For Jordan Indrawan, SURE meant channeling his own battle with cancer into studying the proteins linked to the disease. For Ashley Tran, it was finding a sense of belonging in a lab led by women of color. And for Matthew Hines, it was discovering a passion for research he once thought was out of reach.
When homelessness and poverty strike, dental care often becomes a distant priority, leading many to resort to desperate measures like pulling their own teeth. Anika Phuvasate and her fellow Oregon State University Pre-Dental Club members are changing that narrative by organizing free clinics that offer compassionate, judgment-free dental services. These efforts not only restore smiles but also dignity, proving that everyone deserves access to essential care.
When an autistic high-school student meets an autistic science mentor, a whole new world of possibilities opens. When a shy high-school student is encouraged to embrace curiosity and ask questions, their path to college gets easier to navigate. And when an underrepresented high-school student is given a scholarship to attend a microbiology STEM camp, it can change their world.
This past summer, Ph.D. student Savanah Leidholt set out to create a summer “bootcamp” for area high school students to draw more students from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, low-income and other diverse backgrounds to the study of microbiology.
