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Alumna Janice Parks '20 Builds On Pacific Research Foundation
No full text"I was able to leave Pacific being able to write very prolifically and be a good scientific writer," said Parks, now a PhD student in plant science. "And besides the research, Pacific really prepared for my graduate-level classes. Honestly, my graduate-level classes, I thought they were so easy. Pacific does a very good job of making sure the courses are rigorous."Janice Parks '20 didn't let a global pandemic get in the way of her career as a microbiologist.
Sure, her senior-year classes at Pacific University switched suddenly from traditional to virtual, from in-person to on-screen, and she and her classmates' graduation ceremony was canceled indefinitely. Such ceremonies, like sporting events, concerts and restaurant outings, were casualties of the country's sometimes-uncertain response to the spread of the coronavirus.
But while protocols were upended and long-established routines faltered, students still had careers to launch and futures to pursue. For Parks, the pandemic couldn't interfere with her matriculation into a scholarly career on the frontiers of plant science at Washington State University, where she has completed two years as a PhD student.
Despite the unexpected detour imposed by the pandemic, Parks has followed an academic course that was laid out at Pacific, where she was a distinguished student. Two years beyond her actual graduation and well into her next-level academic career, Parks says she still brags about the quality of undergraduate research at Pacific.
"I was able to leave Pacific being able to write very prolifically and be a good scientific writer," she said.
"And besides the research, Pacific really prepared for my graduate-level classes. Honestly, my graduate-level classes, I thought they were so easy. Pacific does a very good job of making sure the courses are rigorous."
Parks, who went to high school in nearby Hillsboro, Ore., entered Pacific in 2016 thinking she wanted to work in a medical field. But the biology courses she took instilled in her an enthusiasm for scientific research, taught her how to publish scientific papers, and helped her to network with scientists in academic and private-sector research from around the world.
At Pacific, Parks was the first student to be awarded the Lesley M. Hallick Award for Leadership and Service. It's given to students who demonstrate exceptional demonstrations of service over self. And at Washington State, she was awarded the prestigious ARCS Fellowship, which added $17,500 to her PhD student salary over three years and made it plain to her that the university was eager to recruit her to its plant science program.
In April, she, along with several co-authors, published her most recent paper, "Increasing Biodiversity and Land-Use Efficiency Through Pea (Pisum aestivum)-Canola (Brassica napus) Intercropping (Peaola)," in Frontiers in Soil Science, a biology journal. The paper illustrates her interest in promoting biodiversity and agricultural efficiency without relying on chemicals like phosphorus and nitrogen that degrade the soil. She is a microbiologist within WSU's plant science program, so she applies a multidisciplinary perspective to her research and the way its findings can be applied.
"My research that I'm doing now is very focused on agriculture," she said. "But I was able to convince Fish & Wildlife to let me present my research at one of their conferences, because I was able to show them that the work I'm been doing can be applied to restoration and conservation."
The work isn't just interesting to Parks and a handful of her peers: It has significant implications for the health of the earth.
"Through the work I'm doing now, I want to be able to show people how we can use microorganisms and harness the relationships that they already form with plants and with each other to improve out ways of approaching restoration, improve our ways of approaching agriculture, so we can be better stewards to this planet."
Her career well under way, Parks still recalls how unsettling it was when the spread of the coronavirus brought her career at Pacific to a screeching halt.
"I was TA-ing a microbiology lab when the announcement came out: "˜This is the last day,'" Parks remembered. When the announcement came, she said, that's when she realized "I'm not going to be able to say goodbye to any of my friends or any of my professors."
That's why she came back to Pacific's Forest Grove Campus in August to attend Special Commencement "the in-person graduation ceremony that she and her classmates were forced to forgo two years ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Walking across the stage and accepting a "diploma" was beside the point: It was, rather, a chance to have a proper goodbye.
In the spring of 2020, Parks suddenly found herself cut off from the students and professors with whom she had been working so closely. She hadn't had the chance to share her good news about being recruited to the Washington State plant science program. She hadn't even been able to see "or give "a smile to her friends, because everyone she saw was masked, and physically distant.
The great appeal of Special Commencement, she said, was that she had the chance "to actually say goodbye and catch up to people," she said. "And see their faces.
In Memoriam: Michael "Mike" Cooley '65
No full textMichael "Mike" Cooley "˜65 died June 18, 2022, at age 79.Michael "Mike" Cooley "˜65 died June 18, 2022, at age 79. Cooley was born on April 13, 1943, to Wilhelmina and Harry Cooley. He graduated from Nestucca Union High School in Cloverdale, Ore. A sociology major at Pacific University, he went on to earn a master's in education at Oregon State University.
Family meant everything to him. Cooley married the love of his life, Judith Marie Simmons '69, on Aug. 28, 1965, at the St. John's United Church of Christ. The couple thoroughly enjoyed their life together, spending their time dancing and traveling to their children's and grandchildren's ball games.
In 1969, Cooley began working for Northwest Regional Education Service District (ESD) where he eventually became the regional director, a position that allowed him to oversee Clatsop, Colombia, Tillamook, and Washington county schools. He worked closely with several schools, such as St. Mary's Home for Boys in Beaverton, and helped to create special schools for students with behavior and emotional needs. Cooley touched many lives during his employment at ESD and was known for having the ability to make everyone around him feel valued.
He spent his summers working at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds as the work crew manager. He looked forward to the Tillamook County Fair every year.
After a long and successful career, he retired from education. In retirement, Cooley enjoyed taking his family to Oregon State University football games, tailgating at games with his friends and family, and rooting for the Beavers.
Cooley is preceded in death by his mother, Wilhelmina; his father, Harry; his sister, Lorretta; and brothers, Jack and Gary. He is survived by his wife, Judy; children Matthew, Eric (and Debbie) and James (and Chris); grandchildren Natasha (and Cody), Trever Cooley, and Kayla Cooley; and two great-grandchildren Kamden and Easton
Be Prepared for Emergencies
No full textThe Business Continuity/Emergency Management (BCEM) Office has resources available to help employees start an emergency preparedness toolkit.Emergencies, natural disasters, and disruptions occur regularly and vary in severity from extreme weather and power outages to active threats. The Business Continuity/Emergency Management (BCEM) office had resources available to help employees start a preparedness toolkit.
Visit BCEM for access to emergency response plans, general preparedness resources and information related to a variety of hazards and threats.
Amy Rasmussen, BCEM director, is also available to provide presentations on a variety of preparedness topics with employees and students. Schedule a meeting at [email protected]
Our Hearts Are With Lewis & Clark
No full textThe community at Lewis & Clark College suffered a tremendous loss last night, and our hearts are with every member of that community.The community at Lewis & Clark College suffered a tremendous loss last night, and our hearts are with every member of that community.
On what should have been a day of celebration and excitement over a new academic year, the Lewis & Clark family is instead in the midst of shock and grief after a brick column collapsed, killing one student and injuring two others.
I know many of you have colleagues, friends, and family at Lewis & Clark, and I encourage you to check in with them to offer your sympathy and support. I will offer President Holmes-Sullivan any assistance that Pacific can provide in this difficult time.
If you are struggling with your own grief in the wake of this tragedy, know that we are here to support you. Students may reach out to the Student Counseling Center, and employees can find support through the Employee Assistance Program at Canopy
Fall 2022 Scholarships Available for Mexican Nationals and DACA Students
No full textIME Becas/Scholarships are available to Mexican born and DACA students. Apply by Sept. 16, 2022.Pacific University's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is proud to offer the IME Becas/Scholarships for the third year to all students who are either Mexican nationals or undocumented.
Since 2020, 800 each is available to 10 applicants for an award total of $8,000.
Apply Now
The IME scholarships seek to support undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate a commitment to advocacy or service that benefits the Mexican immigrant population.
Scholarship recipients from 2021 represented the following majors: Spanish, sociology, business, dental hygiene, biology, criminal justice, public health, psychology, and education.
"I want to become a role model for people who become discouraged, who just don't have the motivation to continue their education," said a business '24 recipient.
Apply for the scholarship by Sept. 16, 2022. Applicants must be enrolled full-time at Pacific, maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA during fall semester, and demonstrate financial need. Funds must be used for the Fall 2022 semester.
"It means so much to me that my community "mi gente "are showing me that they have my back and are rooting for me. With their support I am finishing my degree and wil be the first person in my family to graduate college," said a sociology '22 recipient.
Learn more about scholarships offered to undocumented students.
Please contact Jean Garcia, Student Multicultural Center director, at [email protected] for more information.
Funds have been provided by Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (IME)/ The Institute for Mexicans Abroad, in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate and Pacific University
Pacific University Included in Catapult's "Don't Write Alone" MFA Roundtable
No full textDirector Scott Korb adds his thoughts to Catapult's "Don't Write Alone" MFA Roundtable.The magazine and publisher Catapult recently included MFA Director Scott Korb as part of a roundtable conversation offering advice to writers: "So You Want to Apply for an MFA."
About the Pacific MFA program in particular, Korb said this:
"Our faculty is second to none, diverse in all ways, and the writers they attract to our program make us who we are at Pacific. What makes me most excited"”day in, day out"”is the work we do to welcome writers to the program who have historically been kept out of MFAs. Through active fundraising, we've sought and found incredible support for BIPOC scholarships and teaching assistantships; we have created masterclasses each semester, which are intentional spaces for writers of color interested in pursuing the degree; and we center mentorship as the key value and cornerstone of our students' success."
Korb was joined in the roundtable by Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, Julie Buntin, Lan Samantha Chang, Jonathan Dee, and Matthew Salesses.
Read the feature
Ami Halvorson OD '07 Leads Parade of Distinctions for Pacific Alumni at Professional Association Meeting
No full textMultiple Pacific alumni, professors and students were honored in July by the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association.It was a school reunion of sorts at the annual meeting of the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association as no fewer than 15 Pacific University alumni, faculty members or current students were honored or elected to the group's board of directors in July 2022.
Leading the honors was Ami Halvorson OD '07, who was named OD of the Year. Other awardees included Yelena Galuza OD '15, who was given the President's Award; Shaina Sullivan OD '19, who was named Young OD of the Year; David Glabe MS '12, OD '12, who was given the Advocacy Award; and Caitlyn Voss '18, who was named winner of the Para Award.
Those elected to the 2022-23 board include Deri Sandberg OD '07, president-elect; Nicole Rush OD '01, immediate past president; David Wolf '81, '83, OD '83, senior past president; and Craig Bowen '83, OD '86, secretary-treasurer. Also elected to the organization's board were Sullivan and William Hefner OD '96, MED '97, an associate professor at Pacific.
The OOPA's Student Award was given to Luke Boran OD '23, and the top Optometric Assistant Award went to Voss.
"It is so wonderful to see the representation of Pacific University alumni, faculty, and students at Oregon's meeting and within the leadership," said Fraser Horn '00, OD '04, dean of Pacific's College of Optometry, who noted that the current president of the American Optometric Association, the national group, is Jim DeVleming OD '90.
"It goes to show the strong relationship between Pacific University College of Optometry and the state associations throughout the Northwest and other states. It also fills our mission where we educate our students to be amazing clinicians and leaders."
The OOPA also awarded certificates to members who graduated from its leadership program, which aims to develop leaders in the optometric industry. Among the graduates were Glabe; Boran; Sullivan; Larry Buchholtz OD '18; Mari Fujimoto OD '19, who is an assistant professor at Pacific; Morgan Grove OD '16; and Rachel Martel '17, MED '19, OD '20.
(Photo of Ami Halvorson courtesy of Oregon Optometric Physicians Association.)
Bryce Yamamoto '03 Helps Build Bridge in Rwandan Service Project
No full textBryce Yamamoto '03 traveled to Rwanda to participate in a service project with 10 coworkers from Fortis Construction.Bryce Yamamoto '03 traveled to Rwanda to participate in a service project with 10 coworkers from Fortis Construction. The team, along with members of the nonprofit organization Bridges to Prosperity and community members, constructed the 78-meter Rwabagenzi Bridge in Muhanga, Rwanda from April 18 to 29.
During the rainy seasons when rivers flood and become impassable rural communities lose access to essential services from hospitals, markets and schools. The Rwabagenzi Bridge now provides five communities and more than 4,500 people access to these services year-round
David Glabe MS '12, OD '12 Earns Advocacy Award
No full textDavid Glabe MS '12, OD '12 earned the Advocacy Award at the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association's annual meeting in July.David Glabe MS '12, OD '12 earned the Advocacy Award at the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association's annual meeting in July, after completing the OOPA 2022 Leadership YOU program, which assists to develop leaders in organized optometry. Glabe works with LaGrande Family Eye Care
In Memoriam: Robert "Gerry" Sargeant '64
No full textRobert "Gerry" Sargeant '64 died Sept. 20 2021, at age 83.Robert "Gerry" Sargeant '64 died Sept. 20 2021, at age 83 with his wife Maggie at his side in Redmond, Ore. He served his country with pride toward the end of the Korean War. While at Pacific, Sargeant majored in physical education and health and was a member of the Phi Beta Tau fraternity.
He married his first wife, Jan Danielson '64 in 1965, and the couple raised two children on five acres between Banks and Forest Grove, Ore. In 1968, he earned a master's of criminology from the University of California Berkeley and pursued a career in law enforcement.
Sargeant remarried Margaret "Maggie" Bowles in 1988. Three years later, he retired as undersheriff to Washington County Sheriff Bill Probstfield and moved to Redmond. During retirement, the couple and their dog traveled in a motor home throughout the western U.S., while he worked for a telecommunications company. He will be remembered for being fair and kind.
Sargeant is survived by his wife, Maggie; and his children, Mark E. Sargeant and Cydni M. Sargeant; grandchildren Kasi Vaughan, and Ryan and Rachel Sargeant; stepsons David, Chad, Trent and Brent Overcash; and step grandchildren Alyssa, Tristan, Andrew and Alicia Overcash