Social Sciences News

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - University of Oregon ecologist Lauren Ponisio has been awarded a fellowship from the Ecological Society of America for research and outreach that has proven her an exceptional leader.

EARTH SCIENCES - Earthquakes. Wildfires. Landslides. Floods. Natural hazards like these are an inevitable part of life in Oregon. But with better data and more forewarning, emergency responders could quickly and effectively address imminent threats. At the University of Oregon, the Oregon Hazards Lab, known by its acronym OHAZ, is working towards that mission.

GLOBAL STUDIES, POLITICAL SCIENCE - Junior Luda Isakharov is just the third Duck to receive the prized scholarship.

GLOBAL STUDIES, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - Scholars from the two universities have spanned that global gap, most recently when six faculty members from KIU spent two months this winter at the UO with a shared goal of confronting climate change through research and enhancing teaching.

POLITICAL SCIENCE - A former star Ducks football player and one of the stars of CBS’s comedy Ghosts, Devan Long’s journey from Autzen Stadium to the small screen has been fraught with catastrophic curves and unforeseen opportunities.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon today named John Karl Scholz — a distinguished economist, professor, and current provost at University of Wisconsin-Madison — as the university’s 19th president. He will begin his appointment on July 1, 2023.

ANTHROPOLOGY - Elizabeth Kallenbach is using cutting-edge tools to trace humanity’s use of native Oregon plants through 12 millennia of archaeological basketry and cordage.

With research showing that young people are increasingly stressed by the effects of climate change, an expert on how to ease that anxiety will speak at the UO as this year’s Kritikos Lecturer. Author and researcher Britt Wray will share practical tips and strategies for productively dealing with emotions, living with climate trauma, and strengthening communities.

THEATRE ARTS - Although schools had been desegregated since the 1954 landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling, the law had been largely ignored in Durham, North Carolina — until 1971, when a Black community activist and a Klansman were thrown together to find a solution. The stage is the setting for their epic confrontation in University Theatre’s upcoming production “The Best of Enemies.”

THEATRE ARTS, ANTHROPOLOGY, CINEMA STUDIES - March into spring with an array of events sure to inspire and speak to your inner artist. Learn about the history, symbolism and process of creating pysanka, one of the most recognizable folk art forms for celebrating Easter in Ukraine. Or take in one of the many programs in the music and dance departments at the School of Music and Dance.

ANTHROPOLOGY - Humans may have arrived in North America earlier than once thought and encountered previously unrecognized challenges, according to new climate research from an interdisciplinary team that includes scientists from the University of Oregon.

SOCIOLOGY - Department of Sociology Professor Claire Herbert is named the 2023 Tykeson Teaching Award for the Division of the Social Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.

BIOLOGY - Your average sunflower sea star can munch through almost five purple sea urchins in a week, and they don’t seem to be picky about the quality of their food. A team co-led by Aaron Galloway at the UO’s Oregon Institute of Marine Biology published the findings in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Feb. 15.

SOCIOLOGY - Associate Professor Matthew Norton received a Book Publication Award from the Office of the Provost for his book The Punishment of Pirates.

MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS - The University of Oregon will host two STEM-forward events Feb. 25: the Eugene Youth Math Festival and the Central Western Oregon Science Expo, both spearheaded by College of Arts and Sciences faculty members.