Natural Sciences News

BIOLOGY, FRENCH, GEOGRAPHY, GLOBAL STUDIES, HISTORY - Read the stories of six alumni whose work in international affairs is making a global impact.
Ducks who study together make the dean's list together. More than 4,000 students made the dean's list in the spring 2023 term. To qualify, a student must have earned at least a 3.75 GPA while taking 12 credits or more.
COMPUTER SCIENCE - Students from metro and rural high schools attended a cybersecurity camp hosted by the Department of Computer Science. The event is part of a statewide effort to introduce high school students to cybersecurity and is the first year the University of Oregon participated. The department's cybersecurity major launches fall 2023.
NEUROSCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY - David McCormick is now at the heart of a booming happiness enterprise at the UO, aiming to restore those connections and inspire students to examine how their minds mold reality. His science-based course, Happiness: A Neuroscience and Psychology Perspective, is one of the most popular electives on campus.
PHYSICS, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, SOCIOLOGY - Physicist Richard Taylor and environmental sociologist Richard York of the University of Oregon examine the beauty and benefits of fractal patterns in the natural world—and the need to protect that world from an ever-growing built environment.
BIOLOGY - When gut bacteria isn't in the right place, it can lead to abnormal bacterial behavior and gut inflammation, according to a study by a team of researchers led by UO microbiologist Jarrod Smith in the laboratory of biology professor Karen Guillemin published July 28 in the journal Cell Host and Microbe. The findings point to possible mechanisms behind intestinal conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
EARTH SCIENCES - Federal lawmakers tour the capabilities of the ALERTWildfire high-speed camera system, which allows state agencies to prioritize resources in fighting wildfires.
The UO’s Environment Initiative has awarded seed funding to five new teaching projects to support faculty members who have proposed innovative courses and dynamic classroom experiences. The funding supports both research and curricular projects and focuses the intellectual energy and work of faculty, students and community partners on a just and livable future through transdisciplinary research, teaching and experiential learning.
BIOLOGY - Chris Doe's lab is featured in the National Institutes of Health's Director's Blog. In the post, the author explores an image of a larval fruit fly's developing nervous system. The fruit fly provides clues into the development and repair of the human nervous system.
BIOLOGY, DATA SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - A University of Oregon research team has landed a $3 million federal grant to work with Indigenous and rural communities in Oregon to find ways of reducing climate-changing carbon in the atmosphere in ways that build trust with historically marginalized groups.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - Students in the College of Arts and Sciences are working in a cross-campus collaboration to research sports and wellness. It's a way to have scientific studies improve not only lives of athletes but everyday people, too.
BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY, GLOBAL STUDIES - The Incubating Interdisciplinary Initiatives (I3) awards provide up to $50,000 to seed new interdisciplinary research. This year, three awards are funded by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. Among winners are Jo Weaver (Department of Global Studies), Matthew Barber (Department of Biology and the Institute of Ecology and Evolution), Michael Harms (Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Institute of Molecular Biology) and Melanie Spero (Department of Biology and Institute of Molecular Biology).
COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE, DATA SCIENCE, PHILOSOPHY — Appearing on an NPR-affiliate radio forum, Assistant Professor Ramón Alvarado and Senior Instructor Phil Colbert, as well as College of Law Clinical Professor Rebekah Hanley and local business owner Todd Edman, discussed AI technologies.
NEUROSCIENCE - For the first time, University of Oregon neuroscientists have recorded neural activity from the visual system of an octopus. Cristopher Niell and his team in the College of Arts and Sciences report their findings in a paper recently published in Current Biology.
Among the top items on the day’s docket for the new University of Oregon President Karl Scholz was sending a message to the university community, which included an invitation to a meet-and-greet social July 12 on the EMU Green from 3:30 to 5 p.m.