IMPACT

For billions of years, all life on Earth, from tadpoles to humans, have relied on the same 20 amino acids to build proteins — the fundamental building blocks of life. But what if that list of fundamental amino acids was expanded to include any chemical ability of our choosing? What new potential could be unlocked?

Rebekka Toyoizumi has always admired the big questions that science has to offer. A graduating biochemistry and biophysics major at Oregon State, she spent six months throughout summer and fall 2023 terms at OSU exploring those questions through an experiential internship. She is excited to continue this work for the multinational biotech and biopharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, in Maryland following graduation.

The remnants of ancient bacteria live inside each of us as mitochondria, structures in cells that are critical for life. Breakthrough work from Simon Johnson, B.S. biochemistry and biophysics ‘09, and his lab has shed new light on how dysfunction of mitochondria causes human disease. For his great strides towards a cure for mitochondrial diseases within a decade since his last degree, Johnson has received the 2023 Young Alumni Award in the College of Science.

Biochemistry & biophysics Ph.D. student Sarah Louie has been selected as this year's Mathews Fellow. Louie is working with Professor Rick Cooley of the Center for Genetic Code Expansion.

Oregon State researchers, including a member of the College of Science, have shown in a mouse model and lab cultures that a compound derived from hops reduces the abundance of a gut bacterium associated with metabolic syndrome.

A six-month study of healthy older men led by the College of Science’s Tory Hagen and research associate Alexander Michels demonstrated that daily multivitamin/multimineral supplementation had a positive effect on key nutrition biomarkers.

Being a Beaver has stretched Ebunoluwa Morakinyo to develop her passions inside and outside of the lab. A senior honors biochemistry and molecular biology student at Oregon State, her time on campus has included celebrating her culture while looking forward to a career dedicated to helping others.

The annual Health Professions Fair will take place on April 25, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

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.

International student Elizaveta Zhivaya found her niche in microbiome research and will start a Ph.D. in neuroscience next year.

University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics Michael Freitag will present the College of Science 2022 F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Lecture on May 3.

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.