PSU Magazine Fall 1992

Health care for all? With more than 35 million Americans uninsured and medical expenses skyrocketing, this country's health-care system i under fire. National experts will discuss health care policy issues at a free public forum entitled "Who is the Fairest of Them All? Access to Health Care: Public, Private or Mixed Services" on Thursday, Nov. 12, and in a daylong workshop on Nov. 13. The Thursday forum begins at 5:30 p.m. in 75 Lincoln Hall. The Nov. 13 workshop, titled "Getting the Horse Before the Cart: Costs and Politi– cal Feasibility in Health Care," begins at 8 a.m. in 338 Smith Memorial Center. Forum participants include: political scientist Dan E. Beauchamp, Ph.D., former deputy commissioner of the division of planning, policy and resource development of the New Yark State Department of Health; economist Paul J. Feldstein, Ph.D., profe or and FHP Foundation Distinguished Chair in health care management at the University of California, Irvine; physician Stephanie J. Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the founder and national coor– dinator of Physicians for a National Health Program; and moderator Michael Garland, associate direcror of the Center for Ethics in Health Care and associate professor in the depart– ment of public health at Oregon Health Sciences University. For forum information, contact Trish Backlar, 725-3499. For a con– ference brochure, call 725-4812. Predicting landslides Scientists from around the world are visiting Oregon to see a giant concrete chute designed by PSU Professor Franz Rad. The debris flow simulator-a 310- foot-long channel of concrete-is help– ing the U.S. Geological Survey to predict landslides, mudflows and 2 PSU avalanches so people in their paths can be warned. International observers and Rad, a professor of civil engineering, were on hand in June to see between 20 and 30 tons of water-soaked gravel travel down the steep slope and spread out at the bottom. "The detailed measurements and ob ervations that we're going to make here haven't been possible anywhere in the world so far," said Richard Iverson, a USGS geologist. The chute, which is 11 feet wide with 4-foot-high side walls, is located near the headquarters of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Willamette National Forest, 50 miles east of Eugene. The 31-degree hillside on which the chute is constructed is typical of the area where natural debris flows begin, according to Iverson. Considered the most scientifically advanced testing flume in the world, the concrete chute is lined with sensors that can measure the velocity and depth of the flows along with other computer-recorded information. Rad completed the $262,271 chute for the USGS in December and received an "Excellence in Concrete" award from the American Concrete Institute and the Oregon Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association in March. Gift from local inventor A gift of $250,000 from Arthur M. James is funding the first endowed. professorship in the School of Engineer– ing and Applied Science. The Arthur M. James Endowed Professorship in Civil/Structural En– gineering will support the research and teaching of a senior faculty member. James is well known in the region as an innovator and an inventor. He holds numerous patents in develop– ment of prestressed concrete methods and is an expert consultant on struc– tural matters, from bridges to concrete water tanks. He heads his own engi– neering consulting firm, Arthur M. James Engineers, Inc. Helping inner-city kids Portland is one of 10 urban commun– ities nationwide and the only city in the Northwest to receive a national grant to develop an educational infrastructure enabling more inner-city students to graduate from high school and college. "Today, a high school diploma is no longer a guarantee of a decent job," says Carol Stoel, director of the nation– al grants program, "Community Compacts for Student Success," admin– istered by the American Association of Higher Education and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The grant will be administered local– ly through the Portland Education Net– work (PEN), a group of area colleges, businesses, and schools based at PSU. "The initial $40,000 planning grant will help us put into place mechanisms for change in education," says Arman– do LaGuardia, coordinator of PEN in PSU's School of Education. "Up to $400,000 more may be available during the next four years as the education im- 1 " provement p an progresses. Initially, three Portland high schools will be involved: Roosevelt, Jef– ferson, and Marshall. The compact will track students in those schools-grade point averages, drop-out or graduation rates, transfer activities, and whether they work or continue postsecondary education or training. The compact, in conjunction with service agencies, com– munity organizations, and businesses, will develop strategies for improving academic performance, life skills, and retention of students with an eye to in– creasing employment options and post– secondary education opportunities. PEN, the administering body for the grant, serves four counties in the Portland-Vancouver area to promote increased student participation and success in the educational process, par– ticularly for disadvantaged students. PEN members include Portland State University, the community colleges of the region, the K-12 school systems, and businesses and community organ– izations.