Curiosity, Discovery, Innovation
2024-25 Sponsored Research in the College of Arts and Sciences
CAS Research in Action
Preparing for a Quantum Leap
Researchers: David Allcock and David Wineland, Physics
OMG: Towards Single-Ion Quantum Error Correction
A team of physicists in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) are part of a $1.245 million US Department of Defense research project, along with the University of California, Los Angeles, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The goal of the project is to improve the function of quantum computers. The work is being done in the Oregon Ions Group research lab, which is led by CAS’s 2012 Nobel Prize recipient and Philip H. Knight Distinguished Research Chair David Wineland and physics assistant professor David Allcock.
London's 18th Century Theater Goes Digital
Researcher: Mattie Burkert, English, Digital Humanities
Extending the London Stage Database
The London Stage Database is a groundbreaking digital catalog of theater performances in London between 1660 and 1800. Mattie Burkert, an associate professor of English and director of the digital humanities minor, received a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to continue digitizing materials for the database. While the fate of the grant is up to the courts after being withdrawn this past spring, Burkert is actively working to find additional funding.
Federal Grant Expands Outreach for Global Studies
Researcher: Yvonne Braun, Global Studies
Integrative Curriculum: Connecting the Past and the Future in International Studies
Using a grant from the US Department of Education, the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages invited more than 1,000 Oregon high school students in September 2025 to participate in Foreign Language and International Studies Day on the University of Oregon Eugene campus. It also expanded opportunities for students to participate in the Student Academy to Inspire Learning. Expanding these programs supports the goal to raise the Schnitzer School’s national and global profile to position it among the top schools in international studies.
New Funding Examines How People Learn Language
Researchers: Volya Kapatsinski and Kaori Idemaru, Linguistics
The Role of Learned Selective Attention in Accent Adaptation
No two people speak exactly alike, even when using the same language. As a result, one person's “bear” may sound like another person's “pear.” This project examines how people adapt to different speech patterns. With a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Volya Kapatsinkski, professor of linguistics, and Kaori Idemaru, professor of East Asian languages and literature, are using computational modeling and behavioral experiments to investigate.
Developing Ethnicity-Based K-12 Curriculum
Researcher: Lana Lopesi, Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies
Pacific Islander Studies Curriculum Development K-12
With a $524,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Education, Lana Lopesi, an assistant professor in the Departments of Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies and Native American and Indigenous Studies in CAS, is collaborating with Oregon State University researcher Patricia Fifita to develop curriculum for K-12 classrooms. The goal is to increase visibility and representation of Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiians.
Uncovering Nicotine’s Hidden Effects
Researcher: Lila Wollman, Human Physiology
The Influence of Nicotine Withdrawal on Oxygen Sensing
New research from the University of Oregon is now suggesting that nicotine withdrawal may also affect the way we breathe. Lila Wollman, assistant professor of Human Physiology, is using a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of nicotine withdrawal on the body's respiratory control.
Across the College of Arts and Sciences’ three divisions—Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences—faculty and students are proving research in higher education is essential to discovery, innovation, and understanding. This annual report on sponsored research funding provides a glimpse into the college’s 199 research projects funded by $83 million in grants. The six faculty featured below are advancing research and scholarship across disciplines, including digital humanities, education, human physiology, linguistics, and physics. And there are many more to explore.
