor. Blair was hired by Dean Fred Horne as a full-time biology instructor in 2002. She primarily serves as the course coordinator and sole lecturer for the high enrollment – up to 800 students per quarter! – non-majors biology year-long series (BI 101 – 103). These are the Baccalaureate Core courses that the majority of non-life sciences students at OSU take to fulfill their science requirements. Blair has since transformed this course by aligning the content to best engage her students and make science relevant to their lives, inspiring them to be lifelong learners. She has also become the model for incorporating cutting-edge tools, technologies and approaches to learning for large format classes, teaching-in-the-round pedagogies developed for LiNC 100, OSU’s state-of-the-art Learning Innovation Center which houses 600-seat arena classrooms for large-format lecture science courses.

Lesley Blair poses with her award against wooden wall with Bob Mason and Roy Haggerty

Biology instructor Lesley Blair (center) with Biology Professor Bob Mason (left) and Dean Haggerty (right)

As part of her efforts to engage more students and the general public in science, Blair co-developed a website called Vivid Science, which links art and design with science teaching to build science literacy and break down barriers between the public and scientists. “Dr. Blair’s creative and tireless drive to innovate, improve and reach out to non-scientists is truly exceptional,” said Bob Mason, distinguished professor of biology, who presented the award. "She truly is helping to make all of our students scientifically literate and able to participate as knowledgeable and informed citizens. This is the very essence of the Baccalaureate Core and we are fortunate to have such a leader in the effective teaching of science to non-majors.”

Congratulations, Lesley! Thank you for your dedication and passion to inspire the next generation of informed, curious and engaged citizens.

Additional photos from the 2020 Winter Teaching and Advising Awards Ceremony

Undergraduate Arisa Larmay talks with Gabs James

Ceremony attendees talk and laugh in a small group with Roy Haggerty

Bob Mason and Andy Karplus speaking with an event attendee

Alex Beck and student Jayden Rummell smile for photographer while sitting at table

Learning Assistant smiling at the camera

Chris Marshall smiles while sitting at table

Learning Assistant talks with event attendee at table

Virginia Weis laughs while sitting at a table during event

Photo of event attendees and Roy Haggerty during his opening remarks

Gabs James and Scott Peterson collaborate during a facilitated discussion demonstrating how learning assistants help in large classrooms

Heather Arbuckle with daughter speaks with Henri Jansen

Learning assistants lead a table discussion

Devon Quick presents on the Learning Assistants program

Former head advisor Olaf Boedtker looks on as Alex Beck wins the Boedtker Award for Excellence in Academic Advising, given in his honor

Dean Haggerty speaks with Clara Horne, former head advisor in the College of Business

Devon Quick and undergraduate Arisa Larmay smile for camera

Virginia Weis and an event attendee smile for camera

The College of Science congratulates these 20 faculty on receiving promotions and/or tenure for the 2017-18 academic year.

“The success of our faculty is essential to the success of our students,” said Roy Haggerty, dean of the College of Science. “I am proud of our faculty who are outstanding researchers, scholars, teachers and mentors to our students.”

'I want to also thank our Promotion and Tenure Committee for devoting a significant amount of time engaged in the intense review process to award the best candidates for promotion and/or tenure,” added Haggerty.

Tremendous consideration goes into each promotion and tenure decision. The Provost’s Office, the College of Science Dean’s office, department heads, Promotion and Tenure Committee members, faculty, external reviewers, student evaluation committees, and individual faculty members all spend many hours preparing, processing and reviewing the documentation.

Congratulations to the following science faculty!

Biochemistry and Biophysics Department

Adrian Gombart in front of painted backdrop

(Photos in order)
Dr. Adrian “Fritz” Gombart will be promoted to Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Ryan Mehl will be promoted to Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, effective September 16, 2018.

Integrative Biology Department

Andrew Bouwma in front of shrubbery and brick wall

Rebecca Terry Novak standing in front of map

(Photos in order)
Dr. Andrew Bouwma will be promoted to Senior Instructor I of Integrative Biology, effective July 1, 2018.

Dr. Sarah Henkel will be promoted to Associate Professor, Senior Research of Integrative Biology, effective July 1, 2018.

Dr. Mark Novak will be promoted to Associate Professor of Integrative Biology and granted indefinite tenure, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Rebecca Terry will be promoted to Associate Professor of Integrative Biology and granted indefinite tenure, effective September 16, 2018.

Mathematics Department

(Photos in order)
Dr. Mary Beisiegel will be promoted to Associate Professor of Mathematics and granted indefinite tenure, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Vrushali Bokil will be promoted to Professor of Mathematics, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Elaine Cozzi will be promoted to Associate Professor of Mathematics and granted indefinite tenure, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Torrey Johnson will be promoted to Senior Instructor I of Mathematics, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Elise Lockwood will be promoted to Associate Professor of Mathematics and granted indefinite tenure, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Holly Swisher will be promoted to Professor of Mathematics, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. David Wing will be promoted to Senior Instructor I of Mathematics, effective September 16, 2018.

Microbiology Department

Martin Schuster in front of the Memorial Union

(Photos in order)
Dr. Kimberly Halsey will be promoted to Associate Professor of Microbiology and granted indefinite tenure, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Ryan Mueller will be promoted to Associate Professor of Microbiology and granted indefinite tenure, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Martin Schuster will be promoted to Professor of Microbiology, effective September 16, 2018.

Physics Department

Oksana Ostroverkhova in front of shrubbery

Dr. Oksana Ostroverkhova will be promoted to Professor of Physics, effective September 16, 2018.

Statistics Department

Juliann Moore in the Learning and Innovation Center

(Photos in order)
Katie Jager will be promoted to Senior Instructor I of Statistics, effective July 1, 2018.

Juliann Moore will be promoted to Senior Instructor I of Statistics, effective September 16, 2018.

Dr. Lan Xue will be promoted to Professor of Statistics, effective September 16, 2018.

Thanks to all of the committee members who served on the College of Science Promotions and Tenure Committee this year.

Elisar Barbar (rotating off)
Kate Field (rotating off)
Alix Gitelman (rotating off)
Margie Haak
Henri Jansen (chair, rotating off)
Patrick De Leeneer (rotating off)
Sastry Pantula
Indira Rajagopal (rotating off)
Vince Remcho
Janet Tate (rotating off)
Barb Taylor (rotating off)

The following faculty have been elected to serve on the College’s Promotion and Tenure Committee for 2018-19. These faculty were elected to serve by a vote, according to the College’s P&T rules.

Vince Remcho, 2016-19, committee chair in 2018-19
Rich Carter, 1 remaining term, 2018-19
Dee Denver, 1 remaining term, 2018-19
Tom Dick, 2 remaining terms, 2018-20
Michael Freitag, 3 remaining terms, 2018-21
Steve Giovannoni, 2 remaining terms, 2018-20
Margie Haak, 1 remaining term, 2017-19
Sally Hacker, 3 remaining terms, 2018-21
David McIntyre, 3 remaining terms, 2018-21
Sastry Pantula, 2 remaining terms, 2017-20
Scott Peterson, 2 remaining terms, 2018-20

The human microbiome—the vast collection of microorganisms living in and on the bodies of humans—can lead us to a better understanding of human health and disease, not to mention accelerate the development of therapeutic drugs. However, the vastness and complexity of microbiome data require advances in statistical methodology and software for an accurate analysis of host-microbiome interactions. Statistics faculty Yuan Jiang, Duo Jiang and Thomas Sharpton are developing novel statistical methods to bridge the gap between the human microbiome and microbiome-based healthcare.

They were awarded a prestigious four-year $770K grant by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), one of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Yuan Jiang, associate professor of statistics, is the lead researcher and principal investigator on the project, “Network-based statistical methods to decode interactions within microbiomes.” Duo Jiang, assistant professor of statistics and Thomas Sharpton, assistant professor of microbiology and statistics, are co-investigators on this grant.

This project will advance scientific understanding of the functions and operations of microbiomes by developing statistical methods and models to study biological interactions between microbes or between microbes and their host.

“The new statistical methodologies will leverage recent advances in graphical models and high dimensional statistics to tackle unmet analytical challenges encountered in the analysis of modern microbiome data,” said Duo Jiang.

Interest in the role of the microbiome in human health and disease has increased rapidly within the last decade. However, available tools and technologies do not adequately capture the full scope and complexities of microbial interactions within a community. For example, a correlation type analysis employed to model microbial interactions cannot filter out misleading co-occurrence patterns in a community: two microbes that independently interact with a third but not with one another may appear to correlate.

“The currently used statistical models fail to account for specific properties of microbiome data, including its heterogeneous compositional count nature, the complex environmental context, and its evolutionary structure,” Yuan Jiang explained.

“Additionally, existing algorithms are often not scalable to the huge size of microbiome data. Therefore, new statistical methods and algorithms need to be developed to better answer the scientific questions.”

The NIGMS grant will help Jiang and his team pioneer new statistical methods “built on conditional dependencies that disentangle biological interactions from marginal correlations to produce mechanistically and evolutionarily relevant network models of how microbes interact with one another and their host.”

The methods and software produced by this project will “transform the discovery of how these microbes interact with one another and influence or respond to human physiology.” A broader understanding of microbiomes and their role in disease etiology will open the doors to engineer and utilize microbiomes important to human health to develop new drugs, therapeutic probiotics and clinical diagnostics.

The grant will support graduate research assistants (GRAs). Two GRAs from statistics and one GRA from microbiology will be a part of this interdisciplinary collaboration. “Such a form provides students with opportunities for experiential learning in diverse scientific areas (e.g., statistics, computer science, microbiology, evolution, and genetics) as well as experience in teamwork and interdisciplinary research,” said Yuan Jiang.

Korvis Professor of Statistics Javier Rojo is the recipient of the 2018 Dr. Etta Z. Falconer Award for Mentoring and Commitment to Diversity. Dr. Rojo will receive his award at the Infinite Possibilities Conference (IPC) on April 14 at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a professional commitment to mentoring and increasing diversity in the mathematical sciences.

Rojo joined OSU's Department of Statistics as the inaugural Korvis Professor of Statistics in January 2017. The professorship is supported by statistics alumnus Rich Carone, CEO of Korvis Automation, a leading technology and manufacturing company based in Corvallis with offices in Singapore and Shanghai. The position supports OSU science faculty in physics or quantitative sciences to help advance research in the field of statistics and in the world of science more generally.

Rojo leads and directs the nationally recognized Research for Undergraduates Summer Institute of Statistics (RUSIS), which was selected by the American Mathematical Society for its award "Mathematics Programs That Make a Difference." RUSIS was honored as a model program for encouraging undergraduates to pursue graduate studies in the mathematical sciences and for increasing the numbers of underrepresented minorities and women in mathematics and statistics.

Funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency for the last 15 years, RUSIS is the country’s first Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) Program in the field of statistics. It has a highly successful track record in recruiting, training and guiding underrepresented minority and economically disadvantaged students towards advanced degrees in mathematics and statistics.

The Institute conducts a 10-week intensive summer program for the study of statistics and its applications for a cohort of 12-15 students every year. Under Rojo’s leadership, the program has taken phenomenal strides: After 10 years, the REU program reported that 85% of the undergraduates who attended the Summer Institute were admitted to Ph.D. programs around the country, with roughly 61% of students hailing from underrepresented populations and 53% of the participants have been female.

Rojo has been commended by both students and colleagues for his exceptional dedication to mentoring and teaching in the field of statistics leading to highly positive outcomes.

"As a first-generation college graduate and female in the field of statistics, the RUSIS program has greatly influenced the type of person that I am. Dr. Rojo taught me how to collaborate, be adaptable, well-rounded, and gave me confidence in my research and work. I feel that the RUSIS program laid the foundation for me to be a strong competitor upon entering graduate school. Today, I attribute my success in both undergraduate and graduate school, as well as my career to Dr. Rojo’s RUSIS program," writes a RUSIS alumna.

In an appreciative tribute, a colleague writes:

"One of the amazing things about RUSIS is that Javier is willing to take risks; he is willing to accept students who don’t have a great GPA or who do not have a substantial background in mathematics. Yet his data are enviable and show that, in spite of this, his RUSIS graduates are pursuing postgraduate studies. I have heard over and over again from the students that I send to RUSIS that it was an amazing experience."

Falconer was an educator and mathematician and one of the first African-American women to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. A professor of mathematics at Spelman College and Norfolk State University, Falconer once said, "My entire career has been devoted to increasing the number of African-American women in mathematics and mathematics-related careers." Over the course of Falconer’s tenure at Spelman College, the number of women majoring in science, mathematics, and engineering tripled to nearly 40 percent of the student body.

The IPC is a national conference that is designed to promote, educate, encourage and support women of color interested in mathematics and statistics. IPC 2018 is organized by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, California, with funding from the Mathematical Sciences Institutes Diversity Initiative, a NSF program.