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Rachel Sousa stands before a vast body of water at the base of tall, sweeping mountains in Ireland.
Alumni and Friends

Mathematics graduate thrives with simple philosophy: ‘Why not?’

In the intricate languages of mathematics and biology, alumna Rachel Sousa, ‘20, is multilingual. Since graduating from Oregon State, she has bridged the disciplines through several prestigious research experiences and credits her success to seizing opportunities no matter the odds.

Chad Giusti headshot.
Mathematics

Precision Problem Solving: Topological Data Analysis Driving Advances in Medicine and Biology

Chad Giusti is an assistant professor of mathematics at Oregon State University. He works in pure and applied topology, with applications principally in neuroscience and complex systems. Here, we learn about the fascinating work Chad has done in applying the tools of topological data analysis to problems in medicine and biology.

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Mathematics

Classroom puzzles to cosmic insights: Students and professor demystify mathematical theorem

More than 150 years ago, Joseph Bertrand stated a mathematical theorem. Proving why this theorem is true hasn’t been a simple endeavor. Two College of Science alumni, along with professor Patrick De Leenheer, recently published a paper in the SIAM Review pulling back the curtain on Bertrand’s Theorem. Together, they wrote a proof that is accessible to undergraduate mathematics or physics students.

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Faculty and Staff

New Faculty Hires 2023-2024

The math department welcomes three new faculty hires

The Memorial Union building at night.
Graduate students

New Graduate Students 2023-2024

The Mathematics department welcomes 15 new graduate students this fall.

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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.

Professor Jon Kujawa stands in a suit coat and smiles in his headshot outdoors surrounded by greenery.
Mathematics

College of Science welcomes new Hartmann Faculty Scholar as incoming Department Head of Mathematics

The College of Science is excited to announce Professor Jonathan Kujawa as Department Head of Mathematics following a competitive national search, effective January 1, 2024. Kujawa brings expertise in departmental leadership as associate chair of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Oklahoma, as well as extensive research experience and undergraduate, graduate student and postdoctoral mentorship.

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College of Science

Building bridges: College of Science outreach creates pathways to science literacy and inclusion

The College of Science is committed to community service and fostering science literacy. Our recently launched Strategic Plan prioritizes impactful contributions at local, national and global levels. Across our seven departments, we are actively implementing outreach initiatives that align with our mission of engagement and societal impact. Last year, the College actively supported community-focused events, such as Discovery Days, Juntos Family Day and many others.

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Faculty and Staff

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.

Peggy Cherng sits in a suit on stage giving a talk at an OSU event.
Alumni and Friends

How Peggy Cherng used her analytical know-how to help build a restaurant empire

The three years Peggy Cherng, ’71, spent in Corvallis powering through a four-year program in applied mathematics are a bit of a blur. A rainy, green blur.

Sullivan Bailey-Darland in front of an urban backdrop.
Students

A ‘limitless degree’: Physics senior pushes the boundaries of his field

How does DNA move? How do cells communicate with each other? When it comes to these questions, it’s easy to think of molecular biologists behind the words. But as physics and mathematics senior Sullivan “Sully” Bailey-Darland knows, there are many more voices asking.

Madison Collins stands in front of a grey background.
Students

Mathematics senior finds effective teaching strategies on her path to a graduate degree

Even though 1+2 will always be equal to 3, Madison Collins strives to teach math differently so that students can learn better and discover something new along the way.

Memorial Union
Graduate students

New Graduate Students 2022-2023

The Mathematics department welcomed 13 new graduate students this fall.

Tree-lined path in OSU commons
Faculty and Staff

New Faculty Hires 2022-2023

The Mathematics Department is pleased to welcome new faculty hires for the 2022-2023 AY.

Valley Library and OSU clock tower in the background with sunshine.
Faculty and Staff

Faculty excellence: Promotions and tenure 2023

The College of Science congratulates 17 faculty on receiving promotions and/or tenure this year.

Kimberly Truong
Mathematics

College of Science student selected as Goldwater Scholar

A third-year mathematics student has been named a 2023 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

A group of individuals stand on a staircase for a photo during a mathematics conference.
Mathematics

Making math inclusive: 2023 Math For All satellite conference

Three years ago, current Oregon State University Assistant Professor Swati Patel and two colleagues wanted to do something to counter systemic racism and inequities in mathematics. In response, they founded the Math For All conference at Tulane University in New Orleans. Math For All is now a national conference that hosts annual local programs throughout the country. In late February, about 40 people attended the Math For All satellite conference in Corvallis for free.

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Alumni and Friends

Meet a Science Grad: Justin Ihara

Meet Justin, 2009 Mathematics and Computer Science graduate, now an MES architect at Axonics Inc.

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Research

New grants to support breakthrough discoveries

Four-dimensional tissue self-assembly, integrated river health and ultra-tiny spectrometers: The 2022 College of Science Research and Innovation Seed (SciRIS) award recipients will use collaboration to fill critical knowledge gaps across numerous scientific disciplines to drive real-world impact.

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Events

Celebrating excellence in teaching and advising: 2023 College of Science Awards

The College of Science gathered on Feb. 22 to recognize and celebrate our high-achieving faculty and staff at the 2023 Combined Awards Ceremony. The evening celebrates the best in the college, from excellence in teaching and advising, service and administration to inclusive excellence, to outstanding achievements in research. During the teaching, advising and mentoring portion of the evening, many of the awards were determined based on student nominations.

Fernando Angulo Barba stands in a blue shirt and khaki pants in front of Kidder Hall.
Graduate students

GEM Fellowship allows parent Ph.D. student space to thrive

Wanting to spend more time with his partner and one-year-old son, Angulo Barba applied for the Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM) Fellowship, a national program that promotes the participation of underrepresented groups in post-graduate science and engineering education and the technical workforce.

Ben Dalziel
Research

Preparing for the next pandemic: $1M grant to create interdisciplinary research center

A team of Oregon State University researchers have received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to identify, model, predict, track and mitigate the effects of future pandemics.

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Alumni and Friends

Alumni Awards: Raising the bar for diversity in the legal profession

Only 1.7% of attorneys in Oregon identified as Hispanic or Latino/a in 2020.

College of Science alumni Román Hernández (‘92) is not only part of that 1.7%, but he has dedicated his time to making sure that number grows.

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Faculty and Staff

Meet the eight new faculty members bringing their expertise to OSU

The College of Science is excited to welcome eight new faculty members this fall. They bring diverse expertise in gravitational wave astronomy, applied topology, organometallic compounds, age-dependent diseases and more.

Malgo Peszynska headshot.
Faculty and Staff

New endowed faculty scholar position honors late professor

Mathematics Professor Malgorzata (Malgo) Peszynska has been named the inaugural Joel Davis Endowed Faculty Scholar.

Vrushali Bokil outside
Faculty and Staff

Research excellence, student success and inclusivity goals for Interim Dean Bokil

Vrushali Bokil is working to make the sciences more welcoming and accessible to all. On August 1, she will continue fostering scientific excellence and inclusivity in her new role as interim dean for the Oregon State University College of Science.

Saki Nakai sitting outside in a forest.
Students

Mathematics graduate to research cross-cultural psychology for Fulbright

Pre-med Honors student Saki Nakai double majored in psychology and mathematics, completing a French minor abroad. Next year, a Fulbright award will support her research in Luxembourg.

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Faculty and Staff

New Faculty Arriving Soon

This coming fall the Mathematics Department will be welcoming two new tenure-track assistant professors, Nicholas Marshall and Chad Giusti, and two new postdoctoral scholars, Bella Tobin and Zachary Hilliard, into our community. A third tenure-track hire, Dr. Xueying Yu, will be joining OSU in September 2023 after completing her current postdoctoral visit at the University of Washington.

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Research

A sustainable future: Unravelling the data

Mathematics and statistics are two of the quickest-growing fields in the country, and it's not hard to guess why. In part three of this series, we examine some of the data-driven research that is helping usher in a new era of climate policy and action.

DNA strands.
Faculty and Staff

Research grants to seed the next great idea

Seed funding from the College of Science Research and Innovation Seed (SciRIS) program continues to bolster ambitious and expansive research projects across biomedical science, fluid dynamics, quantum mechanics and more.

Graduate students standing on the steps in front of Kidder Hall.
Graduate students

New Graduate Students 2021-2022

The Mathematics department welcomed 14 new graduate students this fall.

Tree-lined path in OSU commons
Faculty and Staff

New Faculty Hires 2021-2022

The Mathematics Department is pleased to welcome new faculty hires for the 2021-2022 AY.

black photo with white snowflakes and picture of a cell
Events

2021-22 College of Science awards: Celebrating excellence in research and administration

The College of Science gathered yesterday on February 22 to recognize academic and teaching excellence of our esteemed faculty and staff at the College's 2021-22 Combined Awards Ceremony. The first half of the ceremony celebrated exceptional research and administration.

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Events

2021-22 College of Science awards: Celebrating excellence in teaching and advising

The College of Science gathers to recognize excellence at the 2021-22 Teaching and Advising Awards.

Photo of a hand writing math equations on a chalk board
Careers

Q&A: How to prepare for a job in STEM

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) interviewed Vrushali Bokil, Oregon State University mathematics professor and associate dean for research & graduate studies, for an online SIAM Careers Fair.

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Alumni and Friends

Math alumnus fast-tracks degree to actuarial success

Math alumnus James Hansen jumpstarted his career as an actuary, completing half his degree while still in high school.