Natural Sciences News

BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - When the Holiday Farm Fire tore through the McKenzie River Valley in 2020, burning 70,000 acres, it created a blank canvas of sorts. Amid the fire’s blackened landscape, UO ecologist Lauren Ponisio saw an opportunity to establish pollinators, specifically bees, in the burned forest.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - Much of what we know about human health comes from the study of diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and brain disorders. The Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance takes the opposite approach, studying peak performance — from the molecular level to the whole body — with the goal of enabling all people to achieve optimal health and well-being.
COMPUTER SCIENCE - Allen Malony, a UO Professor of Computer Science, will be taking his expertise and eagerness for collaboration to Finland this summer as he partakes in his fifth Fulbright Scholar Award.
BIOLOGY - A landscape architecture professor is using a riverside meadow as a testing ground with multiple goals in mind.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - Damien Callahan has long studied how to help older adults bounce back from knee replacement and other orthopedic injuries that can be crippling, even life-threatening. Now, he’s seeking insights from a group that might seem unrelated: elite athletes.
DATA SCIENCE, BIOLOGY, ECONOMICS - The Data Science Initiative graduated their first group of undergraduates. Seven undergraduate data science students walked the stage this spring to collect their diplomas, an exciting moment for the university’s new data science degree program.
BIOLOGY - Climate change might be behind an unusual disease outbreak among Antarctic fish. For about a decade, UO biologists John Postlethwait and Thomas Desvignes have been visiting the West Antarctic Peninsula. They study a unique group of fish that has adapted to the harsh polar environment. The researchers worked with UO undergraduate Chloe DaMommio to create a short graphic novel about their research.
HISTORY, PSYCHOLOGY - Four faculty members at the University of Oregon are being recognized for their exceptional teaching ideas.
BIOLOGY - By sequencing the genomes of two species of sea dragons, UO researchers have found genetic clues to the sea dragons' distinctive features: They’re missing a key group of genes found in other vertebrates. Those genes help direct the development of the face, teeth and appendages, as well as parts of the nervous system.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - NASA recognized a University of Oregon alumnus for his impactful research on the health of astronauts in space with an award depicting NASA’s own safety mascot, the beloved cartoon dog Snoopy.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - As a young girl, Abby always had an interest in science and a dream to one day work for NASA. Now, she is a postdoctoral scholar in the UO College of Arts and Sciences conducting research on Alzheimer's disease.
Two interdisciplinary teams have been awarded seed funding through the Incubating Interdisciplinary Initiatives awards, known as I3 awards, which provide up to $50,000 to University of Oregon research teams.
PSYCHOLOGY - The onslaught of gun violence in America seems never to end. This year alone, at least 247 mass shootings — in which at least four people are shot, including survivors and shooters — have occurred, most recently and most notoriously in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
EARTH SCIENCES - New research from UO earth scientists reveals how the dynamics of the lava lake, along with deformation of ground around it, encode the signature of migrating volcanic gases and changing magma temperature in the shallow plumbing system of the volcano.
Nick Allen and others at the Center for Digital Mental Health want to measure how our digital interactions and habits contribute to our well-being, so we can take the first steps toward ensuring that using our devices is a positive experience.