Greetings!

It is my absolute pleasure to share with you our IAS Spring newsletter!

First and foremost, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to continue serving the Institute for another term. Thank you for recognizing my work over the past three years and for your continued support as we look ahead. My time at the Institute has deepened my understanding of our institution and opened exciting opportunities for our students, faculty, and broader community. I’m excited about what we can accomplish together in the years to come.

In this newsletter, you’ll find highlights including:

• A wide array of lectures and events we hosted or co-sponsored, spanning diverse regions in Asia and Asian America across multiple disciplines;

• Announcement about the upcoming K-Pop Academy in August;

• Information about the IAS scholarship; and

• An impressive list of recent achievements by our Faculty Associates.

We’ll be in touch again soon with updates on future events and opportunities. 

As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or inquiries. Stay connected with us by following us on Instagram and liking our page on Facebook—we would love to engage with you! 

I wish you all a wonderful and restful summer!

Hyeyoung Woo, Ph.D.

Director of the Institute for Asian Studies

Professor and Chair of Sociology

A Look Back at Fall, Winter & Spring Events

                                                               Fall Term

Dr. Ayako Hirata, Associate Professor of Law - University of Tokyo                                                                                                      

Title: Being Legal Professionals in Public Service: Navigating Roles and Responsibilities of Government Lawyers in Japan and the US.

Dr. Michelle Gamburd, Professor Anthropology - Liberal Arts & Sciences - Portland State University                                                               

Title:  Elder Care and Financial Crisis in Sri Lanka: Intergenerational Obligations and International Migration

                                                               Winter Term

                                                                 Spring Term 

Live Performance                                                                  by Drs. Susan Chan (Piano), and Li Kuang with his students Enpeng Cui and Ziqi He (Trombone)                                                                                              Title: Scenes from a Jade Window: Piano and Trombone Music by Contemporary Chinese Composers

Dr. Jiannbin Lee Shiao  Professor & Department Head - Sociology, University of Oregon                              Title: Modeling Asian American Exceptionalism in Socioeconomic Attainment                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Trena Gillette Memorial Lecture

By Dr. Hyaeweol Choi   Department Chair (DEO), Gender & Women Sexuality Studies; Professor Stanley Family and Korea Foundation Chair in Korean Studies     Title: Street Food Recipes for Everyday Life Politics in Global Korea                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Co-sponsored Events

Dr. Sri Craven

Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

* “Run.” Short story. Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism. Forthcoming.

* “Desi Dreams in America.” Kritika Kultura 46 (Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines). (2025): 456-462.

* “The Most Noxious Hierarchy’: An Interview with Dalit Journalist and Activist 

* Yashica Dutt.” The Riveraine Muse. Literary magazine, Kolkata, India. March 2025.

* Served as a panelist. “Media Frames.” Frank Church Symposium, International Affairs Council, Idaho State University, Pocatello. April 4, 2025.

Dr. Michele Gamburd

Professor of Anthropology

* Served on the Editorial Board for Anthem Press's Studies in Asian Mobilities across the Globe.

* Served as a reviewer for manuscripts submitted to the University of Pennsylvania Press and the journals, such as Alcohol and Alcoholism, BMJ Public Health, and South Asia.

Dr. Priya Kapoor

Professor of Politics and Global Affairs 

* Received Faculty Development Grant for ongoing Research Project: Coolie Labor in the British Empire as key to understanding modern slavery in Shimla, India: A journey through the Archive and Media.

* Invited Speaker on Global Discourses for the student-led Frank Church Symposium 2025, Women Today: Politics, Perception and Power, at Idaho State University, April 3-4.

* Served as a discussant on the politics of surrogacy between India and the United States after a Profile Theatre performance of Samsara by Chinese American playwright Lauren Yee and directed by Ajai Tripathi and Jamie M. Rea in February 2025

Dr. Yue Ni 

Assistant Professor of Psychology

* “Youth Civic Engagement on the Internet: Validation of a Multidimensional Measure.” Poster presented at the 2025 Biennial Meeting of Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, MN.

Dr. Ji Woon "June" Ryu

Assistant Professor of the School of Business

* Recipient of the 2025 Researcher of the Year Award of the School of Business at Portland State University. 

* Recipient of the MOC Division Outstanding Reviewer Award for the 2025 Academy of Management Annual Meeting.

Dr. Ken Ruoff

Professor of History and Director of the Center for Japanese Studies

* Recipient of a grant from the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken) in Kyoto to lead a team research project on the topic of the Far Right in Postwar Japan in a Global Context during the 2026-27 academic year. The team includes 14 researchers representing nine universities and research centers in Japan.

* Named as a "Portland Professorship," the highest-level professorship at the university.

Dr. Hyeyoung Woo

Director of the Institute for Asian Studies and Professor and Chair of Sociology

* “Korean Americans (Dis)Advantages: Korean Immigrants’ Goals and Strategies for the Children's Education.” Paper presented at the Conference on Korean Diaspora and Diasporic Education, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, April.

* “Invisible Voices: Stories of Sexual Minority Women Navigating the Challenges.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of Association of Asian Studies, Columbus, OH, March.

* Session Organizer/Presider for the Annual Meetings of the Pacific Sociological Association, San Francisco, CA, March. 

* Panel Organizer of “Korean Patriarchy” at the Annual Meetings of Association of Asian Studies, Columbus, OH, March. 

* Discussant of Undergraduate Roundtable on Medical Sociology at the Annual Meetings of the Pacific Sociological Association, San Francisco, CA, March.

Dr. Liu-Qin Yang 

Professor of Psychology

* Recipient of the 2024 Stan Gully Award for Sustained Excellence in Reviewing for Journal of Business and Psychology.

* Beck, K.B., MacKenzie, K.T., Kirby, A.V., McDonald, K.E., Moura, I., Breitenfeldt, K.E., Rutenberg, E., Kumar, T., Mancino, J., Sabatello, M., Roth, S., Nicolaidis, C., and the Working to increase Inclusivity in Research Ethics (WIRE) Consortium (In Press). Guidelines for the creation of accessible consent materials and procedures: lessons from research with autistic people and people with intellectual disability. Autism in Adulthood. DOI: DOI: 10.1089/aut.2024.0263.

IAS Scholarship

Upcoming Events

We are excited to bring back the popular K-Pop Academy this summer! The Academy will offer free dance and vocal classes from August 11 to August 15, running daily from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Registration will open later this summer—stay tuned to our emails and social media for updates!

Fall 2025 Courses 

Check out some of the upcoming courses

Institute for Asian Studies

Check out our website: 

https://www.pdx.edu/asian-studies/

Email us: asianstudies@pdx.edu