CAS Connection - December

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An exoplanet orbiting a sun with stars and galaxy in the background

Strange New Worlds

Could life exist elsewhere in the Milky Way galaxy? A group of undergraduate planet hunters are helping NASA discover unknown worlds beyond our solar system.

By Nicole Krueger

 

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

Student standing in a field operating a drone

Experiential Learning

Up, Up and Away

Are flying robots taking over? Not in this geography class, where students learn how to control the drones that will help map our future. 

By Henry Houston

two people working at a microscope

Research & Innovation

Tiny Invisible Universes

In UO’s materials characterization labs, researchers are pushing the boundaries of what can be observed through a microscope.

By Nicole Krueger

Spaceship flying over futuristic city

CAS Spotlights

Learning from
Aliens

Professor Phil Scher uses science fiction and alien cultures to teach anthropology—and to challenge assumptions about humanity.

By Jenny Brooks

Student wearing safety glasses working in a lab

CAS Spotlights

Engineering the Future

Could engineered bacteria be the answer to antibiotic resistance? Undergrad researcher Favour Foday is working on it.

By Grace Connolly

A space probe floating above a frozen moon with Jupiter in the background

Research & Innovation

A Journey to Jupiter’s Moon

Is there a habitable environment beneath the moon Europa’s icy crust? CAS Professor Carol Paty is helping NASA find out.

By Nicole Krueger

Experiential Learning

Learn Today, Change Tomorrow

Research and scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences are so forward-thinking at times, they almost feel like science fiction. That’s what real innovation looks like—and our undergraduate students are getting in on the action through experiential learning opportunities that prepare them for cutting-edge careers.

Discover what Dean Chris Poulsen has to say about how experiential learning propelled him toward a career as a climate scientist.

CAS News

a cast photo
Perfect Circle Theater boldly goes where everyone is welcome
ENGLISH, DISABILITY STUDIES — The University of Oregon’s Perfect Circle Theater is debuting its newest production, “Disabling Reality,” June 7 and 8. It’s a bold, imaginative performance created by and for a truly inclusive community. According to the creative minds behind the production, the goal of Perfect Circle Theater is to create an inclusive community where people with disabilities and their allies can work together as peers.
cast of putnam production
Popular musical comedy closes out University Theatre season
THEATRE ARTS — University Theatre's end-of-season production, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” is described as “good fun with plenty of heart.” It combines improv, heartfelt storytelling and audience participation. Performed by University of Oregon students, the production opens May 23 and runs through June 8.
a portrait of a student
Neuroscience major is awarded a Goldwater Scholarship
NEUROSCIENCE - Valerie Owusu-Hienno, a third-year College of Arts and Sciences student who aspires to be a physician, researcher, and global health advocate, has been named a Goldwater Scholar. It's a nationally prestigious award for undergraduates conducting research in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

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From the Media

a skateboarder does a flip move
A San Francisco Plaza Was Down and Out. Then Skaters Moved In.
Skateboarders are revitalizing a downtown plaza in San Francisco. The New York Times interviewed Ocean Howell, a history professor at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on how the built environment shapes social experience. In a 2005 paper, he described skateboarders as “shock troops of gentrification.” Dr. Howell is no hater: He’s a former professional skateboarder who skated for Birdhouse (Tony Hawk’s company) before his career in academia.
a comic illustration
Here’s Why Comics Artist Jack Kirby Still Reigns Supreme
The life and work of comics artist Jack Kirby is the subject of the just-opened Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity, a comprehensive retrospective at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. “Kirby is one of the most important American artists of the last 100 years in any medium,” adds his co-curator Ben Saunders, a professor of English at the College of Arts and Sciences, and editor of the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection books series. “It would be difficult to name a 20th century artist who’s had an influence across so many fields now in the 21st century. His fame and his reputation are greater now than it has been at any point since his death.”
a person standing by a van
No hospital, no home: Medical respite steps in where systems fall short
A story by Jefferson Public Radio, an NPR affiliate, reports that many homeless people are finding themselves in a sort of medical in-between: not sick enough for the hospital, but not well enough to take care of themselves on the streets. Medical respite programs are trying to fill this gap. Global studies associate professor Jo Weaver is included in the story, telling the story of an older woman in a wheelchair living in her car. "She has diabetes, and that's what led to the loss of her limb, and she isn't able to get to public toilets, which are generally port-a-potties, easily," she said.

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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