Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal
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The Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal (OURJ) is an open access undergraduate research journal at the University of Oregon. It showcases some of the best research and publications by UO undergraduate students across all disciplines.
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Browsing Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal by Content Type "Image"
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Item Open Access Art Feature: “Body Fluidity”(University of Oregon, 2025-02-20) Betancourt, Gio“Body Fluidity” deals with the complexities of the human body, especially in the case of genitalia. People are assigned a specific sex/gender based on the development of their genitalia before birth. Throughout puberty or even during birth, it may become apparent that someone is intersex due to external appearances or hormonal differences internally. In other cases, some individuals feel as though the sex/gender they were assigned by society does not align with their own sense of self and may transition to a different gender or deconstruct gender altogether in a way that subverts society's expected norms. In all of these instances, we see the body as fluid, not binary, not one gender or the other, but as the home of the soul, which inhabits a body unique to everyone else's. In this way, this piece is representative of undergraduate research; through research you may uncover new findings, some of which deconstruct old findings to represent a better understanding of a topic. My art piece is meant to do that—deconstructing the binary instilled into society for centuries and replacing it with a new understanding of the human body.Item Open Access Art Feature: “Heavy Under Pressure”(University of Oregon, 2025-02-20) Betancourt, GioCreated during my study abroad trip to Greece, “Heavy Under Pressure” deals with the complexities of gravity underwater. As someone who had not swam in a body of water for a long period of time, being submerged in water felt heavier than usual, as if my body was made of stone. To illustrate this point, I rendered my hand with goggles wrapped around to signify swimming and the heaviness felt when trying to move your joints underwater. This piece captures the science of gravity underwater, and how complexly the human body adapts to different environments, even if impacted by different feelings.Item Open Access Art Feature: “Loss and Regrowth”(University of Oregon, 2022-11) Schmitt, KylaDuring a recent job as a field technician, I spent time in the burn area of the Beachie Creek Fire, which struck the Lyons-Detroit corridor in August 2020. The fire burned nearly 200,000 acres of old-growth forest, and countless people lost their homes. In the two years that have passed since the incident, however, the scarred hills have gradually grown brighter as foxgloves and other early-successional flora take hold. While wildfires can have devastating effects on human populations—effects that I do not at all intend to diminish—wildfires are a natural part of Oregon’s landscape, and they open up ecological niches for a plethora of wonderful meadow species that cannot tolerate the shady conditions created by old-growth canopies. This photo juxtaposes the human cost of wildfires—embodied by the abandoned, rusted trailer—with the ecological rejuvenation of open skies and ash-rich soil.Item Open Access Cover Art: “Beyond Fruition”(University of Oregon, 2025-02-20) Betancourt, Gio“Beyond Fruition” describes navigating the unknown. Although planning is a great habit for all events, some situations are out of your control, and an individual must problem-solve to figure out solutions to unplanned occurrences. This piece was unplanned initially and became complete through navigating new ways to find answers to issues that I was confronted within the process. Likewise, undergraduate researchers are problem-solvers. Their entire task is to navigate the unknown planned or unplanned, they may navigate unplanned obstacles along the way.Item Open Access Cover Art: “Dance of the Bumblebee”(2023-03-13) Li, AlexanderBumblebees and other pollinators play a vital role in the ecosystem. This particular bumblebee was photographed flying away from a California poppy with a healthy orange pollen sac. The motion of the wings shows the flexibility of the wings and highlights the effect of the rolling camera shutter.Item Open Access Cover Art: “Prague Main Station”(University of Oregon, 2023) Glass, RowanThe main railway station of Prague, Czechia, photographed at dusk in early September 2023. This scene caught my eye for its interplay of light and texture, wherein the lights of one of the station's 600 daily trains reflect off a meshwork of steel rails as it pulls into the platform, and the glow of the station's historic clocktower shines bright against a darkening sky. Above, the last of the day's light gives way to impending night.Item Open Access Cover Art—“Moonrise, Eugene, Oregon”(University of Oregon, 2020-08) Kalman, AudreyHayward Field is the quintessential setting for track and field, and the new Hayward Field will be central to the sport moving forward. This embodiment of progress is analogous to the undergraduate research conducted at the University of Oregon. Researchers and athletes alike aim to push past perceived limits—limits on what can be discovered, limits on what the human body can do. Yet they also recognize that their achievements are possible in part because of those who came before them. Researchers build upon existing knowledge; track and field athletes look to exceed the accomplishments of school legends like Steve Prefontaine, Ashton Eaton, and English Gardner. In this sense, the construction of the new Hayward Field encapsulates the spirit of undergraduate research at UO. Just as we have in the past, Ducks will play crucial roles in the future of both academics and track and field.Item Open Access Cover Art—“The Woman”(University of Oregon, 2020-01) Hollowgrass, ClaraThis piece is part of a series I did which focuses on the refinement found in a face. The medium is scratchboard, which I made myself from wood and black and white paint, and I used an old, empty fountain pen as my carving tool. I focus on the face because it is the part of people that we usually judge first. Ancient humans used a person’s smile or eyes to distinguish between friend and foe. But why do we still make such snap judgements today, and what could we be missing by relying on the physical appearance of solely a face? What is going on beneath someone’s surface? What about them can we not see? The process of making art on scratchboard itself exemplifies this concept. Through the action of scraping back layers to reveal a new dimension on the board, I mimicked the process of getting familiar with a person. You work to look beneath the surface, realizing that there is more than meets the eye.