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 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.
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.

All news »

From the Media

a stock image of a medical professional getting blood pressure measure
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.

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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