Up-to-the-minute news briefs of faculty, student and staff successes
Professor pens editorial on pending climate change legislation
Rob Kugler, Paul S. Wright Professor of Christian Studies:
Kugler, chair of the Religious Studies Department, published an editorial that highlights his concerns for leaving future generations a livable planet. In addition to his role as professor, Kugler serves as the coordinator for Lewis & Clark’s participation in the National Teach-In on Global Warming, a day-long event involving tens of thousands of college students nationwide who engage with faculty and public leaders in dialogue about public policy solutions to stem the rise in the earth’s temperature.
He frames his argument through a biblical lens: “Jesus, a fairly sharp observer of human nature, argued that parents, when their children ask for bread, are unlikely to give stone instead (Matt 7:9). Tragically, Jesus’ confidence in us is in doubt. Although our children would ask for bread — a future free of the consequences of human-caused climate change — our actions so far have assured them only stone.”
Kugler teaches courses on Jewish and Christian origins, including courses on both the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and New Testament. His special area of research deals with the interface between the sociohistorical contexts of early Judaism and Christianity and the religions’ interpretation of their received texts and traditions. Kugler was named Professor of the Year by Lewis & Clark students in 2007.
The Oregonian Bread, not stone
Associate Professor of History publishes entry in The Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience
Andrew Bernstein, associate professor of history:
Bernstein published “Shinto Beliefs and Traditions” in The Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2009). This two-volume encyclopedia is a compilation of over 300 concepts that explain death-related terms that have become part of everyday social discourse. Bernstein’s contribution is a study of religion and life cycle in Japan, namely the division between Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. On the encyclopedia, Bernstein said, “My entry is one of several hundred in an encyclopedia meant to be a one-stop resource for those interested in, as the title indicates, ‘death and the human experience.’”
Professor, alum earn top honor for collaborative research
Political science professor Todd Lochner and Rhett Tatum ‘06, along with fellow researcher and political scientist Dorie Apollonio, were recognized by the editorial board of Regulation & Governance for their joint article, Wheat from Chaff: Third Party Monitoring and FEC Enforcement Actions.
Regulation & Governance, a journal devoted to the study of regulation and governance by political scientists, lawyers, historians, anthropologists, and economists, named Wheat from Chaff the best article published in the 2007-2008 volumes of the journal.
In their article, Lochner, Apollonio, and Tatum test the widely held expectation that regulators can more effectively target serious violations when they have a broader array of sanctioning options in their enforcement arsenal. To test this theoretical expectation, Lochner, Apollonio, and Tatum analyze enforcement actions at the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) during the period when the FEC received an expansion in its sanctioning options. What they find runs counter to expectations: the FEC was not better able to focus on the most serious violations after receiving a broader array of sanctions. Lochner, Apollonio, and Tatum suggest that simply expanding sanctioning options, without also expanding monitoring resources, is not sufficient to enable regulators to prioritize their enforcement efforts toward the most serious problems.
Todd Lochner teaches undergraduate courses in constitutional law, civil liberties, and political science. He also teaches a joint undergraduate-law school course on election law at Lewis & Clark Law School, where he is a research fellow. Rhett Tatum is currently a student at the Georgetown University Law Center where he is studying election law.
Two Overseas Juniors head to Strasbourg to discuss Obama’s presidency
Parasa Chanramy (’10) and Jeanette Valleau (’10) were among over 60 students and speakers from North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, who gathered recently for a three-day conference in Strasbourg, France, to discuss whether or not President Obama would make a difference in US - European relations. Chanramy and Valleau have been studying with the Foundation for International Education (FIE) in London and were awarded fellowships from FIE and Lewis & Clark to attend the conference.
Following the Opening Plenary Lecture by Dr. Stephen Ryan, of the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, on the topic “Will Illusion Breed Disillusion? Obama, Europe and Global Politics,” students participated in discussions on the future of US foreign policy, the new president’s challenges in the Middle East, and the impact President Obama might have on NATO as it celebrates the 60th anniversary of its founding.
Lewis & Clark Overseas and Off Campus Programs aim to enhance on-campus curricula and provide unique academic and experiential opportunities abroad. With programs in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America, these overseas opportunities send over 260 students abroad annually. To learn more about Lewis & Clark Overseas and Off Campus Programs, click here.
Economics professor quoted in U.S. News
Professor of Economics Eban Goodstein is quoted in a recent in U.S. News & World Reports about a trend in educating youth about conservation. Goodstein, co-director of National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions, led 804 institutions and 250,000 people in a “day of engagement” on February 5. The teach-in was designed to bring college students together to discuss global warming and policy solutions and included student participation with members of Congress through videoconferences. On the generation this teach-in targeted, Goodstein said, “Students have a truly heroic task that they have no choice but to fulfill in their lifetimes. [The task is] saving the planet as we know it, so that their children can also inherit a beautiful and rich planet.”
US News (Washington, D.C.) The Future of Climate Change: How to Teach Children to Conserve
Two science professors receive M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grants
Stephen Tufte, associate professor of science and Peter Kennedy, associate professor of biology:
Tufte and Kennedy each received a Partners in Science Program grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The goal of this program is to provide high school teachers with opportunities to work with college faculty members at the cutting edge of science and revitalize their teaching.
Tufte will work with Jo Ann Wadkins, a science teacher at Lincoln High School, for the next two summers in the Department of Physics. Their research, titled “Observational Investigations of Short-Period Eclipsing Binary Stars,” will be shared at two national Partners in Science conferences at the end of each summer.
Kennedy will partner with Eileen Oppelt, a science teacher at West Linn High School. Their research, “Examining Biogeographic Patterns in the Frankia-Alnus rubra Symbiosis,” will be conducted in the Department of Biology. Oppelt will also share the results of the joint research at Partners in Science conferences.
The Murdock Trust provides grants in five states of the Pacific Northwest to organizations that aim to strengthen the region’s educational base in sustainable ways.
Assistant Professor of Mathematics receives junior faculty fellowship
Naiomi Cameron, Assistant Professor of Mathematics:
Cameron received a Career Enhancement Fellowship for Junior Faculty from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Cameron’s fellowship will allow her to take one year,
starting in June 2009, to pursue her scholarly research and writing, travel to academic conferences and connect with a network of Career Enhancement Fellows and Mentors.
Cameron said the fellowship benefits her personally as well as her students. She pointed out that this will afford her time and resources to further her research, enrich her teaching, and engage in the mathematical community at Lewis & Clark.
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