UO Today

Erin McKenna, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oregon, discusses her work in human/animal ethics. Her books Pets, People, and Pragmatism and Livestock: Food, Fiber, and Friends describe why it's important to understand animals' species-specific behaviors, breed tendencies, and individual variations in order to establish an ethic of respect when relating to animals.

Matt Rader, assistant professor of Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, is the author of four poetry collections—the most recent titled Desecrations; and a critically acclaimed collection of short stories titled What I Want to Tell Goes Like This. Rader earned an MFA from the UO's Creative Writing Program in 2008. He discusses his work and reads from Desecrations.

Steven Beda, assistant professor of History at the University of Oregon, discusses his research on labor movements in the timber industry and environmentalism in the Pacific Northwest during the 20th century. He talks about the tensions that arose between rural timber workers and urban industrial workers. His current book project is Strong Winds and Widow Makers: A History of Workers, Nature, and Environmental Conflict in the Pacific Northwest Timber Country, 1900–present.

Artist and activist, Dianna Cohen is one of 30 artists featured in the exhibit "Plastic Entanglements: Ecology, Aesthetics, Materials" on view at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art through December 30, 2018. Cohen is also the co-founder and CEO of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, a global alliance of hundreds of individuals, organizations, and businesses working to stop plastic pollution. Cohen gave a lecture titled "Plastic Pollution: Art to Action" on October 17, 2018 as the Oregon Humanities Center's 2018-19 O'Fallon Memorial Lecturer in Art and American Culture.

Inspired by her creative work with ubiquitous plastic bags, artist Dianna Cohen co-founded the Plastic Pollution Coalition, a global alliance of individuals, organizations, businesses, and policymakers working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals, waterways and oceans, and the environment. Cohen speaks about her artwork and the pervasive problem of plastic pollution. She inspires conversation and action around the issue of plastic pollution, alternatives, and solutions. At a time when sustainability is an international concern, Cohen asks us to rethink our relationship with plastic and consider the material as a valued resource instead of waste.

University of Oregon Journalism instructors, Todd Milbourn and Lisa Heyamoto, cofounded The 32 Percent Project as 2017-18 Agora Faculty Innovation Fellows. The project is a national community engagement project that explores what drives and disrupts trust in the news media. They discuss how citizens define trust and how journalists can earn it. And they offer a critique of the traditional economic model of news organizations.

Diana Garvin, Assistant Professor of Mediterranean Studies in the Department of Romance Languages at the UO, discusses her interest in the Mediterranean and East African regions during Fascist rule in Italy—particularly the political and culinary legacies of colonialism. She also talks about her approach to teaching. Garvin's current book project is Feeding Fascism: Tabletop Politics in Italy and Italian East Africa, 1922–1945.

Michael Schill, President of the University of Oregon, discusses the institutional focus on student success and timely graduation. Recently the 4-year graduation rate has improved from 48% to 56%. In addition, Schill talks about faculty hiring for the Knight Campus, the interdisciplinary data science initiative, the Black Cultural Center, and the 10-year anniversary of PathwayOregon. Schill recently donated his entire performance bonus to create a scholarship fund to assist first-generation college students who attend UO.

Current debates on the future of public lands call for a focus on who is included in the ‘public.’ Who is inside the circle and who is not? Whose voices are heard, and whose are silenced? Indigenous people have largely been excluded from decision-making involving public lands—as has their sophisticated environmental philosophy and practice, derived from traditional ecological knowledge. How might the indigenous concepts of the personhood of non-human beings expand our notion of the public good? This talk explores facets of how respectful engagement with indigenous knowledge might re-draw the boundaries of “We, the People” as we consider our relationship to ancestral ‘public’ lands.

Marsha Weisiger is the Julie and Rocky Dixon Chair of U.S. Western History, and associate professor of History and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon. Along with Barbara and Carlisle Moore Professor of English and Environmental Studies Stephanie LeMenager, Weisiger is co-director of UO's Center for Environmental Futures. Weisiger talks about her interests in the American West and environmental history. She also discusses the focus of the Center for Environmental Futures and its recent award of $600,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.