Latest news from the UO

  • Second gentleman, Gov. Brown join campus roundtable

    First appeared in Around the O, July 15University of Oregon leaders and faculty members joined Gov. Kate Brown, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and track athlete Noah Lyles on Friday for a roundtable discussion on raising awareness about mental health. Also on the agenda was the role university research on prevention and intervention support can play in addressing what is now considered a national crisis. UO President Michael H. Schill, interim dean of the College of Education Laura Lee McIntyre, and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education and Student Success Kimberly Johnson represented the UO in the discussion. They heard firsthand about the mental health struggles athletes face, but they also had a broader conversation about the importance of awareness, prevention and evidence-based support, as well as the critical need to destigmatize the issue. “Mental health affects all Americans, especially our underserved and underrepresented communities,” said Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris. “We need to be sure we all shine a light on this issue as best we can. If we can desensitize it and make it okay to talk about, we can literally save lives. The stakes are high.” Schill and Brown shared with Emhoff the UO’s recently launched Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health and how it will be instrumental in creating a new workforce of behavioral health specialists to begin filling a critical need in the state’s schools. “The University of Oregon is pleased to bring our faculty and researchers’ expertise in prevention science, psychology, neuroscience and early education to help address the nation’s urgent mental and behavioral health crisis,” said Schill, who thanked Brown for her support of the Ballmer Institute and Emhoff for the Biden-Harris administration’s support of public research on prevention and intervention programs. “I have been pleased to partner with the University of Oregon in launching the new Ballmer Institute, which will be a first-of-its-kind behavioral health education facility that will help us create a more diverse workforce,” Brown added. Lyles, who is in Eugene to compete in the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, candidly shared some of his background and the mental health challenges he has faced, adding how critical family support was to him. “This topic hits close to home for me and I look forward to continuing these conversations to support athletes and prioritizing this important issue,” Lyles said.

    Read More
  • UO's Simnitt appointed to HECC

    UO faculty member Emily Simnitt is one of three people nominated by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and confirmed by the Oregon Senate to serve on the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

    Read More
  • Marine biology major is among this year's Goldwater Scholars

    Jenna Travers pursuit of a marine biology degree is getting a boost from a Goldwater Foundation scholarship, named for former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona. 

    Read More
  • Oregon Representatives urge Congress to double the Pell Grant

    On April 27, U.S. Reps Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, and Suzanne Bonamici from Oregon joined 111 of their U.S. House colleagues in signing a letter asking for a significant increase in investment of the Federal Pell Grant in Fiscal Year 2023.

    Read More
  • Law professor tackles climate change legislation in US Senate

    The National Guard was sleeping in the basement and wire barriers surrounded the Capitol Building when UO law professor Greg Dotson started working as the chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in early 2021. 

    Read More
  • See how quantum 'weirdness' is improving electron microscopes

    Two new advances from the lab of UO physicist Ben McMorran are refining the microscopes. Both come from taking advantage of a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics. 

    Read More
  • UO celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

    The University of Oregon will again celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month this May to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of Asian, Desi and Pacific Island Americans. 

    Read More
  • Peace Corps Celebrates 60 years at the UO

    This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps and we’re celebrating by telling the stories of 14 alumni who made significant differences, learned valuable lessons, and changed for the better during their time in the Corps.

    Read More
  • A 'social' gene in fish could contain new clues to autism

    A mutation in a gene called EGR1 snuffs out a social behavior in zebrafish, researchers in the UO's Institute of Neuroscience show in a new study.

    Read More