Profiles - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Judaic Studies major and recipient of the Harold Schnitzer Family Scholarship

Judaic Studies major, recipient of the Harold Schnitzer Family Scholarship

Rachael Walkinshaw was awarded the Sara Glasgow Cogan Memorial Scholarship/Internship (2018) at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE). A Liberal Arts major with a strong interest in art history, Rachael is completing the minor in Judaic Studies.

Knowing Arabic has broken down barriers between local and foreign staff and has allowed me to make friendships in the community that just wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

My experiences in the French program led me to discover my interests in linguistics and language pedagogy and inspired me to enter the MA TESOL program at PSU.

Studying a language boosted my self-confidence and helped me connect with my family’s culture and heritage.

I love studying language because you are able to learn things about a culture that you may not see otherwise

​​​Language study has helped me to understand my own heritage.

I feel like I have been given access--not only to a larger world, but to a larger self as well.

Language studies taught me to socialize.

Language study has increased my awareness of my communication, even in my native language.

Learning languages has expanded my worldview.

Studying a new language has helped me make cognitive connections to my own languages and become more open to other cultures and ways of life.

Studying a language has helped me to connect with my community and family.

Studying Spanish has helped me remain hopeful. It opens the world and makes me more open minded.

Studying Spanish complemented my science classes well and helped me to be a more well-rounded person.

I want to be a math teacher, and I'm hoping that being comfortable with Spanish will allow me reach more students.

Knowledge of the local language is essential in the study of human adaptation to climate change.

As I study to become a professional in the tech industry, having cultural and language competence broadens my work opportunities and allows me to develop international business relationships.

The best part of studying other languages is being able to connect with people in a more meaningful way.

Logan Lawrence, Judaic Studies major and recipient of the Harold Schnitzer Family Scholarship.

Marianne Casilio is a Research Speech Language Pathologist in PSU's Speech and Hearing Sciences.

Curtis Hartling is an Assistant Clinical Professor in PSU's Speech and Hearing Sciences department.

Angela Downing is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in PSU's Speech and Hearing Sciences department.

Kim Elliott is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in PSU's Speech and Hearing Sciences department.

Donna Graville is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in PSU's Speech and Hearing Sciences department.

Rachel Bolognone is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in PSU's Speech and Hearing Sciences department.

Brandon Eddy is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the PSU Speech and Hearing Sciences department.

Teresa Roberts is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Speech and Hearing Sciences department at Portland State University.

Cassie Quinn is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Portland State University (PSU).

Carolyn Quam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at Portland State University (PSU).

Claudia Meyer is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at Portland State University (PSU).

Andy McMillin is a Clinical Professor in Portland State University's Speech and Hearing Sciences Department.

Dr. Megann McGill is an Assistant Professor in the PSU Speech and Hearing Sciences department.

Janet Lambert is an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department at Portland State University.

Sarah Key-DeLyria is an Associate Professor in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department at Portland State University.

Maria Kapantzoglou, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Portland State University (PSU) and a certified trilingual speech-language pathologist.

Dr. Griesar loves teaching, and explaining how networks of linked neurons carry out complex behavior.  Dr. Griesar's dissertation in Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU examined nicotine effects on spatial attention, time perception, and boredom in non-smokers. Some earlier (pre-2001) studies of nicotine reported cognitive improvements, but assessed changes in habitual smokers, where results may have been linked to relief from withdrawal.

Susan Ginley is an Associate Clinical Professor and the Undergraduate/Postbaccalaureate Advisor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at Portland State University.

Christina Gildersleeve-Neumann is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Portland State University. Christina explores speech development and disorders in children who speak one or two languages in the Monolingual and Bilingual Speech (MABS) Lab.

Molly Franz is a Research Speech-Language Pathologist in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences' Child Language Learning Center (CLLC) at Portland State University.

Gerasimos Fergadiotis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Portland State University. Dr. Fergadiotis’ research, which is currently funded by NIDCD, is focused on developing psychometric applications for quantifying cognitive deficits in adults with aphasia.

Amy Donaldson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at Portland State University. Her research focuses broadly on social communication and perception of social competence in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neurotypical children.

Deanna Britton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at Portland State University (PSU), and at the Northwest Center for Voice & Swallowing in the Department of Otolaryngology (NWCVS) - Head & Neck Surgery at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon.

Jeff Conn is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at Portland State University. Jeff is the supervisor for SPHR's Gender Communication Lab.

A Portland State University capstone course helps college and high school students interested in STEM disciplines acquire essential skills not frequently taught in the classroom or laboratory.

A Portland State University professor recently received a $350,000 federal grant to study how high-intensity fires, re-burns, and human activity could result in the collapse of forest ecosystems.

In Portland State University’s Applied Coastal Ecology Lab, a team of researchers led by Professor Elise Granek examine how land-based contaminants affect organisms in Oregon’s nearshore environments.

"Can we store thermal energy generated during the summer underground for use during the winter?" asks a Portland State University study led by geologist Dr. John Bershaw.

Portland State University's Dr. Michael Murphy studies the population biology of native birds living in the city's forested parks to gain a better understanding of what species need to survive in an urban setting.

Can a study of children's experiences as they transition from preschool to kindergarten lead to systemic changes in Portland schools that help kids retain the benefits of a pre-K education? Researchers at Portland State University have partnered with Portland Public Schools to find out.

Portland State University recently received $250,000 from the National Science Foundation for research that seeks to improve our understanding of silver nanoparticles. The award is part of a larger $500,000 grant split between PSU and Oregon State University (OSU), which are collaborating on the study.

David Banis manages the Center for Spatial Analysis and Research in the Department of Geography.

Professor Chang, chair of the Department of Geography, concentrates his research on hydrology, water resources and management, and land use change.

Professor Shobe 's research examines cultural geography, urban landscapes, place-based branding/marketing, and geographies of graffiti and murals.

Research Professor Melissa Lucash studies forest ecology, climate change, biogeochemistry, and landscape modeling.

Professor Loikith's focuses are on regional climate and climate change, climate and weather extremes, and climate model analysis.

Professor Cantor's research focuses on political ecology, water resources, legal geography, and environmental justice.

Professor Ajibade focuses on future cities, climate change adaptation, sustainability transitions, political ecology and transformation studies.

PSU physicist Dr. Simon Fowler has developed a green technology capable of eliminating potentially harmful compounds from water supplies.

PSU’s Meredith Holgerson recently received the Raymond L. Lindeman Award for research suggesting small ponds produce surprisingly large quantities of greenhouse gases.

A recent article co-authored by Portland State University anthropologist Charles Klein shows that the term does little to shine a light on the real lives of people who make it into this social classification.

Ho'esta Mo'e'hahne, PhD | Indigenous Nations Studies, Scholar in Residence

Erin Looper, Doctoral student in the School of the Environment

Kyla Zaret, Doctoral student in Global Environmental Change

Erin Upton, PhD student in Environmental Science and Management

Emily Cahoon, PhD student in Geology

Ariana Chiapella, PhD Candidate at the Aquatic Ecology Lab

Janardan Mainali, Doctoral student in Geography

Amy Ehrhart, PhD student in Environmental Science and Management

Liliana Caughman, Doctoral student in Earth, Environment, and Society

Manar Alattar, PhD candidate in the School of the Environment.

Research Assistant Professor Dr. Melissa Lucash recently received a $1.4M grant from the National Science Foundation to study relationships between wildfires, climate change, Alaskan forests, and carbon cycling.

Assistant Professor Steve Reichow was recently awarded a three-year grant from the Whitehall Foundation to study the structure of a molecule thought to be critical to memory formation, learning, and cognition.

Graduate anthropology student, Tia Cody uses LiDAR data and computer modeling to search for archaeological sites in Oregon's Calapooia watershed.

Graduate chemistry student, Haley Irving builds and tests virtual models of photocatalytic molecules in research that seeks to move society away from fossil fuels and the production of industrial toxic waste.

With support from the W. M. Keck Foundation, PSU researchers will develop an online electron microscopy platform to promote undergraduate nanoscience education.

At Portland State University, Professor Ralf Widenhorn is developing an innovative curriculum to help students on pre-health tracks get the most of of physics courses.

In the Mackiewicz Research Group, undergraduate students under the guidance of Dr. Marilyn Mackiewicz synthesize and functionalize nanostructures used by medical researchers exploring new ways to detect and treat disease.

Makrina Kamel, Student Staff at the Resource Center for Students with Children.

Supporting equity in transportation planning using data

Working with universities, agencies, and citizens to study, monitor, and protect our freshwater resources.

Assistant Professor of Environmental Science

Assistant Professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry

Valuing the benefits of nature

Assistant Professor of Environmental Management

Jennifer Dimoff, Psychology faculty, co-edited Leading to Occupational Health and Safety, the latest Occupational Health and Safety book published by Wiley, 2017.

Chemistry

For the past several months, a group of PSU academic professionals, part of a cohort with the Office of Academic Innovation, has been gathering to discuss and enact change regarding on one of PSU’s most critical mandates, community-based learning.

Dr. Tucker Childs works with communities in remote West African villages, documenting the region's endangered languages and cultures.

In two recent studies, Portland State University’s Dr. C. Jonah Eleweke examines the challenges people with disabilities in Nigeria face when trying to access services that can help them reach their full potential and contribute to national development.

Dr. Paul Loikith and graduate student Judah Detzer are analyzing South American weather and climate data to improve our understanding of climate and climate change across the continent.

In the wake of the 2015 earthquakes, Dr. Jeremy Spoon traveled to Nepal to study the ways natural disasters reshape social-ecological systems. What he and his team learned could improve the future of disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery efforts.

Dr. Yangdong Pan wants to know if algae in the waters of China's Jiuzhaigou National Reserve can help conservationists preserve the natural beauty of the park's pristine lakes and streams.

Martin is an archaeoentomologist -- a specialty within zooarchaeology that focuses on the remains of insects and other arthropods from archaeological sites.

Improving indoor air quality one coat of paint at a time.

Dr. Jennifer Tappan's research delves into the history of efforts to treat and prevent malnutrition in Uganda.

In the wake of the Affordable Care Act, a study led by Dr. Rajiv Sharma asks: has access to primary health care changed for people with different racial, ethnic, and gender profiles?

Dr. Baihetiyaer Tuerxun is retired professor from Xinjiang University, China who know resides in Portland, Oregon. He holds a courtesy appointment with Department of History at Portland State University. His research interests include the history of Central Asia and Ethnology, particularly of Xinjiang, China.

The Biology Department is sad to announce that Dr. Malcolm Lea, Biology Professor Emeritus, has passed away.

Recipient of the Oregon Sea Grant Natural Resources Policy Fellowship

PSU's Donald Truxillo asks: Can organizations reduce fuel consumption by encouraging employees driving fleet vehicles to follow simple guidelines while behind the wheel?

Dr. Amy Lubitow works within communities to address transportation-related issues such as increasing bicycle ridership among women and marginalized communities.

Dr. Amy Lubitow works within communities to address transportation-related issues such as increasing bicycle ridership among women and marginalized communities.

As bikes equipped with battery-powered motors hit the road, PSU’s John MacArthur is there to ask how they might alter the transportation landscape.

Exploring new avenues of research, Ph.D. student Tara Goddard partnered with Project Implicit to investigate how drivers’ attitudes may impact safety for cyclists on the road.

With so many public transit agencies on board with social media, PSU economist, Dr. Jenny Liu asks how they’re using these platforms and to what effect.

Transportation engineer Krista Nordback explains why it’s a big deal that we don’t have accurate counts of how many people are riding bikes on our streets.

After earning an MA in applied anthropology at PSU, Bonnie Harvey is returning to Usisya, Malawi to apply her knowledge in community development and cultural anthropology to help the local nonprofit, Temwa.

Undergraduate student Joshua Justice combined his interest in radio and history to educate the public through the bi-weekly podcast, Beyond Footnotes.

"Mathematicians can now have a strong impact on medical sciences. It is the best of all times with torrents of medical data becoming available," says Dr. Bruno Jedynak. As one of the professors hired under the Massiah Foundation’s gift, Dr. Jedynak brings 12 years of research experience at Johns Hopkins University to the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Portland State University.

Assistant Professor Brittany Erickson develops computational models to simulate earthquakes and explore the geophysical processes associated with them.

Dr. Mark Woods' research takes him back and forth between PSU and OHSU as he develops new and more effective MRI contrast agents.

Could advanced data mining reveal new insights into treatments for concussions? Systems Science Professor Martin Zwick is trying to show the way.

While the Smithsonian Institution’s Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code was on exhibit at OMSI, museum-goers learned about the genome and life science research at PSU.

Olivia Loveland is a senior at Portland State University. In 2015, as a student in the World Languages and Literatures Turkish program, she was one of only four students in the country to receive the 2015 James W. Redhouse Prize for Best Progress in Turkish.

Randi Jartun Bost, M.S. ’92 earned her master’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from PSU. Since earning her degree, she’s built a career as a speech-language pathologist, specializing in early childhood assessments. Now, Randi is one of the department’s most active alumni.

Dr. Andrews has worked collaboratively with Native American nations since 1980, with a focus on environmental and natural resource issues, health and healing, cultural dynamics and continuity, and gender. More recently she has also worked with regional Hispanic community organizations in central Washington state.

Together, PSU's Institute for Sustainable Solutions, community organizations, and the City of Portland are improving neighborhoods.

Xia Zhang is a cultural anthropologist and Chinese folklorist. She does research on globalization, urbanization, gender (esp. masculinity), development, new media, youth, migration, labor politics in China and East Asia.

Applied Linguistics B.A. graduate Heather Todd now pursuing a PhD in Field Linguistics at SOAS, University of London

Assistant Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Ph.D., University of Oregon, 2014

Roberto de Anda is Professor and Director of the Chicano/Latino Studies Program and a member of the SGRN Executive Committee

Chair & Professor, Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department, SGRN Executive Committee member

Researchers at Portland State University have developed a powerful new training tool that helps make practice perfect.

The Minor in Water Resources offers broad training in spatial perspectives of sociopolitical and biophysical dimensions of water resource issues at local, regional, national, and international scales.

Maria Beebe is an applied socio-linguist who specializes in critical discourse analysis, women’s leadership, and information communication technologies (ICT) for development.

Assistant Professor Gerasimos Fergadiotis studies language processing and develops tools to diagnose aphasia and assess the efficacy of treatments.

Dr. Jennifer Noll recently received a prestigious “CAREER” grant from the National Science Foundation to study new methods of teaching statistics to non-mathematics majors.

Professor Marek Elżanowski is the inaugural recipient of the PSU Foundation Philanthropic Leadership Faculty Award.

Professor Robert Gould is the inaugural recipient of the PSU Foundation's 'Faculty Philanthropy Cultivation' Award and will be honored during commencement 2015.

Chemistry education research focusing on the development and evaluation of educational assessments and their use in measuring the effectiveness of pedagogical practice

Portland start-up StoneStable, Inc. is using technology developed at Portland State University to change the way vaccines are stored during transport.

Dr. James Beebe is an applied qualitative social scientist, international development anthropologist, educator, and social activist committed to using the tools of the social sciences to promote justice.

Adolfo G. Cuevas, a doctoral student in Applied Psychology, is conducting research to explore the role of racial identity in African Americans' healthcare experiences.

Assistant Professor at Department of Communication focusing on Communication & Technology and Interpersonal Communication.

Marc Rodriguez is Associate Professor of History and Managing Editor of the Pacific Historical Review at Portland State University. His present research interests include historical memory and the establishment of immigration/migration museums in the west.

Elex Biotech, a drug development company with close ties to PSU, continues early-stage testing of compounds that treat the cause of ventricular arrhythmias associated with heart failure.

With a combination of online training, social networking platforms, and shared reading, Dr. Samuel Sennott connects families, youth service providers, and children with complex needs to resources that promote and facilitate communication and literacy skills.

Professor Michael Clark studies the role of play in society, in the past, present and future.

Pre-Med Biochemistry

Mathematics is a creative act that is as beautiful and engaging as any of the fine arts and as useful as any of the physical sciences. Too often students and teachers experience mathematics as a dormant list of procedures, definitions, theorems, and proofs. Mathematics professor Sean Larsen is a mathematics educator focused on bringing mathematics to life for undergraduate students and mathematics teachers at all levels.

The success of scientific computation in recent decades in the design and prediction of complex engineering and biological systems has elevated it into a scientific methodology distinct from the traditional theoretical and experimental methodologies. Dr. Gopalakrishnan argues that the key to this success has been numerical algorithms founded on sound mathematical principles. This opinion shapes his research attitudes.

Dr. Jill K. Gardner specializes in hunter-gatherer cultural development, settlement and subsistence practices, migration patterns, and the role of environment in social complexity.

In 2011, Lamarra Haynes was crowned Portland’s Rose Festival Queen. She didn’t know it then, but this award and her presence on television would be the door to her future.

Mercer, who is 59 and a Portland native, has been a fixture on campus since the mid-70s, when he began his bachelor’s degree in history. Later, he earned a master’s in English and has worked in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences since 1992.

“I love PSU because of the students. They’re really serious. They’re here because they want to be here. So are we.”

Before Signe Anderson was the lead female vocalist for Jefferson Airplane, she was a PSU Viking. In 1959 Signe Anderson, then Signe Toly, was crowned Rose Festival Princess of Lincoln High School and awarded a $1500 scholarship. Upon graduation Anderson attended Portland State University from 1960 - 1963, where she majored in speech, taking classes in French, theater and performing in campus musicals. Her mother wanted her to attend Oregon State, but Anderson said, "On $1500 I can afford PSU. I can go to college right here! And we lived right up the hill; I can hitch a ride down to Salmon Street or take the 51 bus."

Greg Baty is a Research Technician at the Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication. He conducts new user training and provides contract analytical services on the following instruments: FEI Sirion XL30 SEM, Zeiss Sigma VP SEM, FEI Phenom SEM, KJ Lesker Axis PVD, EDS, WDX and EBSD. He spent over 10 years as an industrial process engineer in the high tech industry. Greg's expertise includes lithography, chemical etching and industrial automation.

A new interdisciplinary program will provide engineering and architecture students the experience, training, and skills to address issues of energy consumption in the building sector.

New faculty member Steve Reichow studies the form and function of membrane proteins, a class of proteins with potentially significant implications for our understanding of physiology and the targeted treatment of disease.

Opening doors to students gaining professional proficiency.

For Somalia refugee and speech and hearing sciences student Fahima Osman, the chance to attend Portland State University meant more than earning a college degree, it meant an opportunity to inspire and give back to her family and community.

Holz runs the Global Environmental Change Lab with interests in forest dynamics, disturbance ecology, and climate-fire-human relationships.

Swobodzinski's research examines the intricate ways in which individual decision making is mediated through spatial technologies.

PSU hosts teams of high school students and teachers at an interdisciplinary summer camp designed to cultivate cyber citizenship and interest in STEM-related fields.

Tony joined CEMN as the facility manager in September 2009, after working as a research scientist at Monsanto Company for two years. Dr. Chen received his Ph.D. in materials science from the University of Birmingham. He spent five years at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Brookhaven National Laboratory doing postdoctoral research. Following this, he worked as the chief scientist at the University of Louisville, in charge of TEM, SEM, XPS and XRD facilities and analytical services. Tony’s research interests are focused on microstructural characterization using electron microscopy in materials science, nanoscience and technology.

Dr. Jun Jiao holds an M.S. in Physics and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Arizona and is currently a professor of physics and electrical and computer engineering. She is also the director of the Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication at Portland State University. Dr. Jiao's principal research interests concern nanoscale materials and the application of analytical techniques of electron microscopy.

Clean Tech Challenge semifinalists Ben Hendrickson, Morley Blouke, and Josh Olesen propose a change in the way we harness the sun’s energy for electrical use.

Biochemistry and structural biology of membrane protein complexes using electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM)

Professor Turner teaches survey courses in ancient history, seminars on the Roman Republic and Empire, as well as topics courses on Roman imperialism and geography in the ancient Mediterranean. He also regularly teaches a course on the global history of warfare.

Dr. Chang specializes in physical anthropology, behavioral genetics, and evolutionary biology.

Dr. Michele Gamburd is Professor and Chair of Anthropology.

Research Excellence Award winner, Dr. Steve Thorne takes innovative approaches to teaching and learning languages.

Ph.D. Student in Community Psychology Wins National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Post-bac student Selicity Icefire analyzes the distribution of radon gas in the Portland metro region and throughout Oregon in order to help the state and its citizens identify and manage the risk of the poisonous gas.

First-generation college student and communications major Karla Andrade wants to use the power of media to encourage other Latinos to pursue higher education

Dr. Gamburd’s recently published book about Sri Lanka examines the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the humanitarian response that followed.

In Alaska’s Seward Peninsula on the Bering Strait, Dr. Shelby Anderson and her collaborators search for clues that shed light on the lives of the people who lived in the region long ago.

Psychologist Dr. Liu-Qin Yang studies organizations and workers around the world to help both reach their full potential.

Ramon S. Torrecilha, Ph.D. brings a commitment to multiculturalism to the institutions he serves and his inspiring story demonstrates how Portland State University’s mission of access transforms lives.

John Salmon (’67 MA ’72) and Marcia Schulmerich (class of ’69), are leading examples of alumni who are committed to scholarships. They graduated from PSU with biology degrees and built accomplished careers in health care administration. Along the way, this husband and wife team began giving back to PSU by providing scholarships for biology students.

One of Dr. Eva Thanheiser's research foci is on how preservice elementary teachers conceive of numbers and what motivates them to learn mathematics--factors critical to the mathematics of future elementary school students.

Dr. Cynthia Mohr collects data on shared experiences in order to study health behaviors in the context of interpersonal relationships.

Jonathan, a senior at PSU studying German, received a Fulbright Scholarship to work as an English teaching assistant in Germany during 2014-2015.

From Portland State University to a network of partners providing educational programs to adult learners, the Learner Web supports education, equity, and social justice.

Associate Research Professor; Judge Coordinator, Intel NWSE; Special Advisor, PNW LSAMP

It was at Portland State that Alando first came across the concept of sustainability, LEED certification, and the ‘triple bottom line’ economy. To Alando, sustainability equaled common sense and a reflection of the values his father had already instilled in him.

Inspiring action for a better world.

Dr. Jason Podrabsky recently received a NSF grant to study the role of microRNAs in the cellular processes that give the Annual Killifish a remarkable ability to survive in some very extreme environments.

Inspiring action for a better world.

Contributing to a sustainable world.

Dr. Susan Conrad and her collaborators study documents written by civil engineers and students to develop materials that will hone students' writing skills without adding courses to the curriculum.

Dr. Patricia Wetzel considers relationships between grammar, language acquisition, instruction, and technology in "Does Grammar Matter in an Age of Technology?"

Authored by: Nishishiba, Masami and Ritchie, L. David. A card sorting procedure was used to explore the structure of Japanese and American business people's concept of trustworthiness.

With an international perspective on educational access, Dr. Eleweke is developing new programs and projects that enhance services for deaf and other people with disabilities.

Professor of Geography, Heejun Chang's collaborative water research examines the complex factors involved in changing hydrologic systems and provides governments, policy makers, and resource managers the data and tools to develop plans to address the growing demand on fresh water supplies.

Professor DeLys Ostlund is bringing a little-known play by one of Spain's greatest playwrights into the 21st century in a first-of-its-kind critical edition.

Ginny Garcia-Alexander joined the Sociology Department as part of the Social Determinants of health Initiative at PSU.

At Portland State University's newest research center, design is for equity. Design is for sustainability. Design is for the best interests of everyone.

For 11 years, the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory has brought the out of this world down to earth.

Dr. Andrew Mashburn's research focuses on what works in preschool and afterschool programs aimed at improving outcomes for disadvantaged children.

Dr. Shankar Rananavare and his graduate students have shown how incorporating nanoparticles into the production of integrated circuits may provide the next breakthrough in the power of our electronic devices.

Professor of Biology, Dr. Daniel Ballhorn studies the way plants defend themselves from attack—it's research that has both expected and surprising implications.

Cancer biologist Dr. Justin Courcelle Studies cellular replication, its mechanisms, processes, and rules; some of his recent findings have just been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' Early Edition

Virologist Dr. Ken Stedman and his graduate students introduce innovations that may lead to improvements in vaccine storage and delivery.

Conservation Scientist Dr. Tami Lasseter Clare develops diagnostic tools that help museums and conservators better monitor the conditions of coatings protecting some of our most prized cultural possessions.

Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students from departments across campus gather to share their ideas and celebrate their research at the first annual, campus-wide student research symposium.

Alum Simon Peters is a 2014 graduate of the Honors Program with a B.A. in Chinese and Applied Linguistics, where his focus was on endangered language documentation and maintenance. Simon recently received a second Critical Language Scholarship from the State Department for a return to China. He began working on his Ph.D. at UC Santa Barbara in Fall of 2015.

Is Portland's Pearl District living up to its claim that the neighborhood increases social capital for all its residents? Kate Washington lays the groundwork to answer that question in her study: "The Pearl District: An Urban Neighborhood."

In the first round of the Clean Challenge 16 teams of cleantech innovators and entrepreneurs had two minutes to pitch their ideas for a chance to receive $5,000 in funding for project development.

Assistant Professor of Communication

Professor of Communication

Assistant Professor of Communication

Assistant Professor of Communication

Professor of Communication

Professor of Communication and Department Chair

Mark Jackson is the first alumnus to be honored by the Portland State University President's Diversity Award.

Assistant Professor of Communication

Assistant Professor of Communication

How do you find your path in life? For Ian Ruder, ’05, it began with overcoming the devastating effect of an automotive accident and led through Portland State University into the heart of Portland’s communal fabric, where he now resides as a writer, editor, and social advocate.

Senior Instructor of Communication

The Middle East Studies Center presents a collection of lesson modules for content-based instruction of Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew.

Justin Zoradi '09 leads a nonprofit called These Numbers Have Faces from a brick-walled loft in Portland’s Central Eastside. Zoradi and his staff steer about $200,000 a year in scholarships to students in South Africa and Rwanda. Recipients are starting to graduate from colleges and trade schools; each must pledge a year’s tuition for someone else once they’re working.

Ligand design and metal complexes for solar energy conversion and chiral recognition

Born and raised in Portland, OR, Kent Hartman graduated from Portland State in 1983 with a degree in Political Science. Kent’s first book, The Wrecking Crew, was released in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press and won a 2013 Oregon Book Award in the category of nonfiction.

Dr. Dacian Daescu knows the math on weather forecasting—he's one of just a handful of mathematicians in the world developing the math that runs computer forecasting models.

A Portland biotech startup is designing and developing drugs to help those suffering from cardiovascular disease.

Innovation: Working in concert with external partners, the office of Innovation & Intellectual Property helps researchers like Dr. Carl Wamser move their innovations out of the lab.

Innovation: Dr. Rob Strongin and the Strongin Group have developed a method for identifying a biomarker that may be indicative of early stage ovarian cancer.

Dr. Carl Wamser discusses next generation solar cells, green roofs, and an upcoming OMSI event: "Connecting Researchers and Public Audiences."

Providing teachers with tools to incorporate geography into lessons: The Student Atlas of Oregon connects children to Oregon and the world beyond.

Diasporas in Dialogue is a manual for community reconciliation that provides a platform for bringing refugee communities together.

Lafrenz studies fluvial geomorphology and soils, urban stream phenomena, human land use on critical zone processes, and mobile GIS.

PSU's Geospatial Data Manager

Advancing Science Education

Researching the science of magma

Director of the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory

PSU alum trains the next generation of geologists

Studying PNW Earthquakes

Researching the origins of landslides

Understanding effects of anthropogenic stressors on freshwater ecosystems

Professor of Environmental Science

Freshwater science and conservation

Preserving our wetlands

Preserving marine biodiversity

Making sustainability education available for all students

Encouraging citizen participation in environmental science.

Heavy metal clean-up

Biological invasion warrior

Professor of Environmental Science

DesignMedix, a Portland biotech startup, is designing the next generation of hybrid drugs to resolve issues of drug resistance in infectious diseases such as malaria.

Multifaceted innovations in nanotechnology developed at Portland State by former Professor Dr. Mingdi Yan and brought to market by Swiss company SuSoS AG are improving everyday objects at the nanoscale.

Organotransition metal chemistry, catalysis, and development of new chemical reactivity for organic synthesis

Scholar in Residence at the Portland Center for Public Humanities

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships provide a portion of institutional tuition and fees, as well as a stipend for Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish language study.

Maintaining patents and seeking commercial partnerships: Dr. Jun Jiao and her research associate, Dr. Haiyan Li, collaborate with researchers at Providence Health & Services Oregon to develop a nanoparticle -based vaccine adjuvant.

From invention disclosure to provisional patent application: Dr. Raj Solanki and his team introduce a high-specific ovarian cancer antigen binding single-stranded DNA sequences for detection of ovarian cancer.

Organizational Psychologist and PSU Psychology Professor, Leslie Hammer is looking at changes in workplace systems that will improve the health and wellbeing of working families.

Village Provisions - Cultivating rural livelihoods around the world

Dr. Laura Robson is Associate Professor of History

Ramon Torrecilha ’84, MA ’86 was recently appointed provost, the second highest academic post, at California State University - Dominguez Hills. But back when he began his education at Portland State—as a farm worker who spoke little English—this appointment would be too fantastic to even consider.

Dr. Luo’s research focuses on physical and analytical chemistry of organic compounds in water and atmosphere.

Innovation: Associate Professor of Biology, Radu Popa and his colleagues are using black soldier fly larvae to recycle nutrients from waste water.

PSU innovators Andrea Goforth and Anna Brown see Bismuth nanoparticle materials as the imaging agents of the future.

Brower investigates cultural ecology, mountain geography, Nepal, wildland resource conservation and policy, and the environmental movement.

Duh's research develops geocomputational theory and techniques to integrate GIS and remote sensing technologies in spatial decision-making.

Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, Graduate School of Education

William is a History major in the Honors Program and was a Russian Flagship Program participant.

Associate Professor of Public Administration

Noyce Scholar

We are here. We are your professors, alumni, students, staff, faculty, coworkers and friends. We support the Portland State University lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and ally community. We acknowledge the importance of speaking out against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

A TRIPLE alumna of the School of Social Work, (BSW, MSW, PhD).

Assistant Professor of Japanese Literature

Quantitative biology of the protein translation apparatus.

Department of Biology

Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Biology

An award winning translator of Arabic short stories, Dr. Hanoosh's academic interests are as international...as they are diverse.

Scott, Psychology Adviser, helps students understand their degree requirements and plan for their future careers.

As the first scholar to publish on Persian as a heritage language, Dr. Sedighi is a linguist who understands the need to balance theory with practice.

Game Theory - Calculating optimum strategies

Hot Pursuit - Searching for new life forms at Earth's extremes

Taiko Ensemble Director

MST Student

With an expert's knowledge of the Theater of Spain's Golden Age, Dr. Ostlund brings classic Spanish literature to life.

As a senior instructor in the Spanish department, Ines Warnock helps students translate their dreams of spanish language fluency...into reality.

Dr. Watanabe relishes the moments when the "light bulb" goes on in her students and their Japanese language learning becomes meaningful to them.

Combining excellent teaching with community engagement, Angela Zagarella is one of the dynamos behind PSU's expanding Italian program

From the authors of West Africa to the poets of the Caribbean, Dr. Walton is a Francophone with a love for literature.

Introducing students to the beauty of the Chinese language and culture is Dr. Wadley's mission.

Dr. Sanders is a PSU original who combines a passion for biking with a passion for Spanish literature.

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

Noyce Scholar

MST Student

MST Student

MST Program Coordinator

Noyce Scholar

Associate Research Professor

Portland Public School Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) program liaison

Beaverton School District Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) program liaison and Director, PMSP Professional Development

Instructor, Science Education

Intel Northwest Science Expo Director

Center for Science Education Director

Inspiring Russian language learners to master this critical language.

Knowledge, power and identity play important roles in the scholarship of Dr. Perlmutter.

With a passion for linguistics, Dr. Núñez-Méndez is PSU's resident expert on phonetics, syntax and the history of the Spanish language.

The next time you are in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso ask about Dr. Greco, whose scholarship takes her around the world.

From Deutsche Sommershule to the Russian Flagship, you will find the enthusiastic scholarship of Kathie Godfrey.

German cultural history and the German immersion experience are the domains of Dr. Fuller.

Post WW II France? If your interest is piqued, see Dr. Dolidon.

Creating age-friendly cities

Return Investor

Bringing justice to the people

Synthesis and evaluation of novel redox and chromophore materials

Dr. Pankow's research has involved the application of chemical principles to understanding how chemicals partition between important phases in the environment.

Our research program involves investigations of melting transition phenomena in DNA, RNA and proteins and discovery of biomarkers for human disease.

Our research is aimed at developing novel organic solar cells using conductive polymers.

We study newly emerging technologies in materials chemistry to advance practices in cultural heritage conservation.

Stéphanie Van Hook combines international service and conflict resolution skills in her graduate work

Larry Fergeson went to Cyprus on a CR-sponsored course. Now he calls the island home

CR student Anya Hankin uses the creative arts to strengthen community, engage in conflict resolution and explore effective interpersonal communication

CR grad students and alumni coordinate a dialogue program at the Oregon State Correctional Institution

Conflict Resolution director Rob Gould helped develop a number of Northwest-based peace and conflict resolution community organizations.

Emi Noma uses film to tell the stories of women peacemakers around the world.

Gabriele Ross translates academic pursuits into meaningful community contributions.

Engineering Star - Joining an elite academy

Worlds Together - Weighing global issues on a human scale

Professor Tom Hastings leads nonviolence trainings for organizers and street people at a Portland community center.

Kate McCracken '08 advocates for alternatives for juvenile and adult offenders in San Francisco.

Conflict Resolution alum Justin Zoradi's non-profit confronts generational poverty in South Africa.

Researchers around the world, including John Dash, professor emeritus of physics, are pursuing a way to make hydrogen squeeze itself, so to speak.

Casey values being well rounded and focused, and believes students should too.

Dr. Byron Haines Philosophy Professor Emeritus

Offering over 23 languages

In partnership with the American Heart Association

Working with local industries to build structures

Peter was an important member of the Philosophy Department for two decades and fulfilled his role in an admirable manner. His gentle, unprepossessing manner and commitment to his students, colleagues and community will be sorely missed.

Just as a great piece of music is composed to draw the listener inside to discover a special world, Professor Hall attempts to draw his students into the special world of social science ideas and reasoning.

Professor Ito is an expert in East Asian economics.

Dr. Ken Ruoff, Director of the Center for Japanese Studies, is an expert in Japanese history.

Professor Kominz brings the joy of Japanese performing arts to students and audiences alike.

Professor Reysenbach is interested in the microscopic life that resides in one of the last frontiers on Earthhot springs in the deep-sea and on land.

Professor Katy Barber's students participate in collaborative projects that result in both academic and community outcomes.

Whether from rice paddies, cities, landfills or cattle, Professor Khalil understands how trace gases effect global warming.

Professor Peter Collier's research helps first generation students who don't know the taken-for-granted scripts for "being a college student."

From religion to pop culture, Professor K. Pelin Basci believes there is no experience that cannot be translated into every culture.

Professor R. Kevin Hill envisions himself as a tour guide, leading his students through the strange and exotic lands of philosophers.

Professor Cynthia Mohr understands that psychologists are like Sherlock Holmes, examining the clues of human behavior to discover how one individual influences another.

At fifteen Professor Friedrich Schuler got lost in the library. Today he still goes to the stacks to discover the truth about the past.

Whether studying drag queens, false memories or the wearing of the hijab, Professor Haaken knows that there is often more than meets the eye.

When it comes to harvesting the sun's energy, Professor Rolf Koenenkamp is often light years ahead.

Robert Liebman understands how communities change.