About Us

The Oregon State University Radioecology Research Group is one of the largest in the nation, consisting of five PhD level students and five M.S. level students under the guidance of Dr. Kathryn Higley. Collectively we research a broad range of topics, ranging from environmental transport of radionuclides, to remediation techniques, to modeling non-human organisms and improving dosimetry techniques for animals. We are housed in Oregon State University's Radiation Center.

The Radiation Center is an approximately 47,000 sq. ft facility that is home to a collection of highly specialized experimental and laboratory facilities as well as the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE).  The experimental facilities include the 1.1 MW Oregon State TRIGA Reactor (OSTR), state-of-the-art thermal hydraulic test facilities, and a wide array of equipment that permit researchers to use radiation in their research. 

Together, these facilities provide the Radiation Center the unique opportunity to serve the entire Oregon State University campus, all other institutions within the Oregon University System, and many other educational and scientific organizations through the nation and indeed the world. 

The research efforts of the Radiation Center are extremely diverse, drawing faculty from the departments of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Anthropology, and NSE among others.  The efforts of these researchers are far reaching and impact areas ranging from our basic understanding of the nucleus to the development of new materials and processes to help solve important technological problems, including the development of hydrogen storage materials and environmentally-friendly separation processes for nuclear material.  Beyond the impact that the Radiation Center has on research, it also provides a teaching and laboratory setting that is unique within the Western half of the United States.