Current Scholars

Current Scholars

Generous Donors Contributed $7 Million to Support 428 Scholars Since 2005

In 2024-2025 our Chapter is supporting 93 scholars at OHSU, OSU, and UO. 

ARCS Foundation Oregon is honored to present awards to these outstanding scholars chosen by the scholar selection committees at Oregon Health & Science University,  Oregon State University and the University of Oregon.

The ARCS Foundation Scholar Award is $18,000, payable over three years at $6,000 per year.

Meet our 2024-2025 ARCS Scholars
 
First Year Scholars 2024-2027
Taylor Azizeh

Oregon State University
College of Ag Science, Marine Mammal Institute
 

  • The Sheila & Mike Goodwin/OSU Endowment Scholar
  • Taylor hopes to identify the drivers of grey whale mortality events and better understand the ecology in their Arctic feeding grounds and throughout their migration route.
Athena Bamrick

Oregon State University
College of Earth, Ocean anbd Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change

  • The Elisabeth & Peter Lyon Scholar
  • Athena plans to investigate the impact of sea level rise, land subsidence, and other climate change effects on coastal communities to empower them to mitigate such threats.
Alexandra Bender

University of Oregon
College of Arts & Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry
 

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Alexandra wants to unlock the ability of metal atoms to solve a variety of scientific problems, spanning medicine, industry, environmental cleanup, and sustainability efforts.
Kylee Brevick

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Chemical Engineering

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Kylee is interested in researching solar energy solutions and bioplastics (plastic materials produced from renewable biological materials) to reduce the use of fossil fuels for energy and material manufacturing. 
Mallory Campbell

Oregon State University
College of Science, Physics
 

  • The Jill V. Josselyn ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar Award Endowment
  • Mallory plans to study condensed matter, optics, or quantum physics, doing research that furthers how we understand our world, specifically from a physics point of view.
Peter Carlip

Oregon State University
College of Earth, Ocean and Atmosphneric Sciences

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Peter hopes to improve the modeling of ocean mixing to advance our understanding of oceanic mixing and circulation to prepare for, mitigate, and help prevent the impact of climate change on the planet.  
Juliana Cuartas - OHSU
Juliana Cuartas

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Neuroscience Graduate Program

  • The Caron & Larry Ogg/ OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Juliana is interested in studying evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of cell signaling in neurodevelopment and aging.
Juliana Esquivel

University of Oregon
College of Arts & Sciences, Human Physiology

  • The Julie Branford and Diana & Steve Gordon Scholar
  • Juliana wants to solve the discrepancies between women's health and exercise physiology. Little is known about how female athletes function physiologically compared to male athletes.
Brooke Frohock

University of Oregon
College of Arts & Sciences, Biology
 

  • The Jill V. Josselyn Endowment Scholar
  • Brooke hopes to provide a better understanding of the molecular and developmental basis of social behaviors that could lead to improved therapeutics for people with autism spectrum disorder.
Alexa Gonzalez

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Neuroscience Graduate Program
 

  • The Jonalyn Wallace and ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • By studying how specific genes and pathways influence neurons and glia, Alexa plans to uncover insights leading to more effective treatments for neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, autism, and brain cancer.
Rishi Gulati

University of Oregon
College of Arts & Science, Human Physiology
 

  • The Kenda & Ken Singer/UO Endowment Scholar
  • Rishi hopes to discover estrogen's role in the contractility of skeletal muscle to learn how muscles function in females during different life stages and enhance treatment efficacy.
Vanessa Hawkins

Oregon State University
College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change

  • The Lara Ogg & Alexa Cunningham Scholar
  • Vanessa will continue her research to understand the mechanisms behind the rapid melt rate of the LeConte Glacier in Alaska to improve the accuracy of glacial melt-rate predictions.
Cade Jobe

Oregon State University
Graduate School, Food Science

  • The Beth Ray/OSU Endowment Scholar (Ed Ray)
  • Cade is examining how wildfires affect hop quality. With 99% of all U.S. hops grown in the Pacific Northwest, he hopes to provide growers and brewers with strategies for smoke mitigation.
Sophia Kogan

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Nursing

  • The Joan Foley & Kathie Lasater Scholar
  • Sophia's research focuses on pain perception and management, with the goal of developing pain management interventions based on circadian timing and the internal body clock.
Eva Krueger

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Robotics

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Eva is excited to solve food system problems and address the labor shortage in agricultural work through automation improvements in robotics.
Derek Lilienthal

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Artificial Intellegence

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Derek plans to develop practical, generalizable solutions to provide factual and trustworthy AI information to prevent misinformation and data leakage, allowing AI to aid in more complex tasks.
Naia Marten

Oregon State University
College of Forestry
 

  • The Nancy & Dodd Fischer/OSU Endowment Scholar
  • Naia aims to discover better restoration and remediation processes to improve disease management in threatened Port Orford cedar stands.
Alexander Matteson

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program

  • The Karen Irons Medicis Memorial Scholar
  • Donors: Diane & Dick Alexander
  • At Casey Eye Institute, Alexander will work on projects that directly benefit patients with various issues, including macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
John McCormick

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program

  • The Barbara & Philip Silver/OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • John plans to use a nanotechnology platform to deliver cancer and gene therapies locally, minimizing systemic side effects and improving patient outcomes.
Emma Pearson

Oregon State University
College of Ag Science, Marine Mammal Institute

  • The Christine Whipple Farrington & Carl Farrington Scholar
  • Emma works to address the impacts of offshore wind development and operation on marine mammal communication.
Sarah Perkel

Oregon State University
College of Science, Biochemistry & Biophysics

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Sarah plans to study opportunistic agents like viruses and venoms that can circumvent the body's defenses and how we can exploit those mechanisms.
Annabelle Recinos

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Civil & Construction Engineering

  • The Elizabeth & Christopher Bell Scholar
  • Annabelle focuses on addressing concrete's high costs and environmental impact to reduce costs and enhance concrete's durability and sustainability. 
Mireia Roig-Paul

Oregon State University
College of Ag Science, Environmental & Molecular Toxicology

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Mireia is working on where per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) end up in the environment, the sources of PFAS, and how they impact organisms.
Catherine Rousculp

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences

  • The Sharon & Henry Hewitt/OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Catherine's goal is to be part of the research expanding our knowledge base of different cancers and uncovering routes to better cancer treatment options.
Tess Sevetson

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences

  • The 10th Anniversary/OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Tess is trying to understand the root causes and regulation of diseases such as cancer, hoping to develop therapeutics that target the underlying issues rather than treating symptoms.
Akane (Grace) Shirota

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

  • The Kathleen Ames/OSU Endowment Scholar
  • Grace will be working on human-robot interactions and the direct benefits of robots in the workplace or at home to help in manufacturing, production, and at home.
Michelle Turney

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Nursing
 

  • The Barbara Giesy/OHSU Nursing Endowment Scholar
  • Michelle has a degree in Nurse Midwifery from OHSU. Her PhD research addresses fetal malposition and labor biomechanics with the goal of improving labor outcomes and reducing invasive interventions.
Trent VanHawkins

Oregon State University
College of Science, Statistics
 

  • The Bangsund Scholar
  • Trent plans to work at the intersection of statistics, environment, and public health and combine my experience in bioinformatics and epidemiology with my passion for understanding spatiotemporal phenomena.
Siddarth Viswanathan

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Robotics
 

  • The Ann & Ron Emmerson/OSU Endowment Scholar
  • Sidd plans to improve the adaptability and intelligence of robot teams by combining machine learning techniques with robotics concepts to give robots decision-making capabilities.
Laura Young

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences

  • The Kirby & Carl Dyess/OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Laura is interested in identifying previously unknown genetic alterations that cause disease. She would like to identify genetic mutations in utero and develop in-utero treatments.
Kelsey Zionskowski

Oregon Health & Science University/Portland State University
Public Health, Epidemiology

  • The Marilyn Bergen & Kris Kern Scholar
  • Kelsey's research focuses on health disparities within sexual and reproductive healthcare, with a particular emphasis on disabled populations. She aims to uncover barriers to equitable care.
Second Year Scholars 2023-2026
Stephanie Adams

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Civil Engineering

  • The Anne & Peter Jarvis/OSU Engineering Endowment Scholar
  • Stephanie is interested in researching the impact that capstone courses have in shaping engineering students for the workforce. 
Brenden Bartsch

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Sciences

  • The Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust Scholar
  • Brenden plans to study infectious disease immunology, with the goal to contribute to the fight against viral disease by developing vaccines or antiviral drugs.
Emily Branam

Oregon State University
College of Science, Integrative Biology
 

  • The Linda & Gary Wallmark Scholar
  • Emily plans to research topics related to coastal ecological resilience and flexible, long-lasting solutions to climate change.
Jessica Briones

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Sciences

  • The Nancy & Dodd Fischer/OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Jessica is interested in improving the precision and safety of CAR-T cells for metastatic stage cancers and the persistence of tumor-fighting T cells. 
Sarah Caballero

Oregon State University
College of Agricultural Sciences, Food Science and Technology

  • The Sarah & Ross Smith/OSU Ag Science Endowment Scholar
  • Sarah is involved in optimization and scaleup of a biopolymer coating to protect wine grapes in vineyards from smoke taint during wildfires.
Caroline Crahan

University of Oregon
Arts & Sciences, Biology
 

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Caroline focuses on DNA damage repair and solving problems related to infertility and congenital disabilities. 
Benjamin Daniels

Oregon State University
College of Science, Microbiology
 

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Benjamin plans to apply his knowledge of genomics and transcriptomics to contribute to the crucial field of climate change research in hopes of finding novel pathways critical to our understanding of the carbon cycle.
James Flora

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Computer Science

  • The Jean & Richard Josephson/OSU Engineering Endowment Scholar
  • James plans to further his knowledge on the different applications of Machine Learning in hopes of using it to create new pharmaceutical drugs.
Ian Fournier

Oregon State University
College of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Ian's research includes marine carbonate chemistry and trace metal in the ocean, and their respective ecological and biogeochemical impacts.
Adrian Gibson

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering

  • The Beth & John McQueston and Meleah & Scott Ashford Scholar
  • Adrian's research includes grid integration of renewable sources, distributed generation, and power electronics.
Alyssa Granados

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Sciences

  • The Elizabeth & Wallace Preble Scholar
  • Alyssa is interested in the immune system's role in cancer, autoimmunity, and tissue homeostasis to further the development of personalized cancer vaccines. 
Michaela Kratofil

Oregon State University
College of Agricultural Sciences, Marine Mammal Institute

  • The Sheila & Mike Goodwin Scholar
  • Michaela aims to understand how aspects of the physical environment and social structure influence the movements and space use of Hawaiian false killer whales.
Aren Lampman

Oregon State University
College of Science, Mathematics
 

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Aren will focus on probability, involving improving probabilty distribution methods to better analyze randomness and chaos in scientific systems.
Brittany Lyon

University of Oregon
College of Arts & Sciences, Human Physiology

  • The Liz & Gregg Christiansen Scholar
  • Brittany's research involves the evaluation of muscle-derived exercise-induced biomarkers and their potential neuroprotective benefits for Parkinson's disease and related conditions.
Kayla Maanum

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Neuroscience
 

  • The Anne & Mike Zubko Scholar
  • Kayla utilizes ex vivo electrophysiololgy to elucidate how the insular cortex integrates diverse neuronal information.
Marina Nimmo

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering

  • The Barbara & Philip Silver and Caron & Larry Ogg /OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Marina will combine her engineering and science backgrounds in cardiovascular research.
Julissa Ortiz-Delatorre

University of Oregon
College of Arts & Sciences, Human Physiology

  • The Susan & Bill Smith/UO Human Physiology Endowment Scholar
  • Julissa will conduct research in the physiological adaptations that occur at the cellular level in the musculoskeletal system with exercise or disuse.
Lynette Pina

Oregon Health & Science University/Portland State University
School of Public Health

  • The Jamie & Michael Anderson/OHSU-PSU Endowment Scholar
  • Lynette wants to improve menopause healthcare and policy to shape policy decisions for health initiatives and clinical guidelines.
Rhian Preston

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Robotics
 

  • The Caron & Larry Ogg/OSU Robotics Endowment Scholar
  • Rhian will conduct research examining how robots can enable human-human interaction to support habit-formation.  
Matthew Raffel

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Computer Science

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Matthew's research focuses on improving the computational efficiency of natural language processing applications. 
Celina Sanchez

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering

  • The Janis & Robert Harrison/OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Celina uses quantitative image-based cytometry to analyze the dysregulation of nuclear dynamics during the cell cycle of cancer.
Melissa (Arisa) Sek

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Neuroscience
 

  • The Annie & Brian Reeves Scholar
  • Arisa is interested in expanding current knowledge of how memory-impairment diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's develop and find potential treatments. 
Mary Ruth Shifflet

University of Oregon
College of Arts & Sciences, Chemistry
 

  • The Jill Josselyn/UO Arts & Science Endowment Scholar
  • Mary Ruth is interested in understanding the role of proteins that help control cell division to provide crucial information for more effective cancer treatments. 
Benjamin Skubi

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering

  • The Kathleen Ames & Lynda Falkenstein Scholar
  • Benjamin is excited to study single-cell cancer epigenetics.
Daniel H. Smith

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering & Behavioral Neuroscience

  • The Missy & Peter Bechen Scholar
  • Daniel's research interest is in how neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and PET can be used to understand how heavy alcohol consumption affects the brain. 
Spencer Stinson

Oregon State University
College of Agricultural Sciences, Environmental and Molecular
 

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Spencer is focused in understanding how toxic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) compounds bind to body receptors to determine which PAHs chemical exposures could lead to disease. 
Frederika Sullivan

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Neuroscience

 

  • The Elise MClure and ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Frederika is interested in the interactions of the immune system and brain during neurodevelopment.
Shaz Sutherland

Oregon State University
College of Pharmacy
 

  • The Hammond Family/OSU Pharmacy Endowment Scholar
  • Shaz has an interest in natural product drug discovery and wants to contribute to the development of innovative therapeutics.
Liam Walker

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Nuclear Engineering

  • The Robert Harrison/OSU Nuclear Engineering Endowment Scholar
  • Liam will leverage his knowledge in gamma spectroscopy and nuclear reactions to uncover the secrets of the fundamental forces that govern the universe. 
Madison Wenzlick

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Materials Science

  • The Julie & Wayne Drinkward Scholar
  • Madison is interested in using data analytics and machine learning, along with materials science domain expertise, to improve efficiency of the materials design process and to enable the development of new products.
Louisa Wildman

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Civil Engineering

  • The Walsh Construction Company Foundation Scholar
  • Louisa is studying transportation engineering and modeling to aid in emergency wildfire evacuations. 
Katelyn Wyatt

University Of Oregon
College of Arts & Sciences, Chemistry
 

  • ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Katelyn is pursuing research in organic, inorganic, and material sciences.
Third Year Scholars 2022-2025
Nathan Anderson

University of Oregon
Department of Biology
 

  • The Anonymous/UO Endowment Scholar
  • Nathan is exploring the developmental factors that contribute to the onset and disease process of neurodegenerative illnesses.
Darcey Ayala

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Nursing
 

  • The Foley/Jarnberg Scholar
  • Darcey’s concentration is resilience engineering and concept-based learning for nurses transferring from one nursing specialty to another.  
Karlie Bach

Oregon State University
College of Science, Department of Chemistry

  • The 10th Anniversary/OSU Endowment Scholar (ARCS Foundation Oregon Members)
  • Karlie is working on the environmental applications of inorganic chemistry and chemical education research with creative approaches to energizing chemistry education. 
Jasmine Collins

University of Oregon
Department of Chemistry
 

  • The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation Scholar
  • Jasmine focuses on the biological reactivity of small molecule donors that release Reactive Sulfur Species (RSS) such as hydrogen sulfide and carbonyl sulfide. Development of RSS donors can allow for biological function regulation. 
Victoria Duke

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine
 

  • The Richardson Family/OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Victoria (Torie) is studying how iron deficiency anemia impacts bone healing after injury and how intravenous iron treatments could impact patient recovery after injury. 
Ellen Dymit

Oregon State University
College of Agricultural Sciences, Wildlife Sciences

  • The Silver Scholar Fund Award
  • Using non-invasive methods like DNA metabarcoding and genotyping, Ellen studies rare and elusive animals. Her current research includes a large-scale study of coastal wolf foraging ecology. 
Mizan Gaillard

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Behavorial & Systems Neuroscience

  • The Fairway Fund/OHSU Endowment Scholar (Susan H. Swindells)
  • Mizan’s clinical interests are many, but center on psychiatry and optimizing care for marginalized populations. Her goal is to improve prevention and treatment effort with personalized neurobiological and behavioral interventions. 
Taryn Gibbs

Oregon State University
College of Science, Nuclear Science & Engineering

  • The ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Taryn is working to improve separation methods for nuclear and radioactive waste so we can move toward a more sustainable fuel cycle and manage the radioactive hazards produced by some industrial processes. 
Kristen Goebel

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Computer Science

  • The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation Scholar
  • Kristen is working to train a predictive model on grape cold-hardiness predictions for cultivars that have little or no data. Improved hardiness predictions would give farmers better information for management practices. 
Krista Harrington

Oregon State University
College of Agricultural Sciences, Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Sciences

  • The ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Krista is a social scientist working to determine how resources are allocated for climate-related human wellbeing and plans to translate her research into actionable policy decisions and planning support. 
Hayley Kuhn

Oregon Health & Science University
School Medicine

 

  • The Missy Vaux Hall Scholar
  • Hayley uses a rat model to study the intensification of drug craving that occurs during a forced abstinence period from the drug and the mechanisms that contribute to this vulnerability to relapse. 
Jacqueline Laddusaw

Oregon State University
College of Science, Chemistry

 

  • The Mary Martin Rosenberg Bequest Scholar
  • Jaque focuses on using computation models to understand how complex organic reaction mechanisms take place on an atomic level during organic processes, leading to greater efficiency and more favorable reaction outcomes. 
Andrew Lee

University of Oregon
Department of Chemistry

 

  • The Jamie & Mike Anderson Family/UO Endowment Scholar
  • Andrew is researching air-sensitive inorganic/organometallic chemistry, organometallic complex stabilization by carbenes. 
Sarah Louie

Oregon State University
College of Science, Biochemistry & Biophysics
 

  • The ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Most proteins in the cell are modified post-translationally in some way. Sarah’s research aims to optimize tools to engineer proteins to contain these modifications to study their effects on structure and function in any biological context.  
Mikkel Louis

Oregon State University
College of Earth, Ocean, & Atmospheric Sciences
 

  • The Caron & Larry Ogg/OSU CEOAS Endowment Scholar
  • Mikkel focuses on understanding magmatic systems of potentially active volcanoes to make sure communities have information for updated hazard mitigation efforts. 
Jared "Nalu" Martin

Oregon State University
College of Agricultural Sciences, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology

  • The ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Nalu is investigating the safety of hemp compounds, which may be helpful in treating many conditions and diseases. The therapeutic possibilities must be supported with the exploration of possible negative effects from the phytocannabinoid compounds in hemp. 
Katherine McCool

Oregon State University
College of Forestry

 

  • The ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Katherine’s research is at the intersection of wildfire science, soil biogeochemisty, and climate change. She is working to understand the impact of wildfire and logging on vulnerable forest soils, where carbon preservation is essential to survival. 
Amina Meselhe

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Civil and Construction Engineeering
 

  • The Sally & Cecil Drinkward Scholar
  • The Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake is expected to damage infrastructure such as buildings, energy sources, transportation, water, and communications. Amina is working to increase community resilience and support relief efforts post-disaster. 
Samantha Moellmer

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering

  • The Anne & Jung Yoo Scholar
  • Sami’s research goal is to identify novel therapeutic targets within the coagulation cascade that prevent thrombosis, without increasing bleeding risks.  
Luke Nearhood

Oregon State University
College of Science, Physics
 

  • The ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Luke hopes to make physics more accessible by effectively teaching the principles of physics. His research interests include computational physics, quantum cosmology, quantum fundamentals, and complex networks. 
Nnamdi Nwagwu

Oregon State University
College of Engineering, Mechanical, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering

  • The Gretchen & Jeff Sturm Scholar
  • Nnamdi’s research focuses non-verbal robotic expression and applications of soft robotics in human-robot interaction. 
Zachary Papich

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Neuroscience Graduate Program

  • The Lynn & Steve Pratt Scholar
  • Zachary is working on fertility and reproductive health problems in shift workers. Circadian disruptions in light exposure and eating schedules can reduce fertility and disrupt ovulatory and menstrual cycles. 
Jordan Rodriguez

University of Oregon
Department of Biology
 

  • The Fairway Fund/UO Endowment Scholar (Susan H. Swindells)
  • Climate change is multi-faceted, and Jordan is hoping to move the field of evolutionary biology forward by creating computational tools such as machine learning algorithms that change the way we understand data and enhance our efforts in policy, engineering, and ecosystem restoration. 
Ronald Samia

Oregon State University
College of Agrucultural Sciences, Food Science & Technology

  • The ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter Scholar
  • Ron’s research focuses on the biotransformation of hop aroma compounds by brewing yeast and its sensory and chemical impact on beer. 
Erin Santos

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Neuroscience Graduate Program

  • The Lee & Ron Ragen, Sharon & Mike Nugent, and Nancy Haigwood Scholar
  • Erin is using the Drosophila model system to understand the molecular mechanisms that allow a subtype of glial cells called astrocytes to convert intracellular calcium signals into extracellular neuromodulatory signals.
Katie Stelling

Oregon State University
College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences

  • The Jamie & Mike Anderson Family/OSU CEOAS Endowment Scholar
  • Katie studies the retreat of the Greenland and Cordierran ice sheets during the last deglaciation period, twenty thousand years ago, to understand how the ocean, which is a driver of global climate, behaved during this transition. 
Grace Su

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Program in Biomedical Sciences

  • The Mary Ann Lockwood Memorial Scholar (ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter)
  • Grace is hoping to treat and cure inherited retinal dystrophies, primarily Retinitis Pigmentosa and Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis by developing gene therapeutics. Developing an effective, nonviral, nucleic acid delivery vector would advance the field of retinal gene therapy. 
K. Jane Van Gunst

Oregon State University
College of Science
 

  • The Sue & Bernie McGrath/OSU Science Endowment Scholar
  • Jane’s research uses multiple techniques to understand the probability of persistence in the American pika, a climate-sensitive species. This and similar habitat specialists are under considerable stress due to climate and vegetation change. 
Sofia Vignolo

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, MD/PhD Program
 

  • The Jarnberg Family & Gray Family/OHSU Endowment Scholar
  • Sofia focuses on advancing bone regeneration, particularly in craniofacial surgery. She is studying density and mineralization to develop treatments for cleft lip/palate, traumatic injuries, and post-oncological resections, and plans to combine her research expertise with a clinical practice. 
David Xthona Lee

Oregon Health & Science University
School of Medicine, Program in Biomedical Sciences

  • The Schnitzer CARE Foundation Scholar (Jordan Schnitzer)
  • David is investigating the mechanisms that underly cataract development, particularly the function of small heat shock proteins found in the body that are critical protection against cellular stress in the heart, brain, and other organs.