Pacific University

Taylor Warnick ’23 is an environmental biology major who has been working with faculty member Kara Lanning to study soil in search of a possible microbial culprit for Western Red Cedar die back.

The National Institute of Health has awarded Pharmacy Professor Fawzy Elbarbry $365,966 for a three-year study as part of its “Support for Research Excellence” program. His study, which will involve student researchers, will examine alternate ways to treat hypertension.

“I was able to leave Pacific being able to write very prolifically and be a good scientific writer,” said Parks. “And besides the research, Pacific really prepared for my graduate-level classes. Honestly, my graduate-level classes, I thought they were so easy. Pacific does a very good job of making sure the courses are rigorous.”

Following a grant from the Oregon National Space Grant Consortium, physics alumnus Huy Nguyen '21, along with Physics Professor Todd Duncan built a three-dimensional model showing the optimal orbit for spacecraft to "park" between the earth and moon. The model will be exhibited at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville.

Kelsey Schweitzer ʼ11 attended Pacific University with hopes to become a marine biologist. She dreamed of studying wildlife to find ways to promote the health of the environment and mankind. Eight years later, she had her heart set on going to law school.

A team led by Pacific University alumna Ali Osbrink ’19 and including Pacific Biology Associate Professor Christopher Templeton is having a paper on songbird cognition published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, a prestigious UK-based scientific journal. 

Sigrid Roberts and Nicola Carter, professors in the Pacific University School of Pharmacy, have been awarded a competitive, three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to research treatment for a neglected tropical disease called leishmaniasis.

Research is like a puzzle for Rachel Araiza ’22. “I like trying to figure out what’s going on and being the first to figure it out,” said Araiza.

A love of the outdoors and biology led her to the Fernhill Wetlands in Forest Grove to examine the eating habits of the bullfrogs that live in the wetlands.

Participating in undergraduate research at Pacific gave Opfer the chance to dive deeper into real-life applications of his studies.

A creative writing major, Roth has tackled difficult subjects in her original works. “I hope that it opens up people’s minds and I hope that it makes people laugh,” said Roth, who says she employs “dark humor” to deal with sensitive subjects.

Keilian MacCulloch '19 fell in love with chemistry at Pacific University. After conducting research in the lab, he hopes to earn a PhD and spend his career in chemistry.

Olin Blackmore ’15 is spent his senior year as involved as possible — as Student Senate President, dancer, actor and researcher — thanks to the support of the scholarships that made his Pacific education possible.