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CAS Researchers Named AAAS Fellows

Two College of Arts and Sciences researchers have been named 2024 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Darren Johnson (chemistry and biochemistry) and Stephen Frost (anthropology). 

As a chemist, Johnson has studied how molecules interact. AAAS cited his work in the field of materials chemistry, particularly for advancing main group supramolecular chemistry and designing sensors for anions (negatively charged particles) in agriculture and human health. 

Throughout his career, Frost has been studying how climate change and evolution intersect, particularly through the lens of African monkey fossils. His AAAS recognition comes for his contributions to the taxonomy and systematics of these ancient primates, or African Plio-Pleistocene Cercopithecidae. 

“Professors Johnson and Frost exemplify the profound impact that fundamental research can have on both our understanding of the past and the challenges of the present,” said Anshuman “AR” Razdan, vice president for research and innovation at the UO. “Their contributions not only push the frontiers of science but also inspire new generations of researchers to translate discovery into real-world impact."

Learn More About Their Research

News from CAS

PHILOSOPHY - Pigeons and AI share something in common: They can’t care about patients. In Ramón Alvarado’s latest paper published in the American Journal of Bioethics, he and co-author Nicolae Morar, a bioethicist and environmental philosopher at the UO, underscore that health care isn’t just about finding results. It's about actually caring for patients. That’s a level of engagement from providers not easily replicated by a machine.
PSYCHOLOGY - Dare Baldwin, a psychology professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, is working with undergraduate researchers to better understand how people behave during an earthquake. The research team will bring in families to campus to have them participate in an earthquake simulation. Observing how long it takes families to mobilize and how their behavior unfolds will help researchers determine the best way to educate people to take appropriate protective action.
ENGLISH - Courtney Thorsson was named an honorable mention for the 2024 MLA’s William Sanders Scarborough Prize for her 2023 book The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture. The prize was awarded in December for “outstanding scholarly study of Black American literature or culture.”

All news »

We Love Our Supporters

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Your Gift Changes Lives

Gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences can help our students make the most of their college careers. To do this, CAS needs your support. Your contributions help us ensure that teaching, research, advising, mentoring, and support services are fully available to every student. Thank you!

Give to CAS

a collage of photos from the March CAS Connection newsletter

What’s Happening in CAS?

Grab your lab coat and let's see what CAS faculty members are researching. The March issue of CAS Connection features our annual research report, a glimpse into how grants are supporting our faculty as they work toward innovation, from the frontiers of science to a better understanding of the human experience. 

This month's issue also looks at a history PhD candidate and a 17th-century court case she discovered. That court case led to an essay about how early scientists named their specimens and a prestigious award. 

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Undergraduate Studies

Wherever your academic goals eventually take you at the UO, all Ducks begin their journey with foundational courses in CAS. More than 60 percent of students go on to pursue a major in a CAS department or program. With more than 50 departments and programs, there’s an intellectual home for almost any interest, talent, or career aspiration.

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Graduate Studies

The College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 30 master's programs and more than 20 doctoral programs across a diverse range of disciplines. Both as contributors to research teams and through their own scholarship and teaching, our CAS graduate students are indispensable to the vitality of the UO academic mission.

Student Support Services

We provide our students with a variety of resources to help you thrive inside and outside the classroom. Through Tykeson Advising, we provide comprehensive academic and career advising from the start of your journey at the University of Oregon. Learn about career preparation and get assistance in selecting the very best classes. Connect with labs, libraries, IT and tutoring. Find your community on campus.

World-Class Faculty

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The College of Arts and Sciences faculty members are a driving force of the high-output, high-impact research activity that has earned the UO membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). Our world-class faculty members are inspiring teachers.

Among them are five members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, four members of the National Academy of Sciences. They are committed to helping students discover their academic passion. Every day, they work to expand students’ intellectual horizons, preparing them for life after college with real-world knowledge and skills.

 

 

Spotlight on CAS Academics

Choose Your Path

The College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 50 majors and nearly 70 minors across multiple departments and programs in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. We also offer 36 master’s programs and 25 doctoral programs.

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Meet our Dean

In the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), we are committed to excellence in research and teaching, student success, and diversity, equity, and belonging. 

A liberal arts education—one that offers a breadth of intellectual approaches and perspectives and depth in a major discipline—is the foundation to a purposeful life as a life-long learner, engaged citizen, and leader. The skills you will learn here—from written and verbal communication to analytical and quantitative reasoning, to compassion and understanding—are those that employers seek and will open the door to a wealth of opportunities. 

You will find more than 50 majors and a multitude of minors within CAS, and seemingly endless opportunities for personal exploration and discovery. Whether you are an incoming first-year student, a grad student or a transfer student, you can map an exciting future and be part of a fun, warm, engaged liberal arts community here. Come join us. And go Ducks! 

More from Dean Chris Poulsen

The College of Arts and Sciences includes:

50+
undergraduate degree programs
30+
masters programs
25
PhD programs
10,000+
Undergraduate students in CAS Majors
825
faculty members
1,295
masters and PhD students in CAS

Happening at CAS

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

UO College of Arts & Sciences (@uocas) • Instagram photos and videos

Apr 1
Department of History Coffee Hour 10:00 a.m.

Please join us Tuesday mornings for a free cup of coffee, pastries, and conversation with your history department community! We’re excited to continue this tradition...
Department of History Coffee Hour
April 1–June 3
10:00 a.m.
McKenzie Hall 335

Please join us Tuesday mornings for a free cup of coffee, pastries, and conversation with your history department community! We’re excited to continue this tradition for our history undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff. We hope to see you there!

Apr 3
Oregon Center for Electrochemistry Seminar: Chirality induced spin selectivity suppresses competing hydrogen evolution during electrochemical CO2 reduction 2:00 p.m.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Oregon Center for Electrochemistry Seminar Jeiwan Tan, Materials, Chemistry, and Computational Sciences Directorate National...
Oregon Center for Electrochemistry Seminar: Chirality induced spin selectivity suppresses competing hydrogen evolution during electrochemical CO2 reduction
April 3
2:00 p.m.
Straub Hall 254

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Oregon Center for Electrochemistry Seminar

Jeiwan Tan, Materials, Chemistry, and Computational Sciences Directorate National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO

Chirality induced spin selectivity suppresses competing hydrogen evolution during electrochemical CO2 reduction

Catalysts for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO2R) in aqueous electrolytes suffer from low Faradaic efficiency and selectivity of desired carbon products due to the competing hydrogen evolution from water reduction. Over the few years, a concept of chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) has been proposed to improve the efficiency of oxygen evolution reactions by stabilizing only one spin state of charge carriers at the catalyst surface. It was demonstrated that the formation of hydrogen peroxide and singlet oxygen was suppressed during the water oxidation reaction. However, this CISS phenomenon has not been studied during the reduction reaction at the cathode side. Here, we prepare chiral, helical-structured copper (Cu) electrodes that exhibit an exceptionally strong circular dichroism anisotropy factor and manifest product selectivity control during the CO2R owing to CISS. In situ spectro-electrochemistry is employed to investigate the role of the chirality inducer in real-time during the electrodeposition and under actual electrochemical CO2R conditions. Regardless of their handedness, the chiral Cu electrodes exhibit a lower onset potential for CO2R compared to their achiral counterpart by suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction. I will also discuss how the carriers traveling through the helical structure become spin polarized, inducing an electron spin accumulation at the electrode surface. This spin polarization reduces hydrogen formation, thereby promoting CO2 reduction to CO and formate due to the Pauli exclusion principle for bond formation. These findings provide insights into the potential of chiral catalysts for controlling selectivity during CO2R as well as other valuable reduction reactions such as nitrogen or CO reduction where hydrogen evolution is also an undesired side reaction.

Apr 3
Women in Graduate Science 11th Annual Benefit 5:00 p.m.

Please join Women in Graduate Sciences for our 11th Annual Fundraising Gala. We are hosting two back-to-back events designed to provide an engaging and informative evening...
Women in Graduate Science 11th Annual Benefit
April 3
5:00–8:00 p.m.
Ford Alumni Center

Please join Women in Graduate Sciences for our 11th Annual Fundraising Gala. We are hosting two back-to-back events designed to provide an engaging and informative evening celebrating women and marginalized genders in STEM! 

From 5 to 6 PM, join us for a cocktail hour where community members are invited to learn about WGS's initiatives, meet our executive board, and hear from WGS members, including scholarship winners and our outreach team. Stay for the main event from 6-8 PM, where we welcome everyone for a buffet style dinner, banquet raffle, and exciting seminar by Dr. Laura Ackerman-Biegasiewicz, an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Emory University whose research focuses on developing technology for accelerating reaction discovery in sustainable chemistry.

As the annual WGS fundraising benefit, the event offers a sliding scale of ticket prices ($50 for students, $100 for non-students, and $800 for an 8-person table). Purchase tickets or donate to WGS.

Apr 7
Mastering the Art of a Humanities & Social Science Poster 3:00 p.m.

Graduate students! Perfect your skills in creating captivating and concise posters tailored for the Graduate Research Forum and any upcoming conference. This webinar will equip...
Mastering the Art of a Humanities & Social Science Poster
April 7
3:00–4:00 p.m.

Graduate students! Perfect your skills in creating captivating and concise posters tailored for the Graduate Research Forum and any upcoming conference. This webinar will equip you with the essential principles of modern poster design, enabling you to simplify complex ideas, integrate visuals effectively, and deliver your message within the strict space confines of a poster. Whether you're a novice or an experienced presenter, don't miss this opportunity to learn the art of creating impactful poster that reinforce your research narrative and engage your audience. Register at https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/b75dada44ac6432e9100b9271193c184