CAS Connection - October 2026 Issue

The Oregonian/OregonLive digs into the data on the Oregon gubernatorial race and spoke with political science assistant professor Chandler James. While uneasiness can motivate voters, James said voter apathy also can make it difficult for campaigns to boost turnout, which could play a pivotal role in this year’s race. “If that’s the game, then the person who taps into the greatest anxieties is going to win,” James said. “Whatever Oregonians are most fearful of will be the thing that drives the outcome of the election.”

PHYSICS - College of Arts and Sciences astronomer Yvette Cendes spoke with the New York Times about a recent paper she authored that documented waves coming from what seems to be an aurora at the poles of Beta Pictoris b, a planet that circles a star more than 63 light-years from Earth.

The glacial collapse that killed 1,400 people in Nepal in August highlighted one epicenter for such disasters — but there are other hotspots that experts are worried about. Live Science spoke with Mark Carey, a professor of environmental studies and geography, about glacial-related natural disasters. "Slope failure from glacier shrinkage is occurring everywhere."