UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

02-19-2024

Get Ready for thePilot Venture Challenge 2024—Informational Meeting (Feb. 21)

The 2024 Pilot Venture Challenge, UP’s premier invention, business and social venture competition hosted by the Franz Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, is now accepting applications from students across all majors and disciplines. Pilot Venture Challenge will be held on Saturday, April 27.

To help students learn how to register, get help, prepare and participate there will be a virtual Informational Meeting on Wednesday, February 21 from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

To learn more about the Informational Meeting and register to attend, visit the Pilot Venture Challenge webpage.

For questions, contact Kay Molkentin at molkenti@up.edu

“These Shining Lives” (Feb. 21-28)

You are cordially invited to UP Theater’s first production of 2024: These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich, directed by Lezlie Cross, PhD. Based on a true story, this beautifully heartbreaking play chronicles the strength and determination of four women who were poisoned by the working conditions at the Radium Dial Company. Through years of work, Catherine, Frances, Charlotte, and Pearl create an enduring bond of female friendship, which is vital to their lives. A story of survival in its most transcendent sense, Catherine and her friends refuse to allow the company that stole their health to kill their spirits. This forgotten chapter in the history of American legal and labor history is a theatrical and emotional journey that reminds us all of the value of the time we have together in our lives.

Performances are February 21-24 at 7:30 p.m. and February 25 at 2:00 p.m. in the Mago Hunt Theater. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students. Faculty and staff are eligible for half-price tickets with the promo code HALF4FACSTAFF and students are eligible for free student rush tickets on Wednesday, February 21 starting at 7:00 at the Box Office window.

Purchase Tickets

Go to up.edu/theater for more information

“These Shining Lives”: Pre-Play Reception and Panel (Feb. 24)

All ticket holders for These Shining Lives are invited to enjoy a complimentary wine, cheese and dessert reception as campus experts highlight what to look and listen for, courtesy of the Garaventa Center.

Saturday, February 24, Mago Hunt Center. Reception at 6:15 p.m., pre-play panel at 6:45 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m.

Info: up.edu/garaventa or 503-943-7702. ADA compliant event

A Love Supreme: Spirituality in the Music of John Coltrane with author Ashley Kahn (Feb. 28)

Please join the UP Music Program’s Music at Midweek class for a presentation on spirituality in the music of John Coltrane by jazz author and educator Ashley Kahn. Mr. Kahn will be in Portland giving lectures on jazz history as part of the PDX Jazz Festival and is appearing at UP as part of that residency. We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, February 28, from 12:30-1:25 p.m. in the Mago Hunt Recital Hall

Please contact Dr. Don Norton (nortond@up.edu) with any questions.

Black at UP (Feb. 28)

The Ethnic Studies program is pleased to present a conversation about what it is like to be Black at UP with a panel of our esteemed faculty and staff. This panel will be moderated by Amy Ongiri, PhD, Director of Ethnic Studies and participants include: Robert Kelly, PhD, 21st President of the University of Portland; Anita Gooding, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Social Work; A.J. Jatta, Junior Sociology Major; and Tshombé Brown, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Wednesday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. at the Diversity Center in Buckley Center 102.

For more information about this event or ADA accommodations, please contact Jennie Marable at 503.943.7166

A Discussion on Discussions (Feb. 28)

Is it possible to have every student speak and contribute to class every day? Are you curious to learn about the best ways to prepare for and manage class discussions? Join the CTL as it hosts Allie Stewart (GWSS/ILC) and David Turnbloom (THE) for lunch and community-building.

Teske Dining Room on Wednesday, February 28, 12:10-1:20 p.m.

Lunch is provided and seating is limited rsvp at ctl@up.edu or favero@up.edu.

What can we learn from “hangry” worms? (Feb. 29)

Have you ever been hangry? You know, a little hungry and therefore a little angry. Maybe when you’re hangry, you are more likely to lash out at a friend, eat copious amounts of junk food, continue to not eat, or make other poor decisions.

Join UP Biology Professor Molly Matty as she discusses her research with the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans and shares the awesome work being done by undergraduate students at the University of Portland to uncover and define the specific bacterial species that modulate decision-making in populations of C. elegans. Come hungry to learn!

Thursday, Feb 29, 7:00 p.m. – Brian Doyle Auditorium, Dundon-Berchtold Hall

The lecture is an invited presentation for the Sigma Xi Scientific honors society and is free and open to the public.

For those unable to attend, the lecture will also be remotely accessible via Zoom.

Virtual Lecture Zoom Link

2024 Mazzocco Lecture on Distributive Justice (Mar. 12)

We are pleased to announce former Congressman and UP alum Larry LaRocco as the featured speaker for The Mazzocco Lecture on Distributive Justice on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 5:00 pm om Brian Doyle Auditorium in Dundon Berchtold Hall. LaRocco was the U.S. Representative for Idaho’s First District (D) from 1991-95 and will present: “Do Right, Risk Consequences: Perspective on politics and life during an era of increased threats to democracy.”

As political conflicts lead to widening gaps in our society and the US and global economies create wealth for some and instability for others, a deadlocked Congress leads to greater disparities in our society. Within days of being sworn in as a U.S. Representative, LaRocco faced a vote on war that threatened his re-election. As a deficit hawk in Congress, LaRocco had to decide how to deal with the limited options to balance the federal budget. He chose a path that achieved national goals but opened him up to unfounded attacks at a time his party’s president was unpopular.

How do threats to democracy occur and what can we as individual Americans do to right the ship of state?

In his lecture, LaRocco will discuss the challenges of representing constituents, adhering to the Constitution, and serving multiple masters while upholding ethical/moral norms. In a divided country LaRocco looks at ways to put public service above blind obedience to ideology. With a seemingly perpetually divided Congress, elected officials must attempt to rise above conspiracy theories, misinformation, multiple channels of money, and the ever-present role of influencers.

Join us for and experience a unique perspective on civic engagement and how elected representatives can drift from their initial reasons for public service into an environment dominated by political survival.

Contact Anne Santiago (santiago@up.edu) for any questions.

Mary Bruno: “An American River” (Events Mar. 13-21)

The College of Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Departments of Theology, Environmental Studies, and Communication and Media are pleased to announce a series of events with aquatic ecologist, author, and journalist Mary Bruno.

Bruno has worked as a writer, editor, and editorial director for a variety of publications, including Newsweek magazine, Seattle Weekly, ABCNEWS.com and Grist.org. Her 2012 environmental memoir: An American River: From Paradise to Superfund, Afloat on New Jersey’s Passaic, about growing up along the degraded lower stretch of the Passaic, is now an award-winning documentary (American River). A proud New Jersey native, Mary now lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she is at work on a book about aquifers and inner lives.

MARCH 13: WEDNESDAY

4:00 p.m., Brian Doyle Auditorium (Dundon-Berchtold Hall)

Screening of the award-winning documentary American River on campus. The documentary was inspired by Mary Bruno’s book: An American River: From Paradise to Superfund, Afloat on New Jersey’s Passaic.

MARCH 20: WEDNESDAY

4:30-5:30 p.m., Brian Doyle Auditorium

A presentation by renowned author Mary Bruno: The Call of the River. The presentation will be followed by book-signing opportunity and light refreshments.

MARCH 21: THURSDAY

10:00-12:00 (12:30) p.m.

“The River Lament Walk”. This event will be hosted on our UP Campus and focused on the Willamette River. The event will be led by local Lutheran Pastor Solveig Nilsen-Goodin with Mary Bruno and Cherice Bock, MDiv, MS, PhD and Climate Policy Manager at 350PDX. This event is being sponsored by The College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office, the Department of Environmental Studies, the Department of Theology, and the Department of Communication and Media.

Click to expand full flyer

Summer and Fall Software Requests Now Open (Mar. 15)

As we begin looking ahead to the Summer and Fall terms, it is an important time to be considering what software you will need in classrooms and labs for your courses. All classroom and lab computers will come prepared with standard items such Microsoft office, web browsers, Teams/Zoom, and the Horizon VMWare client. However, if you require more specialized software for your courses in CAS, PSOB, SON, or SOED, this will need to be requested via our Software Request form by the end of the day on Friday, March 15.

Software Request Form

Note: If you are teaching within the School of Engineering, you will receive a separate form—keep an eye out in your inbox for information regarding these requests.