Graduate Student Experiences

Community

Equally important to your academic and research work at Oregon State, you will find many opportunities to engage with a tight-knit community of graduate students.

From your first moments as a graduate student, we support you and connect you to your fellow students. 

We're also dedicated to fostering an inclusive community at OSU, regardless of racial/ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic class, age, and/or physical abilities. Be sure to visit one of the seven Cultural Resource Centers or the college's Center for Diversity and Inclusion to learn more about programs and support services.

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Masoud Ghodrat Abadi observing a bike handle.
Masoud Ghodrat Abadi

Ph.D. Student
Civil and Construction Engineering

Abadi’s research focuses on traffic control and operations; engineering education to correct misconceptions about traffic and transportation; and bicyclist behavior and safety, which is his dissertation topic

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Three Oregon State engineering students standing together outside at the graduate research showcase
Dezhong Deng, Vishvas Chalishazar, and Shaan Sengupta

Ph.D. Students
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Three graduate student winners earned the honor of presenting their research at the Oregon Stater Awards in Portland, where they were able to network with alumni and industry partners.

Amanda Kniepkamp

M.Eng. Student
Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering

To rise to the top at NASA and the competitive aerospace field, Kniepkamp enrolled in Oregon State’s Master in Industrial Engineering program, with an online option in Engineering Management.

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Steven Czyz using lab machine.
Steven Czyz

Ph.D. Student
Nuclear Science and Engineering

Czyz has developed a prototype radioxenon detection system at Oregon State that uses lower cost materials than traditional radioxenon detectors. These detectors are used to verify underground nuclear weapons tests in support of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Opportunity

Oregon State has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in teaching and research. This includes the Carnegie Foundation’s highest designation — the classification reserved for universities with “very high research activity.” The university prioritizes student success and offers a variety of professional development and student resources.

In past years, our graduate students have had the opportunity to present their research in the annual Graduate Research Showcase (see video) a daylong opportunity for graduate students to gain valuable professional development experience, network with industry partners, present research, and learn about the research of others. You will also be able to attend numerous presentations, symposiums, and graduate school defense seminars throughout the academic year. There are even graduate student travel awards for those wishing to travel to academic events throughout the year.

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Three mechanical engineer students standing together with awards at the Graduate Research Showcase.
John Morrow, Grace Burleson, William Maurer

Robotics and Mechanical Engineering

Three students from the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering were presented with awards at the Graduate Research Showcase. Winners were invited to present their research at the Oregon Stater Awards ceremony.

Pedro Alzaga

M.S. Student
Materials Science

Alzaga (’14 B.S., Chemical Engineering), a metal deposition engineer at HP, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in materials science while working full time at HP, where he started two years ago following an undergraduate internship.

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Delvan Neville labeling a lab container.
Delvan Neville

Ph.D. Student
Radiation Health Physics

Neville researches radiation levels in albacore tuna caught off the west coast of the United States. There is radiation that can be traced to the Fukushima reactor disaster. Neville, co-investigator on the project, will present his findings to the Heceta Head Coastal Conference.

OSU Network

When you finish your program, you will join more than 200,000 Oregon State alumni across the U.S. and around the world. Our 30,000 engineering alumni have gone on to serve as leaders in government, industry, and academia. Whether you continue as an academic researcher or transition to industry, Oregon State alumni will be there to welcome you.

Robert Rose (‘06 M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering) began his career in video games but shifted to autonomous vehicles. He is the co-founder of Reliable Robotics, which is designing systems to automate aircraft.

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Three staff members standing together
Robert Yüksel Yildirim

’89 M.S., Mechanical Engineering

Today, the boy from Turkey who packed bags of cement at his family’s small shop flies around the world in a private jet, visiting the company’s many holdings, meeting with bankers, and launching new business ventures.

Nadia Payet

’11 Ph.D., Computer Science

A senior software engineer at Google, Payet works on Google Maps for Android phones. Nadia’s path to a computer science career began at Oregon State, and it all grew from there.

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Matthew Adams standing in a faculty building.
Matthew Adams

’15 Ph.D., Civil Engineering

Adams is now an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. His research focused on calcium aluminate — an alternative to Portland cement — and the feasibility of using recycled concrete as aggregate.