SOCIOLOGY - When Burks arrived at the UO in 1992, he had no idea what to study, but an introductory sociology class grabbed his attention. “It appealed to my curiosity about what makes people tick,” he says. Burks would go on to have a career filled with danger and intrigue as a special agent for the US government, protecting international dignitaries and overseeing security at embassies around the world.

ANTHROPOLOGY, HISTORY, LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES, NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES - The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation announced this year's Outstanding Research Awards, many of which went to College of Arts and Sciences faculty members: Professor Carlos Aguirre (history and Latin American studies) and Assistant Professor Gabriel Sanchez (anthropology).

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES, PHILOSOPHY - Sensors collect data on all sorts of information, including gait consistency, body temperature, heart rate, and more. But where is the ethical line between using sensor data to help an athlete improve their performance—and even avoid injury—and that same data being used to sideline them or used as surveillance of behavior?

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, INDIGENOUS, RACE, ETHNIC STUDIES, - Staff and faculty members came together for the inaugural College of Arts and Sciences Awards and Hallmark Achievement Reception, which celebrated some of the achievements of faculty and staff. In addition to celebrating some of the college’s faculty members who have received accolades outside of the university, the ceremony featured the college’s first-ever awards that recognize the work of faculty and staff.

INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES, NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES - Brian Klopotek, an associate professor, is one of three College of Arts and Sciences faculty members to receive the Herman Award for Specialized Pedagogy award from the university's Office of the Provost.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, GEOGRAPHY - Damp weather in the winter and spring doesn’t necessarily protect against wildfires later in the year, according to University of Oregon researchers. Instead, increased moisture can act to increase the threat of fire as summer heat bakes the landscape.

GEOGRAPHY - On May 23, 2024, Professor Mark Carey gave a keynote address to the Chilean Congress of Cryospheric Science. According to Carey's abstract on his research, research on the human dimensions of glaciers and the cryosphere has increased substantially during the last decade, including in new subfields such as “ice humanities” and “cold humanities.”

POLITICAL SCIENCE - This ADPI Heritage Month, the UO Alumni Association reflects on the many contributions of Ducks identifying as Asian, Desi, and Pacific Islander. Meet College of Arts and Sciences alumni and the careers they have developed after college. May Wu, BA ’15 (political science) is featured in this story.

GLOBAL STUDIES, SOCIOLOGY - Japan's energy shift after the Fukushima disaster saw a surge in fossil fuel use. How does this impact their long-term sustainability goals? Recent research by Yvonne Braun of global studies and Michael Dreiling of sociology is featured.

SOCIOLOGY - Department of Sociology Professor Claire Herbert and Sociology graduate employee Amanda Ricketts’ collaboration was accepted at Social Problems peer-reviewed journal. This research was funded by a Marquina Award from the Department of Sociology and a research grant from the Center for the Study of Women in Society.

HISTORY - A historian and a linguist have received National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) awards, a prestigious honor that goes to only 16% of applicants in a given year. The grants were awarded to Gabriela Pérez Báez, associate professor of linguistics and director of the Language Revitalization Lab, and Arafaat Valiani, an associate professor in the Department of History and affiliated faculty in the Global Health program.

POLITICAL SCIENCE - Assistant Professor Neil O’Brian is among 28 academics and researchers across the United States to be selected as a 2024 Andrew Carnegie Fellow, which comes with a $200,000 grant. O'Brian's newest book, “The Roots of Polarization: From the Racial Realignment to the Culture Wars,” will be available August, 2024.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES - Meet Keyen Singer, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Her Indian name is Wáašaša qmɨmsalí ptínits, Dancing Hummingbird Girl. Singer is Miss Indigenous UO and her major is environmental studies. Singer endeavors to embrace the interconnectedness of tradition and modernity, while committed to her cultural legacy and the sanctity of first foods.

ANTHROPOLOGY - Todd Braje's (PhD, anthropology, '07) newest book, Understanding Imperiled Earth: How Archeology and Human History Can Inform Our Planet’s Future, looks back in history to find solutions for the climate crisis. Braje is also the Museum of Natural and Cultural History executive director.

HISTORY - From debating the removal of public monuments to writing amicus briefs for the US Supreme Court, public historians in the College of Arts and Sciences are putting their expertise to work by helping communities engage with history.