Physics Professor Earns Prestigious CAREER Award

A new scientific wave that could revolutionize the electronics industry has earned Dr. Wei Zhang, an assistant professor of physics at Oakland University (OU), the National Science Foundation (NEF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award. The award is presented annually to non-tenured faculty who has demonstrated the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education, and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. “The CAREER … [Read more...]

Oakland University Alum Jacob Corll Earns Recognition in Scientific Journal

Research was Supported By $897,722 Grant from National Science Foundation Jacob Corll, Oakland University (OU) alum whose research led to the discovery of a master gene that regulates the expression of other genes involved in the development of corn kernels, was recently recognized as the co-first author of a manuscript published in The Plant Cell, a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Society of Plant Biologists. “This is my first time really being … [Read more...]

Second Highest Tier in Carnegie Classification for Oakland University

Oakland University (OU) Moves Up to Second-Highest Tier in Carnegie Classification In the most recent update to the Carnegie Classification of Higher Education, Oakland University has moved up to the second highest tier of research universities. This tier features colleges and universities with “high research activity,” a designation held by only 3.1 percent of the 4,424 colleges and universities on the Carnegie Classification list. According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher … [Read more...]

A ‘Big Idea’ Grant Comes to Oakland University

OU Professors Get NSF Grant for Collaborative Project to Develop Arctic Soil Emissions Sensor The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made a two-year, $294,536 award, to two Oakland University (OU) chemistry faculty members, Professor Xiangqun Zeng and Assistant Professor Ziming Yang. The award is for the development of a low-cost, low-power multimodal sensor that will help researchers address the challenges of measuring carbon dioxide and methane emissions across the Arctic soil over time, … [Read more...]

Students Explore Sciences with Project Upward Bound

Oakland University (OU) Students use Grant for Hands-on Science  A group of 23 students from Oakland University’s Project Upward Bound (PUB), a multi-faceted college preparatory enrichment program, learned about biology, chemistry and physics on July 11 during a series of hands-on experiments led by Dr. Thomas Raffel, an assistant professor of biological sciences at OU. “We’re studying humans and frogs to determine how different organisms respond metabolically to temperature changes, and … [Read more...]

Grant to Benefit Minority STEM Students at Oakland University

Oakland University (OU) Professor Secures Third National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant for Work with Minorities in STEM Fields For the third time in less than a year, Oakland University Psychology Professor Martha Escobar has received a research grant from the National Science Foundation in support of her collaborative efforts with Tuskegee University in Alabama to increase participation by minority students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related fields. “Dr. … [Read more...]

Deadly Amphibian Disease Being Researched at Oakland University

OU Ecologist’s NSF Grant Supports Research into Deadly Amphibian Disease Dr. Thomas Raffel, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Oakland University (OU), has been awarded a five-year grant totaling nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his research on the effects of temperature variation on chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease that has been linked to mass amphibian die-offs and extinctions throughout the world. “There has been a major decline in … [Read more...]

OU Receives NSF Grant for Project to Engage High School Students, Minorities in STEM Fields

As part of a collaborative research project, Oakland University and Tuskegee University in Alabama have been awarded $894,655 by the National Science Foundation in order to encourage high school students from underrepresented minority groups to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields. OU’s share of the total award is approximately $190,120, according to Associate Professor of Psychology Martha Escobar, who will serve as the … [Read more...]

Stoney Creek High School Teacher Does Polar Research in Antarctica

Stoney Creek High School Teacher Starts the New Year by doing Polar Research in Antarctica Eric Thuma, a physics teacher at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills, always wanted to assist in world class scientific research and he lived his lifelong dream by joining Jim Madsen from the University of Wisconsin (River Falls) in Antarctica for three weeks doing equipment upgrades on the COSRAY Neutron Detectors at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The neutron monitors are designed to study cosmic … [Read more...]

OU Professors Share $5 Million to Promote STEM Education

Oakland University to Promote STEM-related Education, Careers with $5 million NSF Grant Oakland University is among seven institutions selected by the National Science Foundation to receive $5 million in grant funds over the next five years as part of a collaborative research project designed to encourage low-income students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields. “The idea is that a lot of people who have financial hardships … [Read more...]