HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - The world’s top free divers can hold their breath for minutes at a time, embarking on extended underwater adventures without the aid of scuba equipment.

BIOLOGY - Marine plankton exist as the base of most ocean food webs that support and sustain valuable fisheries. Planktonic organisms remain understudied: researchers find them difficult to sample given that their sizes span from less than one micron to meters.

ENGLISH - Helen Southworth was awarded a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant of $180,000 (2018-2023) and, more recently, another from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (230,000 Pounds (2021-2024), which allows her to continue to work on her collaborative digital humanities project called the Modernist Archives Publishing Project (MAPP).

GEOGRAPHY - The Arctic’s melting glaciers and ice sheets directly cause a rise in sea levels, worsening the effects of storm surges and those associated with coastal erosion. This can have a drastic effect on low-lying coastal communities such as those in western Oregon.

LINGUISTICS - Across the United States, over 65 Native American communities are revitalizing their languages after a period of dormancy without speakers. This process of revitalization is of significant importance and benefit to these communities and the preservation of their cultures.

GEOGRAPHY - The Elliot State Research Forest is home to 93,000 acres of dense forest just north of Coos Bay, Oregon, and is a source of rich biodiversity, providing trees and streams that house endangered species and timber production to support employment in surrounding rural areas. Preserving this rich forest is a priority for the state.

COMPUTER SCIENCE - Earthquakes are often a back-of-the-mind threat for residents of the Pacific Northwest, but nevertheless a growing concern as the years go on. A better understanding of earthquake processes, including nucleation and shaking, and its associated risks to communities, would provide residents with more peace of mind.

ANTHROPOLOGY - Emerging studies suggest that transgender girls may be more likely than other youth to be HIV positive. It also appears that LGBTQIA+ youth and adolescents who may be affected by health inequities may lack resources for prevention and education regarding sexual health and safety.

BIOLOGY - A western wildflower known as the scarlet monkeyflower could demonstrate how key evolutionary traits can help native species adapt to a rapidly changing climate.

PSYCHOLOGY - Examining the relationship between sleep quality and psychological response to stress and reward could reveal insights to help break the cycle of poor mental health and poor sleep health in young adults.