Presentation by Bashar Al-Daomi. To protect water systems such as lakes and rivers, we need to make wastewater as free of phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations as possible. Microbes work to treat wastewater. Al-Daomi’s research involves supporting these microbes. Al-Daomi is a PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering at Portland State University. He focuses on using innovative bio-clean-tech ways to purify wastewater. He has designed, built, and operated three ways to do this.
Robert Sanford offers a continuing exploration of poetry. Starting with the three differences between poetry and prose, and reviewing five basic tools (Vocabulary, Speaker, Audience, Setting, and Structure), he looks at a poem that we probably all know, along with a mysterious poem that is surprisingly similar to the first, and then a lovely and elegant poem by John Ciardi. Sanford has taught poetry to high school students. He has been an active member of HGP since 1998.
Without children of our own, women and men face different opportunities and challenges than parents do. Kate Kaufman, author of the new book “Do You Have Kids? Life When the Answer is No” explores these differences. Ms. Kaufmann is an advocate for better understanding of the childless/childfree demographic. She has an MFA in creative writing and a professional background in human resources and consulting.
Presentation by Kimberly Jensen. Women from diverse backgrounds in early twentieth century Oregon protested as individuals and as members of political organizations, seeking both personal freedom and justice for collective groups. They faced incarceration, harassment, and even physical violence as they worked to demand change. Kimberly Jensen is Professor of History and Gender Studies at Western Oregon University. She is the author of several books on Women’s History.