CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - College of Arts and Science remembers John Edwin Baldwin, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and former dean of the college. Deeply interested in his field of physical organic chemistry and dedicated to the universities where he worked, as well as to his broader scholarly community, Baldwin developed a reputation as a gifted and meticulous scholar, researcher, collaborator, and legendary teacher and mentor. He died May 26, 2024. He was 86.

THEATRE ARTS - Jeanette deJong, associate professor of costume design, history and technology in the College of Arts and Sciences, brings decades of experience to the theatre arts. Whether leading a lecture or writing a book, deJong draws from her professional journey and offers methods and techniques that have been honed over the years.

Three College of Arts and Sciences researchers have received the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious honor for early-career faculty members in the past year: Luca Mazzucato (biology, mathematics and physics), Brittany Erickson (computer science and earth sciences) and Julia Widom (chemistry). Known as the CAREER Awards, the organization recognizes and fosters rising stars by funding innovative research.

BIOLOGY - People are living longer, but that comes with age-related health issues, including Alzheimer’s disease, osteoarthritis and dementia. Biology Professor Patrick Phillips is spearheading a new research initiative focused on age-related diseases. The effort employs technology that will accelerate discovery and fuel new approaches to research, launched with a major gift from longtime UO donors Kenda and Kenneth Singer.

SOCIOLOGY - When Burks arrived at the UO in 1992, he had no idea what to study, but an introductory sociology class grabbed his attention. “It appealed to my curiosity about what makes people tick,” he says. Burks would go on to have a career filled with danger and intrigue as a special agent for the US government, protecting international dignitaries and overseeing security at embassies around the world.

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation announced this year's Outstanding Research Awards, many of which went to College of Arts and Sciences faculty members: Professor Carlos Aguirre (history and Latin American studies), Assistant Professor Gabriel Sanchez (anthropology) and Leland O'Driscoll (associate director of the Oregon Hazards Lab).

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - From competing in seven events as a track heptathlete to conducting research in the lab, Colleen Uzoekwe has her sights set high. In 2023, Colleen was selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, the oldest and most prestigious international fellowship award in the world. In 2024, she received the Jackson Award as the top senior female student-athlete. She is now working on attending medical school, a dream she's had since she can remember.

BIOLOGY - New research from Judith Eisen, a neuroscientist in the College of Arts and Sciences, describes how nerve cells and muscle cells communicate through electrical signals during development—a phenomenon known as bioelectricity. Research by Eisen and her colleagues was published in Current Biology.

EARTH SCIENCES - Iceland’s ongoing volcanic eruptions may continue on and off for years to decades, threatening the country’s most densely populated region and vital infrastructure. Ilya Bindeman, an earth sciences professor in CAS, said volcanoes are ordinary on the geological scale, but on the human scale, they can be devastating.

From microscopic creatures to planets orbiting distant stars, undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences focused their lenses on some of the world’s unanswered questions, both large and small, during the 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES, PHILOSOPHY - Sensors collect data on all sorts of information, including gait consistency, body temperature, heart rate, and more. But where is the ethical line between using sensor data to help an athlete improve their performance—and even avoid injury—and that same data being used to sideline them or used as surveillance of behavior?

GLOBAL STUDIES, SOCIOLOGY - Nearly 15 years ago, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, leading to a tsunami and nuclear meltdown at Fukushima. The aftermath of this triple disaster led to massive protests in Japan, calling for a transition from nuclear energy to more renewable projects. That shift never happened due to the influence of the nuclear industry on the government, according to two researchers in CAS.

From pushing sports performance to the physiological benefits of ice plunge baths, College of Arts and Sciences researchers are working to transform athletes into champions. Learn more about the impact that our researchers make in recreational and sports performance.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - Heat will only become a bigger issue for summer sports, such as track and field. Outside Magazine's Alex Hutchinson tries out the heat adaptation protocol created by Chris Minson and John Halliwill, both of whom run the Exercise & Environmental Physiology Lab at the Bowerman Sports Science Center.

Staff and faculty members came together for the inaugural College of Arts and Sciences Awards and Hallmark Achievement Reception, which celebrated some of the achievements of faculty and staff. In addition to celebrating some of the college’s faculty members who have received accolades outside of the university, the ceremony featured the college’s first-ever awards that recognize the work of faculty and staff.