To: The OSU Community
From: Edward Feser, Provost and Executive Vice President
14 March 2019
OSU community members,
I am delighted to announce the selection of Clare Reimers, Mas Subramanian and Virginia Weis as Oregon State University’s 2019 Distinguished Professor honorees.
Professors Reimers, Subramanian and Weis are outstanding examples of OSU’s highest academic honor. They each make extraordinary contributions to our university, our state and the world through their scholarship, teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students. Their contributions to their disciplines advance OSU’s land grant mission through their service, outreach and engagement.
They each will give lectures as a part of the Recognizing Excellence events planned for May 13 in the Memorial Union Horizon Room.
The university has presented the Distinguished Professor award annually since 1988 to active OSU faculty members who have achieved extraordinary national and/or international stature for their contributions in research and creative work, education, outreach and engagement, and service.
Professor Reimers studies ocean ecology and biogeochemistry in the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. She is internationally known for her research in seafloor biogeochemistry and efforts to measure the exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, land and fossil fuels. She is the project scientist for the Regional Class Research Vessel Program. Her leadership has helped Oregon State receive nearly $210 million from the National Science Foundation -- the largest grant awards in the university’s history -- for the construction of two regional ocean-going research vessels.
Professor Subramanian is the Milton-Harris Professor of Materials Science in the College of Science. He is an international leader in the discovery of new classes of materials and new chemical approaches with applications in electronics and energy conversion. Recently, he has received widespread attention for his discovery of the first new blue pigment in 200 years. That discovery was the inspiration for a new Crayola crayon color known as Bluetiful and is licensed to be used in industrial coatings and plastics.
Professor Weis is a world leader in coral symbiosis cell biology in the College of Science. Her research has shown how the coral immune system response is central to coral in increased temperatures. Her lab is helping to lead the worldwide fight against coral bleaching and her work has been shared globally, including being featured in the documentary “Saving Atlantis.”
Through the years, our honorees have been recognized with numerous awards from their colleges and peers nationally and globally. Each have also contributed significantly to student success by mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.
Please join me in congratulating Professors Reimers, Subramanian and Weis for their Distinguished Professor honors.
Sincerely,
Edward Feser
Provost and Executive Vice President