New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof  and his wife, banker and author Sheryl WuDunn, dropped in for a recent session of the UO's Summer Academy To Inspire Learning (SAIL) and shared stories about their work and the paths that led them to it. SAIL is a pipeline program at the UO that aims to make higher education a realistic goal for disadvantaged middle school and high school students.

University of Oregon faculty and staff who are connected with overseas travel and international study will soon have an opportunity to learn about MERS (Mideast Respiratory Syndrome) at a town hall meeting to be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8 in Room 202 of the Ford Alumni Center. The town hall meeting is a collaborative effort between the UO and Lane County Public Health, designed to provide accurate information on how to prevent infection and limit the spread of the disease. The meeting is free of charge.

As part of its mission to promote excellence in research in environmental sciences, the recently launched Environmental Science Institute at the University of Oregon is giving rise to collaborations that address environmental challenges in new ways.

An Aug. 16 training on “Violence on Campus” will address early identification, resources and response. The training is hosted by the Counseling and Testing Center, Emergency Management & Continuity and the University of Oregon Police Department.

Seven construction projects to support the University of Oregon's core academic mission will pump a combined $299.74 million into the economy and create more than 2,700 construction jobs as the projects' starting dates are staggered over the coming year. Two of the projects – a combined $44 million in maintenance, seismic upgrades, renovation and classroom expansion at Straub and Earl halls, and a $50.25 million Student Recreation Center expansion – are getting underway this summer.