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

Boats marooned in a harbor
Undergrads Research Marine Life at Oregon Coast
BIOLOGY - New in 2025, the Coastal Quarter program allows undergraduates from all majors to spend winter term living at the coast and taking classes in marine biology, environmental studies, anthropology and science communication. Out of the nine students who participated this year, five are majoring in either environmental sciences or environmental studies; four are marine biology majors; and one is a sports journalism major.
a bee with a qr code
New AI cameras are watching the outdoors to spot endangered bees
BIOLOGY - An AI-based imaging system that is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, funded by the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Inc., is working to monitor bee populations without harming the insects. The technology could solve a key paradox in bee conservation efforts. The collaboration includes CAS biologist Lauren Ponisio.
people wrestling on the ground
Play shares the humanity of those living in a war zone
THEATRE ARTS - Local production of the play, "THEM," opens in Eugene July 24. “THEM,” produced and directed by University of Oregon professor, Malek Najjar is a powerful drama about war, hope and survival. Using humor, laughter and song, the play transports audiences into the extraordinary circumstances that reveal their shared humanity and the ordinary moments that shape their lives.

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From the Media

a white van in front of a simpsons mural
De-escalation program saves cities money, increases public safety
ECONOMICS - A groundbreaking crisis de-escalation program that started in Eugene to help people with mental health or substance abuse issues saves cities money and reduces arrests, a University of Oregon-led study has found. The research team includes Jonathan Davis, an economics assistant professor at the College of Arts and Sciences.
two people in Sudan posing
Supreme Court rules Trump can rapidly deport immigrants to Libya, South Sudan and other countries they aren’t from
For the past several months, the Trump administration has been trying to deport immigrants to countries they are not from – despite an April 2025 federal ruling that had blocked the White House from doing so. In a brief emergency order, a divided Supreme Court decided on June 23 that the Trump administration can, for now, legally deport immigrants to countries they were not born in. Eleanor Paynter, assistant professor of Italian, migration, and global media studies, explains the legal case in The Conversation.
a person runs on a track
What it would take for Faith Kipyegon to become the first female sub four-minute miler?
Brad Wilkins, a human physiologist at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences, who led the Breaking2 “Science Team”, says they tested potential marathoners for VO2 max, running economy (how efficiently they use oxygen) and critical/sustainable speed, which is the highest pace that can be sustained for long periods without fatigue. They also looked for something more “squishy”, as Wilkins describes it — the capacity to show psychological resilience when suffering physically.

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

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