The University of Oregon's STEM experts not only lead their fields in the areas of science, technology, education, and math, but also work locally and globally to make STEM more accessible to the masses.
To talk to an expert, contact Molly Blancett at blancett@uoregon.edu | 541-346-9134 (this number rings to her mobile phone).
Brendan Bohannan is an expert in microbes, from how they affect (or are affected by) climate change, to how they affect our health, especially when microbes that are meant to live outside are brought into indoor locations, like classrooms, hospitals, and schools through the air or by users of indoor spaces.
Jim Brau is an expert in particle physics and astronomy, and the importance of federal and private investment in scientific research. He is a member of the ATLAS Collaboration, studying high energy physics at the Large Hadron Collider, and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, where he searches for gravitational waves.
Hank Childs is an expert in scientific visualization and high performance computing. At the University of Oregon, he is an associate professor of computer and information science. Hank’s primary research focus in on visualizing and analyzing the very large data sets generated by physics simulations on supercomputers.
David Conover is an expert in ocean science who specializes in marine conservation, the ecology of marine fishes and fisheries science. He serves as the vice president for research and innovation and is also available to speak about the importance of federally funded research and the ways in which research and innovation improve human health, strengthen the economy and address the grand challenges that society faces.
Bill Cresko is an expert in evolution, development, genomics and molecular biology. At the University of Oregon, he is a professor of biology and the associate vice president for research. Bill is interested in how the evolution of genes and developmental processes produces to the amazing diversity of life on earth.
Chris Doe is an expert in neural stem cells, the generation of neurons, and how neural circuits are formed in model organisms such as fruit flies and mice. At the University of Oregon, he is a professor of biology and the co-director of the Institute of Neuroscience. Chris has studied how neural stem cells continue to divide without forming tumors, how stem cells change over time to produce different types of neurons, and how the very first neural circuits form and function to generate movement.
Judith Eisen is an expert in early development of the nervous system, including interactions with host resident microbes. She is considered a pioneer in establishing zebrafish as a model to study the nervous system.
Scott Fisher is an expert about space, NASA, and all things astronomy. His particular strength is making science and STEM accessible to non-scientists. If it involves the stars and what we can learn from the universe beyond this home we call Earth, he can speak to it.
Jessica Green is an expert in biology, ecology, engineering and sustainability of the "built environment," (i.e., buildings, homes, apartment complexes, offices, subways, etc.). She studies ways we can improve our health by improving how and what we build. Jessica also speaks about women in STEM careers and encouraging advancement in STEM.
Karen Guillemin is an expert in microbiology, cell and developmental biology and host-microbe systems. At the University of Oregon, she is a professor of biology in the Institute of Molecular Biology.
Christopher H. Hendon is a computational chemist (think chemistry without the chemicals) and an international expert on the science of coffee. As part of the University of Oregon’s Energy and Sustainable Materials Initiative, Christopher is searching for innovative answers to vexing energy problems and cheaper, greener ways to make batteries, solar cells, and other products.
Samantha Hopkins is an expert in paleontology, climate change and evolution. She studies the evolution of ecology in mammals, primarily fossil mammals, and is interested in the role climate change and geologic activity play in mammal evolution.
Jim Hutchison is an expert in environmentally sustainable product and energy development through the use of green chemistry, biochemistry. His nanoscience research explores solar and hydrogen energy production and storage, plus rapid recharging battery technology. Jim is also adept at translating complicated science into terms anyone can understand.
David Johnson is an expert in nanotechnology, the future of technology and materials analysis. He travels around Oregon giving “science pub” talks, making cutting-edge science accessible and understandable to the general public.
Andy Karduna is an expert in biomechanics and neurocontrol of the upper body, shoulder injuries and science education. Andy is interested in how and why people use their bodies in space, an innate awareness called proprioception. He works with physicians at the Slocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and physical therapists at Oregon Medical Group to help people overcome connective-tissue injuries to shoulders, arms, wrists, knees and ankles that disrupt vital signaling between limbs and the brain. He also studies how it relates to shoulder impingement, a common condition of adults 45–65 years of age, under a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Ken Kato is an expert in mapping and related mapping technologies and apps, transportation planning, geographic information systems (GIS), and "smart cities." His award-winning mapping technologies have been used to help emergency management, risk, planning, operations, and police departments.
Seth Lewis is an expert in social media, media innovation, emerging technologies, technology and society and digital culture. At the University of Oregon, he is the Shirley Papé Chair in Emerging Media. A former journalist turned Ph.D., Seth’s research explores the digital transformation of journalism. He can also speak about robot journalism and journalism in an era of big data.
Andrew Lovering is an expert in cardiopulmonary and respiratory physiology. He studies the heart, lungs and breathing and the impact of environmental conditions such as high-altitude and heat/cold on the human body. His lab, the Cardiopulmonary & Respiratory Physiology Laboratory, has been funded by the Department of Defense, NASA, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association in Oregon.
Daniel Lowd is an expert in machine learning and artificial intelligence. His specific expertise includes adversarial machine learning. These are problems like spam and fraud detection, where it's difficult to build good models because people will always be working to trick them. Daniel researches a range of problems in this area, including understanding the vulnerabilities of popular machine learning methods, how an attacker could exploit them, and how we can build models that are more robust and reliable.
Stephanie Majewski is a particle physicist who is actively involved in the search for dark matter and supersymmetry. She was part of the UO's team involved in the quest for the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. Majewski also has had active roles in upgrades to the ATLAS detector at the collider site.
Jim Meacham is an expert in GIS (geographic information systems), the technology behind real-time mapping. A world-class cartographer and atlas designer, Jim's work includes mapping the migration patterns of big game in Wyoming and co-authoring the Atlas of Yellowstone National Park.
Cris Niell is an expert in neuroscience, interested in understanding how the brain interprets sensory information and drives our actions. His lab has developed methods to study the activity of neurons and brain regions during perception and cognition, with applications that range from childhood development and education to understanding autism and schizophrenia.
Patrick Phillips is an expert in ecology and evolution, the biology of aging, molecular biology and the genetics of complex traits.
Ken Prehoda is an expert in molecular biology and molecular evolution. At the University of Oregon, he is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Ken studies how cells evolve over time and how cellular evolution can help find clues to diseases. He is particularly interested in how proteins work inside cells. Ken and his team identified an ancient mutation that contributed to evolution of multicellular animals.
Michael Raymer is an expert in quantum information science, quantum optics, optical physics and nonlinear optics. At the University of Oregon, he is a Philip H. Knight Professor and professor of physics. Michael’s research focuses on the quantum mechanics of light and its interaction with atoms and molecules, with applications in nonlinear optics, quantum communications technology, and quantum information. He has been a key force in moving the National Quantum Initiative forward. The project brings together experts to accelerate quantum research.
Geraldine Richmond is an expert in science, science policy, and STEM. As a U.S. Science Envoy to Southeast Asia, Geri works to empower women and girls in the U.S. and abroad to pursue careers in the sciences. She also co-founded a career development program for women chemists known as COACh.
Kathleen Scalise is an expert in technology-enhanced assessments in science and mathematics education. Dr. Scalise has work in student collaboration in schools, 21st century skills such as digital literacy and problem solving, cognitive science, learning analytics and data science, and leadership. She specializes in contexts such as instructional technology with simulation, gaming, e-proctoring, AI, credentialing and badges, social media, e-portfolios, the proliferation of different types of learning evidence in big data, attitudinal and non-cognitive measures, and integration with e-learning and backend database systems.
Hollie Smith is an expert in science communication and media. Smith’s research focuses on how the media covers scientific and environmental issues, what effects the coverage has on decision-making behavior, and how innovative trainings can improve scientific understanding through media.
Josh Snodgrass is an expert in human evolutionary biology and global health, describing how humans adapt to environmental stressors, such as sustained extreme cold, and the influence of economic and cultural change on aging, diet, cardiovascular health and metabolic diseases.
Susan Sokolowski is an expert in sports product design innovation, as it relates to footwear, apparel and equipment. Her work explores the interface of the body and design, focusing specifically on underserved populations. A self-professed “sports product geek” who holds more than 35 utility patents in the space, Susan can talk about sports injuries, fit and performance, and history – all as they relate to sports product design.
Nicole Swann is an expert in neuroscience, electrophysiology, and movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. At the University of Oregon, she is an assistant professor of human physiology. Nicole studies how different parts of the human brain interact to generate and control movements and how these processes can be disrupted in disease.
Richard Taylor is an expert in chaos theory, fractals, and the relationship between art and science. His research focuses on "bioinspiration" in which artificial systems benefit from using nature's patterns. He also uses computer analysis to study and authenticate art works, and is considered the leading expert on the artist Jackson Pollock.
David Tyler is an expert in sustainable materials, plastics, and natural gas. He studies the life cycles and environmental impacts of everyday items, like Keurig cups, and also studies light-sensitive materials that can transform sustainable production.
Yuan Xu is an expert in mathematics, analysis, scientific computing, and applied Mathematics. At the University of Oregon, he is professor of mathematics. Yuan specializes in approximation theory, harmonics analysis and numerical analysis.
