CAS Connection - Oct 2024 Issue

CAS Connection
Dean Chris Poulsen speaking to an audience in a classroom

Creating a Future Forward CAS

How will CAS tackle the major challenges higher education faces? 
Dean Chris Poulsen has a strategic plan to establish the college as a leader and innovator.

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
 

Academic and career advisor Sonia Gordillo advises students who are pre-health and plan to go to medical school or other health-related graduate program.

Career Preparation

Meeting Students Where They Are

What’s the best way to leverage your degree into a successful career path? Find out how CAS advisors help students flourish both in college and beyond.

By Jenny Brooks

Colin Wilfrid chose to attend UO in part for its disability studies program and in part for its marching band

21st Century Liberal Arts

Exploring Identity
in CAS

Students who come to CAS seeking a degree often find something even greater: themselves. Discover how an identity-focused major or minor can lead to a fulfilling career.

By Jenny Brooks 

Statue of Socrates illuminated with pink light

21st Century Liberal Arts

Taking Liberal Arts to the Next Level

Are liberal arts degrees becoming obsolete? Far from it, say CAS faculty who are evolving liberal arts education to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet. 

By Nicole Krueger

A collage of images of LatinX professors

CAS Spotlights

Meet Your New Latinx Studies Professors

Want to explore Latinx studies from a variety of perspectives? These nine new faculty members are bringing their valuable their expertise in Latinx studies-related issues to CAS.

By Henry Houston

Person on a roof making repairs with a nail gun

Community Impact

Finding Home
Again

It’s one thing to rebuild homes after a wildfire. Rebuilding communities is a different matter, discovered sociology graduate student Haisu Huang.

By Henry Houston

Research & Innovation

Book cover "Fighting Mad"

‘Fighting Mad’ Tackles Reproductive Justice 

The overturning of the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion in the US sparked a wave of responses across the nation. 

Explore the impact of this momentous decision through a collection of voices and perspectives in Sociology Associate Professor Krystale Littlejohn’s latest book.

By Codi Farmer

CAS News

three people dressed in Shakespearean costumes
Shakespeare’s beloved comedy opens winter season at University Theatre
THEATRE ARTS — Love, mischief and mistaken intentions take center stage this winter as University Theatre presents “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare. Directed by Jerry Ferraccio, the production marks the grand reopening of Robinson Theatre and runs Feb. 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 and March 1.
an illustration of a black hole
CAS physicist finds a black hole spewing more energy than Death Star
PHYSICS - A supermassive black hole with a case of cosmic indigestion has been burping out the remains of a shredded star for four years — and it’s still going strong, new research led by University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences astrophysicist Yvette Cendes. Cendes and her team published findings about this one-of-kind black hole in the Feb. 5 issue of Astrophysical Journal Astrophysicists.
a person sits on a couch in front of a red wall
A researcher takes on one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe
PHYSICS - Fascinated by the unexplored corners of the universe since childhood, physicist Tien-Tien Yu has made dark matter the pillar of her research career. In her quest to understand, she’s co-founded a major experiment in collaboration with physicists at other institutions, all of whom are trying try to bring light to the dark.

All news »

From the Media

a collage of images
It’s a transformative moment for hormones. And kind of a weird one.
Expanding access to testosterone for men's libido is ultimately about defining manhood, said Alison Gash, professor and chair of political science at the College of Arts and Sciences, who studies gender and LGBTQ+ issues. "If you are a desexualized man, then you're deviating from the expectations that make you valued according to your gender, especially in this administration," Gash told the media organization The 19th News Network.
an illustration of redacted messages
We tested how AI chatbots would handle foreign propaganda. They did surprisingly well
An NPR deep dive on the potential government interference in AI chatbots references research by College of Arts and Sciences sociologist Hannah Waight. Waight, an assistant professor, and her co-author found the Chinese government's grip over the media seems to have given it some influence over LLM responses in Chinese. Waight's research was published in Nature.
a person running
The warming climate is forcing marathons to consider changes to keep runners cool
As rising temperatures begin to impact marathon race days and runners, organizers are moving race days to cooler days. The Associated Press spoke with Chris Minson, a University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences professor who researches how people can adapt to extreme heat and other environmental conditions. He said the optimum temperature to run a marathon is about 50 degrees (10 C). As the temperature creeps into the upper 50s and 60s, the body has a tougher time supplying blood to muscles while also keeping the body cool.

All media news »

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

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