NEUROSCIENCE - Using a novel technique he developed in Professor David A. McCormick’s neuroscience lab, postdoctoral researcher Evan Vickers is studying how the brain’s various regions react during different states of arousal, such as sleep versus wakefulness, both at the individual cell level and across large swathes of the cerebral cortex.

NEUROSCIENCE - Valerie Owusu-Hienno, a third-year College of Arts and Sciences student who aspires to be a physician, researcher, and global health advocate, has been named a Goldwater Scholar. It's a nationally prestigious award for undergraduates conducting research in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - Using functional MRI brain imaging, or fMRI, University of Oregon researchers have unraveled some of the neural circuitry behind basic human actions. Their insights, described in a paper published in the journal eNeuro, can be used to improve the design of brain-computer interface technologies, including brain-controlled prosthetic arms that aim to restore movement in people who have lost it.

NEUROSCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY - Neuroscience instructor Nicole Dudukovic has a unique insight into her students’ brains, at least when it comes to how they remember what they learn in class. She was recognized for her distinguished teaching with a Herman Faculty Achievement Award, which is presented to faculty who have made significant contributions to student learning at the University of Oregon.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - Undergrad student Matthias De Kok shares his experience as a research assistant intern with Sleep & Health Applied Research Program Lab in Portland.

BIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - University of Oregon neuroscientist Judith Eisen has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for her work on neuron development and how the enteric nervous system in the gut regulates and interacts with microbes in the intestine. Eisen is head of the Department of Biology and a member of the Institute of Neuroscience.

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.

NEUROSCIENCE - Mindfulness is a theme of one of the most popular elective courses at the UO, taught by David McCormick, director of the Institute of Neuroscience. Discover how a mindfulness routine can help you—and how you can get started—in the November/December issue of the CAS Connection newsletter.