Neuroscientist Michael Posner Wins National Medal of Science

University of Oregon neuroscientist Michael Posner has won a National Medal of Science for his work on the development of attention in the brain, President Barack Obama announced Sept. 17. Posner, a professor emeritus who joined the UO faculty in 1965, is one of nine winners of the national award given in recognition of "outstanding contributions to science and engineering," according to the White House.

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UO’s Applied Information Management Present Research Awards

The University of Oregon Applied Information Management (AIM) Master’s Degree Program is well known for the cutting edge questions posed by students in the final research course, entitled Capstone. Capstone provides an opportunity for students, who work full time while completing the degree, to select a topic in the larger field of information management and to build a clearly defined link between their professional activity and academic inquiry. Most professionals have little time to conduct research as a regular part of their workday, although many would probably say they would benefit from the opportunity.

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UO Architecture Alumnae Establish Connection in Koutiala, Mali

Architectural design, technology, and an interest in helping others brought students from the University of Oregon together with artisans in a city in southeastern Mali this summer. Peace Corps volunteers, Karmen Unterwegner and Maridee BonaDea, reached across the continents to bring architectural design assistance to an artisan center in Koutiala, Mali.

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School of Journalism and Communication Announces 2009 Hall of Achievement Class

The late Ann Sullivan ’42, who helped pave the way for women in journalism as a reporter at The Oregonian, will be honored along with Steve O’Leary ’69, president of O’Leary and Partners Advertising and a noted author and speaker about word-of-mouth advertising. Glenn Cole ’92, Principal and Creative Director of 72 and Sunny, will receive the inaugural Eric Allen Award for alumni under 40 at the event, which is scheduled for November 13.

The Hall of Achievement is the SOJC’s signature event and includes a reception, dinner, and program honoring the inductees and highlighting SOJC scholarship students. All proceeds benefit named Hall of Achievement scholarships as well as the HOA Student Fund.

Interested in attending this year’s event? Contact Kathleen Larson, SOJC Event Manager, klarson@uoregon.edu. Seating is limited and tickets begin at $125.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Ann Greenfield, SOJC Assistant Director of Development, amg@uoregon.edu.

» Visit the virtual Hall of Achievement

Cascade Magazine Now Online

The Fall 2009 issue of Cascade is now in the mail to alumni of the College of Arts and Sciences. Watch for it in your mailbox, or link now to the virtual magazine Or visit the Cascade web site. Questions or comments? Contact the editor at cascade@uoregon.edu.

Students Contribute to Preservation of Buildings Across the Northwest

Last week, three university students from the Pacific Northwest got to know architect Frank Lloyd Wright's handiwork up close and personal. On Thursday, the trio sat on a scaffolding 10 feet in the air. With gentle movements, they scraped away the original finish on cedar plywood ceiling panels. The work takes a gentle touch because they don't want to gouge or otherwise damage the wood, which could be expensive, if not impossible, to repair.

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Become a Higher Education Advocate

Calling all Ducks and fine-feathered friends! To support higher education, the University of Oregon draws upon an extensive network of grassroots, volunteer advocates – alumni, students, their families, faculty, staff, and friends of the university. We’re pleased to announce our new online system that makes it even easier for you to become a University of Oregon Advocate. Please visit the Advocacy page on the Alumni Association’s new website and become a UO Advocate today!  Once you sign up, we’ll keep you posted on advocacy opportunities throughout the year – everything from calling or emailing elected officials, writing letters to the editor, attending town hall meetings, participating in office visits with legislators, and attending advocacy days at the State Capitol.  Your advocacy really helps the university and higher education.

» Sign up today

My DuckStory: Katie Dwyer

If you can catch a moment with University of Oregon student Katie Dwyer, you’ll immediately sense she’s a young woman on a mission. As a senior in the Clark Honors College, Katie is pursuing a double-major in Comparative Literature and Sociology with a minor in Spanish. She spends her free time as a tour guide for the Honors College, works with the American English Institute to host international scholars, volunteers at local clinic Volunteers in Medicine, spends evenings at the Campus Wesley Center, and hours on the Recreation Center’s climbing wall. Indeed, this busy young woman throws herself so much into her UO experiences, it’s a wonder she ever sleeps.

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Gift from Sue Moshberger ’37 Enriches Educational Experience for Student Researchers

Students on campus are gaining valuable experience because of a gift from Ursula “Sue” Moshberger, shown here in her U.S. Navy WAVES uniform. Moshberger became a high school teacher after earning her degree in physical education at the UO in 1937. Her bequest to the UO’s human physiology department helps advance the careers of student researchers.

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Matthew Knight Arena Update

After nearly seven years of hard work — and with the generous support and vision of the University of Oregon community — construction of Matthew Knight Arena is well underway. The new interactive website is the second phase of the Matthew Knight Arena internet experience.  It includes 3-D views from all seating sections, previews of arena features, regular blogs from Matthew Knight Arena personalities, as well as information on amenities, comfort and services.

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Frosh Volleyball Players Team Up with Veterans to Push Ducks to #12 in US

The Aug. 22 volleyball media day at McArthur Court provided media outlets with a glimpse of the future, as freshmen teamed up with their veteran teammates in the first public inter-squad scrimmage of the season. Described as a bookend team, much of Duck volleyball’s success depends on the performance of the five new freshmen filling out its roster. The scrimmage was their first chance to show off in the public eye.

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» To see a day in the life of the Vollyball team,
click here

Tips from the Trainer

The Oregon Athletic Medicine staff has more than 100 years of combined athletic medicine experience. The athletic trainer is one of the most important parts of a complete athletic medicine program. The athletic training staff consists of seven full time athletic trainers supplemented by the support of graduate athletic trainers' in advanced studies of Sports Medicine and Athletic Training within the Department of Human Physiology.

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Alexander Theoharis ’09 Authors Photographic Comic Book Series

Battling zombies in post-apocalyptic Seattle is just a typical day for the characters of the new comic book series Night Zero, written by recent law school graduate Alexander Theoharis, founder and editor-in-chief of The Legality.

Night Zero is a photo comic book produced on location in Seattle, Washington. It follows the lives of the survivors of a deadly viral outbreak who must learn to live together and forge a new future in the New City.

In March, Theoharis shared some insights as to how he came about writing comic book scripts and how he was able to strike a balance between law school and creative writing.

» Click to read interview…

Art Rice ’73 Says Time at UO “the Best of His Life”

The third time that the Soviet police officer approached Art Rice he wasn’t so friendly. This time, instead of a nod and casual walk away from the man in uniform Rice found himself face first on the ground, and, ultimately arrested. The 1973 UO landscape architecture alumnus would later describe this experience as comedic, and also insightful into the culture of the Soviet Union, as he befriend many of the officers he encountered at the station.

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John Natt’s ’64 Blue Duck Scholarships Benefit UO Grads

UO alum John Natt has walked a long and illustrious academic road. First, he graduated from the UO with an undergraduate degree in chemistry in 1964 (and played for the Ducks’ basketball team while studying for his degree). He then went on to receive an MS in physical chemistry from the University of Washington in 1966, and then he attended UC Berkeley, where he received an MBA with an emphasis in allied economics in 1969.

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K. Lynn Savage ’63 Teaches English Around the World

K. Lynn Savage '63, the founding director of the English-as-a-Second Language Teacher Institute, has helped non-native English speakers in the U.S. and around the world successfully learn English. During one of her recent trips abroad, Savage spent 30 days at the Elephant Nature Park located near Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand. She helped teach the park's mahouts, or elephant handlers, English.

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In Memoriam: Bob Gerding PhD ’67

Bob Gerding, a Portland native who transformed the city's downtown core with Earth-friendly high-rise buildings and energized its leading theater company, died August 18 after a long fight with cancer. He was 71.

After graduating from Portland's Lincoln High School in 1955, he studied sciences at the University of Oregon, Portland State University and the University of California. He earned a doctorate in biochemistry from U of O in 1967, taught physiology at Purdue University and later held a clinical post at Good Samaritan Hospital, in Portland.

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In Memoriam: Warner Peticolas

UO Professor Warner Leland Peticolas died peacefully on Friday, June 26th, 2009, at Sacred Heart Hospital. He was 79 years old.

Warner was born on July 29th, 1929, in Lubbock, Texas. He studied chemistry at Texas Tech University in Lubbock where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering in 1946. He received his PhD in physical chemistry in 1954 from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He worked for Du Pont, IBM, and the California Institute of Technology before joining the faculty at the University of Oregon as a full professor.

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College in Oregon for Iraqi Refugees

When the fall semester begins at the University of Oregon, students may be learning about the war in Iraq from young adults who have lived through it. Some Iraqi refugees will be attending college in Eugene and at schools in more than a dozen other states, as part of the Iraqi Student Project.

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UO Alumni Featured in 10th Anniversary Portland Open Studios Tour

Watch Artists at Work in all media at 100 artists’ workplaces throughout Metro Portland, on the second and third weekends of October (10, 11 and 17, 18). Go behind the scenes to see where, how, and why painting, sculpture, etchings, weavings, ceramics, and more are made in an up close and personal view. The $15 Tour Guide includes 2 tickets good for all 4 days (children free), map and directions to artist studios, pictures of artworks, and a beautiful 2010 commemorative calendar.  Available at Art Media, New Seasons and other stores, or directly from www.portlandopenstudios.com.

» Click here for list of UO alumni artists…

Professor Adell Amos Appointed Deputy Solicitor for Land and Water Resources

Oregon Law's Adell Amos, Assistant Professor and Director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center, has been appointed to serve in the administration of President Barack Obama as deputy solicitor for Land and Water Resources.

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Nature’s Sanctuaries Photography at Knight Law Center

A vibrant orange sky is the backdrop for a burning sun as it sets on the horizon of the Oregon coast. A black silhouetted forest envelops the foreground as the dusk horizon of the Pacific Ocean peaks out from behind the trees. These are just two of the images on display at the Knight Law Center as part of the photography exhibit “Sanctuaries” by Scott Blackman.

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UO Prof Finalist in Sexiest Vegetarian Contest

Think about PETA, officially People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and “beauty contest” definitely is not the first thing that comes to mind. Be that as it may, a Eugene woman is in the finals of just such a competition.

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University of Oregon Program a Technology Resource Around the World

It took Daurice Nyirongo, another participant in this summer’s international computer networking course at the UO, five hours on the road and more than thirty more in the air to travel from her home in northern Malawi to the University of Oregon campus.

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UO Team Aids Preservation Efforts in Virginia City, Montana

Digging into the history of one of the West’s most celebrated mining towns, Virginia City, Montana, UO students and faculty members laid the groundwork for research and documentation on African-American pioneers. The focus of the six-month project is the Jack Taylor house and store, built in 1864.

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