A vibrant center of teaching, learning, and innovation, the UO offers students and faculty members boundless opportunities to explore. But this collaborative ecosystem of discovery doesn’t end there.
Businesses, industries, and national laboratories partner with the university—in many different ways. By working closely with our strategic partners, we find mutually-beneficial ways to work together, leverage resources, and create value.
The Knight Campus Undergraduate Scholars Program pairs promising undergraduates with research mentors—graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members—immersing them in a 12-month, comprehensive research experience in Knight Campus-affiliated labs.
The cohort of young scientists are taking on independent research projects in a diverse set of fields, from musculoskeletal regeneration to disease modeling. Additionally, the Knight Campus Undergraduate Scholar recipients participate in tailored professional development activities to prepare them for the next steps in their education and careers.
UO Launches Businesses
Insignia Health: Working to promote health and cut costs by "activating" patients
Perpetua Power: Power Pucks that generate electricity from differences in temperature
Cricket Flours: Yes, flour, brownie mix and more made from crickets
TougHER: One of the first brands of heavy-duty work gear for women
Lawger: Legal services website
Trail Supply Co.: Resupply service for long distance hikers
Algotek: Biodegradable plastic wrap that dissolves in water
Captain Soup: Paleo and Keto meals to go
Instigate Athletics: Custom fitted padding for the sport of lacrosse
Protectable: Renting e-scooter helmets
Defunkify: revolutionary laundry products for activewear
Electrical Geodesics: Non-invasive technologies to monitor and interpret brain activity (acquired by Royal Philips)
Cascade ProDrug: New Targeted Chemotherapy
Floragenex: Genomic services for plant and animal researchers
SNPsaurus: Genomic analysis and library preparation services
Avant Assessment: Shifting language education to focus on developing real-world proficiency
MitoSciences: Leading developer of anti-mitochondrial toxicity screening (now AbCam)
ROAM Fitness: Airport gyms
Animosa: Gear for adventurous women
Cowbucker: Unique headwear
C. elegans is a transparent, 1 millimeter worm that shares many of the same genes and molecular pathways as humans. Its average lifespan, however, is considerably shorter—two weeks.
For Eugene-based NemaMetrix, this tiny worm has led to some big discoveries. Today the biotechnology firm helps scientists around the world research human health and explore treatments for diseases.
It’s a striking example of campus research evolving into an Oregon business.
CAMCOR is the first user facility in North America offering multi-ion source plasma FIB.
Major: Biology
Mentor: Kelly Hyland
Lab: Robert Guldberg
Sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific
Michelle visited the University of Oregon her junior year of high school and immediately fell in love. A native southern Californian, she welcomed a change in scenery and was drawn to the UO's biology program. Fast forward a few years later, and she is now researching musculoskeletal regeneration in the Guldberg Lab.
"I have always been intrigued by the human body and how it functions," says Hernandez. She currently studies cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis, as well as potential regenerative therapies to mitigate joint deterioration associated with the disease. Professionally, Hernandez says she can see herself in multiple areas of medicine. "My goal is to advance medicine for our overall benefit," she explains. "Whether that is through helping patients as a physician's assistant, or advancing our knowledge through research."
As a first time researcher, Hernandez says the Knight Campus Undergraduate Scholar Program has been a tremendous resource for her. "Everyone I worked with helped me get caught up on research and trained me on anything that needed further explanation," says Hernandez. "It was also relieving to hear that Bob Guldberg was in my shoes as an undergrad, and didn't know if he wanted to go to med school or get into research. That gives me faith that I, too, will figure out which path is best suited for me." Working in the Guldberg Lab has inspired her to pursue a double major in human physiology.
"This whole experience has opened the doors to different possibilities," says Hernandez. "I know that the knowledge and skills I've gained here will help me during my next chapter in the medical field."
Collaborate on research. Sponsor an internship. Consult with our experts. Use our technology and instruments. Or discover new ways to partner with the UO.