HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - Working with some of the world’s top marathon runners at Nike, human physiologist Brad Wilkins led the charge to break the 2-hour marathon barrier—an attempt that led to the National Geographic documentary Breaking2. Now head of the new Oregon Performance Research Laboratory, he’s using science to help athletes push past their perceived limitations and achieve new heights.

NEUROSCIENCE - The UO’s interdisciplinary program is the first of its kind at an Oregon public university—and it's already becoming a draw for students who are interested in studying the nervous system. Since its launch in 2020, the neuroscience major has grown from 19 students in its first term to 314 declared majors in the fall of 2023. “I knew I wanted to do research, and the University of Oregon is one of the only schools on the West Coast that has a neuroscience major," says second-year neuroscience major Tanner Rozendal.

PHYSICS - Kayla Nguyen, assistant professor in physics, has co-led the development of a new approach that allows scientists to see individual atoms and the way they fit together under an electron microscope, without the multimillion-dollar price tag that such ability typically commands. Nguyen's research was published in the Feb. 22 issue of the journal Science.

PSYCHOLOGY - In a Valentine’s Day episode of the Museum of Modern Art's Magazine Podcast, Stephanie Cacioppo, courtesy assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, discusses her research and how love appears in the most unlikely places. “We all have the 12 brain areas that are critical for love,” she says.

MATHEMATICS - KEZI featured the fifth annual Eugene Youth Math Festival at McArthur Court. “Our goal is to inspire kids to learn more math by presenting them with a lot of different math-related activities, games, and experiments and see the beauty of it,” said Maria Nemirovskaya of the Department of Mathematics. “It's not just number crunching but that there's a lot behind actual math.”

MATHEMATICS - Children in the Eugene-Springfield area will have the opportunity to explore games, problem-solving activities, crafts and other hands-on math activities at the Eugene Youth Math Festival in McArthur Court Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Artwork depicting research being conducted in the Marina Guenza lab was selected for the cover of the Feb. 8 issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry B.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - University of Oregon researchers have developed a way to make iron metal for steel production without burning fossil fuels. This process could help decarbonize one of the largest and most emissions-intensive industries worldwide. The researchers reported their findings in a paper published Feb. 5 in the journal Joule.

PSYCHOLOGY - The College of Arts and Sciences’ Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) received a $1.3 million grant from Toyota Motor North America’s Way Forward Fund to develop, implement and evaluate support system aimed at helping students in San Antonio get the necessary family and school interventions for a successful recovery.

BIOLOGY - Marine biology students searched the Atlantic Ocean for rare organisms that thrive without sunlight. An upcoming IMAX film will document their journey—and, they hope, inspire a new generation of women scientists. Read more in the CAS Connection newsletter.

PSYCHOLOGY - Want to make New Year’s resolutions you’ll actually keep this year? Psychology doctoral student Deanna Strayer offers research-backed tips for successful goal setting to help you stick to your plans. Read more in the CAS Connection newsletter.

EARTH SCIENCES - What will happen if a massive earthquake reduces the Pacific Northwest to rubble? The nation’s first subduction zone earthquake hazards center, CRESCENT, brings together researchers and policymakers to help build resilience against the inevitable temblor—and increase diversity in the Earth sciences.

EARTH SCIENCES, DATA SCIENCE - Clark Honors College senior and data science major Lynette Wotruba took up data science three years into her college career. Today, she’s working with the Department of Earth Sciences to make information about the dangers of tsunamis accessible to communities along the Oregon coast.

EARTH SCIENCES - The Oregon Hazards Lab is a research lab within the UO’s Department of Earth Sciences, which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Its mission is to detect, monitor and mitigate natural and human-caused hazards, such as earthquakes and wildfires.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Adding a squirt of water to coffee beans before grinding reduces static electric charge on the coffee grounds, according to new research from Associate Professor Christopher Hendon.