UO Today

Thi Bui, artist and author of the illustrated memoir The Best We Could Do, a chronicle of her family's journey from war-torn Vietnam to America. The Best We Could Do is the University of Oregon's Common Reading book for 2018-19. Bui talks about her process of writing and illustrating the book.

The Oregon Humanities Center’s 2018–19 Robert D. Clark Lecture was delivered by Nalini Nadkarni, professor of Biology from the University of Utah. Nadkarni discusses how her experiences as a scientist precipitated her explorations into diverse ways of engaging humans with the natural world. Her lecture took place on Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Forest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni discusses her work studying the unique ecosystems in tropical and temperate rainforest canopies. She has developed novel ways to share scientific knowledge to a wide range of public audiences and has created programs to bring science and nature to the incarcerated. Nadkarni gave a talk "Tapestry Thinking: Weaving the Threads of Humans and Nature" on January 30th, 2019 as the Oregon Humanities Center's Robert D. Clark Lecturer.

Fiction writer, Cai Emmons, is author of the novels His Mother's Son, The Stylist, and most recently Weather Woman. She talks about the protagonist and themes in Weather Woman and reads from the book. Emmons earned an MFA in fiction from the University of Oregon's Creative Writing Program.

Mae Ngai, professor of History and Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies at Columbia University, is the 2018-19 Wayne Morse Chair. She discusses the history of immigration to the United States; and talks about how restrictive immigration policy leads to increased illegal immigration. Ngai critiques the Trump administration's rhetoric and political stance on immigration. She is the author of Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. Ngai gave a talk "Nation of Immigrants: A Short History of an Idea" on January 16, 2019.

Emily Eliza Scott, assistant professor of the History of Art and Architecture and Environmental Studies at the UO, discusses her interdisciplinary work in art and the public sphere, visual cultures of climate change, and social and environmental justice. She describes how her nearly ten years of work as a National Parks Service Ranger continues to influence her scholarship.

Gabe Paquette, Dean of the Robert D. Clark Honors College and professor of History at the University of Oregon, discusses his forthcoming book The European Seaborne Empires: From the Thirty Years War to the Age of Revolutions. Paquette also talks about the unique opportunities the Honors College offers students and the importance of the liberal arts.

Annelise Heinz, assistant professor of History at the University of Oregon, discusses her current book project Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture.

Artist Matthew Picton discusses his cartographic sculptures in the Artist Project Space at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. The "Cultural Mapping" exhibition is on view through January 20, 2019.

Robert Guldberg, Vice President and Robert and Leona DeArmond Executive Director of the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact at the University of Oregon. Guldberg discusses his work in regenerative medicine and bioengineering. He also talks about the Knight Campus facilities and how it will create the intellectual infrastructure to establish Oregon as a center for both research and development.