The Leading Edge

Events

February 3

All are cordially invited to presentations by finalists for the Victorian literature search in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film, upcoming:  Megan Ward (Ph.D. Rutgers University, 2008) – “The Artificial Intelligence of the Victorian Novel”, 4:00 p.m., Moreland 330.

We are pleased to invite you to presentations by finalists for the public economics/international trade search in the School of Public Policy—upcoming: Sutirtha Bagchi (University of Michigan – Ann Arbor) – “The Effects of Political Competition on the Funding and Generosity of Public-Sector Pension Plans,” 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Kidder 278.

“Nanotechnology for the Poor: A Look at Energy, Water, Food and Health Technologies.” 4:00pm to 5:30 pm, 112 Kearney Hall. Thomas Woodson from Georgia Tech University.This lecture explores the question of what role nanotechnology may play in the lives of the world’s poor, and what ways scientists and engineers can address poverty issues in their work. The talk is sponsored by the School of Public Policy and the Humanitarian Engineering Program at OSU. For more information, 541-737-5589.

February 5

We are pleased to invite you to presentations by finalists for the public economics/international trade search in the School of Public Policy— upcoming: Philip Armour (Cornell University) – “The Role of Information in Disability Insurance Application: An Analysis of the Social Security Statement Phase-In,” 4:00-5:30 p.m., Bexell 412.

All are cordially invited to presentations by finalists for the Victorian literature search in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film, upcoming: Jesse Hoffman (Ph.D. Rutgers University, expected March 2014) – “Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Bad Photographs”, 4:00 p.m., Moreland 330.

February 6

Salvaging Environmentalism: The Ethics and Politics of a Logging Crisis – 10:00 a.m., Gilkey 115. In 2002, the Biscuit wildfire ripped through Oregon’s Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest. Through a detailed account of the ensuing political battle, anti-salvage logging activism, and the history of forestry management, this lecture will explore the gap between environmental ethics and political activism. This is a candidate lecture for Environmental Philosophy.

February 7

The Winter School of Public Policy brownbag series begins today, when Dr. Todd Pugatch (Economics) will present “U.S. Border Enforcement and Mexican Immigrant Location Choice”. The brownbag will run from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. in Fairbanks 304. The SPP brownbag is open to all members of the OSU community.

All are cordially invited to presentations by finalists for the Victorian literature search in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film, upcoming:  Matthew Kaiser (Ph.D. Rutgers University, 2004) – “Anatomy of History: Cognitive Neuroscience and the Victorian Sense of the Past”, 4:00 p.m., Moreland 330

Opening Pandora’s Box at the Roof of the World: The Past and Present of Avian Influenza Science 12:00 p.m., Milam 301 (Lunch Bunch Lecture with Barbara C. Canavan).

Music à la Carte: David Oliver, pianist, will perform a solo recital at 12:00 p.m. in the Memorial Union Lounge. Admission is free. Oliver is currently a collaborative pianist at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. He has served on the faculties of South Dakota State University, Shorter University, Tarleton State University in Texas, Northland College in Wisconsin, and Central Michigan University.

School of Psychological Science Winter 2014 Colloquium Series. 4:00-5:00 p.m., Reed 111. Dr. Frank Bernieri, Associate Professor will discuss “Why Do Some People Hate to Run? A Theory Inspired by Research on the HPA Axis in Wistar Rats after Maternal Deprivation.”

Corvallis Repertory Singers: The Brahms Requiem will be performed, 7:30 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe St. This “London Edition” of the Requiem features four hand accompaniment by OSU pianists Elizabeth Atchley and Nicola Nine-Zielke. The concert will also feature OSU soprano and voice instructor Janet Hackett and baritone Kevin Helppie as soloists. Corvallis Repertory Singers are directed by OSU choral director and music coordinator Steven Zielke. For tickets and information, go to repsing.org.

February 9

Steinway Piano Concert Series: 2009 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Haochen Zhang, of China, will perform  Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata (Sonata in C Major, op. 53), 4:00 p.m. in the LaSells Stewart Center. Also on the program: Four Mazurkas of Chopin, Three Intermezzi by Brahms, Eight Memories in Watercolor by Tan Dun and the Bartok Sonata. Presented by Corvallis-OSU Piano International. For tickets and information, go to corvallispiano.org.

Upcoming Events

I’ve a Mother There: How Mormon Women Shaped Conceptions of the Mother in Heaven.  Feb. 11, 7:00 p.m., MU Journey Room.  In many Mormon communities, the Mother in Heaven is described as welcoming departed spirits back to the heavenly realm.  In this lecture, Susanna Morrill, Chair of the Religious Studies Department at Lewis and Clark College, will explore how early Mormon women writers helped to shape this present-day understanding of the Mother in Heaven.

Fairbanks Gallery: Art, Only Part of the Story, an exhibit of large-scale drawings by Samantha Wall, opens February 10 in Fairbanks Gallery. There will be a reception for the artist, free and open to the public at 4:30, Wednesday, February 12. Wall, based in Portland, immigrated to the United States from Seoul, South Korea at the age of four. A person of mixed ethnicity, Wall examines the psychological spaces where the individual meets the group.

News

The Jan. 30 issue of the Corvallis Gazette-Times includes an article about the screening of the documentary “Hitler’s Children” at the Crossroads International Film Festival this month. The article includes quotes from Oregon State History Professor Paul Kopperman. The screenings are February at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9, and 4 p.m. Feb. 16. http://www.gazettetimes.com/entertainment/movies/a-happy-childhood-in-a-sea-of-blood/article_cd6ee4be-8943-11e3-a7f1-001a4bcf887a.html — at Darkside Cinema.

American West historian Stacey Smith’s recent Op-Ed, Pacific Bound: California’s 1852 Fugitive Slave Law, was recently featured on BlackPast.org, the largest African American history website on the web. You can read the full article at: http://www.blackpast.org/perspectives/pacific-bound-california-s-1852-fugitive-slave-law.

Dr. Jason Silveira has been selected as the featured presenter for the Music Teacher Education Special Research Interest Group at the 2014 National Association for Music Education Conference in St. Louis, MO. Additionally, two of Silveira’s recent research studies will be featured at the conference’s research poster session. Silveira’s research interests include music perception and cognition, psychology of music, teacher effectiveness, and teacher evaluation and preparation. Silveira was also recently invited to be a guest lecturer at Ithaca College (New York) and at the University of Rhode Island.

The OSU Wind Ensemble, directed by Dr. Christopher Chapman will soon release its second commercial recording through Mark Records. Pieces on this recording include: Billy Child’s new composition titled “The Vistas of America,” Dana Reason’s “Currents,” Dan Welcher’s “Upriver” and Luis Cardoso’s “Concerto for Tuba and Tenor Saxophone.” The cover artwork for the CD is an original commissioned painting by OSU art faculty Felix Oliveros.

Bella Voce, the OSU women’s choir, directed by Dr. Tina Bull, has been chosen through a juried selection process to perform at the International Society for Music Education conference in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in July 2014. This will be the first time an OSU choir has been selected to perform by audition or jury at an international conference. The choir hopes to raise enough money that student singers will not be burdened with the expenses attached to representing their university and their country at this prestigious event. Friends and alumni interested in contributing should go to giving.campaignforosu.org, select Make a Gift, and write in Bella Voce as the designated recipient.

Current Research, Publications and Creative Activity

Associate professor of anthropology Melissa Cheyney’s article on the largest study ever conducted in the United States of planned home births was published last week in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. The study revealed that 93.6 percent of the 16,924 women in the study had spontaneous vaginal births, and only 5.2 percent required a cesarean section for delivery. Both mortality figures and the cesarean rate are lower than those reported at U.S. hospitals.

School of Psychological Science faculty member Kathleen Bogart’s paper  “People are all about appearances”: A Focus group of teenagers with Moebius syndrome was published online ahead of print in the Journal of  Health Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:  http://hpq.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/01/09/1359105313517277.abstract.

School of Psychological Science Director John Edwards, Instructor  Winston McCullough and former student Pam Allen published  “Buddhist  Theories of Karma and the Effect of Prosocial Behavior on Perceptions  of Others” in the International Journal for the Psychology of  Religion: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10508619.2013.879427#preview.

School of Psychological Science faculty member David Kerr’s paper  “Young Adult Follow-up of Adolescent Girls in Juvenile Justice Using  the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale” appeared in the journal  Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291943-278X/earlyview.

School of Psychological Science faculty member Kristen Macuga  published “Differential contributions of the superior and inferior  parietal cortex to feedback versus feedforward control of tools” in the journal NeuroImage:  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811914000457.

School of Psychological Science faculty member Christopher Sanchez’  paper “The role of dynamic spatial ability in geoscience text  comprehension”  appeared in the journal Learning and Instruction on  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475214000024.