Papers on computational thinking presented by SOU-led team

SOU-led “computational thinking” team presents papers

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(Ashland, Ore.) — An eight-member team – including two faculty members from the Southern Oregon University Computer Science program – presented five papers at this month’s annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, related to an SOU-led project to teach computational thinking skills to elementary school students.

Computational thinking refers to a set of thought processes traditionally used in computer science to identify and define problems and their solutions. Elementary teachers are finding it valuable for much more, including as a tool to teach core content.

The AERA conference drew more than 13,000 scholars and education researchers from throughout the world for five days of presentations, lectures and networking. AERA is a national research society founded in 1916 to advance knowledge about education and promote research to improve educational practices. Its annual conference is the largest gathering of education researchers in the world.

“It is a HUGE accomplishment that our local teachers presented at this conference,” said SOU Computer Science professor Maggie Vanderberg, who is leading the computational thinking project. “They are experts in the field!”

The presentation team included SOU Computer Science instructor Eping Hung and Vanderberg, chair of the  department, along with three teachers from the Ashland School District and one from the Phoenix-Talent School District. One collaborator each from Oregon State University-Cascades and the College of William & Mary in Virginia also participated.

The five presentations all are related to SOU’s ongoing project, funded by the National Science Foundation, to integrate unplugged computational thinking in elementary education. The papers highlight classroom-based work in which computational thinking is used as a tool for inquiry, creativity and justice-oriented learning in various subject areas.

Vanderberg and Ashland School District teacher Dylana Garfas-Knowles presented “Decomposition Demystified: An Exploratory Learning Progression for Integrating Decomposition in Elementary School Lessons.” Hung presented “Hidden Frameworks: What Summaries of Goldilocks Reveal About the Process of Abstraction.” Ashland teacher Kelly Martin worked with Gladys Krouse of William & Mary to present “Once Upon an Algorithm: Computational Thinking Through the Stories We Tell.” Ashland teacher Trish Dorr presented “Where is Everybody in the Everybody Books? Representation in K-5 Picture Books.” And Garfas-Knowles was joined by Phoenix Elementary School teacher Jennifer Mohatt to present “Lessons Learned: Integrating Computational Thinking in Multilingual Classrooms Across Contexts.” Jill Hubbard from OSU-Cascades led a discussion highlighting how computational thinking is used as a framework for teaching core content.

The SOU-led team also shared resources that its teachers have created, including almost 200 computational thinking lessons that are available on its website. More lessons are expected to be added soon.

SOU was awarded a grant totaling nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation in 2022, to help K-5 teachers develop computational thinking skills in the Ashland and Phoenix-Talent school districts. The work has built upon a $299,000 grant that SOU was awarded in September 2019 to launch the collaborative research project.

Both grants are part of the NSF’s former Computer Science for All program, which was intended to extend computer science and computational thinking opportunities to K-12 students nationwide. The CT curriculum developed by local teachers, in partnership with university researchers, addresses barriers associated with implementing computing curriculum in early grades – where it is incorporated into core subjects and introduced in an “unplugged” manner, without computers or technology.

The project has included about 25 elementary teachers from the Phoenix-Talent School District (Orchard Hill, Phoenix and Talent elementary schools), the Ashland School District (Bellview, Helman, Walker and Willow Wind elementary schools) and the Lincoln County School District (Yaquina View Elementary School). The teachers engaged in professional development and peer-to-peer coaching to integrate computational thinking processes into existing curriculum. They worked together to deliver and refine those lessons before making them publicly available. The goal is to empower students with skills necessary for success in middle and high school computing curriculum and university studies, and eventually in technologically-rich careers. Elementary teachers have also seen benefits for learning the core content.

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SOU Ashland alumni Tiffany Burns and Erika Bare have new book

Two SOU alumni author second book for educators

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Two alumni of the SOU School of Education’s administrative licensure program and longtime education leaders in southern Oregon have published their second book together – “A School Leader’s Playbook for Tough Conversations.”

Tiffany Burns – a full-time instructor in the School of Education who previously served 12 years as a principal in the Ashland School District – teamed with South Umpqua School District Superintendent Erika Bare on the new book, which was published this month by ConnectEDD Publishing and is available on Amazon.com.

The book offers tools and strategies for “the hardest adult conversations – especially those tense moments with staff, caregivers and colleagues that feel heavy, live rent-free in our heads and keep us up at night,” according to a summary on Amazon.

“You’ll learn how to address poor performance, de-escalate conflict, stay grounded when emotions rise, prepare for high-stakes conversations and coach adults in ways that strengthen both performance and culture,” the description says.

The book includes resources such as frameworks, scenarios, planning tools and “sentence stems” that can be adapted for use in difficult situations.

The new book follows the first by Burns and Bare, “Connecting Through Conversation: A Playbook for Talking with Students,” which was published by ConnectEDD in March 2023. That book offers approaches that can be used to create “connected relationships” with students, avoid power struggles and use communication as an effective tool.

Burns earned her bachelor’s degree in Theatre, master of arts in Teaching, and master’s of education in Administration and English for Speakers of Other Languages – all at SOU. She also received her administrative licensure certification at SOU. Burns has taught elementary, middle, high school and university students in public, private, bilingual and homeschool settings in Oregon, Alaska and Mexico.

Bare received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Elementary Education & Teaching at the University of Oregon, and her administrative licensure credential at SOU. She has served as a special education teacher at every grade level in both the West Linn School District and the Medford School District. She has served in various administrative roles with the Ashland and Medford School Districts and is currently the South Umpqua superintendent.

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Moriah Doepken returns to SOU to direct "Crew Experience" course

SOU Digital Cinema alum directs “Crew Experience”

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Los Angeles-based filmmaker Moriah Doepken, a 2020 graduate of Southern Oregon University’s Digital Cinema program, has returned to Ashland this spring to be guest director for the Digital Cinema program’s innovative “Crew Experience” course.

“I’m super excited to return to SOU and help make a film back in Ashland,” Doepken said. “Having been in the first graduating class of the Digital Cinema major and missing the first iteration of Crew Experience, which was canceled because of COVID, it’s a very full-circle moment for me.”

Doepken received a master of fine arts degree in Film Production in 2024 from Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University in Orange, California. For this year’s Crew Experience, she will direct a script written by Charlie McCabe, a junior screenwriting student at SOU.

SOU Ashland's Crew Experience in 2025The production-intensive Crew Experience course is taught by Nora Zubizarreta, an assistant professor in SOU’s Digital Cinema program, a filmmaker with professional experience in Los Angeles and New York City, and producer of the film “Umama,” which won gold at the Student Academy Awards.

“I’m delighted to collaborate with Moriah and the Crew Experience students to make this film,” Zubizarreta said. “This kind of project and collaboration adds so much to the learning process. It’s wonderful to see our students really get rolling on Charlie’s script.”

The “Crew Experience” course, launched in 2022, gives SOU’s Digital Cinema students a chance to work on and complete a full-fledged short film project. Students assume professional film crew positions under the guidance of professional mentors.

The Digital Cinema program was recognized by MovieMaker Magazine in 2024 and 2025 as a “Top 30 Film Program in North America,” in large part due to innovative course offerings such as “The Crew Experience.”

The SOU Digital Cinema program sets itself apart as a hub for creative innovation and experiential learning. With the guidance of industry professionals, students hone their craft and make meaningful contributions to the world of cinema.

Moriah Doepken
Doepken is  an Alaska native, who made the trek down the West Coast to attend SOU, where she earned a dual bachelor’s degree. She later attended graduate school at Chapman University. As a filmmaker, she is dedicated to creative collaboration and diving into the depths of the human condition.

Nora Zubizarreta
Zubizarreta is an assistant professor in SOU’s Digital Cinema program. She received her master of fine arts degree in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University and her bachelor of fine arts degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She produced “Umama” while at Tisch, and has since worked professionally in film and television production management in New York and Los Angeles.

About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized campus that provides comprehensive educational opportunities with a strong focus on student success and intellectual creativity. Located in vibrant Ashland, Oregon, SOU remains committed to diversity and inclusion for all students on its environmentally sustainable campus. Connected learning programs taught by a host of exceptional faculty provide quality, innovative experiences for students. Visit sou.edu.

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Amy Bowers Cordalis at SOU Ashland

Student voices, river stories: Amy Bowers Cordalis at SOU

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Southern Oregon University recently hosted an inspiring evening – defined by hope, intergenerational storytelling and a powerful connection to place – as Yurok Tribe member, attorney and fisherwoman Amy Bowers Cordalis visited as part of the Institute for Applied Sustainability’s mentorship event series.

The Institute for Applied Sustainability hosted and sponsored the event, convening students, faculty and community partners around the shared significance of the Klamath River. Partners including Trout Unlimited, Jackson County Library Services and Bloomsbury Books helped create a community-centered atmosphere.

Amy Bowers Cordalis at SOU AshlandLast week’s event kicked off with a break-out session to give students an opportunity to speak directly with Cordalis. About 450 students, staff, faculty and community members then gathered in the Rogue River Room for a student-led program that brought forward diverse and personal connections to the river. Students from the Community Resilience and Leadership cohort; Environmental Science, Policy and Sustainability program; and the Native American Student Union shared stories that reflected their lived experiences and academic interests.

Cordalis, the evening’s keynote speaker, grounded the event with a broader story of resilience and restoration. Her work has been central to the historic Klamath Dam Removal, the largest dam removal project in U.S. history and the most significant salmon restoration effort in the world. She spoke as an attorney and advocate, and as a fisherwoman and member of a family deeply tied to the river. In a moving moment, members of her family joined her on stage, including her niece, Keeya Wiki, an Ashland High School senior.

“It was incredible to see the steadfast hope that Amy brings to her work,” SOU senior Maisie Bandel Ramirez said. “Hearing from the younger generations in her family, and their stories about going from dreaming of an undammed Klamath to getting to experience a free river, really encapsulated just how monumental their work has been.”

Amy Bowers Cordalis at SOU AshlandFirst-year student Jes Muhlenkamp Joranco echoed that sentiment.

“It was truly inspiring to hear not only about Amy’s story but also her family stories,” Joranco said.

Cordalis returned to the central theme of hope grounded in action throughout the evening.

“When we equally value the rights of Indigenous peoples, nature and business, world renewal is possible,” she said. “Balance returns, life returns and so does hope.”

Three days after the removal of Iron Gate – the last dam standing on the Klamath – the lead salmon, or “ney-puy,” passed the former dam site and began a journey to spawning grounds not visited in 100 years.

“The salmon remembered,” Cordalis said.

That return has been both symbolic and measurable. Within the first year, 7,000 Chinook salmon swam past the former Iron Gate Dam site. In 2025, more than 13,000 salmon swam past the site and traveled into 400-plus miles of spawning habitat.

Climate resilience workshop at SOU Ashland

SOU, PSU collaborate on climate resilience

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Southern Oregon University and Portland State University held a joint faculty workshop in Ashland last month that focused around water, fire, climate research, teaching and community engagement.

SOU and PSU both are well-known for their dedicated, community-engaged research and education in climate resilience and sustainability. To further develop collaborative opportunities in research and education, faculty studying climate and sustainability science at the two schools met and exchanged ideas during the SOU–PSU Climate Coalition Workshop in March. The in-depth discussion yielded potential research topics aligned with existing faculty strengths and societal needs.

Twelve SOU faculty members and students from the Environmental Science, Policy & Sustainability, Sociology & Anthropology, Communication, Education, Biology and Chemistry programs attended the event, and 18 PSU faculty and primarily graduate students attended – most from PSU’s School of Earth, Environment and Society.

Climate resilience workshop at SOU AshlandThe workshop explored areas of synergy and shared interests around teaching and research, with a focus on community-engaged research. Community partners from the Rogue River Watershed Council, Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District, The Nature Conservancy, City of Ashland, Medford Water Commission and Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative also participated in the multiday event. Those partnerships provided some grounding for the research collaborations, and also an opportunity to take two field trips to learn about river restoration (with the Rogue River Watershed Council), and fire management in the Rogue Valley (with the City of Ashland fire department and The Nature Conservancy).

Next steps for the SOU-PSU collaboration include a quarterly webinar series featuring faculty from each institution, pursuit of joint institution research funding proposals and exploration of shared opportunities for students.

The workshop was funded by the President’s Advisory Committee on University Relations Community Engagement Fund of the nonprofit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Funding was obtained by SOU’s Jamie Trammell, Ph.D., and PSU’s Paul Loikith, Ph.D., and made available through Portland State’s membership in the UCAR consortium since 2024. Trammell and Hima Hassenruck-Gutipati, Ph.D. – both faculty members in the ESPS program – made up the planning committee at SOU.

Ziona Christy, an OHSU nursing student at SOU Ashland

Historic Red Cross selection for OHSU nursing student at SOU

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Ziona Christy, a first-year nursing student with Oregon Health & Science University’s program on the Southern Oregon University campus, has been selected as one of only 16 students nationwide for the American Red Cross Collegiate Leadership Program – the first student in OHSU history to receive the honor.

The program will take place over two weeks in Washington, D.C., where she will work at the American Red Cross national headquarters to gain hands-on experience in humanitarian operations and leadership development. Students selected for the Red Cross course each receive $3,000 a scholarship, along with travel and housing for the program.

Christy’s background in emergency medical services, along with experience working with a local youth program, contributed to her selection by the Red Cross. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to service with several years in high-pressure, patient-centered care, and plans to pursue a career in emergency or critical care nursing.

Following the Red Cross program, she will begin organizing blood drives on campus next fall, aiming to engage fellow students in service and leadership opportunities.

OHSU operates its nursing program at SOU independently from SOU’s academic programming. But nursing students on the Ashland campus are otherwise integrated into SOU campus life, with full access to student dining facilities, the Hannon Library, the Student Recreation Center and climbing center, the Outdoor Program and gear rentals, the La Clinica Student Health & Wellness Center and more. Graduates of the OHSU nursing program also take part in SOU commencement ceremonies.