Social Sciences

Health without Home

ANTHROPOLOGY, GLOBAL HEALTH - Mentored by professors Jo Weaver of global studies and Josh Snodgrass of anthropology, CAS students in this research group all share a common goal: conducting interdisciplinary research with a social impact.

Blue Humanities event dives into ocean ecosystems

ENGLISH, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - On Thursday, May 8 and Friday, May 9, a cross-campus co-hosted symposium will focus on how the arts and humanities can address the threats that ocean species face. Blue Visions: Thinking with Ocean Ecologies across the Arts and Humanities is co-hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Environmental Futures (CEF), Oregon Humanities Center, and the Department of English.
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UO researchers improve maps of forests in Alaska and British Columbia

GEOGRAPHY - Challenges like climate change, conservation planning and natural resource management often extend beyond geographic and political borders, which means it’s vital that analysts and decision-makers can access environmental maps that do the same. CAS researchers James Lamping and Professor Melissa Lucash developed new maps that suggest Alaska and British Columbia forests store more carbon than previously thought.

Rediscovering Indigenous storytelling

NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES—As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and an associate professor of English at the University of Oregon, Kirby Brown blends a deep commitment to preserving his family’s personal stories with a vision for fostering Indigenous research and archival storytelling. Through storytelling and literature, he seeks to highlight moments of love, joy, humor, resistance, desire, and futurity.

Economists Estimate Threats of Climate Change in Oregon

ECONOMICS - Researchers at the University of Oregon are collaborating with economists from Reed College and the private sector to develop a report that shows Oregonians the cost of climate change to households and government agencies. The team has been writing reports that examine the costs increased wildfires could have on households, the looming threat of flooding in Oregon and policy recommendations for how the state could adapt to climate change.

Economics for a Healthier Planet

ECONOMICS - How much do Americans value clean water versus affordable meat? These are the types of tradeoffs Emmett Reynier had to weigh while participating in a research fellowship with the US Environmental Protection Agency. Reynier graduated with a PhD in economics in winter 2025 and is off to a postdoc job at Stanford University and then will be a faculty member at University of Georgia.

Making Sense of Climate Change

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - If there’s one thing that separates today’s students from previous generations, it’s that climate change is no longer a specter looming in some distant future. It’s happening now. Despite their fear and frustration, however, many students also expressed hope—in large part because they see how they and others are making a difference.