Campus Connections

Issue Date: April 9, 2007

News and Notices

Truman Scholar

Adam Kowalski ’08 has been named a 2007 Truman Scholar, one of the most prestigious awards available to undergraduates nationwide. Kowalski, a double major in computer science and physics, is from Golden, Colorado. He plans to use the scholarship to pursue a career in which he can shape how the government uses and regulates science and technology.

“There are many challenges ahead in the field of science and technology policy,” Kowalski explains. “For example, increased use of technology could enhance government transparency, but as technology becomes more integrated in our everyday lives, that will raise privacy issues as well.”

Truman Scholars are awarded $30,000 for graduate studies. They are selected based on intellectual ability, leadership potential, communication skills, and commitment to careers in government or the public sector. This year, 65 Truman Scholars were selected from among 585 candidates nominated by 280 colleges. Kowalski is Lewis & Clark’s ninth Truman Scholar.

Lewis & Clark joins college president’s climate initiative

Lewis & Clark is joining roughly 100 American colleges and universities in taking the lead against global warming by committing to “carbon neutrality” in their campus operations. President Tom Hochstettler has signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging the institution’s commitment to reduce and offset carbon emissions.

By signing the measure, Lewis & Clark has committed to perform an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and, within two years, to create an action plan for becoming climate-neutral. In addition, Lewis & Clark is agreeing to infuse climate-neutrality and sustainability into its students’ curricular and extra-curricular experiences, to expand support for research on sustainability, and to create mechanisms to track progress.

L&C Law Podcast, Ranked No. 1, Turns One

It’s been one year since the Law Library’s Electronic Information Services department began providing over 200 audio and video podcasts of speakers, symposia and classes. Now, L&C Law Podcasts are ranked the No. 1 all-time “Most Popular Blawgcast” (legal podcast), as determined by Justia’s Blawgs.fm. Blawgs.fm is the leading legal podcast and videocast search engine and directory.

Podcasts (digital audio recordings), videocasts (digital visual and audio recordings) and live video conferences with speakers from all over the United States are all part of the resources in which the law school has invested to support technology both in and out of the classroom. For example, the environmental justice class taught by Monica Kirk of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Justice Advocates student group has been hosting numerous speakers via video conference and posting those discussions.

Frequent comments from students include how grateful they are to be a part of the wide assortment of on-campus events even if they can’t personally attend. Students also appreciate hearing make up classes online when they can’t be at class because of a conflict. The podcasts have been especially well received by evening students who can’t attend daytime events and wish to hear the speakers brought to campus by student groups. For more information, call ext. 6780.

Spring Break Service Blogs

The office of Student Leadership and Service sent nine students to New Orleans over Spring Break to do hands-on service work with ACORN, an organization working on rebuilding and recovery efforts. The student group gutted houses in the Ninth Ward and spent time in discussions with local community members addressing Katrina, the inadequacies in America’s response system, and the current state of recovery. During the trip, students shared photos and wrote blogs about their experiences.

Emergency Information

During the summer of 2006, the institution engaged in conversations about possible emergencies on campus and how the community should respond should an emergency occur. To increase emergency preparedness, the College entered into an agreement with union employees stating that effective April 1, 2007, the College would maintain a written procedure for the safe evacuation of buildings in the event of fire, explosion, threats involving explosive devices, or other actual or potential disasters. The College also agreed that there would be provisions for annual drills.

Since that time, members of the Crisis Management Planning Committee has developed an emergency information poster which will soon be strategically placed in every building on all three campuses.

In addition, starting in fall 2007, Lewis & Clark will hold annual evacuation drills in every building on all three campuses, including the academic areas. The Crisis Management Planning Committee will be working over the next several months to ensure that the drills are safe, effective and carried out with as little disruption as possible. For more information, call ext. 7860.

Watzek gets “Website of the month”

The Watzek Library’s Website was selected as the College Library Website of the Month for March 2007 by the College Libraries Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries. Watzek’s website was recognized for it’s impressive archives, visual resources collection, and online tutorials.

People News

New faces on campus

Several people have joined or changed places in the Lewis & Clark community recently including: Philip Shaw, campus safety officer, Campus Safety; Michelle Teeter-VanOrsow, administrative coordinator, Graduate School Dean’s Office; Se-Ah-Dom “Priscilla” Edmo, Indigenous Ways of Knowing program coordinator, Oregon Center; Jon-Christian “J.C.” Minton, systems manager, Advancement Services; Tanya Weeks, circulation attendant, Watzek Library; Flavia Arsenault, associate director, Annual Giving and Stewardship; Miranda Costa, 2-D technical assistant, Art Department; Margaret Sprinkle, administrative specialist, Oregon Law Institute; James Blahut, mail services specialist, Mail Services; and Sharla Sevy, payroll manager, Business Office.

Published, presented, honors, and achievements

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

Mike Sexton, dean of admissions, presented on the Portfolio Path option for admissions at the Western Regional College Board Forum in San Francisco. The session was titled “Assessing Non-Traditional Credentials in the Admission Process.”

In February, Chris Wold, associate professor of law and director of the International Environmental Law Project, presented a talk titled “The International Regulation of Trade in Endangered Species: Will the Ivory Trade Save or Endanger the African Elephant?” at the University of Minnesota Duluth. His talk, part of a biology seminar series for graduate students, focused on current poaching trends and how the ivory trade is further endangering the elephant.

In March, Wold spoke on the inadequacies of the NAFTA environmental commission at the University of Oregon’s Public International Environmental Law Conference in Eugene.

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

Events

Presentation explains string theory

S. James Gates, Jr., the John S. Toll Professor of Physics and director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland, has spent his career studying the fabric of reality. A pioneer in theoretical physics, Gates will give a presentation titled “Superstring/M-theory: The DNA of Reality?” on Monday, April 9 at 5:30 p.m. in Miller 105. The free talk is intended as an introduction to string theory for students and non-scientists with an interest in science and physics.

Gates has appeared in several PBS science documentaries, most recently in “Einstein’s Big Idea.” He is the author of more than 190 research papers for in scientific journals and numerous book articles. He has been a consultant for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense. In 1999, the Washington Academy of Sciences named Gates its College Science Teacher of the Year, and recently he received the 2006 Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In his lecture at Lewis & Clark, Gates will use computer generated illustrations in place of complex equations to make superstring theory accessible to the general public and provide an easily understood introduction to one of the most exciting debates in science today. For more information, call ext. 7594.

International Affairs Symposium, April 9 – 11

As a nationwide debate continues over the role of the United States in the Middle East, two men with experience on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming to speak at Lewis & Clark’s 45th annual Internatinal Affairs Symposium. Sir Hilary Synnott, who worked with Ambassador Paul Bremer in Iraq, and Robert P. Finn, the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan from March 2002 until August 2003, will discuss what is necessary for Iraq and Afghanistan to regain stability. The Symposium, titled “The Struggle for Stability: Rethinking Approaches to Fragile States,” which will take place from April 9 through 11.

In addition, a high-level government official from Botswana and the head of one international organization’s “Campaign to Combat Conflict Diamonds” will examine how natural resources can affect state stability. The session will feature Akolang R. Tombale, permanent secretary in Botswana’s Ministry of Natural Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources, and Corinna Gilfillan, head of the United States office of Global Witness.

Hilary Synnott worked under Bremer from July 2003 to January 2004, serving as the regional coordinator for south Iraq for the British Diplomatic Service. Synnott was responsible for civilian affairs in Iraq’s four southern provinces, including the city of Basra. Previously, he had worked as a senior diplomat in South Asia in Pakistan and India. He is currently a Senior Consulting Fellow at The International Institute for Strategic Studies, where he specializes in South Asian affairs and post-conflict issues.

Robert Finn was the first U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan in more than 20 years, from March 2002 until August 2003. He had previously worked as a senior diplomat in Turkey, Pakistan, and Croatia. He now works at Princeton University in the Department of Near Eastern Studies and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Finn and Synnott’s discussion will leave time for audience members to ask these senior diplomats about their experiences on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what they envision as the possibilities for the future of those two countries.

This year’s International Affairs Symposium will feature six sessions on different topics related to fragile states. Presenters will discuss the utility of foreign aid to non-democratic states, how HIV/AIDS affects state stability, priorities of intervention, and who has the right to rule fragile states.

Synnott and Finn’s debate will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 9 in Council Chamber. Tombale and Gilfillan’s debate will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11. All events during the International Affairs Symposium are free and open to the public.

Young Pioneer Sports Day, April 13

The women’s basketball team will host Young Pioneer Sports Day on Friday, April 13, in the Pamplin Sports Center. Boys and girls grades K –5 are invited to spend the day playing indoor sports such as volleyball, basketball, kickball and dodge ball. This event corresponds with many of the area elementary schools being out of session for professional development days.

The cost is $35 for the day. Drop off hours are 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. and pick up hours are 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. For more information, call ext. 7557.

Sound science in an ideological world

Dr. Peter Gleick, co-founder and President of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California, will give the keynote address at this year’s Law, Science and Environment Forum. His presentation titled “Sound Science in an Ideological World,” takes place Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. in the Law Student Lounge. The event is free and open to the public.

Gleick testified in February on “Threats to the Integrity of Science” before the Senate hearing on Climate Change Research and Scientific Integrity. His research and writing address the critical connections between water and human health, the hydrologic impacts of climate change, sustainable water use, privatization and globalization, and international conflicts over water resources.

Spring 2007 Law Review Symposium

Valerie Caproni, Chief Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is one of 15 legal experts from around the country to join the Lewis & Clark Law School Spring 2007 Law Review Symposium. The symposium, titled “Crimes, War Crimes, and the War on Terror,” takes place on Friday, April 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. at the law school.

Panel discussion topics include “Domestic Law and National Security,” “The other criminal Process: War Crimes, Military Commissions, and Habeas Corpus,” “Perspectives from International Law,” and “Surveillance and Transparency.” Lewis & Clark Law School faculty panelists include Bill Funk, John Kroger, John Parry, Juliet Stumpf, and Susan Mandiberg.

All events will be held in Classroom 7, Wood Hall. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Symposium fee includes materials, continental breakfast, and lunch. Cost varies based on private practice, governmental and academic affiliations. For more information visit http://www.lclark. edu/org/artslive/ lawreviewsymp.html.

Explore Ireland through its literature

This spring, the William Stafford Center presents a series of workshops that will provide literary adventures for all travelers, actual and armchair. In these workshops, participants explore the cultures of England, Mexico, Greece, and Ireland through selected writers and their work. The final workshop, which focuses on Ireland, is on April 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ana Callan, who is native to Ireland, will lead the workshop. Callan teaches courses in mystic poetry and spiritual memoir. Her recent publications include “Fairy Tale,” a collection of poems, and “Taf,” a novel for young adults.

Irish writers have had complex and busy history to drawn on, according to Callan. Participants will examine poems, music, and selections from books by authors such as Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, and Seamus Heaney. In the workshop, participants will discuss issues such as censorship laws, the role of class, the effects of violence, the resurrection of the Irish language, and the recent emergence of women poets.

“Expect a wide variety of reading materials,” said Callan. “If you’re interested in getting beyond the mythologies of saints and stout, then this is your opportunity. As a native islander, I’m happy to share my perspective and allow our reading and chats and perhaps scribblings to do the rest.”

The workshop is open to the public. Participants should contact the Northwest Writing Institute to register. There is a fee of $80. For more information, visit http://graduate. lclark.edu/dept/ wilstaff/readingcult. html or call ext. 6160.

Spring Concerts

Lewis & Clark’s Music Department is presenting several concerts on campus throughout the month of April. During the next two weeks, these concerts will be performed:

April 13, 8 p.m.
Evans Auditorium
Cappella Nova

April 14, 8 p.m.
Evans Auditorium
Orla McDonagh, piano and Ailbhe McDonagh, cello

April 15, 4 p.m.
Chapel
Wind Symphony Spring Concert “American Expressions”

April 15, 8 p.m.
Evans Auditorium
Frontier Blues: A Musical Narrative of the Columbia River Region

April 17, 7:30 p.m.
Evans Auditorium
Jazz Night

April 19, 8 p.m.
Evans Auditorium
Composition Majors’ Recital

April 20, 8 p.m.
Agnes Flanagan Chapel
Gavin Duffy ’07 Senior Composition Recital

April 21, 7 p.m.
Evans Auditorium
James Brown ’07 Senior Composition Recital

April 22, 1 p.m.
Evans Auditorium
World Music Concert

April 22, 8 p.m.
Evans Auditorium
Lewis & Clark Orchestra

For more information, call ext. 7461.

Upcoming

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