IMPACT

The College of Science community gathered on Friday, November 12, 2021, for the 2021 Alumni Awards, recognizing alumni who stand out in their accomplishments across industry, philanthropy and research.

Ron Schoenheit (B.S. Mathematics ’65) is the recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for his accomplishments that have brought honor, distinction and visibility to the College of Science.

Judy Faucett, recipient of the College of Science 2021 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, founded the Rise Scholarship – the first scholarship at Oregon State exclusively serving students with disabilities.

Andres Cardenas (B.S. 10), a trailblazer in devising epidemiological and molecular approaches to understand how environmental exposures affect disease, has received the 2020 Young Alumni Award from the College of Science.

Attorney and alumnus Román D. Hernández was the recipient of the 2021 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alumni Legacy Award at the 2021 Oregon State Black and Orange Awards.

Genomics pioneer Michael Waterman (Mathematics ’64, ’66) receives the 2021 Lifetime Achievement in Science Award for his remarkable accomplishments that have brought honor, distinction and visibility to Oregon State University.

Peter Banwarth (M.S. ’12) is an epidemiologist and public health data scientist with the Benton County Health Department in Oregon. He has developed models to guide county health policies on testing, safety and health measures for employees and the public to minimize infections and deaths in Corvallis and nearby areas.

The McGraths put their knowledge of numbers to use and leveraged a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to make a major gift to their alma mater while realizing a significant tax benefit.

“The QCD is the Holy Grail of donating,” Sue said. “Many of our friends didn’t know about it until we described it to them..."

Zoology graduate Molly Cordell ('16) trained and cared for African hooved animals for four years; now working toward career in wildlife conservation.

With expertise spanning marine ecology, biofuel development, new modes of energy capture, evolutionary genetics and the microbiomes of coral reefs, OSU is committed to research that puts the environment first.

Chuck Armstrong graduated from OSU with a degree in basic science in 1966, having majored in chemistry. He credits his science education for teaching him how to think and develop the skills he would use in his career. “In the sciences, you are taught how to critically and analytically think,” he says.

2005 physics alumna and planetary geologist Briony Horgan's research was key to determining the location on Mars for the Perseverance rover to explore. Explaining the challenge her team faced, she said, "“If we had to choose just one spot on Earth to gather all the data about the entire history of the planet — well, where would you go?”