CAS Connection Career Preparation archive

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY — As humans plan to return to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, John Halliwill, a human physiology professor, spoke with CAS Connection about the wonders of space flight and what the human body endures and adapts to in the weightless realm of space — as well as when returning to Earth.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES - On Jan. 13, 2026, Ernesto Javier Martínez was awarded $150,000 over two years from the Oregon Community Foundation in partnership with Oregon Humanities. The fellowship supports Oregon artists who use creativity and cultural expressions to address communities. The fellowship award comes at a time when Martínez is wrapping up and beginning film stories that tell the experiences of queer Latinx youth and the immigrant experience in the US.

THEATRE ARTS - The Robinson Theatre is reopening this February with University Theatre’s winter production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The reopening brings University Theatre’s largest performance space back into rotation, marking an important step forward for student training, production capacity and community engagement.

CINEMA STUDIES - Visiting filmmaker series helps cinema studies majors connect with mentors in the movie industry—and learn how films really get made. In spring 2025, Academy Award-nominated director Sean Wang was on campus to share his experience and advice with students in the Cinema Studies department.

COMPUTER SCIENCE - Cybersecurity jobs to protect users and companies from hackers are in growing demand, and a new undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences is training students to fill that role. Launched in the fall of 2023, the cybersecurity major combines rigorous courses and hands-on fieldwork with the aim of preparing students to hit the ground running in a cybersecurity career.

COMPUTER SCIENCE - Robotics champion and international women's education advocate Saghar Salehi escaped a certain death in Afghanistan to continue her fight for Afghan women’s rights as a computer science major at the UO College of Arts and Sciences.