Campus Connections

Issue Date: October 11, 2004

News and Notices

Mount St. Helens: Public wariness, geologist’s “paradise”

Liz Safran understands the uncertainties confronting scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey. As an assistant professor of geological science, Safran has paid keen attention to Mount St. Helens and other Pacific Northwest volcanoes. “This area is a geologist’s paradise,”she says. “My students get a good sense of that from being out in it and drawing on these local examples.” On September 25, her class visited Mount St. Helens for a regularly scheduled field trip. The following week, as earthquake activity increased and steam plumes vented from the mountain, the USGS evacuated the Johnston Ridge Observatory overlooking Mount St. Helens and the nearby scenic areas. Safran rearranged her syllabus to focus on volcanoes earlier in the semester than usual. Safran recently talked about some of her observations about the volcano’s ongoing activity.

Q: What do you see when you look at the news reports and scientific data about Mount St. Helens?

Safran: The chief difference between my view and the layperson’s view is a matter of perspective and context. I have some understanding of past eruptive patterns at the mountain, and of eruptive patterns of similar volcanoes in other places, and that understanding allows me not to worry about certain kinds of volcanic hazards.

I also have some expectations about how large an eruption Mount St. Helens is likely to produce right now. That being said, geologists are always acutely aware that historic records of volcanic behavior are incomplete, and very short relative to the lifetime of volcanoes. What we do know is that we haven’t seen everything there is to see and we learn from each new eruption. That’s why you’ll hear most geologists couch their predictions in terms of probabilities.

Q: Why does the Pacific Northwest have a predisposition for volcanic activity?

Safran: The rigid, outer rind of Earth is broken up into pieces, or plates, that move over a layer of mantle that can flow. In some places these plates sink back down into the hot, flowing mantle and eventually get melted and reincorporated back into Earth’s interior. Such places are called subduction zones. Molten rock, or magma, is generated during the process of subduction. This magma then rises up through the overlying plate, the one that is not diving back down into the mantle. That magma eventually emerges at the surface in volcanoes like the ones that make up the Cascade Range, including Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, the offshore Juan de Fuca plate is diving down beneath the North American plate on which we sit. The two plates meet about 100 kilometers or so offshore.

Sometimes the Juan de Fuca plate gets temporarily stuck as it dives down beneath the North American plate. When the two plates work themselves apart, or get “unstuck,” then large earthquakes and tsunamis can result.

Q: What is ashfall and would we see any of it on campus?

Safran: The USGS. defines volcanic ash as “rock that has been pulverized into dust or sand by volcanic activity.” This material may settle out of the air over communities located along the direction in which the wind is blowing during the eruption.

The prevailing winds at Mount St. Helens are usually blowing toward the east, which would take any ashfall away from Portland. But, we could see ashfall here if a sufficiently large eruption occurred and if the wind were blowing in this direction. During the eruption of May 18, 1980, the wind blew to the northeast, which meant that Yakima and Spokane saw the most ashfall. Portland received a dusting of ash during one of the mountain’s subsequent eruptions, because the wind at that time was blowing in our direction.

Q: It sounds like there’s not a high probability of problems for Lewis & Clark.

Safran: We are safe from the direct effects and really nasty hazards arising from eruptions associated with this kind of volcano, such as incandescent clouds of hot ash and gas (pyroclastic flows), mudflows, or blasts.

Ashfall is a possibility, and that can have repercussions for people with respiratory problems. Ashfall can also interfere with the functioning of some types of machinery, for instance if it gets sucked into airplane engines. However, a small amount of ash is more of a nuisance than a serious hazard.

NOTE: More information about Mount St. Helens is available online at the USGS Web site.The American Red Cross Web site contains information about emergency preparedness.

Photo by Steve Shilling, courtesy of USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory. West crater floor and wall.

Campus receives Green Power Leadership Award

The College has earned a Green Power Leadership Award from Portland General Electric. The award recognizes Lewis & Clark’s leadership in the support of renewable power.

“We look at many businesses and institutions each year before selecting a winner, but this year was special because of the idealism of Lewis & Clark students,” said Thor Hinckley, PGE’s renewable power program manager. “Their leadership is a model that other colleges can follow.”

The campus is one of a handful in the nation that offer resident students the option to purchase green power. This year, 365 students—out of a resident population of approximately 1,200—opted to use the green power purchase plan. The minimum student contribution is $20 per year. The total student contributions this year will allow the purchase of approximately 400,000 kWh of wind power. The College purchases an additional 800,000 kWh of wind power annually.

“This award is meaningful on so many levels for Lewis & Clark,” says Richard Bettega, associate vice president for facilities. “During the past decade, the institution has moved strategically to use environmentally friendly construction techniques, to minimize energy use in existing buildings through extensive energy conservation projects, and to seek alternative power options for the energy we continue to consume. These efforts help us model responsible social and economic citizenship for our students and our community.”

The students’ green power purchase can keep approximately 560,000 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere annually, the equivalent of taking about 50 cars off the road. Carbon dioxide is a major contributor to global warming.

In addition, the College has adopted the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED Rating System™ for construction of John R. Howard Hall, scheduled for occupancy in early 2005. LEED helps designers determine green project goals, design strategies, measure and monitor progress, and document results. The building is exclusively green-powered through a partnership with PGE.

PGE will present the award to the College on Monday, October 11, at 3:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber to kick off the Environmental Affairs Symposium.

Grants support bicentennial programming

Two grants will help support bicentennial programming at Lewis & Clark, including symposium programs and funding for a teacher institute.

An $8,500 grant from the Portland-based Jackson Foundation provided support for the College’s fall symposium “Encounters.” The two-day symposium was part of the College’s commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition bicentennial. The symposium examined the diverse encounters the explorers experienced during their journey to the Pacific and back.

The foundation cited the event’s benefit to “Portlanders, the greater public, and the college community by providing them with greater awareness about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.” The College last received Jackson Foundation support in 1997 for the three-building Signature Project.

Funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities will help Northwest teachers learn how to incorporate the Lewis and Clark Expedition into their lesson plans. The $68,123 grant will fund a teacher’s institute cosponsored by the graduate school and the Oregon Council for the Humanities. The weeklong institute, titled “Lewis and Clark and the Rivers of the West,” is scheduled for August 2005.

The institute offers teachers in Oregon and southwest Washington engaging ways to study the expedition and its legacy in the context of the humanities.

Revamped law library Web site

Over the summer, the Paul L. Boley Law Library Web site underwent some remodeling. The new site’s extensive research links, online databases, library catalog, library services, and specialized collections—such as the online database of past-year law exams—are now easy to access.

Another streamlined feature is the “News and Updates” section of the site. Each day, law librarians compile the popular “Law in the News” selections; “BoleyBlogs!,” the legal research blog of the law library; and “Updates,” featuring the latest library and computer services information.

In other book news, the Boley Library will celebrate an exciting milestone in spring 2005: the addition of its half-millionth volume. The law library had humble beginnings in 1965, with a mere 10,000 volumes.

While boasting a comprehensive collection of Anglo-American law materials, the library also contains an unsurpassed collection of environmental and natural resources law and policy materials – more than 8,000 titles and 15,000 volumes.

Electronic voting expert gives two talks on campus

Rebecca Mercuri has more than a passing interest in electronic voting. The Harvard University research fellow has spent more than a dozen years researching, analyzing, and observing elections, election data, and election equipment. Mercuri will share her observations about electronic balloting in two talks on Monday, October 25, and Tuesday, October 26.

Monday, October 25, 7 p.m. “E-voting: Perils and Promises”

This talk will address myths and misinformation about electronic voting and offer suggestions for features that could be implemented to better secure cast ballots and to ensure the correctness of vote totals. Council Chamber.

Tuesday, October 26, 4 p.m. “The Electronic Voting Enigma: Hard Problems in Computer Science”

This presentation, technical in nature, examines inherent flaws in vote collection and tabulation processes, including system security, program provability, user authentication, and product reliability. BoDine, Room 300.

Mercuri is globally recognized as one of the leading experts on electronic voting. She founded Notable Software and Knowledge Concepts in 1981 and serves as the company’s president. She is currently a Radcliffe Institute Fellow at Harvard University. She has been an expert witness for numerous computer-related court proceedings, including Florida’s Bush v. Gore case. Her Web site about electronic voting has been quoted in the U.S. Congressional Record and on the floor of the Irish Parliament. She has provided formal comment to the House Science Committee, Federal Election Commission, and U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Her talks are presented by Lewis & Clark’s mathematical and natural sciences division and supported by a grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. More information about Mercuri’s research is available on her Web site.

Physics and philosophy lectures examine fitness, selection, and conservation

Jonathan Kaplan, from Oregon State University’s philosophy department, will give a talk titled “The Targets and the Units of Selection: Some Uses of Interpretations of Fitness and Selection.” His lecture on Wednesday, October 14, at 3:30 p.m. is in Miller Center, Room 319. Kaplan’s presentation is part of the philosophy department colloquium series.

Steve Gass, from Saw Stop, will discuss “Finger Conservation Physics,” during a talk on Monday, October 18, at 4 p.m. in Olin, Room 204. His presentation is part of the physics department colloquium series.

Native American artist discusses issues in contemporary art

Native American artist Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie is fascinated by faces. She culls through images anywhere she can, including the Internet. From those found images, she creates arresting and intimate works that address reclaimed histories or comment on national and global politics.

Tsinhnahjinnie will discuss her artistic journey and contemporary art issues in a talk on Tuesday, October 12, at 7 p.m. in Albany Quadrangle’s Smith Hall. Her works are on view through October 24 at the Hoffman Gallery in an exhibit titled “Encounters.”

Tsinhnahjinnie, a Diné/Seimonle/Muskogee, resides in Rough Rock, Arizona. Her works can be viewed online.

Workshop focuses on the healing power of prose

Derrick Jensen, a widely published nature writer, will teach a writing workshop about the healing power of writing. Jensen’s workshop on Monday, October 11, at 3 p.m. in the South Campus Conference Center, Room 101, is open to the campus community. Jensen has explored writing as a healing art as a result of his experience as an abused child. He is the author of “The Culture of Make Believe,” “A Language Older Than Words,” “Listening to the Land: Conversations about Nature, Culture, and Eros,” and “Walking on Water: Reading, Writing, and Revolution.” He also writes for the New York Times Magazine, Audubon, and The Sun Magazine. Space for the workshop is limited to 40. A sign-up sheet for the course is posted outside of Rogers Hall, Room 426.

For more information, e-mail Anne Elizabeth Washburn at avw@lclark.edu.

Lecture focuses on coping with change

The next wellness brown bag lecture on Wednesday, October 20, at noon is titled “The Impact of Organizational Change.” Judy Zehr, from Employee Assistance Services Enterprises, also known as EASE, will moderate a discussion on methods for coping with organizational change. The program, sponsored by the Wellness Committee, is in the Council Chamber. For more information, contact Molly Miles at ext. 7200 or miles@lclark.edu.

IT offers fall classes

Information Technology offers ongoing computer training courses. During the next two weeks, these classes are available: InDesign (3-part course), Introduction to Photoshop (2-part course), and FileMaker Pro (3-part course). For more information, contact IT at ext. 7020, or sign up at www.lclark. edu/~training.

People News

New and familiar faces at the law school

The law school welcomes familiar faces to new places and one new face to career services.

Libby Davis ’93 is the law school’s assistant dean for career services. Davis was in private practice before joining the law school as alumni director. Since 1995, she has worked as director of career services, where she facilitated the highly successful mentor programs and organized numerous programs and events. Davis is a member of the Oregon State Bar, Oregon Women Lawyers, Multnomah Bar Association, and National Association for Law Placement. She also serves on the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation board and is currently treasurer of the organization. Reach her at eadavis@lclark.edu or ext. 6610.

Robin Jerke is alumni services manager. Jerke served as interim manager for six months and was a departmental specialist prior to that. She brings strong organizational skills, an excellent work ethic, and a team attitude to the position. Jerke, who earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in reading disabilities, has 25 years of experience in education. Reach her at jerke@lclark.edu or ext. 6607.

Ellen Jones ’91 is director of career services. She served as the director of career services at Willamette University College of Law from October 2001 to May 2004. Prior to that, Jones worked for the Juvenile Rights Project, a nonprofit law firm in Portland, first as a staff attorney and later as executive director. She is a member of the Oregon State Bar and is involved in a variety of professional and community activities. Reach her at ekjones@lclark.edu or ext. 6886.

Lisa LeSage ’85 is assistant dean for business law programs. She joined the law school staff in 1996 as assistant dean for career services. Prior to that, she was a staff attorney with Oregon Legal Services Farmworker Office and partner in a law firm, representing clients in state and federal courts and trying several high-profile cases. LeSage is a vice president of the Oregon State Bar Board of Governors and serves on the boards of Legal Aid Services of Oregon and Oregon Law Center. Since 1991, LeSage has taught a trial practice class as an adjunct professor at the law school. She is admitted to practice in Oregon, the U.S. District Court for Oregon, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Reach her at lesage@lclark.edu or ext. 6677.

Published, presented, honors and achievements

Faculty and staff serve as ambassadors for the College through their publications, presentations, awards, grants, and other accomplishments. Recent highlights include:

Over the summer, Ken Clifton, associate professor of biology, spent more than a month in Panama with two student assistants. The trio snorkeled around coral reefs to study the reproductive ecology of tropical seaweeds as part of Clifton’s National Science Foundation-funded research program.

Susan Glosser, associate professor of history, completed the second year of a Millicent McIntosh Fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. She spent nearly a month in China doing research for her next book, which details daily life in Shanghai under the Japanese occupation, 1937–1945.

Elaine Hirsch, reference librarian, Aubrey R. Watzek Library, gave a presentation at the Canby Public Library about the literature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Hirsch discussed how juvenile literature about the expedition relates to documented trends in the history of children’s literature.

Mike Sexton, dean of admissions, was director of the Admissions Middle Management Institute at the annual conference of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling in Milwaukee, Wis. He is also on the advisory board of the Education Conservancy, a Portland-based nonprofit that just released a book titled “College Unranked.” At the same conference, Blythe Butler, associate dean of admissions, served as a panelist addressing the topic of counseling and recruiting rural high school students.

More listings of faculty and staff achievements can be found in our online pressroom.

L&C in the news

College faculty and staff are in the news on a regular basis. Recent mentions include:

Voice of America (print and broadcast): Robert Eisinger, associate professor and chair of political science, comments on the presidential campaign in Oregon, a battleground state. “You see in many ways two states here, a remarkably rural, conservative state, and an urban, liberal state. And when you mix it together, you find that Oregon becomes a battleground state with regard to presidential politics.” September 28, 2004.

Portland Tribune: Profile of John Kroger, assistant professor of law, who “traded high-stakes trials for high mountains.” Kroger formerly served on the U.S. Justice Department team investigating Enron and has prosecuted organized crime figures. September 28, 2004.

The Oregonian: Linda Tesner, director of the Hoffman Gallery, comments on works by Native American artists that respond to the legacy of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The College’s exhibit “Encounters” features works by seven Native American artists. September 24, 2004.

The History Channel: Stephen Dow Beckham, Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Professor of History, is featured on a segment of the program “Tactical to Practical: Spy Planes, Aerial Reconnaissance/Trains/Navigation.” Beckham discusses the development and impact of the transcontinental railway system in the United States. September 20, 2004.

For a sampling of how and where Lewis & Clark is mentioned by media outlets across the nation and around the globe, visit the online pressroom.

Events

Environmental Affairs Symposium explores theme of hope

The seventh annual Environmental Affairs Symposium explores the issue of hope in an age of environmental challenge. The weeklong symposium, Monday through Friday, October 11–15, features environmental activist and author Terry Tempest Williams and Greenpeace Executive Director John Passacantando delivering evening keynote addresses.

Panel discussions will cover topics including environmental justice, genetically modified organisms, international environmental law, and politics and the environment. Most sessions take place in the Council Chamber. All events are free and open to the public.

Terry Tempest Williams will give a keynote address on Tuesday, October 12, at 7:30 p.m. Her talk is titled “The Open Space of Democracy.” The Utne Reader calls Williams a visionary who “could change your life.” She is the author of “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place,” which chronicles the flooding of Utah’s Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in 1983 and her own mother’s concurrent diagnosis with ovarian cancer. Williams’ most recent book, “Red: Patience and Passion in the Desert,” traces her lifelong love of and commitment to the desert and expresses a spiritual and political commitment to preserving wilderness. Agnes Flanagan Chapel.

John Passacantando, executive director of Greenpeace, delivers the symposium’s closing keynote address on Friday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. His talk is titled “The Greenpeace Plan to Stop Global Warming Now.” Passacantando is a cofounder of Ozone Action, a grassroots organization dedicated to stopping global warming. He also served as executive director of the Florence and John Shumann Foundation, an organization dedicated to campaign finance reform, environmental justice, and grassroots revival of democracy. Council Chamber.

The symposium is cosponsored by KINK-FM 102 and Portland General Electric. For a complete schedule, visit the symposium Web site.

Exiled Chinese poet Bei Dao gives reading and lecture

Poet Bei Dao draws upon a remarkable life history for his literary works. Born in China, he grew up during the cultural revolution of Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung). His poems served as inspiration for demonstrations in China in the 1970s and 1980s. Bei Dao will give a lecture and read from his works on Friday, October 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber.

Bei Dao is the pseudonym for Zhao Zhenkai. Following his exile from China in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, he relocated to the United States and has continued to write prolifically.

His books of poetry include “Unlock,” “At the Sky's Edge: Poems 1991–1996,” “Landscape Over Zero,” “Forms of Distance,” and “The August Sleepwalker.” He has also authored numerous short stories and essays. In 1978 he cofounded the underground literary magazine Jintian (Today). The magazine, which later ceased publication under police order, was revived in 1990 and Bei Dao now serves as editor in chief.

He is the recipient of several awards and honors, including the Aragana Poetry Prize from the International Festival of Poetry in Casablanca, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is an honorary member of the the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is currently the Mackey Poet in Residence at Beloit College, where he also served as the Lois Wilson Mackey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing.

The event is cosponsored by the history and foreign languages and literatures departments and the East Asian studies program at Lewis & Clark, Oregon Consortium for Asian Studies, Regional Arts and Culture Council, and Mountain Writers Series.

Upcoming

Visit the campus Web calendar for events coming up in October.