New Beginnings

Happy 2010 students! Congratulations to the new officers of the Student Advisory Board. What a great way to start the new year! We look forward to continuing the success of the 2009-2010 school year and taking on many new projects and community opportunities.

Things to look forward to this winter:

• Alumni Blog Salon with great networking and advice opportunities.
• February Tree Planting with McKenzie River Trust
• Discussion of new Professor Candidates

Finals Are Upon Us

Best of luck to all the students out there studying, writing and preparing for final exams. After a successful Fall term, we wish you a wonderful holiday season with friends, family and loved ones. See you when you return!

PPPM Newsmaker: Jackson Hite

Undergraduate Jackson Hite is serious about community involvement.  What started as a class assignment has evolved into a leadership role.  Jackson is currently president of the West University Neighbors and was featured in a front-page article, “Too close for comfort,” in The Register-Guard on Sunday, November 29.  Jackson is working with neighbors and the UO to make the community a better place for all residents.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From all the PPPM department to you, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with family, friends, and tasty treats.

PPPM Newsmaker: Mark Nystrom featured in the Oregon Daily Emerald

Photo by Shawn Hatjes of the ODE

This past Tuesday, PPPM students may have seen a familiar face as they flipped through the Oregon Daily Emerald.  Mark Nystrom (MPA ‘10) was featured in the story, “Presentation outlines goals for lowering net emissions.” The article discusses Mark’s efforts to solicit student feedback on the University’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) through a series of presentations around campus.  Mark is the Graduate Teaching Fellow for the Office of Sustainability, the office spearheading CAP’s goal of achieving zero net carbon emissions on campus by the year 2050.

If you’d like to know more about the Climate Action Plan or the Office of Sustainability, email Mark mnystrom@uoregon.edu

 

Funding Opportunities through AAA

One of the goals of the Student Advisory Council is to better connect PPPM students with resources at the School for Allied Arts & Architecture (AAA).  On November 1, AAA posted applications for a variety of scholarships and awards, each made possible by private support.  While our department has three scholarships available only to PPPM students, there are three more available to all students within AAA that you may want to check out:

Ellen M. Pennell Scholarship ($1000×3) is available to undergraduate and graduate students already enrolled as majors in any discipline within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. The recipients are selected based on being academically “deserving and in need of assistance to enable them to pursue their college work.” Application deadline is December 30, 2009 and the recipients will be announced Winter term.

The Clara E. Nasholm Student Scholarship Fund is available to applicants who have a demonstrated interest in cross-disciplinary work within A&AA; will be enrolled majors in an undergraduate or graduate program in A&AA; and will have academic merit and financial need. Deadline is December 30, 2009.

The Dean’s Graduate Fellowships ($5000 x 7) are available to master’s students who are in the completion stage of their master’s degree and working on a thesis or terminal project. Basis for award is on the quality of proposal and faculty reference; preference is given to research activities or creative work that are centered on one or more of: a) sustainability; b) creative or cultural inquiry or practice; c) critical analysis or interpretation. Applications for the Dean’s Graduate Fellowships are available the first week of classes for winter quarter.  Fellowships will awarded and disbursed for spring quarter, 2010.

Visit the AAA Scholarship Website for more information, applications, and checklists.

PPPMen on the Move: Students presenting at the Transportation Conference this Friday.

Kevin Belanger, a second year masters student of Community & Region Planning and Environmental Studies, will be presenting his research at the 7^th Annual Region X Student Transportation Conference. Also participating as a lead organizer, Kevin has been very involved in the planning of this event.  He will be presenting the work he helped complete through the Community Planning Workshop on pedestrian connectivity in suburban multifamily housing.  This is an ongoing project with Architecture Professor Nico Larco and a focus of his thesis; looking at ways to increase the viability of walking and biking as serious modes of transportation in suburban areas, starting with multifamily housing.

Price Armstrong, also a conference organizer, is a second-year graduate student in the Public Administration program. Price will be presenting, along with undergraduate student Briana Orr, on the University of Oregon’s innovative and successful Bike Loan Program. Price has been working in the transportation field for years as a leader of LiveMove (a student transportation organization) and most recently as an intern at the Oregon Department of Transportation in Salem.

We look forward to hearing more from Kevin, Price and Briana as they present their research and represent the Planning, Public Policy and Management Department at the conference. Also representing the department through their leadership and presentation of a walk-ability poster designed for The City of Springfield are second year students Kate MacFarland and Jeremy Sande. We are proud to have such strong leadership and organizational talent to run this event.

The Week Ahead

With midterms behind us, we’re gearing up for a big event this friday hosted by the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) and Planning, Public Policy, and Management Department:

The 7th Annual Northwest Student Transportation Conference

The conference is entirely run by students and is an opportunity for students to present their work, discuss current issues in transportation and share research that is happening all over the Northwest. Watch our website for more details of how the day unfolds!

Sprawl Wins!

Great job Sprawl! PPPM’s student team took home a win for the last game of the season.

Looking forward to more wins in the Spring!

Pumpkins with a Purpose

For several years, the Student Advisory Council has been building a stronger PPPM community through events such as weekly “buddy beers” and the legendary PPPM Prom.  One of our newest initiatives is to combine community service activities  with social gatherings.

On October 22, PPPM students joined together to carve 35 pumpkins to donate to Pumpkins on Fifth, a fundraiser for ShelterCare, a local nonprofit providing shelter to the homeless and mentally disabled. Many thanks to Colin Lamb (MPA ‘10) for hosting the event, and to Heidi Blaine (MPA ‘10) for organizing the event in conjuction with her internship with ShelterCare. With a great turnout and a car full of jack-o-lanterns, we were proud to submit these beautiful master pieces.