Update

An American Dream—an opera by librettist/Portland Magazine editor, Jessica Murphy Moo, and composer Jack Perla—was produced by OperaLab Japan in Tokyo (November 2024) and Manhattan School of Music (December 2024).  

Larry Larsen, Performing and Fine Arts, designed the scenery for this year’s production of Nordic Fire for the Portland Revels that is playing at the Alberta Abbey from December 13 through December 22.  He also is designing the lighting for Lakewood Theatre Company’s production of The Maltese Falcon based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, which plays at the Lakewood Center in Lake Oswego from January 3 through February 9.

Lizhong Hao, Business, presented “The Impact of Auditor and Client Bargaining Power on Audit Pricing: A Two-Tier Stochastic Frontier Approach.” The 2024 Corporate Behavior and New Development of Financial Markets International Conference. Chongqing, China. November, 2024.

Simon Aihiokhai, Theology, was a discussant and participant at the International Congress on the Future of Theology ‘Legacy and Envisioning.’ Organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education. Vatican City. December 9–10, 2024. Aihiokhai was also a discussant and participant at the General Assembly of the International Network of Societies for Catholic Theology (INSeCT). Rome, Italy. December 8 – 13, 2024.

Dave Houglum, Director of Leadership Studies and Leadership Professor of Practice, Franz Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, completed the training requirements to be certified in the DiSC assessment on December 19, 2024. The DiSC assessment is a powerful tool that helps individuals and teams improve communication, collaboration, and workplace dynamics by providing insights into behavioral and communication styles. If you’d like to explore using the DiSC assessment for your individual or team’s leadership development, please contact Dave Houglum.

Three faculty members from International Languages and Cultures participated in the 121st annual conference of the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA), November 7-10 in Palm Springs, CA. Verena Hutter served as presiding officer and chair of both sessions on Austrian Studies. Maria Echenique presented “La Bolivia de Giorgina Levi.” Matthew Warshawsky presented “Una diáspora sefardita dentro de Sefarad: el exilio y la añoranza en la poesia de Moseh ibn Ezra.” He was also elected to serve a three-year term as a member-at-large of the PAMLA Executive Committee.

Andrew Eshelman, Philosophy, published “Religious Realism and Useful Fictions.” International Journal for Philosophy of Religion. October, 2024.

Paige Hall, Chemistry, was awarded an M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Prize for her Analytical-Inorganic-Physical-Computational Chemistry Poster. November, 2024.

Andrew Guest, Psychological Sciences and UP Core, presented “Teaching To Spark Intellectual Curiosity: Realities and Possibilities for a Sample of College Athletes​.” North American Society for the Sociology of Sport conference. Chicago, Illinois. November 1, 2024. The presentation was based on collaborative research with Stephanie Salomone, Mathematics and Engineering, and Shaz Vijlee, Engineering.

Don Norton, Performing and Fine Arts, published “30-Minute Practice Routines for Classical and Jazz Saxophone.” DANSR/Vandoren Educational Resources for Musicians (online). November 22, 2024.

The Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland, with Dr. David De Lyser, Performing and Fine Arts, serving as Artistic Director/Conductor, will perform on All Classical Portland 89.9 KQAC on Thursday, December 12, 2024 at 3 p.m. This will be the inaugural performance of the Roger O. Doyle Choral Series as part of All Classical’s Thursdays @ Three radio program. Dr. Roger O. Doyle was a UP Professor Emeritus (Performing and Fine Arts, retired 2010, passed away 2012) who conducted both the University of Portland Singers and the Choral Arts Ensemble for over 30 years. 

David Fuentes, Nursing & Health Innovations, published “Leveraging Collective Expertise, Wisdom, and Guidance through Mastermind Teams.” Co-authors: Hughes JA, White A, Kuo G, Parmar J. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. January, 2024.

Sarah Maines, Performing and Fine Arts, is pleased to announce that two of her students won awards in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Cascade Chapter Musical Theater Auditions, held on the UP campus on Saturday, October 26. Joe Koppy ’24 took first in the Lower College Tenor/Baritone/Bass division, and Zoe Diao ’27 took third in the Lower College Treble division. Both sang in the Honors Recital on October 27 and will be moving on to the next round of regional auditions.

Simon Aihiokhai, Theology, presented “Who Needs Who–Baylor or the World?: Rethinking the Role of Faith-Based Institutions in a Pluralistic World.” An Inaugural Keynote Address Celebrating Baylor University International Education Week. Organized by the Office for International Education and the Office of Student Life Leadership Lecture Series. Baylor University. Waco, Texas. November 14, 2024. Aihiokhai also presented: “Rethinking the Margins–Towards A Double Prophetic: In Honor of Marc Ellis.” A panel presentation at the special session The Prophetic: The Life and Legacy of Marc H. Ellis (1953 – 2024). Annual Meeting of American Academy of Religion. San Diego, California. November 25, 2024.

Nick McRee, Sociology, presented “The adolescent nondelinquent cohort: Does it matter how it is defined?” Co-presenter: L. Drapela. American Society of Criminology Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 13, 2024.

Larry Larsen, Performing and Fine Arts, did the lighting design for Broadway Rose Theatre Company’s holiday production of Five Golden Rings.  The show runs from November 27-December 22 at the New Stage Theater in Tigard.

Stephanie Salomone, Mathematics, presented “The impact of regional conferences on teaching networks for pre-service and in-service STEM teachers.” Paper presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Denver, CO. November 2024. Salomone was also awarded an ABET Professional Programs Credentialing Certificate: Program Assessment, Design and Develop. Course One: Performance Indicators and Curriculum Mapping. Course Two: Programs Assessment Methods and Measures. Course Three: Effective Rubrics for Program Assessment. Course Four: Survey and Questionnaire Design. November 2024

Simon Aihiokhai, Theology, presented “Rethinking the Human Person Beyond the Limits of Imago Dei: Insights from the Peripheral World.” A virtual lecture given to students at The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church. Tuesday, October 28, 2024. Aihiokhai also presented: “The Theologian as a Voice of Sacramental Disruption: Embracing a Curious Imagination”; “Theology as a Sacramental Discipline of Disruption: Towards a Pedagogy for a Secular World”; “Holy Disruption: Black Bodies as Sacraments of Transformation.” Sankofa Institute Scholars Meet and Greet Event, Sankofa Institute/Oblate School of Theology. San Antonio, Texas. November 8, 2024.

Anna Myers, Education, presented “Precise Feedback Instruction During Reading Intervention for Word Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension.” Conference Session at the International Dyslexia Association. Dallas, TX. October, 2024.

Matthew Warshawsky, International Languages and Cultures, presented “‘A Woman So Perfect Keeping the Law’: The Crypto-Jewish Faith of Justa Méndez in Colonial Mexico.” The 34th Annual Conference of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies (presented virtually). October 27, 2024.

David Fuentes, Nursing and Health Innovations, presented “Bridging the Skills across Human and Artificial Intelligence Coaching Strategies to Boost Peer-Coaching & Self-Coaching Skills.” Co-presenter: Dave Houglum, PhD. Lightning Session of the Catholic Higher Education and AI Conference at University of Portland. The session briefly highlighted some of the innovations concerning the use of AI in leadership coaching, practice/training, and coaching ongoing developmental growth. October, 2024. Fuentes also presented: “Using Project Management Methodologies to Align General Education Assessment, Program Review, and Accreditation Simultaneously.”; “Systems-Thinking and Relationship Building to Address Accreditation and Institutional Efficiency.”; “Promoting Institutional Culture through Assessment Policy Development and Maximizing Stakeholder Engagement through Organizational Learning.” Co-presenters: S. Richards and JA Hughes. Assessment Institute in Indianapolis. October, 2024.

Dave Houglum, Director of Leadership Studies and Leadership Professor of Practice, Franz Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, presented nine, one-hour invited leadership presentations for the European Leadership Programme in Brussels, Belgium. Houglum also provided individual leadership coaching sessions to many of the programme’s Fellows and to the staff of the Jesuit European Social Center (JESC). The European Leadership Programme draws emerging leaders from across Europe to participate in a five-month leadership development programme. October 12-16, 2024.

Andrew Eshelman, Philosophy, published “Reflection and Ideal Reasons-Responsiveness.” Special issue of Midwest Studies in Philosophy honoring the work of John Martin Fischer. October 8, 2024.

Jeffrey Gauthier, Philosophy, presented “Prostitution, Harm Reduction, and Male Entitlement” and “Comments on Virginia Moscetti, ‘Contracts and Sexual Promising: A Kantian Perspective.'” Northwest Philosophy Conference, Lewis and Clark College. November 2, 2024.

Tammy VanDeGrift, Engineering, presented: “Resume Revisions to Document Learning Outcomes in a Computational Biology Course.” VanDeGrift also co-facilitated a workshop with Dr. Shereen Khoja, Pacific University, entitled: “Computer Science Assignments and Activities that Support Academic Belonging”. Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Northwestern Conference. October 11-12, 2024

Matthew Warshawsky, International Languages and Cultures, published: “Mis arreos son las armas” and Other Romances in Don Quixote: Inspiration, Parody, and Verisimilitude.” Hispanic Research Journal, vol. 24, no. 2-3, 2024, pp. 103-19.

David Fuentes, Nursing & Health Innovations, published: “Leveraging a Systems-thinking Strategy & Mindset to Secure a University-level Leadership Role in Higher Education Organizations.” Co-authors: McKenzie M, Hughes JA. American Association of University Administrators. October, 2024. Fuentes also published: “Incorporating Debrief to Foster Team Development and Dynamics.” Co-author: Hughes, JA. Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance (GaCTSA)—Team Science Skills Series. October, 2024.

Aziz Inan, Engineering, has been selected to gain the status of Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Life Membership, starting January 1, 2025. IEEE, formed in 1963 by the merging of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), is the world’s largest technical professional society having over 460,000 members in more than 190 countries, with 66% of these members residing outside the United States.

Aziz Inan, Engineering, published: “Happy 100^th Birthday, President Jimmy Carter!” IndiaWest Journal. October 2, 2024.

Eugene Urnezius, Chemistry, published: “Structural, spectroscopic and electrochemical characterizations of new 2,5-bis(phosphoranyl)-3,6-diaminoquinones.” Coauthor: Edward Valente. Student Coauthors: Madison Lear, Connor McLoughlin, Alea Ha, Joshua Paul, Amanda Graveson, Nathan Phan, Timothy Dobson, Natalie Cawker. Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements, 1-12.  DOI: 10.1080/10426507.2024.2409435. October 2024.

Patrick Murphy, Performing and Fine Arts, published “Boy Scout Troop 379: Band Music at the Heart Mountain Incarceration Camp.” Alta Musica, 37, 235-242. October, 2024.

Simon Aihiokhai, Theology, presented “Palaver as a Synodal Praxis of Belonging in the Catholic Churches of Africa: Making a Case for the Africanness of the Church.” Presented at the Emerging Trends in the Global South: Impact on World Christianity Conference. Organized by Marquette University. Saturday, October 5, 2024.

Ashley Hass, Business, presented  “Behind the Screens: An Exploration of Social Media Marketer Burnout.” Co-presenters: Kelley Cours Anderson, Breanne Mertz. Student Co-presenter: College of Charleston. Special Issue for JMTP at the 2024 Conference of the Society for Marketing Advances (SMA) Tampa, FL. November 2024.

Lars Erik Larson, English, presented: “Reading the Rocks: Toward a Lithic Literary Criticism in the Mobile Geology of the West.” The publication explores the possibility of critically “reading” Earth’s geological record of rocks, as inspired by the nonfiction of Lawrence University geologist Marcia Bjornerud. Western Literature Association Conference. Tucson, AZ. October 3, 2024.

Esther Gravis, Nursing & Health Innovations, published “Active learning strategies to increase student engagement in an undergraduate nursing pediatric course.” Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 19(4), 360. September, 2024. 

Simon Aihiokhai, Theology, presented “Towards a Fellowship of Life: Bridging the Memory Gap between African and African American Pastoral Workers in the United States.” Virtual lecture at a meeting of the Black Catholic Clergy of Atlanta. September 16 and 23, 2024.

Aziz Inan, Engineering, published “A virtual birthday gift for NASA astronaut Sunita Lyn Williams.” Portland Tribune, September 24, 2024. Inan also published a partial version of the same article titled, “Happy 59^th Birthday, Sunita Williams!” in the IndiaWest Journal on September 20, 2024.

Rachel Wheeler, Theology, published Radical Kinship: A Christian Ecospirituality. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2024. Book cover image by UP History Professor Brad Franco, PhD.

Stephanie Salomone, Mathematics, presented “Inquiry about Inquiry: Questions for Formative Assessment,” as an invited speaker at the SIGMAA-IBL Fall Workshop Series. Virtual event. September 2024.

Andra Davis, Nursing & Health Innovations, published “Instruments for Evaluating Student Learning Outcomes in Palliative Care: A Literature Review.” Co-authors: Lippe, M., Wingett, G., Jizba, T., Ehrlich, O., Fasolino, T., Meskis, S., LeBlanc, R., Weiss, D., and Kirkpatrick, A.  Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 10-1097. ​​​​​​​July 2024.

Marjorie Attis-Josias, Nursing & Health Innovations, was accepted into the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) Diversity Leadership Institute for the 2025 Cohort.

Ashley Hass, Business, will present “Awe Walks in the Time of AI.” Lightening Talk at the 2024 Catholic Higher Education and Artificial Intelligence: Mission-Based Teaching for the Future of Humanity. Portland, OR. October 2024.

Nicole Buetti, Music, has received a 2024 Telly Award for Children’s Online Programming for her online song series The Nirks: Meet The Planets.

Mohammadhadi Hajilou, Engineering, published “Quantification of firebrand generation from WUI fuels for model development: Firebrand generation rate, surface temperature and heat release rate.” Co-authors: X. Ju, M. Lisano, P. B. Sunderland, S. Stoliarov, L. Yang, M. J. Gollner. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 40 (2024) 105729.

Gary Laustsen, Nursing & Health Innovations, presented “Environmental Impacts with the Changing Climate: A Public Health Agenda.” Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing & Healthy Environment Section’s Lunch & Learn Session. Portland, OR. Sept 10, 2024.

Terry Favero, Biology and Center for Teaching and Learning, published “Using Artificial Intelligence Platforms to Support Student Learning in Physiology.” Advances in Physiology Education Vol. 48, no. 2. March 2024. Favero will present his publication at the nationwide Seminar of the American Physiological Society on September 25, 2025.

David Wynne, Laura Dyer, and Molly Matty, Biology, have been awarded a $466,187 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund the acquisition of a Spinning-Disk Confocal Microscope, an instrument capable of taking very fast high-resolution images. This microscope will enhance the level of research and training the PIs are able to provide at UP to expose the next generation of the STEM workforce to powerful technologies used in research.  The addition of this system will make meaningful progress toward the joint efforts of the Biology department and the University to bring excellence in STEM training to our community.

Corey S. Pressman, Health & Wellness, is participating in Lake Oswego Open Studios on September 28-29, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit his studio and watch a live demo.

Naveen Gudigantala and Naga Vemprala, Business, presented “Factors Influencing AI Adoption in S&P 1500 firms: Preliminary Evidence,” at the Americas Conference in Information Systems. Salt Lake City, UT. August 17, 2024.

Cara (CJ) Poor, Engineering, published “Reduction of Runoff Pollutants from Major Arterial Roads Using Porous Pavement.” Co-author: K. Holzer. Sustainability, 16:7506.

David Fuentes, Nursing, served as a Content Contributor for the Certification in Leadership Excellence for Academic Pharmacy© Program. August 1-19, 2024. Fuentes was also was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for Mentorship Engagement & Participation from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. July 2024. Fuentes also published “Leadership Transitions in Assessment: The Career Continuum in Assessment Leadership.” Co-authors: R. Garg, E. Ofori, JA Hughes. Assessment Update: Progress, Trends, and Practices in Higher Education. Wiley Publications. Vol. 36, Issue 4. July 2024.

Susan McDaniel, Music, performed a recital of European art song with the world-renowned operatic baritone Alessandro Corbelli under the auspices of the annual Music in the Marche opera and chamber music training program in Mondavio, Italy. July 2024.

In case you missed it, Campus Ministry had a viral hit with their Instagram Reel featuring Fr. Nik Guiney and Fr. Peter Walsh. Currently sitting at 69K Likes and 1.7 million views—and counting! Be sure to check it out if you need a laugh.

Students working with Lauren Berger, Psychological Sciences, received a research poster award from the Society of Clinical Psychology at the American Psychological Association (APA) annual convention held August 8-10, 2024 in Seattle, WA.

Corey Pressman, Health & Wellness, will have a solo show entitled Caverna Clara in the main room at Blackfish Gallery in September. This show features all new work including waxed powder paintings and ceramic sculptures. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, September 5 from 5-8 p.m. and the Artist Talk on Saturday, September 14 at 2 p.m.

David Fuentes, Nursing & Health Innovations, published “The Influence of Academic Affairs on Professional Identity Formation.” Co-authors: Oswald L, Fan J, Sousa K, Campbell J, Hughes J. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Accepted June 2024. Fuentes also published “Adopting a Freudenfreude Mindset in Your Leadership Approach.” Co-authors: Edwards KL, Bottenberg MM, Hughes JA. The Journal of Higher Education Management. Publication forthcoming March 2025.

Ian Parkman, Business, served as a Track Chair for the Design Leadership and Organizational Design sessions at the 2024 Design Management Institute: Academic Design Management Conference at TU Delft (Netherlands). Parkman presented two papers at the conference entitled, “The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing: Aesthetic Design and Pricing Power in Commoditized Product Marketplaces” and “A Stranger in a Strange Land: Teaching Design in a Business School.” Parkman was also was quoted in the Portland Business Journal article entitled, “How Portland’s run clubs have become brand marketing opportunities.” August 12, 2024.

Claire McKinley Yoder, Nursing & Health Innovations, published “Influence of social determinants of health on students in a rural community.” Coauthors: Sara Kaylor, Megan Jester, Sandra Davis. Student Coauthors: K. Townsend, A. Kiepek. Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care. Publication forthcoming in November 2024. Yoder also published “Nursing education Integrating Social Change for Health Equity (NISCHE) framework for nursing education.” Coauthors: Sara Kaylor, Megan Jester, Sandra Davis. Nursing Outlook. August 2024; “Dissemination and Research.” Coauthor: Jannyse Tapp; “Developing Future Healthcare Practitioners.” Coauthors: Sara Kaylor, Aimee Ferraro. Leading positive change: Strategic approach to addressing social and structural determinants of health. September 2024; Yoder also presented “Building capacity for practice-ready, structurally competent nurses: A framework for nursing education.” Co-presenters: Megan Jester, Sara Kaylor, Sandra Davis; “Disparities in health outcomes related to climate change variables: A scoping review.” Co-presenter: Toyin Olukotun. Student Co-presenters: Lauren Savas, Camille Santos, Mary Olukotun. Both publications presented at the Sigma Theta Tau International Symposium, Singapore. July 25-28, 2024.

Stephanie Salomone, Engineering, facilitated four sessions at the Mathematical Association of America’s Project NExT Workshop: “Making Teaching Matter More: Active-learning Strategies and Barriers to Implementation”, “Teaching Support Group Working Session on Inquiry-based Learning”, and “Interactive Teaching Methods, Different Interactive Methods” Co-facilitators: Dr. Trish Hammer, Virginia Tech, and Dr. Brian Katz*, CSU Northridge. Salomone also served as a panelist on “Grant Writing: When, Where, and How?” Co-panelists: Dr. Julia Arciero of Indiana University Indianapolis and Dr. Mike Ferrara, National Science Foundation. Returning MAA Project NExT Fellows Workshop. Salomone also organized and presented on panels at MAA MathFest, the national meeting of the Mathematical Association of America: “Launching Careers in Mathematics: Results from a Research Study of MAA Project NExT”, Co-organized with Dr. Sandra Laursen, University of Colorado Boulder and Dr. Alicia Prieto Langarica, Youngstown State University; with Dr. Marco Martinez of North Central College, Dr. Ron Taylor of Berry College, and Dr. Cynthia Flores of CSU Channel Islands. All events took place in Indianapolis, IN. August, 2024.