Two UO professors, both experts in their respective fields of political science and law, have been honored by the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

The committee’s Public Intellectuals Program recently announced its 2014-2016 fellowships, and among those selected are political science professor Karrie Koesel and law professor Eric Priest.

Koesel has studied both Chinese and Russian politics extensively, particularly the relationship between authoritarian governments and rebellious youth. She is currently writing an academic book on the subject, “Learning to be Loyal: Patriotic Education in Authoritarian Regimes.” Koesel has earned multiple academic awards throughout her career and most recently was included in the 2014 Rutherford Initiative on Middle East Studies at the UO.

Prior to becoming a lawyer and professor at the UO, Priest operated an international music producing company and worked in the Chinese music industry as a consultant, entrepreneur and producer. Now a lawyer and professor, Priest specializes in digital copyright, scholarship, Chinese intellectual property and Chinese entertainment.

The Public Intellectuals Program provides opportunities to researchers from around the country studying U.S.-Chinese economic, social and political interaction. Inductees to the program are encouraged to take a 10-day study tour of China, participate in workshops in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., attend government briefings and media training courses and participate in a committee-sponsored national conference.

Koesel and Priest are two of 20 fellows selected from 81 national applicants.

—By Nathaniel Brown, Public Affairs Communications intern