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.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, BIOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY - The University of Oregon's Environment Initiative has named six faculty fellows for the 2023-24 academic year, two of whom belong to the College of Arts and Sciences: Lauren Hallett, associate professor of environmental studies and biology, and Peter Walker, professor of geography and environmental studies.

After more than four years of fundraising, design and fabrication, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology christened a new boat that promises to reveal lesser-known regions of the sea to future generations of students and scientists at the University of Oregon.

MATHEMATICS, CINEMA STUDIES - University of Oregon undergrad Abby Lewis published a children’s book titled The Forest of Numbers in early June that introduces elementary school-aged students to mathematical concepts.

PSYCHOLOGY - Having a sleep disorder is linked to an increased risk of suicidal ideation in kids, teens and young adults, University of Oregon research finds. The study, co-led by Melynda Casement, associate professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, was published June 16 in the journal Sleep Health.

POLITICAL SCIENCE, ROMANCE LANGUAGES, NEUROSCIENCE, HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY - The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation announces the recipients of the 2023 Outstanding Research Awards, many of which recognize College of Arts and Sciences faculty.

While you bask in the sun this summer, immerse yourself in these books by University of Oregon faculty and alumni. From speculative fiction set on Jupiter to understanding life on Earth through biophysics, you're bound to find a new favorite book that'll challenge your perspective.

On June 20, College of Arts and Sciences students wrapped up the final day of spring — and years of college work — with commencement ceremonies. Starting in the morning and running until early evening, CAS graduates celebrated their achievements around campus, from Autzen Stadium to the grassy lawns of Global Scholars Hall.