College of Agricultural Sciences

A team of food science students at Oregon State University competed in a national baking challenge in February and took home third place for their original cookie recipe.

Photo: During one of Torres' previous trips, a blue whale showed its fluke in the South Taranaki Bight. 

Leigh Torres is an associate professor and marine ecologist in OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute in Newport, Ore., where she leads the Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna (GEMM) Lab. Her work has taken her all over the world as she studies the behavior and environment of marine animals including blue whales. She recently returned from a research trip off the coast of New Zealand.

Scott Heppell (foreground) with a stereo video camera rig while Brice Semmens (background) takes pictures for facial recognition of Nassau grouper. 

Scott Heppell is a professor in OSU’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences within the College of Agricultural Sciences, where his research focuses on marine and freshwater fish ecology. He’s worked with fish all over the world and is currently on his annual trip to Little Cayman for an ongoing conservation project for the Nassau grouper.

Diana Rohlman is an associate professor and senior researcher in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and affiliate faculty in the College of Health. She facilitates community-engaged research with an emphasis on increasing environmental health literacy and often works with K-12 students and Indigenous communities. She also uses “Star Trek” to teach science ethics to university students.

What originally brought you to Oregon State?

John Selker stands onstage to present his talk at the 2025 Congreso Futuro in Chile.

John Selker is a distinguished professor of hydrology in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences, where he has been researching water and soil dynamics since 1991. During his time at OSU, he has used his sabbaticals to explore soil conditions all over the world, including in a large dryland region in Chile. He recently returned from speaking at Chile’s Congreso Futuro.

Doug Boon, enrolled member of the Tulalip Tribes (left) and Gordon Jones, OSU Extension faculty member (right) check out hemp varieties being tested at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center near Central Point. Photo courtesy Jeff Steiner. 

Since its inception in 2019, Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center has prioritized building strong relationships with rural businesses including Native American tribal partners throughout the region. 

Kate Stafford on the ice in Alaska, holding a hydrophone to record underwater sound. 

Kate Stafford is an associate professor and principal investigator of the Marine Mammal Bioacoustics and Ecology Lab, part of the Marine Mammal Institute at Hatfield Marine Science Center. Her research focuses on the use of passive acoustic monitoring in the ocean to study marine mammals, at the intersection of animal behavior and biological and physical oceanography. She spends part of each year in the northernmost tip of Alaska. 

Taylor Hersh taking a photo while doing field work on an unrelated project near Dominica. Photo by Ellen Jacobs. 

Oregon State University researcher Taylor Hersh has been named one of five women in science awardees by L’Oreal USA for 2024, a recognition that also comes with a $60,000 grant to pursue further research and public engagement.