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.
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World-Class Faculty in the Natural Sciences
Mike Hahn
Director of the Bowerman Sports Science Center, Professor of Human Physiology, and Associate Director of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance
Mike Hahn is an academic expert in sports science and biomechanics. His research interests have ranged from prevention of falls, to utilization of computational analysis tools (such as artificial neural networks, support vector machines, and genetic algorithms) for solving complex modeling and optimization tasks, to enhancing the performance of fly-casting. He lead a study seeking to identify athletes with the highest risk of developing stress fractures, which can keep athletes out of competition for multiple seasons. The project was supported by a $1.2 million grant from the Pac-12 Conference Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Initiative.
Current research projects are focused in the areas of prosthetic engineering, treatment outcomes in ankle osteoarthritis, neural control of powered prosthetic/orthotic devices, and mechanisms of locomotor adaptation after lower limb injury. Mike also teaches courses in biomechanics and capstone research.
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.
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.
Nick Allen
Ann Swindells Professor of Clinical Psychology, Director, Center for Digital Mental Health
Nick Allen has more than thirty years of experience in clinical psychology, social neuroscience, research and education. His research works to understand the interactions between multiple risk factors for adolescent onset mental health disorders, and to use these insights to develop innovative approaches to prevention and early intervention. As the director of the Center for Digital Mental Health and leader of the ADAPT Lab, his group holds multiple NIH funded grants for work focusing on the use of mobile and wearable technology to monitor risk for poor mental health outcomes including suicide, depression, and bipolar disorder. He is currently leading a project with Google to determine the effect that smartphone usage has on mental health.
Nick is also the co-founder and CEO of Ksana Health Inc, a company whose mission is to use research evidence and modern technology to revolutionize the delivery of mental health care through remote behavioral monitoring and adaptive, continuous behavior change support.
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.
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
Happening at CAS
Welcome back, Ducks! Cheers to a great summer term. 🎉#UOCAS pic.twitter.com/xmTL3jke4A
— UO College of Arts and Sciences (@uocas) June 24, 2024
10:00–11:30 a.m.
Desi Fest 2024, a vibrant South Asian arts and cultural festival, will take place in Eugene from October 3-5. As part of this three-day celebration, a free Navarasa dance workshop, presented by the Sindhoor and Natyaveda Navarasa Dance Theater, will be held on the University of Oregon campus. This five-member South Asian dance theatre troupe specializes in both Bharatanatyam classical dance as well as kalarippayattu, a South Asian martial art that is used in theatre training and performance throughout South Asia.
This workshop aims to enhance the understanding and appreciation of South Asian culture, enriching both the campus community and the broader Eugene area. For the full festival schedule, please visit:
Choreographers Sindhoor and Natyaveda along with the filmaker, S.M. Raju, create a unique dance-theater style that is world-class and has performed with many professional companies and venues including Cirque du Soleil, Asian Art Museum, Lincoln Center, UCSB, UCLA, Bates Dance Festival, Brandies University, Wellesley College, East West Players, USA and Teesri Duniya Theatre, York Theatre, Harborfront Theatre, (Canada), Rangayana, Naradagana Sabha, India. They have been awarded by California Arts Council, National Performer's Network, New England Foundation for the Arts among others.
Navarasa's "Dance for Everyone" program offers scholarships and free dance training for over 200 underprivileged children and adults every week. Navarasa is the primary institution for Kalari and Mysore Style Bharatanatyam in North America.
3:00 p.m.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Organic/Inorganic/Materials SeminarSeries
Professor Dirk M. Guldi, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg
Title: Towards Adaptive Light Capture, Conversion, and Storage
The sun is an abundant and sustainable source of energy that is vital for the on-going energy transition. However, while abundant, the solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface covers a broad range of energies, from high-energy ultraviolet, through the visible region, to low-energy infrared. This poses significant challenges for efficient capturing and converting solar energy.
For photons with energies well-above the bandgap of the absorbing material, excess energy is lost predominantly by thermalization in the form of heat. In contrast, photons with energies below the optical bandgap are not absorbed at all. Even at peak efficiencies, both thermalization and sub-bandgap losses account for over 50% of incident solar power. Therefore, single-junction solar cells are limited to a maximum performance of 33%, which is known as the detailed balance limit. It is therefore imperative to find strategies to reduce thermalization and sub-bandgap losses to achieve efficiencies beyond the detailed balance limit. Here, down- and up-conversion processes could, theoretically, increase solar-energy conversion efficiencies beyond current limitations by reaching 39% and 49%, respectively. Additionally, the integration of down- and up-shifters with the aforementioned elements will aid in controlling light throughout the solar radiation spectrum, spanning from the ultraviolet up to the infrared.
The spectral conversion enables modifying the incident solar spectrum such that a better match is obtained with the wavelength-dependent conversion efficiency of, for example, the photoactive layer of photovoltaics. We thereby demonstrate to harness down- and/or up-converting or down- and/or up-shifting of the spectrum, meaning that the energy of photons is modified at demand to either lower or higher energy. Hereby, we systematically vary the electronic coupling in molecular dimers and oligomers to tune the dynamics of all relevant down- and up-conversion steps and, in turn, deciphering not only the full mechanisms of singlet-fission (SF) and triplet-triplet-annihilation up-conversion (TTA-UC), but also all bottlenecks enroute towards the conversion targets of 200% down-converted triplets at minimum driving forces and 50% up-converted singlets at maximum anti Stokes shifts. All of our down- and up-converters will be combined with complementary absorbers to round off the optimal spectral overlap across the solar spectrum by either down- or up-shifting of the spectrum. Crucially, we achieve this not only in solution, but also in the solid state with optimized arrangement and panchromatic absorption from 300 to 1000 nm.
Publications & Resources
Guldi Group, Friedrich-Alexander University
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Come learn more about the Global Service minor and Peace Corps Prep Certificate. Drop in to chat with the advisor for the minor and the Peace Corps rep and have a snack between classes!
Learn more about the UO + Peace Corps at https://career.uoregon.edu/jobs-and-internships/peace-corps
6:00 p.m.
Join the University Film Organization and Cinema Studies for an open house! Meet UFO members and CINE faculty, learn about CINE courses, and win some film-related prizes! All majors welcome! Free food and giveaways! Questions? DM @uofilm on Instagram.
UFO is a student club for UO student filmmakers to connect, create, share, and discuss their films.
Monday, October 7th at 6 pm LLC South Performance Hall Free and open to all majors