Graduate School

In the world of running, not all shoes are created equal. At least, that’s what Lily Bartel and Kathy Reyes (she/her) are analyzing at FORCE Lab, the biomechanics lab at OSU-Cascades in Bend. Lily and Kathy, along with many other undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, utilize FORCE lab to research aspects of biomechanics related to injury investigation and rehabilitation.
 

Megan Sampognaro (she/her has been studying bee populations impacted by wildfires and prescribed burns and sharing this information with local landowners and biologists in an effort to protect local bee communities.

Oregon produces 99% of the hazelnuts grown in the US. Its biggest threat? The Filbertworm. This is what horticulture entomologists, like Natalie Lareau (she/her), are actively researching. 
Natalie’s focus is on the Filbertworm’s flight and life stages. While the lab work is done at the Oregon Integrated Pest Management Center here in Corvallis, Natalie has two field work locations: One is at the USDA germplasm repository in Corvallis, and another is near the Willamette forest in Springfield. 

What can make research exciting? To Felice Yarbough, it is “the continuous historical context that’s emerging as particularly important.” Felice Yarbough (she/her), a first-year wildlife science major, is exploring BIPOC perspectives to foster inclusivity and diversity in her field.

Did you know that there is a disease that threatens over a dozen bat populations across North America? William (Zach) Muniz (He/ Him), a graduate student in Wildlife Science with a focus in wildlife disease and genomics, hopes to solve this very problem.

Heading north to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, WA, our next “Grads Out There” student is Ana V Garcia-Caraveo (she/her). A Ph.D. student in Materials Science, Ana’s focus in her degree and at the PNNL is looking at material characterization.
Specifically, her research studies irradiation damage in tungsten-based heavy alloys for fusion reactors. Ana and her fellow researchers use micromechanical testing which can be viewed via electron microscopes.

This week’s “Grads Out There” spotlight takes us to wine vineyards across Oregon. Alexander Butcher (he/him) is a Ph.D. student studying horticulture and supply chain logistics with an entomology option at Oregon State University. 

This summer, we are highlighting students from all degree focuses and research fields who are “Out There” continuing their research. Our first profile takes us to Cambodia with Lok Mani Sapkota (he/him), a forest ecosystems and society major at Oregon State University.

Commencement was only a few weeks ago, but James Phillips has had his eyes' set on the skies for a while now.

Amy Wyman (She/Her) is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in Civil Engineering at Oregon State.

Lianelys “Lia” Cabrera Martinez (She/her/hers/ella) is a second-year Ph.D. student in psychological sciences at Oregon State University.

Nick Cruz (He/Him) is a first-year graduate student pursuing a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State.

Kyle Kirkland (He/Him) is a second-year graduate student pursuing a M.S. degree in Communication at Oregon State.

Michelle Borges is a first-year graduate student pursuing a M.S. degree in Agricultural Education at Oregon State.
Michelle has the unique position of being the first student at OSU to specialize in agricultural sciences and natural resource communication within her Agricultural Education degree.

Harnit Mahal (she/her) is a first-year graduate student pursuing a M.S. degree in Communication at Oregon State.

Meet Kristina Fillman, a second year doctoral student, pursuing a Ph.D. in Geography and Geospatial Science. Being a first-generation college student and a mother, Kristina is also a veteran. Kristina joined the Air Force just after she turned 22 and served for several years at various locations around the US as well as Germany.

Aidan Craig Sundine is a first year Grad Student, pursuing a Masters of Science in Communication at Oregon State.

Meet Max Campbell. Max is a second-year grad student pursuing a master’s in communication at Oregon State. Max was drawn to Oregon State for the location, but more specifically to the city of Corvallis. “Not only does it have a wonderful small-town vibe, but you are also so close to the coast and hiking/camping spots it’s amazing.” 

Katie Stelling is a graduate fellow and a Ph.D. student investigating environmental conditions from 20,000 years ago., funded through the NSF–GRFP (Graduate Research Fellowship Program).

Kalina Fahey (she/her) is conducting cutting-edge research on helping understand and find ways to reduce stress for LGBTQ+ groups while addressing LGBTQ+ health disparities.

Jordan Spradlin (she/her) is making the world go round by helping advance sustainable practices across the United States.

Francesca Germano (she/her) is taking on new challenges while making new discoveries at Oregon State.

Jen Hayes fell in love with insects and ecology after spending two summers following native bees around orchards in Vermont and a few months studying pollinators in Ecuador.

Meet Sarah Wolf, a microbiology Ph.D. candidate at OSU. Sarah grew up in Sacramento, California, where she loved to go crabbing on the North Coast with her dad. As a kid, she always loved the outdoors and was inherently curious, but she didn’t know she would one day become a scientist.

Meet Kailey Kornhauser. Kailey is an avid cyclist, a cycling organization co-founder (@allbodiesonbikes), and a Ph.D. candidate in Forestry Ecosystems and Society (major professor: Dr. Reem Hajjar). Her research focuses on forest collaborative power dynamics and policy outcomes in Oregon.

Meet Colin Shea-Blymyer, a Ph.D. student with dual majors in artificial intelligence and computer science in the College of Engineering at Oregon State University. His love of computer science started back in middle school when he would program his graphing calculator.

Do social media and engineering go together? They do for Sonia Camacho, a Master’s of Engineering student at Oregon State. She is passionate about using her social media presence to encourage more underrepresented students to explore tech. Before coming to college, Sonia didn’t know what to expect. She was nervous about the course load and wasn’t sure if she would feel like she belonged.

Is there a connection between the microbes in your gut and your behavior? Scientists at Oregon State are finding out. One of those scientists is Grace Deitzler. Grace is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in microbiology.

During 2021, Heather Masson-Forsythe (21’ Ph.D.) was researching COVID-19, finishing her Ph.D., and pirouetting in the forest. Dancing in the forest? That’s right, in addition to her other stellar achievements this year, Heather also won an international dance competition.

Meet Becca Maher, an alumna of OSU who graduated in 2021 with her Ph.D. in microbiology. Dr. Maher’s dissertation focused on stressors that drive changes in coral microbiome diversity and composition and was advised by Dr. Rebecca Vega Thurber.

As a grad student, Andrew Olsen, Ph.D. wildlife science '18, researched Greater Sage-Grouse habitat and this work played a key role in his post-graduation professional success.

Tiara Walz, Ph.D. student in Public Health. Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching graduate and active-duty major with the United States Army.

Layla Ghazi, Ph.D. student in Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Science studying georespiration. Current presdient of CEOAS Association of Graduate Students (CAGS).

Bryan Lynn, an Integrative Biology Ph.D. student, studies The Evolution of Cooperation in a Chemostat.

Marie Tosa, a Wildlife Sciences Ph.D. student, spent roughly two and a half years field researching the western spotted skunk in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest.

Celeste, a first-generation Ph.D., studied education with a focus on science education.

Diane Brandt is a Master's in Public Policy student researching West Coast residents' perceptions of wave energy and how that impacts policy in Oregon.

Garrett Rogers is a student in the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies program and teaches public speaking.

Jordan Jimmie is a recipient of the Diversity Advancement Fellowship award for 2020-2021.

Sara Letton, an Oregon State University Ecampus graduate student from the Graduate School's Professional Science Master's program in Environmental Sciences (PSM).

Kelsey Contreras is pursuing a master's degree in College Student Services Administration.

Adriana Mendoza recognizes there aren’t many women in mathematics in academia. When she pursued her Ph.D., she also worked with the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and other organizations to bring more diversity to the field.

Most first-year graduate students start out taking advanced classes and narrowing down their research focus. Not Adonara Mucek. She spent the first term of her Ph.D. program at Oregon State working in Indonesia with her advisor, Shanaka (Shan) de Silva.

Jafra Thomas, Ph.D. Kinesiology alumnus and recipient of the Diversity Advancement Pipeline Fellowship, brought his enthusiasm to OSU.

Leanne Giordono has dedicated her life and career to serving others, evidneced by her volunteering in AmeriCorps or PeaceCorps, starting her own business, raising three children and recieving a  Ph.D. in Public Policy.

Jafra Thomas, Kinesiology student and recipient of the Diversity Advancement Pipeline Fellowship, brings his enthusiasm to OSU.