CAS Connection - December

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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

 

In Focus  |  Around CAS  |  Liberal Arts at Large  |  Q&A  |  In the News  | Student Spotlight  |  Faculty Spotlight  |  Page Turners  |  Past Issues

Student standing in a field operating a drone

Around CAS

Drones Defying Gravity

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

Around CAS

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

Faculty Spotlight

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

Student Spotlight

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

Liberal Arts at Large

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

Around CAS

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

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NSF picks the UO to pilot National Quantum Virtual Laboratory
PHYSICS - The National Science Foundation has awarded a one-year, $1 million grant to a team led by University of Oregon researchers exploring practical applications for emerging quantum technologies and working to move discoveries beyond the lab. “Oregon has a small group of proficient researchers leading the way globally in quantum technology," said Brian Smith, a professor of physics and director of the Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science.
headshot of Brice Kuhl standing in front of a brick building
Unlocking Memory: Brice Kuhl awarded new professorship
PSYCHOLOGY - Brice Kuhl is the first faculty member awarded the Dr. Michael Posner Psychology Professorship in Cognition and Neuroscience. This brand-new professorship, awarded in honor of the Department of Psychology’s groundbreaking researcher Michael Posner, will help support Kuhl’s teaching, research and professional development.
a collage of black and white photos of OIMB
A century beneath the waves
BIOLOGY - In 1924, the University of Oregon began teaching marine biology classes in a ramshackle collection of tents in a cove along the southern Oregon Coast. But what started as a couple of professors bringing some students on a summer camp has now become a permanent, year-round marine field station with a hundred years of coastal research and education.

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From the Media

people standing in an open field surrounded by trees
Tsunami researchers hunt for clues about the next big Pacific Northwest quake
Diego Melgar is a University of Oregon seismologist and leader of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT), a $15 million National Science Foundation research initiative that began in 2023 to bridge gaps between scientists who study different aspects of Cascadia but may have been isolated in their own silos — and to connect policymakers to the latest science. Valerie Sahakian, a lead investigator for CRESCENT and UO earth scientist, recalled that at a recent event, experts who work on resilience at utilities, federal agencies, emergency management and grassroots organization came together.
wood blocks that spell out thank you
RESEARCH: When You’re Grateful, Your Brain Becomes More Charitable
Psychology assistant Research Professor and senior instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences Christina Karns explores the brain-altering power of gratitude in the Being Patient publication. Psychology researchers recognize that taking time to be thankful has benefits for well-being. Not only does gratitude go along with more optimism, less anxiety and depression, and greater goal attainment, but it’s also associated with fewer symptoms of illness and other physical benefits, Karns said.
people sitting at a restaurant table, laughing
Your friends shape your microbiome — and so do their friends
Your microbiome isn't yours alone. Research published in Nature shows that a person’s microbiome is shaped not only by their social contacts but also by the social contacts’ connections. The work is one of several studies that raise the possibility that health conditions can be shaped by the transmission of the microbiome between individuals, not just by diet and other environmental factors that affect gut flora. Social interactions are “definitely a piece of the puzzle that I think has been missing until recently,” says postdoctorate microbiologist Catherine Robinson at the University of Oregon, who was not involved in the work.

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

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