The University of Oregon's Student Recreation Center reopened at 9:45 a.m. today (Tuesday, April 2) – in time for the 10 a.m. PE classes – after being closed overnight due to flooding that was reported shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.

The building's fire sprinkler system mistakenly activated in the vicinity of the climbing wall, causing major flooding. The water was removed overnight and affected infrastructure – including electrical equipment, an elevator and the fire suppression system – were dried and tested before the rec center was reopened.

The Center for the Study of Women in Society recently announced the UO faculty and graduate students who will receive research grants for work related to women and gender during the 2013-14 academic year.

The center awarded more than $70,000 in graduate student and faculty research grants. Nine UO graduate students will receive awards ranging from $2,000 to $16,000, while six faculty scholars will receive awards of up to $6,000.

The Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA) has granted its official seal of approval to the Northern Great Basin Prehistory Project, making the University of Oregon's summer field school one of nine RPA-certified programs in the United States and the only one in the Pacific Northwest.

Jointly sponsored by the Society for American Archaeology, the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Archaeological Institute of America and the American Anthropological Association, RPA establishes and upholds rigorous, universal standards for archaeological research and ethics.

University of Oregon student Edith Gomez will join Gov. John Kitzhaber, Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney and others Tuesday morning (April 2) when the governor signs into law the state's so-called tuition equity bill.

1. Where in the world were you?

I was in Costa Rica from Aug. 26 to Sept. 16. I was involved in a two-prong project, interviewing scholars and activists for my book and filming politicians, historians, and activists for an independent film project. Most of our interviewing took place in San Jose, the capital. Some of our interviews involved travel to areas in the highland coffee country and the west coast national park areas.

2. What work were you doing there?

The nomination period has been launched for 2013-14 recipients of the Fund for Faculty Excellence Awards program.

The Fund for Faculty Excellence provides one-time awards of $20,000 to tenured faculty who have distinguished themselves in research, teaching and leadership. Up to 13 awards will be made this spring by the provost based on recommendations of a panel of senior faculty from nominations forwarded by academic deans; the awards will be announced by the end of the academic year.

Gerardo Sandoval is well aware of the changing employment trends and how they can affect students entering the workforce.

“It is important for students to gain experience working in multicultural environments,” said the assistant professor in Planning, Public Policy and Management at the University of Oregon. “Oregon is quickly becoming a more diverse state and our students need to have the skills, knowledge and practical experience to make positive changes in ethnically diverse communities.”

As University of Oregon supporters hope for a continued Duck walk through the March Madness of this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, the university has already risen to the top of another bracket.

The UO is included in the Alliance to Save Energy’s “EE Eight” – a list of the most energy-efficient campuses whose teams made it to the NCAA tournament.

University of Oregon women had a large role in the 33^rd annual Oregon Women in Higher Education conference held earlier this winter at Oregon State University.

For Portland architect William Hawkins III, preservation has been a career-long pursuit dating to a great uncle who met famed naturalist John Muir on a hike at Yosemite National Park.

That commitment to providing the public with remarkable spaces has been recognized by a UO program that named Hawkins the recipient of a prestigious award for preservation efforts.