IMPACT

The College of Science and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Oregon State University have received a $450K award from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to establish the Partners in Science program on the Corvallis campus.

The novel sensor, which also has potential applications in health care and environmental monitoring, is based on the design principle of engineered interfacial chemistry. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the study by scientists at Oregon State and researchers in Taiwan was published in Applied Nano Materials, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

The honors general chemistry sequence is one of the longest-running honors offerings at OSU, and the three-term series gives participating students access to advanced laboratory experiences, faculty mentorship and a learning community that often shapes their academic paths in their very first year.

In the College of Science, materials scientist May Nyman and doctoral student Esther Julius are designing molecules that could help push the limits of traditional semiconductor manufacturing.

The event brought the department together and encouraged cross-campus collaboration.

Tim Zuehlsdorff’s work has exciting implications for the future development of solar cells and other light-powered instruments.

Oregon State chemist Alison Bain receives NSF CAREER Award to study how airborne microplastics influence atmospheric aerosols, clouds and climate.

Margie Haak, a senior instructor in Oregon State University’s Department of Chemistry, has received the 2026 Outstanding Educator – Higher Education Award from the Oregon Academy of Science, recognizing more than three decades of dedication to teaching, mentorship and science outreach.

Both of the 2026 publications involve fluorescent proteins and their “core” chromophores that were first discovered in marine organisms such as jellyfish and coral. The earlier work focused on novel red-emitting graphene-sheet-based carbon dots engineered by the Cheng lab at College of Engineering.

The researchers used a molecule measuring technique to observe in a laboratory setting how certain metals can promote the protein clumping that leads to the blocked neural pathways associated with Alzheimer’s.

The CPR training came from a collaboration between our department and Oregon State University Emergency Preparedness.

This year’s honorees are advancing inclusive excellence, strengthening research infrastructure and shaping policy and programs that impact thousands of students and faculty. Their leadership and sustained service are transforming systems across the college, from the classroom to statewide collaboration.

On Thursday, January 15, the lecture, “A chemist’s journey: Unlocking new battery chemistries for a sustainable future,” will showcase his pioneering work developing safer, lower-cost, high-energy batteries by uncovering new chemistry principles. He will also share how he went from a small town in northeast China to Canada and then leading breakthroughs on a global scale.

Oregon State’s 2025 Faculty Innovator Award celebrates Carter’s efforts to strengthen university innovation as his company, Valliscor, launches a major expansion in the Willamette Valley.

Meet a new member of the Department of Chemistry whose lab explores stimuli-responsive molecules for applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering and biomimicry.

Scientists in the College of Science have filed a patent on a design for a new magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent with the potential to outperform current agents while being less toxic to patients and more environmentally friendly.

The work centers around crystalline, porous materials known as metal organic frameworks, often abbreviated as MOFs, and points toward next-generation materials that may end reliance on rare earth metals.

A team of scientists led by chemist Chong Fang has discovered a new way to visualize and track chloride ions in living systems, opening the door to accelerated research on diseases like cystic fibrosis, epilepsy and certain cancers.

Mas Subramanian and his team found a way to transform an old Norwegian mineral and common metals into vivid pigments that resist fading and heat while offering new sustainable uses.

The College of Science is using research-backed pedagogy, interactive labs, and virtual kits to let students worldwide master science courses like chemistry, physics, and anatomy with the same rigor as in-person classes.

Check out our interview with Department of Chemistry instructor John Terhorst!

The College of Science is proud to announce that Alison Bain, assistant professor of chemistry, has been named one of the “Talented Twelve” by Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society. The honor celebrates early-career researchers who are making the world a better place through chemistry.

Since the early 2000s, Family Science and Engineering Nights have brought science and discovery to elementary schools across western Oregon. With bubbling beakers, cryogenic demonstrations and gooey gel beads, these interactive evenings make STEM come alive for countless families — thanks in large part to longtime co-organizer Margie Haak.

Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz, a materials scientist at Oregon State, led a study that used ultraviolet light to precisely control the shape and size of silver nanoparticles – and discovered a way to make them stable in light and oxygen, boosting their potential for medical, environmental and electronic applications.