CAS Connection - March

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From Curiosity to Impact

Our faculty are investigating solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues, 
from AI to Alzheimer's to ice sheet loss in Greenland. Find out about the grant-funded research projects CAS researchers are working on.

 

In Focus  |  Around CAS  |  Liberal Arts at Large  |  Q&A  |  In the News  | Student Spotlight  |  Faculty Spotlight  |  Alumni Spotlight |  Page Turners  |  Past Issues

Vera Keller

Page Turners

On the Origins of Research Universities

Ever wonder how research universities like UO evolved? It all comes down to one man, according to history prof Vera Keller.

By Codi Farmer

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Student Spotlight

What's in a (Scientific) Name?

A PhD candidate’s award-winning essay reveals the role of women in 17th-century scientific research—and what it sometimes cost them.

By Henry Houston

A researcher applying gel to and electrode cap used in tests

Student Spotlight

Capturing Brain Waves

How does a brain with Parkinson’s disease compare to a healthy brain? Ask undergraduate researcher Cinthia Muñiz Sanchez.

By Bailey Meyers

Collage of new faculty members

Faculty Spotlight

New Global Perspectives

Six new faculty members  bring their unique perspectives and expertise to the School of Global Studies and Languages.

By Henry Houston

Kids ducking under table for earthquake drill

Faculty Spotlight

Before the Shaking Starts

An earthquake early-warning alert can buy you life-saving seconds to drop and take cover—and CAS researchers want to help you make the most of them.

By Nicole Krueger

Around CAS

Humanities Take Center Stage

All the world’s a stage for CAS students, whether they’re on the screen, in the classroom, in the lab or beyond. Hear from Dean Chris Poulsen about how humanities programs like theatre arts and cinema studies build valuable skills—and how storytelling fosters an understanding of what it means to be human.

CAS News

two people talking
Back at the UO, Geri Richmond reflects on her federal service
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - After serving four years as undersecretary for science and innovation at the U.S. Department of Energy, College of Arts and Sciences chemistry professor Geraldine “Geri” Richmond is back at the University of Oregon. Richmond was one of the top science officers in the federal government, overseeing billions of dollars in research spending on some of the nation’s highest science priorities, including quantum computing, clean energy and national security.
chinese newspapers
New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China
SOCIOLOGY - Hannah Waight, an assistant professor of sociology in CAS, and her collaborators found that the use of state-planted propaganda is on the rise in China. And it’s not just a tool for spreading ideological content. It’s also used to control and constrain other kinds of information beyond political ideals, including natural disaster and public health reporting in China.
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UO chemist, paleoanthropologist named AAAS fellows
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY, ANTHROPOLOGY - Two University of Oregon faculty members have been named 2024 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), joining 471 other newly elected members whose work has distinguished them in the science community and beyond. This year’s fellows and their areas of research are Darren Johnson, chemistry and biochemistry, and Stephen Frost, anthropology.

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From the Media

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Political views affect patients' trust in their own doctors, UO study finds
New research from the University of Oregon reveals that a person’s political beliefs affect the trust they have in their own doctors and healthcare providers. Reporting by KLCC, an NPR affiliate, highlights the work of CAS political scientist Neil O'Brian. During the COVID-19 pandemic, O’Brian started thinking about health and politics. Witnessing the partisan response to masking and vaccines, he wondered just how far distrust in medicine might extend.
a person working in a steel mill
Cleanest steel ever? US scientists achieve coal-free ironmaking at lesser cost
Interesting Engineering publication highlights work by University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences chemist Paul Kempler and his team. They are developing an electrochemical process that transforms iron oxide and saltwater into pure iron metal—while also producing chlorine, a commercially valuable byproduct.
a person dropping a ballot in the mail
Trump executive order will make Oregon elections ‘less safe,’ Secretary of State says
After President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that would reshape elections, the Oregon secretary of state is warning those policies would make Oregon elections “less safe.” Political scientist Chandler James—from CAS—said, “There are some things that will definitely be challenged in courts... The Constitution is pretty clear that U.S. elections should be run by the states and state law.

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CAS Connection is produced by the CAS Communications Department and edited by Nicole Krueger.

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