iMPACT

Vince Remcho, Chemistry

The College of Science congratulates Professor of Chemistry Vincent T. Remcho on being named the 2015 Oregon Scientist of the Year by the Oregon Academy of Science for his outstanding contributions in his field. This award recognizes significant research contributions to the natural, physical, or social sciences, notable reputation in science education and meaningful applications of science research.

Remcho joined Oregon State’s College of Science faculty in 1998.

Remcho specializes in the design and fabrication of microfluidic devices for chemical analysis and synthesis. These devices are employed in biomedical, biochemical, and environmental sensing applications. He co-founded three Corvallis-based companies—Trillium FiberFuels Inc., a process technology firm; GeneSpace Inc., a microtechnology company; and Lasso Metrics, a startup focused on microfluidic analytical systems and data analysis.

Last summer Remcho made a highly significant breakthrough in healthcare research by developing a new chemical test that can determine whether or not a drug being used to treat malaria is genuine. The inexpensive, simple test can potentially save tens of thousands of lives in developing countries where counterfeit anti-malarial drugs often prove fatal.

Remcho has been recognized for his teaching and research through the following awards: OSU’s Patricia Valian Reser Faculty Scholar, recipient of the Milton Harris Award in Basic Research, W.M. Keck Foundation Science & Engineering Program Awardee, NSF CAREER Awardee, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award recipient, serves as Affiliate Staff Scientist to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and is a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Awardee on a collaborative grant with an alumnus of his research group. In 2014, Remcho was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society.

Remcho is affiliated with the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute and is an adjunct faculty in the departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics and the Materials Science Program in the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. He has also served with distinction in leadership roles throughout the University.