SOU Digital Cinema makes MovieMaker list of top film schools

SOU Digital Cinema named to national Top 30

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s Digital Cinema program has been ranked among the nation’s Top 30 film schools by MovieMaker Magazine for the second consecutive year – a recognition of SOU’s role in preparing Oregon’s next generation of creative professionals.

MovieMaker cited SOU Digital Cinema’s distinctive blend of hands-on training, industry partnerships and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The program emphasizes practical skill areas such as directing, cinematography, editing, sound and production design. Students gain real-world experience on live-streamed events, commercial shoots and independent feature films, with strong ties to the region’s production community. The program’s innovative, 12-credit “Crew Experience” course serves as an intensive, term-long production boot camp in which students create a short film from concept to completion.

The Digital Cinema program is the only film program on MovieMaker’s list in the Pacific Northwest region (Oregon, Washington, Idaho). The honor comes shortly after the Oregon Legislature approved $40 million in capital construction bonds for SOU to develop a new Creative Industries complex, focused on workforce development in media and entertainment. Planned upgrades include a sound stage, screening room and multimedia production labs. The cross-disciplinary project will help secure Oregon’s position as a national leader in the creative sector.

“We are incredibly proud of our SOU Digital Cinema program, and grateful to MovieMaker Magazine for acknowledging our outstanding team for the second year in a row,” said SOU President Rick Bailey. “This important recognition is a testament to our brilliant students, faculty and staff, and their commitment to opening doors of opportunities throughout the creative industries.”

Housed in SOU’s College of Arts and Humanities, Digital Cinema students also collaborate with Theater, Creative Writing, Emerging Media & Design, Music Industry & Production and other programs. This interdisciplinary approach positions SOU graduates to thrive in today’s interconnected creative industries. Oregon’s creative sector generates about $9.3 billion annually and supports more than 62,000 jobs.

“For many years now, Oregon’s film and media industry has relied on the training and experience that is provided by SOU’s Digital Cinema program,” said Tim Williams, executive director of Oregon Film. “Many of their graduates are now at the heart of our working crews and fueling the growth of our creative economy.”

Sustainability is another cornerstone of SOU’s vision that MovieMaker highlighted in its story. The university is a member of the Green Film School Alliance, and has already reduced energy use in its existing Digital Media Center by 75% with a new LED lighting grid and plans to integrate LEED enhancements and solar power. SOU’s goal is to produce 100% of its electricity by 2035.

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NSF grant on grasshoppers awarded to SOU Ashland biologist

SOU biologist receives NSF grant for grasshopper research

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University biologist Jacob Youngblood has been awarded a three-year, $422,183 grant from the National Science Foundation to study how insects respond to two aspects of climate change – rising air temperatures and declining plant nutrients – potentially improving pest management strategies and forecasts of insect-related damage nationwide.

The study will focus on migratory grasshoppers, which consume as much as 20% of available forage from U.S. rangelands each year for losses estimated at about $393 million.

“This project will investigate how temperature and nutrition jointly affect the most damaging rangeland pest in the United States,” said an abstract of the NSF grant. ”By combining fieldwork, laboratory experiments and computer simulations, the research will improve ecological forecasts and inform pest management strategies that support national food security.”

The project is also expected to provide opportunities for SOU students to participate as paid researchers. The work will be conducted partly by students enrolled in Youngblood’s courses in environmental physiology and biogeography. The NSF-funded project – “How temperature-nutrient interactions affect the physiology and ecology of an insect herbivore” – is scheduled to begin Aug. 1.

“This work has the potential to significantly improve how we manage national rangelands in a changing climate,” Youngblood said. “If we can predict grasshopper outbreaks before they happen, we can act proactively to minimize damage to crops and forage.

“Just as important, the project will train SOU students – many of whom are the first in their families to attend college – in research design, data analysis and science communication, preparing our graduates to tackle scientific challenges in their careers and communities.”

The project will test competing hypotheses for how the combination of temperature conditions and nutrient availability affect the biology of grasshoppers. It will involve a combination of computer simulations, experiments in artificial laboratory environments and field experiments conducted at The Farm at SOU.

“Together, this integrative approach will advance general theory on how organisms forage in multidimensional environments and how those foraging decisions scale up to affect physiology and ecology,” the abstract of the NSF grant project said.

Youngblood, an animal physiologist and ecologist, joined the SOU Biology Department as an assistant professor in 2022. His research interests involve predicting the impacts of climate change on insect populations. He teaches courses on the principles of biology, comparative animal physiology and biogeography.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Clemson University and a doctorate in biology from Arizona State University.

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SOULA receives grant to create historic plastics database

SOU awarded grant to create historic plastics database

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology has been awarded a Preserving Oregon Grant from Oregon Heritage, the state historic preservation office, to create a digital, archaeological database of historic plastics – from buttons to knick-knacks to kitchenware.

The $13,000 grant will help pay for new camera equipment that will be used to create a new digital database in the Southern Oregon Digital Archives at SOU’s Hannon Library. It will also be used to help bring experts to SOU to assist in building the collection, and student workers who will produce digital content for the collection – including photography, research and short videos or animations that demonstrate how to identify historic plastics.

The new website and database are expected to be used by archaeologists and historians nationwide.

“The grant provides funding to upgrade the photography system that Hannon Library has been using for the last 15 years to digitize objects for the Southern Oregon Digital Archives,” said Shana Sandor, the SOU archivist and digital projects specialist who has worked with SOULA on previous collections. “This will benefit not only the plastics collection that the grant was awarded for, but also any future digital collections, creating higher quality images to improve the research value of the collections.”

The SOU Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) regularly collaborates with various individuals, agencies and organizations to promote public archaeology and heritage stewardship. SOULA has previously completed three Preserving Oregon Grant projects, one other Oregon Heritage project and has worked with the SOU Hannon Library on two previous online research resources – the Jim Rock Historic Can Collection in about 2015 and the Chinese Material Culture Collection in 2018.

The Jim Rock collection had more than 80,000 views this year, and the CMCC had more than 6,000 views. Both are important resources for professional researchers in Oregon and beyond, and provide open-source scholarly content for the public.

The Historic Plastics Database will take advantage of the existing platform and audience to serve a growing interest in the study of historic plastics.

Outside experts expected to contribute to the project include Kimberly Wooten, a California-based archaeologist who teaches workshops and classes on historic plastics. Wooten said the new digital database will give researchers the opportunity to “tackle an archaeological issue in real time.”

“The interest in the history and archaeology of plastics never stops surprising me, and with each class we teach, demand only continues to grow,” Wooten said.

“Plastic really is the artifact of the modern era – people can see their own archaeological footprint in plastic artifacts – and at the same time it’s a reflection of the shape of things that have come before us. I can’t wait to share the online historic plastic database at my next workshop.”

The new archive will help archaeologists and researchers to identify and interpret plastic artifacts, to date sites more accurately and to explore more nuanced questions about how the growing commercialization of plastic items changed daily life with cheap, mass-produced consumer products.

Early celluloid, for instance, mimicked expensive natural materials. Later, when the versatility of synthetic materials was fully embraced, there was an explosion of colorful and creatively-shaped Bakelite jewelry that is now highly sought-after.

The SOULA project was awarded one of 20 grants totaling $300,000 that were announced this week by Oregon Heritage, a division of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Six of the grants were awarded in the “Diamonds in the Rough” category to help restore the historic character of properties. The other 14 grants were in the “Preserving Oregon” category for properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and for archaeology projects.

More information about the grant program is available on the Oregon Heritage website.

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Outstanding Graduate Student award recipient Matthew Havniear, SOU Ashland

SOU’s Havniear receives Outstanding Graduate Student award

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(Ashland, Ore.) — U.S. Marine Corps veteran, nonprofit leader and graduating MBA student Matthew Havniear will be celebrated as the 2025 recipient of the University of Guanajuato Outstanding Graduate Student Award during the Southern Oregon University commencement ceremony on June 14.

The prestigious annual award honors a graduate student who exemplifies academic excellence and meaningful service to both their university and broader community. It celebrates the long-standing academic partnership between Southern Oregon University and the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico, grounded in shared commitments to cross-cultural understanding, leadership and public impact.

Havniear – a full-time graduate student from Talent with a 4.0 GPA – was nominated by SOU’s MBA Program for his noteworthy contributions inside and outside the classroom. He currently serves as Interim Executive Director of both the Jackson County Community Long-Term Recovery Group and the Rogue Valley Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) – two key regional organizations that support disaster recovery, housing and emergency preparedness across southern Oregon.

Havniear has played a central role in advancing wildfire resilience, affordable housing initiatives and inclusive recovery strategies for vulnerable populations through his leadership. He has also co-authored federal grant proposals in collaboration with SOU and other regional leaders, securing vital resources for underserved communities.

He founded Team Overland in 2015 – a volunteer-run nonprofit that provides free therapeutic outdoor adventures for veterans and their families. Since its inception, the organization has positively impacted more than 1,000 participants throughout the region.

“This award is significant to me – not just as a student, but as a father, a veteran and a community member,” Havniear said. “My time at SOU has helped me build stronger systems of support for those most impacted by crisis. I’m proud to be part of a university that values service, cultural inclusion and resilience.”

Havniear completed his degree through SOU’s Online MBA Program, launched in 2017 to meet the needs of working professionals throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The program now serves approximately 150 students nationwide, offering flexible, accelerated terms that allow students to finish their degrees in as few as 16 months.

For those who prefer a traditional classroom experience, SOU also offers its MBA in a face-to-face format on the Ashland campus, maintaining the same academic rigor and applied learning as the online program while fostering in-person engagement.

The University of Guanajuato Outstanding Graduate Student Award stands as a testament to the power of international academic partnerships and the role of transformational leadership in advancing the public good – values that are central to both SOU and the Universidad de Guanajuato.

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SOU Ashland's Calli Pelkey is in top 1% nationwide in MBA test

SOU MBA student places on top percentile in nationwide test

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University student Calli Pelkey, a participant in SOU’s Online MBA Program, has earned a remarkable distinction, placing in the top 1% nationwide on the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Major Field Test for master of business administration programs.

The MBA Major Field Test is a national standardized exam taken by thousands of MBA students across the country. It assesses knowledge and critical thinking in key areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, management and strategic integration. Scoring in the top percentile is an extraordinary academic achievement and a rare honor.

“First and foremost, Calli’s performance is a testament to her hard work, dedication and talent,” said Rene Leo E. Ordonez, Ph.D., professor and coordinator of graduate programs in business at SOU. “Scoring in the top 1% speaks volumes about her capabilities and commitment to excellence. While her success reflects positively on our MBA program, her individual effort and drive truly stand out.”

Pelkey lives in Grants Pass and is enrolled in SOU’s Online MBA Program, which was launched in 2017 to meet the needs of students in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The fully online program has grown significantly and currently serves approximately 150 students from Oregon, Washington and throughout the United States. Designed for flexibility and accessibility, the program operates year-around across five accelerated seven-week terms, allowing students to complete the degree in as few as 16 months.

“The MBA program at SOU provided a challenging yet rewarding journey, where the unwavering support of the faculty and my dedication were key factors in achieving a top 1% score nationwide on the MBA field test,” Pelkey said. “This recognition affirms that hard work and perseverance can lead to significant accomplishments. As I prepare to embark on the (Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program, I am eager to combine my passions for business and healthcare to make a meaningful impact in the future.”

In addition to the online format, SOU offers its MBA program in a traditional, face-to-face format on the Ashland campus. The in-person option provides a more immersive, classroom-based experience for students who prefer direct interaction with faculty and peers, while maintaining the same high standards of academic rigor and applied learning.

Pelkey’s success highlights the strength of SOU’s MBA curriculum and reinforces the university’s commitment to academic excellence and student achievement. The MBA program emphasizes real-world application, innovation and leadership development, preparing graduates to navigate the complexities of today’s global business environment.

Pelkey’s accomplishments have joined a growing list of student success stories that continue to elevate the reputation of SOU’s School of Business, which prepares future leaders in business and beyond.

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Open textbooks at SOU

SOU faculty members take lead role in open textbook project

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Open Oregon Educational Resources, a statewide initiative that promotes textbook affordability for students at Oregon colleges and universities, is releasing four new open textbooks whose authors include four Southern Oregon University faculty members and a student in the Criminology and Criminal Justice program.

“Our goal with these projects is to provide rigorous and scholarly – yet accessible and equity-minded – studies in contemporary criminology and criminal justice for our students,” said lead authors and SOU Criminal Justice faculty members Shanell Sanchez and Jessica Peterson. “By making this material freely accessible online, we remove financial barriers for our students and also provide classroom materials that instructors can fully adopt or modify to supplement their course materials.”

The SOU open textbook project started in September 2021, when Open Oregon Educational Resources received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to develop openly-licensed materials with an equity lens in criminal justice. The project targeted high-enrollment courses in a discipline where high-quality, deliberately inclusive open textbooks were not available.

As two of the project’s lead authors, Sanchez and Peterson served as primary decision-makers about textbook content and course design. Contributing authors including SOU faculty members Kelly Szott and Alison Burke, and undergraduate student Catherine Venegas-Garcia, brought their diverse expertise and experiences to the project. An instructional designer from Open Oregon Educational Resources also helped guide the course design with an emphasis on inclusion and student engagement.

Two of the open textbooks are already publicly available:

  • “Introduction to Criminology: An Equity Lens,” is co-authored by Peterson and Western Oregon University faculty member Taryn VanderPyl, with contributing authors Mauri Matsuda and Curt Sobolewski of Portland State University, Jennifer Moreno of WOU.
  • “Inequality and Interdependence: Social Problems and Social Justice,” is authored by Oregon Coast Community College instructor Kimberly Puttman, with contributing authors Szott of SOU, Patricia Antoine of Chemeketa Community College, independent scholar Kate Burrows, Bethany Grace Howe of the University of Oregon, antiracist educator Nora Karena and Avery Temple.

The other textbooks are expected to be available soon:

  • “Race, Crime and Injustice” authored by SOU’s Sanchez and edited by Peterson, with contributing authors Szott, Venegas-Garcia and WOU’s VanderPyl.
  • “Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System: An Equity Lens,” is co-authored by Roxie Supplee of Central Oregon Community College and Megan Gonzalez of Chemeketa Community College, with co-authors Burke of SOU, Sam Arungwa of Utah State University, Irvin Brown of Chemeketa, Whitney Head-Potter and Eric Wilkes.

“SOU is a leader in creating Criminal Justice open textbooks with an equity lens,” said Holly Gabriel, an open access librarian at SOU’s Hannon Library who assists faculty in locating open course materials and helps coordinate projects from Open Oregon Educational Resources.

“Starting with our faculty writing the ‘Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System’ in 2019, and now with four faculty authors on the current project, SOU is leading the way in creating inclusive open materials for students,” she said. “These textbooks will be shared online with an open license, making them free for people to use across North America and all across the world.”

Open Oregon Educational Resources is a state-funded effort to support the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in the state’s community colleges and universities. It collaborates with various institutions and offers grants and training to support faculty members who develop open textbooks and other Open Educational Resource course materials.

Open textbooks – typically available online – are released under open licenses that allow them to be used at no cost by educators, students and others.

“As an undergraduate student, I have seen the impact that textbook prices have on my peers,” said Venegas-Garcia, the SOU student who served as a contributing author on the project. “Free and low-cost textbooks are important because they allow students to engage with impactful and detailed resources without spending a significant amount of money.”

Another Criminology and Criminal Justice student at SOU, Kayla Gaches, said she hadn’t realized that some of the textbooks she has used in her classes have been Open Educational Resource materials, but she acknowledged their effect on her bottom line.

“Whenever I see that I do not have to purchase a textbook, it is like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders because I can allocate my textbook fund elsewhere, so I truly appreciate that we have this opportunity,” Gaches said.

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SOU Ashland graduate Thilini Dissanyake stars in "Earnest" at OSF

Recent SOU alumna stars in OSF production of “Earnest”

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Sitting in the backseat of her family’s car after a third-grade play, Thilini Dissanayake surprised her mother with a bold declaration: “I wanna be famous.” That moment – following her turn as the Little Red Hen in her class play – sparked a love for acting that would lead Dissanayake to Southern Oregon University and now to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where she stars this season as Cecily in “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

SOU Ashland alumna Thilini Dissanayake as Cecily Cardew and Hao Feng as Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest.

Photos by Jenny Graham, courtesy of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

“Understandably, (my mom) shot that down – the nomadic and uncertain career of a professional actor was not the future my immigrant parents would have ever dreamed of for me,” Dissanayake said. “Nevertheless, every musical, play, workshop and summer camp I did over the next 10 years made me hungrier.”

By her junior year of high school, Dissanayake had made a decision: “I would never forgive myself if I didn’t at least give it the old college try.”

She arrived at SOU in fall 2019 and graduated in fall 2023 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in Theatre Performance. Though she had options, SOU stood out for its conservatory-style training, professional partnerships and affordability.

“SOU was the only school that offered a competitive, conservatory-style training, distinguished faculty, internships and apprenticeships with a professional equity theater and an education I could afford due to scholarships and in-state tuition,” she said. “It was also important to me to attend an accredited university with other robust programs available rather than just a conservatory, in case I ever decided to change career paths.”

Now at OSF, Dissanayake draws directly on the training she received at SOU. Over two years, she immersed herself in a rigorous curriculum: acting, movement, voice, Shakespeare, clowning, dialects, business of acting and more.

“It’s remarkable how applicable my training has been, working at OSF so far,” she said.

In “Jane Eyre,” her OSF debut, she performed in the outdoor Elizabethan Theatre as Young Jane and Adele.

“My voice and movement training was crucial to creating large choices for my characters and to audibly project in a venue that holds over a thousand people,” she said.

In “The Importance of Being Earnest” – set in the 1890s Malay Peninsula, with a regular slate of performances now through October – Dissanayake plays Cecily, with a custom-built accent that blends RP British, South Indian and Malaysian speech patterns. She credits her ability to shape those nuances to SOU’s coursework in the International Phonetic Alphabet and accents.

“My education at SOU has done a phenomenal job preparing me for professional theater,” she said. “I have worked with several peers my age who have recently graduated from elite undergraduate theater programs such as NYU, Carnegie Mellon and even graduate programs such as Yale and UCSD. I can confidently say that SOU Theater’s BFA in performance offers an equally comparable education to those distinguished programs.”

Desdemona Chiang, director of OSF’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” praised Dissanayake’s skills as an actress.

“Lini was an absolute delight to work with on ‘Earnest,’” Chiang said. “She brought a natural grace and radiance to the role of Cecily, and a strong work ethic to the process. She was dedicated to the role, constantly prepared and eager to explore the work with her scene partners. She was always ready to try, ready to fail, and always in pursuit of something greater, richer and more interesting. I loved her curiosity through the process – she is the kind of actor every director loves to have contributing in the room.”

Dissanayake’s years at SOU were not without challenges – especially during the COVID-era pivot to outdoor instruction.

“My cohort started our BFA in the fall of 2021,” she said. “With social distancing and mask requirements, we spent the first half of our term outside, wearing masks, in tents – yes, tents. “It was ridiculous, but also the best. There was so much grace and positivity because we were all just so grateful to do what we loved in-person again.”

Dissanayake attributes much of her growth to SOU’s dedicated faculty, especially professors Jackie Apodaca, Brendan McMahon and former voice and speech professor Ginger Eckhert.

“I think my time was so impactful in this program because the faculty put so much heart and soul into their students,” she said. “They pushed our strengths, and made us face our weaknesses.

“There was a time with each of these three professors where they pulled me aside while I was struggling and asked, ‘how can I support you?’ When I expressed what I needed, they showed up.”

She singles out Apodaca for her mentorship and advocacy.

“Jackie Apodaca has advocated for me and my peers time and time again,” Dissanayake said. “I cannot thank her enough for the opportunities she has built and provided for her students through (the Ashland New Plays Festival), the OSF Trainee Program and other professional gigs.”

Performing on OSF’s stage today brings Dissanayake full circle.

“The first OSF production I ever saw with my family was their 2012 production of ‘As You Like It’ in the Elizabethan Theater,” she said. “I was so deeply moved to see people who looked like me telling classical stories on that beautiful stage. At 11 years old, I saw a possibility in which the lifestyle I dreamed of was achievable.

“I don’t know if I possess all the words to express the gratitude I feel to be here now,” Dissanayake said. “I know that little Lini would think the world of me, and every day I go to work I hope that there’s a kid out in the audience that thinks, ‘maybe I could do that, too.’”

As she looks to the future, Dissanayake’s dream is simple: to keep doing the work.

“This may not seem like the most grand or ambitious answer, but as I continue to work in professional theater, I’m learning how precious it is to stay booked,” she said. “So long as I continue to be able to make a living telling stories, in whatever capacity that may be, I feel like I’m living the dream.”

Her advice to SOU students? “Be brave, be bold, be humble,” she said. “Your fears and doubts don’t always get smaller, but you can grow bigger to face them. Kindness to yourself and others takes you farthest.”

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Creativity Conference at SOU Ashland set to begin

Creativity Conference at Southern Oregon University set to begin May 15

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The 7th annual Creativity Conference at Southern Oregon University will offer something for everyone in four days of presentations, May 15 through 18. The conference delivers a wealth of information for those who study the science of creativity, seek to leverage research on creative thinking or simply consider themselves to be creative.

The Creativity Conference at SOU features a lineup of more than 100 presenters, with both in-person and virtual events that allow for exhibits, performances and presentations – and attendees – from a variety of countries. It draws many of the world’s leading scholars, researchers and practitioners from the field of creativity, including this year’s five keynote and invited speakers.

“This annual conference brings together internationally renowned speakers, researchers and artists who are leaders in creativity research and application,” said SOU Associate Provost Daniel DeNeui, co-executive director of the conference. “This is an opportunity to learn and imagine, and also to network and build relationships that could have a meaningful impact on the world.”

Participants will be able to join in several applied workshops that feature hands-on activities for developing and using creativity in the workplace. Previous presentations have included “Fostering Creativity Through Virtual Environments” and “Attitudes toward creative people and innovators.”

All sessions – remote and in-person – will be accessible via livestream, ensuring inclusivity and engagement. Archived presentations will be available for viewing post-event.

The 2025 conference will feature in-person sessions all day Thursday through Saturday, May 15-17. A full day of remote sessions will be featured on Sunday, May 18. The in-person featured speakers will include:

  • Denis Dumas, Ph.D., who will be presenting his research on the creativity and psychology of stage and screen actors;
  • International scholar Todd Lubart, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the Université Paris Descartes, who will offer a 75-year retrospective on creativity research;
  • Laura McBain – designer, educator and managing director of the Stanford d.school – who will address how human-centered design can be used to shape more preferable futures;
  • International scholar Tuuli Mattelmäki, associate professor in design at Aalto University in Finland, who will present research on how creative practices stimulate eco-social change; and
  • Ivonne Chand O’Neal, Ph.D. – the founder and principal of creativity and arts impact research firm MUSE Research, LLC – who will discuss culturally responsive storytelling in opera, and its impact on artistic creativity.

Attendees can expect a range of formats, including 60-minute panel discussions, 40- to 50-minute individual presentations, 15-minute “boom talk” sessions that deliver concise insights and engaging poster presentations. Opportunities for interactive dialogue and exchange will be offered in each format.

The Creativity Conference at SOU welcomes sponsorships from individuals and organizations. For more information or to register for this year’s conference, visit soucreativityconference.com. Conference co-executive director Daniel DeNeui can be reached at creativity@sou.edu.

About the Creativity Conference and Southern Oregon University
The Creativity Conference, sponsored by Southern Oregon University, is located in beautiful Ashland, Oregon. Ashland is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a burgeoning wine industry and an array of outdoor recreational opportunities, providing the perfect backdrop for creativity and innovation.

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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Tacit knowledge grant awarded to SOU Ashland's Boscoe

SOU’s Boscoe awarded second “tacit knowledge” grant

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Bernadette Boscoe, an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at Southern Oregon University, has been awarded a second grant to fund her study of tacit knowledge in research settings – gathering, storing and retrieving the unspoken practices of academic teams that sometimes are lost when a project is disrupted or ends.

The latest grant, from the National Science Foundation, totals about $164,000 over two years, beginning July 1.

Boscoe received a $250,000 grant last fall from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to help fund her creation of a Large Language Model (LLM) of artificial intelligence to archive the protocols of scientific groups researching environmental science at SOU, astronomy at UCLA and violin acoustics at Cornell University. The tacit knowledge archive, if successfully developed, would benefit researchers in those and other academic disciplines by preventing the loss of unstated practices in research labs when participants leave the projects.

Research funded by the NSF grant is closely related to that funded by the Sloan grant, but is focused more on what Boscoe calls “the technical tool-building side” and looks exclusively at astronomy research.

“The Sloan grant is more (about) using three research group spokes and doing an investigation of the tacit knowledge capture,” Boscoe said. “The NSF grant doesn’t look at that – it is more about how we can improve astronomy workflows and tools.”

Boscoe is using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), an AI framework that pairs an LLM with an information retrieval system to improve accuracy and relevance of resulting data. She is working with SOU computer science graduate Chandler Campbell to build the project’s RAG-LLM tool, called AquiLLM – named after the constellation Aquila.

“Research groups often face challenges managing and accessing work such as paper drafts, research experiments, plots, and meeting notes, especially as these resources grow over time and researchers transition in and out of projects,” an NSF abstract on the project said.

“This project benefits research groups by offering a way to use natural language to ask questions about their data, yielding links to relevant documents.”

Boscoe is a computer and information scientist who builds and researches infrastructures and tools to help domain scientists do their work. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting from the Pratt Institute in New York, an associate degree in computer science from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in mathematics from California State University-Northridge and a Ph.D. in information science from UCLA.

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McNair Scholars program at SOU Ashland

McNair Scholars: Apply or nominate potential grad students

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Undergraduate students who have stood out in the classroom and have an interest in graduate school can apply or be nominated to join the next cohort of SOU’s McNair Scholars Program. The application deadline for spring interviews is Friday, May 30.

The McNair program, a U.S. Department of Education initiative that began at SOU in 2003, is considered a graduate school preparatory program of activities and instruction that participants can engage in throughout a calendar year or longer. Students can be from any academic major, must have completed at least two terms of college and can enter the program as sophomores, juniors or early in their senior years.

To apply for the program, nominate a student or learn more, email McNair@sou.edu or visit SOU’s McNair Scholars Program website. Nomination emails should include the student’s name and email address.

The program is named for Dr. Ronald E. McNair, who was a member of the Challenger space shuttle’s seven-person crew that met a tragic end in a 1986 explosion. As a tribute to his achievements, Congress and the McNair family formed the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program in 1989 to assist young people in following McNair’s path and taking the initiative to chart their own academic paths.

It is intended to help underrepresented and first-generation undergraduate students from low-income backgrounds to prepare for research-intensive doctoral programs. However, SOU faculty members have traditionally nominated any students they feel may have the ability and desire to complete graduate school, and eligibility is sorted out during the application process.

SOU’s McNair program has provided an intensive research experience and graduate school preparation to nearly 200 students since its inception. As many as 28 students are selected for each year’s cohort of McNair Scholars.

The SOU program offers one-on-one guidance from faculty mentors as it helps participants complete their undergraduate degrees, enroll in graduate school and prepare for doctoral studies. Scholars complete an eight-week research internship in the summer, attend weekly seminars to help prepare them for testing and graduate school applications, and travel to national McNair conferences and graduate program visitations.