CAS 2026 Commencement Highlights
Highlights from the June 15 University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremonies at Autzen Stadium and Matthew Knight Arena.
Chemistry and Biochemistry
New CAS biochemist investigates vitamin B12’s impact on the gut
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.
Duck Parents are rooted in history and giving for the future
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.
What if you could perform an experiment before even walking into a lab?
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.
New major prepares students to usher in the next materials age
PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY — A new cutting-edge major in the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences prepares students to drive technological change through high-demand careers in fields such as semiconductor manufacturing, energy and sustainable materials development.
UO scientist joins Nobel winner to explore ‘molecular sponges’
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - It's August, and the fall term is around the corner, but associate professor Carl Brozek is heading to Japan through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. None of them, including Brozek or the lab in Japan he'll be working in, know that he’ll be there when his research colleagues at Kyoto University get some epic news about their work on structures known as metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs.
Better Coffee through Chemistry
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Oregon Podcast Network talks coffee with Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty Christopher Hendon.
Geraldine Richmond Honored at EAS for Pioneering Research in Molecular Interfaces
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - UO Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty Geri Richmond was honored for her research at the 2025 Eastern Analytical Symposium, which took place November 17-19, at the Crowne Plaza Princeton Conference Center in Plainsboro, NJ.
Some labs on campus finding a sustainable path, thanks to new program
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - UO lab spaces are some of the most resource-intensive areas on campus, using two to three times more energy than typical offices and generating unique kinds of waste that aren’t collected through regular recycling streams. The recently launched Sustainable Labs program offers researchers a flexible framework to foster more sustainability in labs.
Summer workshop sparks inclusive teaching across UO science courses
During the summer, 25 faculty members from the college’s Division of Natural Sciences took part in the Mobile Summer Institute for Scientific Teaching. The weeklong workshop offered faculty members ways to transform traditional lectures to be more inclusive and hands on that puts students at the center of learning. It brought together instructors not only from disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics—and across the campus.