xxx Greetings! As raindrops fall amid the occasional sun breaks of winter, we invite you to make plans to attend the 57th annual meeting of the Oregon Academy of Science as the first Camelias begin to flower at Willamette University. The meeting will feature a keynote address entitled "Where Have All the Frogs Gone?" by invited speaker, Dr. Andrew Blaustein, and we will recognize the recipients of the Outstanding Scientist and Outstanding Teacher awards. The meeting will be Saturday, February 27, 1999 at Willamette University. The campus is located at 900 State St. in Salem and easily accessed from I-5 (see the direction box below). Join other teachers and faculty, research scientists, students, and citizens throughout Oregon in a day devoted to interpreting and discussing recent scientific discoveries.xxxOur speaker, Dr. Andrew Blaustein of Oregon State University, is particularly knowledgeable about amphibian decline in the Northwest and elsewhere, and its possible relationship to UV-B radiation. Andy is a well known behavioral ecologist, as well as an engaging speaker. He has published over 100 papers and invited book chapters on organisms ranging from pocket mice and kangaroo rats to amphibians. His work demonstrates an interest in kin recognition---i.e., how related organisms recognize one another-- and in global phenomena such as the decline in amphibians that will be the focus of his keynote address. Dr. Blaustein has also worked hard to communicate the results of scientific research to aspiring students and to the public, serving as a recent expert on CNN's "Talkback Live" and as a guest ecologist for America Online , answering questions for schoolchildren. His discovery of UV-related defects in amphibians was featured as one of the top science stories of 1997 in the Oregonian. Join us as we welcome him to our annual meeting!
xxx A second highlight of our program is the opportunity to tour the newly inaugurated Hallie Ford Museum of Art, located adjacent to the Wilamette University Campus. During the afternoon, John Olbrantz, Art Museum Director, invites you to visit our new galleries that host a diverse array of exhibits. The museum is a new, state-of-the-art facility featuring exhibits as diverse as early Northwest basketry and Native American artifacts, a special glass slide collection that combines human anatomy and pressed flowers, and a variety of tapestries, paintings, and sculptures. During February, two special exhibits will be featured: sculpture by Salem artist Robert Hess, and the work of Dean McNeil, a well-known New York photographer and sculptor. In addition, several faculty teams involved in the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (OCEPT) will also attend the OAS meeting in February. OCEPT participants plan to use the OAS meeting as a midyear gathering time for the next few years. Please join us then, for a time of collegiality and our feature presentations and exhibits described in the section synopses listed in the following pages. Hope to see you all there!
Directions to Willamette University From I-5 take the Mission St. exit (at Hwy. 22 just south of the Market St. exit or North of the Kuebler Rd. exit) and head west though the various stoplights to the exit ramp for Willamette University. Go straight through the first light, just past the RAM pub and turn right into the parking lot in front of the Sparks Athletic Campus, Hatfield Library, and University Center. Signs, and a map near the eagle fountain, will direct you. For registration, follow the Campus map and/or balloons across the Mill stream near the Goudy Dining Hall to Olin Science Center. Sessions for the regular academy will be in Olin Science Center and adjacent Collins Hall.
Congratulations to Dr. Bill Lamb, K-12 Teacher of the Year for 1999! xxxDr. Bill Lamb has been a major force in Oregon science education for many years. A physics teacher at the Oregon Episcopal School in Portland since 1982, Dr. Lamb has been of member and past President of the Oregon ScienceTeacher's Association. This is only one of the many ways Bill influenced the education community and Oregon young people.
xxx The Apprenticeship In Science and Engineering Program was created over 10 years ago and Bill Lamb was one of the driving forces. This program pairs research scientists with high school students in real research, with students becoming active members of the research team. Bill was also instrumental in the creation of the Northwest Science Exposition, a forum for students in three states to present their research.
xxx Fellow faculty and students both comment on Bill's dedication to his young people. They report that he is demanding, challenging, supportive, and always available to students who need just that little bit of help to succeed.
xxx Student research has always been a central part of Bill's teaching. All his students engage in open-ended research explorations. These may range from monitoring the wetland site on the campus to searching for asteroids in collaboration with Pine Mountain Observatory. Students from OES always make up a major portion of the Oregon Junior Academy of Science and frequently go on to regional and national presentations.
Conference Highlights
xxx At press time we did not have descriptions of the History and Philosophy of Science or Political Science, For information on these programs, call OAS President Susan Kephart at 503 370-64817 (skephart@willamette.edu)
Biology:
xxx Historically science has been noted for its enthusiasm for discovery and the subsequent sharing of that journey with others. In the last twenty years we have seen commercialism and profit motives erode away these basic tenets so that the free-flow of science information and the enjoyment of the process have become attenuated. Against this tide the Oregon Academy of Science has continued to be a regional celebration of our collective work in doing science. This year we are delighted to announce thirty oral presentations and seven posters at our annual biology OAS meeting at Willamette University on 2/27/99. We, the biology section co-chairmen, would like to encourage you and your colleagues to join this day of achievement.Chemistry:
xxx The Chemistry section will offer 20 presentations and 2 posters in two concurrent sessions. The first presentation is set to begin at 8:15 and finish in time for the keynote speaker, lunch and awards. Topics include education, organic, inorganic, materials, environmental and biological chemistry. We invite all who have interests in these topics to attend.Economics:
xxx The economics session at the forthcoming OAS meeting will begin with "An overview of the Oregon economy in 1999" by Prof. Thomas Potiowsky (PSU). Prof. Potiowsky's presentation promises to illuminate the "state of the state" from an economics perspective. The remaining papers shift the economics focus to a variety of interesting issues outside the state. Prof. Gregory Stiles (Willamette) compares waste management programs in Marion County and Heidelberg, Germany; Prof. Wahab (Lewis & Clark) covers recent developments in Rajasthan, India; and Mr. Nicholas Wilson (Reed) discusses educational investment decisions in Vietnam.Geography:
xxx Seven papers will be presented in the morning session starting at 8:10. The topics include tourism in Ireland, water quality in Senegal, neighborhood street trees, riparian restoration, Pacific coast storms, and two papers on modern mapping techniques. In the afternoon session a panel will discuss GIS education. A poster session will include a study in Ashland, the award winning National Geographic Society poster, an electronic city atlas, and groundwater mapping of a watershed.Geology:
xxx The Geology section will have a morning (beginning at 8:25) and afternoon session, comprising 12 oral presentations, each of 20 minute duration. Topics to be presented include: glaciation on Mt. Ranier, hydrology/paleohydrology of the Williamson River basin, reactivation of ancient landslides in the northwest, pre-Columbia River Basalt volcanic rocks in Malheur County, the Cascades-Basin and Range transition in Klamath County, degassing of magmatic CO2 in the central Cascades, Cenozoic spread of grasslands in East Africa,relationship between permeability, porosity and microstructure of basalts, underground water storage in the Priest Rapids intracanyon flows, aquifer sensitivity and groundwater susceptibility, downcutting in Mill Creek, Salem, and geology and soils of winemaking in the northern Willamette Valley.Mathematics:
xxx We are very happy to announce a wide range of interesting presentations in the Mathematics section, covering a variety of topics: fluid mechanics, number theory (aftermath of Fermat's last theorem), geometry (hyperbolic surfaces), mathematical physics (geometric heat flow), artificial life (cellular automata), algebra (matrix analysis and a new kind of algebraic structures called way spaces), statistics (1. conceptions of sampling procedures; 2. field data exercises in an environmental statistics course; and 3. a follow-up talk from last year on predicting geyser eruptions in Yellowstone National Park), and three OCEPT projects (1. Math Excel implementation; 2. findings from a study involving first year students enrolled in a college algebra course at OSU; and 3. a new course "The Mathematics of Universe" at Willamette University). There will be 13 presentations altogether, spread over two sessions; a morning session from 8:20 to 11:05 a.m. and an afternoon session from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. We cordially invite all mathematicians to attend as this OAS meeting promises to be one of the best ever for Mathematics.Psychology:
The Psychology section invites you to attend its interesting and diverse program of 12 presentations which begin at 8:30 AM. The talks cover a veriety of topics, including (but not limited to) AIDS prevention, autism, the psychology of dreams, social skills, and issues in clinical practice. The full schedule of papers will conclude at 4:00 PM.Sociology/Anthropology:
xxx This year twelve scholars will be presenting their work. A wide range of papers have been accepted which are, in general, focused upon gender identity; language, meaning and representation; group identity construction; and global labor migration and class. There will be one poster presentation on Twentieth Century Butch/Femm(me)s of the Pacific Northwest. Paper presentations begin at 9:00a.m.Science Education:
xxx This year the Science Education section will feature a variety of talks on the art of math and science teaching from instructors actively engaged in improving their teaching practices. Two panel discussions have been scheduled as well for further sharing and refining of ideas. Nine speakers will present their current work. Representatives from the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (OCEPT) will be discussing their ongoing program.
xxx The morning session will begin at 8:00 AM with a panel discussion of clinical interviews performed by preservice teachers on their students in order to investigate the thought processes of students as they learn new concepts. A break will follow the discussion and talks will begin at 10:00. Morning talks include a presentation of a unique material science course, using original research in science instruction, and improving science education for elementary teachers. The afternoon will open with a panel discussion on OCEPT-sponsored innovations in the teaching of physics. Topics for afternoon talks will include mentoring for women students, collaborative learning in the lab, teacher recruitment in Oregon education programs, assessment techniques for scientific inquiry, calculus courses on the web, and outreach programs bringing university instructors to K-12 schools. We invite you to come and learn from some of the most active participants in Oregon education improvement today.Junior Academy:
xxx The Junior Academy of Science will meet concurrently with the Oregon Academy of Science on Saturday, February 27, 1999 at Willamette University in Salem. This program will have over 60 presentations covering biology, ecology, computer science, math, chemistry and physics. Both private and public schools are represented. Following independent meetings, participants of the Junior and Senior Academies will gather to enjoy luncheon activities and tour the new art museum
