News briefs

PSU students learn about sustainability in Qatar

During the break, a group of over 25 MBA students from Portland State visited Qatar to learn about the region’s views toward sustainable development. The students also visited Qatar Project Management (QPM), the country’s first project management firm, according to an article published by Zawya on Dec. 21.

During the visit, students had a chance to speak with QPM’s senior management team about the difficulties faced when working toward environmental preservation in the project management industry.

Abdul Razzaq Al-Siddiqi, QPM’s vice chairman and managing director, told Zawya that the initiative highlighted the company’s commitment to teaching students about the importance of sustainable project management in the development of modern cities.

University undergoes sidewalk construction

In order to adhere to City of Portland standards, several sidewalks around Portland State’s campus will undergo construction over the next four weeks.

“The City of Portland controls all sidewalks, so when there’s any sort of damage to them they periodically go around and basically cite you,” said Project Coordinator Alia Long.

According to Long, the construction will be addressing any potentially dangerous areas on the sidewalks. This includes areas in which tree roots have pushed the cement up, therefore creating a tripping hazard.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repealed

On Dec. 22, President Barack Obama put an end to a 17-year battle by signing into law the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, which prohibits the military from discriminating against openly gay men and women.

“No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military—regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance—because they happen to be gay,” Obama said before signing the bill.

The bill was passed by the Senate on Dec. 18 by a vote of 65 to 31 after the Pentagon found that having openly gay servicemen and women in the military was a low risk to its effectiveness.

Before passing the landmark piece of legislation, however, the Senate struck down a bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for certain undocumented youth who have completed two years of college or military service. 

 

Fellowship named after PSU professor

To honor Ladis Kristof, a Portland State professor who died last June, the Oregon chapter of Amnesty International has created a fellowship for college students in his name. The Ladis Kristof Memorial Fellowship will go to young activists that have been involved with Amnesty International, a human rights organization.

The students who receive the fellowship will get a $3,500 stipend to complete an eight-week residency with an Amnesty International field organizer, according to an article published by the Catholic Sentinel on Dec. 29.

Kristof, a concentration camp survivor and a renowned political scientist and geographer, taught Eastern European politics at PSU until 2007. In addition, he helped found the Oregon chapter of Amnesty International in 1973.

Kristof is the father of The New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, who has won two Pulitzer Prizes.

Kiley Hicks receives predoctoral fellowship

Third-year Portland State graduate student Kiley Hicks has been awarded a $49,544 American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship to support her research on how DNA damage can injure mitochondria and decrease their ability to function, according to PSU’s website.

Mitochondria, otherwise known as the “powerhouse of the cell,” is responsible for creating a majority of energy needed to support organisms. Her research will determine if there are any predictable patterns of how different types of genetic damage alters the shape and functioning of mitochondria.

Hicks is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in biology.