What's In A Name?

A lot, as it turns out. When the School of Science & Engineering--then known as the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology--merged with Oregon Health & Science University in 2001, the "OGI" portion of its name merged with it. Although "OGI" was no longer an abbreviation for anything, it remained a convenient short-hand for our staff, an identifier that emphasized the school's roots in Oregon's high-tech community, and an important professional reference for faculty who were internationally known for their affiliation with "OGI."

Since the merger, the school has become a dramatically different institution. In six short years, we have transformed ourselves into a place dedicated to engineering a healthier world--and we're doing just that, day by day. We are the only school of science and engineering in the U.S. focused on health and fully integrated with an academic health center. We will continue for the time being to retain the "OGI" portion of our name for official purposes, and in some contexts--presenting at a research conference, or talking to colleagues in industry--it may be important to retain "OGI" as a short-hand.

In most situations, acknowledging the school's evolving identity can be as simple as calling it the "School of Science & Engineering." In keeping with OHSU's four other professional schools (SoM, SoN, and SoD), an easy abbreviation for the school is SoSE. In the coming months you'll see many changes that reflect this new identity, but it will take time for them to filter through OHSU and the wider community. Collectively, however, we can emphasize not only how tightly the school is integrated within OHSU, but also the unique knowledge SoSE brings to the human and environmental health problems we are attempting to solve together, by referring to it as "OHSU's School of Science & Engineering."

Teaching, Discovering, Innovating

A change in name doesn't mean very much if there isn't an accompanying change in substance. Fortunately, the School of Science & Engineering has important transformations to acknowledge in each of the three areas that define it.

Teaching. We are educating a new generation of scientist engineers, and in the process creating the bioscience leaders of the future. Students at SoSE can increasingly learn in teams alongside healthcare and bioscience professionals. More than 50 percent of our faculty have been hired since our merger with OHSU in 2001, and our focus on interdisciplinary collaboration allows students to apply core skills in science and engineering to real-world health problems. And through the school's management program, students have the opportunity to be exposed to leadership training that will help them succeed as bioscience leaders.

Discovering. We are combining science and engineering in new ways to solve human and environmental health problems. 97 percent of SoSE FY07 research grant proposals were for human and environmental health projects. Our research is now focused in seven key clusters: advanced biomedical computation, biomedical optics and imaging, cardiovascular engineering, environmental observation and prediction, microbial frontiers, nanobiotechnology, and neurobehavioral engineering. Collaboration is a part of all we do, and reflects our integration in OHSU: of the more than 100 collaborations that SoSE researchers are involved with, 40 are with other OHSU units.

Innovating. We are developing technological breakthroughs today that will improve health tomorrow. Despite its small size relative to OHSU's other schools, the School of Science & Engineering annually generates a significant proportion of OHSU's intellectual property. In one of many examples, Deniz Erdogmus and Xubo Song are working with the Department of Radiation Oncology to develop sophisticated algorithms that can track cancerous lung tumors in real time--through a patient's breath cycle--and target radiation directly to a tumor rather than damaging surrounding healthy tissue. If this research proves successful, their invention will reduce treatment costs and save lives.

OHSU Vision 2020

As many of you know, OHSU is currently engaged in a strategic planning process designed to establish a unifying vision for OHSU in the year 2020. That process is complex, and involves stakeholders from all across the institution; you can find out more about it here.

Our most recent SoSE strategic planning process began almost two years ago, and its first phase culminated with the sale and leaseback of our campus in late 2006. Its next phase is being adjusted as we respond to OHSU planning and to data on research funding and student enrollment. Our efforts to collaborate across our educational and research enterprises, however, have made us an increasingly important part of OHSU.

It is unclear at this point exactly how OHSU's Vision 2020 statement and implementation plan will impact the School of Science & Engineering. What is clear is that any good strategic planning process refines priorities: SoSE's resulted in the three key areas and seven research clusters mentioned above, and the broader OHSU vision will drive an array of institutional actions. The accompanying transformations touch all facets of a community, and ultimately result in a stronger, healthier institution.

SoSE Notables

>> Faculty Promotions

• Pierre Moënne Loccoz, Ph.D., has been promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Biomolecular Systems. Pierre's research is in the uses spectroscopy to characterize aspects of structure-function relationships in proteins.
• Matthew Sachs, Ph.D., has been promoted to Professor in the Department of Environmental and Biomolecular Systems. Matt's research is in the mechanisms for translational and transcriptional control that regulate the expression of genes.

>> Staff Promotions

• Dana Director has been promoted to Associate Dean of the School of Science & Engineering. Dana oversees SoSE operations, including Graduate Education, financial services, space, compliance/integrity, communications, real estate administration, and human resources.
• Amy Johnson has been promoted to Assistant Dean for Education for the School of Science & Engineering. Amy oversees the Graduate Education department, and is responsible for all aspects of graduate education at SoSE.
• Donna Mathieson has been promoted to Director of Budget and Finance for the School of Science & Engineering. Donna is responsible for all aspects of SoSE finances, including budgeting.
• Eric Switzer has been promoted to Director of Communications and Special Projects Manager for the School of Science & Engineering. Eric is responsible for all aspects of SoSE communications, including the web site.