GLOBAL STUDIES - What happens outside of the classroom can be just as important as what happens inside. Audrey Bruce (not pictured) is one of three CAS students featured in the CAS Connection Student Spotlight. Bruce, a global studies major and Italian minor, spent part of her summer in Lecce, Italy.

GEOGRAPHY, GLOBAL STUDIES - The UO is one of the top 25 higher ed institutions in the US for producing Peace Corps volunteers. For these two CAS students, the Peace Corps is about joining a global community and using their liberal arts degree in a meaningful, life-changing way.

GLOBAL HEALTH - University of Oregon senior Nayantara Arora has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Oxford, making her the first Duck to earn the prized award in more than 15 years. Arora is majoring in neuroscience and minoring in global health and chemistry. At Oxford, Arora plans to pursue two master’s degrees, one in modeling for global health and the other in international health and tropical medicine.

GEOGRAPHY, HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - Three current UO students have been selected as finalists for the prestigious Rhodes scholarship, the oldest international fellowship award in the world.

BIOLOGY, CINEMA STUDIES, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, GEOGRAPHY - From animals to adhesives to DJ food stamp, students in First-year Interest Groups follow their fascinations and create community.

ECONOMICS - The University of Oregon jumped to a tie for 98th in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings for best national universities. The College of Arts and Sciences landed at 71st in computer science, 88th in economics and 51st in psychology.

BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - The Hallett Lab is collecting samples to test a new, more sustainable way to farm hazelnuts. Steve Haring, a postdoctoral researcher in the Hallett Lab, is studying what happens when cover crops, such as native wildflowers, are used as beds around the trees.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - After a recent week in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, five UO graduate students have returned ready to use what they learned to help local communities plan for a more sustainable future.