Faculty Experts

ENGLISH - Ben Saunders, a UO professor of comic studies, is working with Marvel Comics on a new collaboration series with publisher Penguin Classics.

PSYCHOLOGY - The onslaught of gun violence in America seems never to end. This year alone, at least 247 mass shootings — in which at least four people are shot, including survivors and shooters — have occurred, most recently and most notoriously in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

PHILOSOPHY, DATA SCIENCE - Pigeons can quickly be trained to detect cancerous masses on x-ray scans. So can computer algorithms. But despite the potential efficiencies of outsourcing the task to birds or computers, it’s no excuse for getting rid of human radiologists, argues UO philosopher and data ethicist Ramón Alvarado.

In Glasgow, Scotland, 20,000 delegates from 196 nations have converged to hear the latest science, negotiate commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions, secure financing for developing nations, and debate progress on fulfilling climate pledges. UO faculty experts in law, geography, planning and politics weigh in.

ENGLISH - Ben Saunders, a UO professor of comic studies, is working with Marvel Comics on a new collaboration series with publisher Penguin Classics. The first three books published in the series will be “Black Panther,” “Captain America” and “The Amazing Spider-Man,” with Saunders serving as the series editor and author of the scholarly introductions for the latter two.

HISTORY, FOOD STUDIES - This article is republished as it appears in The Conversation, an independent news publisher that works with academics worldwide to disseminate research-based articles and commentary. The University of Oregon partners with The Conversation to bring the expertise and views of its faculty members to a wide audience.

INDIGENOUS, RACE, AND ETHNIC STUDIES - Many were shocked by U.S. gymnast Simone Biles’ decision this week to withdraw from a premier event at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on mental health, a reaction that could be rooted in unrealistic expectations society places on athletes to be “superhuman,” UO experts said.

ANTHROPOLOGY - A toddler who was found dead in Oregon 58 years ago has finally been identified, thanks to a concerted effort involving local, state and national law enforcement, genetic genealogists and UO scientist Jeanne McLaughlin, an osteologist and forensic anthropologist.

ECONOMICS, BIOLOGY - Around the O is revisiting a story from a year ago, where UO experts weighed in on COVID-19 through the lens of their research expertise. Now they’re providing insights into what surprised them during the pandemic, what’s currently happening in their field and what they are watching as things reopen.

CHEMISTRY - Geraldine Richmond, the UO’s Presidential Chair in Science and a much-honored professor of chemistry, has been nominated to serve in the Biden administration as undersecretary for science in the Department of Energy. Richmond is one of 16 people recently nominated by President Joe Biden for positions in his administration.