Natural Sciences

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Our science departments are committed to creating and disseminating new knowledge in their fields by combining research and teaching. Our 300 faculty members — including fellows of many learned societies and academies — are engaged in research that spans a broad range, from questions about the foundations of quantum mechanics, to the development of cancer cells and the workings of the brain, to work resulting in the spin-off of high-technology companies. Faculty share their excitement about their research with their students, training them to become part of the next generation of scientists who will push the frontiers of human knowledge. Explore majors, minors, concentrations, and academic programs in the Natural Sciences. 

 


News from Natural Sciences

PSYCHOLOGY - A new study led by researchers at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with Google Research found little evidence linking smartphone use with mental well-being in adults. Researchers analyzed more than 250,000 days of smartphone usage from more than 10,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and up.
PHYSICS - Far from home, Eric Torrence, a physics professor at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences, will spend the next year and a half being the ATLAS Run Coordinator at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). After being elected to the position fall 2024, Torrence ensures the largest particle accelerator in the world continuously produces usable data from May 2025 to July 2026.
BIOLOGY - Lauren Hallett, biology associate professor at the College of Arts and Sciences discusses her ongoing work to enhance the climate resiliency of Oregon’s hazelnut farms, which account for 99% of the country's hazelnut production. With the support of a $2 million federal award, Hallett and her lab have designed an agricultural practice using native cover crops and basalt dust amendments to set a new standard for sustainable hazelnut farming.

All news »

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Your Gift Changes Lives

Gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences can help our students make the most of their college careers. To do this, CAS needs your support. Your contributions help us ensure that teaching, research, advising, mentoring, and support services are fully available to every student. Thank you!

Give to CAS

World-Class Faculty in the Natural Sciences

Thien Nguyen, Associate Professor of Computer Science

Thien Nguyen

Associate Professor of Computer Science

Thien Nguyen is an expert in natural language processing, or the ability of artificial intelligence to understand, interpret and generate meaningful human language. He aims to enable computers to perform cognitive language-related tasks. His lab is among the first to develop deep learning algorithms for information extraction and text mining in natural language processing and data mining. His research on using natural language processing for multilingual learning earned him a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation.

Nguyen's recent research focuses on programming computers to improve the efficiency and safety of large language models (LLMs) across human languages while extracting valuable information about events like natural disasters, cyberattacks, disease outbreaks, and protests from news articles and other sources. His work seeks to deliver useful insights from diverse data and make these technologies accessible in low-resource languages that lack adequate data sets for training AI models.

Tien-Tien yu portrait

Tien-Tien Yu

Associate Professor of Physics, Institute for Fundamental Science

Tien-Tien is a theoretical particle physicist working at the interface of theory and experiment. She is particularly interested in understanding the nature of dark matter, whose existence is known through its gravitational effects on ordinary matter. She co-founded the SENSEI collaboration, an experiment utilizing silicon chips, much like those found in digital cameras, to search for dark matter. She was recently appointed to P5, an advisory group convened once a decade by the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation to help determine the next funded projects in particle physics.

On Jan. 14, 2025, Yu was one of nearly 400 scientists and engineers to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest award the US government awards to early career scientists. 

A founding member of the group Particles for Justice, Yu is also a leader in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the physics field. In collaboration with the Comics and Cartoon Studies program, Yu created the UO Science and Comics Initiative. Read more about the initiative here.

Santiago Jaramillo, Associate Professor of Biology, Institute of Neuroscience

Santiago Jaramillo

Associate Professor of Biology, Institute of Neuroscience

Santiago Jaramillo leads a research group dedicated to understanding how the brain processes and interprets sounds. Using advanced techniques to monitor and manipulate neural activity in mice, along with computational approaches, he investigates how the brain filters, learns, and assigns meaning to sounds and how brain disorders can affect these processes. His interdisciplinary work, supported by the BRAIN Initiative of the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, includes collaborations with psychologists, bioengineers, theoretical neuroscientists, and linguists, with the long-term goal of developing neural interfaces to improve human-to-human and human-to-machine communication.

Beyond the lab, Jaramillo is deeply committed to broadening participation in STEM. He provides hands-on neuroscience experiences to middle school girls through the SPICE program, serves as an advisor for international programs engaging young minds in scientific critical thinking, and mentors college students from a wide range of backgrounds through programs such as NSF STEP-UP, SPUR, and the ESPRIT scholarship for aspiring K-12 science teachers. 

 

 

The new School of Computer and Data Sciences will be open in fall 2023 to students throughout the UO, with the goal of serving 2,000 undergraduate majors and students in existing and new undergraduate and graduate programs.

School of Computer and Data Sciences

The mission at SCDS is to empower a diverse population of students and faculty working to advance knowledge in computer and data science, train the next generation of scholars, and engage with the wider world to tackle interdisciplinary challenges.

To do this, we start by applying our knowledge and experience at home across the University of Oregon campus.

Explore the SCDS

Research in the Natural Sciences

Natural scientists use data to understand, predict, and work with naturally occurring phenomena on earth and in the universe. From highly controlled experiments in the lab to observations collected in the field, our findings help make sense of the natural world while driving advancements in society and technology that touch everyone. By expanding the limits of human knowledge, we provide a scientific foundation for helping people live better, longer lives.

Explore Other Majors and Minors in the College of Arts and Sciences

 

Meet our Dean

Welcome to the natural sciences, where our top-flight researchers bring students in to experience the biological, physical, and computational sciences. Working side-by-side with faculty who are equally committed to student success and scientific discovery, students learn valuable critical thinking skills through hands-on research in the lab, field, and classroom—from studying marine biology at the Oregon Institute for Marine Biology on our beautiful campus on the coast to coding advanced systems and analyzing complex data in the School of Computer and Data Science.

The research we’re conducting at the UO makes a tangible difference in our communities, our nation, and the world. For example, our chemists are pioneering the materials and techniques that will inspire the next generation of batteries for energy storage. Our psychologists are developing and testing cutting-edge interventions to improve mental health and wellbeing. Our geologists and environmental scientists are collaborating with governments, tribes, and industry partners to protect communities from earthquakes and wildfires.

You may or may not end up in a science career, but either way these experiences will change the way you experience and interact with the world. A healthy society depends on people who know how to gather evidence and critically analyze data. No matter what field you enter, scientific thinking will help you become a more thoughtful, engaged, and critical citizen in modern society.

We’re excited to explore the natural world with you.

Elliot Berkman   
Divisional Associate Dean, Natural Sciences

elliot berkman

Happening at CAS

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Oct 13
How to: Resume and Cover Letter Tips (Workshop) 2:00 p.m.

Are you looking for ways to really stand out as a candidate? Come learn about the basics of resume and cover letter writing and have the opportunity to ask questions on...
How to: Resume and Cover Letter Tips (Workshop)
October 14–13
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall 50P-University Career Center Conference Room

Are you looking for ways to really stand out as a candidate?

Come learn about the basics of resume and cover letter writing and have the opportunity to ask questions on formatting, structure, your own resume tailoring, and much more! Questions welcomed and encouraged!

This workshop is hosted by the University Career Center's Career Readiness Coaching team!  To learn more about career coaching, drop-in peer advising, and other career readiness workshops and events visit career.uoregon.edu/coaching or stop by the UCC in Tykeson Hall-Garden Level

This event is part of the 2025 Fall Career Readiness Week. To learn more about all of the week's events visit http://career.uoregon.edu/events

 

Oct 14
WGSS Presents: “Writing Queer Women’s History: Finding A Place of Our Own” Talk and Light Reception with June Thomas 2:00 p.m.

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies A Place of Our Own Talk and Light Reception with June Thomas June Thomas is a journalist and podcaster and the author of A Place...
WGSS Presents: “Writing Queer Women’s History: Finding A Place of Our Own” Talk and Light Reception with June Thomas
October 14
2:00–3:30 p.m.
Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Cedar & Spruce (Rooms 231 & 232)

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies A Place of Our Own Talk and Light Reception with June Thomas

June Thomas is a journalist and podcaster and the author of A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces that Shaped Queer Women’s Culture (Seal Press, 2024). She spent 25 years at Slate magazine as a writer, editor, and podcast host/producer, and her freelance work has appeared in outlets including Bloomberg Businessweek, Marie Claire, the New York Times’ T magazine, the Washington Post and the Advocate. After 40 years in America, she now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Oct 14
Experiential Learning Opportunity Scholarship - Student and Alumni Panel 4:00 p.m.

Thinking about an Experiential Learning Opportunity? Hear from scholarship recipients!  Curious about internships, research, study abroad, or leadership experiences and...
Experiential Learning Opportunity Scholarship - Student and Alumni Panel
October 14
4:00–5:00 p.m.
Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall James Commons

Thinking about an Experiential Learning Opportunity? Hear from scholarship recipients! 

Curious about internships, research, study abroad, or leadership experiences and how to fund them? Join us for a student-focused panel featuring recipients of the College of Arts and Sciences Experiential Learning Opportunity (ELO) Scholarship, who will share how they found, funded, and made the most of their ELOs. 

Panelists include: 

  • Yazzie Chee (Class of 2024), who completed his ELO in undergraduate research. 

  • Larissa Vandehey (Class of 2025), whose ELO was in the Hallett Lab.

  • One or two current students wrapping up summer 2025 ELOs.

Whether you're planning your first Experiential Learning Opportunity or preparing to apply for the ELO Scholarship, this is a chance to hear real stories, ask questions, and get inspired. Learn how to connect your interests to meaningful experiences and how the ELO Scholarship can help make it happen. 

*Light snacks provided; contact careerlab@uoregon.edu with questions. 

 

Oct 15
Resume Extravaganza! (Drop-In Resume Reviews with Career Coaches & Peer Coaches) 11:00 a.m.

Did you know you can have someone review your resume before the Fall Career & Internship Expo on 10/23? Drop-in with a career readiness coach or peer coach in Tykeson...
Resume Extravaganza! (Drop-In Resume Reviews with Career Coaches & Peer Coaches)
October 15
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall Commons (First Floor)

Did you know you can have someone review your resume before the Fall Career & Internship Expo on 10/23? Drop-in with a career readiness coach or peer coach in Tykeson Hall Commons to get feedback on your resume! Free cookies & hot chocolate too :)

Don’t have a resume? Come learn how to make one!

This University Career Center event is part of the 2025 Fall Career Readiness Week sponsored by Enterprise Mobility. To learn more about all of the week's events visit http://career.uoregon.edu/events