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Hailey Brown

By Ellie Webb-Bowen, CLA Student Writer - April 30, 2025

Growing up in Tigard, Hailey Brown, ‘24, favored math in middle school and high school and saw herself going into a STEM field when considering her options for college. However, when Brown was a senior at Tigard High School, a friend of hers was already at OSU majoring in political science and spoke highly of their professors and coursework, convincing Brown to follow suit.

Brown enrolled at OSU for fall term 2020 and moved to Corvallis during the initial months of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Though classes were entirely online for that fall, Brown still found silver linings in the unprecedented experience.

"Corvallis was pretty much a ghost town, but it was still fun to experience life away from home in a new and different setting," said Brown. “I managed to find a rhythm amongst the chaos.”

Intro to Comparative Politics (PS 204) was Brown’s first foray into political science at the School of Public Policy and from then on, she was hooked. Brown enjoyed the policy analysis mixed with history and saw how interconnected policy was with livelihoods. Not long after, she eventually added sociology as a major.

Advised by Dr. Christopher Stout, associate professor of political science, Brown joined the University Legislative Scholars (ULS) program, an experiential learning program that nurtured Brown's interest in public policy and provided a taste of working in the public sector. As a result of joining ULS, Brown had the opportunity to inter with Oregon Representative Paul Evans as a legislative aide. As a member of Rep. Evans’ office, Brown was in charge of tracking legislation related to emergency preparedness and wildfire mitigation and management. Additionally, Brown attended committee meetings and wrote briefs and reports for Rep. Evans’ policy staff, gaining valuable knowledge and skills that she would not have been able to obtain in a classroom setting.

“This was my first insight at the inner workings of how policy is written,” said Brown. “In addition to being involved in tracking legislation, Rep. Evans allowed us to sit in during any meetings or sessions that interested us. The legislative scholars program and Dr. Stout helped fine-tune what I thought about when it came to my career path, which I'm very thankful for.”

During her senior year, Brown became a senator for the Associated Students of Oregon State University (ASOSU) and was a member of the Budgets Committee, which oversaw the appropriations of funds throughout the academic year. “The most rewarding aspect of being involved with ASOSU was the people that I got to work with,” said Brown. “I learned how to work and engage with my peers not just on the committee, but throughout campus.” 

Additionally, during junior year, Brown became Vice President of Finance for her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta (AGD). Becoming involved in AGD pushed Brown outside of her comfort zone and in ways she wouldn’t have herself. With an interest in public policy and finance, the role of managing the finances of the 100+ member household was a perfect fit for her. “My role as V.P. helped me understand finance in a clearer yet more personal way, and also allowed me to connect and network with alumni who have a lot of experience in finance.” 

After graduating Brown wanted to utilize her experience in public policy in some way, so she applied for a position at the Washington State Department of Commerce, the state’s agency responsible for community and economic development. Now, as Local Government Fiscal Note Analyst, Brown was hired to update cost models used to help evaluate legislation. 

“All legislation requires fiscal notes, or a written summary of the bill’s financial impact, costs, savings, revenue impacts etc.,” said Brown. “When a bill is proposed, I analyze the fiscal impact it’ll have on specifically small, local governments across the state. The bill could be on anything from housing to homelessness and pension reform to labor laws.” 

Though only a year after graduating, Brown feels lucky to have the opportunity to go straight into the field she was hoping for so soon. She encourages all students to get involved in extracurricular activities at OSU, “even if they aren’t related to academics, it may open new doors for you.” 

By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - April 24, 2025

The increasing frequency of climate-change induced wildfires in Oregon threaten heritage sites throughout the state. In 2020, Oregon saw devastating wildfires that destroyed historical structures at Jawbone Flats in the Opal Creek Wilderness and at Breitenbush Hot Springs. Around 125 acres in Silver Falls State Park, outside of Salem, also burned during those fires; however, fortunately, no historic structures were damaged in the park. 

Starting in 2024, researchers from the School of Communication partnered with the Geomatics Research Group in the College of Engineering to help preserve the legacy of historic structures inside Silver Falls State Park. Supported by a grant from the Oregon Heritage State Historic Preservation Office, the multidisciplinary team, led by Senior Instructor of New Media Communications Todd Kesterson and geomatics professors Michael Olsen and Ezra Che, used three-dimensional scanning to produce digital replicas of three of the park’s historical structures: the South Falls Lodge, the South Falls Nature Store, and the Stone Kitchen Shelter. 

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Sam Stone

By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - April 23, 2025

Sam Stone’s fascination with the past runs deep—both literally and figuratively. Raised in Southern California, but spending her high school years in Portland, Stone’s upbringing was steeped in a love of history. Her father, a history major who briefly pursued a master’s in archaeology, nurtured this interest by taking her and her siblings to museums and excavation sites. Although she didn’t initially realize it, this early exposure paved a path for her into the world of archaeology.

“I didn’t have the intention of pursuing archaeology until I got to college,” Stone, ‘21, admitted. “But that love for the past was already there.”

A key turning point came when Stone enrolled in an anthropology class as an undergraduate. It was at that moment she found her academic home. She dove into anthropology and soon found herself as a field school student in Professor Loren Davis' field school at Cooper’s Ferry, a site in Idaho that boasts the oldest stone tools in North America.

“That field school was incredible. Cooper’s Ferry is one of the most important archaeological sites in North America,” said Stone, who spent her summer between sophomore and junior year digging at the site. “The year I was there, we worked in the oldest cultural deposits, about 16,000 years old. Handling artifacts that hadn’t seen the light of day in thousands of years…that was something truly special.”

Stone's fieldwork was formative, and as she neared the end of her undergraduate career, she realized that if she wanted to continue working in the field, she would need a master’s degree. She found herself in the School of Language, Culture, and Society’s (SLCS) archaeology program, where she could continue to work under the guidance of Professor Davis, a mentor who had shaped her academic journey.

Continuing in SLCS at the College of Liberal Arts  was an easy choice for Stone, especially given the research opportunities the program offered. She had already worked on Cedros Island off the Baja California coast, and she was eager to return. At OSU, she was able to combine her interest in archaeology with her fascination for climate science, embarking on research in paleoclimate reconstruction.

“Cedros Island is so significant,” Stone explained. “It has some of the oldest deep-sea fishing technology in the Western Hemisphere, with evidence of nearly 13,000 years of continuous occupation. The preservation of archaeological materials is amazing because the island is so dry. It’s like a window into the past.”

Stone’s current research is helping to unlock the climate mysteries of the past. She’s working with marine shell fossils found on Cedros Island to reconstruct sea surface temperatures from the Pleistocene to Holocene (approximately 11,700 years ago—a task that involves stable isotope analysis. “We use oxygen-18, a heavier isotope, to reconstruct  past sea surface temperatures,” Stone explained. “As oxygen-16 evaporates, seawater becomes enriched in oxygen-18. Marine shells record this ratio, which reflects past ocean temperatures and ice volume.” Her work also includes examining the carbon isotope carbon-13, which relates to upwelling—when cold, nutrient-dense water rises to the surface, feeding coastal food webs. These findings offer insights not only into the local environment of ancient populations but also into the broader dynamics of climate change and coastal ecosystems.

“I’m not a climate scientist,” Stone laughed, “but as an archaeologist, I need to understand enough about interdisciplinary methods like this to apply them to my field. It’s amazing how much knowledge you can gain from collaborating with experts in other areas.”

Collaboration is key in archaeology, where interdisciplinary teamwork is critical to understanding the past. “There are so many ways of knowing about the past,” she said. “If you’re a good archaeologist, you either need to be a jack of all trades or  work with others who can fill in the gaps.”

Stone’s research holds great significance not only for understanding ancient environments but also for understanding early human migration patterns. She points to Cedros Island as a crucial site for exploring the northern Pacific coastal route migration model. This hypothesis suggests that early humans may have migrated to the Americas using watercraft along the Pacific coastline, a possibility strengthened by Cedros' evidence of advanced maritime skills and fishing technology.

Looking ahead, Stone plans to continue her work in field archaeology, excited by the potential to further explore the complex relationships between ancient humans and their environments. However, she also notes the challenges and realities of the field. 

For students aspiring to follow in her footsteps, Stone has one key piece of advice: “Take a field school as early as possible. You’ll learn so much about whether this is the right path for you. If you’re not into fieldwork, then archaeology might not be the career for you. It’s essential to know that early on.”

As for Stone, she’s eager to continue her journey, bridging the worlds of archaeology and climate science to better understand the past—and the lessons it holds for the future.

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Clara Smith

By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - April 23, 2025

A self-described “horse girl,” Clara Smith, ‘18, grew up in NE Portland, but would visit her aunt, Joelle Smith, outside of Bend each summer. The two of them would ride horses in the high desert for weeks on end; then, as Smith’s creative side and interest in art grew, time spent outside transitioned into joining her aunt in her home studio. Smith now carries on her aunt’s legacy as a Western artist, documenting Western life and depicting culture and traditions of the American cowboy. 

When looking at colleges in the Pacific Northwest, Smith considered a handful of schools for fine arts, but only at Oregon State could she receive a fine arts education alongside a graphic design degree. While a student at College of Liberal Arts’ School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts, Smith had a series of instructors that helped her advance her design skillset, including Marianne Dickson, ​​Yuji Hiratsuka, and Evan Baden. Some of Smith’s most influential lessons weren’t in illustration or typography, but in Baden’s photography classes.

“For my work now, I find it advantageous to have a working background in photography,” explained Smith. “Understanding light and movement specifically helps me to capture reference photos, which allows me to interpret the still image onto paper.” 

During her time in Photobook Design and Production, taught by Baden, Smith co-designed Terra Matter, a printed photobook containing essays of English students combined with objects in OSU’s natural history collections.  

“Printing is a whole other aspect of design,” said Smith. “Bringing photography into the physical world in the form of a printed hardcover book gave me a new perspective on not just how to take the best photographs, but also in producing my own art.”

Additionally, while at OSU, Smith worked as a designer with the Special Collections and Archives Research Center in the Valley Library, which allowed her to utilize the skills she was learning in class in real time on campus.

What all art and design classes had in common was a section dedicated to thoughtful critiques of each student’s creations. Smith attributed that critiques from instructors and staff improved her own art and to design with intentionality. 

“When you offer up your own art, you have the opportunity to hear outside perspectives and see what others are seeing in what you created,” said Smith. “Design is always about problem solving  and you make something better by understanding public perception. Needing to thoughtfully explain my own artistic decision has made me a better artist and designer.”

Right out of OSU, Smith landed a part-time designer role at Hound Creative Agency, in Bend, working with Bend-based brands, including Sunriver Brewing and other local small businesses. After two years at Hound, the Covid-19 Pandemic was starting and Smith began working from home. As business coming to the agency slowed down, Smith was making and selling her own drawings, paintings, and digital art, which were consistently selling out. 

Due to the success and interest of her art online and at art fairs, Smith decided to leave the agency. In a complete 180°, creating fine art now became her full-time career, while still running a freelance graphic design business on the side. 

“Being confined to my home during the initial years of Covid permitted me to slow down, regroup, and think about what I really wanted to do,” said Smith. “I had all this time to focus on my art and, luckily, it became financially sustainable to work on it full time. It was a huge turning point.”

Smith now brings themes from her Western art into her graphic design work, which has both broadened and guided her design career.

“I now get to work with businesses and brands that align with the style of my art,” said Smith. “Western art has allowed me to brand myself as a graphic designer.”

In the beginning of her freelance career, Smith admits that it was daunting and scary, where most of the time she was trying to solicit work. Now, after a few years under her belt, she’s setting boundaries for herself and turning away projects out of respect for her own time and art. 

“I’m fortunate to have two different sides of my business, which have both led to more work opportunities,” said Smith. “Some of my design clients have commissioned art and others who have purchased my art have reached out about branding work for their or their friends’ businesses.”  

A few of the design clients Smith has worked with include Bend-based Backporch Coffee, Smith Rock Records, and the Humane Society of Central Oregon. A connection from Smith’s art community gave her the opportunity to design a tour poster for country artists Justin Moore and Randy Houser, as well as the official 2024 t-shirt for the renowned Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Southern California.

“Social media has also been a huge factor in creating friends and connections in the art and design community,” said Smith. “I’ve been able to reach out to people who I align with stylistically and personally, which has led to more and more work.

Receiving a fine arts education with a graphic design degree from the School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts  helped Smith find her own style, voice, and confidence. 

“Freelancing is difficult, there’s no doubt about that,” said Smith. “You will get a lot of ‘no’s,’ but that’s what the graphic design classes prepared you for, finding out your strengths and weaknesses through rejection and adaptation.”

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Morgan Quinn Ross

By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - April 16, 2025

Morgan Ross is a new tenure-track professor at the College of Liberal Arts’ School of Communication. His research focuses on the interaction between mobile technology and human identity, work that is particularly relevant in today’s digital age.

Since joining OSU in the fall of 2024, Ross has been teaching courses that reflect his research interests, including an introductory New Media and Culture (NMC 100) class and a special topics course titled Mobile Communication, Self, and Society (NMC 399). His goal is to help students critically examine their relationship with technology. “Because these technologies are so integrated into our lives, it’s easy to take them for granted,” he said. “I want students to be aware of how these tools structure their communication and identity.”

His own academic journey began at Carleton College, a small liberal arts school outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His initial fascination with psychology stemmed from a broader interest in the brain and consciousness. “I was interested in the brain, not necessarily from a neuroscience perspective, but from a cognitive science perspective,” Ross explained. His studies at Carleton allowed him to explore sensation, perception, and memory while dabbling in other disciplines like communication. This intersection led Ross to pursue a Ph.D. in communication at The Ohio State University. “After acquiring the psychological toolkit to ask and answer questions, it became a natural fit for me to study communication technology through a psychological lens.”

Ross’ research now challenges the idea that the self is limited to our physical bodies. He explained that psychology and the social sciences have long viewed the self as something extending beyond the body, embedded in our environments, possessions, and relationships.

Smartphones, he argues, serve as a modern form of self-extension. “By design, smartphones are always with us. They allow us to express our identities, act out social roles, and store memories through photos, contacts, and messages.” Some individuals see their phones as tools that help accomplish personal goals, while others perceive them as symbolic representations of their identity. “Many people say, ‘my phone feels like a part of me, and I don’t feel like myself without it.’”. He warns of over-entanglement, where dependence on a device can become unhealthy, and stresses the importance of intentionality when using our devices.

Beyond self-extension, Ross also examines solitude—an increasingly elusive state in today’s connected society. Traditionally, solitude was defined by physical isolation, but Ross argues that this definition is outdated. His research suggests that modern communication technologies have drastically reduced the experience of solitude. “Even when we’re not interacting with others, we are often engaging with their thoughts through social media, books, or other media,” he explained. While chosen solitude can be beneficial, Ross notes that the constant expectation of connectivity makes it difficult for people to truly be alone.

Looking ahead, Ross plans to continue his research on mobile technology and solitude. “There are still so many unanswered questions about how people balance connection and disconnection,” he said. With a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, Ross is poised to make significant contributions to understanding the evolving relationship between humans and technology.

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Erika Carlson

By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - April 16, 2025

Illinois-native Erika Carlson, ‘16, was always drawn to the arts. From an early age, she found herself sketching, painting, and exploring visual storytelling. But when it came time to choose a college, she wasn’t entirely sure where her passion for art would lead. Oregon State University’s emphasis on the intersection of art and science intrigued her, and she initially pursued a psychology major with aspirations of becoming an art therapist.

However, after two years of psychology coursework, she realized that she felt more at home in the intimate, hands-on environment of OSU’s studio art classes. “I knew quite a few of the faculty and my classmates already, so making the switch wasn’t difficult,” Carlson recalled. “The hardest part was just figuring out how to transfer my credits.”

At the School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts, Carlson embraced the art of printmaking as her area of focus. While simultaneously working as a gallery manager at Fairbanks Hall, she also received an up close look at the challenges of the professional art world. The experience opened her eyes to the realities of life as a working artist—both the creative fulfillment and the financial uncertainties. “It was great to see artists making a living, to talk to them about their processes, and to learn about what worked for them,” she said. “It gave me a more practical understanding of the art world beyond the classroom.”

After graduating, Carlson wanted to make a difference. She joined AmeriCorps and was placed with United Way in Colorado Springs, where she worked as a Community Impact Outcomes Specialist. There, she gathered and analyzed data to help community organizations measure their impact. While it was a shift from her creative roots, she found that her background in visual communication played a role in making complex information accessible. “Data collection itself wasn’t very artistic,” she admitted, “but the way we presented it—through reports, presentations, and outreach—definitely required a creative approach.”

Following her AmeriCorps service, Carlson gained firsthand experience in the for-profit art sector by working at an art gallery. However, she soon felt the pull back toward mission-driven work. To strengthen her ability to bridge art, marketing, and nonprofit outreach, she pursued a Master’s in Marketing for Arts & Culture Organizations at the University of Denver. The timing was serendipitous—she began the program just as the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding, pushing all her classes online and prompting her to relocate to Utah.

In 2021, Carlson joined Peace House as Director of Marketing and Communications, a role she has held for over three years. Peace House offers a holistic range of services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, from clinical therapy to prevention education. Carlson oversees everything from branding and digital marketing to community engagement and fundraising materials. She also serves as a spokesperson for the organization, ensuring that Peace House’s mission reaches the right audiences.

“Everything I do is public-facing,” Carlson explained. “I manage the website, social media, printed materials, event promotions—everything that shapes how people perceive and engage with our work.” While the impact of her role is rewarding, she acknowledges the challenges of working with such a heavy topic. “Violence and abuse aren’t easy subjects for people to talk about. Even within our own community, launching our sexual assault programming was a delicate process. It’s tough content, and people often struggle to engage with it, whether due to personal experiences or discomfort.”

Looking ahead, Carlson envisions continuing her work in nonprofit communications, though she remains open to a future that reconnects her more directly with the arts. “I’d love to work more specifically in the arts, but funding for arts organizations is an ongoing challenge,” she noted. “The impact we’re making at Peace House is incredibly meaningful and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”

From the studio to the nonprofit world, Carlson’s journey highlights the power of adaptability, creativity, and a commitment to meaningful work. Whether designing a digital campaign or curating an art exhibit, she continues to find ways to blend artistry with advocacy.

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Starting fall term 2024, the School of Public Policy (SPP) in the College of Liberal Arts will begin to offer all on campus and Ecampus undergraduate students the opportunity to add criminology as a minor to their degree program.

As a discipline, criminology is a social and behavioral science focusing on human behavioral patterns and motivations concerning crime. The criminology curriculum in SPP will provide students the ability to apply social science concepts and theories of crime to better understand and analyze relationships between crime, justice, and public policy. It is heavily grounded in criminological theory and current research.. 

Brett Burkhardt, associate professor of sociology, is one of four, core, full-time faculty members who will be co-leading the minor.

“Students minoring in criminology will receive new insight into criminal activity, as well as the institutions and laws that respond to criminal behavior, ” said Burkhardt.

The minor degree will require three core courses, Introduction to Crime, Law, and Deviance (SOC 241), Deviant Behavior and Social Control (SOC 340) and Criminology and Penology (SOC 441), as well as offer a dozen other elective courses, including Inside Out: Prisons, Communities, and Prevention (SOC 444), where students learn alongside incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. 

The minor is available to undergraduate students majoring in any discipline, setting themselves up for graduate school or careers in law enforcement, government, forensic psychology, or victim advocacy. For students majoring in sociology, the Crime, Law, and Deviance option will still be offered and can be taken concurrently with the criminology minor.

“In addition to becoming well-rounded criminologists,” Burkhardt elaborated. “I hope that students come away as informed and critical consumers of news about crime, to ask informed questions, be skeptical, and know how to find accurate information related to criminal activity.”

For more information on the criminology minor, please contact Jennifer Edwards, advisors for the School of Public Policy.