The 10-day event Portland State of Mind will hit campus Oct. 17, offering something for every Viking.
“There are athletic events, lectures, a wide array of what we’re interested in at [Portland State],” said Associate Vice President for Communications Chris Broderick. “It’s been really successful for [PSU]. So many Portland people have climbed on board.”
Portland State of Mind launched three years ago to connect campus events that occurred in October, Broderick said. Now, Portland State of Mind features over 50 events, including a variety of concerts, art exhibits, alumni gatherings and other socials.
Portland State of Mind kicks off with PDXTalks, an event where students, faculty and alumni share stories. This year’s speakers include PSU professors from a variety of departments including mechanical engineering professor Mark Weislogel.
“Our normal work isn’t showy, it’s [applying] math to problems that we want to solve for engineers who design spacecrafts. But we’re nutty. We get weird ideas and do them just because we can,” Weislogel said. “I want to show maybe a little bit about what we [mechanical engineers] do, and show different experiments.”
Portland State of Mind will also feature a variety of sporting events, including the Viking homecoming football game against Northern Arizona University on Oct. 18.
“With the talent that we have, we’ve done pretty decently this season,” said freshman Stetson Kinnison, who believes the Vikings’ defensive backfield is going to win them the homecoming game.
A tailgate party will take place before the game.
“I will probably bring my George Foreman [grill] and a lot of energy,” Kinnison said.
In addition, KATU-TV and PSU will be sponsoring Oregon’s Great Pot Debate over Measure 91 on Oct. 21, a week before the ballot for the measure goes out to vote.
“It’s not a slam dunk. It’ll be close, that makes for a great debate,” Broderick said.
For more information, go to http://www.pdx.edu/insidepsu/portland-state-of-mind or visit the PSU Box Office.