CAS Connection - December

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An exoplanet orbiting a sun with stars and galaxy in the background

Strange New Worlds

Could life exist elsewhere in the Milky Way galaxy? A group of undergraduate planet hunters are helping NASA discover unknown worlds beyond our solar system.

By Nicole Krueger

 

Experiential Learning  |  Research & Innovation  |  Community Impact  |  Career Preparation  |  Teaching Excellence  |  21st Century Liberal Arts  |  Building Community  |  Good Vibes  |  CAS Spotlights  |  All Stories  |  Past Issues
 

Student standing in a field operating a drone

Experiential Learning

Up, Up and Away

Are flying robots taking over? Not in this geography class, where students learn how to control the drones that will help map our future. 

By Henry Houston

two people working at a microscope

Research & Innovation

Tiny Invisible Universes

In UO’s materials characterization labs, researchers are pushing the boundaries of what can be observed through a microscope.

By Nicole Krueger

Spaceship flying over futuristic city

CAS Spotlights

Learning from
Aliens

Professor Phil Scher uses science fiction and alien cultures to teach anthropology—and to challenge assumptions about humanity.

By Jenny Brooks

Student wearing safety glasses working in a lab

CAS Spotlights

Engineering the Future

Could engineered bacteria be the answer to antibiotic resistance? Undergrad researcher Favour Foday is working on it.

By Grace Connolly

A space probe floating above a frozen moon with Jupiter in the background

Research & Innovation

A Journey to Jupiter’s Moon

Is there a habitable environment beneath the moon Europa’s icy crust? CAS Professor Carol Paty is helping NASA find out.

By Nicole Krueger

Experiential Learning

Learn Today, Change Tomorrow

Research and scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences are so forward-thinking at times, they almost feel like science fiction. That’s what real innovation looks like—and our undergraduate students are getting in on the action through experiential learning opportunities that prepare them for cutting-edge careers.

Discover what Dean Chris Poulsen has to say about how experiential learning propelled him toward a career as a climate scientist.

CAS News

a person standing in a lab with scuba gear
Sports injuries helped shape an undergrad’s approach to research
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - When he was still an undergraduate, Tucker Orman served in an uncommon role: as first author on a paper published Sept. 4 in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, looking at the factors that affect a scuba diver’s ability to maintain core body temperature. Now a College of Arts and Sciences alumnus, Orman reflects on how experiential learning as a human physiology student and love for scuba diving came together.
students gathered by a poster
UO Earth sciences program pairs students with researchers
EARTH SCIENCES - CRESCENT wrapped up its first-ever cohort for the Geoscience Education and Inclusion (GEI) Twinning Program. Students worked with mentors on fully funded research projects, developing practical skills and presenting their findings to fellow scientists. The program manager, Shannon Fasola, said it offered a unique opportunity because students could focus on research without having to worry about finances.
two people in the field
Field school blends archaeology, ecology and tribal sovereignty
SOCIOLOGY - As part of the University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History summer field school, the students are spending a month immersed in Indigenous cultural landscapes while studying archaeology, history and ecology and, at the same time, helping restore oyster beds. They’re learning vital career skills while helping usher in a new era of archaeology with Gabe Sanchez, a CAS assistant professor of sociology.

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From the Media

a man drinking a protein shake
The perplexing rise of protein shakes: how a ‘meaty sludge’ became a billion-dollar industry
The first protein shake was a concoction of "melted-down beef hides and carcasses." Now, consumers have various options, some that could be on a dessert menu. Hannah Cutting-Jones, a food studies assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages, spoke with The Guardian about the earliest protein shakes.
a mannequin in a shop window
In the shadows of Hollywood, LA porn stars have two walks of fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a who's who of the Silver Screen, stretching over 18 blocks in Los Angeles. But the city also boasts another walk of fame that highlights stars from the adult film industry. SF Gate spoke with Peter Alilunas, associate professor of cinema studies at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences. “You get this moment where adult films start to have premieres, and they start to have publicity, and they start to take themselves seriously,” Alilunas says. “And so they start to form themselves into an industry in the sense of all the trappings that go with that,” he adds, including critics’ associations, award shows. And walks of fame."
a car driving past a barren hillside
Landslides 'are everywhere' in Oregon and more unpredictable than earthquakes
Landslides in Oregon are becoming more frequent and more unpredictable than earthquakes. CAS Earth scientist Josh Roering spoke with the Eugene Register-Guard about the past few decades of landslides. "Over the last couple decades, the landslides and the surface processes and surface hazards that I've been working on have become much more prominent, primarily due to climate change and humans inhabiting more areas in hazardous terrain," said Josh Roering, a professor of earth sciences at the University of Oregon who studies weathering, erosion and landslide processes.

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CAS Connection is produced by the CAS Communications Department and edited by Nicole Krueger.

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