CAS Connection - Oct 2025 Issue

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Human Physiology intern, Ally Smith, on the track

Soaring from the sidelines

Thanks to human physiology internships, these students are getting hands-on lessons in medicine and helping Ducks' sports soar.

By Nicole Krueger and 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
 

Comics exhibition - Captain American by Jack Kirfy

Good Vibes

All hail the King of Comics

Only one comics artist has influenced so much of our culture and it’s not the name people know best.

By Jenny Brooks

chlorate antibiotic treatment comparison

Research & Innovation

CAS gives antibiotics a boost

Researchers have tested a new combination drug therapy that could dismantle difficult-to-treat bacteria.

By Leila Okahata

europa moon by nasa

Experiential Learning

NASA team ignites curiosity at UO

A next generation of scientists joined a meeting with 265 professionals guiding a NASA spacecraft.

By Henry Houston

an illustration collage of people's faces

CAS Spotlights

How race shapes everyday life

A new book by Professor Jessica Vasquez-Tokos uncovers how race influences personal experiences.

By Grace Connolly

Computer Science Alumni Fedi Aniefuna giving keynote at Hackathon

CAS Spotlight

Computer science alum weaves together ambition and generosity to kickstart his career

When Fedi Aniefuna arrived at the UO, he still hadn’t decided whether he wanted to major in political science and go to law school, or study computer science and head straight into the workforce. Five years later, he’s beginning his second year as an engineer with Amazon Web Services after choosing math and computer science.

Learn Fedi’s Story

Where athletes maximize performance

The Oregon Performance Research Lab in the Department of Human Physiology is designed to drive significant scientific advancements in human performance and remove barriers for all individuals .

“When we first had the vision for this lab, it was not only understanding mechanisms that might be limiting human performance, but we also really wanted to translate that out into the community,” said Professor Brad Wilkins, founder and director of the Oregon Performance Research Lab. “Our community testing services program is really taking the research and translating that to people in the community that really want to improve their performance.”

The lab offers a number of fee-based testing services including threshold testing, VO2 max, hemoglobin mass and sweat testing.

Explore the Lab’s Research

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CAS News

an illustration of a black hole
CAS physicist finds a black hole spewing more energy than Death Star
PHYSICS - A supermassive black hole with a case of cosmic indigestion has been burping out the remains of a shredded star for four years — and it’s still going strong, new research led by University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences astrophysicist Yvette Cendes. Cendes and her team published findings about this one-of-kind black hole in the Feb. 5 issue of Astrophysical Journal Astrophysicists.
a person sits on a couch in front of a red wall
A researcher takes on one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe
PHYSICS - Fascinated by the unexplored corners of the universe since childhood, physicist Tien-Tien Yu has made dark matter the pillar of her research career. In her quest to understand, she’s co-founded a major experiment in collaboration with physicists at other institutions, all of whom are trying try to bring light to the dark.
people gathered laughing at a meeting
Alumni volunteers connect back to Oregon at the UO Board Summit
ANTHROPOLOGY, POLITICAL SCIENCE - College of Arts and Sciences alumni were among the 200 alumni who gathered for the 10th annual UO Board Summit. The alumni that attended included Natalie Poole, BA '80 (political science) who is a senior vice president at Wells Fargo Capital Finance and triple Duck David Lewis, PhD, '09 (anthropology) who serves as an assistant professor at Oregon State University.

All news »

From the Media

a mosque in Pakistan
‘Shrines influence daily life, shaping social ties’
Pakistan-based publication Business Recorder reported on a lecture conducted by Anita Weiss, professor emerita in global studies. According to Weiss, shrines in Pakistan are not just places of worship but also powerful centers that shape everyday life.
an illustration of a person skiing
Lindsey Vonn, the ski champion who will not quit
With the Winter Olympics underway, Financial Times spoke with College of Arts and Sciences human physiologist Mike Hahn explains the biomechanics required for alpine skiing and ACL-tear recovery process in elite athletes. And he talked about skiing star Lindsey Vonn overcoming an ACL tear: “We shouldn't be surprised any more by Lindsey.”
an illustration of a black hole burping out matter
Black hole continues to belch years after chewing up a star
Retuers reported on research observing the behavior of a supermassive black hole, quoting one of the study's co-authors, College of Arts and Sciences astrophysicist Yvette Cendes. "The exponential rise in the luminosity of this source is unprecedented. It's now about 50 times brighter than when it was first discovered, and is now incredibly bright for an object in radio waves. This has been going on for years now, and no sign of stopping. That is super unusual," Cendes told Reuters.

All media news »

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