Natural Science

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - Knight Campus Undergraduate Scholar Alonso Cruz won the second place $750 prize in the undergraduate category of the Fund it Forward Student Video Challenge, a student video competition presented by the Science Coalition.

BIOLOGY, PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE - A University of Oregon scholarship program funded by the National Science Foundation is enhancing teacher education on campus and creating a ripple effect in public schools around Oregon.

PHYSICS - Three University of Oregon physicists are able to continue their mission to uncover the fundamental secrets of the universe, thanks to continued funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

BIOLOGY - Two assistant professors of biology at the University of Oregon have landed prized early-stage research grants, funding their projects for the next five years.

NEUROSCIENCE - New research in mice sheds light on the seemingly random brain signals that hum in the background of brains. These signals might help the brain switch between states of inattention or disengagement and states of optimal performance, UO researchers reported Oct. 14 in the journal Neuron.

EARTH SCIENCES - There’s a new saber-toothed predator in town — and it’s been hiding in plain sight. The fossil specimen, unearthed in Wyoming, was on display for decades at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. When it went off-exhibit in 2017 during a museum renovation, UO graduate student Paul Barrett finally got a closer look.

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY - UO chemist Geraldine Richmond has been confirmed as the new undersecretary of science and energy for the federal Department of Energy following a voice vote by the U.S. Senate.

COMPUTER SCIENCE - Ram Durairajan wants to future-proof the Internet, and three new grants will help him do so. The UO computer scientist has scored more than $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation and $200,000 from the Internet Society Foundation.

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY - Amid a global effort to transition to more climate-friendly biofuel options, a UO chemistry professor is helping develop carbon-free fermentation technology. Shannon Boettcher, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, received a $400,000, two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

PHYSICS - When Italian physicist Giorgio Parisi was one of three scientists named last week to receive this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics, UO physicist Eric Corwin was elated to see his longtime collaborator recognized.