Recognizing outstanding achievement: 2018 Alumni Awards

The College of Science is pleased to announce its 2018 Alumni Award recipients. Fred Horne, the former Dean of the College of Science and Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, was recognized with Lifetime Achievement in Science Award; Joan Countryman Suit (’53) received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Justin Hall (’10) won the Young Alumni Award.

The awards publicly recognize alumni or friends of the College of Science for distinguished professional and personal accomplishments and for exemplary contributions to society that bring credit to the College and the University.

“I congratulate these exceptional individuals whose contributions have made a deep impact on science and society. They have distinguished themselves by nurturing an inspiring legacy of service and scientific achievement for future generations,” said Roy Haggerty, dean of the College of Science.

“They have enriched our communities through their passion for science and education and have brought honor and distinction to the College of Science and the University. I am grateful to each of them,” added Haggerty.

The College celebrated the accomplishments of these distinguished scientists and leaders with a gathering of invited guests comprising faculty, campus leaders, students, alumni and friends at its annual award ceremony and dinner at the Memorial Union’s Horizon Room on November 15.

Congratulations to these outstanding alumni and friends of the College for their scholarship, leadership and service to science at Oregon State!

Fred Horne, Lifetime Achievement in Science Award

Lifetime Achievement Award

Fred Horne

As Dean of the College of Science for more than 13 years (1986-2000), Fred Horne was responsible for hiring some of the best scientists and leaders at Oregon State University. Of the 70 faculty that he hired, most remain at OSU and have made sizeable contributions. Horne had a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in science, and during his tenure, he actively increased the number of women scientists at the university. The Fred Horne Award for Excellence in Teaching Science and the Clara Ann and Fred Horne Women in Science Scholarship have had a decisive impact on education and undergraduate achievement in the College.

Read more about Horne’s incredible journey as a student, scientist and leader.

Joan Countryman Suit with her husband with research equipment

Joan Countryman Suit (’53), Distinguished Alumni Award

Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award

Joan Countryman Suit

A student of bacteriology and microbiology at OSU, Joan Countryman Suit (’53) pursued a career in science at a time when women scientists were scarce. She enjoyed a distinguished career as a research scientist in prominent national labs, spending 17 years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working alongside medicine Nobel laureate Salvador Luria. Joan and her husband, Herman, support science students through the SURE Science scholarships, which enable motivated undergraduates to pursue three months of summer research, and the Joan Countryman Suit Scholarship for microbiology graduate students.

Read more about her journey from humble beginnings on a farm in eastern Oregon to her achievements in the field of bacterial genetics.

Justin Hall (’10), Young Alumni Award

Young Alumni Award

Justin Hall

Oregon State’s strong Ph.D. program in biochemistry and biophysics helped alumnus Justin Hall (Ph.D. ’10) jumpstart his career at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, one of the world’s premier biopharmaceutical companies. Since then he has gone on to become a Principal Scientist at Pfizer and is currently the biophysics lead for multiple drug development projects. Justin and his wife, Andrea (a biochemistry Ph.D. alumna), distinguished themselves as exceptional students in the biochemistry graduate program and won awards for academic achievement.

Read more about his path to success as a scientist and his advice for current students.