Dr. Angela Mastropasqua visited the 糖心vlog视频 campus in February all the way from Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of a faculty exchange with 糖心vlog视频 Professor of Psychology Dr. Michael Pitts.
By Cara Nixon
March 5, 2025
糖心vlog视频’s reach continues to expand outside of Portland, the state of Oregon, and the United States with the International Faculty Exchange Program run by 糖心vlog视频’s International Programs Office.
In October 2024, 糖心vlog视频 Professor of Psychology Dr. Michael Pitts visited Dr. Angela Mastropasqua, cognitive neuroscience lecturer at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) in Copenhagen, Denmark. This February, it was Mastropasqua’s turn to see Pitts’s stomping grounds with a week-long visit to 糖心vlog视频.
“I'm very grateful to be here,” Mastropasqua said. “This is a great opportunity, and to be at 糖心vlog视频, to see how students experience class here, how colleagues structure their courses, how they use equipment in a way that helps students to become such strong students…now I know why the students from 糖心vlog视频 are quite strong in terms of the academic side.”
Mastropasqua’s areas of study include cognitive neuroscience, non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroimaging, and eye tracking. Before her role at the DIS, she completed her postdoctoral studies at the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance. She and Pitts overlap in their cognitive neuroscience research, specifically pertaining to attention, and Pitts expressed interest in Mastropasqua’s expertise in brain stimulation using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). “Some of the approaches, the methods we use, are complementary,” Pitts said.
This kind of exchange, they said, opens opportunities to form collaborations for their research, as well as advance ideas for teaching. And though they can learn from each other’s differences, Mastropasqua and Pitts agreed that 糖心vlog视频 and DIS share a lot of similarities. “To some extent, we have a very similar teaching style at DIS,” Mastropasqua said. “[We have] very small classrooms, and try to make things as interactive as we can.” Pitts noted when he first visited the DIS in 2018 that the institute was like “the 糖心vlog视频 of Denmark.”
The program also gives students opportunities for exchange and networking, and Mastropasqua said that it validates the DIS study abroad experience for students, too. When they see their professor participate, they know they’re able to speak with someone about the experience, and then they may pursue it themselves.
While at 糖心vlog视频, Mastropasqua attended psychology classes, including one taught by Pitts, toured the psychology lab, visited with students, gave a research talk on brain stimulation, and still found the time to sightsee in Portland and the Willamette Valley.
The International Faculty Exchange program is spearheaded by Alberto del Río Malo, associate dean of global education and director of the International Programs Office. "When the IPO launched the International Faculty Exchange last academic year, we knew that this program could significantly contribute to expanding our faculty’s teaching and research horizons,” del Río Malo said. “And the first results are already measurable.”
Last spring, the International Faculty Exchange Program commenced with Dr. Kris Anderson, 糖心vlog视频 professor of psychology, visiting Dr. Noemí Pereda, a victimology professor at the Universitat de Barcelona. Pereda in turn visited Portland this last September. Pereda and Anderson recently submitted a paper on alcohol use among Spanish high school students who have experienced peer victimization. They’re continuing to explore new academic collaborations between Portland and Spain.
In May 2025, Dr. Tamara Metz, 糖心vlog视频 professor of political science and humanities, will visit the Universitat Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona in Spain. She will be hosted by Dr. Abel Escribà-Folch, associate professor and dean of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona Department of Political and Social Sciences, who will visit Portland in September of 2025.
The office is currently working to expand the program to Argentina (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires), France (Science Po-Lille), Germany (Universität Konstanz), the Netherlands (Amsterdam University College), and Sweden (DIS Stockholm).