Silence falls over a packed crowd as the baton of the conductor takes its first stroke -- leading a wave of crying instruments demanding the audience to listen to their story. The atmosphere of the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra’s Fall Concert is heavy with emotion through the combined efforts of each string, wind, and percussion musician on this unique stage.
By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - December 12, 2024
Intergenerational mobility is an important indicator of economic development in emerging economies. An improvement in intergenerational mobility is found to be highly associated with higher economic growth, faster poverty reduction, lower inequality, and a more stable society. Given that globalization is believed to have played a significant role in promoting economic growth worldwide, particularly in the low- and middle-income countries, it is important to understand whether international trade reinforces or diminishes the persistence of socioeconomic status across generations.
Using survey data in Vietnam, a new working paper by Assistant Professor of Economics Hoang Pham in the School of Public Policy examines the extent of how trade liberalization affects absolute and relative occupational mobility. Pham and his co-authors found that greater trade between Vietnam and the United States, as a result of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in 2001, increased absolute occupational mobility for younger boys and girls, yet this effect is not necessarily equal between children across different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Pham and his co-authors utilized 16 years of the Vietnam Household Living Standards Surveys (VHLSSs), a state-run survey, designed and supported by the World Bank, for policy-making and socio-economic development planning, to examine the changes in occupational mobility.
Trade liberalization in Vietnam within the past two decades provides an ideal context to link exports to mobility. Since 2001, Vietnam has experienced massive export growth due to the BTA, which has resulted in a significant reallocation of resources towards export-oriented sectors in response to an increase in demand.
“A person’s occupation is likely to be directly related to their welfare through income and job stability,” explained Pham. “Also, in an emerging economy, a person’s occupation is more than likely affected by the country’s specialization, like manufacturing, and consequent skill demand.”
The results contained some surprising developments. New opportunities in the export market increased absolute occupational mobility, i.e. today’s younger children have better outcomes (occupations) overall, compared to their parents; however, the BTA led to a decline in relative occupational mobility, i.e. children born to top-ranked parents benefit more from the opportunities created by the BTA, relative to those born to bottom-ranked parents.
Pham’s findings have several important implications. First and most importantly, increased trade may help overcome frictions, social structures, or barriers that impede intergenerational mobility. Trade opens new opportunities for younger generations, leading to more upward mobility. Second, if trade can promote mobility and help high-ability individuals obtain better jobs, this can generate additional long-term gains from trade through a more efficient allocation of human capital. However, a possible caveat is that while trade can improve outcomes of younger generations relative to their parents, a child born to top-ranked parents might be better prepared to benefit from new opportunities created by trade.
“These results were unexpected,” said Pham. “Increased trade helped absolute occupational mobility for younger populations across the board, yet increased inequality across generations with the wealthiest families seeing the greatest benefit. Generally, globalization is viewed as a positive in developing countries, but the increased inequality it creates is concerning, particularly in less developed provinces.”
The policy implications for Pham’s working paper point to the need for a greater investment in education, not just in Vietnam, but in pre-industrial economies. If younger adults are more prepared for globalization, i.e. more educated, the better outcomes they’ll experience.
The paper, “Exports and Intergenerational Mobility,” builds off Pham’s previous research on the effects of the BTA on labor market power, i.e. the ability of an employer to leverage its position in the economy to influence wages and employment conditions. Pham and his co-authors found in the August 2024 working paper that firms were paying women less than men, but women had more occupational mobility, as a result of the BTA.
“Moana 2,” Disney’s latest animated blockbuster that smashed Thanksgiving box office records, tells the story of a young Pacific Islander girl empowered to sail the seas and lead her people in exploring far-off islands, accompanied by the demigod Maui and her trusty sidekicks, Heihei the rooster and Pua the pig.
Kennedy Gehrke
By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - December 11, 2024
Originally from Wisconsin, Kennedy Gehrke’s academic and professional journey was filled with pivots, unplanned detours, and a determination to make the most of every twist along the way. This winter, Gehrke will travel the globe with Carnival Cruises—a culmination of adaptability and a passion for human connection.
Initially, as a First-year at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Gehrke was preparing for a nine-month study abroad program in England, a goal she had pursued since high school. “I applied my senior year of high school, and then again my first and second year of college,” she recalled. But when COVID-19 hit, her plans and motivation came crashing down. “The program got canceled right after I dropped my classes. I sold my car, moved back in with my parents, and suddenly had nothing.”
Faced with the abrupt loss of her dreams abroad, Gehrke made a snap decision that would set her life on a new course. “I bought a car off the side of the street and just booked it to Oregon,” she said, laughing at the audacity of the move. Although returning to school wasn’t part of Gehrke’s plan, her new roommate, who was studying speech communication, opened the door to a new academic passion. Encouraged by her roommate’s suggestion, Gehrke reached out to OSU’s TRIO program, which supports first-generation and low-income students. She found a supportive community that helped her transition back into college life.
Through her studies, Gehrke developed an interest in cultural communication—an area that would prove invaluable for her future career. “Speech communication has helped me understand people’s feelings and perceptions better,” she explained. “It’s made me more confident in myself and how I communicate, especially in diverse environments.”
Key figures at OSU also played pivotal roles in Gehrke’s journey. Professors like Kristen Herring, known for her playful teaching style, and Mark Porrovecchio, who guided her internship process, left lasting impressions. “Both are so different, but they’ve been incredibly impactful,” she reflected.
While in the School of Communication, Gehrke began working for the College of Liberal Arts as social media content creator, jumpstarting CLA’s TikTok channel into the most followed OSU-related TikTok account today.
This academic preparation came full circle during her internship with Carnival Cruises, where she worked alongside a diverse team. “There were only seven other Americans out of 1,500 crew members. Learning firsthand about different cultural norms and traditions was incredible,” she said. Conversations with colleagues from around the world became a highlight of her experience, expanding her global perspective and forging lifelong friendships.
Reflecting on her journey, Gehrke advises students facing disruptions to “roll with the punches.” Her own path—from dropping out of school to securing a highly competitive internship with Carnival Cruises—taught her the value of adaptability and perseverance. “When my study abroad got canceled, I thought I’d never get to travel the way I wanted to. Now, I get to travel the world for months at a time. It’s even better than I could’ve imagined.”
Now, as she prepares for her next chapter, Gehrke is excited about the challenges and adventures ahead. Whether it’s navigating cultural nuances or speaking to thousands of cruise guests, she’s ready to carry the lessons of resilience and communication forward. “I’ve become more adaptable and more understanding of myself and others,” she said. “And I’ve learned that the most unexpected paths often lead to the most rewarding destinations.”
Credit: Bureau of Land Management
By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - December 9, 2024
The growth of hand-crafted artisanal food products in recent decades is widely recognized as a significant culinary trend by consumers and marketers alike. The trends include the growing emphasis on locally sourced foods, farm to table, sustainable food options, and transparency. Maple syrup made from the Indigenous bigleaf maple trees of the Pacific Northwest (Acer macrophyllum) is a new artisanal food product with potential to grow and make a significant impact in Oregon’s food systems landscape.
A new multidisciplinary study by Lisa Price, professor of anthropology in the School of Language, Culture, and Society, Ann Colonna of OSU’s Food Innovation Center, and Eric Jones of Forests Ecosystems and Society, explores the gastronomic potential of bigleaf maple syrup in restaurants, by working with local chefs in assessing its viability in dishes. This study is part 2 of a larger project devoted to building a sustainable bigleaf maple syrup industry in Oregon.
There are few bigleaf syrup producers, which leads to a lack of awareness of bigleaf maple syrup by culinary professionals, e.g. chefs. An important next step in promotion is to learn how culinary professionals evaluate the qualities and potential uses of a variety of small batch artisanal syrups. This new study focuses on syrup from three small independent producers in Oregon subjected to sensory assessments by 62 chefs at restaurants in the south- and mid-Willamette Valley.
“Bigleaf maple syrup has a flavor profile distinct from the sap of the sugar maple and other native northeast American species,” said Price. “However, because of its small market share, its culinary potential and origins are relatively unknown to Oregonians.”
A majority of pure or blended maple syrup widely sold in grocery stores is derived from the sugar maple (Acer saccharum), which grows prevalently through the northeastern U.S., Midwest, and eastern Canada. Sugar maple procurement and the processing by regional Indigenous tribes of the tree’s sap extends back in time before contact with European settlers in the 16th century.
In the West, however, there is little documentation, written or oral, of Indigenous regional tribes tapping or using bigleaf maple sap. Nonetheless, all western tribes had extensive knowledge of bigleaf maple tree uses. The bark was used to thicken soup, make ropes and baskets, and treat tuberculosis. The large leaves were used for food storage and enhancing flavor, as well as to cover food in cooking pits and to lay fish on while cleaning. Additionally, the tree’s wood was crafted for making cooking utensils, bowls, canoe paddles, and other objects of use and construction. By extension, it is highly probable that tribes had knowledge that the sap of maple trees was edible.
“Because the procurement of sap and processing into syrup occurs during the winter,” said Price, “Eastern Indigenous tribes relied on the sugar maple to provide an important source of calories and nutrients during the harsh winter months. West coast tribes existed in such rich ecosystems with plentiful food sources; they probably saw no use for making syrup, but instead used the bigleaf maple tree for other purposes.”
Price’s new culinary analysis with Colonna and Jones focuses on the sensory and nutritional qualities of bigleaf syrup, increasing culinary awareness and use, and best practices for creating food safe products for markets and consumer confidence.
Overall, the 62 Willamette Valley chefs who tasted syrup from the three small independent Oregon producers noticed a complex flavor profile with flavor attributes including “buttery,” “sweet,” “vanilla,” and “bourbon;” however, the most appealing descriptions of the syrup appeared before a tasting, surprising the researchers. Chefs were most concerned if the product was “locally sourced/produced,” “100% pure,” and “all-natural.”
This study will help producers identify taste and quality profiles that appeal to chefs, opening a market for their product in local, independent restaurants and other professional culinary businesses. Bigleaf maple trees hold a historic cultural significance for the Indigenous peoples of the region. Today, many tribes are seeing a cultural resurgence, while small producers are struggling with aging populations and the consolidation of food production and processing. The resurgence of greater appreciation for bigleaf maple and the emergence of bigleaf maple syrup come at an opportune time. Both tribes and owners of small woodlots can leverage this trend and produce artisan food during the winter when most farm and forest food production in the PNW is dormant.
This focus on locally sourced, artisanal ingredients is an alternative counterpoint to the homogenization of the global food supply. To fully experience the unique taste and culture surrounding bigleaf maple products, consumers must visit the Pacific Northwest.
Digital Communication Arts studies the intersection of media and social life. Throughout history, new media have produced profound changes in human interaction. Family life, politics, commerce, religion, and the distribution of privileges have all been subject to fundamental revision in the wake of new technologies for communication.
The Contemporary Music Industry program provides the history and practice of contemporary musics within a broad cultural, creative and project-based context. Students develop and apply their skills through understanding established and emergent musical styles and creative problem-solving. Students explore their creative interests, learn their craft, and acquire adaptable skills to be able to express themselves through music.
Mahal Miles
By Mike McInally, Freelance Writer - June 15, 2021
Mahal Miles flunked every economics test she took at North Medford High School.
So it’s a surprise to learn that, these days, she listens to economics podcasts in her car – and if her younger sisters want Miles to drive them anywhere, she forces them to listen as well.
The sisters, Miles said, listen “very much begrudgingly.” But by the time it’s over, “they’ll be sort of grumpy, but they’ll say, ‘All right, that was pretty cool, I guess.’”
Her sisters will be particularly interested in a podcast if it touches on issues of social justice. And, in a way, that intersection of economics with social justice helps explain how Miles, just a few years removed from sweating over tests at North Medford, now is graduating from Oregon State University with a degree in managerial economics, with a minor in public health management and a certificate in the medical humanities.
Certainly, economics wasn’t part of the plan when Miles enrolled at OSU. The original idea when she came to Corvallis was to study public health; OSU was the logical choice because its College of Public Health and Human Services is the only accredited program on the West Coast.
But a couple of introductory classes in economics, taught by Michael Nelson and Jon Chesbro, opened her eyes to different possibilities. In those first classes, Miles said, she “really realized the power of economics and how it’s very much the backbone to policy. The combination of econ and public health is a great lens for advocating for human capital investment.”
For example: Miles, whose mother immigrated to the United States from the Philippines to be with a relative, has long been interested in what she calls the “feminization of migration.”
“There are all these social constructs and expectations around motherhood, and a lot of that has to do with being a very directly caring figure in the household,” she said. “But when there’s really no economic opportunity at their home, they have to reassess what it means to be a mother and shift that into being an economic provider. And so they will migrate abroad and then send back remittances. The children may join them or the children may use those remittances to oftentimes invest in education.”
About the time that Nelson and Chesbro were opening Miles’ eyes to the possibilities of economics, she got an additional nudge: She received an email from faculty members in the department that told promising students about career and earning opportunities in the field.
Miles sums up the message she got when she read the email: “You’d be a good econ major!”
It could be – although it’s not certain – that the email Miles received was part of an OSU study into whether emails could be effective tools to attract female students to the profession. The two economics faculty members who ran the study, Liz Schroeder and Todd Pugatch, recently concluded that the email nudges, presumably a best practice to attract women to the field, may not have had the intended effect: In fact, the two found, the emails appealed more to male students. (The department also sends out a general email to students who do well in introductory economics courses, encouraging them to major in the field, and the message Miles got could have been part of that group.)
In any event, in Miles’ case, the email worked: “It was actually pretty influential,” she said. “It was sort of like the final push” to declare an economics major.
Schroeder said that Miles went on during her time at OSU to work with the department’s outreach efforts by participating in its Women in Economics Club and helping develop a mentoring program to support underrepresented students in economics.
Schroeder called Miles “a true leader on campus. … Her work on the mentoring program shows that she exemplifies the best of what it means to be a CLA (College of Liberal Arts) graduate. She studied academic research on mentoring, used best practices learned through other mentoring work at OSU, and drew on her own personal experiences. Synthesizing all this information, she was able to design a program that will benefit students for many years to come. Mahal was a fantastic collaborator and I learned so much from working with her. She’s leaving behind a legacy that makes our program better, and her work on making economics more inclusive helps improve the entire field as well.”
For Miles, the deeper she got into the field, the more she understood how economics can serve as the “backbone” to policy. “It offers a very systemic way of thinking and a very methodical approach to policy analysis.”
During her time on campus, Miles found time for other pursuits beyond economics. She’s served as a peer advocate in the Associated Students of Oregon State University’s Advocacy Office, working with students on issues, such as allegations of academic misconduct or code of conduct violations.
“We’ll meet with students, hear their story, review the allegation, attend college hearings officer meetings with them and really support them with whatever decision they make,” Miles said. “We don’t necessarily advise students but rather advocate for them, ensuring that they know of their rights and how due process works.” Her goal is to make sure that, regardless of the outcome, students feel “it’s been a thorough and just and educational process.”
Miles didn’t ignore the creative process during her time at OSU, taking a pair of poetry classes from Jennifer Richter, an Honors College colloquium on poetry and Greek myth, and a craft course on narrative medicine.
One of Mahal’s poems quotes lines from Mary Oliver’s “Invitation” as a epigraph:
it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world
Richter said she wasn’t surprised that Oliver’s poem spoke to Miles. And she said that Miles’ own work “tackles universal, ‘serious things’ such as identity and lineage, power and privilege. I deeply admire how Mahal’s poetry makes room for all of it – the world’s brokenness as well as its beauty – and how her fierce, fearless voice illuminates the daily struggle and miracle it is ‘just to be alive.’”
Miles didn’t get back to the Corvallis campus at all this academic year during the pandemic, when the majority of classes at OSU were taught online.
“I popped up to Corvallis once just to grab stuff out of the storage unit that I threw all my stuff into on the way down, but that’s about it,” she said, a process that she described as “painful.”
Miles enjoys spending time alone, but the pandemic pushed that to the limit – not to mention “the different sorts of chaos this world has experienced together this past year and a half.”
But there also has been an unexpected blessing.
“It’s also been a unique time for me to be back with my family, which I did not expect at this point in my life.”
Even if it meant subjecting family members to economic podcasts.
Elliot Laurence
By Ellie Webb-Bowen, CLA Student Writer - December 11, 2024
Elliot Laurence is currently one of four second-year students in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film’s M.F.A. program. Focusing on fiction, Laurence has stories to tell from his upbringing in St. Louis, Missouri, and time spent in the Air Force.
"I've always wanted to be a writer," Laurence said. "My niche is what I like to call ‘poverty fiction,’ which is fiction about people who are struggling financially."
Growing up as one of five in a low-income household, Laurence struggled with learning disabilities, but was always a big reader. They worked long hours to help feed their family, which hurt their grades and prevented them from participating in extracurricular activities. College wasn’t necessarily on the table for Laurence and they weren't looking to stick around in St. Louis after high school, which led them to joining the Air Force at age 17 as a way to get out. After their high school graduation, Laurence went straight into basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, then technical school for medical logistics training.
“During my time in the Air Force, I met a lot of people who were in similar situations as I was,” explained Laurence.
“They didn't join because they wanted to, they joined because they had a challenging family situation back home, or wanted consistency in their life, or needed to get rid of debt. These people joined the Air Force to eventually have a better life.”
During year three of his six years in the Air Force, Laurence began transitioning, which, as Laurence explains, Air Force administration was unsure how to handle, treating the transitioning processes as though Laurence was injured. Officially classifying Laurence’s transition as a “medical defect,” the duties Laurence was allowed to perform during his time in service were limited.
“They treated me as if I had developed asthma or something,” said Laurence. “And despite my transition occurring during the Trump Administration, it was a celebratory time with friends and family. I was very lucky to be surrounded by people who were very supportive of me, including my unit commander. Honestly, the worst part about it was the administrative paperwork.”
Laurence completed Airman Leadership School and was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant after 6 years of service. While in the Air Force, they were also enrolled at Webster University in St. Louis as an English major and creative writing minor. After graduating, Laurence received the Young Alumni Award from Webster for their transgender activism, as well as a guest on Donnybrook, a St. Louis PBS debate program, to talk about transgender rights.
In 2022, Ruminate Magazine published a fictional story by Laurence titled, “Warehouse Song,” about a single mom who works at a clothing packaging warehouse, while living in her car and raising her daughter.
“The story is fictional,” explained Laurence, “but there certainly are themes in there that I took from my own upbringing. I like to write personal stories, whereby at the end of the day, we’re all just trying to survive, typically for love; love for love’s sake.”
While working as Editor of Communication at the St. Louis University School of Law, Laurence began to look at continuing his writing career. OSU’s Master’s of Fine Arts program at the School of Writing, Literature, and Film (SWLF) caught Laurence’s attention, due in part to the small cohort size, non-competitive environment, in addition to being in transgender-friendly state. They were admitted and joined the program in Fall 2023.
While at OSU, Laurence has been elected twice SWLF's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, received the Thurgood Marshall Fellowship, served as an organizer for the M.F.A. Reading Series, and volunteers with the Coalition of Graduate Employees, who strive to ensure fair treatment and wages for graduate employees.
His writing still focuses on themes of “poverty fiction,” Laurence looks to tell stories about those who are under-represented or unheard.
“There’s so much to uniquely explore in the field of American poverty,” said Laurence. “Money dictates so much about how we live, including my own. In my writing, the character is constantly worrying about money, but it doesn’t mean they don’t get stuff done, or have positive relationships, or become involved in a murder mystery.”
For his thesis, Laurence is working on a novel, tentatively titled No One Has a Dollar. The narrator is a 23-year-old transgender man with a side job as a food delivery driver. The story surrounds a recent mysterious murder of another driver. The main character gets a front row seat to the development of the case when he joins an activist group led by an infectiously charming man named Every.
After completing the M.F.A. program this spring, Laurence looks to enter into teaching and continue writing fiction about what it means to be poor and marginalized in America.
“I hope my writing will make readers feel seen,” Laurence said. “Even though somebody might be struggling financially, it doesn't mean that they don't have a rich life.”
Cooper Dart
By Quinn Keller, CLA Student Writer - January 8, 2025
After growing up in the outdoor paradise of Hailey, Idaho, Cooper Dart spent his undergraduate studies on the East Coast at Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Maine, where he graduated with bachelor’s degrees in environmental studies and anthropology. Today, Dart continues to take what he learned at Bowdoin and apply that to his nonfiction writing about rural America as an M.F.A. student in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film (SWLF).
“In the rural west, it’s everything all the time,” said Dart. “It’s how you and the people around you are responding to environments and landscapes, and how landscapes and environments are responding to communities, and the feedback loop that happens.” More specifically, Dart is interested in the mythology and mythos of these landscapes and communities.
What drew Dart to environmental studies and anthropology was the intent to learn more about how communities and societies interact with their environment. It was a creative nonfiction course he took during his junior year that lent the possibility of exploring these communities through storytelling.
Dart credits his nonfiction journey to Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, a writing professor at Bowdoin. “Every writer has that moment where they are made to feel like a writer, and it's really important,” Dart said. “I had this brilliant professor who spent a lot of intentional time with me in reviewing my writing, which made me feel like a ‘writer.’ It made me so excited to keep going.” The same writing professor at Bowdoin connected Dart with SWLF Associate Professor Elena Passarello years later when Dart was considering an M.F.A. program.
Much of Dart’s current writing focused on the rural American West was informed by not only his upbringing in Idaho, but also the various seasonal outdoor-related jobs he’s held, including a search and rescuer in Brunswick, a backcountry guide in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, a ski coach in Portland, Maine, an instructor at an outdoor school in North Carolina, and a few more.
“Everyone is searching for something,” Dart said. “Those experiences were very formative for me and leaked into my writing. I’m trying to connect these concepts and experiences because everything about it is interlinked.”
Dart’s exploration of nonfiction is rooted in the intersectionality of the humanities and environment, an area that OSU excels in probing. His self-described “experimental” writing about individuals, communities, and shared myths helps him organize his own thoughts and perspectives. One of Dart’s literary essays explores Idaho’s nuclear history through modern folklore, including the 1961 nuclear reactor accident near Hailey that is shrouded in myth.
“I write about how individuals and communities search through myths and stories about the place they live for some sort of answer to the modern moment.” said Dart. “It’s this more dispersed, symbolic idea of searching and looking for things. It's good to talk about because rural landscapes are such a contested space in the modern American psyche.”
For Dart’s graduate thesis, he is working on a book-length essay about Korean artist Nam June Paik. Paik is famous for being the first person to create art with television screens in the 1950’s and 1960’s. “I feel like it's a great time to challenge and push myself to write a big, sustained piece,” Dart said. His interest in Paik stems from his own interest in togetherness and connection. “He's this very international artist. It makes me wonder ‘what does it mean to be together?’ and ‘how messy does togetherness inherently have to be?’” Dart plans to connect these questions to rural landscapes in America, exploring themes of how small towns are connected with a shared history.
Dart has one more year until he finishes the M.F.A. program and his thesis. He explained that he’d like to explore teaching if things go smoothly, however, he is currently enjoying his writing not being associated with anything professional yet.
“I came into this M.F.A. program with no tangible professional goals,” elaborated Dart. “I wanted this time to be spent devoted to writing in a collaborative community. I’m greatly enjoying living and writing with intention in this moment.”
