Professors We Love:
Karen Kashmanian Oates
Karen Kashmanian Oates took me under her wing when I started the Environmental Science and Public Policy PhD Program in 1996 and made a lasting impression on my life. She exuded the kind of confidence I hoped to attain on completing the program. She also combined being a successful, smart researcher with being a family-focused, caring individual. I always thought I had to pick one role or the other, but she showed me there is a happy medium.
The historically universal mission statement of major universities in the United States touts research, teaching, and service, with the strongest emphasis today on research. Many professors have found this emphasis to be all-consuming, leaving little time or motivation for excelling in other areas; however, Oates learned to deftly manage all three areas, making major contributions to all, while enjoying life and her family, as well as her graduate and undergraduate students.
In 1985, Oates joined the Mason faculty where she served on numerous academic and student service planning committees. In 1993, she was named codirector of a zero-based curriculum project charged with re-envisioning education for the new millennium, and in 1995, she became one of the founding deans of the College of Integrative Studies (now New Century College) at Mason.
Since 1997, she has led efforts through several national organizations, notably the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement, to integrate scientific thought and ideas more deeply into liberal education. Oates conducts faculty development workshops nationally on a variety of topics, including progressive pedagogical approaches to support learning, assessment strategies, integrating service learning into the curriculum, community- and discover-based undergraduate research, using research on how people learn to inform curricular design and pedagogies to support the establishment of learning communities.
In addition, Oates is a coprincipal investigator on a major science education reform project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and serves as senior science advisor for International Women in Science and Engineering. She also is deputy division director of NSF’s Education and Human Resources Directorate.
When I graduated in 2002, I asked myself what motivates such a person? I concluded she was motivated by the following: (1) an intense and unflagging fascination with science; (2) superior physical and mental stamina; (3) an intense desire to help her country and the human race in general by applying her knowledge and skills to helping solve major environmental problems and educating young people to become successful scientists and professors; and (4) constant support at home from a devoted family.
In 2003, Oates left Mason to become the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
Her vast work and experience make her a great teacher and mentor. She uses science and education to empower women and improve the lives of people around the world. She helped me find my own voice, my own confidence. I greatly appreciate her positive influence on my life and scientific career.
—Brenda Pillari-Soheily, PhD Environmental Science and Public Policy ’02
Do you fondly remember certain places within the Mason community that exemplified the “college experience”? Were you befriended by a mentor or professor at Mason who influenced your life? If so, tell us about it. Send your submission to Alumni Affairs, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 3B3, Fairfax, VA 22030. Please keep submissions to a maximum of 500 words.