CAS News

UPBEAT

CAS Butine Faculty Development Fund Spring Cycle Winners

By

The Committee on Teaching and Scholarship (TAS) has determined award recipients for the 2016-2017 Butine Faculty Development Fund Spring cycle, according to committee chair Aaron Wootton, mathematics. This spring’s Butine award recipients are:

  • Vail Fletcher, Conference Funding: International Environmental Communication Association Conference; $1,997
  • Ted Eckmann, Conference Funding:  Joint Meeting of the Japan Geoscience Union and American Geophysical Union, $2,000
  • Tara Prestholdt, Research Project: The effects of EÑSO on nudibranch diversity and abundance in Oregon, $1,500
  • Nicole Hanig, Research Project: Social Justice Issues in Art Song Repertoire, $650
  • Joseph Jefferson, Conference Funding: Texas Music Educators Conference and the International Trombone Festival, $2,000
  • David Taylor, Conference Funding: International Botanical Congress, $2,000
  • David De Lyser, Conference Funding: National Conducting Symposium, $1,200
  • Ami Ahern-Rindell, Conference Funding: World Symposium on Lysosomal Storage Disorders, $1,500
  • Deanna Julka, Conference Funding: Summer Institute for Educators, $2,000
  • Allie Hill, Conference Funding: Northeast Modern Language Association Conference, $871.29
  • Jakob Kotas, Conference Funding: SIAM Conference on Optimization and the MAA Pacific Northwest Section Meeting, $2,000
  • Lindsay Benes, Research Project: Validation of Bag Valve Mask Rate and Volume, $600

Story from UPBeat

New Student Resource Available

By

The University of Portland is committed to helping students find undergraduate research opportunities and has recently adopted a resource, the Student Opportunity Center, that connects students to over 10,000 student conferences, journals, research, and funding opportunities. The Student Opportunity Center is free to UP community members, easy to use, and customizable to student interests. Opportunities exist for all majors

Students can use their up.edu email account to sign up at this link. This short YouTube tutorial provides information about the Student Opportunity Center. Students can contact ur@up.edu if they have any issues setting up their accounts.

For more information contact the Office of the Provost (staten@up.edu) or the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (leasor@up.edu).

Bob Butler Wins 2015 Neil Miner Award

By

ButlerUniversity of Portland environmental science professor Robert F. Butler has received the Neil Miner Award from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT). The award honors individuals for their exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in Earth sciences. The NAGT has presented the award since 1953 and is named after Neil Miner, who was known for his contagious enthusiasm for geology and unselfish dedication to his students and his profession. Butler was nominated by fellow geoscience professors and will be honored November 3 at the annual NGAT luncheon.
Butler has been a professor of geophysics at the University since 2004. He teaches earth system science, natural hazards, and oceanography and is known locally as an expert in the field of earthquakes and earthquake preparedness. He is also the project director of Teachers on the Leading Edge (TOTLE), a K-12 Earth Science teacher professional development program featuring Pacific Northwest geology and geological hazards. Among his many awards, Butler was named the Oregon Academy of Science 2013 Outstanding Higher Education Teacher in Science and Mathematics and received the 2014 Fred Fox Distinguished Service to Science Education Award from the Oregon Science Teachers Association.
–Story from UPBeat

Speech & Debate Union Earns Bronze Eagle Award

By

SDUThe University of Portland Speech and Debate Union won a Bronze Eagle team trophy from the Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC) for the 2014-2015 academic year, according to Bohn Lattin, communication studies. The NFC is made up of speech and debate teams from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, and also includes some of the most prominent, award-winning, and well-funded teams in the nation.

Eagle team trophies are awarded based on a compilation of cumulative points earned during the year. Each individual debate and speech award won, each individual speaker award earned, and each individual platform trophy awarded is tabulated and goes toward a total team score. Team members are Karina Agbisit, communication studies; Lakshmi Biswas-Diener, communication studies; Arthur Hammer, business administration; Elizabeth Hartley, biology; Lisa Holm, communication studies; Patrick Johnson, education; Anna Murphy, political science; Alex Parini, political science; Edward Richter, political science; Chelsea Roberts, communication studies; and Katherine Wilson, political science. All are welcome to see the trophy located in a case outside the College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information contact Lattin at 7352 or lattin@up.edu.

–Story from UPBeat

New Duties For Fr. Art Wheeler

By

Fr. Art Rev. Art Wheeler, C.S.C., has indicated to the provost that he would like to return to the history faculty on a full-time basis beginning with the 2015 fall semester. He currently serves as assistant to the provost and director of the Studies Abroad Program

In his 20 years as study abroad director, Fr. Art has been relentless about adding programs and encouraging students to study abroad, and now about one-third of UP students have studied abroad at some point in their academic programs. He has also served as associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and was a long serving chair of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Athletics. Father Art has  consistently taught classes while serving in administrative roles. He won the Culligan Award, the highest award for faculty at the University of Portland, in 2005, and was recognized with the Dean’s Award for Leadership in 2012. He is a well-known advocate for students and his counseling and advising services have been influential in students’ lives for many years.

–Story from UPbeat

English Major Cassie Sheridan Wins National Journalism Award

By

sheridanUP student Cassie Sheridan [English major, class of 2015] won a national award for an interactive digital timeline she designed for The Beacon last spring, titled “History of Women at UP”, according to Nancy Copic, student activities. Sheridan won Second Place in the category of “Interactive Graphic for Digital Media” in the Gold Circle Awards sponsored by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, based at the Columbia University School of Journalism in New York.

While The Beacon has won several national awards in recent years, this is the first national award the paper has won for digital media. The blog College Media Matters also named the timeline one of the “Seven Standout Student Press Stories.” For more information contact Copic at 7470 or copic@up.edu.

–Story from UPbeat

Mock Trial Team Heading to National Tournament

By

mockThe University of Portland Mock Trial Team took two squads to the Pacific Northwest Regional Tournament in Boise, Idaho, over the weekend of February 7-8. Out of 19 teams competing, UP placed second with a 6-2 record, and placed ninth (top honorable mention) with a 4-4 record, according to coach Aaron Johnson, political science. The team’s second place finish ensures a spot at the Opening Round National Championship tournament scheduled to be held in Chicago, Illinois, on March 20-22.

The UP team also brought home four individual awards: Nicolas Barradas, senior and captain (pictured), was awarded the top attorney award at the tournament with a perfect score. Freshman Jacque Nelson received an outstanding attorney award, and freshman Ariana Ebesu took home an award for top witness with a perfect score, and freshman Kathryn Murdock also received an outstanding witness award.

Team members are Nic Barradas, Emma England, Mackenna Krohn, London Ballard, Triton Pitassi, Emily Strand, Kathryn Murdock, Katherine Miller, Edward Richter, Jacque Nelson, Natalie Hagen, Ethan McBride, Will Gunnels, Ariana Ebesu, and Chastin Kekahuna. Assistant coaches are Kathya Acuna and Jeremiah Swisher.

–Story from UPbeat

Newly Tenured & Promoted Faculty Members

By

Congratulations to the following CAS faculty members who were recently notified of tenure and promotion to associate professor, effective July 1, 2015:

 

 Callendar Hannah Callender, Mathematics 
 DeLyser David De Lyser, Performing & Fine Arts 
 Fletcher Vail Fletcher, Communication Studies 
 Hill Alexandra Hill, International Languages & Cultures 
 Peterson Valerie Peterson, Mathematics 
 Rookey Bryan Rookey, Sociology & Social Work

 

Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m; UP Orchestra Concert

By

orchestraThe University of Portland Orchestra will present “Airs, Fantasies and Diamonds: An evening of Symphonic String Music” on Saturday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m., in Buckley Center Auditorium. The concert is free and open to all.

As a prelude to their January 2015 tour, the orchestra will present an evening of varied music written for string orchestra. Selections will include Karl Jenkins “Palladio,” a portion of which was made famous in DeBeers diamond commercials; selections from Respighi’s “Ancient Airs and Dances,” Alan Hovhannes’ “Celestial Fantasy,” Eric Whitacre’s “October,” and Johann Stamitz’s “Mannheim Symphony.”

For more information contact performing and fine arts at 7228 or pfa@up.edu.

Bob Butler Honored By Oregon Science Teachers Association

By

ButlerBob Butler, environmental science, has been selected to receive the Fred Fox Distinguished Service to Science Education Award from the Oregon Science Teachers Association. The award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to mentoring and developing new teachers, and is based on career longevity, breadth of influence, enthusiasm for science and the profession of science education, and the demonstrated ability to motivate.

Butler has been a professor of geophysics at the University since 2004. He teaches Earth System Science, Natural Hazards, and Oceanography, but is probably best known as an expert in the field of earthquakes and earthquake preparedness. Butler is also the project director of Teachers on the Leading Edge (TOTLE), a K-12 Earth Science teacher professional development program featuring Pacific Northwest geology and geological hazards.

Butler was a professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona from 1974 to 2001, and was recognized as Distinguished Professor of Geosciences there from 2001 to 2004. Among his many awards, Butler was named the Oregon Academy of Science 2013 Outstanding Higher Education Teacher in Science and Mathematics. This award will be presented during the annual Oregon Science Teachers Association conference on Friday, October 10, at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel (1919 NE 181st, Portland, OR 97230).

For more information contact the environmental science department at 8342 or inanb@up.edu.