PSU Magazine Spring 1995

Korean conflict explored Kim Dae Jung, a Korean statesman who has dedicated his life to human rights and democracy in South Korea, will give the keynote address for the Sixth Annual International Conference "Korea and the Future ofNorthea t Asia: Conflict or Cooperation?" May 4 and 5 at Portland State. Jung will be joined by corporate, academic, and government experts from countries impacting the area-South Korea, China, Japan, Ru sia, and the United States. In panel discussions, these experts will exp lore the mixture of cooperative endeavors and ongoing disputes that make northeast Asia a problematic and important arena in world affair . Jung, a tireless proponent for peaceful relations between North and outh Korea, has been a presidential candidate with the Party for Peace and Democracy in South Korea three times in the past decade. He has also been nominated six time fo r the Nobel Peace Prize.Jung recently formed the Peace Research Inst itute, which includes Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, and Corazon Aquino as advi ory board members. The conference begins each day at 9 a.m. and ends with a 2 to 5 p.m. panel discus ion. Jung's keynote addre swill take place on May 4 at 9 a.m. in l 75 Lincoln Hall. Cost for the conferenc is $40, or $25 for a single day's events. tudents are free. For more information, and to register, call Mary Krug, P U International Affair , 725-5859. Get a great T-shirt Informat ion i free at Portland State's Rose Fe tival booth, and so are the T- hirt -for vo lunteers anyway. The University will again have an information booth in the Festival's Made in Oregon Pavilion at Water– front Park, June 2-1 1. A lumni are invited to ign up for time in the booth and receive thi year' outstanding P U Ro e Fe ti val t- hirt. Volunteers are needeJ throughou t the week but e pecia ll y Juring evening and weekend shifts. Interested alumni shou ld contact Janis Nicho l , dire tor of PSU Public Relations, at 725-4462. Construction has begun on Harrison Hall, a st.ate-of-the-art classroom building and the first project of the University District redevelopment plan. The new $1.8 million facility will open in January 1996, providing long-needed spa~e for large classes. The 10,225-square-foot building will also serve as a commumty center and site for group events. The building is located at the corner of SW 11th Avenue and Harrison Street. Avoiding traffic jams A system that would provide motorists with earl y warning about traffic congestion is the aim of a year- long traffic management study conducted by Portland State in conjunction with local transportation agencies. The study makes use of an on-site camera that monitors westbound traffic on the Sunset Highway (Highway 26) just west of downtown Portland and feeds images of the cene back to a lab at PSU. pecially designed comput r software on campu collects data that can be u ed to interpret traffic patterns and vehicle . peed, density, and flow rates. Principal participant in the study with PSU's Department of Civil Engineering are the Oregon Department of Transportation and the city of Portland's Office ofTran portation. Project participants hope to set up a ystem in which information about impending conge tion can be fed automatica lly to other monitoring site . That information would trigger the use of me age signs at freeway entry po ints, warning motorists of delay and suggesting alternate routes. "The overal l aim is safe travel-to reduce congestion and accidents," say Kent Lall, professor of civ il engineering and the tudy's coordinator. A side benefit of the study, he added, will be analy is of the impact that westside light rai l con truction has on Sunset Highway traffic. The project makes use of state-of– the-art traffic monitoring technology, the Mobili zer Tracking System, th at wa adapted from missile tracking technology. "This really is the first app lication of this type anywhere in the world," says Lall. "We've put this y tern together from cratch ." PSU expects to app ly for a year- long exten ion of the project so that additional ites can be monitored. SPRING 1995 3