Chemical Engineering

Lam Research is partnering with Oregon State University on research to explore the use of new materials in semiconductor devices. The collaboration includes a $520,000 grant per year for up to five years from Lam Research.

“Lam Research has had numerous collaborations with individual faculty over the years, but this is the first large-scale collaboration with multiple faculty members,” said Dennis Hausmann, senior director of the deposition product group at Lam Research.

When Lucas Ellis tried explaining how you can design catalysts to his students, he often ran into blank stares. Even for undergraduates, the concept of how a catalyst’s structure influences its performance in chemical reactions can be abstract and difficult to visualize.

So, he tried something different: toys.

When Tatiana Ostrik left her hometown of Eugene to study engineering at Oregon State University, she wasn’t entirely sure which path she’d take. She just knew she wanted to build something meaningful — and Oregon State offered the perfect launchpad.

“I wanted to get away from home and study engineering,” Ostrik said. “Oregon State was the best option financially, and it has a great reputation for engineering. It just made sense.”

Charlie Harriman didn’t have to look far to find inspiration for his academic path. Growing up in Portland surrounded by a family full of Oregon State University alumni — including a cousin and younger brother who also chose chemical engineering — Harriman’s decision to attend Oregon State felt like a natural continuation of a family tradition. But it wasn’t just legacy that drew him in.

Pooya Tadayon, Ph.D. physical chemistry ’98, will return in September to his roots at Oregon State University to advance semiconductor research and education.

Oregon State University is leading two large consortiums that aim to boost innovation and commercialization for advanced technologies to stimulate economic development in Oregon and beyond. The FAST Regional Innovation Engine and Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub proposals have broad support from small and large companies, startups, government agencies, universities, venture capitalists, and community groups — 65 members in CorMic and 95 members in FAST.