We live, work and learn on ancestral land. Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon is located within the traditional homelands of the Marys River or Ampinefu Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855, Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians. Indigenous people are valued, contributing members of the OSU community and represent multiple sovereign tribes among students, faculty, staff and alumni. One of the things I appreciate about Oregon State’s strategic plan, Prosperity Widely Shared, is its broad, justice-minded vision of economic, social and environmental well-being for everyone. It reinforces the values that guide how the College of Science thinks about science and its role in the world. Our faculty are making incredible groundbreaking discoveries across climate and oceans, sustainable energy and materials, data and AI, health and biotechnology, and pedagogy and learning. Throughout every distinct pursuit, there’s a constant thread: doing science that helps people. This is grounded in our belief that everyone, across all backgrounds, identities and life experiences, deserves the chance to participate in and benefit from science. Our approach to advancing new technologies is grounded in these values. In this issue, you’ll find stories about how our artificial intelligence research is helping people live healthier lives, supporting local economies and contributing to a more sustainable future. College of Science faculty are using AI to modernize seed testing in Oregon’s grass seed industry, helping farmers reduce waste and improve crop quality. They’re uncovering gut microbiome patterns linked to autism, paving the way for better diagnosis and care. They’re also applying deep learning to study ocean microbes that regulate carbon and nitrogen, strengthening our understanding of climate systems. In biomedicine, they’re decoding how RNA controls gene expression, supporting new approaches to detecting diseases like cancer. And alumni entrepreneurs are building tools to make AI more trustworthy, ensuring greater safety and reliability in industry and healthcare. I’m proud that these scientists are thinking deeply about who benefits from their work and how to make a real difference. Advancing knowledge and technology should always go hand in hand with promoting equity and benefit for everyone. This same commitment shows up in other ways too. As you’ll read, College of Science students are delivering care where dental services are out of reach, using art to communicate science more clearly and applying scientific training to public health, policy and environmental protection. Our faculty are advancing climate science, deepening our understanding of autoimmune disease and reshaping how we teach foundational math to students across the university. All of the work highlighted in this issue, and throughout our research, expands the reach and impact of science in ways that matter. Please read on to see how College of Science students, alumni and faculty are working to meet real needs. I hope you’ll be as inspired by them as I am. Eleanor Feingold IMPACT FALL 2025 1
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