Natural Sciences News

GEOGRAPHY, BIOLOGY - From the plains of Serengeti to the mountains of Wyoming, wildlife herds are facing threats to critical migration routes. But maps created by the UO’s InfoGraphics Lab could be key conservation tools to help these mammals on the move.
COMPUTER SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCES - University of Oregon research inspired by an undergraduate has uncovered a communications hazard that could accompany earthquakes along the Cascadia subduction zone: Internet traffic and cell signaling facilities could be crippled.
Over spring break, workers put the finishing touches on a permanent art installation in the Allan Price Science Commons and Research Library. Commissioned by the Oregon Arts Commission Percent for Art program, the piece titled “1116 Pages” celebrates our pool of knowledge.
Twelve UO researchers and scholars pursuing research on subjects ranging from rock and roll music to data science to COVID-19 have received 2021 Faculty Research Awards, which support scholarship, creative projects and quantitative or qualitative research from all disciplinary backgrounds.
BIOLOGY - A research project from the lab of University of Oregon evolutionary biologist Bill Cresko is setting out to explore the effects of a remarkable evolutionary innovation: male pregnancy in seahorses, pipefish and seadragons.
CHEMISTRY - Geraldine Richmond, the UO’s Presidential Chair in Science and a much-honored professor of chemistry, has been nominated to serve in the Biden administration as undersecretary for science in the Department of Energy. Richmond is one of 16 people recently nominated by President Joe Biden for positions in his administration.
COMICS AND CARTOON STUDIES, PHYSICS - The University of Oregon Science/Comics Interdisciplinary Research Program pairs artistic students with accomplished scientists to create dynamic illustrations that tackle subjects not normally seen in the pages of a comic book.
The Glacier Lab is a group of graduate students, CHC undergrads and postdocs who study the societal impacts of glaciers, icebergs and snow worldwide. Members of the lab come from diverse academic backgrounds, including environmental studies, anthropology, history and English.
BIOLOGY - Alice Barkan, a UO molecular biologist who uses plant systems to answer fundamental biological questions, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Barkan joins 251 other new members from diverse fields.
In a state known for its inspiring landscapes — its beauty, how its residents both embrace and rely on it for sustenance — University of Oregon faculty, staff and students bring that same passion and fervor toward studying our environment and tackling the biggest challenges facing it.
EARTH SCIENCES - As the newly appointed Ann and Lew Williams Chair of Earth Sciences, Diego Melgar studies big earthquakes and tsunamis—when and where they’re happening, and how to warn us as early as possible.
PHYSICS - Albert Einstein was wrong. That’s the message from University of Oregon physicist Eric Corwin, who is setting out to demonstrate why Einstein’s model of diffusion, a theory describing the movement of particles, does not accurately predict how some particles behave in the real world.
BIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - Imagine a drug that could temporarily reenergize plasticity in the brain to treat autism or schizophrenia, or even help an adult’s aging brain pick up a new language or learn to play a musical instrument.
BIOLOGY - A research team led by University of Oregon biologist Lauren Ponisio has uncovered how native bee species may be best equipped to survive intensive agricultural practices and climate change in California’s Central Valley.
PHYSICS - Three University of Oregon educators who have worked to bring innovation and excellence to their teaching are this year’s recipients of fellowships from the Tom and Carol Williams Fund for Undergraduate Education.