After more than three decades in office, Peter DeFazio MA ’77 is retiring. DeFazio’s service and voting record is extensive with over 20,000 votes logged in Congress and his impact goes far beyond representing the people of southwestern Oregon.

GENERAL SOCIAL SCIENCES - What brings people together? Alumni Connor Bussey, BS ’19 (business administration), and Adam Faris, BS ’20 (general social science), took to the popular TikTok platform for answers to that question during the pandemic. What they found: Cars. Yachts. Mansions. Sports. No, really.

University of Oregon alumnae are changing the face of public service. We look to the women highlighted in this article to govern nations, lead at the highest level of the military, interpret the law, determine the constitutionality of the law, and apply it to individual cases, and serve the public in state and local government.

FOLKLORE - When folklorist Michael Atwood Mason walks into work each day, he’s greeted by the legendary Emancipation Proclamation room, where President Lincoln wrote his famous 1863 presidential speech. As CEO and executive director of the Lincoln Cottage, Mason plays a pivotal role in the operations of the National Trust for Historic Preservation site.

Reunion season is quickly approaching, and the University of Oregon Alumni Association (UOAA) is excited to welcome alumni back to campus with the Oregon Alumni Band Reunion, Black Alumni Reunion, and a combined 50th reunion for the 1972 and 1973 classes.

The long legacy that women have made in sports at the UO and beyond. While Title IX continues to impact generations, we look at a group of alumnae who have inspired countless women and girls who came after them.

DATA SCIENCE, BIOLOGY, ECONOMICS - The Data Science Initiative graduated their first group of undergraduates. Seven undergraduate data science students walked the stage this spring to collect their diplomas, an exciting moment for the university’s new data science degree program.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - NASA recognized a University of Oregon alumnus for his impactful research on the health of astronauts in space with an award depicting NASA’s own safety mascot, the beloved cartoon dog Snoopy.

THEATRE ARTS - Six years in the making, three powerful films by University of Oregon theater arts alumnus and award-winning documentary filmmaker Skye Fitzgerald raise awareness and shine stark light on the plight of their subjects. He calls the projects his “humanitarian trilogy.”

BIOLOGY - When Folake Owodunni came to the University of Oregon from Nigeria in 2005 to study premed, she knew she wanted to help people. Today, her international health technology company is poised to help people across Africa.