CAS Connection - Sep 2025 Issue

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Table and chairs in the room

Fascinated with Fractals

Physics Professor Richard Taylor blends art and science to create award-winning nature-inspired designs for indoor environments.

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
 

a bee with a qr code

Research & Innovation

AI Tracks Endangered Bees

Biologist Lauren Ponisio and collaborators are using the technology in place of lethal capture.

By Leila Okahata

i voted stickers

Research & Innovation

Ballot Measures Are Booming

Some states are seeing an increase in ballot measures as voters act, in a way, as lawmakers.

By Grace Connolly

The James Miller Theatre Complex on the University of Oregon campus

Experiential Learning

New Season Spotlights Humanity

University Theatre’s 2025-2026 season is full of human stories with emotion, energy, and imagination.

By Leo Brown

a white van in front of a simpsons mural

Community Impact

The Economics of Well-being

Study found crisis de-escalation program that started in Eugene saves cities money and reduces arrests.

By Henry Houston

Cinama Studies Alumni, Natalie Jacobsen and husband

CAS Spotlights

CAS Alum Merges Interests for a Career with Impact

For Natalie Jacobsen, the path from the University of Oregon to becoming director of marketing and communications at Airlink, a humanitarian aviation nonprofit, has been anything but linear. Still, it brings together a lifetime of passions, including writing, activism, and global service.

Get to Know Natalie

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UO College of Arts & Sciences (@uocas) • Instagram photos and videos

CAS News

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.
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.
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

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 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.
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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