Composer Todd Barton performs Fridays at SOU’s Schneider Museum of Art this summer

(Ashland, Ore.) Looking for a fun lunch break this summer? On Fridays for the next four weeks, Todd Barton, resident composer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the director of composition studies at SOU, will be performing at the Schneider Museum of Art on the SOU campus.
The shows are noon to 1:00 p.m., June 17 and 24, July 1 and 8, and will include other musicians. The performances will be improvised and the ensemble of the day will be improvised too. Admission is free, and open to the public. Drop in and be surprised.
While you’re at the museum, look over the new exhibit of works by Morris Graves and others. Visit sma.sou.edu for details. For more about Todd Barton, visit www.toddbarton.com.

SOU Professor Releases Book with International Scholars on Climate Change, Economics and Ethics

(Ashland, Ore.) Dr. John Gutrich, SOU Associate Professor of Environmental Science, is a co-author of the recently released book Climate Change and Environmental Ethics edited by Ved Nanda and produced by Transaction Publishers.
The book highlights a collective call to action for new modes of governance, policy, economics and ethics to address global climate change by international scholars from Australia, Canada, Cameroon, Morocco, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela.
Dr. Michael Nelson of Michigan State University says, “the important and thoughtful essays in Climate Change and Environmental Ethics are precisely the kind of re-conceptualizing we so desperately need”. Dr. Ruth Irwin of Auckland University of Technology calls the book a “must read for all global policy makers who are involved in setting in place a new Climate Change Protocol and everyone else who cares about the future of the planet.”
 

SOU Environmental Studies Majors Receive National Science Foundation Research Scholarships

(Ashland, Ore.) Environmental Studies majors Paula Richter and Sarah Rudeen have both been selected as recipients of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Scholarships.
Richter was awarded the scholarship which allowed her to conduct applied scientific research in conjunction with the University of Idaho.  Richter is co-author of a scientific manuscript to be published in the journal Crop Science entitled “Characterization of Poa supina (supine bluegrass) from the Italian Alps with AFLP markers and correlation with climatic variables.”
Rudeen will be conducting her senior capstone research this year at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, on a project studying the interactions between plants, herbivores, herbivore mutualists, and predators.  She will be working with the Mooney Laboratory from UC-Irvine, which focuses on uniting community, evolutionary, and conservation ecology.
According to Dr. John Gutrich, SOU Associate Professor of Environmental Science, “The National Science Foundation REU Scholarships are highly competitive programs and often include more than 100 applicants for ten scholarships at research laboratories across the United States.  Paula and Sarah are examples of exemplary SOU students with interdisciplinary environmental scientific training that has been acknowledged by NSF and premier scientific research laboratories.”
 

SOU Students Present Research Findings at the University of Maryland

(Ashland, Ore.) Keith Gigliello, an SOU master’s student in Interdisciplinary Studies, along with Environmental Studies majors Lance Woods and Jacob King are presenting their research findings on groundwater management in Owens Valley, Calif  at the Center for Environmental Science at the University of Maryland this summer.
SOU faculty and students have created dynamic ecological economic models to estimate the economic costs of managing groundwater in Owens Valley. Owens Valley is the site of the largest particulate matter (PM10) source pollution in the United States and a major water source for the City of Los Angeles.
The SOU research is part of a collaborative effort with researchers from the University of Maryland and funded by the National Science Foundation.

New Scholarship for SOU Study Abroad

The Friendship Force of Southern Oregon creates a summer study abroad scholarship
(Ashland, Ore) The Southern Oregon University Foundation received a study abroad annual scholarship from the Friendship Force of Southern Oregon. The organization’s annual gift will provide a summer study abroad opportunity for an SOU student. Junior Christina Burns is the 2011 recipient and will travel to Oviedo, Spain.
“I am honored to receive this scholarship,” said Burns. “Friendship Force of Southern Oregon’s mission is to create relationships with other countries, and learning about other cultures is so important.  I am happy to be a part of this mission.”
An organization rooted in cultural exchange, the Friendship Force of Southern Oregon promotes global understanding across the barriers that separate people through the values of mutual respect, cultural diversity and cultural exploration.
“Sending a student like Christina abroad supports our mission in the best possible way,” said Friendship Force President Amy Lepon. “We want to change the way students see the world.”
For more information about the Friendship Force of Southern Oregon Study Abroad Scholarship and other study abroad opportunities, visit the SOU International Programs website www.sou.edu/international/.  More information about the Friendship Force of Southern Oregon can be found at www.ffsoregon.org.
 

The Schneider Museum of Art presents Views from the Inner Eye

(Ashland, Ore.) Opening with a public reception on Thursday, June 16, 5-7 p.m., the Schneider Museum of Art will present Views from the Inner Eye, the museum’s summer offering of three one-person exhibitions:
Morris Graves: from the collection of the Vellutini Family
Ellen Van Fleet: Barred Rock Bantams
M.R. Renjan: Reverberating Echoes Read more

Ashland, Oregon Selected as Top Ten Finalist in Outside Magazine’s Search For The “Best Town In America”

Cast Your Vote For Ashland During Outside’s ‘Best Town Ever” Contest Starting TODAY, June 8th
ASHLAND, OREGON | JUNE 8TH Ashland has been selected by Outside magazine, America’s leading active-lifestyle publication, as a finalist in its search to determine the best Outside town in America. The three week competition, held exclusively on Facebook, will kick-off on June 8, 2011 at facebook.com/outsidemagazine. Read more

1,143 to Receive Degrees and Certificates at SOU Commencement

(Ashland, Ore.) Approximately 1,143 students will receive degrees at Southern Oregon University’s 85th Commencement exercises on Saturday, June 11. The ceremony begins in the Mountain Arena of SOU Raider Stadium at 9:00 a.m. and will be broadcast live on Rogue Valley Community Television, cable channel 9, and rebroadcast the same day at 6 p.m. on cable channel 9. Read more