CAS Connection - May

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A park with tents set up for health screenings

Health without Home

CAS students are conducting interdisciplinary research with a social impact, all while finding their career and academic trajectory.

By Henry Houston

Experiential Learning  |  Research & Innovation  |  Community Impact  |  Career Preparation  |  Teaching Excellence  |  21st Century Liberal Arts  |  Building Community  |  Good Vibes  |  CAS Spotlights  |  All Stories  |  Past Issues
 

A group of people hiking in a forest

Building Community

Making Sense of
Climate Change

Today’s students have been handed the bleakest future of any generation since World War II. Here’s how they’re dealing with it.

By Jenny Brooks

A student in lab wearing goggles illuminated by green laser

Research & Innovation

Green Chemistry for 
a Green Future

As the deadline to curb carbon emissions nears, CAS chemists are hard at work developing a new generation of sustainable tech.

By Nicole Krueger

An EPA official posing with a UO student

CAS Spotlights

Economics for a 
Healthier Planet

Econ graduate student Emmett Reynier uses economics research to inspire environmental policy changes.

By Henry Houston

A person atop of a tower installing equipment

CAS Spotlights

Building Hazard 
Resistance

Installing wildfire cameras and seismic sensors for OHAZ became a full-time gig for Earth sciences alum Sydney Whiting.

By Bailey Meyers

A collage of images representing a collisions of social values

Teaching Excellence

Eco-friendly or Ecofascist?

Students explore how environmentalist ideas can be weaponized in pursuit of a fascist political agenda.

By Jenny Brooks

CAS Spotlights

Building Resilience against Climate Change

Last spring, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide reached levels not seen in more than 14 million years. Dean Chris Poulsen explains how faculty and students in the College of Arts and Sciences are working across disciplines to address climate change.

CAS News

Boats marooned in a harbor
Undergrads Research Marine Life at Oregon Coast
BIOLOGY - New in 2025, the Coastal Quarter program allows undergraduates from all majors to spend winter term living at the coast and taking classes in marine biology, environmental studies, anthropology and science communication. Out of the nine students who participated this year, five are majoring in either environmental sciences or environmental studies; four are marine biology majors; and one is a sports journalism major.
a bee with a qr code
New AI cameras are watching the outdoors to spot endangered bees
BIOLOGY - An AI-based imaging system that is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, funded by the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Inc., is working to monitor bee populations without harming the insects. The technology could solve a key paradox in bee conservation efforts. The collaboration includes CAS biologist Lauren Ponisio.
people wrestling on the ground
Play shares the humanity of those living in a war zone
THEATRE ARTS - Local production of the play, "THEM," opens in Eugene July 24. “THEM,” produced and directed by University of Oregon professor, Malek Najjar is a powerful drama about war, hope and survival. Using humor, laughter and song, the play transports audiences into the extraordinary circumstances that reveal their shared humanity and the ordinary moments that shape their lives.

All news »

From the Media

a white van in front of a simpsons mural
De-escalation program saves cities money, increases public safety
ECONOMICS - A groundbreaking crisis de-escalation program that started in Eugene to help people with mental health or substance abuse issues saves cities money and reduces arrests, a University of Oregon-led study has found. The research team includes Jonathan Davis, an economics assistant professor at the College of Arts and Sciences.
two people in Sudan posing
Supreme Court rules Trump can rapidly deport immigrants to Libya, South Sudan and other countries they aren’t from
For the past several months, the Trump administration has been trying to deport immigrants to countries they are not from – despite an April 2025 federal ruling that had blocked the White House from doing so. In a brief emergency order, a divided Supreme Court decided on June 23 that the Trump administration can, for now, legally deport immigrants to countries they were not born in. Eleanor Paynter, assistant professor of Italian, migration, and global media studies, explains the legal case in The Conversation.
a person runs on a track
What it would take for Faith Kipyegon to become the first female sub four-minute miler?
Brad Wilkins, a human physiologist at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences, who led the Breaking2 “Science Team”, says they tested potential marathoners for VO2 max, running economy (how efficiently they use oxygen) and critical/sustainable speed, which is the highest pace that can be sustained for long periods without fatigue. They also looked for something more “squishy”, as Wilkins describes it — the capacity to show psychological resilience when suffering physically.

All media news »

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

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