About Our People
Steve Delamarter (Seminary) led a team that digitized the images used as part of a multimedia concert featuring the professional female vocal ensemble In Mulieribus. The concert, titled “Horae: A Musical Book of Hours,†was presented three times over the March 4-6 weekend in three Portland-area locations. The images were inspired by the Book of Hours, a prayer book used by the laity for private devotion throughout the late Middle Ages. The projected images were pulled from the rare manuscript collection at Mount Angel Abbey in Mt. Angel, Ore.
Rhett Luedtke (Theatre) was awarded the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion at the recent Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Denver. Only one teacher in each region receives the award each year. According to the Kennedy Center website, it is the most prestigious regional award given by KCACTF and is considered one of the great honors in theatre education. As a reward, Rhett will go to Washington, D.C., in April.
Nicole Enzinger (Eduation) was selected as a STaR Fellow for the 2016-17 year by The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. She is one of 30 early-career faculty selected across the United States. The Service, Teaching and Research (STaR) Fellowship is an induction program for early-career mathematics educators working at institutions of higher education. The program was initiated through a grant from the National Science Foundation. The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators provides a professional home for the program as one of the mentoring programs for members.
Carlisle Chambers (Chemistry) is part of a team of scientists at George Fox University, the University of Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran University and Western Washington University who received a grant from the Murdock Charitable Trust for a collaborative research project. The project, “A Materials Science Research Alliance in the Pacific Northwest: Advancing Renewable Energy and Building Research Capacity at Predominately Undergraduate Institutions,â€Â is funded at $360,000 over three years.
Joseph Clair (William Penn Honors Program) was awarded a Veritas Riff Fellowship for the next two summers in Boston. Every two years, the Veritas Forum selects a cohort of 12 young academics who are aspiring Christian public intellectuals and helps train them in the art of writing op-eds and giving TED-style talks about issues of faith and culture. Joseph will travel to Boston July 11-14 this year to work on crafting op-ed pieces with editors from USA Today and Christianity Today. Next year, he will travel to New England to focus on public speaking and developing talks that integrate his faith with his areas of expertise.
A poem written by Ed Higgins (English), “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Blackbeard,â€Â is up for the annual Science Fiction Poetry Association’s Rhysling Award, an honor in science fiction poetry that compares to the Hugo Awards annually given for the best science fiction or fantasy works of the previous year. The piece will be published in the association’s annual Rhysling anthology. Nominations come from editors of various science fiction journals and magazines who are also members of the Science Fiction Poetry Association.
Jillian Sokso (Art and Design) is currently exhibiting in “The Other: Nurturing a New Ecology in Printmaking” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, Fla. The exhibition, which runs through April, includes work by major artists of the 21st century, including June Wayne, Kiki Smith, Swoon and Alison Saar. Jillian is also showing in a solo exhibition entitled “In the Shadow of the Mountain; As if the Sea Were Nothing” at University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. Later this month, she will open an exhibit at Chase Gallery in Spokane, Wash.
Paul Anderson (Christian Studies) published a review of the six episodes of the “Finding Jesus†series that is airing on CNN between now and Easter. The reviews have been posted on The Bible and Interpretation website. The episodes will be aired on Saturday, March 26, in preparation for Easter. Also, his essay, “Second John and Women,†was posted in the “Ask A Scholar†section of Bible Odyssey (March 2016), and his essay, “Testimonies of Truth, What Quakers Have Believed though 350 Years,†was published in Christian History 117 (February 2016: pages 12-14). Finally, his coauthored essay with Jaime Clark-Soles, “Glimpses of Jesus Through the Johannine Lens – An Introduction and Overview of John, Jesus, and History, Vol. 3.,†was published on The Bible and Interpretation website (December 2015).
Davida Brown (Chemistry) received word that a collaboration involving her lab and one at the University of Portland was funded by the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities. The proposal, “Solar Thermal Energy Production,†is funded for $15,000.
Jing Hao (Chemistry) learned the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust will fund her  natural sciences proposal, “Facile synthesis of thermo-responsive biodegradable micelles for drug delivery applications,†at $58,800 over two years.
Kenn Willson (Music) adjudicated and judged the Portland Oregon Music Teachers Association Ensemble Festival at the Portland Piano Company in January. Also that month, he performed his “Encounters with Beethoven†presentation for the Music Teachers Association District in Roseburg. Finally, in February, he presented a Monster Piano Concert on the Bauman Auditorium stage with 18 pianists ranging from George Fox alumni to 13-year-olds from his private piano studio. According to Kenn, the event drew the largest audience for any piano event the university has hosted – between 600 and 700 attendees.