Twenty outstanding faculty members, the most since 2007, have been selected for the sought-after Fund for Faculty Excellence Awards for the 2021-22 academic year. The fund is designed to reward, recognize and retain world-class teaching and research at the UO.

ANTHROPOLOGY, LINGUISTICS, SOCIOLOGY - A new UO study, which was recently shared with the U.S. secretary of labor, shows that COVID-19 has caused long-term economic, social, physical and mental health challenges for farmworkers in Oregon.

ANTHROPOLOGY - In January 2020, a prestigious scientific journal published a paper that revived a long-discredited theory that a group of marauding cannibals from South America descended on islands of the Caribbean circa A.D. 800, terrorizing local populations.

GEOGRAPHY - The UO has partnered with the state to build a web-based platform that directs Oregon coastal communities to evacuation routes in the event of a tsunami. The UO InfoGraphics Lab and Location Innovation Lab have been working to develop the platform.

A specially designed outdoor classroom opens this fall: Tykeson Hall’s west terrace. The updated open space, constructed specifically to serve as an informal learning area, has tiered bench seating that is wired with electrical outlets so students can plug in.

INDIGENOUS, RACE, AND ETHNIC STUDIES - Many were shocked by U.S. gymnast Simone Biles’ decision this week to withdraw from a premier event at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on mental health, a reaction that could be rooted in unrealistic expectations society places on athletes to be “superhuman,” UO experts said.

ANTHROPOLOGY - A toddler who was found dead in Oregon 58 years ago has finally been identified, thanks to a concerted effort involving local, state and national law enforcement, genetic genealogists and UO scientist Jeanne McLaughlin, an osteologist and forensic anthropologist.

DATA SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - The university’s chief academic officer has launched a campus-wide effort to build on strengths in academia, with initiatives in data science, diversity, environment, innovation, and sport and wellness.

SOCIOLOGY - If you go to a doctor for chest pain, you don’t want a prescription for a sore throat. That’s how Raoul Liévanos looks at government policies for disadvantaged groups: will the remedy solve the real problem? Or could it be misguided due to an incomplete diagnosis?

The 14 fellowship recipients are pursuing projects in a range of disciplines, from conducting a study of the experiences and health of transgender people of color during COVID-19 to research that seeks to increase the accessibility of hydrogen fuel usage to an investigation of the effect of video-coaching interventions for early childhood caregivers.

ECONOMICS - Those who are strongly skeptical about climate change are unlikely to change their minds for many years to come, according to a new study by University of Oregon environmental economist Grant McDermott.

ECONOMICS, BIOLOGY - Around the O is revisiting a story from a year ago, where UO experts weighed in on COVID-19 through the lens of their research expertise. Now they’re providing insights into what surprised them during the pandemic, what’s currently happening in their field and what they are watching as things reopen.

PHYSICS, WOMEN'S, GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES - Five UO researchers-scholars and two research teams that have made significant impacts on society and on their respective fields will receive 2021 Outstanding Research Awards.

INDIGENOUS, RACE & ETHNIC STUDIES - A changing climate, aging infrastructure and lack of sustained investment have resulted in stress on Oregon’s water systems, with communities of color disproportionately affected, according to a recent report by the Oregon Water Futures Project. The report’s lead author is Alaí Reyes-Santos, associate professor of Indigenous, race and ethnic studies at the UO.

Sixteen UO faculty members are being honored with the Presidential Fellowships in Humanistic Studies for their contributions to the arts and humanities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College of Arts and Sciences is recognizing and celebrating both the 2020 and 2021 fellows together.