CAS Connection - Oct 2025

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Human Physiology intern, Ally Smith, on the track

Soaring from the sidelines

Thanks to human physiology internships, these students are getting hands-on lessons in medicine and helping Ducks' sports soar.

By Nicole Krueger and Henry Houston

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

Comics exhibition - Captain American by Jack Kirfy

Good Vibes

All hail the King of Comics

Only one comics artist has influenced so much of our culture and it’s not the name people know best.

By Jenny Brooks

chlorate antibiotic treatment comparison

Research & Innovation

CAS gives antibiotics a boost

Researchers have tested a new combination drug therapy that could dismantle difficult-to-treat bacteria.

By Leila Okahata

europa moon by nasa

Experiential Learning

NASA team ignites curiosity at UO

A next generation of scientists joined a meeting with 265 professionals guiding a NASA spacecraft.

By Henry Houston

an illustration collage of people's faces

CAS Spotlights

How race shapes everyday life

A new book by Professor Jessica Vasquez-Tokos uncovers how race influences personal experiences.

By Henry Houston

Computer Science Alumni Fedi Aniefuna giving keynote at Hackathon

CAS Spotlight

Computer science alum weaves together ambition and generosity to kickstart his career

When Fedi Aniefuna arrived at the UO, he still hadn’t decided whether he wanted to major in political science and go to law school, or study computer science and head straight into the workforce. Five years later, he’s beginning his second year as an engineer with Amazon Web Services after choosing math and computer science.

Learn Fedi’s Story

Where athletes maximize performance

The Oregon Performance Research Lab in the Department of Human Physiology is designed to drive significant scientific advancements in human performance and remove barriers for all individuals .

“When we first had the vision for this lab, it was not only understanding mechanisms that might be limiting human performance, but we also really wanted to translate that out into the community,” said Professor Brad Wilkins, founder and director of the Oregon Performance Research Lab. “Our community testing services program is really taking the research and translating that to people in the community that really want to improve their performance.”

The lab offers a number of fee-based testing services including threshold testing, VO2 max, hemoglobin mass and sweat testing.

Explore the Lab’s Research

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CAS News

a person sitting in a chair with a laptop
Large national study finds minimal link between smartphone use and well-being in adults
PSYCHOLOGY - A new study led by researchers at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with Google Research found little evidence linking smartphone use with mental well-being in adults. Researchers analyzed more than 250,000 days of smartphone usage from more than 10,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and up.
a person sitting at a desk
How particle physics is helping unravel the mysteries of our universe
PHYSICS - Far from home, Eric Torrence, a physics professor at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences, will spend the next year and a half being the ATLAS Run Coordinator at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). After being elected to the position fall 2024, Torrence ensures the largest particle accelerator in the world continuously produces usable data from May 2025 to July 2026.
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Biologist shares ideas for making hazelnuts more climate resistant
BIOLOGY - Lauren Hallett, biology associate professor at the College of Arts and Sciences discusses her ongoing work to enhance the climate resiliency of Oregon’s hazelnut farms, which account for 99% of the country's hazelnut production. With the support of a $2 million federal award, Hallett and her lab have designed an agricultural practice using native cover crops and basalt dust amendments to set a new standard for sustainable hazelnut farming.

All news »

From the Media

zebras in a field
The scientists making the case for nature’s rights
A growing number of scientists are backing laws recognizing that nature has inherent rights and intrinsic value. That includes political science professor Craig Kauffman. Kauffman founded the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor in 2022 to track rights of nature developments. Analyzing more than 450 examples worldwide, he tells Inside Climate News that he found a major commonality: They all treat nature, whether a river, forest or individual species, as part of a larger web of life.
stock photo of a person's back of their head staring at a wall
6 signs your memory isn’t normal
In a Buzzfeed article, College of Arts and Sciences professor Ulrich Mayr offers insight into some of the “red flags” of memory loss in old age. “One really telltale sign might be getting lost in your hometown, just not finding your way,” said Mayr, a professor of neuroscience.
a woman presenting at a conference
The one thing that defines WNBA players
As WNBA players negotiate their labor contract, the commissioner of the women’s basketball league is under scrutiny. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation spoke with Courtney M. Cox, an associate professor in the Department of Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies, about the negotiations. “Officiating is connected to labor, to shared governance of this league and speaks to what is important for multiple unions,” she said. “The frustration is not isolated but rather compounded by a sense of stagnation on several key issues.”

All media news »

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