Views on Higher Education

Undergraduate research: challenges for research-active faculty

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:34:00 +0000

In a recent post I wrote about the value of undergraduate research. The topic is not new and has been discussed in many venues over many years. For example, in August of 2003 an Undergraduate Research Summit was held at Bates College, Lewiston, Maine. Funded by the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation and co-organized by Prof. Thomas Wenzel (Chemistry Department, Bates College) and Dr. Robert Lichter (Merrimack Consultants LLC), the summit consisted of discussions initiated by a number of white papers. A full report of the summit was disseminated and discussed at a number of American Chemical Society National Meetings.

Prof. John Stevens (Chemistry Department, University of North Carolina at Asheville) and I co-authored a piece on "Generating Research Ideas" for the summit and report. Are the views expressed in this seven-year-old white paper still relevant? Indeed, does the entire report still offer a useful perspective on the challenges associated with undergraduate research?

Incidentally, let me take this opportunity to congratulate Tom Wenzel on receiving the 2010 American Chemical Society Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution.

The National Research Council seeks comment on K-12 science education standards

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:55:00 +0000

The National Research Council would like comments from the public by August 2, 2010, on a draft framework for K-12 science education. According to the news release:

"The National Research Council today released a draft framework that proposes the science content and concepts students should learn for grades K-12. The independent, nonprofit Research Council is seeking comment on the draft from the science and education communities and the public. The final framework will serve as the basis for new science education standards, to replace those based on documents developed over 10 years ago."

Please consider contributing to the debate.

Remarks delivered at Lewis & Clark's Phi Beta Kappa induction ceremony - May 8, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:55:00 +0000

The seniors among you are graduating at a time when financial institutions, large companies, and even entire countries are in crisis; an economic crisis that will be felt around the world for many years. So the juniors among you will face the same challenges a year from now that your senior colleagues are about to face now. The world is going through rapid change, and you must be wondering how you will cope with so much change. But I’d like to convince you that you already learned how to cope with change.

Some years ago you had just accepted Lewis & Clark’s offer of admission to its College of Arts & Sciences, and you began to contemplate change: the move away from home to a new school, where you would make new friends and work with professors intent on opening your eyes to new ways of learning and thinking. A few months later, you came to Palatine Hill and major change became inevitable and immediate. Before you could blink an eye, you were reading and critiquing texts you once thought intractable, working with faculty mentors on research projects, creating art. You were changing, and rapidly. Four years have gone by and the seniors among you now must face change yet again: the move away from this school to a new home, new friends and colleagues—some perhaps intent on opening your eyes to new ways of thinking.

I am a chemist, accustomed to visualizing change at the atomic and molecular levels. But the change you experienced then and are about to experience now cannot be rationalized by the postulates of quantum mechanics or the laws of thermodynamics, of which chemists are so fond. So let’s look for inspiration elsewhere.

Theologian Richard Hooker warns that “Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better.” It follows that embracing change is essential, even when change causes temporary unease. Such is the nature of the changes you will experience when entering graduate or professional school, starting a new job or career, or making a particularly difficult decision affecting you or others.

Philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell takes us further by telling us that “Change is one thing, progress is another.” That is, movement along a carefully defined trajectory is the kind of change that will be meaningful and joyful to you and those with whom you are sharing your life.

Finally, Victor Hugo, poet, novelist, and playwright, asks you, as do I, to “Change your opinions, keep to your principles.” As you collect experiences, your perspectives on everything, from politics to religion, can and will likely change, even if slightly. But these changes will only “feel right” if they do not erode an ethical foundation that, by now, should be sufficiently strong to give you the instincts you will need to make good and fair decisions.

I have great confidence that you, Lewis & Clark students and members of Phi Beta Kappa, have the intellectual skills and motivation to engage any issue and lead any conversation, no matter how society changes. I know that the seniors among you will make yourselves, your family, and the College proud as you begin your new lives beyond Palatine Hill. As for the juniors in the audience, Lewis & Clark’s faculty and staff look forward to continuing our work with you next year.

Thank you and Peace to all.

Charge to the Class of 2010 - Lewis & Clark College, College of Arts & Sciences - May 9, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:40:00 +0000

Graduates—and you are now graduates—you were trained in the tradition of the liberal arts to understand the socio-economic, political, and technological contexts of the problems humanity faces. You are poised to find solutions that affirm human rights, protect the environment, raise—and then stabilize—standards of living across the globe. But to capitalize on this opportunity to find solutions you must waste no time to think of ways in which to make a positive impact on the communities you will join.

I have been a member of many communities, each unique in many respects. But I have observed that communities that function well and make progress toward solving problems and achieving their goals have at least these features in common: they value the skills and opinions of their members, and they are willing and ready to change—sometimes rather significantly—in response to challenges and opportunities originating from within or without.

Whenever I contemplate my role in a community, I am reminded of an unexpected and beautiful experience. Many years ago I attended a conference in New Orleans. After a wonderful lunch in the French Quarter—it is nearly impossible to have a bad meal in New Orleans—I had a bit of time before the next lecture and began walking toward Jackson Square. There I was quickly drawn to a band playing Dixieland. The leader, a wonderful clarinetist who also sang beautifully, was obviously in control of the group, calling the songs and signaling the soloists. But the group changed almost constantly: a tuba player left (perhaps to go back to work), a guitarist joined in midsong, the band was sometimes a quintet, sometimes a rather large ensemble. Yet, the music was always rich and soulful, like good jazz always is.

In my opinion, a strong community should function like this band of street musicians did. So, as you leave Lewis & Clark and join another community—law, medical, or graduate school, a commercial or not-for-profit organization, and so on—I ask you to consider the following advice.

First, do not forget that you will remain a member of the Lewis & Clark community. Yes, like every productive community, we will change—sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly—but we will remain true to our educational mission. And we will always be ready to help you when we can.

Second, and very importantly, consider becoming a bit like the guitarist who steps in and, working together with other musicians, somehow compensates for the absent tuba player. Follow the lead of those you trust to lead, but improvise when necessary. Indeed, good leaders cultivate and reward creativity. And when called to lead, do so.

Finally, and above all, help your community thrive just as a good clarinetist or guitarist can make the sounds of a jazz band richer and more soulful.

Making and helping others make informed decisions about the future of your new communities will be a tribute to your professors, your family, and—very importantly—to your hard work at Lewis & Clark over the last few years. In this task I wish you clarity of thought, patience, perseverance, and, above all, peace.

International education at Lewis & Clark College

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:34:00 +0000

The 2009 edition of OPEN DOORS, published annually by the Institute of International Education, ranks Lewis & Clark College 4th for Baccalaureate Institutions sending students on mid-length duration overseas programs (one semester) and 11th for long-term duration overseas programs (full-year.) In the latter category we missed being in the top 10 by 3 students! For more information, please see:

http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=150838

Undergraduate research at Lewis & Clark College, part 7 - Literature

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:21:00 +0000

Collaborative research with undergraduates in the humanities--often characterized as difficult to do properly because most scholars in the humanities tend to work in isolation--is not only possible but can lead to important achievements. An example is the ongoing collaboration between Lewis & Clark College's Prof. John Callahan and Prof. Adam Bradley, now at the University of Colorado, Boulder, but once an undergraduate at Lewis & Clark.

Eight Challeges for Liberal Arts Colleges - A Reading List

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:59:00 +0000

If you read my earlier post on the Eight Challenges for Liberal Arts Colleges, you may find these reports and sources of data useful and interesting:

Eight Challenges for Liberal Arts Colleges

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:51:00 +0000

I can enumerate eight challenges that liberal arts colleges must face in the near future:

1. Changing demographics:

(a) The number of high school graduates will level off in the next 20 years, so competition for students will be fierce.

(b) College students will be more diverse ethnically and culturally, so the curriculum also must become more diverse.

2. Affordability: Tuition and fees have been rising at higher rates than healthcare, median household income, and the CPI.

3. Dwindling resources and cost containment: Tuition revenue and endowments will level off or decrease in a difficult economy.

4. The value proposition: Colleges must communicate to students and their families that a liberal arts education has great value. See http://jdepaula1.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-is-value-of-liberal-arts-education.html.

5. Assessment of learning outcomes: Colleges must prove to students and employers that a liberal arts education imparts useful skills.

6. The student of the future must learn to think critically, communicate well, and understand science, technology, and global issues.

7. The curriculum of the future must make stronger connections between the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

8. The curriculum of the future must promote global citizenship and leadership.

The good news for liberal arts Colleges is that the existing curriculum--to the extent that it is possible to generalize--already teaches some essential skills: critical and creative thinking, analytical and quantitative reasoning, effective writing. But these skills are often developed within discipline-centric majors, which by design promote early specialization. Students have few opportunities to explore connections between disciplines, to understand "big issues" by examining multiple perspectives. For example, seldom is an English major--even someone who meets all requirements of a general education program--asked to think critically and creatively about solutions to a complex problem, such as climate change, by synthesizing concepts of economics, chemistry, political science, philosophy. Yet a student who faces and conquers such an intellectual challenge is prepared to articulate the value of a liberal arts education to a prospective employer. More importantly, this student will become an informed citizen with the potential to lead local and global communities.

As Professor Copenhaver stated in http://jdepaula1.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-is-value-of-liberal-arts-education.html, a liberal arts education 'makes a certain kind of good life possible – one that is embedded in relations that provide life with meaning: relations to the past, the world, and to other persons.’ Relations to the past, the world, and to other persons change over time because society, perspectives, and our collective body of knowledge change over time. Therefore, the liberal arts curriculum must change over time as well. So let us renew our commitment to reform by engaging actively in open conversation about the curriculum we want to create for our students. And let us broaden access to this curriculum by making a liberal arts education affordable to all students who want it. This curriculum will be our legacy.

Undergraduate research at Lewis & Clark College, part 6: The role of the Student Academic Affairs Board

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:38:00 +0000

At Lewis & Clark College the Student Academic Affairs Board (SAAB) makes research grants to students, enhancing the undergraduate research options discussed in earlier posts. For an example of a SAAB-funded project, please click here.

The Value of Undergraduate Research

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:40:00 +0000

Much of what I wrote in my opinion piece from 2001 on undergraduate research is still valid today. The same topic is addressed in the same issue of Chemical & Engineering News by Profs. Abrash and Bussell.

Incidentally, the student profiled in my opinion piece, Shelli Frey, went on to receive a doctorate from the University of Chicago and is now an assistant professor of Chemistry at Gettysburg College.

Undergraduate research at Lewis & Clark College, part 5: Mathematics and Computer Science

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:52:00 +0000

The following summer undergraduate research projects in Computer Science and Mathematics were funded by grants from the National Science Foundation:

Title: Computer Go: Enhancing Monte Carlo Tree Search
Faculty mentors: Peter Drake, Yung-Pin Chen, Jens Mache
Students: Walt Javins ‘11, Jessica Mullins ‘10, Seth Pellegrino ‘10, Bobby Dygert (University at Buffalo), Travis Mandel (Carnegie Mellon University), Drew Tillis (Hendrix College)
Abstract: The Asian game of Go has simpler rules than Chess, but writing a Go-playing program that can compete with strong human players has proven exceedingly difficult. In fact, Go is considered one of the "grand challenges" of artificial intelligence. The Monte-Carlo approach has significantly strengthened the performance of computer Go programs. The team examined and improved the RAVE (Rapid Action Value Estimation) algorithm proposed by Gelly and Silver in 2008, and enhanced the Monte Carlo tree search with two revised RAVE algorithms. Click here for Lewis & Clark’s Orego page and here for more information about the NSF grant that supported this work.

Title: Towards Contour Tracking with Wireless Sensor Networks.
Faculty mentor: Jens Mache
Student: Samuel Bock '11
Abstract: An emerging class of small computers, outfitted with sensors and linked by radio transceivers, can form perceptive sensor networks that will connect more intimately the virtual and physical worlds. This work focuses on making these new technologies accessible to undergraduates through the use of activity based labs and a web accessible collaborative environment. The team explored communication, localization, power management, security, data aggregation and contour tracking. Click here for information about the NSF grant that supported this work.

Undergraduate research at Lewis & Clark College, part 4: Environmental Studies

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:42:00 +0000

The following summer undergraduate research projects in Environmental Studies were funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to Lewis & Clark College:

Title: The Effect of Message Framing as a Function of Place
Faculty mentor: Brian Detweiler-Bedell, Associate Professor of Psychology
Students: Amanda Hamilton-Cave, Allison Sweeney
Abstract: Attitudes and decisions are often shaped by context quite dramatically and in ways that violate the principles of rationality. One such contextual influence is how decisions are
framed. Individuals think and act differently depending on whether they focus on the advantages of a course of action (i.e., a gain frame) versus the drawbacks of inaction (i.e., a loss frame). In this project, we will apply past research concerning psychological message framing to environmental attitudes and decisions. We hypothesize that the concreteness of place will influence the effectiveness of gain-framed versus loss-framed appeals.

Title: Global/Local Food Networks: Wine & Foie Gras
Faculty mentors: Daena Goldsmith, Professor of Communication; Deborah Heath, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Student: Emily Nguyen
Abstract: The interdisciplinary study of agrifood networks implicates nature and culture, local/global processes, rural and urban environments, production and consumption. The proposed project explores the production, distribution, and consumption of two luxury commodities—fois gras and wine—across Oregon, California, and France. We will study networks that link human and nonhuman actors as well as the competing discourses that construct claims about “quality,” “taste,” and “ethics.” Using actor-network theory and situated knowledge approaches, these two case studies will contribute to interdisciplinary scholarship on neo-artisanal agrifood networks that offer alternatives to large-scale agriculture, and to declining local industries like timber.

Title: Building Web2.0 Environmental Research Resources
Faculty mentor: Jim Proctor, Director/Professor of Environmental Studies
Students: Sarah Bobertz, Dick Burnham-Fink
Abstract: Capping off three years of development, Peter Vidito, Administrative Coordinator for the ENVS Program, worked with student research assistants Sarah Bobertz and Richard Burnham-Fink to finalize a set of online resources to support high-quality environmental research, a major objective of the Program's Andrew Mellon Foundation-sponsored initiative. Their work underscores the Program's Web2.0 approach in building a scholarly community around these resources and equipping it with cutting-edge research tools ranging from academic bookmarking to concept mapping to geographic information systems. The sheer number and diversity of relevant publications, organizations, data, and perspectives on contemporary environmental issues can overwhelm an individual researcher; only by intelligently collecting and sharing these resources and tools are we going to deliver on the potential this century's technologies offer us.

Undergraduate research at Lewis & Clark College, part 3: Summer Program in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:11:00 +0000

Nine faculty-student teams in the arts, humanities and social sciences were supported with internal research grants during the summer of 2009. The teams and their project titles are:

J.M. Fritzman, associate professor of philosophy, and student Kristin Thornburg ’11 – “Interpretive Problems Regarding Two Transitions in Hegel’s Philosophy.”

Daena Goldsmith, professor of communication, and student Greg Miller ’10 – “Couple Communication and Coping With Cancer.”

Oren Kosansky, assistant professor of anthropology, and student Kelly Aldinger ’10 – “Moroccan Jews in the French Colonial Archives.”

Robert Mandel, professor of international affairs, and student Sarah Patterson ’12 – “Dark Logic: Transnational Criminal Tactics and Global Security.”

Joel Martinez, assistant professor of philosophy, and student Hannah Tierney ’10 – “Understanding Moral Judgment: Does Empirical Psychology Reveal the Limits of Moral Philosophy?”

Arthur O’Sullivan, Dr. Robert B. Pamplin. Jr. Professor of Economics, and students James Elwell ’10 and Shelley Zhao ’10 – “Using Agent-Based Models to Replicate the Intra-Urban Distribution of Employment.”

G. Mitchell Reyes, assistant professor of communication, and student Mariana Aroxa ’10 – “The Obama Effect: Race and Representation in ‘A More Perfect Union’.”

Heather Smith, assistant professor of international affairs, and student Andrew Foote ’10 – “Evaluating Empirical Trends in Ratification of Human Rights Treaties.”

Cara Tomlinson, assistant professor of art, and student Nick Makanna ’10 – “Painting at the End of the World: Investigation of the Interactions Between Post-Apocalyptic B-Movies and French Historical Painting.”

Undergraduate research at Lewis & Clark College, part 2: The CAUSE Program for undergraduates and high school students

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:45:00 +0000

The following teams participated in Lewis & Clark's CAUSE Program, which is funded by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Undergraduate Science Education Program.

Lewis & Clark Research Teams

Greta Binford, associate professor of biology, undergraduate intern Laura Bogar’11, and high school intern Juana Gaspar, a junior from Rosemary Anderson High School – “How did the brown recluse and their kin diversify in North America?”

Greg Hermann, associate professor of biology; undergraduate intern Travis Walton ’10, and high school intern Aaron Romero, a senior from Clackamas High School – “Investigating the biogenesis of lysosomes in a multi-cellular animal.”

Erik Nilsen, associate professor of psychology, undergraduate intern Richard LeDonne ’11, and high school intern Jessica Willis, a senior from Centennial Learning Center – “Cognitive Construal and Somatic Markers in Two Games of Risk.”

Stephen Tufte, associate professor of physics, undergraduate intern Dylan Stadler ’10, and high school intern Ines Llosa, a senior from Clackamas High School – “Observational Investigations of short-Period Eclipsing Binary Stars.”

Yueping Zhang, associate professor of psychology; undergraduate intern Hillary Galloway-Long ’09, and high school intern Sarah Ramos, a senior from Rosemary Anderson High School – “Understanding College Students’ Drinking Behavior: Prefrontal Lobe Functions, Physiological Arousal, and Personality Traits.”

Oregon Health & Science University / Lewis & Clark Research Teams

Principal Investigator Dr. Kevin Grove; collaborator Dr. Elinor Sullivan; undergraduate intern Martin Meyer; and high school intern: Mitchell Conti, sophomore from Beaverton Health and Sciences High School – “The Effects of Maternal Obesity on Offspring Behavior and Physiology.”

Principal Investigator Dr. Kathy Grant; collaborator Dr. Christa Helms; undergraduate intern Hilary Gray ’10; and high school intern Marrie Getman-Pierce, a sophomore from Beaverton Health and Sciences High School – “Ovarian hormones and ethanol-like discriminative stimulus effects in rats.”

Principal Investigator Dr. Ilhmen Messauodi; undergraduate intern Audrey Fulwiler ’09; high school intern Frances Palomar, a sophomore from Beaverton Health and Sciences High School – “Constructing recombinant Vaccinia virus vectors to measure T cell response to Simian Varicella Virus.”

Undergraduate research at Lewis & Clark College, part 1: The Rogers Summer Research Program

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:31:00 +0000

The following teams of Lewis & Clark faculty members and students participated in summer research funded by the Rogers Summer Research Program, the Beckman Scholars Program, and the Sherman-Fairchild Foundation. Weekly brown-bag research presentations were held throughout the summer, and the program will culminate with a poster session on September 16, 2009.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Greg Hermann, associate professor of biology; and students Micah Depper ’10, Steven Levitte ’10, Becca Salesky ’10, and Hannah Somhegyi ’11 – “Investigating the biogenesis of lysosomes in a multi-cellular animal.”

Janis Lochner, Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Professor of Science; Bethe Scalettar, professor of physics; and students Lindsay Hilken ’10, Louis Prahl ’10, and Alex Simon’11 – “Neuromodulators and Memory.”

Nikolaus Loening, associate professor of chemistry and students Aaron Kim ’10 amd Zach Wilson’10 – “Structural Studies and Characterization of Neurotoxic Venom Peptides from Sicariidae Spiders.”

Deborah Lycan, professor of biology, and students James Chu ’10 and Rebecca Fitch ’10 – “Ribosome biogenesis and export.”

Biology

Greta Binford, associate professor of biology, and students Alec Kerins ’09 and Brendan Larsen ’10 – “Molecular evolution of the toxic enzyme sphingomyelinase D in venoms of brown spiders (Loxosceles).”

Ken Clifton, associate professor of biology, and students Peggie Hannah ’11 and Dylan Smith ’11 – “Investigating the effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ upon the structure and function of calcium carbonate accretion in tropical green algae of the genus Halimeda.”

Peter Kennedy, assistant professor of biology, and students Logan Higgins ’11 and Rachel Rogers ’11 – “Exploring the factors controlling microbial community structure: competition and host specificity.”

Gary Reiness, professor of biology, and students Alix Dixon ’11 and Kenneth McCullough ’10 – “Mechanism of Export of Chicken Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor.”

Chemistry

Anne Bentley, assistant professor of chemistry, and students Robin Osofsky ’11 and Eric Randall ’11 – “Formation of Nanoparticle / Solid State Thin Film Composite Materials via Electrochemical Co-Deposition.”

James Duncan, professor of chemistry; and students Irena Bierzynski ’11, Lila Forte ’09, and Marie Lafortune ’10 – “CASSCF calculations as a probe of the pseudopericyclicity of electrocyclic and [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangements.”

Louis Kuo, professor of chemistry, and student Curtis Smith ’10 – “Investigation of Molybdenum Complexes for Degrading Neurotoxin Analogues.”

Geological Science

Elizabeth Safran, associate professor of geological science; and students Kelsey Croall’11, Emily Jones’11, and Chris Scheffler’10 – “Impact of large landslides on river valley evolution, Central and Eastern Oregon.”

Physics

Stephen Tufte, associate professor of physics; JoAnn Wadkins, Wilson High School; and students , Eric Douglass ’10, Nathan Laws ’10, and Dylan Stadler ’10 – “Observational Investigations of Short-Period Eclipsing Binary Stars.”

Psychology

Erik Nilsen, associate professor of psychology; and students Rose Blackman ’10, Dylan Peden ’10, Jessaca Willis ’13, and Richard Ledonne ’11 – “Dispositional, Cognitive and Physiological Influences on Risky Decision Making in the Game of Dice Task."

Erik Nilsen, associate professor of psychology; and students Rose Blackman ’10, Dylan Peden ’10, and Richie Ledonne’11 – “Encouraging Interest, Increasing Empathy and Knowledge, and Shrinking Stereotypes With a ‘Serious’ Computer Game?”

Yueping Zhang, associate professor of psychology; and students Theresa Hennings ’10, Iris Kemp ’10, and Hillary Galloway-Long ’09 – “Understanding College Students’ Drinking Behavior: Prefrontal Lobe Functions, Physiological Arousal, and Personality Traits.”

What is the value of a liberal arts education?

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:04:00 +0000

Professor Rebecca Copenhaver is an associate professor of Philosophy and Director of Exploration and Discovery at Lewis & Clark College. Below is her answer to a long-standing (and ever more important) question: "What is the value of a liberal arts education?"

"The primary value of a liberal arts education is its effects on the lives of those who engage in it rather than its more practical uses. At the center of the liberal arts is the conviction that a broad and deep education makes a certain kind of good life possible – one that is embedded in relations that provide life with meaning: relations to the past, the world, and to other persons. In other words, the liberal arts are valuable in and of themselves and they are valuable because they transform those who practice them. How do the liberal arts do this?

The liberal arts free us from our own narrow personal aims and interests. They enlarge our interests beyond ourselves, beyond our subjectivities. The liberal arts tradition does not resolve problems or issues by relating them to oneself – to what one already believes. This gets it exactly backwards. In the liberal arts one is led away from the self. The liberal arts expand our spheres of concern and alter our conceptions of value by focusing the mind on things other than itself. The liberal arts are an antidote to the notion that each person creates his own reality, his own truth, his own value. Rather, the liberal arts allow one to see that reality is not solipsistic, that truth is a common project bound by conventions of reason, and that value is found in relations among people, past and world. The liberal arts free the mind from the tyranny of custom and keep alive a sense of wonder. They teach that the certainties of accepted platitudes, cliché’s, prejudices of common sense, and habitual beliefs rarely withstand critical scrutiny and impede the free play of an active mind.

In short, the liberal arts make one a bigger person, bigger than a person whose values are based on things that immediately satisfy her whims. Such a person understands that other people, and perhaps other creatures, have aims and interests that have as equal a claim as her own. Such a person understands that she lacks complete understanding of the universe and that her beliefs are always revisable in the light of new understanding. Such a person seeks out additional understanding – she wants to grow and change. Such a person knows that she cannot accomplish this by herself – she needs other people to help her see the world from a perspective other than her own.

And so the liberal arts are not valuable because they are useful, or productive, or beautiful, or lucrative, or fun, or pleasing, or prestigious, though they may be all those things too. A liberal arts education is valuable because, as Bertrand Russell put it, “through the greatness of the universe which [it] contemplates, the mind is also rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good.”

A person transformed by the liberal arts possesses a kind of flexibility, resilience and optimism. The ancients had a term for this – practical wisdom – and it such wisdom that makes it possible to make choices and with character and integrity. "

- Professor Rebecca Copenhaver, Lewis & Clark College.

Views on pre-medical education

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:16:00 +0000

Inside Higher Education has published my opinion piece on reform of the pre-medical curriculum.

Lewis & Clark receives a grant from the A.W. Mellon Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:28:00 +0000

Lewis & Clark's College of Arts & Sciences received a four-year grant of $800,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support curricular and scholarly initiatives in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. The flexible faculty development program described in the proposal addresses the needs of mid-career faculty members by providing: (i) enhanced support for research and sabbatical leaves, (ii) funds for student-faculty research collaborations and visiting lecturer fellowships, and (iii) a seminar series to foster interdisciplinary teaching and research, and the implementation of team-taught courses. When added to a recent grant of $450,000 (also from the A.W. Mellon Foundation) to support teaching post-doctoral fellows, this new grant provides a total of $1,250,000 of on-going external support for the humanities and humanistic social sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Lewis & Clark receives a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Lewis & Clark received a grant of $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the expansion of accessCeramics (see http://accessceramics.org), a "growing collection of contemporary ceramics images by recognized artists enhancing ceramics education worldwide." A collaboration between Lewis & Clark's Department of Art and the Aubrey Watzek Library, accessCeramics currently features 110 artists and holds 1,700 images.

Please see the NEA's announcement by clicking here:

http://www.nea.gov/grants/recent/09grants/09AAE2.php?CAT=Access&DIS=Visual%20Arts (scroll down to Lewis & Clark College).

Lewis & Clark students receive Gilman Scholarships for study abroad

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:50:00 +0000

The following Lewis & Clark students have received Scholarships for participation in our overseas programs:

Sophie Duba (Valparaíso, Chile)
Dante Perez (Strasbourg, France)
Richard LeDonne (India)

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program supplements Pell grants with awards of up to $5,000. Congratulations to Sophie, Dante, and Richard on receiving these competitive scholarships.

Honors go to Lewis & Clark students of Islamic Law and Chinese language

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:34:00 +0000

Chris Smith '09 won second place in the Pacific Northwest Regional American Academy of Religion undergraduate essay competition with his paper "Qadhf, Takfir, and Forbidding the Wrong: Contradictions in Islamic Legal Theory."

Jared Schy '11 was chosen to participate in the "30-30 program", a joint initiative between the US Department of State and China's Ministry of Education. Jared and 29 other US college Chinese language students will visit China in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the normalization of US-China diplomatic relations. These students will engage in many activities, including discussions of politics and government at Peking University, the most prestigious university in China. As part of the program, thirty Chinese students will also tour the US.

Congratulations to Chris and Jared.

Remarks delivered at Lewis & Clark's 137th Annual Commencement Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Excerpts from remarks delivered by Julio de Paula at the 137th Annual Commencement Ceremony of Lewis & Clark's College of Arts & Sciences
Lewis & Clark College
May 10, 2009

... from de Paula's welcome

I am Julio de Paula, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the 137th Annual Commencement Ceremony of Lewis & Clark’s College of Arts & Sciences.

Now let me take a few moments to talk to you, members of the Class of 2009.

Through this Commencement season, I have spoken to Trustees, students, parents, members of the faculty and staff at several venues, and many of you have been at most of them. I have seized the opportunity to explore a theme with you over some of the addresses I have delivered. I wish to speak to you again about the value of a liberal arts education.

We need look only at our own alumni to see how a liberal arts education – and especially a Lewis & Clark education – creates informed citizens and civic leaders.

Consider Mary Keir, a member of the Lewis & Clark class of 1995. Mary graduated with honors in Biochemistry. But, being a science student in a liberal arts college, she also studied subjects across our curriculum, along the way developing the ability to think critically about every dimension of a problem before articulating a solution. Mary also learned science by doing science, completing an ambitious research project over two summers and an academic year.

After leaving Lewis & Clark College, Mary received a doctorate in biomedical science at the University of California, San Francisco, one of the nation's premier research institutions. While working on HIV, Mary developed an interest in immunology that sustains her work to this day. Her career trajectory first led her to Harvard Medical School and then Genentech, a company that pioneered biotechnology in the United States. Now Mary is a respected research scientist who designs new therapies for such diseases as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. She states that “there is nothing better than a liberal arts degree to prepare a student for communicating about complex ideas with people of varied backgrounds.”

Mary's story reinforces what studies have already shown: liberal arts colleges are among the most efficient generators of top-quality scientists in our country. The reason is, in my opinion, obvious: at institutions like Lewis & Clark science is not presented in isolation, but rather in context. Context that only a liberal arts approach to education can provide.

Of course you will write your own story, chart your own course. But know that the education you received at Lewis & Clark will guide you because you are and always will be seekers of knowledge.

... from de Paula's charge to the Class of 2009

I end with another story. Erin McNamara Egan arrived from Hawai’i and graduated from Lewis & Clark in 1998 as an international affairs major. She took advantage of all the opportunities we offer for learning in and out of the classroom, making broad meaning of every course she took. While an undergraduate, she went to a United Nations Women’s Conference in Beijing. She went to Poland on one of our overseas programs, led by Professor Emeritus Klaus Englehardt. After the program ended, she remained to conduct research with an economist. The work eventually led to a senior thesis on Poland’s transitional economy.

After graduation, she spent two years in Germany and two years in France, working and learning new languages. She is convinced that her broad international experience increased her value to her employers back home in the United States. From her work in the aeronautical field, she went to the Fletcher School at Tufts University, from which she received a Masters degree in Law and Diplomacy. Then she went to Harvard University Business School, where she graduated a year ago with an MBA degree. She is now an executive at the Microsoft Corporation. I hope that the stories I have shared with you will give you a sense of what you are prepared to do. You are graduating at a time when the global economy is in crisis and unemployment is high. But graduates like you who are trained in the tradition of the liberal arts understand the socio-economic, political, and technological contexts of the problems we all face. You are more likely to find solutions that affirm human rights, protect the environment, raise — and then stabilize — standards of living across the globe. To capitalize on this opportunity you must waste no time – as Mary Keir and Erin Egan wasted no time – to think of ways in which to make a positive impact on the communities you will join.

In conclusion, my charge to you is: No matter what personal and professional choices you make, do put to good and constant use the intellectual tools you honed at Lewis & Clark. Making and helping others make informed decisions about the future of our country will be a tribute to your professors, your family, and—very importantly—to your hard work at Lewis & Clark over the last few years. In this task I wish you clarity of thought, patience, perseverance, and, above all, peace.

Graduates, you will now join your family and friends in celebration of your significant achievements. CONGRATULATIONS.

Remarks at the Phi Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony - May 9, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:37:00 +0000

Remarks delivered by Julio de Paula at the 2009 Phi Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony
Lewis & Clark College
May 9, 2009

Proud parents, family, and friends, Esteemed Colleagues, and Honored Students, I am Julio de Paula, Dean of the College. Thank you for the opportunity to address this gathering on so festive an occasion.

Through this Commencement season I will speak at several venues, and many of you will be at most of them. I promise not to repeat myself, but at the same time see the opportunity to explore a theme with you over the speeches I will deliver. I wish to speak to you now and tomorrow about the value of a liberal arts education.

The seniors among you are graduating at a time when financial institutions and large companies are down-sizing, contemplating (or entering into) bankruptcy or liquidation, or being “bailed out” by the government. Unemployment is rising, and new jobs are not being created. The recession is not over and its effects will be felt across the board for many years. So the juniors among you will face the same challenges a year from now that your senior colleagues are about to face now. My sense is that even after the recession is over the country, indeed the world, will be different economically, politically, and socially. Going back to business as usual probably will not be an option in this changed world. Every sector of the economy and government, every non-profit organization, including Lewis & Clark, will have to change permanently.

Change will require creativity, agility, courage, patience, and—perhaps above all—compassion. Yet the need for comprehensive change will be a great opportunity for you. Citizens like you who are trained in the tradition of the liberal arts understand the socio-economic, political, and technological contexts of the problems we all face. You are more likely to find solutions that affirm human rights, protect the environment, raise—and then stabilize—standards of living across the globe. But to capitalize on this opportunity you must waste no time to think of ways in which to make a positive impact on the communities you will join.

Some of you will continue your education in graduate, law, business, and medical schools. This is a wise course of action, for adding specialized knowledge to your liberal arts foundation will enhance your ability to effect change. Some of you will join the workforce right away. And some among you are not yet certain about your short-term future.

No matter what your plans might be, the central question for you is: How can you contribute?

If Lewis & Clark succeeded in educating you properly, it taught you the distinction between amassing facts and making connections between them. You learned how to make intellectual connections on the stage, in the field, classroom, laboratory, and studio. But obviously you have not engaged all possible issues and have not made all possible connections. As an informed citizen, community leader, and scholar, you must continue to use your intellect to make connections, promoting and conducting the right conversations about the future of society.

Allow me to use a Lewis & Clark graduate as an example of what I mean by making connections.

Consider Beau Barnes, class of 2006, who majored in International Affairs and Foreign Languages and Literatures, with specialization in German and Spanish. While at Lewis & Clark he participated in Model United Nations and the Forensics Program. He was co-chair of the International Affairs Symposium and a member of the Portland Charter Review Commission. Beau also held internships at Mercy Corps and Swan Islands Networks, a software company.

After graduation, Beau worked on a congressional campaign. Then he received an International Parliamentary Fellowship to work for eight months in the German Bunsdestag.

For the last two years he has worked in Boston as a political advisor to a major Democratic donor, promoting the involvement of women in local, national, and international politics.

This coming fall Beau will enter a J.D./M.A. program in Law and Diplomacy, a joint venture between Boston University School of Law and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In his own words, he wishes ultimately "to work in the legislative arena on issues of security and development."

Critics of the liberal arts approach to education often charge that it is not practical or relevant in today's world. But students like Beau Barnes prove that a liberal arts education produces broad thinkers with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle complex problems on a global scale. Students educated in the tradition of the liberal arts are the change agents our world so desperately needs. They are--you are--the innovators who will re-invent the global economy, work to eradicate socio-political inequity, and create smart, sustainable, and broadly accessible technologies.

I have great confidence that you, Lewis & Clark students and members of Phi Beta Kappa, have the intellectual skills and motivation to engage any issue and lead any conversation, no matter how society evolves. I know that the seniors among you will make yourselves, your family, and the College proud as you begin your new lives beyond Palatine Hill. As for the juniors in the audience, Lewis & Clark’s faculty and staff look forward to continuing our work with you next year.

Thank you and Peace to all.

Young and Hillyer receive lectureships from the Oregon Council for the Humanities

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Associate Professor of History Elliott Young and Visiting Assistant Professor Reiko Hillyer received Oregon Council for the Humanities Conversations Project lectureships. Dr. Young's work is titled "Imagining New Communities: Immigrants, Globalization and Translocal Community." Dr. Hillyer, who is also 2009's Teacher of the Year, will speak on "The Power of Place: The Past and Future of Local Landscapes."

Lewis & Clark students continue to receive awards

noreply@blogger.com (Julio de Paula) — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:11:00 +0000

Lewis & Clark students continue to garner impressive honors. See a feature on the L&C website about:

Brad Elkins '10 and his internship at the German Defense Ministry,
Ben Brysacz '09 and his internship at the Public Service Academy,
Marie Lafortune '10 and her Goldwater Scholarship,
Megan Mills-Novoa '09 and her Emerson Fellowship, and
Katie Walter '09 and her Fulbright Research Fellowship.

In addition to Katie, Nicholas D. Kaufmann '09 also received a Fulbright Research Fellowship to conduct work in Japan. Emma K. Smith '08 is an alternate fellow who hopes to travel to Colombia.

Adding to yet another year of great Fulbright success, Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Awards have been given to James B. Cotton '08 (Indonesia), Mary E. Davis '09 (Germany), Peter A. Seilheimer '09 (Austria). Stacy L. Brownhill '09(Indonesia) and Andrew M. Burke '09 (Argentina) are alternates.

Isaac Holeman '09 has been named a Compton Mentor Fellow. Issac will spend next year in Malawi. Prof. Eban Goodstein says that Isaac "will develop, test and apply software systems enabling rural health workers to enter medical records from remote locations via cell phones into a central database." According to the Compton Foundation website:

In selecting Compton Fellows, the Foundation seeks individuals who demonstrate imagination, intelligence, integrity, and leadership. Fellows are self-starters, who show promise of creative achievement, and a commitment to compassionate and effective participation in the world community. A candidate's academic record, while not of primary importance, is also considered, along with extracurricular activities that reflect both initiative and dedication. The Foundation seeks individuals who strive to be thoughtful agents of change, and find the task of charting their own learning paths exciting rather than confounding.

The Compton Fellowships provide $36,000 to fellows for a year's work of their own design. Again according to Prof. Goodstein, "Isaac's project is extremely innovative and will help launch him on what we all know will be an extraordinary career in public health."