The Leading Edge

Events

Monday, May 22

Film screening: Ray — The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s. Film will be captioned. 6 p.m., Milam Hall, 319. Co-sponsored by Disability Access Services and the OSU Disability Network.

Animals Strike Curious Poses – Elena Passarello Reading and OSU Authors and Editors Reception — 2015 Whiting Award winner Elena Passarello is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing in OSU’s School of Writing, Literature, and Film. Her first book, “Let Me Clear My Throat,” won the Independent Publisher’s gold medal for nonfiction and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Writing about Passarello’s latest collection, New York Times reviewer Helen MacDonald said “Animals Strike Curious Poses” offers “a devastating meditation on our relationship to the natural world” and “might be the best book on animals I’ve ever read.” This Recognizing Excellence event is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and hosted by the Center for the Humanities. 6:30 p.m., Autzen House, 811 SW Jefferson Avenue.

The James Miley Trio — 7:30 p.m., Benton Hall room 303.

Tuesday, May 23

Against Doom: Organizing the Climate Insurgency — Talk by Jeremy Brecher. Climate insurgency is a strategy for using people power to realize our common interest in protecting the climate. It uses mass, global, nonviolent action to challenge the legitimacy of public and corporate officials who are perpetrating climate destruction. Brecher (author of “Save the Humans? Common Preservation in Action” and the classic labor history “Strike!”) will join us via live video feed for a rousing discussion on climate insurgency. 7 p.m., International Living Learning Center, 155.

Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra presents “Music Transcendent” – featuring works by Debussy, Strauss and Wagner. 7:30 p.m., The LaSells Stewart Center. cosusymphony.org. 

Wednesday, May 24

SAC Presents: The Boston Brass with the OSU Wind Ensemble — 7:30 p.m., The LaSells Stewart Center. Ticket information at: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/SACevents.

Thursday, May 25

Does Science Have a Seat at the Decision-Making Table? — Women in Policy, Women in Science, and Women in Marine Sciences are hosting a panel discussion with panelists: Drs. Mehra Shirazi, Kate Lajtha, Ana Spalding, and Staci Simonich. 3 p.m. in the Willamette West seminar room (3rd floor Valley Library). 

Tantra in America, a Scholar-Practitioners Story — Hundere Lecture by Kimberley Lafferty. Eastern contemplative traditions have been embraced by the West. Through research and storytelling, this discussion will examine how pre-modern traditions have integrated into western educated culture. Kimberley Lafferty is a teacher, writer, mother and wife. She has spent twenty-five years studying and teaching Tibetan Buddhism, Himalayan yoga tantra and western integral theory. 7 p.m., MU 208. 

Friday, May 26

Latinos in Oregon: Trends and Opportunities in a Changing State will take place 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in MU 13 (Multipurpose Room). In Fall 2016, OSU and the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) released the report Latinos in Oregon: Trends and opportunities in a Changing State using the latest available data to explore the contributions that Latinos have made to the state and the disparities that still exist. The report also discusses the implications of these trends not just for Latinos, but also for other individuals, communities, and organizations, including educational institutions. The data used to produce this report is available through the Communities Reporter Tool. Please join us for a conversation with Vincent Adams (OSU Rural Studies Program) and Roberto Franco (OCF Latino Partnership Program).

Music a la Carte — OSU Campus Band. Noon, Student Experience Center plaza.

Dr. Juan Herrera, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at OSU, will give a lecture on ” Racialized Illegality: The Regulation of Informal Labor and Space.” Dr. Herrera will speak from 12 to 12:50 p.m. in Waldo Hall Room 201A. This event is part of the Anthropology Program’s “Tan Sack” Lecture Series.

Sunday, May 28

Neil & Tamara Caulkins Classical Guitar Duo in Concert — Delightful works from the early 19th century performed on a pair of historic instruments. 2 p.m., Troubadour Music Center, 521 SW 2nd. $10.

Recurring Events

Fairbanks Gallery will host a New Media Communications faculty exhibition, “Experiments in Story,” featuring work by Amanda Tasse, Carmen Tiffany, Dan Faltesek and Todd Kesterson May 8-31. The exhibit offers unique perspectives on the vital relationship between data collection and the visual arts. This multimedia exhibition will highlight strategies for visualizing complex information by presenting platforms were ideas can be more easily understood, interpreted and discussed. The gallery is located on the first floor of Fairbanks Hall and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

The Microbiome Art Project — This project is a collaboration between OSU’s research community and The Arts Center in Corvallis. The project focuses on microbial systems that affect human health, biodiversity of animal species, and air, earth and water quality. This exhibition asks both artists and researchers, How Can We See the Unseen? Through this exhibit, the arts will document and interpret complex research concepts and bring greater understanding for artists and the public, as well as offer a unique perspective to the scientific community. April 13 – May 27, The Arts Center, 700 SW Madison Avenue. This exhibit is a part of SPARK: Arts+Science@OSU.

Oregon State University’s Center for the Humanities is hosting an exhibition of work by Assistant Professor of Art Kerry Skarbakka titled “Blackout,” through June 8. This is Skarbakka’s second solo exhibition in Corvallis in a year. The installation is comprised of objects of art and understanding, encapsulated in the medium used to line the beds of trucks, and thus blacked out, or rendered void. Utilizing the significance of the Center for the Humanities and coinciding with the March for Science and Earth Day on April 22, the Skarbakka says the exhibition provides “a message of solidarity against attempts to defund and silence the arts, the sciences and the humanities.”

The Little Gallery proudly presents Betty LaDuke’s “Bountiful Harvest and Border Crossings,” April 3 – June 16. LaDuke’s wood panel murals document and narrate stories of Latino farm workers who work on farms in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. For more  information: 541-737-2146. 

News 

Assistant Professor of Philosophy Barbara Muraca was interviewed for a podcast organized by the German Green Foundation “Heinrich Boell” It is the 5th episode of a series on Climate Justice.

Awards and Honors 

Congratulations to Associate Professor of Psychology Aurora M. Sherman in the School of Psychological Science who was awarded Fellow status in the Gerontological Society of America, the world’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary and international organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. GSA Fellows are members at the highest class and represent outstanding contributions to the Society and the field of aging.

Current Research, Publications and Creative Activity 

Associate professor and coordinator of music education Wesley Brewer was invited by the Society for Music Teacher Education to serve as a conference proposal reviewer for its biennial research symposium, which will be held in Minneapolis this September. 

Director of bands Chris Chapman and the OSU Wind Ensemble made a recruiting tour last weekend, with clinic/performances at Stephens Middle School and Silverton High School, and a full concert performance at Ridgeview High School in Bend, Ore. for high school students from the Bend/Redmond area.