For billions of years, all life on Earth, from tadpoles to humans, have relied on the same 20 amino acids to build proteins — the fundamental building blocks of life. But what if that list of fundamental amino acids was expanded to include any chemical ability of our choosing? What new potential could be unlocked?
Six years ago, Bereket Berhanu arrived in the United States knowing two words in English: ‘No’ and ‘Yes.’ This June, Berhanu will be graduating with a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, along with two minors.
Like many college students, Lexie Swisher confronted a difficult choice concerning her time: find a job on campus to afford rent or participate in undergraduate research. Thanks to an unwavering commitment made by college leadership and generous donors, Swisher secured financial support from Launching Undergraduate Research Experiences, or LURE, a groundbreaking program that pays students while they gain invaluable research experiences during the academic year.
Being a Beaver has stretched Ebunoluwa Morakinyo to develop her passions inside and outside of the lab. A senior honors biochemistry and molecular biology student at Oregon State, her time on campus has included celebrating her culture while looking forward to a career dedicated to helping others.
Giulia Wood’s summer activities — or, in her case, winter — have included polar plunges into the Southern Ocean, listening to cracking glaciers and conducting research on Antarctic krill.
Honors Biochemistry and Molecular Biology junior Gretchen Fujimura is one of two Oregon State students to receive the 2022 Goldwater Scholarships, the nation’s top undergraduate award for sophomores and juniors in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Ilana Gottfried-Lee has spent the past two years performing cutting-edge research in the Unnatural Protein Facility - diving headfirst into a project that has never been attempted before.
