portland state MAGAZINE FALL 2022 INSIDE: CAMP LIFE | VERNIER SCIENCE CENTER TAKES SHAPE -ONCEPT PLAN 1. HIGH DENSITY OFFICES RELATED TO NORTH-SOUTH TRANSIT 2. STRONG, COMPACT RETAIL CORE RELATED TO N-S AND E-W TRANSIT 3. MEDIUM-DENSITY OFFICE RELATED TO MAJOR ACCESS & PERIPHERAL PARKING 4. LOW-DENSITY MIXED USES INCLUDING ~2iit~?esOFFICES & COMMUNITY 5. SPECIAL DISTRICTS a. PORTLAND CENTER b. PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY c. GOVERNMENT CENTER :.· Fr:'J~~~!(OUNTAIN/OLD 1:OWN CITIZENS GOALS 'l'hi s statement o f goals and objectives was prepared by the Citizens Advisory Committe e to the Downtown Plan. The committee early i n its existence formed Task Forces on Housing and Downtown Neighborhoods, Commerce, Waterfront, Portland State Univer sit y/Park Blocks and Transportation. Each Task Force wa s chaired by a committee member , but membership Was open t o anyone willing to a ttend the meetings. Each Tasak :~~~!ca~~!~~=~ ~e o~~~~!:r; ~~n w:!~1 ~n:!~:r~:s b~n~liy the (2) planning staff repor'ts . Drafts of goals and objectives were formulated and later edited, r e viewed and approved by the entire commi ttee .
JORDAN SCHNITZER MUSEUM OF ART PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY THE ART OF FOOD From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation August 30 , 2022 - December 3 , 2022 At some point in every artist's career, they use food in their art. Come see this innovative exhibition ! JORDAN SCHNITZER MUSEUM OF ART WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY JUVENTINO ARNADA: ESPERE MUCHO TIEMPO PA VER August 23 , 2022 - March 11 , 2023 In Juventino Aranda: Espere Mucha Tiempo Pa Ver (I Have Waited a Long Time to See) , the artist searches for identity as a "Mexican and second generation 'American,"' among social, political, and economic struggles and notions of the American dream. left: YLlegaron Las Flores (The Funeral) detail JORDAN SCHNITZER MUSEUM OF ART UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ON EARTH: A FRAGILE EXISTENCE April 2, 2022 - April 16, 2023 On Earth: A Fragile Existence highlights works from the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art's permanent collection that reflect a multi-layered understanding of humanity's role in our shared ecology with the non-human, or more-than-human, world. Positive Fragmentation Eskenazi Museum of Art at IU •Bloomington. IN• 7/14/22 - 12/11 /22 Storywork: The Prints of Marie Watt Art Museum of WVU • Morgantown, WV• 8/20/22 - 12/18/22 John Buck: Prints and Sculptures Brunnier Art Museum at ISU •Ames.IA• 8/24/22 - 12/18/22 Louise Bourgeois: What is the Shape of This Problem? Fisher Museum of Art USC• Los Angeles, CA• 9/6/22 -12/3/22 All Exhibitions from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation provided at no cost to exhibiting museums
contents ON THE COVER// Photo illustration by Evan Kirkley From the President Inbox Bookshelf Looking Back 28 MT. HOOD KIWANIS CAMP CAPSTONE PROGRAM IN EVERY ISSUE: 5 FACULTY VOICES Three experts weigh in on the question: What often gets overlooked when talking about reducing U.S. gun violence? 6 PARK BLOCKS Science Building 1 gets a more inclusive makeover; tuition breaks for Indigenous students; delving into the impacts of a warming climate; and more. 12 RESEARCH A habitat-mapping project aims to find safe passage for Oregon’s most vulnerable wildlife. Also, prepping Portland’s iconic bridges for the “Big One.” 16 ARTS For 10 years, the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize has offered a springboard for a career in the arts. 18 ATHLETICS New Athletics Director John Johnson is looking to the future and ready to pack in the fans. 34 ALUMNI LIFE PSU grad honored with Milken Educator Award; state economist Josh Lehner on why it’s not time to panic. DEPARTMENTS Fall 2022// The magazine for alumni and friends of Portland State University FEATURES 20 THE PLAN THAT BUILT PORTLAND 50 years ago, the Downtown Plan reshaped the city’s future—and Portland State’s role in it. The work isn’t over. 28 CAMP LIFE How a 50-year PSU capstone partnership helps bring the magic of summer camp to those with developmental disabilities. SPRING 2022 // 1 2 3 39 40
PORTLAND STATE’S motto, Let Knowledge Serve the City—Doctrina Urbi Serviat, if you prefer the Latin—emerged in the early 1990s, but this university’s active, sustained, and significant engagement with the city and the region has been core to our identity since the first classes were offered in Vanport. As it has been, so will it continue to be. In the pages of this magazine, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Portland’s 1972 Downtown Plan.That plan put in place many of the aspects of downtown that we take for granted, including public gathering spaces and robust transit. It also identified PSU as Portland’s urban university; its partner in workforce development, research, and civic engagement. In this issue, we also celebrate a 50-year relationship with Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp, a partnership that has allowed more than 5,000 PSU students to harness their energy and training to help facilitate a joyful week in which individuals challenged by disabilities can focus on their abilities in a beautiful mountain setting. Over the decades, PSU’s commitment to community engagement has continued to grow and strengthen as we collectively face society’s challenges.Whether through an engineering capstone project solving a city transportation issue or internships focused on bringing diverse language skills to public health efforts, PSU continues to partner with our community. PSU’s well-earned reputation for community engagement was one of the many factors that first drew me to this institution and I am gratified to be able to say that we are continuing to deepen that engagement in new ways. As part of our Time to Act Plan for Equity and Racial Justice, PSU is actively working with community partners and affinity groups throughout Portland with the goal of co-creating shared agendas with traditionally marginalized communities to develop more prosperity, opportunity, and social mobility for the entirety of our region. In addition, through the Community Impact Team that is based in my office, we’re reaching out to new and existing partners to find out how we can multiply the effects of our engagement with local governments, community-based organizations, and businesses throughout the region. We have learned so much in the last few years, as individuals and as a community.There are many new challenges that we are facing that require deep collaboration and collective effort. As we have been from the start, Portland State is ready to engage. Sincerely, Stephen Percy President, Portland State University FALL 2022 VOL . 37 // NO. 1 EDI TOR Kelly Turner GRADUATE ASS I STANT Jack Heffernan CREAT I VE DIRECTOR Brett Forman SENIOR DES IGNER Evan Kirkley DES IGNER Sofia Estrada Ferry ’20 LE T TERS TO THE EDI TOR Portland State Magazine P.O. Box 751 Portland, OR 97207-0751 psumag@pdx.edu ADDRESS AND DEL I VERY CHANGES Scan this code with your smartphone camera to update contact information or switch to email delivery. PSU ALUMNI ASSOC I AT ION Claire Michie, Senior Director 1600 SW 4th Ave.; Suite 730 Portland, OR 97201 alum@pdx.edu PSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ben Barry (Vice Chair) Antoinette Chandler Gregory Hinckley (Chair) Katy Ho Yves Labissiere Marissa Madrigal Sheryl Manning Sonay Moody-Jurado James Peterson Judith Ramaley Mark Rosenbaum Lisa Sablan Beth Tarasawa Wally Van Valkenburg Stephen Percy portland state MAGAZINE from the president Portland State Magazine is published two times a year, during fall and spring terms. Contents may be reprinted only by permission of the editor. Portland State University is an af firmative action/equal opportunity institution. ACTIVE, MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY IS IN OUR SOUL EDMUND KEENE PRINTED WITH SOY INK
CONSIDERING CLIMATE I want to tell you that I really appreciate the most recent Faculty Voices in Portland State Magazine. As someone who regularly teaches UNST232 Global Environmental Change, I frequently have students ask about reasons for hope, if any. While I have my own reasons that I share with them, it was good to hear thoughts from other faculty. It is becoming increasingly necessary to help students emotionally process the rapid ecological and climatic changes we are all facing. So, it’s good to hear colleagues thinking along the same lines.Thank you for dedicating an entire issue to hope and climate change. —Frank Granshaw Jenny McNamara [featured in “Hope Starts Here”] is inspired by the “progressive insights” of students and dismissive of “the old or slowly incremental ways of doing things.” Seemingly Ms. McNamara, the director of campus sustainability, is biased against science, engineering, and economic research methods which are well-established, time consuming, and from which we achieve durable solutions. Let’s please be progressive in a conservative way. —David Blessman ’91 MS ’94 I am a two-time graduate of PSU and horrified by the opening image [for “Hope Starts Here”]. I admit I could not read the article and jettisoned the whole magazine. Do the world (and PSU students!) a favor, please, and do what you can to shift the approach given in this image. Rather than coddle and coax students with hope, give them the challenge to grow so as to be able to face and meet the challenges to all our lives, to look overwhelm in the eye and carry on anyway, and to become real, worthy, and capable adult human beings who have developed the character, strength, and focus to bear up under duress. Give them ways to know and to be in love with the wild organic world they depend on for their lives, so as to be better able to gladly shoulder a big share of the responsibility for keeping it all going. Give them the opportunity to become great and beautiful when succeeding and also when failing to meet their goals. Give them the tools and capabilities to be in love enough with life and with their work not to lose heart when things go awry. Help them grow their capacities to do difficult and challenging work and to be able to make sacrifices without losing themselves. Give them an environment in which to be real. —Dina Hartzell ’79 ’91 I was heartened to read the May 21 Oregonian column about thousands of young Portland-area students protesting against climate change at City Hall just days after our plaque unveiling ceremony at PSU commemorating the anti-war protesters of 52 years ago. It means the torch of activism has been passed to a new generation! —Doug Weiskopf ’71 inbox portland state MAGAZINE THE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUE SPRING 2022 INSIDE: SCHOLLE MCFARLAND WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send your letters and comments to psumag@pdx.edu. We reserve the right to determine the suitability of letters for publication and to edit them for clarity, accuracy, and length. CORRECTIONS Charles Moose received a Ph.D. in urban studies, not in criminology. More than 100 people gathered outside the Simon Benson House to hear speakers and share memories before dedicating a plaque commemorating Portland State’s legendary May 11, 1970, protest of the Vietnam War and the Kent State killings. Shown here (left to right): Cathy Wood Wyrick, Joe Bernt, Clifford Walker, Doug Weiskopf, Tony Barsotti, Sue Ellen White, and David A. Horowitz. FALL 2022 // 3
PORTLAND’SBLACKCOMMUNITY Randal Wyatt ‘21 has experienced the generations of harm, injustices and displacement imposed upon Portland’s Black homeowners and business owners. Determined to help his community stay and thrive in neighborhoods they love, he founded Taking Ownership PDX, a community and reparations-based nonprofit that revives Black-owned homes and businesses. In only two years, Taking Ownership PDX has raised $1.5 million and made life-changing improvements for more than 100 families and business owners. Thank you, Randal, for serving our city. UPLIFTING takingownershippdx.com➔
KATHRYN FARR Professor Emerita of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ERIC MANKOWSKI Professor of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences BRIAN RENAUER Director, Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute WHILE CALLS for stricter gun control legislation have been prolific, less attention has been given to the pervasive pro-gun culture in the U.S. and its relationship to masculinity. Take, for instance, a Bushmaster Firearms advertisement for its .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle, in which a picture of the gun is accompanied by the tagline “Consider Your Man Card Reissued.” The company explained that “visitors of Bushmaster.com will have to prove they’re a man by answering a series of manhood questions.” Guns played an out-sized role in the lives of the 29 adolescents in my study of school shootings.These young, primarily white shooters, enraged by ongoing, emasculating, often homophobic bullying from male peers (and in some cases rejections from actual or potential girlfriends), frequently referred to ways in which their guns made them feel powerful and “cool.” Purchasing, admiring, and prepping their guns were important symbolic tasks in the planning of their rampage. Similarly, gang violence is perpetrated mainly by males acting in accord with a culture of violent masculinity. However, whereas mass school shootings typically occur in rural areas and small towns, gang violence commonly occurs in urban communities severely disadvantaged by structural inequities—another issue often overlooked in discussions about reducing gun violence in the U.S. THOUGHT EXPERIMENT: What if we considered guns to be a consumer product like cars, cigarettes, or kitchen cleansers? Such potentially harmful products are regulated by commonsense health and safety laws that affect how they are manufactured, advertised, sold, used, and stored. Consider the regulation of cars: Drivers must be licensed and their cars must be registered and insured. To be licensed, drivers must pass tests demonstrating knowledge of traffic laws and driving skill. Literally hundreds of laws regulate the design and safety features of cars, as well as where and how they can be driven. High-speed racing (think, assault rifles) are not allowed, except on private race tracks specifically designed for this purpose (think, gun ranges). And you can’t park (store) your car just anywhere. Why not regulate guns from this same consumer productsafety perspective? Over the past century, car and road design, as well as traffic laws, have dramatically reduced vehicle deaths.The same could become true with guns. For example, findings from my research team and others show that unintentional shootings by children who gain access to an improperly stored firearm decrease in states that pass laws requiring gun safety locks and proper storage. Regulations alone will not end gun violence. But reframing guns as consumer products opens up conceptual space for health and safety regulations that could meaningfully reduce gun deaths. WHAT OFTEN gets overlooked when we talk about reducing U.S. gun violence is the history and culture of the U.S. Changing history and culture is difficult. Who leads the world in counts and rates of gun homicides? It is almost exclusively a phenomenon driven by countries in the Western Hemisphere—Latin American countries, led by Brazil, and the U.S.The U.S. is far and away the leader of gun homicide among rich/developed nations, but on par with many Latin American countries. Why? While there are a great many differences between the U.S. and Latin American countries, we do share a similar tragic history of colonization, genocide of Indigenous populations by Europeans, and being the center of African slave trade.That colonization was based on a “by any means necessary” spirit of early capitalism. Has that historic and unethical principle seeped deep into our culture where the most lethal violence can be rationalized as a perfect solution to one’s problems (or society’s problems) and disputes with others? If so, working toward greater stability in community and family, and a government founded on the care for one another, humility, equity, and ethical principles is a solution we should consider to overcome this challenge. People who resort to lethal gun violence are lost; they need to be “found” before they’re lost. Have a question you’d like to ask Portland State’s faculty? Email psumag@pdx.edu faculty voices DECODING OUR GUN EPIDEMIC What do you think gets overlooked when we talk about reducing U.S. gun violence? ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRETT FORMAN FALL 2022 // 5
A SCIENCE CENTER THAT REFLECTS PSU’S DIVERSE CAMPUS THE BRUTALIST-STYLE fortress that is Science Building 1 has long been a sore sight on Portland State’s campus. So much so that a group of alumni from the Class of ’69 Biology Club—among the first students to move into the then-new building—recently reunited and shared that it was as uninviting and oppressive back then as it is today. One even joked that it was brutal to its core. Beginning this fall, the 55-year-old concrete building is set to undergo a dramatic renovation into the Vernier Science Center, a warm, welcoming, dynamic place for science teaching, learning, and collaboration, where all students feel like they belong and can see a future for themselves in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. “We see this as an opportunity to ensure our buildings expressly reflect our present and current values,” said Todd Rosenstiel, dean of PSU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a biology professor. Gone will be the dimly lit hallways and outdated classrooms and labs. In their place will be light-filled spaces featuring wood and colors inspired by nature, state-of-the-art teaching labs, study nooks with views of native plants, and perhaps most importantly, a hub of culturally informed spaces designed to support students from groups that have historically been excluded from STEM fields. PSU is home to Oregon’s most diverse STEM student population—at least half identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC)—so it was only fitting that the design process center their voices. An advisory council made up of students of color—including those who identify as LGBTQIA+ and disabled—offered critical insights during meetings with Bora Architects and campus planners. Indigenous faculty and students advised the project team on incorporating Indigenous perspectives into the design. And, as part of a series of dialogue sessions, more than two dozen park blocks MATHEMATICS MENTORING A five-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support a group of PSU mathematics faculty in providing post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate students with opportunities to work with realworld data. SOCIAL WORK STANDOUT The Social Work Degree Center ranked Portland State’s online Master ’s in Social Work Macro program the best in the nation. Macro social work focuses on finding solutions at the policy or societal scale. FOND FAREWELLS This year marked the first-ever PSU commencement ceremonies held at Providence Park. In all, more than 25,000 well wishers attended the stadium ceremonies honoring our 2022 graduates. No. 1 25,000 $2.1 M NEWS BY THE NUMBERS Science Building 1 will begin a transformation into the new Vernier Science Center this fall. 6 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE
SERVICE LEARNING LEADER PSU topped West Coast universities—and ranked 8th nationwide—for service learning in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Colleges rankings. Some 4,000 PSU students participate in capstone courses annually, putting their knowledge to work for the community. PLAYFUL PIANOS Piano. Push. Play.—the brainchild of Megan McGeorge ’07—kicked off its 10th summer of placing unique art pianos (shown right) in downtown Portland for passersby to play. At summer ’s end, the instruments are donated to schools, community centers, and other venues. 4,000 10 BIPOC faculty, staff, alumni, and community members shared stories and insights into how built environments and campus spaces shaped their own educational journeys and college experiences for better or worse. The architects listened.The building design that emerged supports the need students have to see themselves and their cultures represented and supported in the space. “The most important thing is to provide ways to support and give these students an environment where they can actually thrive,” said Michael Tingley, principal at Bora Architects. On the entry level, the building will extend outward, creating space for study areas, gathering spaces, and family lounges along the perimeter. Outside, there will be a ring of deep planters filled with native species, which will help to soften the building, connect students to nature, and provide a buffer from the gazes of passersby.The plants will also serve as a teaching resource for Indigenous Nations Studies and biology classes. The second floor will house the STEM Equity Hub, a suite of program-specific and shared spaces that provide critical support and activities for students from historically excluded and underrepresented groups in STEM. A career center will connect students with paid internships, undergraduate research experiences, and one-on-one support with career navigators.The suite will also house an Indigenous kitchen and classroom, gathering area, and Indigenous library that supports an expanded curriculum and practice of Indigenous Traditional Ecological & Cultural Knowledge (ITECK) at PSU. To learn how you can support this project, contact the PSU Foundation at (503) 725-3526.—CRISTINA ROJAS MARK STEIN The renovated building will feature wood tones, native plants, and spaces designed to reflect the perspectives and contributions of PSU’s diverse communities. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BORA ARCHITECTS FALL 2022 // 7
FROM WOODEN SPOOLS TO PICKATHON STAGE AFTER A TWO-YEAR hiatus, music once again filled the air this August at the beloved Pickathon music festival in Happy Valley, Oregon. And as in years past, PSU architecture students got the chance to hone their skills and creativity by designing and building a temporary performance venue almost entirely from repurposed materials. The resulting Cherry Hill stage, one of eight venues at the festival, was constructed from more than 175 giant wooden cable reels borrowed from Portland General Electric work yards around the Portland metro area. A team of four graduate students from the School of Architecture artfully stacked the large spool-like shapes to form two towers rising 21 feet above the earth, with smaller structures popping up nearby. Bamboo cladding along the interior enclosures added a textile-like surface. “We were influenced by the idea of how both bamboo and mushrooms are connected underground through a complex root system, and how they seek voids in the surface to pop up vertically from the earth,” said graduate architecture student Daniel Athay. “We’ve been thinking of these structures as echoing the behavior of mushroom clusters, organically occupying the landscape.” The form was designed to encourage exploration, said Athay. “People are going to be able to walk under it, through it, and really engage with it, seeing it from a variety of angles.” This year’s project continues the school’s “diversion design-build” tradition of repurposing materials from other uses to create an innovative, sustainable, zero-waste performance environment at the Pickathon festival. After the festival, materials are returned to their original purpose or given new life elsewhere. Over the course of the three-day festival, the stage served as backdrop to 18 musical acts, including indie rockers Built to Spill and Wu-Tang founding member GZA. You can watch this year’s project come to life at youtu.be/bCQfbuY3paM. —KAREN O’DONNELL STEIN park blocks Architecture students transformed borrowed wooden cable reels and bamboo into a temporary music stage (top). The team included (l-r) Daniel Athay, Maddy Capizzi, Travis Bell, and Matt Wiste (not pictured: Aaron Mayers). INTERNATIONAL ACCOLADES PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY’S alumni magazine and the PSU Foundation were recognized with three Circle of Excellence Awards in an annual competition showcasing outstanding work in educational advancement from institutions around the world. Portland State Magazine won a gold award in the long-form news writing/features category for the 75th anniversary feature “Pieces of History.”The spring 2021 cover feature took a new look at the university’s past through the stories of 21 artifacts. The magazine also received a bronze award for alumni magazines printed twice a year. The PSU Foundation won its own bronze award in the publication design category for its 2022 Campaign Impact Report, a printed report celebrating the successful completion of the university’s first-ever comprehensive campaign, which raised $300 million for students, faculty, and programs. The peer-selected Circle of Excellence Awards are awarded by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and are the premier recognition program for educational advancement. In 2022, CASE received more than 4,500 entries from 636 institutions in nearly 30 countries. Of those, volunteer judges selected 626 exemplary entries for bronze, silver, gold, or Grand Gold recognition. TK PATRIC SIMON 8 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE
MAPPING A FOREST’S RECOVERY THANKS TO CLIMATE CHANGE, high-elevation forests in the Pacific Northwest are burning more frequently and expansively than in the recent past, leaving heavily scarred landscapes. Some experts question whether they can recover without human intervention. But according to a new study by PSU researchers, it may not always be necessary—or even wise—for humans to step in.The research, which was published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, examined the role of “fire refugia,” green islands of living trees that remain after a forest fire, in forest regeneration following large, severe fires in the High Cascade mountains. Using a combination of satellite imaging and field work, the researchers were able to determine how different characteristics of fire refugia—including tree species, age, and local climate—affected their ability to regenerate the surrounding forestland.The results can help determine when human intervention in the form of tree replanting is warranted, where replanting efforts should be targeted, and what species should be prioritized.This is important to know since replanting can be expensive and overstocked forests, particularly those stocked with tree species that are available in nurseries, can reduce habitat quality or pose a future fire hazard. —SUMMER ALLEN ON THE FRONT LINES OF CLIMATE CHANGE As the effects of climate change are felt more widely and regularly, Portland State University alumni and faculty are leading research into the driving forces and future impacts of a warming planet. SEASONS CHANGE NEARLY 200 YEARS AGO, schools across New York set out to collect data on the state’s climate by recording temperature measurements and observations: when the robins were first seen, when the red maples bloomed, when the wheat harvest began.The data helped farmers plan for the local growing season. Two centuries later, a Portland State alum is using that same data to shed light on the effects of climate change on our seasons. Kerissa Fuccillo Battle PhD ’18 led a multidisciplinary team to compare the historical dataset with similarly collected data across New York from 2009 to 2017.The group’s findings, published in the Journal of Ecology, showed that the majority of the 36 plants analyzed flowered and leafed out earlier than in the centuries past.The effects were even more pronounced in urban areas.The accelerated timing poses risks for some species’ survival, Battle said, and can create a cascade of negative impacts for bees and organisms that rely on them. But knowing which species are more at risk can help inform conservation efforts. Interested in helping track our changing seasons? Find out how at usanpn.org/natures_notebook. —CRISTINA ROJAS UNDER PRESSURE LAST YEAR’S record-breaking heatwave, recent droughts, and the 2020 Labor Day megafires that swept across Oregon and Washington share a contributing factor: atmospheric ridges, elongated regions of high pressure typically associated with warm, dry conditions. And their effects may be growing more severe. To study key drivers of atmospheric ridges and how they will be affected by a warming climate, researchers from Portland State and Washington State University Vancouver (WSUV) are teaming up, thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation. In a recent study published in the Journal of Climate, Paul Loikith, associate professor of geography and director of PSU’s Climate Science Lab, and Deepti Singh, director of WSUV’s Climate Extremes and Societal Impacts Lab, found that while ridges that produce heat waves won’t necessarily become more common over the Pacific Northwest in the future, when ridges do occur, the weather associated with them will be warmer.The project’s findings will inform climate planning and adaptation measures. —CRISTINA ROJAS FEDERICA GIUSTI SEBASTIAN BUSBY PAUL LOIKITH FALL 2022 // 9
park blocks A BETTER NAITO IS HERE TO STAY WHAT STARTED AS a Portland State University capstone project has turned into a new way of moving traffic along the Portland waterfront. The Better Naito project is the brainchild of Gwen Shaw ’15, who graduated with a degree in civil engineering. At the time, she was looking for a way to create a shared space in the city for pedestrians, bikes, and cars alike. Shaw—who now works as a traffic engineer—says she was first inspired by a pedestrian space outside a local donut shop facilitated by advocacy group Better Block PDX in 2014. After consulting with the group, Shaw decided to select the Naito Parkway as her capstone project. She proposed repurposing one northbound lane of the parkway into dedicated space for bikes and pedestrians. She felt urged to take her design from concept to reality after seeing images of the Cinco de Mayo festival on the Waterfront. “The festival fence was all the way to the curb line, a mom was pushing a stroller in the bike lane, and bikes were shoved between cars in the travel lane,” she recalls. “It was crowded and unsafe.” She and her capstone team proposed a demonstration. To her surprise, the Portland Bureau of Transportation quickly and enthusiastically responded. Sixteen days later, Shaw and her capstone team began installing the design at 4 a.m. In the years since, the demonstration project has grown and transformed into a permanent installation. In May, the city held a formal ribbon cutting to celebrate Better Naito as it exists today. —KATY SWORDFISK WELCOMING INDIGENOUS STUDENTS TO PSU BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS to higher education is what Portland State has been known for since Day One. In recent months that effort has included creating new opportunities for Native American students, both locally and nationwide. In May, Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Committee established the Oregon Tribal Grant program, which will cover college-related expenses during the 2022-23 academic year for eligible students who are enrolled members of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes.The grant, proposed by Gov. Kate Brown and approved by the Oregon Legislature can be applied to undergraduate or graduate study at Oregon public colleges and universities. That was great news for Portland State, which is actively developing services and support for Tribal students. And in July, PSU followed up with an announcement of its own: Beginning with the fall 2022 academic term, enrolled, degree-seeking undergraduate students who are registered members of a federally recognized tribe will qualify to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition rates.That means Native American students from anywhere in the country can attend PSU at the lower in-state rates. “These opportunities are some of the steps needed in developing good relationships with the tribes whose ancestral territory the state of Oregon currently occupies,” said Trevino Brings Plenty, coordinator of Native American student services at Portland State. “I look forward to the incoming Indigenous scholars this program will help fund toward degree completion.” Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes include: the Burns Paiute Tribe; Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; Confederated Tribes of Siletz; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Coquille Indian Tribe; Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians; and the Klamath Tribes. —CHRISTINA WILLIAMS Leonard Getinthecar ’s 2013 work “Space Invaders,” located in Fariborz Maseeh Hall, translates colonization into a video game motif. Gwen Shaw (far right) at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the permanent installation of the Better Naito project in May. PATRIC SIMON PBOT 10 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE ••••••••••• lie llCllCIIC 111(111( lie 111(111( Ill( ••••••••••• • ••••••••••
LEFT: The Department of World Languages & Literatures’s traditional Japanese kabuki production returned to Lincoln Hall. Even the horse had to rehearse! CENTER: Engineering professor Christof Teuscher placed second this spring in the 1,000-mile Iditarod …on foot. The Iditarod Trail Invitational follows the same trail in Alaska as the famed dog-sled race. RIGHT: Portland State held its commencements in Providence Park this year. Not only did the stadium offer a spacious outdoor location, but there was popcorn while graduates waited to take the stage. Here are some of our favorite PSU Instagram photos from the past few months. Tag us with #portlandstate, #portlandstatealumni, or #proudviks. INSTAWORTHY PSU SO-MIN KANG FIDDLER ON THE BRIDGE IN EARLY FEBRUARY, the Portland Winter Light Festival returns to the city. And this time, attendees will be treated to a magical, ephemeral experience of music in a most unexpected location. Visitors to PSU’s Urban Plaza will be able to look up from the street to see (and hear) a giant color video projection of acclaimed violinist Tomás Cotik, professor of violin at the School of Music &Theater, playing selections by Bach, Telemann, Piazzolla, and Tárrega. The project, which runs Feb. 3-5, is titled “Ombra Musici II” (“musician’s shadow” in Italian), and is the result of a collaboration between Cotik and Dave Colangelo, a professor of digital creation and communication at Ryerson University.The team received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to produce the project, which expands on “Ombra Musici,” presented at the 2019 Portland Winter Light Festival (pictured right), where moving silhouettes of musicians were projected onto the PSU Library facade. “Life has been radically altered by the effects of the pandemic,” says Cotik, who notes that, while arts activities in particular were halted during COVID-19, the human need for catharsis, comfort, and entertainment only grew. With this project, Cotik aims to surprise and delight viewers with a performance of classical music that can be experienced alone or in communion with other festival-goers—offering a moment of beauty and solace at the darkest time of winter. —KAREN O’DONNELL STEIN MYSTERY PUP A SPRING CLEAN-OUT of the Simon Benson Alumni House uncovered a mysterious mutt (shown left) with alumni roots. Stitched together with thick felted wool in Portland State colors, this vintage wiener dog sports a prominent “V” on each ear—likely for Vanport College—dating this particular stuffy back to the 1950s. Vanport College Extension Center was founded in 1946 and kept Vanport in its name until becoming Portland State College in 1955.The plush pup appears in a similar style to other popular college souvenirs of the era, though no one knows its exact origins. Legends say the pup held court in the Simon Benson Alumni House for years and was passed around between alumni board members as a good luck charm. If any alumni know the origins of the 70-year-old dog, or if you have any memories with it, please let us know at alum@pdx.edu. —REBECCA OLSON JAMES LEE WILSON ‘ 17 FALL 2022 // 11
research ANIMAL CROSSINGS PSU researchers help map where wildlife roam in hopes of creating safer passage WHY DID THE FROG CROSS THE ROAD? To get to the other side, of course, so it could mate and lay eggs. But the treacherous trip across two roads, busy Highway 30, and two sets of railroad tracks can be fatal for the northern red-legged frog, which is endangered in Oregon.That’s why volunteers with the Harborton Frog Shuttle have been scooping up the frogs and transporting them back and forth between Portland’s Forest Park and their winter breeding site in the Harborton wetlands since 2014, until a more sustainable, long-term solution can be found. That humans must venture out at night with buckets and flashlights to disrupt this real-life game of Frogger is “a symptom of a disease we’re trying to correct for,” said Leslie Bliss-Ketchum ’07 PhD ’19, founder and owner of environmental consulting firm Samara Group. She’s part of a collaborative group of PSU researchers, government officials, and others hoping to improve wildlife connectivity, one of the state’s key conservation issues according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Many species rely on the ability to roam through the landscape to successfully find food, water, shelter, and mates, but barriers like roads, buildings, railroads, and power lines often restrict their movement. “Connectivity is really vital for the functional ecosystems that we depend on,” said Catherine de Rivera, professor of environmental science and management and PSU’s lead on the project. “Where we see fragmentation and barriers to connectivity, we see inbreeding and a decrease in population size and stability.” The Oregon Connectivity Assessment and Mapping Project, led by ODFW, has brought together ecologists, geographic information systems (GIS) analysts, and statisticians to analyze and map the movement needs of 54 species ranging from as small as a bee to as large as a bighorn sheep and elk.The animals serve as surrogates for a broad diversity of species across the state, as well as their habitat needs and movement abilities. A beaver, for example, stands in for multiple species that require habitat along the banks of rivers. While individual groups and efforts like the Harborton Frog Shuttle have identified connectivity needs for individual species or local areas, there hasn’t been information for the state more broadly, said Rachel Wheat, wildlife connectivity coordinator at ODFW and the project’s lead. The group aims to change that. Using new approaches and state-of-the-art modeling, the group has turned raw data into a usable map of priority wildlife corridors. Once completed, it can be used by state and federal agencies, conservation groups, and others to target areas in need of restoration and protection, to inform land use and permitting for renewable energy projects, and to help prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions. SO-MIN KANG Leslie Bliss-Ketchum, founder of environmental consulting firm Samara Group. 12 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE
For example, the map could help identify where in the state limited resources would best be spent on building or improving wildlife crossings—culverts and bridges designed to help animals safely move between habitats—or where best to build a new road. “I really see this project mandate as a realization from the state that we can work together across all sectors to maintain what we love about Oregon,” de Rivera said, “[making the state] great for people and great for animals.” The timing couldn’t be better. Congress made a major investment in wildlife crossings in the recently passed infrastructure package, allocating $350 million for a Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program that will help fund projects in all 50 states. Similarly, the Oregon Legislature approved $7 million in funding for building and maintaining wildlife crossings. Bliss-Ketchum’s firm led the process of selecting the representative species for the mapping project. Martin Lafrenz, geography faculty, and Amanda Temple MS ’20, a project associate with Samara Group, then worked together to combine GIS data with expert knowledge of a particular species’ habitat requirements (for example, if an animal will not travel further than 500 meters from a water source) to build models that highlight a species’ habitat needs and the landscape features that make it easier or harder for them to move. The models are considered hypothetical until validated.That’s where statistics professor Daniel Taylor-Rodriguez and Ph.D. student Jacob Schultz come in, cross-checking the habitat models against data of a species’ actual observed movement and presence—something that hasn’t been done on this scale before. Two of Lafrenz’s geography graduate students then create the habitat connectivity maps using new software from The Nature Conservancy.These maps are validated, too. “We’re interested in modeling not only where the species is, but where it could be and what’s better for that species’ movement,”Taylor-Rodriguez said. The 54 single-species maps will then be combined into one composite map that highlights priority wildlife corridors and represents movement needs for all wildlife in Oregon.The map will be updated every five years to stay current with the changing landscape, climate, and data. “Development is never-ending,”Wheat said. “We expect to see expansion of urban growth boundaries, new solar facilities, new commercial development, new resource extraction, new wildfires… That will all be taken into consideration to make this a living product that changes as the landscape changes.” As for the frogs, the long-term goal is to create pond habitat west of Highway 30 to support their needs. Until then, Frog Shuttle volunteers are doing everything they can to keep them hopping. —CRISTINA ROJAS “Volunteers have been scooping up the frogs and transporting them back and forth between Portland’s Forest Park and their winter breeding site since 2014.” Cut off from their breeding grounds, endangered red-legged frogs are collected by hand. Leslie Bliss-Ketchum searches for tracks and other signs of wildlife migration. Photo by So-Min Kang. Tracks like these help researchers map habitat needs and potential obstacles. Photo by So-Min Kang. LESLIE BLISS-KETCHUM FALL 2022 // 13
(RE)BUILDING A BETTER BURNSIDE Multnomah County plans to rebuild the Burnside Bridge beginning in 2025 so that it can serve as a lifeline through the city following the Big One. RETROFITTING BRIDGES Replacing bridges is expensive and time consuming. Another option is to retrofit them. Dusicka designed and tested a brace that can strengthen existing bridges. ODOT has already installed the braces on a bridge along Interstate 5. REPAIRING BROKEN BRIDGES For bridges that do fail, getting them repaired quickly is essential. The iSTAR lab has developed—and tested—a method for rapidly repairing damaged concrete bridge columns by wrapping them with a steel jacket and then anchoring them to the foundation with energy-dissipating, replaceable fuses (shown right). Advantages of this method: the steel jackets could be manufactured ahead of time and the fuses help the columns withstand aftershocks, which could continue to shake Portland for months—or even years—following a 9.0 earthquake. WHAT CAN WE DO? There are three options when it comes to preparing bridges for large-magnitude earthquakes: rebuild, retrofit, repair. SEEING SCIENCE: BUILDING BETTER BRIDGES TEXT BY SUMMER ALLEN | ILLUSTRATION BY SOFIA ESTRADA FERRY ‘20 With a one-in-three chance that a massive Cascadia subduction zone earthquake— the “Big One”—will happen in the next 50 years, Portland needs to be prepared for its effects on our iconic bridges. Peter Dusicka is on the case. A professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, Dusicka runs PSU’s infrastructure Testing and Applied Research (iSTAR) Laboratory, which is equipped with a large shake table that simulates earthquakes. In the iSTAR lab, Dusicka and other researchers are engineering ways to make bridges, buildings, and other structures more resilient when the Big One comes to town. WHY ARE PORTLAND BRIDGES IN DANGER? Many bridges built prior to the 1970s used an “elastic design” philosophy in which a structure can be deformed by a heavy load—such as an earthquake—and then return to its original shape. However, these bridges were designed before scientists realized the potential size of a Cascadia quake. “If you underestimate the demand of an earthquake, then there is potentially a catastrophic consequence—something we call ‘brittle failure,’” says Dusicka. WHICH BRIDGES ARE IN DANGER? The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) estimates 60% of Oregon’s critical bridges may be unusable following a large-magnitude earthquake. This includes most of Portland’s famous bridges. And if our bridges fail, it will be hard for Portland to recover from the quake. “Anything from food to fuel needs to make its way across this river,” says Dusicka. “And it’s not just the river. There’s a whole bunch of bridges that people don’t see that are the workhorses of the transportation network.” 14 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE STEEL JACKET DAMAGED COLUMN ENERGY-DISSIPATING FUSES REPAIRED BRIDGE COLUMN
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AS A GRAPHIC DESIGN student at the School of Art + Design, Leah Maldonado ’20 set out to challenge the practice of typography with a new typeface she called GlyphWorld. An expressionist design made up of nine “landscapes,” GlyphWorld forms a universe of letterforms that Maldonado likens to a garden. “Each stylized letterform has been planted and nurtured by me,” she explains. “I am their author, I grew them—but they will continue to grow without me.” The project was the culmination of months of creative work set in motion when Maldonado was named the top winner of the 2019 Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize, the highest award offered in the School of Art + Design. the arts ARTISTS IN THE MAKING For 10 years, the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize has offered PSU students a springboard for a career in the arts UP & COMING Meet the 2022 Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize Winners In August, the School of Art + Design announced the recipients of this year’s Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize. Juror Kelsey Snook shares her thoughts on the winners: For Maldonado, winning the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize was validating.“I didn’t realize that I was an artist,” she says, “or that I was a good one.” Now working as a designer at Nike’s Jordan brand, she credits the prize, and the typeface she created with it, for opening doors. “It really put me on the map as a new, bizarre kind of type designer,” she says. “I got a job at Wieden + Kennedy two weeks after the reception party.This prize helped start my career.” The Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize was established in 2013 with a gift from the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation. Known as a devoted champion of the arts in Portland, Arlene Schnitzer, who passed away in 2020, nurtured the careers of numerous artists throughout her life.The prize honors her legacy by celebrating three PSU student artists and designers each year as they launch their professional lives. To be considered for the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize, students in the School of Art + Design submit a portfolio of work and a proposal for a project they intend to create.The prize includes a financial award along with faculty mentorship for the winners as they create a final showcase for exhibition. Arlene Schnitzer was a devoted champion and benefactor of the arts throughout Portland. JOHANNA HOUSKA 1ST PRIZE, $5,500 Houska focuses on developing ethical and sustainable textiles. “She was so thorough with this big idea that I could tell not only would she execute it well, but would also think through what the consumer product would look like in the context of her art practice.” SHELBIE LOOMIS 2ND PRIZE, $4,000 Loomis makes collaborative work focusing on life in alternative housing such as RVs and mobile homes, exploring the meaning of home, grief, and art in community. “Shelbie’s depth of process ... showed that she is ready to dream bigger and expand in whatever direction she chooses.” NIA MUSIBA 3RD PRIZE, $3,000 Musiba creates vibrant paintings, murals, and other works that explore Blackness throughout history, with vibrant representations of Black and brown bodies as a direct response to negative depictions in art and the media. “Nia’s visual execution was excellent, down to the details.” OREGONIAN
Over the 10-year history of the prize, 29 artists have been honored with this prestigious vote of confidence. Notable past winners include interdisciplinary artist Shawn Creeden MFA ’19 (2017); social-practice artist and activist Patricia Vázquez Gómez MFA ’14 (2013), now an adjunct faculty member in PSU’s MFA Social Practice program; and brand designer Jordan Hoagbin ’15 (2013). Artist Kelsey Snook has participated on the jury for five years. Known for her largescale, interactive installations and a list of partnerships that includes Design Week Portland, OMSI, and London’s Royal Festival Hall, Snook says she is consistently impressed by the quality and authentic nature of the work submitted for the jury. “Students in the School of Art + Design have developed a very strong sense of self and sense of vision,” Snook says. “They are creating something that is personal and unique to them, and that they can build on.” The jury looks “for artists who are clear about what they want to do next, like they’re on the cusp,” Snook says. “You can tell that they have created a great body of work, they have a strong approach, and there’s more work ready to be done—they just haven’t had the time or space to do it yet.” That is especially true of this year’s recipients, says Snook. The 2022 prize recipients are Johanna Houska ’22 in first place; Shelbie Loomis MFA ’22, second place; and Nia Musiba, third place. “I felt really proud of my body of work and all the hours I put into it,” says Houska, whose work is rooted in “radically responsible” and historical textile-making techniques. “To have that extra jolt of appreciation was amazing.” That the prize carries the name of one of Portland’s most notable arts benefactors adds an extra weight to the honor, says Maldonado, who calls the late Schnitzer “iconic.” “Arlene has been a role model to me for a long time,” says Maldonado. “I feel incredibly lucky to have met her. Her contributions to the arts in Portland have made my humble little city feel big and exciting. Like her, I hope to support and help foster the careers of many artists in the Pacific Northwest in the little ways that I can.” Maldonado returned to serve as a juror for this year’s prize. “This year’s prize winners are extremely strong artists that I admire very much.They all have one foot in the art world already, and the prize will definitely help them plant both feet firmly in it!” The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State will showcase the work of the 2022 Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize winners Feb. 28 - April 29, 2023, with a reception and awards ceremony on March 2, 2023. —KAREN O’DONNELL STEIN DEINUM PRIZE SHOWCASE EXHIBITION: THE BORN PROJECT THROUGH JAN. 20, 2023 pdx.edu/arts/events This multimedia exhibition by film student Garrett Recker, winner of the 2021 Andries Deinum Prize for Visionaries and Provocateurs, challenges gender norms and body ideals in the fashion industry, telling the stories of young LGBTQ+ adults from across Oregon through words, photography, and film. PSU CHOIRS: O FORTUNA NOV. 18 & 20 pdx.edu/music-theater/o-fortuna The Portland State Chamber Choir, Rose Choir, and Thorn Choir present their loudest fall concert yet, highlighting excerpts from Carl Orff ’s worldfamous “Carmina Burana” alongside classical music from Monteverdi to Bruckner and Bollywood music by A.R. Rahman. PSU OPERA: GOOD COUNTRY NOV. 26 - DEC. 4 pdx.edu/music-theater/good-country Portland State’s acclaimed opera program presents a tale straight out of the Old West, tracing the true story of Charley Parkhurst, a stagecoach driver in the California Gold Rush who was assigned female at birth and lived life as a man. Created by composer Keith Allegretti and librettist Cecelia Raker, “Good Country” is one of the first contemporary operas with a lead role crafted specifically for a trans singer. TOOZE ENDOWED VISITING PROFESSOR OF ISLAMIC & ANCIENT ART: MARIAN FELDMAN DEC. 1 pdx.edu/art-design/events The PSU School of Art + Design presents “The Material Charisma of Akkadian Kingship: Bodies and Fabric in Early Mesopotamian Art,” a lecture by Marian Feldman, W.H. Collins Vickers chair in archaeology and professor of history of art and near eastern studies at John Hopkins University. CHAD LANNING EVENTS Leah Maldonado presenting her experimental typeface, GlyphWorld, at the showcase for the 2019 prize winners. Events are subject to change due to COVID-19 health and safety restrictions. Please check websites for the latest updates. “Now working as a designer at Nike’s Jordan brand, Maldonado credits the prize, and the typeface she created with it , for opening doors.” FALL 2022 // 17 AIRLANO rn _,.___ I
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