CAS News

BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - The Hallett Lab is collecting samples to test a new, more sustainable way to farm hazelnuts. Steve Haring, a postdoctoral researcher in the Hallett Lab, is studying what happens when cover crops, such as native wildflowers, are used as beds around the trees.
COMPUTER SCIENCE - High school students took part in the 2023 SAIL summer camp at the University of Oregon. Among the year's programs was one focused on computer science, led by Phil Colbert, a senior instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences.
EARTH SCIENCES - A new, innovative earthquake center, led by the University of Oregon, is receiving a five-year, $15-million grant from the National Science Foundation, to understand the Cascadia subduction zone and improve earthquake resiliency in the Pacific Northwest.
EARTH SCIENCES - The Greek island Santorini is known for its scenic beauty and the filming location for the hit ABBA-fueled musical Mamma Mia. However, geophysicist Emilie Hooft is interested in the underwater volcanoes that created the island about 3,600 years ago. For the past 10 years, Hooft has been studying those underwater volcanoes using state-of-the-art imaging.
ANTHROPOLOGY - University of Oregon researchers are teaming up with scientists throughout the US to study the most recent mass extinction—the one in the late Cretaceous that killed the dinosaurs—to prepare for a future one caused by humans.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, FOLKLORE AND PUBLIC CULTURE - After a recent week in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, five UO graduate students have returned ready to use what they learned to help local communities plan for a more sustainable future.
ENGLISH, SOCIOLOGY, SPANISH, THEATRE ARTS - The Distinguished Teaching Awards recognize exceptional teaching that is inclusive, engaged and research-informed. This year’s winners are Jocelyn Hollander, Faith Barter, Alex Zunterstein, Kirby Brown, Robin Hopkins, Tannaz Farsi, Patricia Rodley and Michael Moffitt.
Six faculty members in CAS were among this year’s 2023 Distinguished Teaching Awards. They include Jocelyn Hollander, professor of sociology; Faith Barter, assistant professor in English; Alex Zunterstein, senior instructor in Spanish; Kirby Brown, associate professor of Native American literatures; Robin Hopkins, senior instructor of human physiology; and Tricia Rodley, senior instructor in theatre arts.
BIOLOGY, FRENCH, GEOGRAPHY, GLOBAL STUDIES, HISTORY - Read the stories of six alumni whose work in international affairs is making a global impact.
PHILOSOPHY, SOCIOLOGY - Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy will have a three-day 40th-anniversary conference at the University of Oregon, which runs from Wednesday, Sept. 6 through Friday, Sept. 9. The conference, titled Hypatia’s Promise: Opening the Archives, Charting Feminist Futures, will look back at the journal’s early days, as well as host panels featuring academics from around the US and Latin America and celebrate the archive at the UO.
Ducks who study together make the dean's list together. More than 4,000 students made the dean's list in the spring 2023 term. To qualify, a student must have earned at least a 3.75 GPA while taking 12 credits or more.
COMPUTER SCIENCE - Students from metro and rural high schools attended a cybersecurity camp hosted by the Department of Computer Science. The event is part of a statewide effort to introduce high school students to cybersecurity and is the first year the University of Oregon participated. The department's cybersecurity major launches fall 2023.
NEUROSCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY - David McCormick is now at the heart of a booming happiness enterprise at the UO, aiming to restore those connections and inspire students to examine how their minds mold reality. His science-based course, Happiness: A Neuroscience and Psychology Perspective, is one of the most popular electives on campus.
PHYSICS, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, SOCIOLOGY - Physicist Richard Taylor and environmental sociologist Richard York of the University of Oregon examine the beauty and benefits of fractal patterns in the natural world—and the need to protect that world from an ever-growing built environment.
BIOLOGY - When gut bacteria isn't in the right place, it can lead to abnormal bacterial behavior and gut inflammation, according to a study by a team of researchers led by UO microbiologist Jarrod Smith in the laboratory of biology professor Karen Guillemin published July 28 in the journal Cell Host and Microbe. The findings point to possible mechanisms behind intestinal conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.