Natural Sciences News

PSYCHOLOGY - The College of Arts and Sciences is investing in its Latinx studies courses by hiring nine new tenure-track faculty members. Meet Blanche Wright—a new hire in the Department of Psychology—wants to change that by inspiring Latinx students in the classroom and through mentorship to hopefully become professors.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Justin Svendsen has been awarded an F31 NRSA fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for his project, "Development of Affinity-Based Delivery Systems for Angiogenic Growth Factors." The three-year $145,000 award supports a mentored research experience for promising graduate student researchers. Svendsen is a researcher in the Knight Campus lab of of Dr. Marian Hettiaratchi.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Vickie DeRose, professor and head of chemistry and biochemistry, has been awarded a creativity extension by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research into the structure and function of ribonucleic acid (RNA) through its interactions with metal ions. Fellow chemist Mike Pluth was awarded an NSF creativity extension in 2023 for his work on the role small sulfur-based molecules play in many biological processes. These molecules were likely key species involved in evolution, especially before there was oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Check out news highlights from 2024 and catch up with alumni in the latest issue of the UO Chemistry and Biochemistry newsletter!

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - We are pleased to announce the recipients of our 2024 Graduate Student Community Builder Award - Ashley Mapile and Harrison Reid. The award recognizes graduate students for their exceptional contributions to building an inclusive, supportive, collaborative, and respectful environment within our Department.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - UO Chemistry and Biochemistry is pleased to welcome three new faculty members to the department in 2024! Meet Assistant Professors Dhiman Ray, Romila Mascarenhas, and Paul Kempler and learn more about the research they'll be conducting in their labs.

OIMB, BIOLOGY - At the Charleston Marine Life Center a growing collection of unique organisms serve as underwater ambassadors between UO researchers, local community partners, and the public. It’s a place where UO scientists share their discoveries with the public and community members rally around the preservation of local marine life.

BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - Associate Professor Lauren Hallett and other members of her lab collect data for the Nutrient Network, a web of 130 sites around the world that monitor how nutrient addition affects biodiversity loss. The resulting data will provide a foundation for research that helps predict and reduce this loss.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Professor Darren Johnson is among 11 accomplished researchers selected to receive Research Corporation for Science Advancement’s Cottrell Plus SEED Award for 2024. Johnson is an academic expert in green chemistry. He studies water pollution and purification, especially agriculture and industrial waste water.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - In July, the Teresa Rapp Lab received a $100,000 grant from the Donald E. And Deliah B. Baxter Foundation, a charitable institution established to advance medical and scientific research at institutions of higher learning. In the Rapp Lab, the funding will support a new project modeling late-stage fibrosis with light-responsive biomaterials.

EARTH SCIENCES - The Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) has awarded 14 grants to researchers across the US and beyond to study the Cascadia subduction zone, a massive fault along the West Coast that could generate a magnitude 9.0+ earthquake at any moment. The CRESCENT Seed Grant Program was established to enlist more researchers in the effort to meet those goals.

EARTH SCIENCES - More than 100 scientists and community partners recently convened to discuss resilience and preparedness planning in a workshop hosted by the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT), a new multi-institution earthquake research center led by the University of Oregon. Attendees discussed the latest science and resilience planning needs of communities related to a better understanding of the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

MATHEMATICS - Jaida Ross and Klaudia Kazimierska have earned spots on the 2023-24 College Sports Communications (CSC) Academic All-America Team. Kazimierska, who is majoring in mathematics, was voted to the second team. She's representing Poland at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in the 1500-meter track and field event.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - College of Arts and Science remembers John Edwin Baldwin, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and former dean of the college. Deeply interested in his field of physical organic chemistry and dedicated to the universities where he worked, as well as to his broader scholarly community, Baldwin developed a reputation as a gifted and meticulous scholar, researcher, collaborator, and legendary teacher and mentor. He died May 26, 2024. He was 86.

Three College of Arts and Sciences researchers have received the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious honor for early-career faculty members in the past year: Luca Mazzucato (biology, mathematics and physics), Brittany Erickson (computer science and earth sciences) and Julia Widom (chemistry). Known as the CAREER Awards, the organization recognizes and fosters rising stars by funding innovative research.