THEATRE ARTS - Michael Govier and fellow writer Will McCormick won an Academy Award for best animated short film for If Anything Happens I Love You, a 12-minute look into the world of parents whose marriage is suffering under the strain of losing their only child in a school shooting.

THEATRE ARTS - As a kid whose parents introduced him early and often to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Sean Andries (BS ’06, theater arts) appreciates the value the arts can bring to rural communities.

MATHEMATICS, THEATRE ARTS - The Heritage Project will receive $58.5 million in bond funding to renovate University and Villard Halls, the UO’s two founding buildings that together make up one of only 17 National Historic Landmarks in Oregon.

The 14 fellowship recipients are pursuing projects in a range of disciplines, from conducting a study of the experiences and health of transgender people of color during COVID-19 to research that seeks to increase the accessibility of hydrogen fuel usage to an investigation of the effect of video-coaching interventions for early childhood caregivers.

ENGLISH - Mat Johnson, a professor in the Creative Writing Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, is the UO’s newest Philip H. Knight Chair. Johnson joined the UO faculty in 2018 after a decade teaching at the University of Houston’s creative writing program.

Sixteen UO faculty members are being honored with the Presidential Fellowships in Humanistic Studies for their contributions to the arts and humanities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College of Arts and Sciences is recognizing and celebrating both the 2020 and 2021 fellows together.

THEATRE ARTS - When Ty Burrell, the award-winning actor and die-hard Duck fan, addresses the UO’s class of 2021 at next month’s commencement, he will have plenty of pearls of wisdom to dispense to the graduates.

The UO’s Undergraduate Research Symposium is back this year with a virtual format that organizers say will make for an inspiring and accessible event. The symposium itself is May 27, but related events are going on throughout the week as part of the Week of Research.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art will livestream the premiere of “Sanctuary: A Performance,” an artist collaboration exploring the collective experience of women and queer people of color seeking refuge from persecution under the ongoing violence of colonization.

Co-organized by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and the Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Success, the inaugural Week of Research will be held remotely and is open to students, faculty members and staff.

POLITICAL SCIENCE, ENGLISH - Four UO faculty members will serve as the inaugural participants for teaching, mentorship and leadership positions in the new Provost Fellows Program. The program is designed to support faculty members and provide professional development opportunities.

THEATRE ARTS - University Theatre will virtually present “Watermelon Kisses” and “Marisol’s Christmas,” two one-act plays that celebrate the importance of family and storytelling within the LatinX community.

Twelve UO researchers and scholars pursuing research on subjects ranging from rock and roll music to data science to COVID-19 have received 2021 Faculty Research Awards, which support scholarship, creative projects and quantitative or qualitative research from all disciplinary backgrounds.

EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - An analysis of Twitter activity between March and August 2020 by University of Oregon linguists unmasked strong support for face coverings to reduce exposure to COVID-19, but feedback from journal reviewers led to a deeper dive into their data.

ENGLISH - The University of Oregon’s disability studies minor will present a virtual discussion featuring a multiracial panel of professionals with disabilities at its first public forum Wednesday, May 5. Topics include advancing equality in the work place, transitioning from school to career, and navigating the work force with a disability.