46 OSU Faculty are Promoted to Senior
Instructor I/II
As Oregon's land grant university, Oregon State University is committed to educating, both on and off-campus, the citizens of Oregon, the nation, and the international community, and in expanding and applying knowledge. Candidates for promotion are evaluated objectively for evidence of distinction in their performance of assigned duties and in their scholarship or creative activity. The excellence of our faculty is paramount and we are very proud of the faculty recently promoted to the rank of Senior Instructor I/II.
Burl Carpenter Senior Instructor I | Crop and Soil Science
Burl Carpenter joined the Department of Crop and Soil Science as an Instructor in 2018. He earned his BA in Anthropology/Archaeology in 2005 from the University of New Mexico. He earned his MS in Soil Science from Oregon State University in 2017. Burl teaches e-campus soils courses and has interests in ancient agriculture and geoarchaeology.
Jessica Lodwick Senior Instructor I | Botany and Plant Pathology
Dr. Jessica Lodwick is an Instructor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology, studying the nutritional ecology of western lowland gorillas, and began teaching biology courses at OSU in winter 2021. Her teaching interests are rooted in the fundamentals of ecology and evolutionary biology. Jessica is currently teaching Introductory Biology (BI 204, BI 205, and BI 206) for Ecampus and Human Impacts on Ecosystems (BOT 301) on campus. During her tenure at OSU, she also developed and taught Animal Behavior (Z 350) and Ecology (BI 370) on campus. Jessica is a proud voluntary member of the BPP DEI committee and has participated in numerous professional development programs focused on equity, inclusivity, and diversity in higher education. She values collegiality and fostering student success. Jessica has been nominated for several teaching awards since joining OSU, including the Ecampus Excellence in Online Teaching and Student Engagement Award (2023; 2022), OSU Faculty Excellence in Online Teaching Award (2024), and Student Learning and Success Teamwork Award (2024).
Jennifer Lorang Senior Instructor I | Botany and Plant Pathology
Dr. Jennifer Lorang is a plant pathologist/molecular geneticist with a distinct interest in characterizing the molecular nature of conversations between plants and microbes. Dr. Lorang stumbled upon this passion through an environmental path and received a B.S. is in Environmental Biology from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She continued her studies investigating Streptomyces spp. that inhibit scab disease of potatoes in the soil, thus obtaining an M.S. in Plant pathology at the University of Minnesota. Next, she ventured out West to the University of California-Riverside, where she completed a PhD. in Plant Pathology, investigating the molecular signaling of bacterial pathogens with plants. Dr. Lorang joined the Botany and Plant Pathology Department (BPP) at OSU in the Fall of 1993 as NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Dr. Thomas Wolpert. She came to BPP with the specific goal in mind to use biochemical approaches to elucidate mechanisms of plant defense/susceptibility and effects of fungal toxins on plant immune systems.
James Mickley Senior Instructor I | Botany and Plant Pathology
Dr. James Mickley joined Oregon State University in 2020 as an instructor in Botany and Plant Pathology and Professor of Practice (OSU Herbarium plants curator). As an instructor, he teaches Intersections between Plants and Humanity, Plant Structure, and Flora of the Pacific Northwest. At the herbarium, he manages the curation and digitization of specimens and identifies plants for the Oregon public. He grew up in Pennsylvania and earned graduate degrees at Stony Brook University and University of Connecticut, where he was subsequently hired as a postdoctoral researcher. As a researcher, he studied the evolution and adaptation of floral petal number in the Polemoniaceae, effects of forest fragmentation on caterpillar foodwebs, and invasion demography of Centaurea stoebe.
Betsey Miller Senior Instructor II | Horticulture
Betsey Miller has worked as an entomologist in the Department of Horticulture since receiving her MS degree in 2011. Through her Ecampus course, Pests, Plagues and Politics, she aims to foster an appreciation for the connections between insects and the rest of us. As a member of the Walton lab, Betsey conducts research on integrated pest management in hazelnuts and small fruits. Her primary research interests include finding strategies that reduce pesticide use in orchards.
Vipin Arora Senior Instructor II | Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems
Vipin Arora joined the College of Business at OSU in 2014. Prior to starting to teach at Oregon State, Vipin completed the coursework and advanced to candidacy (ABD) for a Ph.D. in Information Technology at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. He earned the Bachelor of Technology degree in IT and the Master of Technology degree in Computer Science from two prestigious universities in India. Apart from those two degrees, he also completed a Post Diploma in Business Administration and Computer Applications. Vipin had four years of university level teaching and three years of industry experience before coming to the U.S.
Marianne Dickson Senior Instructor II | Marketing, Analytics, and Design
Marianne Dickson has a passion for all things hand sewn, researches the use of natural dyes, and enjoys teaching. She can often be found with indigo smudges on her clothes running around the textile lab trying to convince another student that hand spinning wool is the coolest thing ever.
Alan Fudge Senior Instructor II | Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems
Alan Fudge has over 15 years of teaching experience in accounting, finance, and economics at the college level and has been an accounting instructor at Oregon State University for the past seven years. He received a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and earned his MBA from Oregon State University. He currently holds an active CPA license in Oregon. He worked in public accounting for seven years where he provided tax preparation, auditing, and consulting services for clients. He has also served on several non-profit Board of Directors. Alan volunteers for the Oregon Golf Association as a rules official when he is not teaching.
Katie Jager Senior Instructor II | Marketing, Analysis, and Design
Katie Jagers has over a decade of teaching experience at Oregon State University and is dedicated to students in the College of Business by teaching BA275 and BA375. These courses, which focus on statistical inference and data analytic techniques, are designed to build students' skills and confidence. Throughout Katie’s career, she has taught over 130 classes to more than 10,000 students and developed numerous courses. Katie currently serves on the Faculty Development Committee, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, as the BA275 course coordinator, and as a representative for faculty in the Faculty Senate Athletics Committee. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she is skilled in data analysis and has provided statistical analysis for the College of Business Faculty Development Committee, eCampus Faculty Fellows, and Student Affairs, among others. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing sports, and participating in outdoor recreation.
John Morris Senior Instructor II | Managaement, Entrepreneurship, and Supply Chain
John Morris is a Senior Instructor II at Oregon State University, known for his dedication to teaching and mentoring students. With a strong management background, John has been instrumental in developing innovative curricula and fostering a collaborative learning environment. His commitment to education and student success is evident in his engaging teaching style and the positive feedback from his students. John is passionate about developing OER textbooks and is collaborating with Engineering and Arts to develop the Social Impact Design program. Outside of academia, John enjoys exploring new technologies and staying updated with industry trends.
Leela Varadharajan Senior Instructor I | Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems
Leela Varadharajan has been teaching at OSU since 2013. Leela started her career in the corporate world as a financial modeler and risk analyst. While her corporate experience opened many doors, she found teaching to be far more enjoyable and rewarding. As the program director of the Financial Planning Option Program—a CFP Board-registered program—she is proud to guide students on their journey to becoming Certified Financial Planners. With an MS and an MBA from the University at Buffalo, NY, along with her Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation, she brings a strong foundation of knowledge and practical expertise to help students succeed in their careers.
P. Christina Baxter Senior Instructor I | OSU-Cascades Campus
P. Christina Baxter holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Eastern Oregon University, a master’s in biological science from California State University, Chico, and a master’s degree in Education from Eastern Oregon University. She has traveled to Uganda as an education volunteer in the Peace Corps where she became very interested in pedagogical methods that increased content accessibility and student success. Christina has a passion for herpetology and desert ecology. She is interested in supporting OSU-Cascades students pursuing research projects focused on local amphibian and reptile species.
Victoria Boudinot Senior Instructor I | OSU-Cascades Campus
Vicki Boudinot has a bachelor’s degree in business and accounting from Portland State University. She had a 20+ year career as a certified public accountant (CPA) before pursuing a career change to professional counseling. She graduated from the OSU-Cascades Master of Counseling program in 2007 and has been a licensed professional counselor (LPC) since 2010. Vicki earned a Masters Addictions Counselor (MAC) Certification in 2023. She also works at Deschutes County Behavioral Health (DCBH) as a clinical supervisor.
Nicholas Dahl Senior Instructor II | OSU-Cascades Campus
Nicholas Dahl teaches communication courses and serves as Program Coordinator for Social Science and Political Science at OSU-Cascades. Nick graduated from Central Oregon Community College before attending Oregon State University in Corvallis, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. He holds a doctoral degree from The Pennsylvania State University, and taught at Cornell University, Clark College, and Portland State University before joining OSU-Cascades in 2015. Nick’s research interests lie at the intersection of discourse, politics, and hospitality, and his current work examines cultural identities of dispersed communities.
Maeve Perle Senior Instructor I | OSU-Cascades Campus
Maeve Perle holds a degree in Hotel and Catering, a Travel Agent certification, a Bachelor of Science in Management, and a Master’s degree in Hospitality. She has a wide and varied background working in hospitality management including an airline catering kitchen in Ireland (where she grew up), to a fast-food restaurant in Munich, to a five-star resort in Guam. She co-founded a chain of seminar chateaux (castles in France), and also ran a bar in Bend (The Old Astro). She has spent more than 20 years teaching at the college level, sharing her passion for the hospitality industry.
Kimberly Vierra Senior Instructor |OSU-Cascades Campus/College of Business
Kim Vierra began her career as an analyst at Nike’s world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. After five years with Nike, she spent several years in management consulting in New York City. In 2001, Kim and her husband made the decision to resign from their jobs and embark on a new venture in Vietnam, where they founded Phat Tire Ventures, an adventure tour company. As Program Manager and Instructor at Oregon State University, Kim’s mission is to bridge academic knowledge with real-world application, ensuring students are industry-ready upon graduation. Over her five years in this role, she has forged strong local partnerships, fostering a collaborative environment where future business leaders thrive. Kim is an alumna of Lewis and Clark College, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics with honors. Her love for academia led her to pursue further education, culminating in a Master of International Management (MIM) degree, obtained through a consortium program involving Oregon State University (OSU), the University of Oregon (UO), and Portland State University (PSU).
Andrea Allan Senior Instructor II | Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Andrea Allan came to OSU in 2005 for graduate school, where she completed her M.S. in Atmospheric Science and Ph.D. in Geography, with a focus on modeling climate changes in the Pacific Northwest. She’s been a full-time instructor for CEOAS since 2016 and is now also the Program Director for the Climate Science major. Andrea teaches a variety of climate science courses, is involved with Core Education, and has a deep love of clouds. In 2024, Andrea won the CEOAS Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She and her husband enjoy pickleball, soccer, and spending time with their twin boys.
Yong Bakos Senior Instructor II | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
With a background in both the arts and software engineering, Yong Joseph Bakos pushes the boundaries of cross-disciplinary research and teaching. Bakos has served as the assistant department head of EECS at Colorado School of Mines, cultivated the Center of Creative Computation at Southern Methodist University, and led the computer science program on the OSU Cascades campus in Bend. A professional software engineer by trade, Bakos’ education is in art theory and practice (B.A., Northwestern University), and software engineering (M.S., Regis University). He has worked with companies ranging from small startups to Apple, and currently works on AI and cybersecurity.
Scott Campbell Senior Instructor I | Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering
Scott Campbell graduated from Oregon State University (OSU) with both a M.S. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He joined OSU in 2016 as a Lab Instructor. He worked as a shop employee while attending OSU. Professionally he has experience designing and making products on CNC machines. He is owner and chief engineer of Celilo Cycles.
Rachael Cate Senior Instructor II | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Dr. Rachael Cate applies engineering education research to align diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging with innovation goals. Her background in rhetoric, composition, and education leadership enables her to guide students in developing successful communication skills for engineering and career development as they progress through the junior and senior ECE design courses. Her recent research projects and service work include lifting EECS student voices through the EECS Student Experience Story Archive Project as an Inclusive Excellence Fellow, education program evaluation of NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates and other grant-funded programs, and co-chairmanship of the EECS Inclusive and Effective Teaching Practice Committee.
Robin Hess Senior Instructor II | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Dr. Rob Hess received his B.S. in computer and information science from University of Delaware in 2003 and his Ph.D. in computer science from Oregon State University in 2012. Before becoming an instructor at OSU, he worked as a research scientist in computer vision at a startup company called IQ Engines and then, after IQ Engines was acquired by Yahoo, as a member of both the Yahoo Computer Vision and Machine Learning team and the Flickr Web Front End team. Rob's teaching focus centers around courses related to the development of modern web and mobile applications.
Joseph Jess Senior Instructor I | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Joseph, M.S. Computer Science, Portland State University; B.S. Computer Science, Western Oregon University, enjoys Oregon’s gray skies. Joseph helped people learn computer skills starting early – as aide during high school computer programming, undergraduate tutor, graduate teaching assistant, and instructor starting fall 2009 at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC). Joseph joined OSU in 2012 as instructor in the newly launched online postbaccalaureate CS degree. After a few years, Joseph left to give back to LBCC, whose College Now program had jump-started their high school education through a year of college-level classes. Joseph returned to OSU part-time in 2019 and full-time in 2024.
Scott Kerlin Senior Instructor I | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Scott Kerlin’s early career featured database design and UX development/testing at the Mayo Clinic and being the build master for several key IBM iSeries applications under the Domino product line. Upon completion of his M.S. degree, Kerlin joined the faculty at the University of North Dakota with the goal of promoting a deeper connection between the material students study and the impact that material will make in their professional or research careers. Within academia Kerlin has held roles as network administrator, lab manager, senior security engineer and undergraduate director in addition to his primary role as an Instructor.
Larrisa Letaw Senior Instructor I | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Lara Letaw is a Senior Instructor I of Computer Science with a background in software engineering and user interface design. She earned an M.S. in Computer Science from OSU in 2018. She teaches and develops undergraduate and graduate-level courses in the online CS program, earned a Quality Matters certification for course quality is 2024, authored a free and open software engineering textbook through the OSU OER Affordable Learning Grant program, and received an OSU College of Engineering Online Teaching Award in 2021. She is also an OSU Ecampus Research Fellow (2020-21) and co-authored several publications on inclusive technology design.
Randy Scovil Senior Instructor II | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Randy Scovil joined Oregon State University as a Senior Instructor I in 2021. He received an M.S. in Computer Science from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo. He has been teaching Computer Science in higher education ever since he was recruited to teach a programming course while in grad school at Cal Poly. He also has had an extensive career in the broadcast industry, serving for many years as a manager in music radio as well as a play-by-play announcer for Division I sports. His primary professional interests are computer science education, mobile development, and multimedia.
Rua Blount Senior Instructor I, PAC | Exercise, Sport, and Health Sciences
Dr. Rua Blount (they/them) is a professional counseling associate, outdoor educator, yoga instructor, and adventurer. Leader in the PAC mind/body program, and Adventure Leadership Institute instructor, Rua seeks to blend outdoor adventure, mental health care, and contemplative practices as a path toward cultivating curiosity, compassion, and wellness. Rua holds a PhD in botany and plant pathology, a Master's in Counseling with a focus on clinical mental health, a graduate certificate of college and university teaching, and a Bachelor of Science in botany and plant pathology with a minor in chemistry. Rua completed yoga training programs with Love Yoga Studios, Yoga Medicine, Willamette Valley Power Yoga, Jason Crandell, and Mindful Strength. They are a certified mountain bike instructor (level 1) through the Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Association with additional training from Fluidride. They are trained as Wilderness First Aid instructor and a wilderness EMT through Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities.
Tonya Johnson Senior Instructor I | Nutrition and Public Health
Tonya Johnson (she/her) is the MPH Internship Coordinator and Instructor in the College of Health. Tonya started this position in 2020, after nearly 25 years working in practice-based public health, including 8 ½ years with OSU Extension Service, where she also served as a preceptor. Tonya thoughtfully works with every MPH student on identifying, securing, and completing a robust internship experience, and also teaches an applied course in public health leadership and project management and other professional development courses. Tonya finds most joy in providing individualized support and training to students as they grow in their public health journey.
Anastasia Kasianchuk Senior Instructor I | Exercise, Sport, and Health Sciences
As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Exercise Physiologist Stasi has been teaching Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Athletic Training courses since 2011. In addition, she is the Senior Director of Lifestyle Care for Gennev a Unified Women's Health Company where she practices clinically and oversees a team of dietitians who collaborate with Ob/Gyns in providing nutrition and lifestyle care to patients across their lifespan.
Dan Roberson Senior Instructor I | Exercise, Sport, and Health Sciences
Daniel Roberson is a Senior Instructor I and the Director of the Lifetime Fitness for Health Program at Oregon State University. An OSU alumnus, he holds dual Master's degrees in Exercise Physiology and Public Health. During his time at OSU, Daniel developed a passion for promoting health and wellness, which he now channels into his teaching through innovative strategies. He has developed and delivered curricula to over 10,000 students. Daniel excels in managing teams, fostering collaborative learning, and using data-driven approaches to enhance programs. He is committed to promoting mental health and wellness through his teaching.
Elizabeth Barstow Senior Instructor II | History, Philosophy, and Religion
Dr. Eliza Young Barstow studies and teaches U.S. religious history, gender, and white supremacy. At present, she is the Associate Director of the Religion program in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion, and she also takes a leadership role with the new Applied Humanities degree. In 2023 - 2024, she organized a series of interfaith panels on campus, and these were funded by a grant she received from Interfaith America. These panels focused on climate change, access to guns, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights within religion, and race and racism. During that same year, she was also a teaching fellow for the Honors College in 2023 - 2024 and helped select and organize the summer reads for Honors College students in 2023 and 2024. Finally, between 2020 and 2023, Eliza used her training as a historian to consult with the Corvallis School District in regards to the renaming of schools.
Michael Boonstra Senior Instructor II | Visual, Performing, and Design Arts
Michael Boonstra has coordinated the Sculpture program and taught Core Studio at Oregon State University since 2011. In addition to his campus-based courses, he also co-founded and has co-directed the Creative Field Work program at Oregon State University, a series of land-based experiential courses that thoughtfully examine Oregon’s Coast, Cascades, and High Desert through creative processes. Over the past two decades his professional practice has focused on how we see and experience landscape. Can we see through aesthetic, scientific, and cultural lenses simultaneously and how can these ways of seeing inform one another?
Clare Braun Senior Instructor II | Writing, Literature, and Film
Clare Braun holds an MFA in fiction writing and has been a dedicated educator at Oregon State University since 2012. She writes for adult and child audiences, often featuring fairy tale themes and climate instability. Clare teaches children’s literature, fiction writing, creative practice, and “lady detective” narratives, teaching both in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film and the Honors College. She continually evolves her practice to support student success with an emphasis on metacognition and antiracist pedagogy, and her creative curriculum design was honored with the 2020 Ecampus Innovation Award. Clare also serves as SWLF’s scheduling and Ecampus coordinator, working to ensure equitable access to essential courses.
Raven Chakerian Senior Instructor II | Language, Culture, and Society
Raven Chakerian has been an instructor in the World Languages & Cultures program since 2013. Her primary academic focus is Romance language pedagogy. Other areas include sociolinguistics, bilingual education, online/hybrid pedagogies, inclusive teaching, and service learning. Her teaching is driven by curiosity about students’ stories and motivations. Her favorite course to teach is Internship, a service-learning course that places students in internships where they can use Spanish in a community setting. Off campus Raven enjoys time with family and friends, hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading.
Emily Elbom Senior Instructor II | Writing, Literature, and Film
Emily Elbom graduated from the University of North Dakota (BA English and German, MA English) and from Oregon State University (MFA Fiction). Her professional interests include technical writing, technical writing for engineers, and fiction writing. She's taught at the University of North Dakota, the University of Minnesota at Crookston, and has been teaching at Oregon State University since 2012. She serves as CALYX Literary Journal’s Editorial Coordinator for poetry. Her short stories have been published in Witness and in the Satellite Collective.
Etsuko Sisley Senior Instructor I | Language, Culture, and Society
Etsuko Sisley came to OSU in 1988 to learn to speak and listen to English. Etsuko entered graduate school and received a Master’s of Education in 1991 in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Etsuko enjoyed teaching Japanese at OSU for practicum, so she switched her career to teaching Japanese. She received a Master’s of Art from the Ohio State University majoring in Japanese Pedagogy. Etsuko has also taught Japanese at Mt. Hood Community College, Washington State University, the Ohio State University, Kansai Gaidai University, Shizuoka Prefectural University, Chemeketa Community College, and Portland Community College.
Wayne Harrison Senior Instructor II | Writing, Literature, and Film
Wayne Harrison has taught creative writing, literature, and rhetoric at Oregon State University since 2008. His fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories, The Atlantic, McSweeney’s, Ploughshares, The Sun, and on NPR’s All Things Considered. His debut novel, The Spark and the Drive (St. Martin’s Press), was followed by the story collection Wrench, winner of the New American Fiction Prize and finalist for several others. He’s received fellowships from Fishtrap, Maytag, and the Oregon Literary Arts Foundation. With colleague J.T. Bushnell, he received an OSU Ecampus Research Fellowship to study AI in creative writing. He also reviews books for The San Francisco Chronicle and The Miami Herald.
Chris Kneifl Senior Instructor I | Language, Culture, and Society
Chris Kneifl, Spanish instructor for World Languages and Cultures, grew to love language when he saw first-hand how the ability of language shapes the way people experience the world and creates new connections with people and places. Chris’ favorite part of teaching is seeing his students improve over time and creating a welcoming and inclusive space for all learners. When not working, he likes to play the guitar and piano, spend time in nature, and travel on two wheels. Chris feels lucky to live in a beautiful place with endless exploration opportunities and enjoys being part of the OSU community.
Sandy Reece Senior Instructor I | Language, Culture, and Society
Dr. Sandy Reece is a Senior Instructor I for the Anthropology program in the School of Language, Culture, & Society. She received her Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 2005, where she combined her interest in anatomy with evolutionary anthropology to conduct research on comparative functional morphology of the primate hand. Currently, she enjoys developing and teaching a variety of courses at OSU, primarily within the area of Biological Anthropology.
Rebekah Sinclair Senior Instructor I | History, Philosophy, and Religion
Rebekah Sinclair’s teaching and research center questions of interspecies ethics and knowledge formation at the intersection of environmental ethics, Native American philosophies, philosophy of biology, and values in science. Her interdisciplinary work challenges naturalized concepts and underlying values that shape how science and society understand and justify actions toward nonhuman animals, our environment, and marginalized humans. She has fifteen peer-reviewed publications and leads several grants. She collaborates on teaching, research, and grants with faculty across OSU, from Forestry to Integrative Biology, and foregrounds anti-colonial, experiential learning in novel OSU courses happening in Corvallis, in the Oregon high desert, at the Oregon/Washington coast, and as far as Hawaii, Peru, and Uganda.
Ana Warren Senior Instructor II | Language, Culture, and Society
Ana L. Warren is a Senior Instructor II of Spanish. She began teaching at OSU in 2007. Her teaching portfolio is diverse, encompassing courses on a variety of delivery modalities tailored for students learning Spanish as a second language and Spanish heritage language learners. Ana values all her interactions with her students and tries to make their learning experience memorable and impactful. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, children and grandchildren.
Fred DeAngelis Senior Instructor II | Physics
Dr. Fred DeAngelis has been Director of Undergraduate Laboratories for the physics department since 2019 and Lead Advisor for the department since 2023. Additional duties include overseeing the physics help center and training incoming graduate teaching assistants. Fred’s recent focus has been a new curriculum for the instructional labs and guiding the department through changes in how the university does advising. Prior to OSU, Fred was an Associate Professor in physics at Queens University of Charlotte, served as vice-president of the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Club, and helped develop “Physics in Motion” using professional dancers to demonstrate physics.
Allison Evans Senior Instructor I | Microbiology
Dr. Allison Evans is a biologist with research experience in microbial and vertebrate physiology. She earned an M.S. in Environmental Science (Microbial Ecology option) from the University of Idaho and a Ph.D. in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University. As an instructor in the Department of Microbiology, Allison teaches courses including microbiology labs, microbial influences on human health, mechanisms of disease, and the department’s Difference, Power, and Discrimination course. She strives to afford students agency to work on topics that are relevant and important to them and enjoys guiding students to develop their lab skills and hone their critical thinking.
Erin Howard Senior Instructor I | Statistics
Erin Howard is a Senior Instructor I and the undergraduate minor advisor for the Statistics Department, where she blends her love of statistics with a passion for teaching. She holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!) and an M.S. in Statistics from Oregon State University. Erin is dedicated to creating lively, interactive, and inclusive learning experiences that help students see the power of statistics. She teaches a variety of courses including Elementary Statistics, Introduction to Statistics for Engineers, R Programming, Data Visualization, and Graduate Teaching Assistant Training. Beyond the classroom, Erin enjoys developing engaging Ecampus courses and collaborating with fellow educators to elevate education at OSU.
Amilia Liyanage Senior Instructor II | Chemistry
Dr. Amila Liyanage is a Senior Instructor II in the Department of Chemistry at Oregon State University, where he has been a faculty member since 2017. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Oregon State University in 2015, focusing on new inorganic and materials synthetic strategies. He also holds a B.Sc. Hons (First Class) in Chemistry from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, which he completed in 2008. Dr. Liyanage primarily teaches Experimental Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis lab courses and serves as the Lab Course Administrator/Coordinator for these courses. He also teaches General Chemistry lecture, lab, and e-campus courses. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he serves as a Chemistry major advisor, Transfer Student Advisor, and Accelerated Masters Program Advisor, helping students navigate their academic paths and achieve their educational goals. He is also actively involved in pedagogical research. Outside of his academic pursuits, Dr. Liyanage enjoys photography, trail running, hiking, and exploring national parks.
Aristides Petrides Jimenez Senior Instructor I | Chemistry
Dr. Arístides Petrides Jimenez (Ari) received his Ph.D. in Engineering from Oregon State University in 2012 with a minor focus in Statistics and a second minor in Mathematics Education. From 2011 to 2013, he worked in a consulting firm on environmental statistics projects. Since 2013, Dr. Petrides has taught statistics courses at the University of Portland, Washington State University, Clark College, and Portland Community College. Starting in 2023, Dr. Petrides began serving as an Instructor in the Statistics Department at Oregon State University. With over 12 years of experience teaching statistics courses, Dr. Petrides has implemented a variety of methods of instruction on different course modalities. His current research investigates student engagement and success rates of students from different backgrounds in courses that incorporate community and experiential service learning. Dr. Petrides has also participated in and led committees and special projects, evaluating student, faculty, and employee data while actively considering social dynamics through a critical and ethical lens. Currently, Ari teaches several courses, including ST511 Methods of Data Analysis, ST314 Statistics for Engineers, and ST351 Introduction to Statistical Methods.
Kirk Miller Senior Instructor II | Clinical Sciences
Dr. Kirk Miller graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University and went on to an Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston. He is certified in Canine and Feline Practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. Dr. Miller has been a Clinical Instructor with the Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine teaching the Small Animal Primary Care rotation since 2007. Research activities have included studying the natural incidence of heartworm disease in dogs, exploring the treatment of anorexia in shelter cats, and evaluating the safety and efficiency of high quality/high volume spay/neuter techniques.