Our Graduate Teaching Fellow (GTF) for the year is Leslie Mclees:
I am in my final year of the PhD program in the Department of Geography at the University of Oregon. In 2010 I conducted research in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where I worked with urban farmers in order to study issues of planning and food justice in the city. In addition to conducting my research, I worked with a local NGO to bring farmers together with planners in some of the first conversations regarding policy-making and land tenure. Prior to coming to Oregon, I received my masters degree in Geography at the Universitymof Hawaii where I also completed training in conflict resolution that focused on how different cultures understand and resolve conflicts. I have taught several introductory courses both at the Universities of Oregon and Hawaii, including World Regional Geography, Introduction to Physical Geography, Geography of the US and Canada and the Geography of Oregon as well as an upper-division course on the Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. I have also been a Graduate Teaching Fellow for Professor Cohen’s Geography of the Middle East and North Africa course. Upon graduation in 2012, I intend to pursue a career in academia with a focus on urban design, social justice and how people can assert their right to use the city to attain their livelihood needs.
-Leslie
Our Fig Assistant (FA) for the year is Miriam Fisher:
My name is Miriam, and I will be your FIG assistant this year. Some information about me: I am from a small town in Central Oregon called Madras. After high school I was an exchange student for a year in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and have since been studying Latin America, diplomacy and law in the International Studies department at U of O. I have continued studying Portuguese, and have recently put a year of Spanish under my belt. Next year I will be a senior, and will finish my International Studies degree as well as a minor in Geography. Apart from school I really enjoy playing intramural soccer, dancing, and have recently become an avid (but amateur) gardener.
I am so excited to be a part of the new Carnegie Global Oregon Learning Community FIG! This year we will have the chance to meet with various authors and guest speakers during our FIG class, as well as students and professors from around the world. Through our class we will explore a wide range of international issues through different types of media and experience. Professor Cohen and I hope to infuse our FIG class with plenty of experiential learning, food, and discussion. As far as FIGs, you picked a great one. Enjoy your summer! Looking forward to meeting you in September. Miriam
Our Resident Assistant (RA) for the year is Mika Weinstein:
Greetings future residents! I will be the Resident Assistant in your beautiful hall next year. A little bit about me: I am from San Anselmo, CA, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area. This coming year I will be a sophomore in the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the UO. My current plan is to apply to the Planning, Public Policy, and Management major and to do a Peace Studies minor. A taste of some things that I love: my beagle, Calvin and Hobbes, Firefly, avocados, Orson Scott Card’s books, Pastafarianism, and sponge-on tattoos. There’s so much that you guys have to look forward to this year; I can’t even remember most of the awesome stuff that went down when I was first in the dorms. However, here are a few highlights so you can get excited! Firstly, all of the Week of Welcome events are pretty fun. The street faire comes through twice a year with booths for shopping, food, and different organizations. The Residence Hall Association and other student groups bring in a lot of cool events, ranging this year from a hypnotist to formal, catered dinners. One of my favorites was having comedian Hari Kondabolu do a show in the LLC Performance Hall. Even though it wasn’t on campus, I can’t overlook the awesomeness of getting to go to Sasquatch this year. This, along with other retreats I went on this year, was a definite highlight. Honestly, there are way too many cool and interesting things going on around campus to begin a comprehensive list here. However, I must address one more exciting part of the UO: the Oregon Carnegie Network Initiative. I’ve been to a few of the preliminary meetings to determine the different ways that this initiative will manifest itself on campus in the next few years and I couldn’t be more excited. I give props to you all for recognizing the coolest place to get involved from the start of your college career. That being said, I can’t wait to meet all of you, and please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have by leaving a response.
Mika