Natural Sciences News

ANTHROPOLOGY, ENGLISH, PSYCHOLOGY - Eight University of Oregon instructors across campus were celebrated for their remarkable work in the classroom. Among the winners, half are in the College of Arts and Sciences: Alison Carter, associate professor anthropology; Katelyn McDonough, assistant professor anthropology; Anne Mannering, assistant teaching professor and director in psychology; and Courtney Thorsson, associate professor of English.

BIOLOGY - The annual Tykeson Teaching Awards were granted to faculty in archaeology, biology and cinema studies. Laurel Pfeifer-Meister was honored for her work with students in a three-course series. Pfeifer-Meister is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Biology and the lead instructor for the Honors/Accelerated Biology 281, 282 and 283 laboratory sequence.

BIOLOGY, HISTORY - Associate Professor Melissa Graboyes and the students in her Global Health Research Group study historical materials to better understand malaria and strategies to address it. So far, they've found that there is no simple “silver bullet” for malaria. Instead, the realistic approach is one that is multi-pronged with the goal of malaria control — keeping malaria rates low. Alumni of this group — both biology majors — have cited the interdisciplinary experience as instrumental to their post-UO successes.

PSYCHOLOGY - Getting research published is a necessary step for academics. But faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences aim to do more. Among the faculty who presented at the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation's Week of Research and Innovation, Ann Swindells Professor of Clinical Psychology Nick Allen spoke about why he took his research to a startup company.

MATHEMATICS - The Department of Mathematics hosts Victor Reiner for its 2026 Moursund Lectures. Reiner is a Distinguished McKnight Professor in Mathematics at the University of Minnesota. The series of three lectures is 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, at 128 Chiles Hall, 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, at 125 McKenzie Hall and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursday, June 4 at 245 Straub Hall.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Gut microbes are a mystery. But Romila Mascarenhas, biochemist, is on the case. She's starting a lab that investigates how gut bacteria recognize, transport and use vitamin B12, a molecule that plays a huge role in shaping microbial communities in the human gut.

NEUROSCIENCE, PHYSICS - PhD candidate Saumya Keremane's research, conducted in the labs of Richard Taylor, a professor and head of the Department of Physics, and Dr. Bala Ambati, an ophthalmologist and research professor in the Department of Bioengineering, focuses on understanding and preventing neuron degradation to treat inherited blindness.

MATHEMATICS - Tyler Jarvis, Brigham Young University professor, will be visiting the UO Math Department on May 13 and 14 and giving two talks as part of the Niven Lectures.

MATHEMATICS - Hannah Larson, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, will visit the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Mathematics on May 7 and 8, and give two talks as part of the Association for Women in Mathematics’ Distinguished Speaker series.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - For the McLeroy family, the University of Oregon is a thread that digs deep in their ancestral roots. From two undergrads now on campus to Samuel “Edgar” McClure, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the UO in 1883 and a master’s in 1886, and was the first chair of the UO chemistry department.

COMPUTER SCIENCE - Armaan Hajarizadeh, a third-year computer science major in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Clark Honors College, has been named a Goldwater Scholar. The prestigious national award recognizes undergraduates conducting research in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he plans to attend graduate school and eventually pursue a career in academia.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - For Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week in 2026, CAS gradate students share their experiences of what makes their experience special at CAS. CAS is home to 1,295 graduate students: 307 master’s and 959 PhD. With April 6-10 Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week, CAS reached out to some of its graduate students to hear how about their experiences at the college.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - John Halliwill has been named a 2025 fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). A professor in the Department of Human Physiology, Halliwill was recognized for advancing the understanding of exercise-induced cardiovascular adaptation and discovering histamine's role as a signaling molecule in adaptation to physical activity.

CHEMISTRY, BIOCHEMISTRY — A hands-on experience is essential to study chemistry, and labs are how students apply what they’re learning in lecture. But many students experience anxiety before entering labs so Associate Professor Cathy Wong set out to make labs more accessible and more fun.

MATHEMATICS - George Lusztig is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. He is visiting the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Mathematics from April 1 to 3 and will deliver special colloquium titled “Fourier transform as a triangular matrix" 4 pm Friday, April 3 at Tykeson 140, followed by a reception.