Topic: Research
Associate Dean Janet Bixby publishes book on her qualitative research
Janet Bixby, associate dean of the Graduate School of Education and Counseling:
“Educating Democratic Citizens in Troubled Times: Qualitative Studies of Current Efforts” (SUNY Press, 2008), a new book by Bixby, will be published in November. This book offers a groundbreaking examination of citizenship education programs that serve contemporary youth in schools and communities across the United States. These programs include social studies classes and curricula, school governance, and community-based education perspectives of educators and youth involved in these civic education efforts. The contributors offer rich analyses of how mainstream and alternative programs are envisioned and enacted, and the most important factors that shape them. A variety of theoretical lenses and qualitative methodologies are used, including ethnography, focus group interviews, and content analyses of textbooks.
Kirschner finds amplification aids learning
In this essay, Susan Kirschner, senior lecturer in humanities with a specialty in prose writing, describes the positive effects of an FM “sound-field system” on her classes.
The amplification system required both Kirschner and her students to speak into a microphone, which created a more constructive, cooperative learning atmosphere. Though Kirschner’s original reason for utilizing this system was to aide her early neurosensory hearing loss, she was pleasantly surprised when not only her hearing improved, but her students’ learning experience was also amplified. “A happy byproduct of success in that area is the discovery that people with and without hearing loss benefit from such amplification in discussion settings. An even happier one is that the ability to listen, focus and hear others better, and to become mindful of habits and practices that make good discussion possible, seemed to feel intrinsically rewarding to students,” writes Kirschner.
Kirschner points out that, although many schools throughout Oregon have installed these sound-field systems, no other study—aside from her own—has assessed the effects of student voice amplification.
Inside Higher Ed (Washington, D.C.) Amplified Learning
Professor Autumn to participate in Science Pub series
Kellar Autumn, professor of biology:
Autumn will present How Geckos Stick and Why We Care as part of Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Science Pub, a monthly event designed for a general adult audience to learn about advances in science and technology from leading researchers and scientists in an approachable, relaxed setting that includes food and drinks. Autumn’s research on geckos and their adhesion capabilities has grown into a new field of study at the interface between biology, physics, and materials science. He has authored over 40 scientific papers and his research is featured in textbooks, encyclopedias, and popular books including The Nanotech Pioneers: Where Are They Taking Us? Every major television network has covered his work, as have hundreds of newspaper, magazine, and Internet articles worldwide.
The event takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Portland’s Mission Theater & Pub, 1624 NW Glisan, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.). No reservations or tickets are needed; doors open at 5 p.m.
American Chemical Society publishes article by Professor Jim Duncan and two undergraduates
Jim Duncan, professor of chemistry:
An article by Duncan and seniors David Calkins and Mariya Chavarha has been published by the American Chemical Society. The article, titled “Secondary Orbital Effect in the Electrocyclic Ring Closure of 7-Azahepta-1,2,4,6-tetraene - a CASSCF Molecular Orbital Study,” can be read online, at the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Retirement research draws attention in New York Times
A published paper by Harry Schleef, associate professor of economics, and Robert Eisinger, associate professor of political science, entitled “Hitting or Missing the Retirement Target: Comparing Contributions and Asset Allocation Schemes of Simulated Portfolios,” was the centerpiece of a New York Times column on investment strategies. Read more here.
The New York Times (New York, N.Y.) The odds for a retirement nest egg, recalculated
Lewis & Clark receives $1.3 million HHMI grant
A recent $1.3 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will strengthen Lewis & Clark’s efforts to recruit and train the next generation of scientists. The grant will help to fund increased research opportunities for undergraduate students, including collaboration with the Oregon Health Science University and with institutions in East Africa. Learn more here.
Assistant Professor Dorothy Aguilera examines language immersion models
Dorothy Aguilera, assistant professor of educational leadership:
In March, Aguilera presented “Restoring and Preserving Indigenous Languages: Three Indigenous Communities’ Successes with Language Immersion Models” at the American Education Research Association conference in New York. Aguilera’s presentation analyzed the language immersion models that are meant to revitalize and preserve the native languages of indigenous communities in grades K-12.
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