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CORVALLIS - The College of Science at Oregon State University recently held a ceremony to honor faculty and staff and discuss the state of the college. Sherman Bloomer, dean of the college, said that the college is doing remarkably well given current economic conditions, and that he was optimistic that progress was being made on teaching, research, and personnel issues.

OSU and its College of Science are a part of the pinnacle of American higher education, charged not just with educating people, but with discovering new knowledge and applying that knowledge in the service of the public, Bloomer said. The college has programs that are among the very best in the world, he said, and among its faculty are acknowledged leaders in fields ranging from botany to pure mathematics, neuroscience and zoology.

Recipients of the 2004 College of Science faculty and staff awards included:

• Walter Loveland, professor of chemistry, received the F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Science, which included a $1,500 honorarium and the F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Lecture. This award, the highest honor the college awards to its faculty, recognizes scholarly work that has made a lasting impact on its field and on OSU. Loveland, a nuclear chemist, has a career that spans 43 years and more than 150 publications.
• Tevian Dray, professor of mathematics, received the Frederick Horne Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching Science, which included an honorarium of $1,500. One student has described Dray as "the best math teacher I've ever had, period," and another said that he "cares about students' learning; he takes student comments about his class and uses them to try to improve his teaching style." Officials say Dray has made a significant contribution to the teaching of vector calculus, which covers subjects often considered difficult by students.
• Andrew Meigs, an associate professor of geosciences, received the Loyd Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Graduate Teaching, which included an honorarium of $500. Meigs is described by students as "funny yet knowledgeable - could make a classroom dance with discussions of tectonics." His research specialties are active tectonics, tectonic geomorphology and structural geology, and he teaches numerous courses for the Department of Geosciences, including field geology, structural and neotectonic field methods, and tectonic geomorphology. 
• Nicholas Drapela, an instructor of chemistry, received the Loyd Carter Award for Outstanding and Inspirational Undergraduate Teaching, which included an honorarium of $500. Students describe Drapela as someone who can really get your attention, yet make learning fun and interesting. He teaches a variety of courses including general and organic chemistry, and his research interests include the use of enzymatic transformation in organic synthesis.
• David Horne, an associate professor and academic advisor of chemistry, received the Olaf Boedtker Award for Excellence in Academic Advising, which included an honorarium of $500. Speaking of Horne, one student said that, "My advisor always makes time for me to meet with him. No matter what he is working on, whether it be a grant proposal, journal article, or classroom lecture, he will immediately drop everything to sit down with me to answer questions, lend advice, or just catch up. I could not have asked for a better advisor." 
• Gail Millimaki, office specialist in Molecular and Cellular Biology, received the College of Science Exemplary Administrative Support Award, which included an honorarium of $500. She was recognized for "her excellent customer service skills recognized by all of the people she helps - faculty, other staff, and students." Millimaki also contributes time to university service in the Red Cross blood drives and United Way food drives.