Buzz

Are ya ready, kids? Aye, aye, captain!

It doesn’t live in a pineapple under the sea, but it’s still intriguing. We’re talking, of course, about the SpongeBob SquarePants mushroom. This spring, when the International Institute for Species Exploration issued its top 10 list of the quirkiest, most bizarre, and interesting species discovered over the past year, Spongiforma squarepantsii made the cut. Peter Kennedy, assistant professor of biology at Lewis & Clark— along with colleagues from Stanford and Berkeley— discovered the new sponge-like mushroom while on a fungus-hunting mission in Malaysia.

Tubin’ it

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Philosophy hits the airwaves

What is natural and what is artificial about wilderness? Should humans be understood as part of nature or distinct from it? These were just a few of the questions explored in “The Nature of Wilderness,” an episode of the nationally syndicated radio program Philosophy Talk, which was recorded in front of a live audience at Lewis & Clark in April (and aired in late August). Jay Odenbaugh, associate professor of philosophy, was the special guest of program hosts Ken Taylor and John Perry. Checkout the podcast via Philosophy Talk.

A new leash on life

During finals week, you’ll see them barking and panting. No, we aren’t talking about law students—we’re talking about actual dogs. For the last two years, Sara Chambers, switchboard operator at the law school and pet therapy guru, has arranged to have dogs (and their owners) visit law students during the stressful two-week finals period at the close of each semester. “Many students have had to leave a cherished family pet behind to go to school,” says Chambers, “so this is on par with mom sending a box of home-baked cookies to lift their spirits.”

Flying fish?

If you’re traveling through Portland International Airport, be sure to check out Underwater Flight, by artist Sayuri Sasaki Hemann BA ’03. Her installation is filled with fabric jellyfish, felted barnacles, and a hand-dyed kelp forest. It’s all part of Hemann’s Urban Aquarium project, which she says “explores the concept of being ‘out of context’ and ‘displaced’ by recreating a jellyfish aquarium in places where you least expect.” Underwater Flight, located in the ArtObjects glass case at the entrance of Concourse E, will be on display through January 15, 2013.

A cool school …

Sierra magazine has named Lewis & Clark one of the Top 25 “Coolest Schools,” honoring America’s green- est colleges and universities. Lewis & Clark’s commitment to sustainability helped move the college up 15 places on this year’s Sierra Club list of 96 colleges and universities, from No. 37 in 2011 to No. 22 in 2012.

… with the coolest alums

Amber Case BA ’08 appears in Inc. magazine’s list of the 30 Coolest Entrepreneurs Under 30 alongside the founders of Pinterest and Spotify. Case cofounded Geoloqi.com, which is described as “a key technology behind a platform that manages location-based services for enterprises, app developers, and government services.” She credits Deborah Heath, associate professor of anthropology, for introducing her to the concept of cyborg anthropology.