Jacob Van of Beaverton International School is one of Oregon's 2025 National Merit Scholars. He plans to stay in the Pacific Northwest to attend Oregon State University’s Honors College and study biology on the pre-medicine track. The winners of the highly competitive $2,500 scholarship are judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success of all National Merit Scholars, according to the scholarship organization.
For the second time, a three-week study abroad opportunity in Nepal is available for students to experience. Led by Dee Denver, head of the Department of Integrative Biology, the Intersections of Biodiversity and Buddhist Cultures in Nepal course promises a trek through the Himalayas, excursions in lowland jungles, and time spent in centuries-old monasteries.
As an undergraduate in the College of Science at Oregon State, Bauer was surrounded by opportunities to do science. Now he is pursuing his Ph.D. in integrative biology here as well.
Many people grow up with a fear of bugs, and above all else, a fear of spiders. Oregon State biology senior Catherine Raffin was just the same. The sight of eight spindly legs and a pair of fangs made her skin crawl, so she did the only logical thing: purchased a pet tarantula. “From a young age I was always morbidly fascinated with the insects everybody fears,” she said. “I thought it was crazy how something so small can be so terrifying.”
After graduating with a degree in biology and a certificate in medical humanities, Abigail LaVerdure has moved to Henderson, Nevada to begin her doctorate in occupational therapy (OT) at Touro University.
Research from the Department of Integrative Biology has uncovered the first fossil evidence of a botanical condition known as precocious germination in which seeds sprout before leaving the fruit. The embryonic plants, growing from a pine cone of an extinct tree species, are encased in amber from the Baltic region.
