Natural Sciences News

PSYCHOLOGY - University of Oregon researchers are making it easier to include diverse and understudied populations in psychology research by designing a new approach to bring social interaction studies online, allowing scientists and participants to conduct studies remotely.
GLOBAL HEALTH, GLOBAL STUDIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE, PHYSICS - Where can a liberal arts degree take you? These College of Arts and Sciences seniors are charting their own course as they pursue careers in the specialty coffee industry, particle physics and public service.
EARTH SCIENCES - Twelve back-to-back explosions at Hawaii's Kīlauea volcano back in 2018 may be proof of a different kind of eruption. The explosions were driven by sudden pressure increases as the ground collapsed, which blasted plumes of rock fragments and hot gas into the air, much like a classic stomp-rocket toy, according to researchers at the University of Oregon collaborated with the US Geological Survey and China’s Sichuan University. The findings were published in Nature Geoscience on May 27.
EARTH SCIENCES - Three universities — including the University of Oregon’s Oregon Hazards Lab, known as OHAZ; the University of Nevada, Reno; and ALERTCalifornia at the University of California, San Diego — have integrated their wildfire monitoring networks under a single software platform, ALERTWest. This partnership allows unprecedented sharing between monitoring systems and provides wildland firefighters easier access to real-time data.
MATHEMATICS - Why did we all have to learn the quadratic formula in middle school? Is learning how to find the roots of a polynomial actually useful? Professor Benson Farb from the University of Chicago will answer those questions during the Department of Mathematics' 2024 Niven Lecture at 4 p.m. Monday, May 20, in 110 Fenton Hall.
PHYSICS - Professor Richard Taylor is interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 podcast Deep Calm with Michael Mosley. During the podcast, Mosley and Taylor discuss how fractals can improve our physiology.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, PHYSICS, POLITICAL SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY - This ADPI Heritage Month, the UO Alumni Association reflects on the many contributions of Ducks identifying as Asian, Desi, and Pacific Islander. Meet College of Arts and Sciences alumni and the careers they have developed after college.
BIOLOGY, OREGON INSTITUTE OF MARINE BIOLOGY - Scientists at the University of Oregon have discovered that colonies of gelatinous sea animals swim through the ocean in giant corkscrew shapes using coordinated jet propulsion, an unusual kind of locomotion that could inspire new designs for efficient underwater vehicles.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - While not a miracle cure, there might indeed be some health benefits to the trend of cold plunging, new research from the University of Oregon suggests. A study led by Chris Minson, the Kenneth and Kenda Singer Professor in Human Physiology at the UO.The study was published in the December 2023 edition of the Journal of Thermal Biology.
COMPUTER SCIENCE, DATA SCIENCE, PHILOSOPHY - Artificial intelligence can detect art forgeries and take scientific research in new directions. But its impact on the classroom raises as many questions as answers. Can AI help students learn what they need to succeed in a rapidly changing workplace—and at what cost? Read more in CAS Connection!
BIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - University of Oregon neuroscientist Judith Eisen has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for her work on neuron development and how the enteric nervous system in the gut regulates and interacts with microbes in the intestine. Eisen is head of the Department of Biology and a member of the Institute of Neuroscience.
Success at the University of Oregon looks different for each student, from academic achievement to personal growth to career readiness.
COMPUTER SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, SPANISH - Two College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate students—Ethan Dinh and Alex Staben—win first and second place at the Clark Honors College's Three Minute Thesis.
COMPUTER SCIENCE - Cybersecurity jobs to protect users and companies from hackers are in growing demand, and a new undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences is training students to fill that role. Launched in the fall of 2023, the cybersecurity major combines rigorous courses and hands-on fieldwork with the aim of preparing students to hit the ground running in a cybersecurity career.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - Working with some of the world’s top marathon runners at Nike, human physiologist Brad Wilkins led the charge to break the 2-hour marathon barrier—an attempt that led to the National Geographic documentary Breaking2. Now head of the new Oregon Performance Research Laboratory, he’s using science to help athletes push past their perceived limitations and achieve new heights.