The Oligotrophic game models real-life microbial relationships and biogeochemical cycles in a format that is user-friendly, age inclusive (elementary to high school), and informative as well as fun. It is a strategic tile placement game where players compete to transfer biomass between trophic levels by selecting hexagonal cards based on actual marine microorganisms. The goal is to accumulate biomass, acquire bonuses or take biomass from other organisms and abiotic sources. It introduces important concepts in marine microbial ecology such as the microbial carbon pump, biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, and the flow of biomass through microbial food webs.

The Giovannoni Lab supports SMILE through NSF grants that pay the costs of travel and board for each of our attendees (Dissolved Organic Carbon Cycling by SAR11 Marine Bacteria, OCE-1436865, and Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Unraveling thiamin cycling complexity and impacts on microbial networks DEB 1639033).

Kirsten Grorud-Colvert, associate professor, senior research in the Department of Integrative Biology, received the Inclusive Excellence Award. In her nine years at Oregon State, she has demonstrated valuable leadership in fostering a culture of inclusion in the College of Science.

In 2020-21 Grorud-Colvert led a department-wide effort to develop an Equity, Justice and Inclusion Community Values statement to guide the department’s future goals and actions. As part of that work, she organized a retreat for faculty, staff and graduate students to discuss individual and group values. Attended by 83 members, the retreat served as a jumping-off point for the department statement, allowing more voices to be heard and incorporated.

In the summer of 2022, Grorud-Colvert co-organized a Decolonizing Biology workshop. A series of four sessions, the workshop provided a deep dive into the historical and ongoing colonial forces that have shaped the biological research discipline. Topics ranged from the exploitation of indigenous bones and DNA to disparities and biases experienced by racial and ethnic minorities in healthcare.

Grorud-Colvert also prioritizes inclusive excellence in her role as a research program leader. She focuses on place-based approaches to understanding the local impacts of marine protected areas in different parts of the world while integrating the perspectives of local communities and historically marginalized populations.

College of Science Gender Equity in Leadership

Created in 2022, the College of Science Gender Equity in Leadership award supports and provides funds for the advancement of the careers of female faculty in the College of Science. Thanks to generous donors, the fund will provide three faculty with a $3K award for developing and implementing projects related to the College’s mission while enhancing leadership skills and opportunities for faculty members who previously or currently identify as women in the College of Science.

This year's recipients include: Marilyn Mackiewicz and Paula Weiss; Elisar Barbar; and Katée Keen and Jennifer Olarra.

Marilyn Mackiewicz and Paula Weiss’s award will support specialized mentorship programs for women instructors, professors and researchers in the Department of Chemistry. Called “The Catalyst,” the goal of the program is to cultivate an environment that shapes the next generation of leaders, scientists, mentors and educators. Participants will formulate their career goals and develop a range of skills such as effective grant writing, finding sources of funding and inclusive leadership skills.

Elisar Barbar’s award will fund the development of workshops that support women faculty in science as their careers advance. She will organize formal mentorship opportunities focused on tools and strategies that empower faculty and invite a renowned speaker to lead a full day workshop on leadership, improving quality and quantity of research output and the performance and well-being of science teams.

Katée Keen and Jennifer Olarra’s award will fund a coaching event that supports College of Science staff and professional faculty who identify as women. A guest speaker will lead participants in sessions focused on empowerment, work-life balance, leadership at all levels, connecting personal values to College of Science values, and creating a climate of belonging and support.

Gladys Valley Award for Exemplary Administrative Support

Kelly Carter, graduate student coordinator and office manager for the Department of Physics, received the Gladys Valley Award for her tireless commitment to her department.

Carter has been the office manager in the department since 2014 and during the 2021-22 academic year, she managed the role without a support employee after her assistant, Lori Emmons, passed away. Carter frequently performs well beyond her position description duties.

“Kelly has been a fundamental individual in the department workings, a pleasant person to interact with a constant smile, a tireless collaborator, and an incredible source of help and support at any time,” wrote one nominator.

Her colleagues expressed immense gratitude for her willingness to take on more responsibilities while consistently providing a warm welcome to department visitors.

“Kelly is the glue that holds together the complicated trajectories of roughly 20 faculty, 50 graduate students and hundreds of undergraduates,” wrote another nominator. “She deserves recognition for not only doing this difficult task, but also for doing it incredibly well in the face of a plethora of challenges.”

Distinguished Service Award

Kari van Zee, senior instructor II and lead advisor for the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, received the Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes a faculty, staff member or student whose outstanding contributions helped to support and sustain the quality and effectiveness of our College.

Van Zee has taken on a plethora of roles, both official and behind the scenes. In addition to teaching and advising, she is an undergraduate coordinator, faculty senate member, Biochemistry Club advisor and Genetic Code Expansion Center outreach coordinator. On top of everything she is known for fostering a supportive community environment.

“She is a perfect example to emulate: a good friend, advisor and someone to count on for support; whatever it is, however hard it is, whether you are a student, faculty or even department head, Kari is there to help,” wrote the nominators.

Examples of her dedication include hosting social events to help undergraduate seniors brainstorm for their future, organizing the department Dam Proud Day fundraising event, helping faculty adapt for students with disabilities and coordinating pandemic safety procedures.

Colleagues noted she also dedicates her time to building a positive department culture. Van Zee is the first person to give out her information to new staff members and routinely helps plan community-building events.

“In summary, Kari is the heart of the department in so many ways,” the nominators wrote.

Champion of Science Award

Lori Kayes, Associate Department Head and Senior Instructor II in the Department of Integrative Biology, received The Champion of Science Award. Chosen by the dean, this award recognizes an individual who demonstrates excellence and extra effort that goes above and beyond what is requested. The award is modeled, including its name, after the President's Beaver Champion Award.

Kayes is a champion of student success, equity and community engagement. Throughout her career, she has strongly advocated for inclusivity in STEM courses and promoted active learning and culturally responsive pedagogies at Oregon State. She has tirelessly advocated for adapting education to meet the needs of today’s learners.

Her contributions were pivotal in Oregon State's recent adoption of the new general education curriculum, which focuses on student success. As co-leader of the Baccalaureate Core Reform Committee, she garnered participation across the university to shape a new curriculum that enhances student potential, including those who are historically underserved.

Her devotion to effective teaching is also demonstrated by the Learning Assistants Program. As a founder with Devon Quick and Dennis Bennett, she helped usher in a new era of evidence-based science teaching in large classrooms at OSU. The Learning Assistants play a vital role in helping students learn by implementing engagement and learning exercises in undergraduate STEM classrooms.

Kayes also has been active in the ongoing efforts to increase inclusive excellence in science as co-PI of the five-year $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which aims to improve instruction in undergraduate STEM classrooms.

College of Science Industry Partnership Award

Assistant Chemistry Professor Kyriakos Stylianou and his colleagues received the College of Science Industry Partnership Award. This award will support their work producing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) able to capture CO2 followed by its conversion into a mixture of ethanol and methanol, which can be used as an alternative fuel source. This will help lower CO2 levels in the ocean and atmosphere and reduce humanity’s dependency on long-chain hydrocarbon fuels, which are rapidly contributing to global warming. In this project, Stylianou will collaborate with an international energy company, and together, they will discover novel strategies to effectively reduce CO2 emissions with MOFs.

While pursuing a graduate degree in microbiology for a time, Ann discovered her true passion was in science education. She changed her focus and earned a master’s degree and teacher certification from the College of Education.

Ron received his Ph.D. in microbiology in 1974, and shortly after, they moved to Ohio so he could begin what would be a long and satisfying 34-year career with Procter & Gamble. According to Ron, “I began as a bench scientist involved in upstream products research, and over the years worked in areas with increasing responsibility, culminating in my role as worldwide microbiology technical leader for P&G’s paper products. Manufacturing issues around the world could be particularly challenging, handling everything from engineering design issues to contamination events to dealing with sometimes arcane local regulatory requirements.” Much of his work involved a combination of microbiological and engineering skills. “A good deal of this background came from my experience at OSU. Not just microbiology, but also the ability to connect the dots, seeing and understanding complex relationships to solve unique problems,” he said.

“I still haven’t figured out what I want to be when I grow up,” Ann joked. “When we moved from Corvallis to Ohio, I did some substitute teaching that turned into a one-year career as a biology teacher,” she said. When their kids came along, Ann stayed home with them, and became actively involved in her local community. She returned to substitute teaching once they were older. She then transitioned into a career in the trust department of a local community bank and ended up loving it.

Though they have lived in Ohio for several decades, Ron and Ann celebrated 50 years of marriage last year by returning to where it all started: the Willamette Valley and the microbiology department at Oregon State University. “We went on campus, ate at some restaurants and re-created some of our favorite dates,” said Ann. Those dates included visiting favorite spots around Oregon like Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Silver Falls State Park near Salem and Marys Peak, the highest point in the Coast Range overlooking Corvallis.

“Everything was still very recognizable,” said Ron. While they were students, the microbiology department moved from the historic Agriculture Hall into a brand new teaching and research facility in what is now called Nash Hall. “That move was quite interesting, moving into what was at the time a cutting-edge space.” Some of their favorite memories as students were the daffodils that bloom in February, a welcome harbinger of spring, and the group of friends they made with other co-ed graduate students in Ann’s dorm in Sackett Hall. “There were graduate students not only from all over the United States, but from other countries, as well,” said Ann.

Wanting to give back to the institution that brought them together, the Bergs have endowed a new microbiology lecture series which will feature noted microbiologists from outside Oregon State University. “The hope is for it to continue long after we’re gone,” said Ann, “as long as the university is there to continue this.”

“We want students to have the same encouragement that we did as students at Oregon State."

The inaugural Berg Lecture will host Dr. Jo Handelsman, director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on Friday, April 28, 2023. Handelsman is an internationally acclaimed microbiologist who studies microbial communities, their interactions and their roles in infectious disease and ecology. She previously served as a science advisor to President Obama as the associate director for science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She is the author of several books, a leader in education and a champion for increasing diversity in STEM.

"The generous gift from Ron and Ann Berg has enabled the Department of Microbiology to host Dr. Handelsman, an inspirational leader in microbial ecology, having forged inroads into understanding complex microbial communities through their underlying genetics, communication, and environmental impacts,” said Kimberly Halsey, associate professor of microbiology. “Her dedication and impactful contributions to science, education, and inclusivity exemplify the qualities we value and aspire to nurture in our community."

The Bergs have some advice for current students: Pursue your interests, be open to all different things, and have a wide variety of experiences. Never close the door on anything. “I wound up in banking and loved it,” Ann said. “We want students to have the same encouragement that we did” as students at Oregon State."