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More than 50 students awarded scholarships for summer research

By Mary Hare

The College of Science warmly congratulates our 2019 SURE Science scholars!

Oregon State University and the College of Science have made it their mission to help students prepare for a bright future by providing potentially life-changing summer research opportunities.

This year, contributions from generous donors have helped more than 50 science students win competitive summer research awards, including the college-wide SURE Science Award (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) as well as several department-specific awards.

Undergraduate research often plays a key role in developing student-faculty relationships, and gives students hands-on learning experiences that help them grasp the practical applications of science beyond the scope of the classroom.

“For me, a lot of it is about the students who wouldn’t be able to do research if they weren’t getting paid,” program coordinator Gabs James explains.

By providing fellowships to the greatest possible number of students, these awards give many undergraduate students the financial leverage to pursue career goals that would otherwise be unattainable.

The SURE Science Program is available to all full-time science students who meet the academic requirements. The scholarship provides the opportunity to conduct paid research for up to 440 hours over the summer. The scholarship includes a stipend of $5060 and an additional amount of $500 stipend that can be used as funding for activities that support their research. This year, greater donor support has made it possible for 40 students to receive the award — an unprecedented number with the award money totaling more than $220,000!

In addition to SURE Science, there are also several awards which may be received by high achieving students within a department.

New this year in Integrative Biology is the Alexei Lubchenco Menge Fellowship, which was awarded to Kris Bauer to support his research under the guidance of Postdoctoral Scholar Sarah Gravem and Professor Bruce Menge. The fellowship was established in memory of Alexei Lubchenco Menge, who died at age 27 in 2005. Like his biologist parents, Lubchenco Menge was deeply passionate about the ocean and the life it contains. The award seeks to help a student within the department who exemplifies these values.

Also receiving awards this summer are Ryley Tishendorf, who received a Special Integrative Biology Award, and Jiadi He, who received a Special Physics Award. Tishendorf will perform research in biologist Rebecca Terry’s lab, and He will be mentored by biophysicist Weihong Qiu.

In the biochemistry and biophysics department, students applying for the SURE Award are also eligible to apply for the CURE Fellowship. CURE is sponsored by the Ray and Frances Cripps Education Endowment, as well as by faculty mentors who match the awarded funds. This year, eleven biochemistry students received the award, in addition to eight other students from the department who received the SURE Award.

Congratulations to the inspiring next generation of scholars!

SURE Science awardees:

StudentMajorFaculty
1McKenzie BarkerBiologySally Hacker
2Kelley BastinMicrobiologySusan Tilton
3Dreagn BennettBiologySarah Gravem
4Nathanael BowlesMathematicsMalgorzata Peszynska
5Elizabeth CarrollBiologyClaudia Hase
6Cynthia CedenoChemistryPaul Blakemore
7Addison DeBoerBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyDaniel Rockey
8Luz Dimas-MunozBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyDaniel Rockey
9Haelyn EppBioHealth SciencesWeihong Qiu
10Rebecca FranceBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyColin Johnson
11Kailie FrancoBiochemistry and BiophysicsBo Sun
12Ilana Gottfried-LeeBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyRichard Cooley
13Cat HoangMicrobiologyElisar Barbar
14Kendra JacksonBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyMichael Freitag
15Jin KiatvongcharoenMathematicsDavid Roundy
16Taylor KuntzBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyMatt Andrews/Adam Higgins
17David LehrburgerBiologyStephen Atkinson
18Lauren LewisChemistryStaci Simonich
19Kitty LiuBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyAdrian Gombart
20Chantelle MacAdamsBiology & ZoologyBruce Menge/Sarah Gravem
21Anabel MendozaBioHealth SciencesCarla Schubiger
22Alanis MoralesBioHealth SciencesVirginia Weis
23Rina MullendoreBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyMaria Franco
24Duy NguyenPhysicsEthan Minot
25Makenzie NordChemistryJulie Pett-Ridge
26Acacia PattersonPhysicsJanet Tate
27Taylor PrichardBiologyKatja Duesterdieck-Zellmer
28Victor PuociBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyEhren Pflugfelder
29David RockowBiologyMark Novak
30Kelsey ShimodaBiochemistry & Molecular BiologyJaga Giebultowicz
31Leigh SkalaChemistryTaifo Mahmud
32Ulises Solis OcanaBioHealth SciencesDavid Dallas
33Jason SreyChemistrySandra Loesgen
34Yi Peng TeoPhysicsMatt W Graham
35Dustin TreecePhysicsElizabeth Gire
36Sophia VahsholtzBiologyDee Denver
37Andrew WilliamsBiologySusanne Brander
38Elizabeth WirschingBiologyVirginia Weis
39Tara WirschingBiologyDr. Felipe Barreto
40Wanling XieMathematicsYuan Jiang

CURE Foundation Awardees:

StudentFaculty
1Dorice Goune GoufackMaria Franco
2Mahir PalanMaria Franco
3Juno ValerioViviana Perez
4Brooke GalyonMichael Freitag
5Carolyn LazaroffMichael Freitag
6Maja EnglerMatt Andrews
7Audrey KorteWeihong Qiu
8Seth PinckneyElisar Barbar
9Jacob NorthRyan Mehl
10Isabella KarabinasAlvaro Estevez
11Asra NoorAlvaro Estevez