CAS News

EARTH SCIENCES - In spring 2025, Marli Miller received a Herman Award for Specialized Pedagogy. Taking a liberal arts approach, Miller’s focus is on helping students think about and work through problems, which they have a chance to put into practice on a yearly field camp in southwestern Montana.

SOCIOLOGY - New research co-authored by CAS sociology assistant professor Byron Villacis Cruz explores the forces that influenced Ecuador to adopt the dollar in 2000, which impacted the country on social and economic levels — and what it teaches us about future policies around the world.

GLOBAL STUDIES — Learning about and engaging in the world got a little easier for students at University of Oregon thanks to a grant from the US Department of Education awarded to the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages. The grant funds are being used to strengthen curriculum for current students and attract the next generation of globally minded students from Oregon high schools. 

PHYSICS — College of Arts and Sciences physicists are part of a US Department of Defense three-year research endeavor — funded for $1.245 million — with the University of California, Los Angeles and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Researchers are tasked with expanding the capabilities of an advanced computing system that could be the key to new scientific frontiers.

EARTH SCIENCES - CRESCENT wrapped up its first-ever cohort for the Geoscience Education and Inclusion (GEI) Twinning Program. Students worked with mentors on fully funded research projects, developing practical skills and presenting their findings to fellow scientists. The program manager, Shannon Fasola, said it offered a unique opportunity because students could focus on research without having to worry about finances.

COMPUTER SCIENCE — With the help of the UO resources and research assistants, Assistant Professor Yu Wang’s research is helping us move toward a world where the accurate information we need to solve nearly any problem is right at our fingertips. The potential applications of Wang and his team’s efforts to mitigate this gap are nearly limitless.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES — With a $524,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Education, Lana Lopesi, assistant professor and researcher specializing in Pacific Islander studies is collaborating with Oregon State University researcher Patricia Fifita to increase information about the history and culture of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in K-12 classrooms in Oregon. 

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY — Lila Wollman, an assistant professor and researcher in CAS’s Department of Human Physiology is studying the effects of nicotine withdrawal on the body’s respiratory control. To support her research, Wollman received a two-part grant from the National Institutes of Health designed to support post-doctorate researchers in developing independent research paths.

LINGUISTICS — How people learn language continues to puzzle many researchers in linguistics, but a team of College of Arts and Science linguists recently received a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation in 2025 to get closer to an answer. Volya Kapatsinski in the Department of Linguistics and Kaori Idemaru in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures secured the grant and are currently conducting the research.

THEATRE ARTS — University Theatre's fall production is "The Moors," and as with any good story, things are not what they appear, and the characters’ motives aren’t always honest. The play includes a six-member cast and the creative use of stage lighting to create a Victorian-style set for the manor and the moors outside the home. The show runs Nov. 7–23 and tickets are free for students.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES - In spring 2025, Assistant Professor Lana Lopesi received the Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching in recognition of her early career excellence. Since joining the UO, she has developed five courses within her department and helped put together the first IRES study abroad program to Sāmoa in partnership with political science professor Ronald Mitchell. 

COMPUTER SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS - When Fedi Aniefuna arrived at the University of Oregon, 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 spending his time at the UO studying math and computer science.

PHYSICS - During the last week of August, the University of Oregon Eugene campus was home to the Europa Clipper Project Science Group meeting, offering College of Arts and Sciences students a chance to see a space mission team at work and inspire them to become the next generation of planetary scientists.

ENGLISH, COMICS AND CARTOON STUDIES — Ben Saunders, professor and pop-culture scholar in the College of Arts and Sciences, curated a special exhibit in LA featuring comics artist, Jack Kirby. The exhibit, “Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity,” received glowing reviews and is a must-see for anyone in the LA area. In this Q&A, Saunders explains what makes Kirby exceptional and why he's so important to him.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - Thanks to human physiology internships, these students are getting hands-on lessons in medicine and helping Ducks athletics soar. “Not all students can afford to volunteer to have access to these experiential learning opportunities,” says Amy Sibul, internships and career readiness director for the Department of Human Physiology. “We’ve received a lot of feedback over the years that this is a powerful experience, but students were really struggling to afford their lives.