CAS Connection - Dec 2025 Issue

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CAS Deans, Chris Poulsen, talks about strategy

Preparing to meet the moment now and beyond

On the cusp of a new year, Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences Chris Poulsen took time to share what he is most excited about in the College of Arts and Sciences, now and into the future.

Get the Dean’s Insights

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

Students blend archaeology, ecology and tribal sovereignty in field school on central California coast.

Experiential Learning

Immersed in the future of archaeology

Students blend archaeology, ecology and tribal sovereignty in field school on the central California coast.

By Lexie Briggs

chemistry lab equipment

Research & Innovation

For the health of the planet

In labs across campus, researchers prove sustainability and scientific rigor aren’t competing priorities.

By Maria Soto Cuesta

UO scientist Carl Brozek joins Nobel winner in Japan using the “molecular sponges” his lab creates.

Research & Innovation

Harvesting water from air

UO scientist Carl Brozek joins Nobel winner in Japan using the “molecular sponges” his lab creates.

By Ed Dorsch

Physicist, Kayla Nguyen, earns innovation award

CAS Spotlights

Physicist earns innovation award

The award recognizes Kayla Nguyen’s exceptional achievement by a woman physicist early in her career.

By Maria Soto Cuesta

Cinema studies professor Masami Kawai's film expands the landscape of Indigenous filmmaking

CAS Spotlight

Professor’s film expands the landscape of Indigenous filmmaking

Cinema studies professor Masami Kawai is set to begin production on her first feature film, “Valley of the Tall Grass,” in Eugene in summer 2026. It is both a personal journey and a community-centered story.

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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

space illustration with solar flares creating a line of white light
Radio Waves Coming From an Alien Planet May Be a Cosmic First
PHYSICS - College of Arts and Sciences astronomer Yvette Cendes spoke with the New York Times about a recent paper she authored that documented waves coming from what seems to be an aurora at the poles of Beta Pictoris b, a planet that circles a star more than 63 light-years from Earth.
a flood in a village in Nepal
The devastating Nepal floods highlighted the danger of glaciers. Here's where the next disaster may occur.
The glacial collapse that killed 1,400 people in Nepal in August highlighted one epicenter for such disasters — but there are other hotspots that experts are worried about. Live Science spoke with Mark Carey, a professor environmental studies and geography, about glacial-related natural disasters. "Slope failure from glacier shrinkage is occurring everywhere."
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.

All media news »

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