CAS News

Environmental Science

Student Wins Cultural Exchange Scholarship

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letendreEnvironmental studies and German studies double major Sarah Letendre (pictured) has been awarded a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship for Young Professionals and will spend a year in Germany starting in July, according to Laurie McLary, international languages and cultures. Letendre participated in the studies abroad program in Salzburg and recently traveled with the entrepreneur scholars program to China. She has begun a business creating handbags from recycled fabrics and will be pursuing study and an internship in eco-fashion in Germany with the grant.

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) is a fellowship funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Congress. Each year it provides 75 American and 75 German young professionals the opportunity to spend a year in each others’ countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program. Find out more at http://tinyurl.com/c2kjbrq, or contact McLary at 7255 or mclary@up.edu.

Sourced from UpBeat.

Environmental Studies Public Screening of “Backyard,” Feb. 25

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In cooperation with PCC Sylvania, the University’s environmental studies program will host a public screening of Deia Schlosberg’s 27-minute film, “Backyard,” on Tuesday, February 25, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Clinton Street Theatre (2522 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202). Schlosberg’s film is a documentary about fracking (fracturing of rock by pressurized liquid to extract uranium, oil, etc.) and its effects on five people’s lives. Following stories in Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Dakota, and Montana, an eerie similarity emerges despite vast differences in geography and personal histories. “The Sky is Pink” will be screened In addition to “Backyard,” and Schlosberg has agreed to lead a discussion after the films. The movie is free of charge but donations will be requested at the door, to go to 350.org. For more information contact Steve Kolmes, environmental studies, at 7291 or kolmes@up.edu.

Sourced from UpBeat.

UP, Portland Join Worldwide Sustainable Education Network

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Greater Portland has been recognized as a formal Regional Center of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) by the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Studies of Sustainability. Our region joins 127 RCEs around the world (now numbering three in the U.S.: Grand Rapids, Mich., Shenandoah Valley, Va., and Portland). The University of Portland has been one of the institutions cooperating to propose this RCE, as have Portland State, Portland Community College, Lewis and Clark College, Marylhurst, the University of Oregon Portland campus, Washington State University-Vancouver, Pacific University, and many other educational, government institutions, businesses, and non-governmental organizations. The RCE is intended to increase collaborations in the greater Portland area to promote the understanding of sustainability. To see a complete list of RCE members see http://tinyurl.com/k7cxao3 and for more information contact Steve Kolmes, environmental studies, at kolmes@up.edu.

Sourced from UpBeat.

CAS Faculty Receive All Four University Awards

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photoCongratulations to the following University of Portland Faculty Award winners, announced during the Annual Faculty Awards Dinner on May 7, 2013:

Dr. John C. Orr,  Department of English 2013
Culligan Award
The James Culligan Award, established in 1953 is presented annually to a member of the faculty in recognition of distinguished service inside the classroom and in the larger University community. Winners of the Culligan Award wear the medal with their academic regalia, as a sign of the University’s highest faculty honor.

Dr. Lars Larson, Department of English 2013
Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching
This award is presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who is a particular exemplar of the University’s commitment to superb teaching. The requirements or the award are “commitment to students and their learning, the creation of instructional settings and their learning, the creation of instructional settings that engage students, a deep understanding of the subject and effective ways to teach it, critical and systematic thinking and practice of teaching, and wide respect for the teacher as expert and resource for other professors.”

Dr. Steven Kolmes, Department of Environmental Studies, 2013 and Dr. Russell Butkus, Department of Theology 2013
Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship
This award is presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who presents unusually significant and meritorious achievement in professional scholarship during the past two academic years, and whose work substantively enhances the effectiveness of his or her classroom teaching.

Dr. Kathleen (Kate) Regan, Department of International Languages and Cultures 2013
Deans’ Award for Faculty Leadership
This award is selected annually by the University’s Deans to a tenured faulty member who exemplifies, in an extraordinary way, the qualities of teaching and scholarship described in the University’s Academic Administration Manual for appointment, advancement in rank, and tenure. Over the course of his or her career at the University, this faculty member has also made significant contributions to the professional development of his or her colleagues and to the advancement of the University.

“A Fierce Green Fire” Screening

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The University of Portland and Neighbors for Clean Air(NCA) will present a screening of the film“A  Fierce Green Fire: Stories of the Environmental Movement,” followed by a question and answer session with environmental activist Lois Gibbs, on Saturday, April 27, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., in Buckley Center Auditorium. The screening and Q & A session are free and open to all.

Directed and written by Mark Kitchell and narrated by Robert Redford, Ashley Judd,Van Jones, Isabel Allende, and Meryl Streep, the film premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2012. It has won acclaim at festivals around the world, and in 2013 begins its theatrical release as well as educational distribution and use by environmental groups and grassroots activists.

Lois Gibbs began her work in environmental causes in 1978 when she discovered that her 7-year-old son’s elementary school in Niagara Falls, NewYork was built on a toxic waste dump. Subsequent investigation revealed that her entire neighborhood, Love Canal, was built on top of the dump. Gibbs organized her neighbors and formed the Love Canal Homeowners Association, leading her community in a battle against the local, state, and federal governments. After a three-year fight, Gibbs’ leadership led to the relocation of 833 Love Canal households.

The screening and Gibbs’ appearance are cosponsored by Opal, the Sierra Club, and Groundwork Portland. For more information contact Steven Kolmes, environmental science, at ext. 7291 or kolmes@up.edu.

Bob Butler is among principal investigators for $625,000 NSF grant

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University of Portland is part of a consortium of Northwest universities that has received a $625,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant includes training educators in Oregon and Washington coastal communities on the region’s earthquake and tsunami hazards and conveying this knowledge to students and visitors to parks and museums.

University of Portland environmental studies professor Robert Butler is one of four principal investigators of the grant. Since 2004, Butler has led a program called Teachers on the Leading Edge (TOTLE). TOTLE is a professional development program for Pacific Northwest earth science teachers. The TOTLE web site offers K-12 teachers an introduction to the active continental margin geology of the Pacific Northwest. Teaching resources that are provided include animations, video lectures, slide shows, virtual field experiences, and lesson plans that feature plate tectonics and geologic hazards of the Pacific Northwest.

[Read more…] about Bob Butler is among principal investigators for $625,000 NSF grant

Bob Butler: A teacher of teachers

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From THE BEACON
Nastacia Voisin, Staff Writer

Bob Butler

Amid the clutter of books and papers in Robert Butler’s office, large geological maps catch the eye – just as they are meant to. “Earth science is a powerfully visual science,” Butler said. “If you see it, you can better understand it.”

Butler, more commonly known as Coach Bob, is an earth science professor. As a geophysicist who’s been researching geological hazards for decades, Butler’s spent the past six years developing animations of seismological models that help teachers explain earth science in visual terms.

It’s a scholarly hobby that earned him the Oregon Academy of Science 2013 Outstanding Higher Education Teacher in Science and Mathematics, an annual award recognizing exceptional scientists and researchers dedicated to education.

Butler is honored to have received the award, but remains humble about the recognition. “I think the key is that I don’t feel special about how I teach science classes here at UP or elsewhere,” he said. [Read more…] about Bob Butler: A teacher of teachers

Bob Butler Wins OAS Outstanding Teaching Award

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Bob Butler, with former CAS Dean Marlene Moore, at award ceremony

Congratulations to Bob Butler for receiving the Oregon Academy of Science 2013 Outstanding Higher Education Teacher in Science and Mathematics!  The award was presented on March 2, 2013.

The Oregon Academy of science promotes scientific research and education in Oregon. Divisions of the Academy represent all areas of the natural sciences and social sciences. The Academy encourages participation by research and applied scientists and educators from all fields. Discipline sections work to encourage the communication among Oregon scientists both private and public through the annual OAS meeting. The annual OAS meeting acknowledges contributions by outstanding university and K-12 educators demonstrating dedication to the advancement of science education. Additionally, each year the Academy acknowledges an Oregon scientist who has made outstanding contributions in their field.

Robert Butler joined the Department of Chemistry and Physics as Professor of Science in 2004. He earned a B.S. in Physics and Geology from Oregon State University in 1968. He completed his M.S. in 1970 and Ph.D. in 1972 in the Department of Geophysics at Stanford University. From 1972 to 1974, he was a Research Associate in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota. From 1974 to 2004, he was with the Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor, and then University Distinguished Professor. Dr. Butler is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America. Professor Butler’s research projects on application of paleomagnetism to geochronologic and tectonic problems have involved fieldwork on six continents. Recent scholarly work has included (1) magnetostratigraphy of Cenozoic sedimentary sequences of Nepal, (2) paleomagnetic studies of Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonics of western South America, (3) terrain motion and uplift history of the Canadian Cordillera and southeastern Alaska, (4) paleomagnetic studies of vertical axis rotations of the northern Tibetan Plateau and Tarim Basin, China, (5) enhancement of Earth science teaching through computer visualization of geological processes space and time, especially K-12 applications of GIS, (6) geochronology of hominid fossil and stone tool bearing deposits in Ethiopia, (7) field-based Earth Science teacher professional development. Dr. Butler teaches Earth System Science, Natural Hazards of the Pacific Northwest, and Introduction to Marine Science.

Earth Care Summit

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Please join us on January 28, 2013, 5:30-8:45pm at St. Andrew Lutheran Church. Be inspired by speakers and each other, and enjoy a seasonal dinner with old and new friends. With the theme “Living Waters,” the Summit will explore the theoretical water issues we are facing on global, regional and local levels, and provide practical ideas on how to address the issues at home and in your congregation. Click here for more information.

Animating Earthquakes & Tsunamis

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by Bob Butler

Prof. Robert Butler

Over the past six years, I have worked extensively with geoscience educators at the Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS), a consortium of university and government organizations supported by the National Science Foundation.  IRIS is the professional organization of earthquake seismologists that facilitates seismological research through operation of the Global Seismic Network in cooperation with the US Geologic Survey.  IRIS also supports development and dissemination of earthquake education resources through its Education and Public Outreach (EPO) Program.   Since 2003, I have collaborated with IRIS EPO geoscience educators in providing professional development workshops for K-12 Earth Science teachers and developing earthquake and tsunami education resources including K-12 lesson plans, video lectures, and animations of earthquake processes and concepts. [Read more…] about Animating Earthquakes & Tsunamis