CAS Connection - April 2025 issue

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The Cost of a Changing Climate

How will Oregonians feel the crunch from climate change? These economists dug through the data.

By 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
 

A group of people hiking in a forest

Building Community

Making Sense of
Climate Change

Today’s students have been handed the bleakest future of any generation since World War II. Here’s how they’re dealing with it.

By Jenny Brooks

A student in lab wearing goggles illuminated by green laser

Research & Innovation

Green Chemistry for 
a Green Future

As the deadline to curb carbon emissions nears, CAS chemists are hard at work developing a new generation of sustainable tech.

By Nicole Krueger

An EPA official posing with a UO student

CAS Spotlights

Economics for a 
Healthier Planet

Econ graduate student Emmett Reynier uses economics research to inspire environmental policy changes.

By Henry Houston

A person atop of a tower installing equipment

CAS Spotlights

Building Hazard 
Resistance

Installing wildfire cameras and seismic sensors for OHAZ became a full-time gig for Earth sciences alum Sydney Whiting.

By Bailey Meyers

A collage of images representing a collisions of social values

Teaching Excellence

Eco-friendly or Ecofascist?

Students explore how environmentalist ideas can be weaponized in pursuit of a fascist political agenda.

By Jenny Brooks

CAS Spotlights

Building Resilience against Climate Change

Last spring, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide reached levels not seen in more than 14 million years. Dean Chris Poulsen explains how faculty and students in the College of Arts and Sciences are working across disciplines to address climate change.

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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